If distress befall thee,
Painful though it be,
Let not grief appal thee;
To thy Saviour flee..
He ever near, thy prayer will hear,
And calm thy perturbation;
The waves of woe shall ne'er o'erflow
The Rock of thy Salvation.
When earth's prospects fail thee,
Let it not distress;
Better comforts wait thee;
Christ will freely bless.
To Jesus flee, thy prop he'll be,
Thy heavenly consolation;
For grief below cannot o'erthrow
The Rock of thy Salvation.
Dangers may approach thee,
Let them not alarm;
Christ will ever watch thee,
And protect from harm.
He near thee stands, with mighty hands,
To ward off each temptation;
To Jesus fly,-he's ever nigh,
The Rock of thy Salvation.
Let not death alarm thee;
Shrink not from his blow
For thy God shall arm thee,
And victory bestow.
For death shall bring to thee no sting, The grave no desolation;
'Tis gain to die, with Jesus nigh, The Rock of thy Salvation.
Cold though the world be, in the way before thee,
Wail not in sadness o'er the darkling tomb;
God in his love still watcheth kindly o'er thee,-
Light shineth still above the clouds of gloom!
Dimmed tho' thine eyes be with the tears of sorrow,
Night be but known beneath the sky of time,-
Faith may behold the dawning of a morrow,
Glowing in smiles of life and joy sublime.
Change, then, O mourner, grief to exultation;
Firm and confiding may thy spirit be:
Strong is his arm, the God of our salvation-
Strong is his word to cheer and comfort thee.
Othon in whose goodness and favor,
The soul may, repose;
And find in the love of a Saviour,
A balm for its woes.
Tho' shadows of sorrow surround us,
Thy smile is a heaven below;
We know that thy arm is around us,
In mercy, wherever we go.
Attended by conflicts and dangers,
Wherever we roam,
We feel we are pilgrims and strangers,
Away from our home.
But thou with thy children art ever,
Who humbly in thee confide;
And nought from thy mercy can sever,
If we in thy spirit abide.
When time and its journey are over,
The weary shall rest;
And pilgrims thy grace shall discover,
By thee ever blest.
O may we, this promise possessing,
Rejoice in thy gracious love;
The height and the depth of thy blessing,
Shall crown us with glory above.
The word of redemption, how precious
To them who believe!
The gifts of the spirit, how gracious
To them who receive!
Let others rejoice in the glory
That earth and its sons bestow; A glory divine is before me,
None other my spirit shall know.
The world, tho' in beauty it shineth,
Is passing away;
And he for its pleasures who pineth,
Must lean on decay.
The word of the Lord faileth never,
And never his light grows dim;
His mercy endureth forever,-
I ever will glory in him.
The fount of his grace ever floweth,
The fountain of love;
The light of his truth ever gloweth,
Around and above.
Thy promise, Redeemer all-gracious,
O may all the world believe;
And feel that redemption is precious,
To them who thy spirit receive.
Now be the gospel banner
In every land unfurled,
And be the shout hosanna,
Re-echoed through the world,
Till every isle and nation,
Till every tribe and tongue,
Receive the great salvation,
And join the happy throng.
What though th' embattled legions
Of earth and sin combine,-
His arm throughout their regions
Shall soon in terror shine.
Gird on thy sword victorious,
Immanuel, Prince of Peace!
Thy triumph shall be glorious,
Ere yet the battle cease.
Yes, thou shalt reign forever,
O Jesus, King of kings!
Thy light, thy love, thy favor,
Each ransomed captive sings;
The isles for thee are waiting,
The deserts learn thy praise, The hills and valleys greeting, The song responsive raise.
Hark to the cheering voice
Of the grace from the throne above;
They who believe, rejoice
To hear of a Saviour's love.
Come to the gracious feast
Of the Lord in his holy mount;
And of the stream here taste,
That flows from the living fount.
They who obey the call,
And in spirit the word believe,
Joy in the Lord of all,
And life and its light receive.
Ye who in darkness mourn
O'er the shadows around the tomb,-
Rays of salvation's morn
Here scatter the darkest gloom.
Ho! all ye fainting hearts,
Who the tears of desire have shed,Faith in the Lord imparts
The true and the living bread.
Ho! every one that thirsts! Here the fountain is flowing free! Forth from the Rock it bursts, And flowing it ever shall be.
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