Lord, shed a beam of heavenly day

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Lord, shed a beam of heavenly day

Author: Joseph Hart
Tune: FROZEN HEART
Published in 26 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Lord! shed a beam of heavenly day
To melt this stubborn stone away:
Now thaw, with rays of love divine,
This heart--this frozen heart of mine.

2 The rocks can rend; the earth can quake;
The seas can roar; the mountains shake;
Of feeling all things show some sign,
But this unfeeling heart of mine.

3 To hear the sorrows thou hast felt,
What but an adamant would melt?
Goodness and wrath, in vain combine
To move this stupid heart of mine.

4 But One can yet perform the deed;
The One in all his grace I need;
Thy Spirit can from dross refine,
And melt this stubborn heart of mine.

5 Oh, Breath of Life, breathe on my soul!
On me let streams of mercy roll:
Now thaw with rays of love divine
This heart,--this frozen heart of mine.

Source: A Collection of Hymns and Prayers, for Public and Private Worship #176

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Author: Joseph Hart

Hart, Joseph, was born in London in 1712. His early life is involved in obscurity. His education was fairly good; and from the testimony of his brother-in-law, and successor in the ministry in Jewin Street, the Rev. John Hughes, "his civil calling was" for some time "that of a teacher of the learned languages." His early life, according to his own Experience which he prefaced to his Hymns, was a curious mixture of loose conduct, serious conviction of sin, and endeavours after amendment of life, and not until Whitsuntide, 1757, did he realize a permanent change, which was brought about mainly through his attending divine service at the Moravian Chapel, in Fetter Lane, London, and hearing a sermon on Rev. iii. 10. During the next two years ma… Go to person page >

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