Now is eternal life

Now is eternal life. George Wallace Briggs* (1875-1959). This text was submitted in unpublished form to the compilers of CP (1951). It was printed there in the original 5 stanzas, which are preserved in RS (with some inclusive language changes), though other books (100HfT, HP, A&MCP) omit the final stanza, and WOV and NEH omit stanzas 2 and 5. It contrasts the ‘now’ (the first word, which returns in stanza 5) with the timeless, the human time of ‘life’s passing day’ with ‘eternal years’. The frequently omitted stanza 5 stresses this: thee will I love and serve now in time’s passing day; thy hand shall hold me fast when time is done away, in God’s unknown eternal spheres to serve...