Olney Hymns
by William Cowper

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I. Walking with God.

(Genesis, v.24)

Oh! for a closer walk with God,

A calm and heavenly frame;

A light to shine upon the road

That leads me to the Lamb!

Where is the blessedness I knew

When first I saw the Lord?

Where is the soul-refershing view

Of Jesus and his word?

What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!

How sweet their memory still!

But they have left an aching void,

The world can never fill.

Return, O holy Dove, return!

Sweet the messenger of rest!

I hate the sins that made thee mourn

And drove thee from my breast.

The dearest idol I have known,

Whate'er that idol be,

Help me to tear it from thy throne,

And worship only thee.

So shall my walk be close with God,

Calm and serene my frame;

So purer light shall mark the road

That leads me to the Lamb.



II. Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord Will Provide

(Genesis, xxii.14)

The saints should never be dismay'd,

Nor sink in hopeless fear;

For when they least expect His aid,

The Saviour will appear.

This Abraham found: he raised the knife;

God saw, and said, "Forbear!

Yon ram shall yield his meaner life;

Behold the victim there."

Once David seem'd Saul's certain prey;

But hark! the foe's at hand;

Saul turns his arms another way,

To save the invaded land.

When Jonah sunk beneath the wave,

He thought to rise no more;

But God prepared a fish to save,

And bear him to the shore.

Blest proofs of power and grace divine,

That meet us in His word!

May every deep-felt care of mine

Be trusted with the Lord.

Wait for His seasonable aid,

And though it tarry, wait:

The promise may be long delay'd,

But cannot come too late.



III. Jehovah-Rophi. I Am the Lord That Healeth Thee

(Exodus, xv.26)

Heal us, Emmanuel! here we are,

Waiting to feel Thy touch:

Deep-wounded souls to Thee repair

And, Saviour, we are such.

Our faith is feeble, we confess,

We faintly trust Thy word;

But wilt Thou pity us the less?

Be that far from Thee, Lord!

Remember him who once applied,

With trembling, for relief;

"Lord, I believe," with tears he cried,

"Oh, help my unbelief!"

She too, who touch'd Thee in the press,

And healing virtue stole,

Was answer'd, "Daughter, go in peace,

Thy faith hath made thee whole."

Conceal'd amid the gathering throng,

She would have shunn'd Thy view;

And if her faith was firm and strong,

Had strong misgivings too.

Like her, with hopes and fears we come,

To touch Thee, if we may;

Oh! send us not despairing home,

Send none unheal'd away!



IV. Jehovah-Nissi. The Lord My Banner

(Exodus, xvii.15)

       By whom was David taught

To aim the deadly blow,

       When he Goliath fought,

And laid the Gittite low?

Nor sword nor spear the stripling took,

But chose a pebble from the brook.

       'Twas Israel's God and King

Who sent him to the fight;

       Who gave him strength to sling,

And skill to aim aright.

Ye feeble saints, your strength endures,

Because young David's God is yours.

       Who order'd Gideon forth,

To storm the invaders' camp.

       With arms of little worth,

A pitcher and a lamp?

The trumpets made his coming known

And all the host was overthrown.

       Oh! I have seen the day,

When with a single word,

       God helping me to say,

"My trust is in the Lord,"

My soul hath quell'd a thousand foes

Fearless of all that could oppose.

       But unbelief, self-will,

Self-righteousness, and pride,

       How often do they steal

My weapon from my side!

Yet David's Lord, and Gideon's friend,

Will help his servant to the end.



V. Jehovah-Shalom. The Lord Send Peace

(Judges, vi.25)

Jesus! whose blood so freely stream'd

To satisfy the law's demand;

By Thee from guilt and wrath redeem'd,

Before the Father's face I stand.

To reconcile offending man,

Make Justice drop her angry rod;

What creature could have form'd the plan,

Or who fulfil it but a God?

No drop remains of all the curse,

For wretches who deserved the whole;

No arrows dipt in wrath to pierce

The guilty, but returning soul.

Peace by such means so dearly bought,

What rebel could have hoped to see?

Peace by his injured Sovereign wrought,

His Sovereign fasten'd to a tree.

Now, Lord, Thy feeble worm prepare!

For strife with earth and hell begins;

Conform and gird me for the war;

They hate the soul that hates his sins.

