Poems (Edwards)/"I Laid me down and Slept"
Amid the stilly hours of night,
In quiet rest I slept,
While thy sustaining arm, O Lord!
My soul in safety kept.
Thine angels round me hovering stood
To whisper dreams of bliss,
Dreams of a happy land of rest,
Far from the ills of this.
I woke, for thy sustaining hand,
Was still beneath my head,
And morning o'er my waking hours,
Its holy incense shed.
I see the wonders of thy hand
In every flower and tree,
And marvel that thou shouldst behold
A worm so frail as me.
Thy mercy, everlasting Lord,
Has led me on thus far,
Beneath thy all protecting hand,
Thy children need not fear.
Help me to love as thou dost love,
My fierce and bitter foes,
Teach me to hide another's faults
And heal another's woes.
Teach me to fly alone to thee
In sorrow and distress,
Teach me to love and praise thee more
And love my idols less.
O! bind around the sacred cross,
Each wandering thought of mine,
Let me forget my stubborn will,
And yield, with joy, to thine.