No. 73 Rest in Heaven, Ol 358
Hexatonic, mode 2 A minorized (I II 3 IV V — 7 [VII])
My rest is in heaven, my rest is not here,
Then why should I murmur at trials severe.
Be tranquil, my spirit, the worst that can come
But shortens thy journey and hastens thee home.
Let trouble and danger my progress oppose;
They’ll only make heaven more bright at the close;
Come joy, then, or sorrow—whate’er may befall—
One moment in glory will make up for all.
A scrip on my back, and a staff in my hand,
I march on in haste thro’ an enemy’s land;
The road may be rough, but it cannot be long;
I’ll smooth it with hope, and I’ll cheer it with song.
The tune is related to ‘Be Gone Unbelief’, in this collection, and to the worldly tunes listed under that song. Negro adoptions of the tune are Marsh, pp. 144 and 173, and SS 33.