Lord, once our faith in man no fear could move;
Now save it from despair!
The trial comes; strengthen the might of love:
Father, Thou hearest prayer!
Thou hearest; and we hear, above this din,
Thy blessed word sound clear:
“I purge this land from slavery and sin;
The reign of heaven draws near.”
O, never falter, ye who strive to bring
In men the heavenly birth;
For still the angel hosts unfaltering sing,
“Peace to the weary earth!”
O, never falter! peace must come by pain;
Heaven is not found, but won;
Hold the dark angel till he moulds again
The peace he hath undone.
We know not, Lord, what storms and trials strong
Must work our world’s new birth;
But we will toil, with this for working-song,—
“Peace to the weary earth!”
Peace to the weary, struggling, sin-sick earth!
Peace to the heart of man!
Storm shall bring calm; that high reward is worth
All we must bear, or can.
Source: A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #420
Johnson, Samuel, M.A, was born at Salem, Massachusetts, Oct. 10, 1822, and educated at Harvard, where he graduated in Arts in 1842, and in Theology in 1846. In 1853 he formed a Free Church in Lynn, Massachusetts, and remained its pastor to 1870. Although never directly connected with any religious denomination, he was mainly associated in the public mind with the Unitarians. He was joint editor with S. Longfellow (q. v.) of A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, Boston, 1846; the Supplement to the same, 1848; and Hymns of the Spirit, 1864. His contributions to these collections were less numerous than those by S. Longfellow, but not less meritorious. He died at North Andover, Massachusetts, Feb. 19, 1882. His hymns were thus contr… Go to person page >
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