I

O God, in mercy hear,

I lift my cry to Thee,

And let Thy gracious help be sent

In my perplexity;

But Thou art far away,

And I am filled with shame,

I cannot see Thy blessed face,

And fear to name Thy name.

II

And now a sense of guilt

Inspires me with dismay,—

I know that none on earth can take

That awful load away;

’Tis mine, the sin, ’tis mine,

And mine the guilt to bear,

The awful burden of the blame,

The cloud of dark despair.

III

Is there no balm to heal?

No pity that can bless?—

O God, Who art so far away,

Be near in my distress;

And heed the tears I shed,

And hear my woeful cry;

And since there is no hand to help,

Come Thou in mercy nigh.

IV

’Twas then a voice I heard,—

It came in winning tone,

Across my night, from far away,

To where I prayed alone;

It told me of a love,

That sought me long ago,

And on the cross my burden bore,

Of sin, and guilt, and woe.

V

O blessed cross of Christ!

Thou hast my need supplied,

For there, upon thy outstretched arms

I see the Crucified;

And He has sin to bear,

That none can call His own,—

O Christ, the sin and guilt Thou bor’st,

Are mine, are mine, alone.