Hymn for a Charitable Association

Widow! long estranged from gladness,In thy cell so lonely made,Where chill Penury's cloud of sadnessAdds to grief a sterner shade,Look! the searching eye hath found thee,Pitying hearts confess thy claim,Bounteous spirits shed around theeBlessings in a Saviour's name.

Orphan! in despondence weeping,Crush'd by want and misery dire,Or on lowly pallet sleeping,Dreaming of thy buried sire,Hands like his, combine to rear thee,Stranger-arms are round thee cast,And a Father ever near thee,Fits the shorn lamb to the blast.

Brethren! by the precious tokenWhich the sons of mercy wear,By the vows we here have spoken,Grav'd in truth, and seal'd with prayer,Penury's pathway we will brighten,Misery with compassion meet,And the heart of sorrow lighten,Till our own shall cease to beat.