When Bending o’er the Brink of Life

When bend­ing o’er the brink of life

My trem­bling soul shall stand;

I wait to pass death’s aw­ful flood

Great God

at Thy com­mand!

When weep­ing friends sur­round my bed

And close my sight­less eyes

When shat­tered by the weight of years

This brok­en body lies—

When eve­ry long loved scene of life

Stands rea­dy to depart

When that last sigh which shakes the frame

Shall rend this burst­ing heart—

O

Thou great source of joy su­preme

Whose arm alone can save

Dispel the dark­ness that sur­rounds

The ent­rance to the grave!

Lay Thy sup­port­ing gentle hand

Beneath my sink­ing head;

And with a ray of love d­ivine

Illume my dy­ing bed!

I lean on Thy dear faith­ful breast

As I re­sign my breath!

And in Thy fond em­brac­es

lose

The bit­ter­ness of death!