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Life, the Day of Grace

Representative Text

1 Life is the time to serve the Lord,
The time t’insure the great reward;
And while the lamp holds out to burn
The vilest sinner may return.

2 Life is the hour that God has giv’n,
To escape hell and fly to heav’n;
The day of grace, and mortals may
Secure the blessing of the day.

3 The living know that they must die,
But all the dead forgotten lie;
Their mem’ry and their sense is gone,
Alike unknowing and unknown.

Source: The Sacred Harp: the best collection of sacred songs, hymns, odes, and anthems ever offered the singing public for general use (1991 rev.) #28b

Author: Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was the son of a schoolmaster, and was born in Southampton, July 17, 1674. He is said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. At the age of sixteen, he went to London to study in the Academy of the Rev. Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. In 1698, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church, Berry St., London. In 1702, he became pastor. In 1712, he accepted an invitation to visit Sir Thomas Abney, at his residence of Abney Park, and at Sir Thomas' pressing request, made it his home for the remainder of his life. It was a residence most favourable for his health, and for the prosecution of his literary… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Life is the time to serve the Lord
Title: Life, the Day of Grace
Author: Isaac Watts
Meter: 8.8.8.8
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Life is the time to serve the Lord. I. Watts. [Life for God.] First published in his Hymns & Spiritual Songs, in the 2nd edition, 1709, Bk. i.. No. 88, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed "Life the Day of Grace and Hope." It is found in a few modern collections. In the authorized issue of the Scottish Translations and Paraphrases, 1781, No. xv., on Eccl. ix. 4, &c, it is recast as:—

"As long as life its term extends,
Hope's blest dominion never ends."

In the markings of the Translations & Paraphrases by the eldest daughter of W. Cameron (q.v.), this recast is attributed to Cameron. Its use is very extensive.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Notes

Life is the time to serve the Lord. I. Watts. [Life for God.] First published in his Hymns & Spiritual Songs, in the 2nd edition, 1709, Bk. i.. No. 88, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed "Life the Day of Grace and Hope." It is found in a few modern collections. In the authorized issue of the Scottish Translations and Paraphrases, 1781, No. xv., on Eccl. ix. 4, &c, it is recast as:—

"As long as life its term extends,
Hope's blest dominion never ends."

In the markings of the Translations & Paraphrases by the eldest daughter of W. Cameron (q.v.), this recast is attributed to Cameron. Its use is very extensive.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #3742
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
Philadelphia harmony: a collection of Psalm tunes, hymns, and anthems #8a
  • MusicXML (made with MuseScore 3) (XML)

Instances

Instances (201 - 300 of 348)
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Social and Camp-meeting Songs, for the Pious (9th ed. enl.) #170

Social Harmony #d31

Social Hymn and Tune Book #d217

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Social Hymn Book #150

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Social Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #424

Social Hymns, Original and Selected #d91

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Social Psalmist #241

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Songs for Social and Public Worship #104

Songs for Social and Public Worship. Rev. ed. #d228

Songs for the New Life #d349

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Songs of Devotion for Christian Assocations #55

Songs of Pilgrimage, a Hymnal for the Churches of Christ, Part I #d111

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Songs of Pilgrimage #70

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Songs of Praise with Tunes #198

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Songs of the Church #976

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Songs of Zion Enlarged #69

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Songs of Zion #51

Songs of Zion. 8th ed. #d67

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Southern and Western Pocket Harmonist #11

Spiritual Melodies. Enl. & impr. ed. #d213

Templi Carmina #d129

The Advent Christian Hymnal #d466

The African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymn Book #d249

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The African Methodist Episcopal Hymn and Tune Book #487

The American Hymn and Tune Book #d427

The American Hymn and Tune Book, Newly Revised and Especially Adapted to Vestry Use #d69

The American Repository of Sacred Music #d93

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The American Sabbath School Singing Book #91

The American Tune Book (Carmina Sacra, enlarged) #d210

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The American Vocalist #2b

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The Baptist Hymn and Tune Book for Public Worship #342

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The Baptist Hymn and Tune Book, for Public Worship #117.342

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The Baptist Hymn and Tune Book #308

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The Baptist Hymn Book #342

The Baptist Hymn Book, in Two Parts #d321

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The Baptist Hymnal, for Use in the Church and Home #252

The Baptist Hymnal #252

The Baptist Hymnal. Shaped notes ed. #d328

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The Baptist Praise Book #554

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The Baptist Psalmody #1174

The Bible Harp #d145

TextPage Scan

The Book of Worship #422

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The Brethren Hymnal #275

The Carol #d59

The Chapel Hymn Book (4th ed.) #d204

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The Chapel hymn book, with tunes #686

The Chapel Hymn Book. 5th ed. #d200

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The Choice #H498

The Choice #H498

The Christian Harmony #d185

The Christian Hymn Book #d357

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The Christian Hymn Book #284

The Christian Hymn Book. 7th ed. #d361

The Christian Hymnal #d389

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The Christian Hymnal #208

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The Christian hymnal #605

Tune Info

The Christian Hymnary. Bks. 1-4 #549

The Christian Hymnist #d315

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The Christian Melodist #T9

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The Christian Melodist #46

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The Christian Melodist #508

The Christian Minstrel #d142

The Christian Minstrel #d169

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The Christian Psalmist; or, Watts' Psalms and Hymns #234

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The Christian Psalmist #530

The Christian Psalter #d294

TextPage Scan

The Christian's Duty #S.XII

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The Christian's Harp #64

The Church Hymn Book #d543

The Church Hymn Book #d291

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The College Hymnal #278

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The Columbian Repository #440

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The Congregational Hymn Book #432

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #3742

The Evangelical Hymn and Tune Book #d396

The Evangelical Songster #d56

The Gospel Hymnal #d337

The Gospel Praise Book #d244

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The Harp #650

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The Harp. 2nd ed. #a650

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The Hymn Book of the African Methodist Episcopal Church #737

The Imperial Harmony #d139

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The Jubilee Harp #23

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The Key-Stone Collection of Church Music #83b

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The Lexington Collection #16

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The Lyrica #419

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The Manual of Praise for Sabbath and Social Worship #216

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The Middlesex Collection of Church Music #37

The National Baptist Hymn Book #d305

The National Baptist Hymn Book #ad305

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The National Baptist Hymnal #272

The National Psalmist #d95

The New and Improved Camp Meeting Hymn Book #d81

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The New and Improved Camp Meeting Hymn Book #114

The New Christian Harp. 10th ed. #d134

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The New Congregational Hymn and Tune Book, for Public, Social and Private Worship #26

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The New Jubilee Harp #S144

Pages

Exclude 343 pre-1979 instances
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