1 Father and Friend, Thy light, Thy love,
Beaming thro' all Thy works we see;
Thy glory gilds the heav'ns above,
And all the earth is full of Thee.
2 Thy voice we hear, Thy presence feel,
While Thou, too pure for mortal sight,
Enwrapt in clouds, invisible,
Reignest the Lord of life and light.
3 We know not in what hallowed part
Of the wide heav'ns Thy throne may be;
But this we know, that where Thou art,
Strength, wisdom, goodness, dwell with Thee.
4 Thy children shall not faint nor fear,
Sustained by this delightful tho't;
Since Thou, their God, art ev'rywhere,
They cannot be where Thou art not.
Source: Praise for the Lord (Expanded Edition) #140
James Bowring was born at Exeter, in 1792. He possessed at an early age a remarkable power of attaining languages, and acquired some reputation by his metrical translations of foreign poems. He became editor of "The Westminster Review" in 1825, and was elected to Parliament in 1835. In 1849, he was appointed Consul at Canton, and in 1854, was made Governor of Hong Kong, and received the honour of knighthood. He is the author of some important works on politics and travel, and is the recipient of several testimonials from foreign governments and societies. His poems and hymns have also added to his reputation. His "Matins and Vespers" have passed through many editions. In religion he is a Unitarian.
--Annotations of the Hymnal, Charl… Go to person page >
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