Religion

On the Jubilee of the London Missionary Society

by James Montgomery 1771–1854

From Sacred Poems and Hymns (1854)

Religion

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.

MLA

Montgomery, James. “On the Jubilee of the London Missionary Society.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/montgomery_j/260/.

Chicago

Montgomery, James. “On the Jubilee of the London Missionary Society.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/montgomery_j/260/.

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