Most holy Lord, I love thy truth

1 Most holy Lord! I love thy truth,
Nor dare thy least commandment slight;
Yet pierced by sin, the serpent's tooth,
I mourn the anguish of the bite.

2 But though the poison lurks within,
Hope bids me still with patience wait;
Till death shall set me free from sin,
Free from the only thing I hate.

3 Had I a throne above the rest,
Where angels and archangels dwell;
One sin, unslain within my breast,
Would make that heaven as dark as hell.

4 But there no foe invades the bliss,
When glory crowns the Christian's head;
One view of Jesus as he is,
Will strike all sin forever dead.

The Hartford Selection of Hymns from the most approved authors, 1799