1 Father, in your mysterious presence kneeling,
Now would our souls feel all your kindling love,
For we are weak, and need some deep revealing
Of trust and strength and calmness from above.
2 Lord, we have wandered forth through doubt and sorrow,
And you have made each step an onward one,
And we will ever trust each unknown morrow;
You will sustain us till its work is done.
3 Now, Father, now in your dear presence kneeling,
Our spirits yearn to feel your kindling love;
Now make us strong; we need your deep revealing
Of trust and strength and calmness from above.
Johnson, Samuel, M.A, was born at Salem, Massachusetts, Oct. 10, 1822, and educated at Harvard, where he graduated in Arts in 1842, and in Theology in 1846. In 1853 he formed a Free Church in Lynn, Massachusetts, and remained its pastor to 1870. Although never directly connected with any religious denomination, he was mainly associated in the public mind with the Unitarians. He was joint editor with S. Longfellow (q. v.) of A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, Boston, 1846; the Supplement to the same, 1848; and Hymns of the Spirit, 1864. His contributions to these collections were less numerous than those by S. Longfellow, but not less meritorious. He died at North Andover, Massachusetts, Feb. 19, 1882. His hymns were thus contr… Go to person page >