The Otterbein Hymnal

355 Hamburg. L.M.

(852) Heb. 12:6.

I cannot always trace the way

Where thou, Almighty One, dost move;

But I can always, always say,

That God is love, that God is love.

2 When fear her chilling mantle flings

O'er earth, my soul to heaven above,

As to her native home, upsprings,

For God is love, for God is love.

3 When mystery clouds my darkened path,

I'll check my dread, my doubts reprove;

In this my soul sweet comfort hath,

That God is love, that God is love.

4. Yes, God is love;--a thought like this

Can every gloomy thought remove,

And turn all tears, all woes, to bliss,

For God is love, for God is love.

Anon.

356 Ward. L.M.

(849) Psalm 46.

God is the refuge of his saints,

When storms of sharp distress invade.

Ere we can offer our complaints,

Behold him present with his aid.

2 Let mountains from their seats be hurled

Down to the deep, and buried there;

Convulsions shake the solid world;--

Our faith shall never yield to fear.

3 There is a stream whose gentle flow

Supplies the city of our God;

Life, love, and joy still gliding through,

And watering our divine abode:--

4 That sacred stream, thy holy word,--

That all our raging fear controls:

Sweet peace thy promises afford,

And give new strength to fainting souls.

Isaac Watts, 1719.

357 Sessions. L.M.

The Offices of Faith.

Faith is a living pow'r from heaven

Which grasps the promise God has given;

Securely fixed on Christ alone,

A trust that cannot be o'erthrown.

2 Faith finds in Christ whate'er we need

To save and strengthen, guide and feed;

Strong in his grace, it joys to share

His cross, in hope his crown to wear.

3 Faith to the conscience whispers peace,

And bids the mourner's sighing cease;

By faith the children's right we claim,

And call upon our Father's name.

4 Such faith in us, O God, implant,

And to our prayers thy favor grant;

In Jesus Christ, thy saving Son,

Who is our fount of health alone.

Anon., 1531.

358 Elliott. 8s & 4s.

Submission to Divine Will.

My God, my Father, while I stray

Far from my home, in life's rough way,

Oh, teach me from my heart to say,

"Thy will be done!"

2 If thou should'st call me to resign

What most I prize--it ne'er was mine--

I only yield thee what was thine--

"Thy will be done!"

3 If but my fainting heart be blest

With thy sweet Spirit for its guest,

My God! to thee I leave the rest--

"Thy will be done!"

4 Renew my will from day to day;

Blend it with thine, and take away

All that now makes it hard to say,

"Thy will be done!"

5 Then, when on earth I breathe no more

The pray'r, oft mixed with tears before,

I'll sing upon a happier shore,

"Thy will be done!"

Charlotte Elliott, 1834.

359 Lisbon. S.M.

(858) The Cross and Crown.

Oh! what, if we are Christ's,

Is earthly shame or loss?

Bright shall the crown of glory be

When we have borne the cross.

2 Keen was the trial once,

Bitter the cup of woe,

When martyred saints, baptized in blood,

Christ's sufferings shared below.

3 Bright is their glory now,

Boundless their joy above,

Where, on the bosom of their God,

They rest in perfect love.

4 Lord! may that grace be ours,

Like them, in faith, to bear

All that of sorrow, grief, or pain

May be our portion here.

Henry W. Baker, 1852.

360 Lisbon. S.M.

(859) God Our Shepherd.--Ps. 23.

The Lord my Shepherd is;

I shall be well supplied:

Since he is mine, and I am his,

What can I want beside?

2 He leads me to the place

Where heavenly pasture grows,

Where living waters gently pass,

And full salvation flows.

3 If e'er I go astray,

He doth my soul reclaim,

And guides me, in his own right way,

For his most holy name.

4 While he affords his aid,

I cannot yield to fear;

Tho' I should walk thro' death's dark shade,

My Shepherd's with me there.

Isaac Watts, 1719.

361 Lisbon. S.M.

(745) Psalm 37:3-7.

Here I can firmly rest;

I dare to boast of this,

That God, the highest and the best,

My Friend and Father is.

2 Naught have I of my own,

Naught in the life I lead;

What Christ hath given, that alone

I dare in faith to plead.

3 I rest upon the ground

Of Jesus and his blood;

It is through him that I have found

My soul's eternal good.

