Scripture Verse

The angel whom I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to Heaven, and swore by Him that liveth for ever and ever… that there should be time no longer: Revelation 10:5–7

Introduction

Words: Ben­ja­min Bed­dome (1717–1795). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Adapt­ed to Pub­lic Wor­ship (Lon­don: Bu­rton & Briggs, 1818), num­ber 749. Time No Long­er.

Music: St. Aus­tin Gre­go­ri­an chant. Ar­ranged in the Bris­tol Tune Book, 1876 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Bed­dome (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Saints, be­hold the migh­ty an­gel,
Standing on the earth and sea;
Lo, his hand he lifts to Hea­ven,
Swears that time no more shall be:
Awful mo­ment,
Where shall now the sin­ner flee?

Short is time, e’en at the long­est,
Man’s frail life is short­er still;
All his days are full of sor­row,
That will soon their course ful­fill:
Happy mor­tal,
Who per­forms his mak­er’s will.

May the aw­ful hour ap­proach­ing,
Sink with­in my thought­less mind,
So that when I hence am sum­moned,
Cheerful I may feel re­signed:
At that mo­ment,
Let me, Lord, Thy mer­cy find!

illustration
A Mighty Angel Stands on Earth and Sea
Benjamin West, circa 1797