Yet shall thy praise be spoken,
Redeemed from falsehood's ban,
When the fetters shall be broken,
And the slave shall be a man.
Glory to God forever!
Beyond the despot's will
The soul of freedom liveth,
Imperishable still.
What though red-handed violence
With secret fraud combine,
The wall of fire is round us,
Our present Help is thine.
In the evil days before us,
And the trials yet to come,
In the shadow of the prison,
And the cruel martyrdom,
We will think of thee, O brother!
And thy sainted name shall be
In the blessing of the captive,
And the anthem of the free.
THOU, long disowned, reviled, opprest,
Strange friend of human kind,
Seeking through weary years a rest
Within our hearts to find;
How late thy bright and awful brow
Breaks through these clouds of sin!
Hail, Truth Ďivine! we know thee now,
Angel of God, come in!
Come, though with purifying fire
And desolating sword,
Thou of all nations the desire!
Earth waits thy cleansing word.
Struck by the lightning of thy glance,
Let old oppressions die;
Before thy cloudless countenance
Let fear and falsehood fly.
Anoint our eyes with healing grace,
To see, as ne'er before,
Our Father in our brother's face,
Our Maker in His poor.
Flood our dark life with golden day;
Convince, subdue, enthrall;
Then to a mightier yield thy sway,
And Love be all in all.
THY Word, O Lord! like gentle dews,
Falls soft on hearts that pine;
Unto Thy garden ne'er refuse
This heavenly rain of Thine.
Thy Word is like a flaming sword,
A wedge that cleaveth stone;
Keen as a fire, so burns Thy Word,
Let its full work be done!
Thy Word, a wondrous guiding star,
Ön pilgrim hearts doth rise;
O, guide the souls who wander far,
And make the simple wise!
WORD of Life, most pure, most strong!
Lo for Thee the nations long:
Spread, till from its dreary night
All the world awakes to light.
Lo! the ripening fields we see ;
Mighty shall the harvest be:
But the reapers still are few;
Great the work they have to do.
Lord of harvest, let there be
Joy and strength to work for Thee,
Till the nations far and near
See Thy Light, Thy Law revere.
Now is the seed-time; God alone
Beholds the end of what is sown ;
Beyond our vision, weak and dim,
The harvest time is hid with Him.
Yet unforgotten where it lies,
The seed of generous sacrifice,
Though seeming on the desert cast,
Shall rise with bloom and fruit at last.
THE Past is dark with sin and shame,
The Future dim with doubt and fear;
But, Father, yet we praise Thy name,
Whose guardian love is always near.
For man has striven, ages long,
With faltering steps to come to Thee,
And in each purpose high and strong
The influence of Thy grace could see.
He could not breathe an earnest prayer, But Thou wast kinder than he dreamed, As age by age brought hopes more fair, And nearer still Thy kingdom seemed.
But never rose within his breast
A trust so calm and deep as now;
Shall not the weary find a rest?
Father, Preserver, answer Thou!
"Tis dark around, 'tis dark above,
But through the shadow streams the sun;
We cannot doubt Thy certain love;
And Man's true aim shall yet be won!
A VOICE from the desert comes awful and shrill;
The Lord is advancing; prepare ye the way!
The word of His promise He comes to fulfil,
And o'er the dark world pour the splendor of day.
Bring down the proud mountain, though towering to heaven,
And be the low valley exalted on high;
The rough path and crooked be made smooth and even,
He cometh our King, our Redeemer, is nigh.
The beams of salvation His progress illume,
The lone, dreary wilderness sings of her God;
The rose and the myrtle there suddenly bloom,
And the olive of peace spreads its branches
abroad.
THY kingdom come! The heathen lands,
In error sunk, Thy presence crave;
And victims bound by tyrant hands
Implore Thee, Father, come and save!
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