“The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon
him,
To all that call upon him in truth.”—Psalm cxlv.
When the storm-shattered vessel is tossed by
the gale,
And each billow speeds on, bearing havoc and
death,
Till the courage grows weak, arid the strength
waxes frail,
With the wild sky above, and the wild waves
beneath;
<<24>>
When the young heart is crushed ‘mid its
early delights,
And the soul is bowed down with a weight of
despair,
And we turn from a treacherous world that
requites
Our warmest heart-treasures with anguish and
care;
When the one whom we cherished turns
coldly away,
And we weep o’er the dream that has cheated our
youth,
And mourn that no longer one love-beaming ray
Will return to illumine our pathway with truth:
Then! then in our anguish we fly unto thee,
When the false world is fading like dreams of
the night,
And the idols, to whom we have bended the knee,
Have fallen to earth, and are hid from our
sight;
And Thou! O Thou hearest the suppliant’s voice;
Whether tossed on the ocean, or wrecked upon
earth;
And thy mercy can cause the sad heart to
rejoice,
Though surrounded by perils and storms from its
birth.
