1 My harp untuned, and laid aside,
To cheerful hours the harp belongs;
My cruel foes, insulting cried,
"Come, sing us one of Zion’s songs."
2 Alas! when sinners, blindly bold,
At Zion scoff, and Zion’s king;
When zeal declines, and love grows cold,
Is this a day for me to sing?
3 Time was, whene’er the saints I met,
With joy and praise my bosom glowed;
But now, like Eli, sad I sit,
And tremble for the ark of God.
4 While thus to grief my soul gave way,
To see the work of God decline;
Methought I heard my Savior say,
"Dismiss thy fears, the ark is Mine"
5 Though for a time I hide My face,
Rely upon My love and power;
Still wrestle at a throne of grace,
And wait for a reviving hour.
6 Take down thy long neglected harp,
I’ve seen thy tears, and heard thy prayer;
The winter season has been sharp,
But spring shall all its wastes repair.”
7 Lord, I obey, my hopes revive,
Come join with me, ye saints, and sing;
Our foes in vain against us strive;
For God will help and healing bring.
Source: The Cyber Hymnal #11614
John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >
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