Let them in horrid league agree!

They may assault, they may distress;

But cannot quench Thy love to me,

Nor rob me of the Lord my peace.



VI. Wisdom

(Proverbs, viii. 22-31)

"Ere God had built the mountains,

Or raised the fruitful hills;

Before he fill'd the fountains

That feed the running rills;

In me from everlasting,

The wonderful I am,

Found pleasures never wasting,

And Wisdom is my name.

"When, like a tent to dwell in,

He spread the skies abroad,

And swathed about the swelling

Of Ocean's mighty flood;

He wrought by weight and measure,

And I was with Him then:

Myself the Father's pleasure,

And mine, the sons of men."

Thus Wisdom's words discover

Thy glory and Thy grace,

Thou everlasting lover

Of our unworthy race!

Thy gracious eye survey'd us

Ere stars were seen above;

In wisdom thou hast made us,

And died for us in love.

And couldst thou be delighted

With creatures such as we,

Who, when we saw Thee, slighted,

And nail'd Thee to a tree?

Unfathomable wonder,

And mystery divine!

The voice that speaks in thunder,

Says, "Sinner, I am thine!"



VII. Vanity of the World

God gives his mercies to be spent;

Your hoard will do your soul no good.

Gold is a blessing only lent,

Repaid by giving others food.

The world's esteem is but a bribe,

To buy their peace you sell your own;

The slave of a vainglorious tribe,

Who hate you while they make you known.

The joy that vain amusements give,

Oh! sad conclusion that it brings!

The honey of a crowded hive,

Defended by a thousand stings.

'Tis thus the world rewards the fools

That live upon her treacherous smiles:

She leads them blindfold by her rules,

And ruins all whom she beguiles.

God knows the thousands who go down

From pleasure into endless woe;

And with a long despairing groan

Blaspheme the Maker as they go.

Oh fearful thought! be timely wise;

Delight but in a Saviour's charms,

And God shall take you to the skies,

Embraced in everlasting arms.



VIII. O Lord, I Will Praise Thee

(Isaiah, xii.1)

I will praise Thee every day

Now Thine anger's turn'd away;

Comfortable thoughts arise

From the bleeding sacrifice.

Here, in the fair gospel-field,

Wells of free salvation yield

Stream of life, a plenteous store,

And my soul shall thirst no more.

Jesus is become at length

My salvation and my strength;

And His praises shall prolong,

While I live, my pleasant song.

Praise ye, then, His glorious name,

Publish His exalted fame!

Still His worth your praise exceeds;

Excellent are all His deeds.

Raise again the joyful sound.

Let the nations roll it round!

Zion, shout! for this is He;

God the Saviour dwells in thee.



IX. The Contrite Heart

(Isaiah, lvii.15)

The Lord will happiness divine

On contrite hearts bestow;

Then tell me, gracious God, is mine

A contrite heart or no?

I hear, but seem to hear in vain,

Insensible as steel;

If aught is felt, 'tis only pain,

To find I cannot feel.

I sometimes think myself inclined

To love Thee if I could;

But often feel another mind,

Averse to all that's good.

My best desires are faint and few,

I fain would strive for more;

But when I cry, "My strength renew!"

Seem weaker than before.

Thy saints are comforted, I know,

And love Thy house of prayer;

I therefore go where others go,

But find no comfort there.

Oh make this heart rejoice or ache;

Decide this doubt for me;

And if it be not broken, break --

And heal it, if it be.



X. The Future Peace and Glory of the Church

(Isaiah, ix. 15-20)

Hear what God the Lord hath spoken,

"O my people, faint and few,

Comfortless, afflicted, broken,

Fair abodes I build for you.

Thorns of heartfelt tribulation

Shall no more perplex your ways;

You shall name your walls, Salvation,

And your gates shall all be Praise.

"There, like streams that feed the garden,

Pleasures without end shall flow,

For the Lord, your faith rewarding,

All His bounty shall bestow;

Still in undisturb'd possession

Peace and righteousness shall reign;

Never shall you feel oppression,

Hear the voice of war again.

"Ye no more your suns descending,

Waning moons no more shall see;

But your griefs forever ending,

Find eternal noon in me:

God shall rise, and shining o'er ye,

Change to day the gloom of night;

He, the Lord, shall be your glory,

God your everlasting light."



