I cannot call affliction sweet,
And yet 'twas good to bear:
Affliction brought me to Thy feet,
And I found comfort there.
My weanèd soul was all-resign'd
To Thy most gracious will;
Oh! had I kept that better mind,
Or been afflicted still!
Where are the vows which then I vow'd,
The joys which then I knew?
Those vanish'd, like the morning cloud,
These like the early dew.
185
Lord, grant me grace for every day,
Whate'er my state may be,
Through life, in death, with truth to say,
"My God is all to me!"
Source: Sacred Poems and Hymns #182
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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