With a mingled hope and fear;
And the faithful few were sighing,
Surely Lord the day is near;
The Desire of all the nations,
It is time He should appear.
In the sacred courts of Zion
Where the Lord had His abode
Where the money changers trafficked
And the sheep and oxen trod
And the world by earthly wisdom
Knew not either Lord or God.
Then the Spirit of the Highest
On a virgin meek came down
And He burdened her with blessing
And He pained her with renown
For she bare the Lord's Anointed
For His cross and for His crown.
Earth for Him had groaned and travailed
Since the ages first began
For in Him was hid the secret
That through all the ages ran
Son of Promise, Son of David
Son of God and Son of Man.
(See New Christian Hymns 203). The first verse chimes in with the previous post.
Walter Chalmers Smith (1824-1908) was born in Aberdeen, where he attended the Marischal College going on to New College, Edinburgh. He was ordained pastor of Chadwell St Scottish Church, Pentonville, Islington, London, Christmas Day, 1850 and later served at the Free High Church, Edinburgh; Roxburgh FC, Deinburgh; Orwell FC, Milnathort, Kinrossshire and the Free Tron Church, Glasgow. The FCS elected him moderator in its Jubilee year 1893. He received the degrees of DD and LLD. He has been described as a distinguished preacher and a man of kindly nature and catholic sympathies. He wrote many poems and hymns. To him, poetry was 'the retreat of his nature from the burden of his labours'. It allowed him to say what he could not fully express in the pulpit. In an editorial he once wrote that 'God giveth speech to all, song to the few' (Olrig Grange, Bk. I). His poetry was published in six volumes entitled Poetical Works (1902). His hymns have been described as 'rich in thought and vigorous in expression'. His hymn texts were published in Hymns of Christ and the Christian Life (1886). He used the pseudonyms Orwell and Hermann Kunst. His most famous hymn is Immortal, invisible, God only wise.
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