STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

Unbelief the soul dismays Great effects by weak means

John Newton printed it in 1779 in Olney Hymns, Book III, no. 39, under Exodus 14:21.

WRITTEN BY

John Newton 1725–1807

PRINTED

1779 Olney Hymns · no. 39

METRE

7.7.7.7 7 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Exodus 14:21 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 7 stanzas as Newton printed them, with the verses their lines echo beside them. Point at a line to join it to its verse; click to read the passage.

SHARED WORDSthe verse shares the line's wording ECHOproposed by an AI model, confirmed by a separate check Not the author's own notes

AMONG THE SCRIPTURES

The stanzas at the centre; around them, every book its heading and its echoes come from, Old Testament on the left and New on the right. Choose a stanza or a book.

a line echoes this verse its heading or an echo comes from here

STANZA I

Unbelief the soul dismays

Unbelief the soul dismays,

What objections will it raise!

But true faith securely leans

On the promise, in the means.

No line of this stanza quotes a verse closely; it is the hymn's own confession.

Where Newton found it

Newton printed the hymn under Exodus 14:21. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, EXODUS 14:21 · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ EXODUS 14

Moses’ rod, by faith upreared, Through the sea a path prepared; Jericho’s devoted wall, At the trumpet’s sound must fall. STANZA III

Its place in the book

Book III of the hymn book, “On the progress and changes of the spiritual life”, holds these hymns in this order: 106 hymns. This is number 39. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 39 · JOHN NEWTON · THIS HYMN Unbelief the soul dismays

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