1 Holy Lord God! I love thy truth,
Nor dare thy least commandment slight;
Yet pierc'd by sin, the serpent’s tooth,
I mourn the anguish of the bite.
2 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.
3 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.
4 The prisoner, sent to breathe fresh air,
And bless'd with liberty again,
Would mourn were he condemned to wear
One link of all his former chain.
5 But oh! no foe invades the bliss,
When glory crowns the Christian’s head;
One view of Jesus as he is,
Will strike all sin for ever dead.
Source: Hymns, Selected and Original: for public and private worship (1st ed.) #421
William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper"; b. Berkampstead, Hertfordshire, England, 1731; d. East Dereham, Norfolk, England, 1800) is regarded as one of the best early Romantic poets. To biographers he is also known as "mad Cowper." His literary talents produced some of the finest English hymn texts, but his chronic depression accounts for the somber tone of many of those texts. Educated to become an attorney, Cowper was called to the bar in 1754 but never practiced law. In 1763 he had the opportunity to become a clerk for the House of Lords, but the dread of the required public examination triggered his tendency to depression, and he attempted suicide. His subsequent hospitalization and friendship with Morley and Mary Unwin provided emotional st… Go to person page >
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