Scripture Verse

Now is the accepted time. 2 Corinthians 6:2

Introduction

portrait
Eliza E. Hewitt (1851–1920)

Words: Eli­za E. Hew­itt, in Ra­di­ant Songs, by John R. Swe­ney & Will­iam Kirk­pat­rick (Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: John J. Hood, 1891). Some hym­nals give the au­thor as L. H. Ed­munds, Hew­itt’s pseu­do­nym.

Music: Will­iam J. Kirk­pat­rick (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
William J. Kirkpatrick (1838–1921)

Lyrics

A voice is heard in the dewy dawn,
And the call is sweet and low;
Come now, My child to the Shep­herd’s fold,
Where the living waters flow
;
But the gay heart answers in care­less tones,
As light as the morning chime,
Let me live for the world just a lit­tle while,
I will come to God—some­time!

Refrain

Beware! Beware! At the pear­ly gate
God may answer your sometime, too late! too late!
Beware! Beware! At the pear­ly gate
God may answer your sometime, too late! too late!

The day is nearing the noon­tide glow,
And the voice is heard again,
It calls the soul to a nob­ler life,
’Tis a patient, kind re­frain;
Enter now the Mas­ter’s broad har­vest field,
In the strength of your ear­ly prime,
Come and bring to His work ser­vice good and true,
Still the same reply—some­time!

Refrain

The feet are treading the west­ern slope,
And the air is growing chill;
O can it be God is wait­ing yet,
That His voice is plead­ing still?
That He’ll flood with beau­ty the sun­set sky,
Bright rays from the Gold­en Clime?
But the sinner long hard­ened, has turned away,
With the fatal word—some­time!

Refrain

O soul, take heed, ere the sha­dows fall,
And the day of grace be past,
For how shall a tremb­ling sin­ner stand
By the gates of death at last?
Hear the Sav­ior’s call; at the Cross lay down
Thy bur­den of guilt and crime,
And the angels shall sing thee a sweet­er song
Than the sad refrain Some­time.

Refrain