O that the Lord would hear my cry

1 O that the Lord would hear my cry,
And stay his anger lest I die!
Thy wrath is just--yet, Oh, forgive!
And let a mourning sinner live.

2 Shouldst thou my body crush to dust,
I still must say that God is just;
But yet I hope thy grace to share,
That mercy will the sinner spare.

3 In all my frame, without, within,
I feel the sad effects of sin;
How long, my God, must I complain,
And deprecate thy wrath in vain?

4 Oh should I die deprived of thee?
What being else can succor me?
Thy frowns would rend my soul in death,
And sink it to the depth beneath.

5 Ye darling sins that plague me so,
the greatest enemies I know,
Depart--for God hath heard my prayer,
And will not let me long despair.

6 No; I shall yet his goodness bless;
And when this transient life shall pass,
Then full of glory, I shall prove
He can be just, and sinners love.

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