Hymn 203. God the Only Refuge of the Troubled Mind

         Dear refuge of my weary soul,

                     On thee, when sorrows rise:

         On thee, when waves of trouble roll,

                     My fainting hope relies.

         While hope revives, though prest with fears,                                                  

                     And I can say, my God,

         Beneath thy feet I spread my cares,

                     And pour my woes abroad.

         To thee, I tell each rising grief,

                     For thou alone canst heal;                                                         

         Thy Word can bring a sweet relief

                     For every pain I feel.

         But oh! when gloomy doubts prevail,

                     I fear to call thee mine;

         The springs of comfort seem to fail,                                                                 

                     And all my hopes decline.

         Yet, gracious God, where shall I flee?

                     Thou art my only trust,

         And still my soul would cleave to thee,

                     Though prostrate in the dust.                                                               

         Hast thou not bid me seek thy face?

                     And shall I seek in vain?

         And can the ear of sovereign grace

                     Be deaf when I complain?

         No, still the ear of sovereign grace                                                       

                     Attends the mourner’s prayer;

         O may I ever find access,

                     To breathe my sorrows there.

         Thy mercy-seat is open still;

                     Here let my soul retreat,                                                            

         With humble hope attend thy will,

                     And wait beneath thy feet.

Text: Timothy Whelan, gen. ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 8 vols. (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 1, pp. 130-31; Collection of Hymns Adapted to Public Worship, no. 121 (all stanzas); Poems, 1780, vol. 1, pp. 144-46; MS, Steele Collection, STE 3/1/1 no. 80, Angus Library, Regents Park College,  Oxford,