Hymns for Those that Seek and Those that Have Redemption, 42

To—' ' O Love Divine, what hast Thou done?"

O THOU, whose Spirit hath made known
My want of living faith Divine,
Hear Thy poor mournful captive groan,
Now in my nature's darkness shine,
Now in mine inmost soul display
The glorious blaze of gospel day.

A stranger to Thy people's joys,
An alien from the life of grace,
I never heard Thy pardoning voice,
I never saw Thy smiling face,
I never felt Thy blood applied,
Or knew for me the Saviour died.

Or if I did begin to taste
The sweetness of redeeming love,
The momentary bliss is past,
The tender joy no more I prove,
My faith is lost, my power is gone,
I sin, and Jesus have not known.

But wilt Thou not at last appear,
Object of all my wishful hope,
The conscious unbeliever cheer,
And raise the fallen sinner up,
The God-revealing Spirit give,
And kindly help me to believe?

Thou only dost the Godhead know,
Thou only canst to man reveal,
To me, to me the Father show,
To me, to me the secret tell;
Now, Saviour, now the veil remove,
And tell my heart that God is love.

O never suffer me to rest,
Till I the rest of love obtain;
With trouble fill my labouring breast,
My aching heart with grief and pain,
And give me still to weep and grieve,
Till Thou hast forced me to believe.

This, only this do I require,
Always to feel the load I bear;
In vehemence of extreme desire,
To groan the Spirit's speechless prayer,
And cry, I will not, will not rest,
Till Jesus hath pronounced me blest.

I will not let my sorrow go,
Till Jesus wipes away my tears,
Kindly extorts the stubborn woe.
And lastingly His mourner cheers:
Constraint to cry by love Divine,
My God, Thou art for ever mine!