God's Dealings with his Children

Representative Text

1 How hard and rugged is the way
To some poor pilgrims’ feet:
In all they do, or think, or say,
They opposition meet.

2 Others, again, more smoothly go,
Secured from hurts and harms;
Their Saviour leads them gently through,
Or bears them in his arms.

3 Faith and repentance all must find;
But yet we daily see
They differ in their time and kind,
Duration and degree.

4 Some long repent and late believe,
But when their sin’s forgiven,
A clearer passport they receive,
And walk with joy to heaven.

5 Their pardon some receive at first,
And then, compelled to fight,
They feel their latter stages worst,
And travel much by night.

6 But be our conflicts short or long,
This commonly is true;
That wheresoever faith is strong,
Repentance is so too.

Source: A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #747

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Author: J. Hart

Hart, Joseph, was born in London in 1712. His early life is involved in obscurity. His education was fairly good; and from the testimony of his brother-in-law, and successor in the ministry in Jewin Street, the Rev. John Hughes, "his civil calling was" for some time "that of a teacher of the learned languages." His early life, according to his own Experience which he prefaced to his Hymns, was a curious mixture of loose conduct, serious conviction of sin, and endeavours after amendment of life, and not until Whitsuntide, 1757, did he realize a permanent change, which was brought about mainly through his attending divine service at the Moravian Chapel, in Fetter Lane, London, and hearing a sermon on Rev. iii. 10. During the next two years ma… Go to person page >

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