The Past Is Dark with Sin and Shame

The past is dark with sin and shame

The fu­ture dim with doubt and fear;

But

Fa­ther

yet we praise Thy name

Whose guard­ian love is al­ways near.

For man has striv­en

ag­es long

With fal­ter­ing steps to come to Thee

And in each pur­pose high and strong

The in­flu­ence of Thy grace could see.

He could not breathe an ear­nest pray­er

But Thou wast kind­er than he dreamed

As age by age brought hopes more fair

And near­er still Thy king­dom seemed.

But nev­er rose with­in his breast

A trust so calm and deep as now—

Shall not the wea­ry find a rest?

Father

Preserver

an­swer Thou!

’Tis dark around

’tis dark ab­ove

But through the sha­dow streams the sun;

We can­not doubt Thy cer­tain love;

And man’s true aim shall yet be won!