Yea, I will extol Thee
Lord of life and light,
For Thine arm upheld me,
Turn'd my foes to flight;
I implored Thy succour,
Thou wert swift to save,
Heal my wounded spirit,
Bring me from the grave.
193
Sing, ye saints, sing praises!
Call His love to mind,
For a moment angry,
But for ever kind;
Grief may, like a stranger,
Through the night sojourn,
Yet shall joy, to-morrow,
With the sun return.
In my wealth I vaunted,
"Nought shall move me hence;
Thou hast made my mountain,
Strong in Thy defence:"--
Then Thy face was hidden,
Trouble laid me low,
"Lord," I cried right humbly,
"Why forsake me so?"
"Would my blood appease Thee,
In atonement shed?
Can the dust give glory?--
Praise employ the dead?
Hear me, Lord, in mercy,
God my Helper, hear."
--Long Thou didst not tarry,
Help and health were near.
Thou hast turn'd my mourning
Into minstrelsy,
Girded me with gladness,
Set from thraldom free:
Thee my ransom'd powers
Henceforth shall adore,
Thee, my great Deliverer,
Laud for evermore.
Sacred Poems and Hymns
James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missio… Go to person page >
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