Evening Hymn
By John Leland
Psalm 4:8 - I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

“The Day is Past and Gone” – originally titled “Evening Hymn” – seems to be the most published of all the hymns of John Leland. In The Sacred Harp it appears with the tune "Evening Shade," written by Stephen Jenks in 1805.

1. The day is past and gone,
The evening shades appear;
O may we all remember well
The night of death draws near.

2. We lay our garments by,
Upon our beds to rest;
So death will soon disrobe us all
Of what we’ve here possessed.

3. Lord, keep us all this night,
Secure from all our fears;
May angels guard us while we sleep,
Till morning light appears.

4. And if we early rise,
And view th’ unwearied sun,
May we set out to win the prize
And after glory run.

5. And when our days are past,
And we from time remove,
O may we in thy bosom rest,–
The bosom of thy love.

(The above hymn was written by John Leland. It is printed under the title “Evening Hymn” in The Writings of the Late Elder John Leland: including Some Events in His Life by Miss L. F. Greene, New York, NY: G. W. Wood, 1845, page 322. It is usually dated to 1790.)

[From R. L. Vaughn Blog, Ministry and Music; scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]

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