Olney Hymns (1840)/Book 1/Hymn 54

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54.
Vanity of Life.[1]—Eccles. i, 2.

1 The evils that beset our path,
Who can prevent or cure?
We stand upon the brink of death
When most we seem secure.

2 If we to-day sweet peace possess,
It soon may be withdrawn;
Some change may plunge us in distress
Before to-morrow's dawn.

3 Disease and pain invade our health,
And find an easy prey;
And oft, when least expected, wealth
Takes wings and flies away.

4 A fever or a blow can shake
Our wisdom's boasted rule,
And of the brightest genius make
A madman or a fool.

5 The gourds from which we look for fruit
Produce us only pain;
 ​A worm unseen attacks the root,
And all our hopes are vain.

6 I pity those who seek no more
Than such a world can give;
Wretched they are and blind and poor,
And dying while they live.

7 Since sin has fill'd the earth with woe,
And creatures fade and die,
Lord, wean our hearts from things below,
And fix our hopes on high.

  1. ↑ Book ii, Hymn 6.
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