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1 Great Shepherd of thy people, hear,
thy presence now display;
as thou hast given a place for prayer,
so give us hearts to pray.
2 Within these walls let holy peace
and love and concord dwell;
here give the troubled conscience ease,
the wounded spirit heal.
3 May we in faith receive thy word,
in faith present our prayers,
and in the presence of our Lord
unbosom all our cares.
4 The hearing ear, the seeing eye,
the contrite heart, bestow;
and shine upon us from on high,
that we in grace may grow.
Source: Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #651
John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >| First Line: | Dear Shepherd of Thy people, hear |
| Title: | On Opening a Place of Social Prayer |
| Author: | John Newton |
| Meter: | 8.6.8.6 |
| Language: | English |
| Copyright: | Public Domain |
My Starred Hymns