Absence from God

O Thou whose tender mercy hears

Author: Anne Steele
Published in 360 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 O Thou, whose tender mercy hears
Contrition's humble sigh,
Whose hand indulgent wipes the tears
From sorrow's weeping eye;

2 See, low before Thy throne of grace,
A wretched wanderer mourn;
Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face?
Hast Thou not said, return?

3 And shall my guilty fears prevail
To drive me from Thy feet?
O let not this dear refuge fail,
This only safe retreat!

4 O shine on this benighted heart,
With beams of mercy shine!
And let Thy healing voice impart
A taste of joys divine.

5 Thy presence only can bestow
Delights which never cloy:
Be this my solace here below,
And my eternal joy!

Source: International Song Service: with Bright Gems from fifty authors, for Sunday-schools, gospel meetings, missionary and young people's societies, prayer-meetings, etc. #288

Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O Thou whose tender mercy hears
Title: Absence from God
Author: Anne Steele
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

MARTYRDOM (Wilson)

MARTYRDOM was originally an eighteenth-century Scottish folk melody used for the ballad "Helen of Kirkconnel." Hugh Wilson (b. Fenwick, Ayrshire, Scotland, c. 1766; d. Duntocher, Scotland, 1824) adapted MARTYRDOM into a hymn tune in duple meter around 1800. A triple-meter version of the tune was fir…

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Instances

Instances (1 - 100 of 360)

A Choice Selection of Hymns. 2nd ed. #d163

A Choice Selection of Hymns. 6th ed. #d198

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A Collection of Evangelical Hymns #CXI

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A Collection of Hymns and a Liturgy for the Use of Evangelical Lutheran Churches #247

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A Collection of Hymns and a Liturgy #247

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A Collection of Hymns and A Liturgy #247

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A Collection of Hymns and Prayers, for Public and Private Worship #196

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A Collection of Hymns and Sacred Songs #224

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A Collection of Hymns for the use of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in America #874

A Collection of Hymns from Various Authors. New ed. #d247

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A Collection of Hymns, for the use of the United Brethren in Christ #243

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Social and Private Worship #CCX

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of Universalist Societies and Families 16ed. #345

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns, for Social and Private Worship #280

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns #275

A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #d232

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A Collection of Spiritual Hymns #644

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A Pastor's Selection of Hymns and Tunes #108

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A Selection of Hymns and Psalms for Social and Private Worship (6th ed.) #217

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A Selection of Hymns and Psalms #210

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A Selection of Hymns for Worship (2nd ed.) #233

A Selection of Hymns....3d ed #d182

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns, Embracing all the Varieties of Subjects #H43

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns, Embracing all the Varieties of Subjects #P43

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #78

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #LXXVIII

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #78

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A Selection of Sacred Poetry #275

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A Selection of Sacred Poetry #275

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A Selection of Spiritual Songs #454

Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver #d186

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Baptist Chorals #222

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Baptist Hymn Book #a610

Battle Songs of the Cross #d139

Book of Common Praise #d434

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Book of Praise for the Sunday School #161[268]

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Book of Worship (Rev. ed.) #299

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Book of Worship #299

Calvary Selection of Spiritual Songs with Music for the Church and the Choir #d694

Chapel Hymns #d427

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Chapel Melodies #220

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Christian Hymns for Public and Private Worship #372

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Christian Praise #293

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Christian Praise #190

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Christian Praise #190

Christian Psalms and Hymns to Aid in Public and Private Devotion #d699

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Christian Songs #271

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Christian's Duty, exhibited in a series of hymns #230

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Church Book #352

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Church Book #352

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Church Hymns and Tunes #275

Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs #d824

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Church Melodies #228

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Church music #CXLIV

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Church Psalmist #281

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Church Psalmist #281

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Church Psalmist #281

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Church Psalmody #H292

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Church Psalmody #292

Compilation of Hymns for the Use of the Churches of the Christian Union #d541

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Conference Hymns #136

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Crystal Gems for the Sabbath School #37

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Devotional hymns #226

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Dyer's Psalmist #149

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Echoes of Paradise #294

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Evangel Songs #221

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Evangelical Hymnal #233

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Evangelical Hymns #183

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Evangelical Musick #42b

Family Hymns #d186

Family Singing Book. Rev ed. with Supplement #d209

Gems for the Prayer Meeting #d48

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Gloria Deo #227

Gloria in Excelsis #d518

Harmonia Sacra, being a Compilation of Church Music. 10th ed #d247

Hear the Call #d103

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Hymn and Tune Book of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (Round Note Ed.) #367

Hymn Book for the Army and Navy #d54

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South #367

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Protestant Church #293

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (11th ed.) #293

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (2nd ed.) #547

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Hymn book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (4th ed.) #547

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Hymn Book of the United Evangelical Church #233

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Hymn-Book of the Evangelical Association #263

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Hymnal Companion to the Prayer Book with Accompanying Tunes (Second Edition) #399

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Hymnal Companion to the Prayer Book #361

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Hymnal Companion to the Prayer Book #399

Pages

Exclude 358 pre-1979 instances
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