1. O Key of David, hailed by those
In fetters long confined,
For what you open none may close,
Nor what you loosen, bind:
2. Without one ray of light around
To comfort and to cheer,
Poor pris’ners we, in shackles bound,
Await your drawing near.
3. Lord, only you can loose the chain,
You only end our woe,
You only give us light again
And let the captives go.
4. We wait in faith, in prayer we wait
Until the happy day
When you will loose our prison gate
And call our souls away.
5. From every creature by whose breath
Praise is the Father due,
To Him who holds the keys of death,
And Holy Ghost, to you.
Source: Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship #20b
John M. Neale's life is a study in contrasts: born into an evangelical home, he had sympathies toward Rome; in perpetual ill health, he was incredibly productive; of scholarly temperament, he devoted much time to improving social conditions in his area; often ignored or despised by his contemporaries, he is lauded today for his contributions to the church and hymnody. Neale's gifts came to expression early–he won the Seatonian prize for religious poetry eleven times while a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, England. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1842, but ill health and his strong support of the Oxford Movement kept him from ordinary parish ministry. So Neale spent the years between 1846 and 1866 as a warden of Sackvi… Go to person page >
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