A little lamb one afternoon
Had from the fold departed,
The tender Shepherd missed it soon,
And sought it broken-hearted.
Not all the flock that shared His love
Could from the search delay Him,
Nor clouds of midnight darkness move,
Nor fear of suffering stay Him.
But night and day He went His way
In sorrow till He found it;
And when He saw it fainting lie
He clasped his arms around it.
Then, safely folded to His breast,
From every ill to save it,
He brought it to His home of rest,
And pitied and forgave it.
And thus the Saviour will receive
The little ones who fear Him,
Their pains remove, their sins forgive,
And draw them gently near Him.
Blest while they live and when they die,
When flesh and spirit sever-
Conduct them to His throne on high,
To dwell with Him for ever.