In the midst of the 19th-century religious revival in the USA known as the Second Great Awakening , William Miller, a New England farmer whose studies led him to believe that Christ’s coming was imminent (1843-1844) began preaching and writing in the 1830s. This preaching, coupled with the organizational skills of Christian Connection minister Joshua V. Himes and other disciples, spurred thousands to study the Bible more closely and to look for Christ’s return. Millerites initially stayed with their original churches and therefore sang from those hymnals, but by the time of the 1842 ‘Great Tent’ meetings, the movement began to publish small song books: Millenial Harp, or Second Advent Hymns; Millennial Musings: A Choice Selection of Hymns Designed for the Use of Second Advent Meetings; Second Advent Hymns: Designed to Be Used in Prayer and Camp-Meetings, and others. While these books drew on hymnody familiar to Millerite followers, the primary purpose was to provide new hymns supporting the messages of the preaching: the judgment, second advent, reward of the saints, and the midnight cry. In 1843 a young Millerite preacher, James White, held crowds spellbound by singing as he entered places where he was to preach, the popular Millerite hymn ‘You will see your Lord a-coming in a few more days’.
Index of titles and first lines
A charge to keep I have
A city appears to our view
Alas! and did my Saviour bleed?
All hail the power of Jesus’ name
Am I a soldier of the cross
And let our feeble bodies fail
And must I be to judgment brought
And when the last loud trumpet
And will the Judge descend
Angels roll the rock away
Another weary day is gone
Arise and shine, O Zion fair
As on the cross the Savior hung
Awake and sing the song
Awake, ye saints, and raise your eyes
Away with our sorrow and fear
Before Jehovah’s awful throne
Behold, with awful pomp
Blessing of the New Covenant
Blow ye the trumpet, blow,
Brethren, while we sojourn here
Burst ye emerald gates and bring
By faith we find the place above
Children of the heavenly King
Christian, arise! in armor arrayed
Christian, the morn breaks sweetly
Come all ye sons of Zion
Come to Jesus
Come, all ye sons of Zion
Come, brethren dear, and sisters
Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire
Come, humble sinner, in whose breast
Come, let us anew our journey pursue
Come, let us join our cheerful songs
Come, my way, my truth, my life
Come, tune ye saints, your noblest strains
Comfort, ye ministers of grace
Dark brood the heavens o’er thee
Daughter of Zion! awake from thy
Day of judgment — day of wonders!
Don’t you see my Jesus coming
Farewell, farewell, farewell, dear friends
Father of all, in whom alone
Father of mercies, in thy word
From all that dwell below the skies
From every earthly pleasure
From every stormy wind that blows
From Greenland’s icy mountains
Glorious things of thee are spoken
Great God, what do I see and hear!
Great God, whose universal sway
Hail to the Lord’s anointed
Hail you, and where did you come from
Hail, sacred truth, whose piercing rays
Hark from the cross a voice of peace,
Hark, how the gospel trumpet sounds
Hark, my soul, it is the Lord,
Hark! a voice divides the sky
Hark! that shout of rapturous joy,
Hark! the song of jubilee,
Hark! tis the warlike clarion
Haste, my dull soul, arise
He comes, he comes, the Judge severe,
He dies, the friend of sinners dies!
Hear the trumpet’s awful sound,
Hear what the voice from heaven
Here is a band of brethren dear
Holy Bible, book divine!
