CHOSEN OUT OF THE WORLD.
By Malachi Taylor
LORD, be thou all in all to me,
My spirit keep in meekness,
'Midst all the ills that fall to me,
And all the foes that call to me,
For I am naught but weakness;
Hold thou me up when failing,
Defend from all assailing,
Be thou alone a wall to me. The way on earth is drear to me,
The lights on earth grow dimmer;
Things in this scene, once dear to me,
As hindrances appear to me,
And I, a feeble swimmer,
The world's deep current breasting,
Its treacherous power testing,
Must know thee, Christ, then near to me. In everything I fly to thee,
O thou, my shield and guerdon!
Thy love holds me so nigh to thee,
I need not even cry to thee,
My want becomes thy burden;
Thou knowest ere the telling
The wish my bosom swelling,
Clear as thy loved one's sigh to thee. Break sight's delusive spell to me,
And break earth's idols wholly;
Reveal all that is well to me
In thy pure sight, and tell to me,
To occupy me solely,
More of thy cross and glory,
Heaven's richest, deepest story;
And all things else expel to me. —Malachi Taylor, in Christian at Work.