'Tis wisdom, mercy, love divine

Representative Text

1 'Tis wisdom, mercy, love divine,
Which mingles blessings with our cares;
And shall our thankless heart repine
That we obtain not all our prayers?

2 From diffidence our sorrows flow,
Short-sighted mortals, weak and blind,
Bend down their eyes to earth and wo,
And doubt if providence be kind.

3 Should heaven with every wish comply,
Say, would the grant relieve the care?
Perhaps the good for which we sigh,
Might change it's name and prove a snare.

4 Were once our vain desires subdu'd,
The will resign'd, the heart at rest;
In every scene we should conclude,
The will of heaven is right, is best.

Source: A Collection of Hymns and Prayers, for Public and Private Worship #38

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Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

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