Support In Affliction

744 "As thy Day, thy Strength shall be."

1 WAIT, my soul, upon the Lord, To His gracious promise flee, Laying hold upon His word, "As Thy day, thy strength shall be."

2 If the sorrows of thy case Seem peculiar still to thee, God has promised needful grace, "As thy day, thy strength shall be."

3 Days of trial, days of grief, In succession thou mayst see; This is still thy sweet relief, "As thy day thy strength shall be."

4 Rock of Ages, I'm secure With Thy promise full and free, Faithful, positive and sure:

"As thy day, thy strength shall be."

William Freeman Lloyd, 1835

745 "As thy Day, thy Strength shall be."

1 AFFLICTED soul, to Jesus dear, Thy Saviour's gracious promise hear; His faithful word declares to thee That, "as thy day, thy strength shall be."

2 Let not thy heart despond, and say, How shall I stand the trying day?

He has engaged, by firm decree, That, "as thy day, thy strength shall be."

3 Should persecution rage and flame, Still trust in thy Redeemer's name; In fiery trials thou shalt see That, "as thy day, thy strength shall be."

4 When call'd to bear the weighty cross, Or sore affliction, pain, or loss, Or deep distress, or poverty, Still, "as thy day, thy strength shall be."

5 When ghastly death appears in view, Christ's presence shall thy fears subdue;

He comes to set thy spirit free;

And, "as thy day, thy strength shall be."

James Fawcett, 1782.

746 Sweetness of gracious Meditations

1 WHEN languor and disease invade This trembling house of clay, 'Tis sweet to look beyond the cage, And long to fly away.

2 Sweet to look inward and attend The whispers of His love;

Sweet to look upward to the place Where Jesus pleads above.

3 Sweet to look back and see my name In life's fair book set down;

Sweet to look forward and behold Eternal joys my own.

4 Sweet to reflect how grace divine My sins on Jesus laid;

Sweet to remember that His blood My debt of sufferings paid.

5 Sweet in His righteousness to stand, Which saves from second death;

Sweet to experience, day by day, His Spirit's quickening breath.

6 Sweet on His faithfulness to rest, Whose love can never end;

Sweet on His covenant of grace, For all things to depend.

7 Sweet in the confidence of faith, To trust His firm decrees;

Sweet to lie passive in His hand, And know no will but His.

8 Sweet to rejoice in lively hope, That, when my change shall come, Angels will hover round my bed, And waft my spirit home.

9 There shall my disimprison'd soul Behold Him and adore; Be with His likeness satisfied, And grieve and sin no more.

10 Shall see Him wear that very flesh On which my guilt was lain; His love Intense, His merit fresh, As though but newly slain.

11 Soon, too, my slumbering dust shall hear The trumpet's quickening sound; And by my Saviour's power rebuilt At His right hand be found.

12 These eyes shall see Him in that day, The God that died for me; And all my rising bones shall say, Lord, who is like to Thee?

13 If such the sweetness of the stream, What must the fountain be, Where saints and angels draw their bliss Immediately from Thee!

Augustus M. Toplady, 1780

747 Joy under Losses

1 WHAT though no flowers the fig-tree clothe, Though vines their fruit deny, The labour of the olive fail, And fields no meat supply:

2 Though from the fold, with sad surprise, My flock cut off I see;

Though famine pine in empty stalls, Where herds were wont to be:

3 Yet in the Lord will I be glad, And glory in His love; In Him I'll joy, who will the God Of my salvation prove.

4 God is the treasure of my soul; The source of lasting joy; A joy which want shall not impair, Nor death itself destroy.

William Cameron, 1781

748 Chosen in the Furnace of Affliction

1 SONS of God, in tribulation, Let your eyes the Saviour view, He's the rock of our salvation, He was tried and tempted too;

All to succour Every tempted, burden'd son.

2 'Tis, if need be, He reproves us, Lest we settle on our lees;

Yet, He in the furnace loves us, 'Tis express'd in words like these:

"I am with thee, Israel, passing through the fire."

3 To His church, His joy, and treasure, Every trial works for good:

They are dealt in weight and measure, Yet how little understood; Not in anger, But from His dear covenant love.

4 With afflictions He may scourge us, Send a cross for every day;

Blast our gourds, but not to purge us From our sins, as some would say;

They were number'd On the Scape Goat's head of old.

5 If to-day He deigns to bless us With a sense of pardon'd sin, He to-morrow may distress us, Make us feel the plague within,

All to make us Sick of self, and fond of Him.

John Kent, 1803.

749 Sweet Affliction

1 IN the floods of tribulation, While the billows o'er me roll, Jesus whispers consolation, And supports my fainting soul;

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! praise the Lord.

2 Thus the lion yields me honey, From the eater food is given, Strengthen'd thus I still press forward, Singing as I wade to heaven, Sweet affliction, And my sins are all forgiven.

3 'Mid the gloom, the vivid lightnings With Increasing brightness play;

'Mid the thorn-brake beauteous flow'rets Look more beautiful and gay;

Halleluiah!

Hallelujah! praise the Lord.

