Oh, may I then be found in Him,
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
Edward Mote, 1836.
307
C. M.
Lord, we confess our numerous faults,
How great our guilt has been:
Foolish and vain were all our thoughts,
And all our lives were sin.
2. But, O my soul, forever praise,
Forever love, His name,
Who turns thy feet from dangerous ways
Of folly, sin, and shame.
3. ’Tis not by works of righteousness
Which our own hands have done,
But we are saved by love and grace
Abounding through His Son.
4. ’Tis from the mercy of our God
That all our hopes begin;
’Tis by the Water and the Blood
Our souls are washed from sin.
5. ’Tis through the purchase of His death
Who hung upon the tree
The Spirit is sent down to breathe
On such dry bones as we.
6. Raised from the dead, we live anew;
And justified by grace,
We shall appear in glory too
And see our Father’s face.
Isaac Watts, 1709.
308
C. M.
All that I was, my sin, my guilt,
My death, was all my own;
All that I am, I owe to Thee,
My gracious God, alone.
2. The evil of my former state
Was mine, and only mine;
The good in which I now rejoice
Is Thine, and only Thine.
3. The darkness of my former state,
The bondage, all was mine;
The light of life in which I walk,
The liberty, is Thine.
4. Thy grace first made me feel my sin,
It taught me to believe;
Then, in believing, peace I found,
And now I live, I live!
5. All that I am, e’en here on earth,
All that I hope to be
When Jesus comes and glory dawns,
I owe it, Lord, to Thee.
H. Bonar, 1853.
309
L. M.
Blest is the man, forever blest,
Whose guilt is pardoned by his God,
Whose sins with sorrow are confessed
And covered with his Savior’s blood.
2. Blest is the man to whom the Lord
Imputes not his iniquities;
He pleads no merit of reward
And not on works, but grace relies.
3. From guile his heart and lips are free,
His humble joy, his holy fear,
With deep repentance well agree
And join to prove his faith sincere.
4. How glorious is that righteousness
That hides and cancels all his sins,
While a bright evidence of grace
Through his whole life appears and shines!
Isaac Watts, 1719.
310
8, 7, 8, 7, 8, 8, 7
Dear Christians, one and all rejoice,
With exultation springing
And with united heart and voice
And holy rapture singing.
Tell how our God beheld our need
And sing His sweet and wondrous deed;
Right dearly it hath cost Him.
2. Fast bound in Satan’s chains I lay,
Death brooded darkly o’er me,
My sin oppressed me night and day,
Therein my mother bore me;
And ever deeper yet I fell,
Life had become a living hell,
So firmly sin possessed me.
3. My good works could avail me naught,
For they with sin were stainèd;
Free will against God’s judgment fought
And dead to good remainèd;
Grief drove me to despair, and I
Had nothing left me but to die,
To hell I fast was sinking.
4. Then God beheld my wretched state
With deep commiseration;
He thought upon His mercy great
And willed my soul’s salvation;
He turned to me a Father’s heart—
Not small the cost!—to heal my smart,
He gave His best and dearest.
5. He spake to His beloved Son:
“’Tis time to have compassion;
Then go, My heart’s most Precious One,
And bring to man salvation;
From sin and sorrow set him free,
Slay bitter death for him that he
May live with Thee forever.”
6. The Son His Father did obey,
And, born of virgin mother,
He came a while on earth to stay
That He might be my Brother.
His mighty power He hidden bore,
A servant’s form like mine He wore
To lead the devil captive.
7. He spake to me: “Hold fast by Me,
I am thy Rock and Castle;
I wholly give Myself for thee,
For thee I strive and wrestle;
For I am thine, and thou art Mine,
Henceforth My place is also thine;
The foe shall never part us.
8. “The foe shall shed My precious blood,
Me of My life bereaving.
All this I suffer for thy good;
Be steadfast and believing.
Life shall from death the victory win,
Mine innocence shall bear thy sin,
So art thou blest forever.
9. “Now to My Father I depart,
From earth to heaven ascending,
Thence heavenly wisdom to impart,
The Holy Spirit sending;
He shall in trouble comfort thee,
Teach thee to know and follow Me,
Into all truth shall guide thee.
10. “What I have done and taught do thou
To do and teach endeavor;
So shall My kingdom flourish now
And God be praised forever.
Take heed lest men with base alloy
The heavenly treasure should destroy;
This counsel I bequeath thee.”
Martin Luther, 1523.
311
9, 8, 9, 8, 8, 8
By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless!
My heart, believ’st thou this or not?