4 At cost of all I have,

At cost of life and limb,

I cling to God who yet shall save;

I will not turn from him.

5 His Spirit in me dwells,

O'er all my mind he reigns;

My care and sadness he dispels,

And soothes away my pains.

6 He prospers day by day

His work within my heart,

Till I have strength and faith to say,

Thou, God, my Father art!

Paul Gerhardt, 1650.

Tr. by Miss C. Winkworth, 1855.

362 Segur. 8s, 7s, & 4s.

(807) Through the Desert.

Guide me, oh thou great Jehovah,

Pilgrim thro' this barren land;

I am weak, but thou art mighty;

Hold me with thy powerful hand.

Bread of heaven,

Feed me till I want no more.

2 Open now thy crystal fountain,

Whence the healing streams do flow,

Let the fiery, cloudy pillar,

Lead me all my journey thro';

Strong deliverer,

Be thou still my strength and shield.

3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;

Foe to death and hell's destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan's side;

Songs of praises,

I will ever give to thee.

William Williams, 1774.

363 Lisbon. S.M.

(860) Hope Thou in God.

Give to the winds thy fears;

Hope, and be undismayed;

God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears,

God shall lift up thy head.

2 Through waves, and clouds, and storms,

He gently clears the way;

Wait thou his time; so shall this night

Soon end in joyous day.

3 What, though thou rulest not?

Yet heaven, and earth, and hell

Proclaim,--God sitteth on the throne,

And ruleth all things well.

4 Leave to his sovereign sway

To choose and to command;

So shalt thou wondering own, his way

How wise, how strong his hand!

Ger., Paul Gerhardt, 1666. Tr. John Wesley, 1739.

364 Peterborough. C.M.

(713) Unwavering Faith.

Oh! for a faith that will not shrink,

Though pressed by every foe;

That will not tremble on the brink

Of any earthly woe!--

2 That will not murmur nor complain,

Beneath the chastening rod,

But, in the hour of grief or pain,

Will lean upon its God;--

3 A faith that shines more bright and clear

When tempests rage without;

That, when in danger, knows no fear,

In darkness, feels no doubt;--

4 A faith that keeps the narrow way

Till life's last hour is fled,

And, with a pure and heavenly ray,

Lights up a dying bed!

5 Lord! give us such a faith as this;

And then, whate'er may come,

We'll taste, ev'n here, the hallowed bliss

Of an eternal home.

William H. Bathurst, 1831.

365 Naomi. C.M.

(841) Resignation.

Father! whate'er of earthly bliss

Thy sovereign hand denies,

Accepted at thy throne of grace,

Let this petition rise:--

2 "Give me a calm, a thankful heart,

From every murmur free;

The blessings of thy grace impart,

And let me live to thee.

3 "Let the sweet hope that thou art mine

My path of life attend;

Thy presence through my journey shine,

And bless its happy end."

Anne Steele, 1760.

366 Horton. 7s.

(861) Eternal Faithfulness.

Cast thy burden on the Lord,

Only lean upon his word;

Thou wilt soon have cause to bless

His eternal faithfulness.

2 He sustains thee by his hand,

He enables thee to stand;

Those whom Jesus once hath loved,

From his grace are never moved.

3 Heaven and earth may pass away,

God's free grace shall not decay;

He hath promised to fulfill

All the pleasure of his will.

4 Jesus! Guardian of thy flock,

Be thyself our constant Rock;

Make us, by thy powerful hand,

Strong as Zion's mountain stand.

Rowland Hill, 1783.

367 The Lord Will Provide. P.M.

Divine Providence.

In some way or other

The Lord will provide;

It may not be my way,

It may not be thy way,

And yet in his own way,

The Lord will provide.

2 At some time or other

The Lord will provide;

It may not be my time,

It may not be thy time,

And yet in his own time,

The Lord will provide.

3 Despond then no longer,

The Lord will provide;

And this be the token--

No word he hath spoken,

Was ever yet broken,

The Lord will provide.

4 March on, then, right boldly

The sea shall divide;

The pathway made glorious

With shoutings victorious,

We'll join in the chorus,

The Lord will provide.

Mrs. M.A.W. Cook.

368 Consolation. 11s.

(866) Heb. 12:2.

Oh, eyes that are weary, and hearts that are sore!

