Rise, my soul! Thy God directs thee

Rise, my soul! Thy God directs thee. John Nelson Darby* (1800-1882). This hymn is an eloquent witness to the way in which Darby encouraged members of already established churches to split off and become independent. The first two stanzas were: Rise, my soul! Thy God directs thee,  Stranger hands no more impede;Pass thou on, His strength directs thee,  Strength that has the captive freed. Light divine surrounds thy going,  God Himself shall mark the way;Secret blessings, richly flowing,  Lead to everlasting day. It was written in Switzerland, when, in the words of Henry A. Hammond, ‘a large number of Christians left the Swiss Free Church (“L’Eglise Libre”), after some lectures that Mr Darby...