Scripture Verse

I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication, with fasting. Daniel 9:3

Introduction

portrait
Thomas Campion (1567–1620)

Words: Un­known au­thor, be­fore the 12th Cen­tu­ry (Ec­ce tem­pus ido­ne­um). Trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by Tho­mas A. La­cey in The Eng­lish Hym­nal (Lon­don: Ox­ford Uni­ver­si­ty Press, 1906), num­ber 67.

Music: Ba­by­lon’s Streams Tho­mas Cam­pi­on, 1613 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

  • Jesu Co­ro­na Rou­en church tune (🔊 pdf nwc)
portrait
Thomas A. Lacey (1853–1931)

Lyrics

Now is the heal­ing time de­creed
For sins of heart, of word or deed,
When we in hum­ble fear re­cord
The wrong that we have done the Lord.

Who, al­ways mer­ci­ful and good,
Has borne so long our way­ward mood,
Nor cut us off un­spar­ing­ly
In our so great ini­qui­ty.

Therefore with fast­ing and with pray­er,
Our sec­ret sor­row we de­clare;
With all good striv­ing seek His face,
And low­ly heart­ed plead for grace.

Cleanse us, O Lord, from ev­ery stain,
Help us the meed of praise to gain,
Till with the an­gels linked in love
Joyful we tread Thy courts above.

Father and Son and Spir­it blest,
To Thee be ev­ery pray­er ad­dressed,
Who art in three­fold name adored,
From age to age, the on­ly Lord.