Hosanna! hark, the melody,
How beauteous are their feet
How happy are the little flock
How happy every child of grace
How happy is the man
How happy is the pilgrim’s lot
How long shall death the tyrant reign
How long, O Lord our Savior
How long, O Lord, how long
How lost was my condition
How many years has man been driven
How pleasant ’tis to see
How precious is the book divine
How sweet to reflect on those joys
How will my heart endure
I know that my Redeemer lives
I long to behold him arrayed
I never shall forget the day
I would not live alway
I’ll try to prove faithful
I’m not ashamed to own my Lord,
In expectation sweet
Inspirer of the ancient seers
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, my happy home,
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Jesus, faithful to his word
Jesus, my Saviour, and my Lord
Jesus, my all to heav’n is gone
Jesus, thou art the sinner’s friend,
Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
Jesus! thou art the sinner’s Friend
Leader of faithful souls
Let the seventh angel sound on high
Life is a span, a fleeting hour
Lift your heads, ye friends of Jesus
Light of the world, shine on our souls
Lo, what a glorious sight appears
Lo! he comes, with clouds descending,
May I throughout this day of thine
Mid scene of confusion
Must Simon bear his cross alone
My Bible leads to glory
My Brother I wish you well
My heart was cold, lukewarm was I
My soul is happy when I hear
My soul, be on thy guard
Nor eye hath, seen, nor ear hath heard
Now Jesus, our king reigns
Now let us sing the coming fate
Now to the Lamb that once was slain
O get your hearts in order
O glorious hope of heavenly love
O God, my inmost soul convert
O land of rest, for thee I sigh
O Savior of sinners, when faint and depressed
O Savior, is thy promise fled
O tell me no more
O tell me, thou life and delight
O there will be mourning, mourning, mourning
O turn ye, O turn ye,
O what hath Jesus bought for me
O when shall I see Jesus,
Oh! land of rest, for thee I sigh
Oh! the amazing pomp
On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand
On Tabor’s top the Savior stands
On the mountain’s top appearing
Our Lord is risen from the dead
Rejoice, rejoice, the promised time
Rejoice, the Lord is King
Return, my soul, enjoy thy rest
Righteous God, whose vengeful vials
See Sodom wrapt in fire
See the eternal Judge descending
See the Judge descending,
See, brethren, see, how the day rolls on
Shall I for fear of feeble man
Sing to the Lord, who loud proclaims,
Sing, ye redeemed of the Lord
Sinners, the call obey
Soldiers of the cross, arise
Speak often to each other
Stand the Omnipotent decree
Sweet are the gifts
Sweet is the work, my God my King
Sweet rivers of redeeming love
Tell me no more of earthly toys
That awful day will surely come
The angel comes, he comes to reap,
The chariot! The chariot! It’s wheels rolls in fire
The clouds at length are breaking
The counsels of redeeming grace
The fields are all White
The glorious day is coming
The God of Abraham praise
The great archangels trump, shall sound
The groaning creation doth wait
The last lovely morning
The Lord has promised good to me
The Lord is our Shepherd
The Lord of hosts is on my side
The Lord will come, the earth shall quake
The Lord, the Judge, before his throne
The morning flowers display their sweets
The night is wearing fast away
The pleasures of earth I have seen
The Savior comes
The spirit in our hearts
The voice of free grace cries
There are angels hovering round
There is an hour of peaceful rest
These glorious minds, how bright
This world is all a fleeting show
Thou Judge of quick and dead
Though in the outward church below
Though troubles assail
Thy kingdom come; thus day by day
To Jesus, the crown of my hope
Together let us sweetly live
Triumphant Zion, lift thy head
Twas by an order from the Lord
Vain, delusive world, adieu
Wake the song of jubilee
Wandering pilgrims, mourning Christians
Watchman! tell us of the night
Watchmen, onward to your stations
We are living, we are dwelling
We are travelling home to Heaven above
We long to see that happy time
We shall see a light appear
We’re trav’ling home to Heaven above
Welcome, sweet day of rest
What glory gilds the sacred page
What heavenly music do I hear
What sound is this
What sound is this salutes my ear
When for eternal words we steer
When marshalled on the nightly plain
When shall I see the day
When strangers stand and hear
When the King of kings comes
When thou, my righteous Judge
When wild confusion wrecks the air
While nature was sinking in silence
Why do we mourn departing friends
Why should we start and fear to die
Why sleep ye, my brethren
Ye living men, the tomb survey
Ye virgin souls, arise!
Ye who know your sins forgiven
You will see your Lord a-coming
You’d better come to Jesus
Zion, the city of our God
