The Cyber Hymnal ‎#4218

4218. My God! How Perfect Are Thy Ways!

1. My God! how perfect are Thy ways!
But mine polluted are;
Sin twines itself about my praise,
And slides into my prayer.

2. 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.

3. Divine desire, that holy flame
Thy grace creates in me;
Alas! impatience is its name,
When it returns to Thee.

4. This heart, a fountain of vile thoughts,
How does it overflow?
While self upon the surface floats
Still bubbling from below.

5. Let others in the gaudy dress
Of fancied merit shine;
The Lord shall be my righteousness
The Lord for ever mine.

Text Information

• First Line: My God! how perfect are Thy ways
• Title: My God! How Perfect Are Thy Ways!
• Author: William Cowper (1779)
• Meter: CM
• Language: English
• Source: Olney Hymns (London: W. Oliver, 1779), number 67
• Copyright: Public Domain

Tune Information

• Name: ST. AGNES
• Composer: John Bacchus Dykes (1866)
• Meter: CM
• Incipit: 33323 47155 53224
• Key: G Major
• Copyright: Public Domain