Scripture Verse

His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Luke 3:17

Introduction

Words: Har­ri­et B. Mc­Kee­ver, in Pre­cious Hymns, by Tho­mas Har­ris­on (Phil­a­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: John J. Hood, 1885), num­ber 1.

Music: John R. Swe­ney (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Mc­Kee­ver (head-and-shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), would you ?

portrait
John R. Sweney
1837–1899

Lyrics

When Jesus shall gather the nations
Before Him at last to appear,
Then, oh how shall we stand in the judgment,
When summoned our sentence to hear?

Refrain

He will gather the wheat in His garner,
But the chaff will He scatter away;
Then, oh how shall we stand at the judgment
Of the great resurrection day?

Shall we hear, from the lips of the Savior,
The words, Faithful servant, well done?
Or, trembling with fear and with anguish,
Be banished away from His throne?

Refrain

He will smile when He looks on His children,
And sees on the ransomed His seal;
He will clothe them in heavenly beauty,
As low at His footstool they kneel.

Refrain

Then let us be watching and waiting,
Our lamps burning steady and bright,
When the Bridegroom shall call to the wedding,
Our spirits made ready for flight.

Refrain

Thus living with hearts fixed on Heaven,
In patience we wait for the time,
When, the days of our pilgrimage ended,
We’ll bask in the presence divine.

Refrain