May-June - The Gospel Magazine

The Gospel Magazine 97
Hail sovereign love that first began,
The scheme to rescue fallen man;
Hail matchless, free eternal grace,
That gave my soul a hiding place.
Against the God who rules the sky,
I fought with hand uplifted high,
Despised the mention of His grace,
Too proud to seek a hiding place.
Indignant Justice stood in view,
To Sinai's fiery mount I flew,
But Justice cried with frowning face,
"This mountain is no hiding place!"
Ere long a heavenly voice I heard,
And Mercy's angel form appeared.
Who led me on with placid pace,
To Jesus as my hiding place.
Enwrapped in thick Egyptian night,
And fond of darkness more than light,
Madly I ran the sinful race,
Secure without a hiding place.
Should storms of sevenfold vengeance roll,
And shake his earth from pole to pole;
No flaming bolt could daunt my face,
For Jesus is my hiding place.
But thus th'eternal counsel ran,
"Almighty love, arrest that man!"
I felt the arrows of distress,
And found I had no hiding place.
On Him Almighty vengeance fell,
That must have sunk a world to hell;
He bore it for a chosen race,
And thus became their hiding place.
A few more rolling suns at most,
Shall land me safe on heaven's coast.
There I shall sing the song of grace
To Jesus Christ, my hiding place.
---e---
• ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO •
Thefollowing article, which was written by Miss Ruth Cowell (1859-1954), was
first published in the June 1906 issue ofthe Gospel Magazine. Miss Cowell must
surely hold the record for being the longest-serving contributor to these pages.
Her father, successively contributor of the "Wayside Notes" and editor,
encouraged her to write for the Gospel Magazine. She commenced in 1887,
continuing until her death in 1954, a total of 67 years. Her final piece was
published in the May 1954 issue. She wrote under the title of "Wellsprings"
because, she said, "the well is deep and there is living water". Her articles ended
with either the letter "R " or "Ruth". Her death on 10th February ended afamily
connection with the Gospel Magazine that went back to 1848 - some 106 years.
WELLSPRINGS
"For since the beginning ofthe world men have not heard, nor by the ear,
neither hath the eye seen, 0 God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him
that waiteth for him" (Isaiah 64:4)