Brief Life Is Here Our Portion

Brief life is here our por­tion;

Brief sor­row

short lived care;

The life that knows no end­ing

The tear­less life

is there.

O hap­py re­tri­bu­tion!

Short toil

eter­nal rest;

For mor­tals and for sin­ners

A man­sion with the blest!

And mar­tyr­dom hath ros­es

Upon that heav­en­ly ground

And white and vir­gin li­lies

For vir­gin-souls abound.

There grief is turned to plea­sure;

Such plea­sure as be­low

No hu­man voice can ut­ter

No hu­man heart can know.

And af­ter flesh­ly weak­ness

And af­ter this world’s night

And af­ter storm and whirl­wind

Are calm

and joy

and light.

And now we fight the bat­tle

But then shall wear the crown

Of full and ev­er­last­ing

And pas­sion­less re­nown.

And He

whom now we trust in

Shall then be seen and known;

And they that know and see Him

Shall have Him for their own.

And now we watch and strug­gle

And now we live in hope

And Zi­on in her ang­uish

With Ba­by­lon must cope.

But there is Da­vid’s fount­ain

And life in full­est glow;

And there the light is gold­en

And milk and ho­ney flow.

The morn­ing shall awak­en

The sha­dows flee away

And each true heart­ed serv­ant

Shall shine as doth the day.

There God

our king and por­tion

In full­ness of His grace

We then shall see for­ev­er

And wor­ship face to face.

O sweet and bless­èd coun­try

The home of God’s elect!

O sweet and bless­èd coun­try

That ea­ger hearts ex­pect!

Jesu

in mer­cy bring us

To that dear land of rest;

Who art

with God the Fa­ther

And Spir­it

ev­er blest.