Meter: 8.8.8.8 Appears in 104 hymnals First Line: O thou, before whose gracious throne Lyrics: 1 O thou, before whose gracious throne,
We bow our suppliant spirits down,
View the sad breast, the streaming eye,
And let our sorrows pierce the sky.
2 Thou know'st the anxious cares we feel;
And all our trembling lips would tell;
Thou only canst assuage our grief—
And yield our woe-fraught hearts relief.
3 Tho' we have sinn'd and justly dread
The vengeance hovering o'er our head;
Yet, power benign, thy servant spare,
Nor turn aside thy people's prayer.
4 Avert thy swift descending stroke
Nor smite the shepherd of the flock,
Lest o'er the barren waste we stray,
To prowling wolves an easy prey.
5 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 father live.
6 Bound to each soul by tenderest ties,
In every breast his image lies;
Thy pitying aid O God, impart,
Nor rend him from each bleeding heart.
7 Yet if our supplications fail,
And prayers and tears can naught prevail,
Condemn'd on this dark desert coast,
To mourn our much lov'd leader lost:
8 Be thou his strength, be thou his stay:
Support him thro' the gloomy way,
Comfort his soul, surround his bed,
And guide him thro' the dreary shade.
9 Around him may thy angels wait,
Deck'd with their robes of heavenly state,
To teach his happy soul to rise,
And waft him to their native skies.
Topics: The Church; Church Praying for their pastor when ill; Illness of a Minister; Ordination hymns
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