SHALL I FEAR MAN

Shall I, for fear of feeble man,
The Spirit’s course in me restrain?
Or, undismay’d in deed and word,
Be a true witness of my Lord?

Awed by a mortal’s frown, shall I
Conceal the Word of God Most High!
How then before Thee shall I dare
To stand, or how Thine anger bear?

Shall I, to soothe th’unholy throng,
Soften Thy truth, or smooth my tongue,
To gain earth’s gilded toys, or flee
The cross endured, my Lord, by Thee?

What then is he whose scorn I dread?
Whose wrath or hate makes me afraid?
A man! an heir of death! a slave
To sin! a bubble on the wave!

Yea, let men rage; since Thou wilt spread
Thy shadowing wings around my head:
Since in all pain Thy tender love
Will still my sure refreshment prove.