XI. Jehovah Our Righteousness

(Jeremiah, xxiii.6)

My God, how perfect are Thy ways!

But mine polluted are;

Sin twines itself about my praise,

And slides into my prayer.

When I would speak what Thou hast done

To save me from my sin,

I cannot make Thy mercies known,

But self-applause creeps in.

Divine desire, that holy flame

Thy grace creates in me;

Alas! impatience is its name,

When it returns to Thee.

This heart, a fountain of vile thoughts.

How does it overflow,

While self upon the surface floats,

Still bubbling from below.

Let others in the gaudy dress

Of fancied merit shine;

The Lord shall be my righteousness,

The Lord forever mine.



XII. Ephraim Repenting

(Jeremiah, xxxi. 18-20)

My God, till I received Thy stroke,

How like a beast was I!

So unaccustom'd to the yoke,

So backward to comply.

With grief my just reproach I hear;

Shame fills me at the thought,

How frequent my rebellions were,

What wickedness I wrought.

Thy merciful restraint I scorn'd,

And left the pleasant road;

Yet turn me, and I shall be turn'd;

Thou art the Lord my God.

"Is Ephraim banish'd from my thoughts,

Or vile in my esteem?

No," saith the Lord, "with all his faults,

I still remember him.

"Is he a dear and pleasant child?

Yes, dear and pleasant still;

Though sin his foolish heart beguiled,

And he withstood my will.

"My sharp rebuke has laid him low,

He seeks my face again;

My pity kindles at his woe,

He shall not seek in vain."



XIII. The Covenant

(Ezekial, xxxvi. 25-28)

The Lord proclaims His grace abroad!

"Behold, I change your hearts of stone;

Each shall renounce his idol-god,

And serve, henceforth, the Lord alone.

"My grace, a flowing stream, proceeds

To wash your filthiness away;

Ye shall abhor your former deeds,

And learn my statutes to obey.

"My truth the great design ensures,

I give myself away to you;

You shall be mine, I will be yours,

Your God unalterably true.

"Yet not unsought or unimplored,

The plenteous grace I shall confer;

No -- your whole hearts shall seek the Lord,

I'll put a praying spirit there.

"From the first breath of life divine

Down to the last expiring hour,

The gracious work shall all be mine,

Begun and ended in my power."



XIV. Jehovah-Shammah

(Ezekial, xlviii.35)

As birds their infant brood protect,

And spread their wings to shelter them,

Thus saith the Lord to His elect,

"So will I guard Jerusalem."

And what then is Jerusalem,

This darling object of His cares?

Where is its worth in God's esteem?

Who built it? who inhabits there?

Jehovah founded it in blood,

The blood of His incarnate Son;

There dwell the saints, once foes to God

The sinners whom He calls His own.

There, though besieged on every side,

Yet much beloved and guarded well,

From age to age they have defied

The utmost force of earth and hell.

Let earth repent, and hell despair,

This city has a sure defence;

Her name is call'd, "The Lord is there,"

And who has power to drive him hence?



XV. Praise for the Fountain Opened

(Zechariah, xiii.1)

There is a fountain fill'd with blood,

Drawn from Emmanuel's veins;

And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,

Lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see

That fountain in his day;

And there have I, as vile as he,

Wash'd all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood

Shall never lose its power,

Till all the ransom'd church of God

Be saved, to sin no more.

E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream

Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme,

And shall be till I die.

Then in a nobler, sweeter song,

I'll sing Thy power to save;

When this poor lisping stammering tongue

Lies silent in the grave.

Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared

(Unworthy though I be)

For me a blood-bought free reward,

A golden harp for me!

'Tis strung and tuned for endless years,

And form'd by power divine,

To sound in God the Father's ears

No other name but Thine.



XVI. The Sower

(Matthew, xiii.3)

Ye sons of earth prepare the plough,

Break up your fallow ground;

The sower is gone forth to sow,

And scatter blessings round.

The seed that finds a stony soil

Shoots forth a hasty blade;

But ill repays the sower's toil,

Soon wither'd, scorch'd, and dead.

The thorny ground is sure to balk

All hopes of harvest there;

We find a tall and sickly stalk,

But not the fruitful ear.

The beaten path and highway side,

Receive the trust in vain;

The watchful birds the spoil divide,

And pick up all the grain.