Why tremblest thou with terror groundless?
Has Scripture e’er a falsehood taught?
Then this word also true must be:
By grace there is a crown for thee.
2. By grace! Our works are all rejected,
All claims of merit pass for naught;
The mighty Savior, long expected,
To us this blissful truth has brought,
That He by death redeems our race
And we are saved alone by grace.
3. By grace! Mark well these words’ true meaning,
When thou dost sorrow sin-opprest.
When Satan tempts with pride o’erweening,
When troubled conscience sighs for rest.
What reason cannot comprehend
It pleases God by grace to send.
4. By grace His Son, on earth appearing,
Vouchsafed beneath thy woe to bend;
Hadst thou, damnation justly fearing,
Done aught to render Him thy Friend?
Was’t not that He thy welfare sought
And but by grace deliverance wrought?
5. By grace! This ground of our salvation,
As long as God is true, endures;
What saints have penned by inspiration,
What God by His own Word assures,
What all our faith must rest upon,
Is grace, free grace, through His dear Son.
6. By grace! But think not, thou who livest
Securely on in godless ways,
That thou—though all are called—receivest
The promised rest that wakes our praise.
By grace none find in heaven a place
Who live in sin in hope of grace.
7. By grace! They who have heard this sentence
Must all hypocrisy forego;
For only after deep repentance
Can any soul this treasure know;
To sin free grace a trifle seems,
To faith it bright with glory beams.
8. By grace the timid hearts that languish
Find access to the Father’s heart,
When conflicts fierce and bitter anguish
Bid all their joy and hopes depart.
Where ofttimes should I strength obtain,
Did grace my anchor not remain!
9. By grace! On this in death I’ll rest me,
Rejoicing e’en though feeling naught;
I know my sin,—it oft oppressed me,—
But Him, too, who salvation brought.
My heart exults, grief flees apace,
Because my soul is saved by grace.
10. By grace! May sin and Satan hearken!
I bear my flag of faith in hand
And pass—for doubts my joy can’t darken—
The Red Sea to the Promised Land.
I cling to what my Savior taught
And trust it, whether felt or not.
C. L. Scheidt, 1742; M. Loy, tr., a.
312
9, 8, 9, 8, 8, 8
Now I have found the sure foundation
Where evermore my anchor grounds.
It lay there ere the world’s creation,
Where else but in my Savior’s wounds?
Foundation, which unmoved shall stay
When earth and heaven pass away.
2. It is that mercy never-ending,
Which all conception far transcends,
Of Him who, with love’s arms extending,
To wretched sinners condescends;
Whose heart with pity still doth break
Whether we seek Him or forsake.
3. Our ruin God has not intended,
Salvation He would fain bestow;
For this His Son to earth descended
And then to heaven again did go;
For this so loudly evermore
He knocketh at our heart’s closed door.
4. O depth of love, in which, past finding,
My sins through Christ’s blood disappear;
This is for wounds the safest binding,
There is no condemnation here;
For Jesus’ blood through earth and skies
Forever Mercy! Mercy! cries.
5. I never will forget this crying,
In faith I’ll trust it all my days,
And when o’er all my sins I’m sighing,
I towards my Father’s heart will gaze;
For there is always to be found
Free mercy without end and bound.
6. Though I be robbed of every pleasure
That soul and body can make glad,
Bereft of every earthly treasure,
Forlorn, forsaken, lone, and sad,—
However far His help may be,
His mercy yet is left to me.
7. Though earthly cares and want oppress me
And cause me sorrow and regret
That things so vain can still distress me
And give me so much trouble yet,
Though I am bowed down to the dust,
Still in His mercy I will trust.
8. Though in the best of all my actions,
In works that are admired the most,
I must perceive great imperfections,
I surely have no right to boast;
Yet this sweet comfort doth abide:
In mercy only I confide.
9. Be it with me as He is willing,
Whose mercy is a boundless sea;
May He Himself my heart be stilling
That this may ne’er forgotten be;
Then it will rest, in joy and woe,
On mercy while it beats below.
10. On this foundation I unshrinking
Will stand while I on earth remain;
This shall engage my acting, thinking,
While I the breath of life retain;
Then I will sing eternally,
Unfathomed Mercy, still of Thee.
J. A. Rothe, † 1758.
313
L. M.
Who shall the Lord’s elect condemn?
’Tis God who justifies their souls,
And mercy, like a mighty stream,
O’er all their sins divinely rolls.
