Poem by William Cowper

Olney Hymn 9. The Contrite Heart

     (Isaiah, lvii.15)

    The Lord will happiness divine
        On contrite hearts bestow; 
    Then tell me, gracious God, is mine
        A contrite heart or no?

    I hear, but seem to hear in vain,
        Insensible as steel; 
    If aught is felt, 'tis only pain,
        To find I cannot feel.

    I sometimes think myself inclined
        To love Thee if I could; 
    But often feel another mind,
        Averse to all that's good.

    My best desires are faint and few,
        I fain would strive for more; 
    But when I cry, "My strength renew!"
        Seem weaker than before.

    Thy saints are comforted, I know,
        And love Thy house of prayer; 
    I therefore go where others go,
        But find no comfort there.

    Oh make this heart rejoice or ache;
        Decide this doubt for me; 
    And if it be not broken, break --
        And heal it, if it be. 

1. A Comparison. Addressed to a Young Lady
2. To a Young Friend, on His Arriving at Cambridge Wet, When No Rain Had Fallen There
3. Olney Hymn 24. Prayer for Children
4. An Epitaph
5. The Faithful Bird

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