Poem by William Cowper

Olney Hymn 56. Hatred of Sin

Holy Lord God! I love Thy truth,
    Nor dare Thy least commandment slight; 
Yet pierced by sin the serpent's tooth,
    I mourn the anguish of the bite.

But though the poison lurks within,
    Hope bids me still with patience wait; 
Till death shall set me free from sin,
    Free from the only thing I hate.

Had I a throne above the rest,
    Where angels and archangels dwell, 
One sin, unslain, within my breast,
    Would make that heaven as dark as hell.

The prisoner sent to breathe fresh air,
    And blest with liberty again, 
Would mourn were he condemn'd to wear
    One link of all his former chain.

But, oh! no foe invades the bliss,
    When glory crowns the Christian's head; 
One look at Jesus as He is
    Will strike all sin forever dead.

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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