O Thou that Hear'st when Sinners Cry

Representative Text

1 O Thou that hear'st when sinners cry,
Though all my crimes before Thee lie,
Behold them not with angry look,
But blot their mem'ry from Thy book.

2 Create my nature pure within
And form my soul averse to sin;
Let Thy good Spirit ne'er depart
Nor hide Thy presence from my heart.

3 I cannot live without Thy light,
Cast out and banish from Thy sight;
Thy holy joys, my God, restore
And guard me that I fall no more.

4 Though I have grieved Thy Spirit, Lord,
His help and comfort still afford
And let me now come near Thy throne
To plead the merits of Thy Son.

5 A broken heart, my God, my King,
Is all the sacrifice I bring.
Look down, O Lord, with pitying eye
And save the soul condemned to die.

6 O may Thy love inspire my tongue!
Salvation shall be all my song;
And all my pow'rs shall join to bless
The Lord, my Strength and Righteousness.



Source: Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #500

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Author: Isaac Watts

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 >

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Text Information

First Line: O Thou that hear'st when sinners cry
Title: O Thou that Hear'st when Sinners Cry
Author: Isaac Watts
Meter: 8.8.8.8
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain
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Notes

O Thou that hear'st when sinners cry. I. Watts. [Psalms li.] This is the third part of his L.M. version of Psalm li. It appeared in his Psalms of David, &c, 1719, p. 143, in 8 stanzas of 4 lines, headed "The Backslider restored; or, Repentance and Faith in the Blood of Christ." In its full form its use is limited, but the cento therefrom beginning with stanza v., "A broken heart, my God, my King," is found in a large number of hymn-books. A second cento beginning with stanza iv. is in the American Methodist Episcopal Hymns 1849, as "Though I have grieved Thy Spirit, Lord." --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
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Tune

HAMBURG

Lowell Mason (PHH 96) composed HAMBURG (named after the German city) in 1824. The tune was published in the 1825 edition of Mason's Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music. Mason indicated that the tune was based on a chant in the first Gregorian tone. HAMBURG is a very simple tune with…

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SUPPLICATION (Southern Harmony)


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Timeline

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Instances

Instances (1 - 6 of 6)Text InfoTune InfoTextScoreFlexScoreAudioPage Scan
Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #500TextPage Scan
The Baptist Hymnal: for use in the church and home #296
The Cyber Hymnal #5412TextScoreAudio
The Sacred Harp (Rev. Cooper Ed.) #45b
The Shenandoah Harmony: A collection of shape-note tunes, ancient and modern, for singing groups large or small #7A
Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #485TextPage Scan
Include 314 pre-1979 instances
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