The midnight cry is heard!
O! slumbering saints arise,
Awake from sleep, your vigil keep,
And prove yourselves “the wise;”
Arise! arise! go forth,
The Bridegroom is at hand;
The morning Star, He comes from far,
To claim His waiting band.
The midnight cry is heard!
Go forth, your Lord to meet—
His voice we hear—His step is near,
Your blessing to complete;
Your lamps are all but out,
O! put them now in trim,
Let every light for Him shine bright,
Let naught their luster dim.
The midnight cry is heard!
O! foolish virgins, haste,
While yet there’s room, escape your doom,
Of boundless mercy taste;
The Bridegroom tarries yet,
Your empty vessels fill;
To God on high, go there and buy,
Without a price—who will?
The midnight cry is heard!
He comes! He comes at last!
Ye virgins wise, to meet Him rise,
Your midnight watch is past;
The new eternal song
Now flows from hearts at rest—
With Him in light, where all is bright—
With Him forever blest.
The midnight cry has ceased!
No foolish enter in—
Too late! too late! ‘tis sealed your fate,
And now your woes begin;
Too late! too late! too late!
The door, forever shut,
You knock in vain—no entrance gain—
“Depart, I know you not.”