1 Afflicted saint, to Christ draw near,
Thy Saviour's gracious promise hear;
His faithful word declares to thee,
That as thy day thy strength shall be.
2 Let not thy heart despond, and say,
"How shall I stand the trying day?"
He has engaged by firm decree,
That as thy day thy strength shall be.
3 Thy faith is weak, thy foes are strong,
And if the conflict should be long,
Thy Lord will make the tempter flee,
For as thy day thy strength shall be.
4 Should persecution rage and flame,
Still trust in thy Redeemer's name;
In fiery trials thou shalt see
That as thy day thy strength shall be.
An orphan at the age of twelve, John Fawcett (b. Lidget Green, Yorkshire, England, 1740; d. Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, 1817) became apprenticed to a tailor and was largely self-educated. He was converted by the preaching of George Whitefield at the age of sixteen and began preaching soon thereafter. In 1765 Fawcett was called to a small, poor, Baptist country church in Wainsgate, Yorkshire. Seven years later he received a call from the large and influential Carter's Lane Church in London, England. Fawcett accepted the call and preached his farewell sermon. The day of departure came, and his family's belongings were loaded on carts, but the distraught congregation begged him to stay. In Singers and Songs of the Church (1869), Josiah Miller te… Go to person page >
Display Title: Afflicted Saint, to Christ Draw NearFirst Line: Afflicted saint, to Christ draw nearTune Title: UXBRIDGEAuthor: John FawcettMeter: LMSource: Hymns Adapted to the Circumstances of Public Worship and Private Devotion (Leeds, England: G. Wright & Son, 1782), number 13