C. Light shining out of Darkness.
1 GOD moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
2 Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sov'reign will.
3 Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
4 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace:
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
5 His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
6 Blind unbelief is sure to err,*
And scan his work in vain ;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
* XVI. C. Welcome Cross.
1 'Tis my happiness below
Not to live without the cross,
But the Saviour's power to know,
Sanctifying every loss:
Trials must and will befall;
But with humble faith to see
Love inscrib'd upon them all,
This is happiness to me.
2 God, in Israel, sows the seeds
Of affliction, pain, and toil;
These spring up, and choke the weeds
Which would else o'erspread the soil:
Trials make the promise sweet;
Trials give new life to prayer;
Trials bring me to his feet,
Lay me low, and keep me there.
3 Did I meet no trials here,
No chastisement by the way,
Might I not, with reason, fear
I should prove a cast-away?
Bastards may escape the rod,*
Sunk in earthly, vain delight;
But the true-born child of God
Must not, will not, if he might.
XVII. C. Afflictions sanctified by the Word.
1 O HOW I love thy holy word,
Thy gracious covenant, O Lord!
It guides me in the peaceful way;
I think upon it all the day.
2 What are the mines of shining wealth,
The strength of youth, the bloom of health;
What are all joys compared with those
Thine everlasting word bestows?
3 Long unafflicted, undismay'd,
In pleasure's path secure I stray'd;
Thou mad'st me feel thy chast❜ning rod,*
And straight I turn'd unto my God.
4 What though it pierc'd my fainting heart,
I bless'd thine hand that caus'd the smart!
It taught my tears awhile to flow,
But saved me from eternal woe.
5 Oh! hadst thou left me unchastis'd,
Thy precept I had still despis'd;
And still the snare in secret laid,
Had my unwary feet betray'd.
6 I love thee, therefore, O my God,
And breathe towards thy dear abode ;
Where, in thy presence fully blest,
Thy chosen saints for ever rest.
1 THE billows swell, the winds are high,
Clouds overcast my wintry sky;
Out of the depths to thee I call,
My fears are great, my strength is small.
2 O Lord, the pilot's part perform,
And guide and guard me through the storm;
Defend me from each threat'ning ill,
Controul the waves, say, "Peace, be still!"
3 Amidst the roaring of the sea
My soul still hangs her hope on thee;
Thy constant love, thy faithful care,
Is all that saves me from despair.
4 Dangers of every shape and name
Attend the followers of the Lamb,
Who leave the world's deceitful shore,
And leave it to return no more.
5 Though tempest-toss'd and half a wreck,
My Saviour through the floods I seek;
Let neither winds nor stormy main
Force back my shatter'd bark again.
XIX. C. Looking upwards in a Storm.
1 GOD of my life, to thee I call,
Afflicted at thy feet I fall;
When the great water-floods prevail,
Leave not my trembling heart to fail!
2 Friend of the friendless, and the faint!
Where should I lodge my deep complaint?
Where but with thee, whose open door
Invites the helpless and the poor?
3 Did ever mourner plead with thee,
And thou refuse that mourner's plea?
Does not the word still fix'd remain,
That none shall seek thy face in vain?
4 That were a grief I could not bear,
Didst thou not hear and answer prayer;
But a prayer hearing, answ'ring God,
Supports me under every load.
5 Fair is the lot that's cast for me;
I have an Advocate with thee:
They whom the world caresses most,
Have no such privilege to boast.
6 Poor though I am, despis'd, forgot,*
Yet God, my God, forgets me not;
And he is safe, and must succeed, low A
For whom the Lord vouchsafes to plead.
XX. C. The Valley of the Shadow of Death.
1 My soul is sad, and much dismay'd;&
See, Lord, what legions of my foes,
With fierce Apollyon at their head, os
My heavenly pilgrimage oppose !
2 See, from the ever-burning lake,
How like a smoky cloud they rise!!!
With horrid blasts my soul they shake,
With storms of blasphemies and lies. (3601{{
3 Their fiery arrows reach the mark,t
My throbbing heart with anguish tear
Each lights upon a kindred spark,
And finds abundant fuel there.
4 I hate the thought that wrongs the Lord;
Oh! I would drive it from my breast,
With thy own sharp two-edged sword, o
Far as the east is from the west.
5 Come then, and chase the cruel host,
Heal the deep wounds I have receiv'd!
Nor let the powers of darkness boast,
That I am foil'd, and thou art griev'd!
XXI. The Storm hushed.
1 'Tis past-the dreadful stormy night
Is gone, with all its fears!
And now I see returning light,
The Lord, my Sun, appears.
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