While our waiting souls adore Thee,
Friend of helpless sinners, hear!
By Thy mercy,
O deliver us, good Lord!
Taught by Thine unerring Spirit,
Boldly we draw nigh to God;
Only in Thy spotless merit,
Only through Thy precious blood:
By Thy mercy,
O deliver us, good Lord!
From the depth of nature's blindness,
From the hardening power of sin,
From all malice and unkindness,
From the pride that lurks within,
By Thy mercy,
O deliver us, good Lord!
When temptation sorely presses,
In the day of Satan's power,
In our times of deep distresses,
In each dark and trying hour,
By Thy mercy,
O deliver us, good Lord!
Jesu, may Thy promised blessing
Comfort to our souls afford;
May we, now Thy love possessing,
And at length our full reward,
Ever praise Thee,
Thee, our ever glorious Lord! Amen.
O LORD, turn not Thy face away
From them that lowly lie,
Lamenting sore their sinful life
With tears and bitter cry.
To them that mourn their sin :
O shut them not against us, Lord,
But let us enter in.
We need not to confess our fault,
For surely Thou canst tell;
What we have done, and what we are,
Thou knowest very well.
Wherefore, to beg and to entreat,
With tears we come to Thee;
As children that have done amiss,
Fall at their Father's knee.
And need we then, O Lord, repeat
The blessing which we crave,
When Thou dost know, before we speak,
The thing that we would have?
Mercy, O Lord, mercy we ask,
This is the total sum;
For mercy, Lord, is all our prayer,
O let Thy mercy come! Amen.
SAVIOUR, when in dust to Thee
Low we bow the adoring knee;
When, repentant, to the skies
Scarce we lift our weeping eyes;
O, by all the pains and woe
Suffered once for man below,
Bending from Thy throne on high
Hear our solemn litany.
By Thy helpless infant years;
By Thy life of want and tears;
By Thy days of sore distress
In the savage wilderness;
By the dread mysterious hour
Of the insulting tempter's power;
Turn, O! turn, a favouring eye-
Hear our solemn litany.
By the sacred griefs that wept
O'er the grave where Lazarus slept;
By the boding tears that flowed
Over Salem's loved abode ;
By the anguish'd sigh that told
Treachery lurked within Thy fold;
From Thy seat above the sky
Hear our solemn litany.
By Thine hour of dire despair;
By Thine agony of prayer;
By the cross, the nail, the thorn,
Piercing spear, and torturing scorn;
By the gloom that veiled the skies
O'er the dreadful sacrifice;
Listen to our humble cry-
Hear our solemn litany.
By Thy deep expiring groan;
By the sad sepulchral stone;
By the vault whose dark abode
Held in vain the rising God;
O, from earth to heaven restored,
Mighty re-ascended Lord,
Listen, listen, to the cry
Of our solemn litany. Amen.
COME let us to the Lord our God
With contrite hearts return;
Our God is gracious, nor will leave
The desolate to mourn.
His voice commands the tempest forth,
And stills the stormy wave;
And though His arm be strong to smite,
'Tis also strong to save.
Long hath the night of sorrow reign'd,
The dawn shall bring us light;
God shall appear, and we shall rise
With gladness in His sight.
Our hearts, if God we seek to know,
Shall know Him, and rejoice;
His coming like the morn shall be,
Like morning songs His voice.
As dew upon the tender herb,
Diffusing fragrance round;
As showers that usher in the spring,
And cheer the thirsty ground;
So shall His presence bless our souls,
And shed a joyful light;
That hallow'd morn shall chase away
The sorrows of the night. Amen.
Now let us join with hearts and tongues,
And emulate the angels' songs;
Yea, sinners may address their King
In songs that angels cannot sing.
They praise the Lamb who once was slain,
But we can add a higher strain;
Not only say, He suffered thus,
But that He suffered all for us.
Jesus, who pass'd the angels by,
Assumed our flesh to bleed and die;
And still He makes it His abode,
As man He fills the throne of God.
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