Words: , in The Ame­thyst; or Christ­ian’s An­nu­al, 1832. The in­tro­duc­tion to the hymn reads:

Sleeping in Jesus. By Mrs. Mac­kay of Hedge­field. This sim­ple but ex­press­ive sen­tence is in­scribed on a tomb­stone in a rur­al bury­ing ground in De­von­shire, and gave rise to the fol­low­ing vers­es.

In re­print­ing the hymn in her Thoughts Re­deemed, 1854, Mac­kay said the bur­y­ing ground meant was that of Penny­cross Cha­pel. She adds:

Distant on­ly a few miles from a bust­ling and crowd­ed sea­port town, reached through a suc­cess­ion of those love­ly green lanes for which De­von­shire is so re­mark­a­ble, the qui­et as­pect of Penny­cross comes sooth­ing­ly over the mind. “Sleep­ing in Jesus” seems in keep­ing with all around.

Music: Rest (Brad­bu­ry) , 1843. Alternate tunes:

Asleep in Jesus! Blessèd sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep;
A calm and undisturbed repose,
Unbroken by the last of foes.

Asleep in Jesus! Oh, how sweet,
To be for such a slumber meet,
With holy confidence to sing
That death has lost his venomed sting!

Asleep in Jesus! Peaceful rest,
Whose waking is supremely blessed;
No fear, no woe, shall dim that hour
That manifests the Savior’s power.

Asleep in Jesus! Oh, for me
May such a blessèd refuge be!
Securely shall my ashes lie
And wait the summons from on high.

Asleep in Jesus! time nor space
Debars this precious “hiding place”;
On Indian plains or Lapland snows
Believers find the same respose.

Asleep in Jesus! Far from thee
Thy kindred and their graves may be;
But there is still a blessèd sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep.