1 HEAVY on me, O Lord, thy judgments lie:
And curst I am, for God neglects my cry;
O Lord, in darkness, in despair I groan;
And every place is hell; for God is gone!
O Lord arise, and let thy beams control
These horrid clouds that press my frighted soul,
O rise and save me from eternal night!
Thou art the God of light!
2 Downward I hasten to my destined place:
There none obtain thy aid, none sing thy praise:
Soon I shall lie in death's deep ocean drowned;
Is mercy there, is sweet forgiveness found?
O save me yet, while on the brink I stand!
Rebuke these storms, and set me safe on land.
O make my longings and thy mercy sure!
Thou art the God of power!
3 Behold the weary prodigal is come,
To thee his hope, his harbour, and his home.
No father can he find, no friend abroad;
Deprived of joy, and destitute of God.
O let thy terrors and his anguish end!
Be thou his father, Lord, be thou his friend;
Receive the son thou didst so long reprove!
Thou art the God of love!