Hymnal: The Christian Hymn-Book
Date: 1815
Compiler: John Thompson et al
Publisher/Printer: Looker and Wallace
First Line: O thou before whose gracious throne
Topic: Dangerous Illness of a Minister
Writer: <no first name given> <no last name given>
Composer:
Meter: LM
Tune:
Hymn Number: 249
Page Number: 214, click to see hymnal pages
LyicsO THOU, before whose gracious throne
We boy our suppliant spirits down;
View the sad breast, the streaming eye,
And let our sorrows pierce the sky.
Tho' we have sinn'd and justly dread
The vengeance hov'ring o'er our head,
Yet, power benign, they servant spare,
Nor turn away thy people's prayer.
Restore him, sinking to the grave,
Stretch out thine arm, make haste to save;
Back to our hopes and wishes give,
And bid our friend and brother live.
Bound to each soul by strongest ties,
In every breast his image lies;
Thy pitying aid, O God, impart,
Nor rend him from each bleeding heart.
But if he must no longer stay,
Support him thro' the gloomy way;
Comfort his soul, surround his bed,
And guide him thro' the dreary shade.
Around him may the angels wait,
Deck'd with their robes of heav'nly state;
TO teach his happy soul to rise,
And waft him to his native skies.