Christ My Song - 992
Lie down in peace to take thy rest - By the Deathbed of a Friend (Charlotte Elliott/Johannes Thomas Rüegg)
By the Deathbed of a Friend.
"He giveth his beloved sleep." (Psalm 127,2)
1. Lie down in peace to take thy rest,
dear cherished form, no longer mine,
but bearing in thy clay-cold breast
a hidden germ of life divine,
which, when the eternal spring shall bloom,
will burst the shackles of the tomb. PDF - Midi
2. Lie down in peace to take thy rest,
unbroken will thy slumber be,
Satan can now no more molest,
and death has done his worst on thee;
lie down, thy hallowed sleep to take,
till clothed with glory thou shalt wake.
3. Lie down in peace to take thy rest,
we can no longer watch thy bed;
but glorious angels, spirits blessed,
shall guard thee day and night instead;
and when thine eyes unclosed shall be,
Christ in his beauty they shall see.
4. Lie down in peace to take thy rest!
My eyes must weep – my heart must mourn;
but to the thought that thou art blessed,
for comfort and for hope I turn;
thou wilt not mark these tears that flow,
sorrow can never reach thee now!
5. Lie down in peace to take thy rest!
Let me betake myself to prayer,
binding faith's corslet on my breast,
lest Satan find an entrance there;
God gave – though now his gift he claim,
still blessed be his holy name!
Charlotte Elliott, Selections from the Poems of Charlotte Elliott, 206-207.