At even ere the sun was set

Sammy this morning preached from Matthew 8 : 14 - 17.

It put me in mind of this hymn - a long-time favourite for the evening:

AT even, ere the sun was set,
the sick, O Lord, around Thee lay;
O in what divers pains they met!
O with what joy they went away!

2 Once more 'tis eventide, and we
oppressed with various ills draw near;
what if Thy form we cannot see?
We know and feel that Thou art here.

3 O Saviour Christ, our woes dispel;
for some are sick, and some are sad,
and some have never loved Thee well,
and some have lost the love they had.

4 And some have found the world is vain,
yet from the world they break not free;
and some have friends who give them pain,
yet have not sought a friend in Thee.

5 And none, O Lord, have perfect rest,
for none are wholly free from sin;
and they who fain would serve Thee best
are conscious most of wrong within.

6 O Saviour Christ, Thou too art man;
Thou hast been troubled, tempted, tried;
Thy kind but searching glance can scan
the very wounds that shame would hide.

7 Thy touch has still its ancient power;
no word from Thee can fruitless fall;
hear in this solemn evening hour,
and in Thy mercy heal us all.

Henry Twells, 1823-1900

A website gives the story of the hymn:

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/t/e/atevener.htm

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks for posting Henry Twells' beautiful hymn. Unfortunately, it's not well known in churches in our area. (Their loss.) Mr. Twells was born 187 years ago today. If you'd like to read about how the hymn came to be written, check out my blog on hymns for today, Wordwise Hymns.
3:51 pm
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