The Faithfulness of God

Representative Text

I. Almighty Sov'reign, gracious Lord,
How full, how firm, thy royal word!
Thy love, how condescending and how kind!
Nor can the pow'r of language more,
With all its force, with all its store,
Confirm the sacred deed, or more securely bind.

II. Sooner the mountains shall depart,
And from their firm foundations start,
Than thy eternal kindness shall remove!
Or be I shaken from thy heart,
If ever there I had a part,
If ever I possest an int'rest in thy love.

III. Yes, Lord, thy promises are clear,
Thy pow'r and faithfulness appear;
Nor can I doubt omnipotence and grace:
But ah! myself, my sins I fear,
These springs of doubt are ever near,
These gloomy clouds which rise and hide thy lovely face.

IV. O let thy mercy's healing ray
Arise, and chase these clouds away;
Thy spirit's witness (evidence divine!)
Beam o'er my soul with sacred light;
Then shall my joys all pure and bright,
Unclouded and serene, with pleasing lustre shine.

Source: Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 2 #84

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Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

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First Line:	Almighty Sovereign, gracious Lord
Title:	The Faithfulness of God
Author:	Anne Steele (1760)
Language:	English
Publication Date:	1760
Copyright:	This text is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before 1929.