Scripture Verse

When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:6

Introduction

portrait
Philip Doddridge
(1702–1751)

Words: Phi­lip Dodd­ridge (1702–1751). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Found­ed on Va­ri­ous Texts in the Ho­ly Scrip­tures, by Job Or­ton (Shrop­shire, Eng­land: Jo­shua Ed­dowes & John Cot­ton, 1755), num­ber 176, alt. Sec­ret pray­er.

Music: Critch­low (Pol­lock), Charles E. Pol­lock, 1913 (🔊 pdf nwc). Ap­peared in The Songs of Zi­on, ed­it­ed by Charles Pollock & Will­iam T. Dale New York: A. S. [Al­fred Smith] Barnes, 1915), num­ber 280.

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Pol­lock (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Father di­vine, Thy pierc­ing eye
Shoots thro’ the dark­est night;
In deep re­tire­ment Thou art nigh,
With heart-dis­cerni­ng sight.

There shall that pierc­ing eye sur­vey
My du­te­ous hom­age paid,
With ev­ery morn­ing’s dawn­ing ray,
And ev­ery ev­eni­ng shade.

O may Thine own ce­les­ti­al fire
The in­cense still in­flame;
While warm my vows to Thee as­pire,
Thro’ my Re­deeme­r’s name.

So shall the vis­its of Thy love
My soul in sec­ret bless;
So shalt Thou deign in worlds ab­ove
Thy sup­pli­ant to confess.

illustration
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)