8.6.8.6 James Montgomery On the Jubilee of the London Missionary Society. Arise and shine, your light is come, Fair islands of the West! Awake and sing, once deaf and dumb, Now islands of tne blest. Shine, for the glory of the Lord Your coral-reefs surrounds: Sing, for the trumpet of His word O'er all your ocean sounds. Poor Africa! through thy waste sands, Where Calvary's fountain flows, Deserts become Immanuel's lands, And blossom like the rose. India, beneath the chariot wheels Of Juggernaut o'erthrown, Thy heart a quickening Spirit feels, A pulse beats through the stone. China! behold thy quaking wall: Foredoom'd by Heaven's decree, A hand is writing on it -- "Fall!" A voice goes forth -- "Be free!" Ye Pagan tribes! of every race, Clime, country, language, hue, Believe, obey, be saved by grace, The Gospel speaks to you. Father of lights! Thy will be done Here, as by saints above, Give earth's whole empire to Thy Son, For He must reign in love: -- Reign, till beneath His feet, all foes; Vanquish'd for ever lie; And the last Judgment's sentence close The book of prophecy. |