Look off unto Jesus, now sorrow no more!

The light of his countenance shineth so bright,

That here, as in heaven, there need be no night.

2 While looking to Jesus, my heart cannot fear;

I tremble no more when I see Jesus near;

I know that his presence my safeguard will be,

For, "Why are you troubled?" he saith unto me.

3 Still looking to Jesus, O, may I be found,

When Jordan's dark waters encompass me round!

They bear me away in his presence to be;

I see him still nearer whom always I see.

4 Then, then shall I know the full beauty and grace

Of Jesus, my Lord, when I stand face to face;

Shall know how his love went before me each day,

And wonder that ever my eyes turned away.

369 Foundation. 11s.

(867) Precious Promises.

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in his excellent word:

What more can he say than to you he has said,

You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

2 In every condition--in sickness, in health,

In poverty's vale, or abounding in wealth,

At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea--

As your days may demand, so your succor shall be.

3 Fear not: I am with you, O be not dismayed;

I, I am your God, and will still give you aid;

I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,

Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

4 When through the deep waters I cause you to go,

The rivers of sorrow shall not you o'erflow;

For I will be with you, your troubles to bless,

And sanctify to you your deepest distress.

5 When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,

My grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply;

The flame shall not hurt you; I only design

Your dross to consume, and your gold to refine.

6 E'en down to old age all my people shall prove

My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;

And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,

Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.

7 The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,

I will not, I cannot desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I'll never, no never, no never forsake.

Geo. Keith, 1787.

370 Safe in the Arms of Jesus. P.M.

Hid with Christ.

Safe in the arms of Jesus,

Safe on his gentle breast,

There by his love o'ershaded,

Sweetly my soul shall rest.

Hark! 'tis the voice of angels,

Borne in a song to me,

Over the fields of glory,

Over the jasper sea.

CHO.--Safe in the arms of Jesus,

Safe on his gentle breast,

There by his love o'ershaded,

Sweetly my soul shall rest.

2 Safe in the arms of Jesus,

Safe from corroding care,

Safe from the world's temptations

Sin cannot harm me there.

Free from the blight of sorrow,

Free from my doubts and fears;

Only a few more trials,

Only a few more tears!

3 Jesus, my heart's dear refuge,

Jesus has died for me;

Firm on the Rock of Ages

Ever my trust shall be.

Here let me wait with patience,

Wait till the night is o'er;

Wait till I see the morning

Break on the golden shore.

Fanny J. Crosby.

371 He Leadeth Me. L.M.

Divine Guidance

He leadeth me! oh! blessed tho't,

Oh! words with heav'nly comfort fraught;

Whate'er I do, where'er I be,

Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.

REF.--He leadeth me! he leadeth me!

By his own hand he leadeth me;

His faithful follower I would be,

For by his hand he leadeth me.

2 Sometimes 'mid scenes of deepest gloom,

Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom,

By waters still, o'er troubled sea--

Still 'tis his hand that leadeth me.

3 Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine.

Nor ever murmur or repine--

Content, whatever lot I see,

Since 'tis my God that leadeth me.

4 And when my task on earth is done,

When by thy grace, the vict'ry's won,

E'en death's cold wave I will not flee,

Since God thro' Jordan leadeth me.

Rev. Jos. H. Gilmore, 1861.

372 Jewett. 6s. D.

(864) Mark 14:36.

My Jesus, as thou wilt--

O may thy will be mine!

Into thy hand of love

I would my all resign;

Through sorrow, or through joy,

Conduct me as thine own,

And help me still to say,

My Lord, thy will be done!

2 My Jesus, as thou wilt--

If needy here and poor,

Give me thy people's bread,

Their portion rich and sure;

The manna of thy word,

Let my soul feed upon,

And, if all else should fail,

My Lord, thy will be done!

3 My Jesus, as thou wilt--

If among thorns I go,

Still sometimes here and there

Let a few roses blow.

But thou, on earth, along

The thorny path hast gone:

Then lead me after thee;

My Lord, thy will be done!

Benjamin Schmolke. Tr. by Jane Borthwick, 1853.

373 Trusting in the Promise. P.M.

The Promise Secure.

I have found repose for my weary soul,

Trusting in the promise of the Savior;

And a harbor safe when the billows roll,