Alone with thee, my God! alone with thee!
Thus would’st thou have it still — thus let it be.
There is a secret chamber in each mind,
Which none can find
But He who made it — none beside can know
Its joy or woe.
Oft may I enter it, oppressed by care,
And find thee there;
So full of watchful love, thou know’st the why
Of ev’ry sigh.
Then all thy righteous dealing shall I see,
Alone with thee, my God! alone with thee!
The joys of earth are like a summer’s day,
Fading away;
But in the twilight we may better trace
Thy wondrous grace.
The homes of earth are emptied oft by death
With chilling breath;
The loved departed guest may ope’ no more
The well-known door.
Still in that chamber seal’d, thou’lt dwell with me,
And I with thee, my God! alone with thee!
The world’s false voice would bid me enter not
That hallow’d spot;
And earthly thoughts would follow on the track,
To hold me back,
Or seek to break the sacred peace within,
With this world’s din.
But, by thy grace, I’ll cast them all aside,
Whate’er betide,
And never let that cell deserted be,
Where I may dwell alone, my God, with thee!
The war may rage! — keep thou the citadel,
And all is well.
And when I learn the fullness of thy love,
With thee above, —
When ev’ry heart oppress’d by hidden grief
Shall gain relief, —
When ev’ry weary soul shall find its rest
Amidst the blest, —
Then all my heart, from sin and sorrow free,
Shall be a temple meet, my God, for thee!