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The Lord is Nigh

by Mrs. R. Hyneman


“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;
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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.