Father Who Hast Gathered

father, who hast gathered
this dear child to rest,
unto thee we yield him,
sure thou knowest best.

thou, o lord, who gavest,
dost thine own reclaim;
thou, o lord, hast taken—
blessèd still thy name!

thine by right creative,
by redemption thine,
by regeneration
and the holy sign.

thou who didst endow him
with baptismal grace,
now in love hast brought him
to behold thy face.

safe from all earth’s sorrow,
safe from all its pains,
now this child of adam,
paradise regains:

safe from all temptation,
safe from fear of sin,
through the blood of sprinkling
holy, bright and clean.

lay we this dear body
in the earth to sleep,
his sweet soul commending
unto thee to keep:

looking for the dawning
of that deathless day,
when all earthly shadows
shall have fled away.

only grant us, father,
courage in our strife,
and with him a portion
in unending life.