Long Have I Seemed to Serve Thee, Lord

Long have I seem'd to serve Thee, Lord,

With unavailing Pain;

Fasted, pray'd, and read thy Word,

And heard it preach'd, in vain.

Oft did I with th' Assembly join,

And near Thine Altar drew;

A Form of Godliness was mine.

The Pow'r I never knew.

To please Thee, thus (at last I see)

In vain I hop'd, and strove:

For what are Outward Things to Thee,

Unless they spring from Love?

I see the perfect Law requires

Truth in the Inward Parts,

Our full Consent, our whole Desires,

Our Undivided Hearts.

But I of Means have made my Boast,

Of Means an Idol made,

The spirit in the Letter lost,

The Substance in the Shade.

I rested in the Outward Law,

Nor knew its deep Design;

The Length, and Breadth, I never saw,

And Heighth of Love Divine.

Where am I now, or what my Hope?

What can my Weakness do?

Jesu! to Thee my Soul looks up,

'Tis Thou must make it new.

Thine is the Work, and Thine alone.

But shall I idly stand?

Shall I the written Rule disown,

And slight my GOD's command?

Wildly shall I from Thine turn back,

A better Path to find;

Thine Holy Ordinance forsake,

And cast thy Words behind?

Forbid it, gracious Lord, that I

Should ever learn Thee so!

No-–let me with Thy word comply,

If I thy Love would know.

Suffice for me, that Thou, my Lord,

Hast bid me fast, and pray:

Thy Will be done, thy Name ador'd;

'Tis only mine t'obey.

Thou bidst me search the sacred Leaves,

And taste the Hallow'd Bread:

The kind Commands my Soul receives,

And longs on Thee to feed.

Still for thy Loving Kindness, Lord,

I in thy Temple wait,

I look to find Thee in thy word,

Or at thy Table meet.

Here, in Thine own appointed Ways,

I wait to learn Thy will:

Silent I stand before thy Face,

And hear Thee say, "Be still!

Be still-–and know that I am GOD!"

'Tis all I live to know,

To feel the Virtue of thy Blood,

And spread its Praise below.

I wait my Vigour to renew,

Thine Image to retrieve,

The Veil of outward Things pass thro',

And gasp in Thee to live.

I work; and own the Labour vain:

And thus from Works I cease:

I strive, and see my fruitless Pain,

'Till GOD create my Peace.

Fruitless, 'till Thou Thyself impart,

Must all my Efforts prove:

They cannot change a sinful Heart,

They cannot purchase Love.

I do the Thing thy Laws enjoin,

And then the Strife gives o'er:

To Thee I then the whole resign:

I trust in Means no more.

I trust in Him who stands between

The Father's Wrath and me:

Jesu! Thou great Eternal Mean,

I look for all from Thee.

Thy Mercy pleads, thy Truth requires,

Thy Promise calls Thee down:

Not for the sake of my Desires–-

But Oh! regard Thine own!

I seek no Motive out of Thee:

Thine own Desires fulfil:

If now thy Bowels yearn on me,

On me perform thy Will.

Doom, if Thou canst, to endless Pains,

And drive me from thy Face:

But if thy stronger Love constrains,

Let me be sav'd by Grace.