2. He lives! He lives! and sits above,
Forever interceding there:
Who shall divide us from His love,
Or what should tempt us to despair?
3. Shall persecution or distress,
Famine or sword or nakedness?
He who hath loved us bears us through
And makes us more than conquerors too.
4. Not all that men on earth can do,
Nor powers on high nor powers below,
Shall cause His mercy to remove
Or wean our hearts from Christ, our Love.
Isaac Watts, 1707, a.
314
8, 7, 8, 7, 8, 8, 7
Salvation unto us has come
By God’s free grace and favor;
Good works cannot avert our doom,
They help and save us never:
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
Who did for all the world atone;
He is the Mediator.
2. What God doth in His Law demand
No man to Him can render,
And so He draws His flaming brand
To punish the offender:
Our flesh has not those pure desires
Which first of all the Law requires,—
We are in condemnation.
3. It was a false, misleading dream
That God His Law had given
For us to keep and merit claim
And earn our way to heaven.
God’s Law is but a mirror bright
To bring the inbred sin to sight
That lurks within our nature.
4. By our own strength to put aside
God’s wrath and win His blessing
Is useless task, by many tried,
Is only guilt increasing.
For God hypocrisy abhors;
Flesh with the spirit ever wars,
For ’tis by nature evil.
5. And yet the Law fulfilled must be,
Or we were lost forever;
Therefore God sent His Son that He
Might us from death deliver;
He all the Law for us fulfilled
And thus His Father’s anger stilled
Which over us impended.
6. Since Christ hath full atonement made
And brought to us salvation,
Each Christian therefore may be glad
And build on this foundation.
Thy grace alone, dear Lord, I plead.
Thy death my life now is indeed,
For Thou hast paid my ransom.
7. Not doubting this, I trust in Thee,
Thy Word cannot be broken;
Thou all dost call, “Come unto Me!”
No falsehood hast Thou spoken.
“He that believes and is baptized,
He shall be saved,” say’st Thou, O Christ,
“And he shall never perish.”
8. He’s just ’fore God, and he alone,
Who by this faith is living;
This faith will by good works be known,
To God the glory giving.
Faith gives thee peace with God above,
But thou thy neighbor, too, wilt love
If thou art a new creature.
9. The Law reveals the guilt of sin
And makes man conscience-stricken;
The Gospel then doth enter in
The sinful soul to quicken.
Come to the Cross, trust Christ and live;
The Law to you no peace can give
With all its good endeavors.
10. From faith in Christ, whene’er ’tis right,
Good works are surely flowing;
The faith is dead that shuns the light,
No good works ever showing.
By faith alone the just shall live,
Good works alone the proof can give
Of love, which true faith worketh.
Paul Speratus, 1523, abr. Composite tr. 1910.
315
7s 6 l
Blessed are the sons of God,
They are bought with Christ’s own blood;
They are ransomed from the grave,
Life eternal they shall have.
With them numbered may we be
Here and in eternity!
2. They are justified by grace,
They enjoy the Savior’s peace;
All their sins are washed away,
They shall stand in God’s great Day.
With them numbered may we be
Here and in eternity!
3. They are lights upon the earth,
Children of a heavenly birth;
One with God, with Jesus one,
Glory is in them begun.
With them numbered may we be
Here and in eternity!
J. Humphreys, 1743.
316
8, 8, 6, 8, 8, 6 (C. P. M.)
I do not come because my soul
Is free from sin and pure and whole,
And worthy of Thy grace;
I do not speak to Thee because
I’ve ever justly kept Thy laws
And dare to meet Thy face.
2. I know that sin and guilt combine
To reign o’er every thought of mine
And turn from good to ill;
I know that when I try to be
Upright and just and true to Thee,
I am a sinner still.
3. I know that often when I strive
To keep a spark of love alive
For Thee, the powers within
Leap up in unsubmissive might
And oft benumb my sense of right
And pull me back to sin.
4. I know that, though in doing good
I spend my life, I never could
Atone for all I’ve done;
But though my sins are black as night,
I dare to come before Thy sight
Because I trust Thy Son.
5. In Him alone my trust I place,
Come boldly to Thy throne of grace,
And there commune with Thee.
Salvation sure, O Lord, is mine,
And, all unworthy, I am Thine,
For Jesus died for me.
F. B. St. John, 1878.
317
8, 7, 7, 8, 7, 7
O how great is Thy compassion,
Faithful Father, God of grace,
That upon our wretchedness,
That upon man’s sinful station
Thou took’st pity, so that we
Might be saved eternally!
