Scripture Verse

Let thine heart keep My commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Proverbs 3:1–2

Introduction

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Horatius Bonar (1808–1889)

Words: Ho­ra­ti­us Bo­nar, Hymns of Faith and Hope, se­cond ser­ies (Lon­don: James Nis­bet, 1861), pag­es 129–30.

Music: St. Cris­pin George J. El­vey, 1862 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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George J. Elvey (1816–1893)
National Portrait Gallery

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Lyrics

He liveth long who liveth well!
All other life is short and vain;
He liveth longest who can tell
Of living most for heavenly gain.

He liveth long who liveth well!
All else is being flung away;
He liveth longest who can tell
Of true things truly done each day.

Waste not thy being; back to Him,
Who freely gave it, freely give,
Else is that being but a dream,
’Tis but to be, and not to live.

Be wise, and use thy wisdom well;
Who wisdom speaks must live it, too;
He is the wisest who can tell
How first he lived, then spoke, the true.

Be what thou seemest; live thy creed;
Hold up to earth the torch divine:
Be what thou prayest to be made;
Let the great Mas­ter’s steps be thine.

Fill up each hour with what will last;
Buy up the moments as they go;
The life above, when this is past,
Is the ripe fruit of life below.

Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure;
Sow peace, and reap its harvest bright;
Sow sunbeams on the rock and moor,
And find a harvest-home of light.