4 So, in darkest dispensations, Doth my faithful Lord appear, With His richest consolations To re-animate and cheer:

Sweet affliction, Thus to bring my Saviour near.

5 Floods of tribulations heighten, Billows still around me roar, Those that know not Christ ye frighten, But my soul defies your power:

Halleluiah!

Hallelujah! praise the Lord.

6 In the sacred page recorded Thus the word securely stands, "Fear not, I'm in trouble near thee, Nought shall pluck you from My hands:

Sweet affliction, Every word my love demands.

7 All I meet I find assists me In my path to heavenly joy:

Where, though trials now attend me, Trials never more annoy.

Halleluiah, Hallelujah! praise the Lord.

8 Blest there with a weight of glory, Still the path I'll ne'er forget, But, exulting, cry, it led me To my blessed Saviour's seat;

Sweet affliction, Which has brought to Jesus' feet.

Samuel Pearce, 1800

750 Welcoming the 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 inscribed 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 castaway?

Bastards may escape the rod, Sunk in earthly vain delight; But the true-born child of God Must not, would not if he might.

William Cowper, 1779.

751 The suffering People

1 "DOOR and afflicted," Lord, are Thine, Among the great unfit to shine; But though the world may think it strange, They would not with the world exchange.

2 "Poor and afflicted," 'tis their lot, They know it, and they murmur not;

'Twould ill become them to refuse The state their Master deign'd to choose.

3 "Poor and afflicted," yet they sing, For Jesus is their glorious King;

Through sufferings perfect now He reigns And shares in all their griefs and pains.

4 "Poor and afflicted," but ere long They join the bright, celestial throng; Their sufferings then will reach a close, And heaven afford them sweet repose.

6 And while they walk the thorny way, They oft are heard to sigh and say, Dear Saviour, come, oh quickly come, And take Thy mourning pilgrims home.

Thomas Kelly, 1804.

752 Affliction leading to glory

1 OFTEN the clouds of deepest woe So sweet a message bear, Dark chough they seem, 'twere hard to find A frown of anger there.

2 It needs our hearts be wean'd from earth, It needs that we be driven, By loss of every earthly stay, To seek our joys in heaven.

3 For we must follow in the path Our Lord and Saviour run;

We must not find a resting-place Where He we love had none.

Caroline Fry, 1826

753 The grateful Review

1 THUS far my God hath led me on, And made His truth and mercy known; My hopes and fears alternate rise, And comforts mingle with my sighs.

2 Through this wide wilderness I roam, Far distant from my blissful home;

Lord, let Thy presence be my stay, And guard me in this dangerous way.

3 Temptations everywhere annoy, And sins and snares my peace destroy; My earthly joys are from me torn, And oft an absent God I mourn.

4 My soul, with various tempests toss'd, Her hopes o'erturn'd, her projects cross'd, Sees every day new straits attend. And wonders where the scene will end.

5 Is this, dear Lord, that thorny road Which leads us to the mount of God? Are these the toils Thy people know, While in the wilderness below?

6 'Tis even so, Thy faithful love Doth thus Thy children's graces prove;

'Tis thus our pride and self must fall, That Jesus may be all in all.

John Fawcett, 1783.

754 None shall pluck me from Thy Hand

1 CLOUDS and darkness round about Thee For a season veil Thy face, Still I trust, and cannot doubt Thee, Jesus full of truth and grace;

Resting on Thy words I stand, None shall pluck me from Thy hand.

2 Oh, rebuke me not in anger!

Suffer not my faith to fail!

Let not pain, temptation, languor, O'er my struggling heart prevail!

Holding fast Thy word I stand.

None shall pluck me from Thy hand.

3 In my heart Thy words I cherish.

Though unseen Thou still art near;

Since Thy sheep shall never perish, What have I to do with fear?

Trusting in Thy word I stand, None shall pluck me from Thy hand.

Charlotte Elliott, 1834.

755 "Fear not, for I am with thee."

1 INCARNATE God! the soul that knows Thy name's mysterious power, Shall dwell in undisturb'd repose, Nor fear the trying hour.

2 Angels, unseen, attend the saints, And bear them in their arms, To cheer their spirit when it faints, And guard their life from harms.

3 The angels' Lord Himself is nigh To them that love His name;

Ready to save them when they cry, And put their foes to shame.

4 Crosses and changes are their lot, Long as they sojourn here; But since their Saviour changes not, What have His saints to fear?

John Newton, 1779.

756 "It is I, be not afraid."

1 WHEN waves of trouble round me swell, My soul is not dismay'd:

I hear a voice I know full well—

" 'Tis I—be not afraid."

2 When black the threatening skies appear, And storms my path invade, Those accents tranquillize each fear, " 'Tis I—be not afraid."

3 There is a gulf that must be cross'd;

Saviour, be near to aid!

Whisper when my frail bark is toss'd, " 'Tis I—be not afraid."

4 There is a dark and fearful vale, Death hides within its shade;

Oh say, when flesh and heart shall fail, " 'Tis I—be not afraid."

Charlotte Elliott, 1834.