O Holy Saviour, friend unseen

O Holy Saviour, friend unseen. Charlotte Elliott* (1789-1871).  This hymn was in The Invalid’s Hymn Book (1834), revised by Elliott for her Hours of Sorrow Cheered and Comforted (1836). Like most of the hymns in The Invalid’s Hymn Book it was preceded by a biblical quotation: ‘ “Abide in me: as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, so, neither can ye, except ye abide in me.” - John xv. 4.’ In Hours of Sorrow it was simply entitled ‘Prayer to the Saviour’. The alterations are minor, but they make the hymn clearer, and in the penultimate stanza, smoother:                               1834...