1. You bid us visit in distress
The widow and the parentless,
But will you leave us comfortless?
Will you depart?
Will you, O Lord, your church forsake?
Must she a widow's garments make?
Will you your children orphans make?
O grief of heart.
2. No! Christ will visit in distress
The widow and the parentless.
He seems to leave you comfortless
But loves you most:
For he departs so he may send
Another Comforter and Friend
To stay with you until the end,
The Holy Ghost.
3. And now the fortieth from rebirth
To endless life from womb of earth
Will be a day of joy and mirth
In realms above,
For though your earthly course will end,
To Zion's gates you will ascend
To be our great High Priest and send
The heav'nly Dove.
4. Why then this sorrow and dismay?
It's good he now should go away;
He goes so for you he may pray
And never cease;
He goes as man so you may see
By faith his present deity,
So here the Comforter may be,
And give you peace.
Source: Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship #164
Christopher Wordsworth--nephew of the great lake-poet, William Wordsworth--was born in 1807. He was educated at Winchester, and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A., with high honours, in 1830; M.A. in 1833; D.D. in 1839. He was elected Fellow of his College in 1830, and public orator of the University in 1836; received Priest's Orders in 1835; head master of Harrow School in 1836; Canon of Westminster Abbey in 1844; Hulsean Lecturer at Cambridge in 1847-48; Vicar of Stanford-in-the-Vale, Berks, in 1850; Archdeacon of Westminster, in 1865; Bishop of Lincoln, in 1868. His writings are numerous, and some of them very valuable. Most of his works are in prose. His "Holy Year; or, Hymns for Sundays, Holidays, and other occ… Go to person page >
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