Sweet is Thy mercy, O my God!
When humbled at Thy feet,
I learn the lessons of Thy rod,
Thy mercy, Lord, is sweet.
For Thou dost not in wrath chastise,
But when I go astray,
"Return," a voice behind me cries,
"Walk here;--this is the way."
Impatient of Thine easy yoke,
If heedless yet I roam,
Some sharp affliction, with a stroke
Of kindness, warns me home.
That godly sorrow then I feel,
Which nothing can control,
Until the hand that wounded, heal,
That bruised me, make me whole.
As, at Thy word, the winds and waves
From ocean-warfare cease;
That word my soul from shipwreck saves,
Thy presence brings me peace.
"Sweet is Thy mercy, O my God!"
'Tis transport to repeat,
When Thou hast thrown aside the rod,
"Thy mercy, Lord, is sweet!"
Sacred Poems and Hymns
James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missio… Go to person page >
My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files