University of Virginia Library

3394.

[Father of Jesus Christ our Lord]

If we confess our sins, He is faithful, &c. —i. 9.

Father of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Our sins we in His name confess;
Righteous and faithful to Thy word,
From actual guilt our souls release;
And purge out all this filth within,
And make our inward nature clean.
If still, when justified by grace,
Our general sinfulness we own,
Thou wilt on us Thy name impress,
Reveal the nature of Thy Son;
And write it on our inward parts,
And spread Thine image through our hearts.
Wherefore Thy goodness we implore
A deeper sense of sin to give,

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That small in our own eyes, and poor,
We may Thy richest grace receive;
May always in Thy Son abide,
May always feel His blood applied.
Soon as we every moment feel
Ourselves vile nothings in Thy sight,
In Christ we every moment dwell,
Blameless we walk with Him in white,
His perfect purity retain,
And never soil our robes again.