1 Lo! now is our accepted day,
the time for purging sins away,
the sins of thought, and deed, and word,
that we have done against the Lord.
2 For he the merciful and true
hath spared His people hitherto;
not willing that the soul should die,
though great its past iniquity.
3 Then let us all with earnest care,
and contrite fast, and tear, and prayer,
and works of mercy and of love,
entreat for pardon from above;
4 that he may all our sins efface,
adorn us with the gifts of grace,
and join us to the angel band,
for ever in the heavenly land.
5 Blest Three in One and One in Three,
almighty God, we pray to thee,
that thou wouldst now vouchsafe to bless
our fast with fruits of righteousness.
Source: CPWI Hymnal #117
John M. Neale's life is a study in contrasts: born into an evangelical home, he had sympathies toward Rome; in perpetual ill health, he was incredibly productive; of scholarly temperament, he devoted much time to improving social conditions in his area; often ignored or despised by his contemporaries, he is lauded today for his contributions to the church and hymnody. Neale's gifts came to expression early–he won the Seatonian prize for religious poetry eleven times while a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, England. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1842, but ill health and his strong support of the Oxford Movement kept him from ordinary parish ministry. So Neale spent the years between 1846 and 1866 as a warden of Sackvi… Go to person page >
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