His com-forts, they shall strengthen thee, Like flow-ing wa- ters cool;

Whose hand,in - dul-gent, wipes the tears From sorrow's weep-ing eye;

A-men.

2 See, low before Thy throne of grace,
A wretched wanderer mourn;
Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face?
Hast Thou not said, "Return?"

3 And shall my guilty fears prevail,
To drive me from Thy feet?
O let not this dear refuge fail,
This only safe retreat.

4 O shine on this benighted heart,
With beams of mercy shine;
And let Thy healing voice impart
A taste of joys divine.

ANNE STEELE, 1760

2 Thy mercy-gates are open wide

To them that mourn their sin; O shut them not against us, Lord, But let us enter in.

3 We need not to confess our fault, For surely Thou canst tell;

As children that have done amiss
Fall at their father's knee.

5 And need we, then, O Lord, repeat
The blessing which we crave,
When Thou dost know, before we speak,
The thing that we would have?

What we have done, and what we are, 6 Mercy, O Lord, we mercy ask,

Thou knowest very well.

4 Wherefore, to beg and to entreat,

With tears we come to Thee,

This is the total sum;

For mercy, Lord, is all our prayer;

O let Thy mercy come!

JOHN MARKANT, 1562. Alt. by Bishop REGINALD HEBER, 1827