They That Toil Upon The Deep

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They that toil upon the deep

Author: James Montgomery
Tune: OCEAN (Willis)
Published in 34 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 They that toil upon the deep,
And, in vessels light and frail,
O’er the mighty waters sweep,
With the billow and the gale—

2 Mark what wonders God performs,
When He speaks, and, unconfined,
Rush to battle all His storms,
In the chariots of the wind.

3 Up to heav’n their bark is whirled,
On the mountain of the wave,
Down as suddenly ’tis hurled
To th’ abysses of the grave.

4 To and fro they reel and roll,
As intoxicate with wine;
Terrors paralyze their soul,
Helm they quit, and hope resign.

5 Then unto the Lord they cry;
He inclines a gracious ear,
Sends deliverance from on high,
Rescues them from all their fear.

6 Calm and smooth the surge flow,
And where deadly lightning ran,
God’s own reconciling bow
Meets the ocean with a span.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #13011

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Author: James Montgomery

James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missio… Go to person page >

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