When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:6
Words: Jane C. Simpson, 1831, alt. First appeared in The Edinburgh Literary Journal, February 26, 1831, titled Go When the Morning Shineth.
Music: Meirionnydd William F. Lloyd, in Caniadau Seion, edited by R. Mills, 1840 (🔊 pdf nwc).
Alternate Tunes:
If you know where to get a good photo of Simpson or Lloyd (head & shoulders, at least 200×300 pixels),
Pray when the morn is breaking,
Pray when the noon is bright,
Pray with the eve’s declining,
Pray in the hush of night:
With mind made pure of passion,
All meaner thoughts away,
Low in thy chamber kneeling,
Do thou in secret pray.
Remember all who love thee,
All who are loved by thee,
And next for those that hate thee
Pray thou, if such there be;
Last for thyself in meekness
A blessing humbly claim,
And link with each petition
Thy great Redeemer’s name.
But if ’tis e’er denied thee
In solitude to pray,
Should holy thoughts come o’er thee
Upon life’s crowded way,
E’en then the silent breathing
That lifts thy soul above
Shall reach the thronèd presence
Of mercy, truth, and love.