But where the Lord of grace and power

Has bless'd the happy field,

How plenteous is the golden store

The deep-wrought furrows yield!

Father of mercies, we have need

Of thy preparing grace;

Let the same Hand that give me seed

Provide a fruitful place!



XVII. The House of Prayer

(Mark, xi.17)

Thy mansion is the Christian's heart,

O Lord, Thy dwelling place secure!

Bid the unruly throng depart,

And leave the consecrated door.

Devoted as it is to Thee,

A thievish swarm frequents the place,

They steal away my hopes from me,

And rob my Saviour of His praise.

There, too, a sharp designing trade

Sin, Satan, and the World maintain;

Nor cease to press me, and persuade

To part with ease, and purchase pain.

I know them, and I hate their din;

And weary of the bustling crowd;

But while their voice is heard within,

I cannot serve Thee as I would.

Oh! for the joy thy presence gives,

What peace shall reign when Thou art there;

Thy presence makes this den of thieves

A calm delightful house of prayer.

And if Thou make Thy temple shine,

Yet self-abased, will I adore;

The gold and silver are not mine;

I give Thee waht was Thine before.



XVIII. Lovest Thou Me?

(John, xxi.16)

Hark my soul! it is the Lord;

'Tis Thy Saviour, hear His word;

Jesus speaks and speaks to thee,

"Say poor sinner, lovst thou me?

"I deliver'd thee when bound,

And when bleeding, heal'd thy wound;

Sought thee wandering, set thee right,

Turn'd thy darkness into light.

"Can a woman's tender care

Cease towards the child she bare?

Yes, she may forgetful be,

Yet will I remember thee.

"Mine is an unchanging love,

Higher than the heights above,

Deeper than the depths beneath,

Free and faithful, strong as death.

"Thou shalt see my glory soon,

When the work of grace is done;

Partner of my throne shalt be;

Say, poor sinner, lovst thou me?"

Lord it is my chief complaint,

That my love is weak and faint;

Yet I love Thee and adore, --

Oh! for grace to love Thee more!



XIX. Contentment

(Phillipians, iv.11)

Fierce passions discompose the mind,

As tempests vex the sea,

But calm, content and peace we find,

When, Lord, we turn to Thee.

In vain by reason and by rule

We try to bend the will;

For none but in the Saviour's school

Can learn the heavenly skill.

Since at His feet my soul has sate,

His gracious words to hear,

Contented with my present state,

I cast on Him my care.

"Art thou a sinner, soul?" He said,

"Then how canst thou complain?

How light thy troubles here, if weigh'd

With everlasting pain!

"If thou of murmuring wouldst be cured,

Compare thy griefs with mine!

Think what my love for thee endured,

And thou wilt not repine.

"'Tis I appoint thy daily lot,

And I do all things well;

Thou soon shalt leave this wretched spot,

And rise with me to dwell.

"In life my grace shall strength supply,

Proportion'd to thy day;

At death thou still shalt find me nigh,

To wipe thy tears away."

Thus I, who once my wretched days

In vain repinings spent,

Taught in my Saviour's school of grace,

Have learnt to be content.



XX. Old Testament Gospel

(Hebrews, iv.2)

      Israel in ancient days

Not only had a view

      Of Sinai in a blaze,

But learn'd the Gospel too;

The types and figures were a glass,

In which thy saw a Saviour's face.

      The paschal sacrifice

And blood-besprinkled door,

      Seen with enlighten'd eyes,

And once applied with power,

Would teach the need of other blood,

To reconcile an angry God.

      The Lamb, the Dove, set forth

His perfect innocence,

      Whose blood of matchless worth

Whould be the soul's defence;

For he who can for sin atone,

Must have no failings of His own.

      The scape-goat on his head

The people's trespass bore,

      And to the desert led,

Was to be seen no more:

In him our surety seem'd to say,

"Behold, I bear your sins away."

      Dipt in his fellow's blood,

The living bird went free;

      The type, well understood,

Express'd the sinner's plea;

Described a guilty soul enlarged,

And by a Saviour's death discharged.

      Jesus, I love to trace,

Throughout the sacred page,

      The footsteps of Thy grace,

The same in every age!

Oh, grant that I may faithful be

To clearer light vouchsafed to me!

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