Father of spirits! nature’s God,

Our inmost thoughts are known to thee:

Thou, Lord, canst hear each idle word,

And every private action see.

2 Could we, on morning’s swiftest wings,

Pursue our flight through trackless air,

Or dive beneath deep ocean’s springs,

Thy presence still would meet us there.

3 In vain may guilt attempt to fly,

Concealed beneath the pall of night:

One glance from thy all-piercing eye,

Can kindle darkness into light.

4 Search thou our hearts, and there destroy

Each evil thought, each secret sin,

And fit us for those realms of joy

Where naught impure shall enter in.