O Thou in Whose Presence

Side by Side Comparison of "O Thou in Whose Presence" and "Redeemer of Israel"

Joseph Swain	William W. Phelps' Adaptation
O thou in whose presence my soul takes delight, On whom in afflictions I call, My comfort by day and my song in the night, My salvation, my all.	Redeemer of Israel, our only delight, On whom for a blessing we call; Our shadow by day, and our pillar by night, Our king, our companion, our all.
Where dost thou at noontide resort with thy sheep, To feed on the pastures of love, For why in the valley of death should I weep, Alone in the wilderness rove.	We know he is coming To gather his sheep, And plant them in Zion, in love, For why in the valley Of death should they weep, Or alone in the wilderness rove?
O why should I wander an alien from thee, Or cry in the desert for bread, My foes would rejoice when my sorrows they see, And smile at the tears I have shed.	How long we have wandered as strangers in sin, And cried in the desert for thee! Our foes have rejoic'd when our sorrows they've seen, But Israel will shortly be free.
Ye daughters of Zion declare, have you seen The star that on Israel shone, Say if in your tents my beloved hath been, And where with his flocks he has gone.	As children of Zion good tidings for us: The tokens already appear; Fear not and be just, for the kingdom is ours, And the hour of redemption is near.
This is my beloved, his form is divine, His vestments shed odours around, The locks on his head are as grapes on the vine When autumn with plenty is crown'd	[N/A]
The roses of Sharon, the lilies that grow, In vales, on the banks of the streams, His cheeks in the beauty of excellence blow, His eyes all invitingly beams.	[N/A]
His voice as the sound of a dulcimer sweet, Is heard thro' the shadows of death The cedars of Lebanon bow at his feet, The air is perfum'd with his breath.	[N/A]
His lips as a fountain of righteousneess flow, That waters the garden of grace, Frome which their salvation the Gentiles shall know, And bask in the smiles of his face.	[N/A]
Love sits in his eyelids and scatters delight Thro all the bright mansions on high, Their faces the cherubims veil in his sight, And tremble with fullness of joy.	[N/A]
He looks, and ten thousand of angels rejoice, And myraids wait for his word, He speaks, and eternity fill'd with his voice, Re—echoes the praise of her Lord.	[N/A]
[N/A]	The secret of heaven, the myst'ry below, That many have sought for so long, We know that we know, for the spirit of Christ, Tells his servants they cannot be wrong.

Sources:

“O Thou in Whose Presence” by Joseph Swain, 1791. Found in Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second, 1813.

“Redeemer of Israel” by William Wines Phelps, c. 1832. First printed in The Evening and Morning Star (June 1832).

Back to: First Selections (Redeemer of Israel)

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