Poem by William Cowper

Olney Hymn 58. True and False Comforts

    O God, whose favorable eye,
        The sin-sick soul revives, 
    Holy and heavenly is the joy
        Thy shining presence gives.

    Not such as hypocrites suppose,
        Who with a graceless heart 
    Taste not of Thee, but drink a dose,
        Prepared by Satan's art.

    Intoxicating joys are theirs,
        Who while they boast their light, 
    And seem to soar above the stars,
        Are plunging into night.

    Lull'd in a soft and fatal sleep,
        They sin and yet rejoice; 
    Were they indeed the Saviour's sheep,
        Would they not hear His voice?

    Be mine the comforts that reclaim
        The soul from Satan's power; 
    That make me blush for what I am,
        And hate my sin the more.

    'Tis joy enough, my All in All,
        At Thy dear feet to lie; 
    Thou wilt not let me lower fall,
        And none can higher fly. 

1. Olney Hymn 4. Jehovah-Nissi. The Lord My Banner
2. Olney Hymn 17. The House of Prayer
3. Olney Hymn 13. The Covenant
4. An Ode, on Reading Mr. Richardson's History of Sir Charles Grandison
5. Olney Hymn 55. The Heart Healed and Changed by Mercy

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