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1 Lord! where shall guilty souls retire,
Forgotten and unknown?
In hell they meet thy dreadful fire--
In heaven thy glorious throne.
2 If, winged with beams of morning light,
I fly beyond the west,
Thy hand, which must support my flight,
Would soon betray my rest.
3 If, o'er my sins, I think to draw
The curtains of the night,
Those flaming eyes, that guard thy law,
Would turn the shades to light.
4 The beams of noon, the midnight hour,
Am both alike to thee:
Oh, may I ne'er provoke that power,
From which I cannot flee.
Source: Laudes Domini: a selection of spiritual songs ancient & modern (Abr. ed.) #170
Isaac Watts was the son of a schoolmaster, and was born in Southampton, July 17, 1674. He is said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. At the age of sixteen, he went to London to study in the Academy of the Rev. Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. In 1698, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church, Berry St., London. In 1702, he became pastor. In 1712, he accepted an invitation to visit Sir Thomas Abney, at his residence of Abney Park, and at Sir Thomas' pressing request, made it his home for the remainder of his life. It was a residence most favourable for his health, and for the prosecution of his literary… Go to person page >| First Line: | Lord, where shall guilty souls retire |
| Author: | Isaac Watts |
| Copyright: | Public Domain |
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