Thou Shepherd of Israel, and Mine

Thou shep­herd of Is­ra­el

and mine

The joy

and de­sire of my heart;

For close­r com­mun­ion I pine

I long to re­side where Thou art:

The pas­ture I lang­uish to find

Where all

who their shep­herd ob­ey

Are fed

on Thy bos­om re­clined

Are screened from the heat of the day.

Ah! show me that hap­pi­est place

That place of Thy people’s ab­ode;

Where saints in an ec­sta­sy gaze

And hang on a cru­ci­fied God:

Thy love for a sin­ner de­clare

Thy pas­sion and death on the tree;

My spir­it to Cal­va­ry bear

To suf­fer

and tri­umph with Thee.

’Tis there with the lambs of Thy flock

There on­ly I cov­et to rest:

To lie at the foot of the rock

Or rise to be hid in Thy breast;

’Tis there I would al­ways ab­ide

And nev­er a mo­ment de­part

Concealed in the cleft of Thy side

Eternally held in Thine heart.