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GRATITUDE AND LOVE TO GOD, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: All are indebted much to thee
Last Line: Experience only makes it ours.
Alternate Author Name(s): Guion, De La Mothe; Guyon, Jeanne Marie Bouvieres De La Mothe; Guyon Du Chesnoy


ALL are indebted much to Thee,
But I far more than all,
From many a deadly snare set free,
And raised from many a fall.
Overwhelm me from above,
Daily, with Thy boundless love!

What bonds of gratitude I feel
No language can declare;
Beneath the oppressive weight I reel,
'Tis more than I can bear:
When shall I that blessing prove,
To return Thee Love for Love?

Spirit of Charity, dispense
Thy grace to every heart;
Expel all other spirits thence,
Drive self from every part;
Charity divine, draw nigh,
Break the chains in which we lie!

All selfish souls, whate'er they feign,
Have still a slavish lot;
They boast of liberty in vain,
Of Love, and feel it not.
He whose bosom glows with Thee,
He, and he alone, is free.

O blessedness, all bliss above,
When thy pure fires prevail!
Love only teaches what is Love;
All other lessons fail:
We learn its name, but not its powers,
Experience only makes it ours.





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