As though she soon would founder
Upon the shoals around her
And sink without redress.
It is the storm-tossed vessel
Of God’s own church on earth,
With which the world doth wrestle,
And send its fury forth,
While Jesus oft appears
As though He still were sleeping,
With His disciples weeping
And crying out in fears.
But let the world with fury
Against the church but rave,
And spend its might to bury
Her in the roaring wave!
It only takes a word
To hush the wild commotion
And show the mighty ocean
Her Lord is still aboard.
Kingo is often called the singer of orthodoxy. His hymns faithfully present the accepted doctrines of his church. No hymnwriter is more staunchly Lutheran than he. But he was too vital to become a mere doctrinaire. With him orthodoxy
was only a means to an end, a more vigorous Christian life. Many of his hymns
present a forceful and straightforward appeal for a real personal life with God.
The following hymn may be called an orthodox revival hymn. It was a favorite
with the great Norwegian lay preacher, Hans Nielsen Hauge.
The power of sin no longer
Within my heart shall reign;
Faith must grow ever stronger
And carnal lust be slain;
For when I was baptized,
The bonds of sin were severed
And I by grace delivered
To live for Jesus Christ.
Would I accept the merit
Of my baptismal grace
And with my faith and spirit
The Savior’s cross embrace,
How great would be my blame
Should I abide in evil
And not renounce the devil
In Christ my Savior’s name.
