My God, (if I may call Thee mine,

From heaven and Thee removed so far,)

Draw nigh; Thy pitying ear incline,

And cast not out my languid prayer.

Gently the weak Thou lov’st to lead,

Thou lov’st to prop the feeble knee:

O, break not then a bruised reed,

Nor quench the smoking flax in me.

Buried in sin, Thy voice I hear,

And burst the barriers of my tomb;

In all the marks of death appear;

Forth at Thy call, though bound, I come.

Give me, O give me fully, Lord,

Thy resurrection’s power to know;

Free me indeed; repeat the word,

And loose my bands, and let me go.

Fain would I go to Thee my God,

Thy mercies and my wants to tell:

I feel my pardon seal’d in blood;

Saviour, Thy love I wait to feel.

Freed from the power of cancell’d sin;

When shall my soul triumphant prove?

Why breaks not out the fire within

In flames of joy and praise and love?

When shall my eye affect my heart,

Sweetly dissolved in gracious tears?

Ah, Lord, the stone to flesh convert!

And till Thy lovely face appears,

Still may I at Thy footstool keep,

And watch the smile of opening heaven:

Much would I pray, and love, and weep;

I would; for I have much forgiven.

Yet, O ten thousand lusts remain,

And vex my soul absolved from sin;

Still rebel nature strives to reign,

Still am I all unclean, unclean!

Assail’d by pride, allured by sense,

On earth the creatures court my stay:

False flattering idols, get ye hence;

Created good, be far away!

Jesu, to Thee my soul aspires;

Jesu, to Thee I plight my vows:

Keep me from earthly base desires,

My God, my Saviour, and my Spouse.

Fountain of all-sufficient bliss,

Thou art the good I seek below;

Fulness of joys in Thee there is,

Without ’tis misery all and woe.

Take this poor wandering, worthless heart,

Its wanderings all to Thee are known;

May no false rival claim a part,

Nor sin disseize Thee of Thine own.

Stir up Thy interposing power,

Save me from sin, from idols save,

Snatch me from fierce temptation’s hour,

And hide, O, hide me in the grave!

I know Thou wilt accept me now;

I know my sins are now forgiven!

My head to death, O, let me bow,

Nor keep my life, to lose my heaven.

Far from this snare my soul remove;

This only cup I would decline;

I deprecate a creature-love:

O, take me, to secure me Thine.

Or, if Thy wiser will ordain

The trial I would die to shun,

Welcome the strife, the grief, the pain;

Thy name be praised, Thy will be done!

I from Thy hand the cup receive,

Meekly submit to Thy decree,

Gladly for Thee consent to live!

Thou, Lord, hast lived, hast died for me!