Come soon, O come!”
Then followed, in slow, rhythmic chant, the noble words of the old Moravian liturgy:—
“This is my Lord, who redeemed me, a lost and undone human creature, purchased and gained me from all sin, from death and from the power of the devil;
“Not with gold or silver, but with his holy, precious blood, and with his innocent suffering and dying;
“To the end that I should be his own, and in his kingdom live under him and serve him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and happiness;
“So as he, being risen from the dead, liveth and reigneth world without end.”
With awe and joy came back the great volume of the response:—
“This I most certainly believe.”
“Keep us, oh Lord,” came then the prayer, “in everlasting fellowship with those of our brethren who since Easter Day have entered into the joy of their Lord and with the whole Church triumphant, and let us rest together in thy presence from our labours.”
The sun rose. The quiet God’s Acre was gilded with its misty beams, and the pale opal tints of the morning clouds reflected its glory. From the whole assembly burst forth the mighty hallelujahs of the hymn of praise, borne up by the deep diapason of the trumpets:—