Poem by William Cowper

Olney Hymn 42. Self-Acquaintance

    Dear Lord! accept a sinful heart,
        Which of itself complains, 
    And mourns, with much and frequent smart,
        The evil it contains.

    There fiery seeds of anger lurk,
        Which often hurt my frame; 
    And wait but for the tempter's work,
        To fan them to a flame.

    Legality holds out a bribe
        To purchase life from Thee; 
    And Discontent would fain prescribe
        How Thou shalt deal with me.

    While Unbelief withstands Thy grace,
        And puts the mercy by, 
    Presumption, with a brow of brass,
        Says, "Give me, or I die!"

    How eager are my thoughts to roam,
        In quest of what they love! 
    But ah! when duty calls them home,
        How heavily they move!

    Oh, cleanse me in a Saviour's blood,
        Transform me by Thy power, 
    And make me Thy beloved abode,
        And let me roam no more. 

1. Olney Hymn 4. Jehovah-Nissi. The Lord My Banner
2. See Where the Thames, the Purest Stream
3. An Ode, on Reading Mr. Richardson's History of Sir Charles Grandison
4. Olney Hymn 24. Prayer for Children
5. An Apology for Not Showing Her What I Had Wrote

Print

1707 Views

Last Poems

To Russian version