For works with similar titles, see Mercy.
211699Hymns for the Amusement of Children — Hymn VI. Mercy1791Christopher Smart

HYMN VI.

MERCY.

O sweet — attentive to the pray'r,
      Ye forward hope and stave despair;
Thro' Christ his blood divinely spill'd,
      Tremendous ruin to rebuild.

5Tho' high above the great and just,
      Yet thou descendest to the dust;[1]
Both to the sovereign and the slave,
      Nor quitt'st the monument and grave.

O let me like the righteous die,
      10And so I shall if thou art by!
The viol in thy hand uprears[2]
      My Saviour's blood, my Saviour's tears.

Come, Cherub, come, possess my soul,
      All wrath and bitterness controul;
15If thou thy charming pow'rs bestow,
      I'll shew thee to my veriest foe.

Notes

  1. 6. Yet thou descendest to the dust... — "descendest" printed as "descendedst" in 1772a.
  2. 11. The viol in thy hand uprears… — "viol" printed as "phial" in 1772a and "vial" in 1786.

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse