By James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) Once to every man and nation, Comes the moment to decide, In the strife of truth with falsehood, For the good or evil side; Some great cause God’s new Messiah, Off’ring each the bloom or blight, And the choice goes by forever, ‘twixt that darkness and that light. Then to side with truth is noble, When we share her wretched crust, Ere her cause bring fame and profit, And ‘tis prosperous to be just; Then it is the brave man chooses While the coward stands aside, Till the multitude make virtue Of the faith they had denied. Though the cause of evil prosper, Yet ‘tis truth alone is strong; Though her portion be the scaffold And upon the throne be wrong; Yet that scaffold sways the future, And behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, Keeping watch above His own.
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Commentary
[I learned this hymn years ago. The words have been repeating in my head lately and I wanted to share them with you. I think of it not so much in Christian terms but rather in terms of civil religion, knowing that the next few weeks will provide the opportunity for our elected Senators to…
[I learned this hymn years ago. The words have been repeating in my head lately and I wanted to share them with you. I think of…
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