 | Poems and Songs by E. H. B. [i.e. E. H. Bickersteth] |  |
116
A HYMN,
WRITTEN WHEN ENGLAND WAS VISITED BY THE CHOLERA IN 1832.
And does the tyrant reign,
Will nought his power disarm?
Must youth and age together feel
The icy pressure of his zeal,
And writhe distorted, torn by horrid pain?
Will nought his power disarm?
Must youth and age together feel
The icy pressure of his zeal,
And writhe distorted, torn by horrid pain?
Mysterious are the ways
Of God with sinful man;
With cords of love he sometimes draws
Rebellious hearts o'er sin to pause,
And oft with death the crimes of nations pays.
Of God with sinful man;
With cords of love he sometimes draws
Rebellious hearts o'er sin to pause,
And oft with death the crimes of nations pays.
Our boast is all in vain,
At best a fleeting shade;
The morning sun beholds us fair,
We wither in the evening air,
Consumed and troubled are our days with pain.
At best a fleeting shade;
The morning sun beholds us fair,
We wither in the evening air,
Consumed and troubled are our days with pain.
117
Yet God is all our trust,
Jehovah is our king;
Iniquity he will forgive,
His love still bids the sinner live,
Remembering that we are but breathing dust.
Jehovah is our king;
Iniquity he will forgive,
His love still bids the sinner live,
Remembering that we are but breathing dust.
Oh! may his anger stay,
And save our souls from death;
May evil spirits lose their pow'r,
Nor pestilence around us lour,
A troubled cloud t' obscure a brighter day.
And save our souls from death;
May evil spirits lose their pow'r,
Nor pestilence around us lour,
A troubled cloud t' obscure a brighter day.
Then shall the people praise
The God who rules on high;
Jehovah is the name alone,
The Heavens above His glorious throne,
The earth His footstool—in the deep His ways!
The God who rules on high;
Jehovah is the name alone,
The Heavens above His glorious throne,
The earth His footstool—in the deep His ways!
| Poems and Songs by E. H. B. [i.e. E. H. Bickersteth] | |