1 The Lord the righteous tries;
Yet we’ll adore his name;
He never will their cause despise,
Nor put their hope to shame.
2 He brings them to the test,
And tries them by his law;
Then leads them to the promised rest,
From whence they comfort draw.
3 Then he his face conceals,
And lets them grope within;
And by his Spirit’s power reveals
The dreadful plague of sin.
4 We straightway cry, “Unclean!
A monstrous mass of woe!
What can such hosts of evil mean?
And whither can we go?”
5 “Look here,” the Lord replies;
“Thy beauty’s all in me;
’Tis thine to flee from self, and prize
Salvation full and free.
6 “Whate’er my wisdom does,
Or lets the tempter do,
Thy guilt and ruin to disclose,
One thing I keep in view –
7 “To teach thee how to live
By faith in Jesus’ name;
For guilt and sin to mourn and grieve,
And sing the Lamb once slain.”
Source: A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #614
Gadsby, William , was born in 1773 at Attleborough, in Warwickshire. In 1793 he joined the Baptist church at Coventry, and in 1798 began to preach. In 1800 a chapel was built for him at Desford, in Leicestershire, and two years later another in the town of Hinckley. In 1805 he removed to Manchester, becoming minister of a chapel in Rochdale Boad, where he continued until his death, in January, 1844. Gadsby was for many years exceedingly popular as a preacher of the High Calvinist faith, and visited in that capacity most parts of England. He published The Nazarene's Songs, being a composition of Original Hymns, Manchester, 1814; and Hymns on the Death of the Princess Charlotte, Manchester, 1817. In 1814 he also published A Selection of Hymn… Go to person page >
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