The Poetical Works of Walter C. Smith ... Revised by the Author: Coll. ed. |
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[What shall I do for all the grace and truth] |
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 | The Poetical Works of Walter C. Smith |  |
[What shall I do for all the grace and truth]
“What shall I render unto the Lord for
all his benefits toward me?”—Ps. cxvi. 12.
What shall I do for all the grace and truth
That I have known
E'er since the error of a wayward youth
Led me, alone,
Forth on a way, alas! that was not good,
Through bog and quagmire and be wildering wood,
Where I did seek for bread, and found not food,
Only a stone?
Yet mercy compassed me, and left me not
To that scant diet in the desert got.
That I have known
E'er since the error of a wayward youth
Led me, alone,
Forth on a way, alas! that was not good,
Through bog and quagmire and be wildering wood,
Where I did seek for bread, and found not food,
Only a stone?
Yet mercy compassed me, and left me not
To that scant diet in the desert got.
What shall I do to make up for the loss
Of those bad days,
When I had turned from Thy redeeming Cross
To vain, proud ways
That made my life a barren land of drought,
Wet by no dews, though wrapt in mists of doubt,
Which left no warmth within, nor light without,
Nor prayer nor praise?
Yet goodness followed me, and love divine,
And still Thy Spirit pleaded, Lord, with mine.
Of those bad days,
When I had turned from Thy redeeming Cross
To vain, proud ways
That made my life a barren land of drought,
492
Which left no warmth within, nor light without,
Nor prayer nor praise?
Yet goodness followed me, and love divine,
And still Thy Spirit pleaded, Lord, with mine.
Oh, I can nothing do, but only give
Myself to Thee,
Now to be Thine, whether I die or live:
And give Thou me
An heart to love Thee, and Thy will to do,
And strength to walk before Thee meek and true,
And the great faith that maketh all things new;
And let me be
True to the consecration and the vow,
Sealed with the sacred baptism on my brow.
Myself to Thee,
Now to be Thine, whether I die or live:
And give Thou me
An heart to love Thee, and Thy will to do,
And strength to walk before Thee meek and true,
And the great faith that maketh all things new;
And let me be
True to the consecration and the vow,
Sealed with the sacred baptism on my brow.
| The Poetical Works of Walter C. Smith | |