HYMN.
MRS. E. SPENCE.[A]
Sung at the farewell meeting on the departure of Rev. Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Miller, and Rev. Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Jackson, as missionaries to Africa, Nashville, Feb. 18, 1878.
God bless, with special favor,
This consecrated band!
Their trust will never waver,
Led by Thy loving hand!
As to thy call they listen,
Each answers, “Here am I,”
And yet a tear may glisten
Unbidden in the eye!
Thou know’st what ties are breaking
That twine around the heart!
The yearning, and the aching,
When friends and kindred part!
Oh! let them feel Thy presence
Continuously so near,
To compensate the absence
Of all they hold most dear!
As, over land and ocean
They still pursue their way,
The spirit of devotion
Replenish day by day.
When over smooth seas gliding
With hearts attuned to sing,
Or tossed by tempest, hiding
Beneath thy shelt’ring wing!
And when their destination
Is safely reached at last,
Where every mission station
Has boundaries so vast—
Strengthen the willing spirit
For service, till they see
The land which they inherit,
Redeemed and ruled by Thee!
Lord Jesus, lead victorious
The sacramental host,
Until thy kingdom, glorious,
Extend from coast to coast;
The powers of hell be driven
From every conquered zone,
And, even as in heaven,
Thy will on earth be done!
FOOTNOTE:
[A] Mrs. Spence was born in Scotland, in the year that Cary, the first missionary from England, went out upon his pioneer and untrodden way eighty years ago. Her heart has been overflowing with gladness during these days of preparation.