Hark! How Time’s Wide Sounding Bell

Hark! how time’s wide sound­ing bell

Strikes on each at­tent­ive ear!

Tolling loud the so­lemn knell

Of the late de­part­ed year:

Years

like mor­tals

wear away

Have their birth

and dy­ing day;

Youthful spring

and win­try age

Then to oth­ers quit the stage.

Sad ex­pe­ri­ence may re­late

What a year the last has been!

Crops of sor­row have been great

From the fruit­ful seeds of sin:

Oh! what num­bers gay and blithe

Fell by death’s un­spar­ing scythe?

While they thought the world their own

Suddenly he mowed them down.

See how war

with dread­ful stride

Marches at the Lord’s com­mand

Spreading de­so­la­tion wide

Through a once much-fa­vored land:

War

with heart and arms of steel

Preys on thou­sands at a meal;

Daily drink­ing hu­man gore

Still he thirsts

and calls for more.

If the God

whom we pro­voke

Hither should His way di­rect;

What a sin-av­eng­ing stroke

May a land

like this

ex­pect!

They who now se­cure­ly sleep

Quickly then

would wake and weep;

And too late would learn to fear

When they saw the dan­ger near.

You are safe

who know His love

He will all His truth per­form;

To your souls a re­fuge prove

From the rage of ev­ery storm:

But we trem­ble for the youth;

Teach them

Lord

Thy sav­ing truth;

Join them to Thy faith­ful few

Be to them a re­fuge too.