Why Stand Ye All the Day Idle?

If you can not preach the Gos­pel

Where the learned and gift­ed meet

Winning praise from rich and no­ble

Sitting in the high­est seat

You can ga­ther in the child­ren

Who in streets ne­glect­ed stray

You can Cal­va­ry’s sto­ry tell them

You can teach them how to pray.

If you can not

in the tem­ple

Where the gay and weal­thy throng

Please them with the chant­ed mea­sure

Swell with them the chor­al song;

You can seek the drea­ry dwell­ing

Where the poor and friend­less stay

You can com­fort

aid and cheer them

Point to Heav’n and lead the way.

If you can not lead de­vo­tion

Where as­sem­bled Christ­ians pray;

If you find you lack the tal­ent

There to speak

to ed­ify;

You can in the clo­set en­ter

Only to the Sav­ior known

You can hum­bly ask His bless­ing

On the seed by oth­ers sown.

Do not

then

sit id­ly wait­ing

For some great­er work to do.

Precious time is swift­ly pass­ing

And eter­ni­ty’s in view.

Oh

imp­rove the gold­en sea­son

Grasp the mo­ments as they fly

If you’d ear­nest be for Je­sus

Now’s the time! You soon must die!