CLXXXIV. Retirement and meditation

1 Return, my roving heart, return,
And chase these shadowy forms no more;
Seek out some solitude to mourn,
And thy forsaken God implore.

2 Wisdom and pleasure dwell at home;
Retir'd and silent seek them there:
This is the way to overcome,
The way to break the tempter's snare.

3 And thou my god, whose piercing eye
Distinct surveys each deep recess,
In these abstracted hours draw nigh,
And with thy presence fill the place.

4 Through the recesses of my heart
My search let heav'nly wisdom guide,
And still its radiant beams impart,
Till all be search'd and purified.

5 Then, with the visits of thy love,
Vouchsafe my inmost soul to chear;
Till ev'ry grace shall join to prove,
That God hath fix'd his dwelling there.

Text Information
First Line: Return, my roving heart, return
Title: Retirement and meditation
Meter: L. M.
Language: English
Publication Date: 1799
Scripture:
Topic: Retirement and Meditation
Tune Information
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