Scripture Verse

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. Psalm 51:17

Introduction

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Christopher Wordsworth
(1807–1885)

Words: Chris­to­pher Words­worth, The Ho­ly Year (Lon­don: Riv­ing­tons, 1862), num­ber 29.

Music: Tren­tham Ro­bert Jack­son, in Fif­ty Sac­red Leaf­lets, 1888 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

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Robert Jackson (1840–1914)

Lyrics

In sor­row and dis­tress,
To Thee, O Lord, we fly;
In pe­ni­tent­ial low­li­ness
To Thee for mer­cy cry.

Mercy, O mer­cy, Lord;
From Thee we have our breath:
We read it writ­ten in Thy Word,
“God will­eth not your death.

God gave His on­ly Son
Your sins to take away;
And God’s dear Son to Heav’n is gone
On your be­half to pray.

By Thine own love we plead,
O heark­en to our pray­er;
By Him, who for our sins did bleed,
Spare us, O Fa­ther, spare.

Our droop­ing minds re­fresh
With show­ers of heav’n­ly dew;
For hearts of stone give hearts of flesh,
Renew us, Lord, re­new.

Comfort, and make us whole,
With Thy free Spir­it’s grace;
Lift up, O Lord, up­on our soul
The lus­ter of Thy face.

With Je­su’s white robe hide
Our ma­ni­fold of­fense;
And cleanse with blood from Je­su’s side
Our tears of pe­ni­tence.

Constrain us to ab­hor
The sins that made Him grieve;
And ne’er to tempt the Spir­it more
Our thank­less hearts to leave.

Make us, O Lord, to tread
The path which Je­sus trod;
Which Him from earth in tri­umph led
To the right hand of God.

So, with the saints in Heav’n,
May we sing praise to Thee,
For peace re­stored, and sins for­giv’n
To all eter­ni­ty.