Scripture Verse

He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Psalm 91:11–12

Introduction

portrait
Clara H. Scott (1841–1897)

Words: Ma­ry L. Bing­ham, in Truth in Song (Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois: Cla­ra H. Scott, 1896), num­ber 32.

Music: Ex­tre­ma­du­ra Cla­ra H. Scott, 1896 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Bing­ham (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), or a bet­ter one of Scott,

Lyrics

If we could know in times of grief,
How near God’s an­gels come,
Our hearts would greet, with sweet re­lief,
These mes­sen­gers from home,
These mes­sen­gers from home.

O’er all our ways His charge they keep,
Nor min­is­ter in vain;
And if we wake, or if we sleep,
Swift flies the heav’n­ly train,
Swift flies the heav’n­ly train.

With si­lent tread they camp around
To guard his child­ren dear,
Nor e’en a stone up­on the ground
To harm them shall ap­pear,
To harm them shall ap­pear.