University of Virginia Library

XIII.

[Father of omnipresent grace]

[_]

To—“Sinners, rejoice, your peace is made.”

Father of omnipresent grace,
We seem agreed to seek Thy face;
But every soul assembled here
Doth naked in Thy sight appear:
Thou know'st who only bows the knee,
And who in heart approaches Thee.

19

Thy Spirit hath the difference made
Betwixt the living and the dead:
He now doth into some inspire
The pure, benevolent desire:
O that even now His powerful call
Might quicken and convert us all!
The sinners suddenly convince
O'erwhelm'd beneath their load of sins,
To-day, while it is call'd to-day,
Awake, and stir them up to pray,
Their dire captivity to own,
And from the iron furnace groan.
Then, then acknowledge, and set free
The people bought, O Lord, by Thee,
The sheep for whom their Shepherd bled,
For whom we in Thy Spirit plead;
Let all in Thee redemption find,
And not a hoof be left behind.