O Faith! Thou Workest Miracles

O Faith! thou work­est mir­acles

Upon the hearts of men

Choosing thy home in those same hearts

We know not how or when.

To one thy grave un­earth­ly truths

A heav’n­ly vi­sion seem

While to an­oth­er’s eye they are

A su­per­sti­tious dream.

To one the deep­est doc­trines look

So na­tur­al­ly true

That when he learns the les­son first

He hard­ly thinks it new.

To oth­er hearts the self­same truths

No light or heat can bring;

They are but puz­zling phras­es strung

Like beads up­on a string.

O gift of gifts! O grace of faith!

My God! how can it be

That Thou

who hast dis­cern­ing love

Shouldst give that gift to me?

There was a place

there was a time

Whether by night or day

Thy Spir­it came and left that gift

And went up­on His way.

How ma­ny hearts Thou mightst have had

More in­no­cent than mine!

How ma­ny souls more wor­thy far

Of that sweet touch of Thine!

Ah grace! in­to un­like­li­est hearts

It is thy boast to come

The glo­ry of thy light to find

In dark­est spots a home.

How will they live

how will they die

How bear the cross of grief

Who have not got the light of faith

The cour­age of belief?

The crowd of cares

the weight­iest cross

Seem tri­fles less than light

Earth looks so lit­tle and so low

When faith shines full and bright.

O hap­py

hap­py that I am!

If thou canst be

O faith!

The trea­sure that thou art in life

What wilt thou be in death?

Thy choice

O God of good­ness! then

I lov­ing­ly ad­ore;

O give me grace to keep Thy grace

And grace to mer­it more!