A PRAYER
O Lord, our Father, hear us now,
While on our bended knees we bow;
Look down, O Lord, in tender love,
Prepare us all to meet above.
O Lord, our Father, hear us pray,
Watch over us from day to day;
Hear us in our humble prayer,
O keep us safely in Thy care.
O help us, Lord, to pray aright,
And keep us holy in Thy sight;
Protect us with Thy mighty arm
And keep us from temptation’s harm.
Bless and make us pure within,
Wash us, cleanse us free from sin;
Protect us with Thy mighty hand,
Prepare us for the promised land.
O Lord, come down in mighty power,
Revive us all this very hour;
O lift us from this pit of mire,
And fill our souls with heavenly fire.
Come with love’s refreshing showers,
And kindle these cold hearts of ours;
O guide us in the narrow path,
Lord save us from Thy coming wrath.
And when we leave this world of strife
O give us all eternal life;
Arm us, Lord, with wings of love,
To leave this world and fly above.
Into Thy care, O Lord, we leave,
In peace, O Lord, our souls receive;
We ask it all, O Lord, we may,
Through Him Who taught us all to say:
Our Father, Who art in heaven, we pray,
Hallowed be Thy name this day;
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
In earth and up in heaven as one.
Give us this day our daily bread,
’Tis from Thy bounties all are fed;
Our trespasses, O Lord, forgive,
As we our trespassers forgive.
Dear Lord, with tempters leave us not,
Deliver us from evil’s plot;
Thy name shall have the glory then,
Forever and for aye. Amen.
IN MEMORIAM[[2]]
My bosom swells with fervent grief,
My heart aches to its core,
See him struggling, he is dying,
Our Walter is no more!
* * * * *
When we laid him ’neath the turf
In the cold, cold ground,
A cloud of darkness seemed to rise
Which covered all around.
But when I looked up at the stars,
Beyond the heavenly dome,
There with loving outstretched arms
Angels welcomed Walter home!
Farewell, Walter, farewell darling,
Life is but a barren strand,
Soon we’ll meet thee, happy child,
In that far-off happy land!
[2]. Verses written upon the death of J. Walter Kayhart, son of Lemuel and Mary Kayhart, who died August 15th, 1875.
IN MEMORIAM[[3]]
Now I lay me down to rest,
While the sun is in the west;
When the stars all brightly shine,
If it be the will of Thine,
Watch and guard me, Lord, I pray,
Through the night as through the day;
Guard me, Lord, Thou knowest best,
While I lay me down to rest.
Now I lay me down to rest,
Parting friends my lips have pressed;
Farewell, kindred here below,
Jesus calls me, I must go.
Not my will but Thine be done;
When my earthly race is run,
And life’s sun sinks in the west,
Calmly lay me down to rest.
Now I lay me down to rest,
Help me, Lord, to stand the test;
When I’m laid upon the bier,
In the grave there’ll be no fear.
When these throbbing pulses cease,
When with God I’ve made my peace,
Closely in the cold earth pressed,
Calmly lay me down to rest.
Now I lay me down to rest,
May my soul be doubly blest;
Though my flesh and bones decay,
’Neath the earth’s cold clods of clay,
My soul will rise on wings of love,
To dwell with Him in heaven above;
Sweetly there, on Jesus’ breast,
I will lay me down to rest.
[3]. Written upon the death of Elijah Kayhart, father of Lemuel Kayhart, who died January 16th, 1906.
IN MEMORIAM[[4]]
Farewell, dear Willie, darling one—
Thy will, O Lord, Thy will be done;
’Tis Jesus calls thee to thy rest,
To live with Him among the blest.
While in the grave we lay him low,
The tears of grief unbidden flow;
Though sobbing hearts with grief may swell,
Our Father doeth all things well.
Though ’neath the ground we lay him low,
His spirit up to God will go,
On angels’ pinions borne away,
Our darling lives in endless day.
A few more years may fleet away,
When we no more on earth may stay;
We’ll bid this dreary world adieu,
And soar beyond bright heaven’s blue.
Beyond cold Jordan’s swelling tide,
Beyond grim death’s dark valley wide—
Safe in the tender Shepherd’s care,
We soon shall meet our darling there.
Beyond this world of woe and care,
In yonder city bright and fair,
Crowned with jewels rich and rare,
We’ll meet our little darling there.
See him as he beckoning stands,
Calling us with outstretched hands,
To guide us on our weary way,
To realms of bliss in endless day.
Safely there on Jesus’ breast,
Forever he will be at rest;
In yon blue heaven, bright and fair,
We’ll meet our darling Willie there.
[4]. Written upon the death of William H. H., son of Winfield S. and Sarah A. Kayhart.
IN MEMORIAM[[5]]
How can we part, oh, dearest son,
Our treasure ever blest?
With tears of grief we lay thee down
In earth’s cold couch to rest.
Though we may travel this broad earth
And search it far and wide,
Thy presence here beside the hearth
Can never be supplied.
Dearest friends on earth must sever,
We only sojourn here;
Then let us live to live forever
And meet grim death with cheer!
Farewell, farewell, dear child at rest,
Thy troubles are all o’er,
God grant thee peace among the blest,
Beyond cold Jordan’s shore.
[5]. In memory of Edgar S. Class, son of John and Elizabeth Class.
THE ABBEY PRINTSHOP, EAST ORANGE, N. J.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
- Silently corrected obvious typographical errors and variations in spelling.
- Retained archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as printed.
- Re-indexed footnotes using numbers and collected together at the end of each poem.