O GOD OF TRUTH! shall man essay To sing thy spotless praise? Whose erring feet so often stray In falsehood's devious maze. O GOD, MOST JUST! shall lips impure Within thy presence be? Or shall those hands which gripe the poor, Be rais'd in prayer to thee? OMNISCIENT GOD! who form'd the heart, And know'st our inmost will; Shall men from thy just laws depart, And dare thy presence still? ALL PRESENT GOD! where shall we flee From thy all-searching eye? To earth's remotest bounds shall we, On wings of morning fly? ALL PRESENT GOD! tho' worms of dust We seek thy sovereign grace; Nor yet on rocks and mountains trust To hide us from thy face. Though solid rock or mountains, brings No shelter safe from thee; Though on the morning's rapid wings In vain thy sight we flee. Yet, GOD OF MERCY! yet we move To thee our hopeful prayer; For thy broad shield of boundless love Can screen us from despair. Great Source of Love, in thee we trust, A nation's voice we raise; With rending hearts and mouths in dust We fast and pray and praise! Blot out our sins, our guilt remove; Or if a rankling sin appears, With eyes of pity, God of Love, O view it only through our tears. In vain we fly to realms afar Or sink to worlds below Still our offended God is there And every thought will know. O God of Mercy! on this day Our Sins forgive -- dispel our fears And if thou viewest our Sins -- We pray Behold them only through our tears. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CREMATION OF SAM MCGEE by ROBERT WILLIAM SERVICE BLIND by LASCELLES ABERCROMBIE THE FORSAKEN by C. HAMILTON AIDE A VISION OF CHILDREN by THOMAS ASHE LILIES: 23. FINALLY ALONE by GEORGE BARLOW (1847-1913) THE AUTHOR'S PARTING ADDRESS TO THE MUSE by BERNARD BARTON THE ANCIENTS by WILLIAM ROSE BENET THE LOVE SONNETS OF PROTEUS: 60. THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE by WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT |