Hymn 213. Psalm 130

From the dark borders of despair

To thee, my God, I cry;

O wilt thou pitying hear my prayer,

And every plaintive sigh!

Lord, who shall stand before thy face?

If thou shouldst mark our faults

With eye severe, what hope of grace

Could cheer my mournful thoughts?

But sovereign Mercy dwells with thee,

Hope dawns amid my fears;

Divine forgiveness, large and free,

Shall stay my flowing tears.

On God alone my soul would wait,

His sacred Word my stay;

His sacred Word can light create,

And turn my night to day.

As those who wait with longing eyes

To see the cheerful morn,

So shall my ardent wishes rise,

Till thou, my God, return.

Let fainting Israel on the Lord

With cheerful hope recline,

For power and mercy in his Word

With boundless glory shine

Unnumber’d though their sins appear,

And fill their hearts with pain,

His saving love dispels their fear,

And cleanses every stain.

Collection of Hymns Adapted to Public Worship, no. 213 (all seven stanzas); Poems, 1780, vol. 2, pp. 225-6; MS, Steele Collection, Angus Library, Regents Park College, STE 3/2/1; also Nonconformist Women Writers, vol. 1, pp. 335-36.