Hymn History
O, For a Faith that Will Not Shrink
O, for a faith that will not shrink,
Though pressed by every foe,
That will not tremble on the brink
Of any earthly woe!
That will not murmur nor complain
Beneath the chastening rod,
But, in the hour of grief or pain,
Will lean upon its God.
A faith that shines more bright and clear
When tempests rage without;
That when in danger knows no fear,
In darkness feels no doubt.
That bears, unmoved, the worlds dread frown
Nor heeds its scornful smile;
That seas of trouble cannot drown,
Nor Satans arts beguile.
A faith that keeps the narrow way
Till lifes last hour is fled,
And with a pure and heavenly ray
Lights up a dying bed.
Lord, give me such a faith as this,
And then, whateer may come,
Ill taste, een here, the hallowed bliss
Of an eternal home.
William H. Bathurst
(1796-1877)
William Bathurst received his formal education at Winchester and also at Christ Church in Oxford. He graduated in 1818 and began serving as rector of Barwick-in-Elmet, near Leeds, England. He served for many years but had completely different views than the Book of Common Prayer, which was a doctrine of the church. He eventually retired from the ministry over this conflict. In addition to the ministry he also served as a Member of Parliament for Bristol.
At the par¬ish church in Lyd¬ney, Glou¬ces¬ter¬shire, the one he last attended, there is a plaque com¬mem¬o¬rat¬ing him in¬side the church, and the 14th Cen¬tu¬ry cross in Lyd¬ney was also re¬stored in 1878 in his mem¬o¬ry.
