Poem by William Cowper

Olney Hymn 55. The Heart Healed and Changed by Mercy

    Sin enslaved me many years,
        And led me bound and blind; 
    Till at length a thousand fears
        Came swarming o'er my mind. 
    "Where," said I, in deep distress,
        "Will these sinful pleasures end? 
    How shall I secure my peace
        And make the Lord my friend?"

    Friends and ministers said much
        The gospel to enforce; 
    But my blindness still was such,
        I chose a legal course: 
    Much I fasted, watch'd, and strove,
        Scarce would shew my face abroad, 
    Fear'd almost to speak or move,
        A stranger still to God.

    Thus afraid to trust His grace,
        Long time did I rebel; 
    Till despairing of my case,
        Down at His feet I fell: 
    Then my stubborn heart He broke,
        And subdued me to His sway; 
    By a simple word He spoke,
        "Thy sins are done away." 

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

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