"THY RIGHTEOUSNESS IS LIKE THE GREAT MOUNTAINS."
By Susan Coolidge
STRONG are the mountains, Lord, but stronger thou!
They rise, a bulwark to the guarded land,
Which foes pass not, nor traitors undermine,
For children's children's safety they shall stand,
And so, O Lord, thou standest unto thine,
A mighty guardian, a defense divine. Strong are the mountains, Lord, but stronger thou!
Where beats the tempest on the hither side
Beneath their shelter blooms the vine and rose;
So do thy chosen ones in thee abide
Nor fear the storm-wind though it wildly blows,
All undisturbed in their secure repose. Strong are the mountains, Lord, but stronger thou!
Their far, fair snowy summits fountains are,
Whence fertilizing streams begin their race,
So, from thy might of mercy stream afar
The overbrimming rivers of thy grace
Gladdening the wilderness and desert place. Strong are the mountains, Lord, but stronger thou!
Immutable they stand from age to age,
Though the world rock and empires shift and pale;
So, though the people war and heathen rage,
The safety of thy promise shall prevail,
Nor ever once thy love and goodness fail.
—Susan Coolidge, in S. S. Times.