These Light Afflictions

Representative Text

1 When pining sickness wastes the frame,
Acute disease, or tiring pain;
When life fast spends her feeble flame,
And all the help of man proves vain;

2 Then, then to have recourse to God,
To pour a prayer in time of need,
And feel the balm of Jesus’ blood,
This is to find a friend indeed.

3 And this, O Christian, is thy lot,
Who cleavest to the Lord by faith;
He’ll never leave thee (doubt it not)
In pain, in sickness, or in death.

4 Himself shall be thy helping Friend,
Thy good Physician and thy nurse;
To make thy bed shall condescend,
And from the affliction take the curse.

5 Should’st thou a moment’s absence mourn;
Should some short darkness intervene;
He’ll give thee power, till light return,
To trust him, with the cloud between.

Source: A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #707

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Author: J. 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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