Poem by Henry Livingston

Hiding Place

Hail sov’reign love that first began,
The scheme to rescue fallen man;
Hail matchless, free, eternal grace,
That gave my soul a Hiding-Place.

Against the God that rules the sky,
I fought with hands uplifted high;
Despis’d the mentions of his grace,
Too proud to seek a Hiding-Place.

Enwrapt in thick Egyptian night,
And fond of darkness more than light,
Madly I ran the sinful race,
Secure without a Hiding-Place.

But thus the eternal counsel ran,
Almighty Love arrest that man;
I felt the arrows of distress,
And saw that I’d no Hiding-Place.

Indignant Justice stood in view,
To Sina’s fiery mount I flew;
But Justice cry’d with frowning face,
This mountain is no Hiding-Place.

Ere long a Heav’nly voice I heard,
And Mercy’s angel form appear’d,
She led me on with placid pace,
To Jesus as my Hiding-Place.

Should storms of sevenfold thunder roll,
And shake the globe from pole to pole,
No flaming bolt should daunt my face,
For Jesus is my Hiding-Place.

On him almighty vengeance fell,
That must have sunk the world to hell:
He bore it for the chosen race,
And thus became their Hiding-Place.

A few more rolling suns at most,
Shall land us on fair Canaan’s coast,
Where we shall sing the song of grace,
And see our glorious Hiding-Place.

1. To the Memory of Sarah Livingston
2. Acknowledgement
3. Catharine Breese Livingston
4. Careless Philosopher’s Soliloquy
5. A Tenant of Mrs. Van Kleeck

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