Classic Poem

To thee, O God! whose awful voice
Earth, sea, and air obey,
This humble house of prayer we raise,
And here our homage pay.

Its Bethel flag floats in the breeze,
Its stars on the ocean shine,
And the weary mariner's heart is cheered,
As he hails the holy sign.

The ship at rest, their perils past,
The joyous seamen come
Where the Bethel flag its welcome waves —
The flag of their distant home.

O God! if the heart's warm thanks to thee
A grateful offering prove,
If prayer and praise can rise on wings
Of gratitude and love,

Here in this house high hymns of joy
Thy rescued sons shall raise,
And glowing hearts and ready tongues
Their great Protector praise.

They've seen thy works upon the sea,
Thy wonders in the deep,
When thou didst loose the stormy winds
O'er the raging waves to sweep.

They sunk to the ocean's lowest depths,
They rose on the mountain wave,
They hung on the brink of the dread abyss,
That yawned as an open grave.

They called on thee, and the raging sea
Sunk down at thy command,
And the angry rush of the winds was hushed
In the grasp of thy mighty hand

O! let them come, and this holy flag
Shall float in sainted air,
As high they raise the hymn of praise,
And the heart's ascending prayer.

And the breath of heaven shall fill their sails
Wherever a breeze shall blow,
And they shall bear the gospel's light
Wherever a wave shall flow.

And thus, O God! the boundless sea
Thy glory shall proclaim,
And its distant isles' lone shores resound
With the Redeemer's name.