O Thou Who Sealest Up the Past

O Thou who seal­est up the past

The days slip from us

and the years

Grow si­lent with their hopes and fears;

’Tis Thine to keep all things at last.

We have not done the things we would

A blot­ted page we ren­der back;

And yet

what­e’er our work may lack

Thy work goes on

and Thou art good.

Thou mov­est in the mov­ing years;

Wherever man is

there Thou art

To ov­er­rule his feeb­ler part

And bring a bless­ing out of tears.

We know what bless­ings had their birth

In thy great pur­pose

and we see

What ev­il cus­toms touched by Thee

Are mol­der­ing ruins in the earth.

Thy hand has been in ev­ery age

To shape the ways of men

and teach

The gen­er­ations

each to each

To leave a nob­ler her­it­age.

I know the word is in Thy breath

That guides the wheels of time; I know

’Tis Thou that guidest them

although

They bear me tow­ard the Vale of Death.

And as the sil­ent sea­sons pass

Along their well ap­point­ed way

Nor any hand is raised to stay

The fall­ing sands

the emp­ty­ing glass

I own Thy pro­mise

for I find

In all Thy deal­ings ev­er­more

Thou teach­est that the things be­fore

Are bet­ter than the things be­hind.

A nob­ler lot awaits the soul

Than that of dy­ing star and sun;

Our lives do not in circ­les run

But ev­er on­ward to a goal.

Thou op­en­er of the years to be

Let me not lose

in woe or weal

The touch of Thy strong hand I feel

Upholding and di­rect­ing me.