*Pastor’s Note: A.B. Simpson was a very well respected Canadian preacher, theologian and author who lived from December 15, 1843 to October 29, 1919. My prayer is that you will be blessed and inspired by his poetry as much as I am.
KEEP SWEET
There’s a little secret
Worth its weight in gold,
Easy to remember,
Easy to be told;
Changing into blessing
Every curse we meet,
Turning hell to heaven,
This is all—keep sweet.
Make us kind and gentle,
Harmless as the dove;
Giving good for evil,
Meeting hate with love.
What though trials press us,
What though tempests beat,
Naught can move or harm us
If we just keep sweet.
Storms may rage around us,
Waves may sweep the deck,
But with hatches covered
Naught our bark can wreck;
Sorrow cannot crush us,
Satan must retreat
If within our spirit
All is right and sweet.
Sweet when things are bitter,
Sweet when hearts are sad;
Giving songs for sighing,
Making others glad;
In the quiet household,
On the bustling street,
Everywhere and always,
Jesus, keep us sweet.
When our foes assail us,
When our friends betray,
When our brightest prospects
Wither and decay,
Christ can fill our sadness
With a joy replete,
Turning grief to gladness,
Making sorrow sweet.
Fountain in the desert,
Song amid the night,
Beacon in the darkness,
Star of hope and light;
Sunshine mid the tempest,
Shadow from the heat—
Like the Blessed Master,
Make us, keep us, sweet.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 