O how can they look up to heaven

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O how can they look up to heaven

Author: Simon Browne
Tune: OLNEY (Gounod)
Published in 32 hymnals

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Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1. O how can they look up to Heaven,
And ask for mercy there,
Who never soothed the poor man’s pang,
Nor dried the orphan’s tear?

2. The dread omnipotence of Heaven
We every hour provoke;
Yet still the mercy of our God
Withholds the avenging stroke.

3. And Christ was still the healing friend
Of poverty and pain;
And never did imploring soul
His garment touch in vain.

4. May we with humble effort take
Example from above;
And thence the active lesson learn
Of charity and love!

5. But chiefly be the labor ours
To shade the early plant;
To guard from ignorance and guilt
The infancy of want;

6. To graft the virtues, ere the bud
The canker worm has gnawed,
And teach the rescued child to lisp
Its gratitude to God.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #4986

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Author: Simon Browne

Simon Browne was born at Shepton Mallet, Somersetshire, about 1680. He began to preach as an "Independent" before he was twenty years of age, and was soon after settled at Portsmouth. In 1716, he became pastor in London. In 1723, he met with some misfortunes, which preyed upon his mind, and produced that singular case of monomania, recorded in the text-books of Mental Philosophy; he thought that God had "annihilated in him the thinking substance, and utterly divested him of consciousness." "Notwithstanding," says Toplady, "instead of having no soul, he wrote, reasoned, and prayed as if he had two." He died in 1732. His publications number twenty-three, of which some are still in repute. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins,… Go to person page >

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