2. Thy great love for this hath striven
That man from all pain shall free
And forever blessed be.
Yea, Thy Son Himself hath given
And extends an earnest call
To His Supper unto all.
3. And for this our soul’s salvation
Voucheth Thy good Spirit, Lord,
In Thy Sacraments and Word;
He doth prosper Thy vocation,
Granteth us the gift of faith
That we fear nor hell nor death.
4. Lord, Thy mercy will not leave me,—
Truth doth evermore abide,—
Then in Thee I will confide;
Since Thy Word cannot deceive me,
My salvation is to me
Well assured eternally.
5. I will praise Thy great compassion,
Faithful Father, God of grace,
That upon my wretchedness,
That upon my sinful station
Thou took’st pity graciously;
Evermore be praise to Thee!
J. Olearius, 1671; A. Crull, tr.
318
L. M.
Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
2. Just as I am and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
3. Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
4. Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
5. Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
6. Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Charlotte Elliott, 1836, a.
319
S. M.
Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain,
Could give the guilty conscience peace
Or wash away the stain.
2. But Christ, the heavenly Lamb,
Takes all our sins away;
A sacrifice of nobler name
And richer blood than they.
3. My faith would lay her hand
On that dear head of Thine,
While like a penitent I stand
And there confess my sin.
4. My soul looks back to see
The burdens Thou didst bear
When hanging on the cursed tree,
And knows her guilt was there.
5. Believing, we rejoice
To see the curse remove;
We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice
And sing His bleeding love.
Isaac Watts, 1709.
320
S. M.
Not what these hands have done
Can save this guilty soul;
Not what this toiling flesh has borne
Can make my spirit whole.
2. Not what I feel or do
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears
Can bear my awful load.
3. Thy work alone, O Christ,
Can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.
4. Thy love to me, O God,
Not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest
And set my spirit free.
5. Thy grace alone, O God,
To me can pardon speak;
Thy power alone, O Son of God,
Can this sore bondage break.
6. I bless the Christ of God;
I rest on love divine,
And with unfaltering lip and heart
I call this Savior mine.
H. Bonar, 1861.
321
8, 8, 8, 6
Drawn to the cross, which Thou hast blessed
With healing gifts for souls distressed,
To find in Thee my life, my rest,
Christ Crucified, I come.
2. Thou knowest all my griefs and fears,
Thy grace abused, my misspent years;
Yet now to Thee with contrite tears,
Christ Crucified, I come.
3. Wash me and take away each stain;
Let nothing of my sin remain;
For cleansing, though it be through pain,
Christ Crucified, I come.
4. And then for work to do for Thee,
Which shall so sweet a service be
That angels well might envy me,
Christ Crucified, I come.
Genevieve M. Irons, 1880.
322
7, 6, 8 l
I lay my sins on Jesus,
The spotless Lamb of God;
He bears them all and frees us
From the accursed load.
I bring my guilt to Jesus,
To wash my crimson stains
White in His blood most precious
Till not a spot remains.
2. I lay my wants on Jesus;
All fulness dwells in Him;
He heals all my diseases,
He doth my soul redeem.
I lay my griefs on Jesus,
My burdens and my cares;
He from them all releases,
He all my sorrows shares.
3. I rest my soul on Jesus,
This weary soul of mine;
His right hand me embraces,
I on His breast recline.
I love the name of Jesus,
Immanuel, Christ, the Lord;
Like fragrance on the breezes
His name abroad is poured.
4. I long to be like Jesus,
Meek, loving, lowly, mild;
I long to be like Jesus,
The Father’s holy Child.
I long to be with Jesus
Amid the heavenly throng,
To sing with saints His praises,
To learn the angels’ song.
H. Bonar, 1849.
323
7, 6, 8 l
Through Jesus’ blood and merit
I am at peace with God;
What, then, can daunt my spirit,
However dark my road?
My courage shall not fail me,
For God is on my side;
Though hell itself assail me,
Its rage I may deride.
2. There’s nothing that can sever
Me from the love of God;
No want, no pain whatever,
No famine, peril, blood.
Though thousand foes surround me
And in their base design
A sheep for slaughter count me,
The victory still is mine.
3. Yea, neither life’s temptation
Nor death’s terrific hour,
Nor angels of high station,
Nor any other power,
Nor things that now are present,
Nor things that are to come,
Nor height, however pleasant,
Nor depth of deepest gloom,
4. Nor any creature ever
Shall from the love of God
This wretched sinner sever;
For in my Savior’s blood
This love its fountain taketh;
He hears my faithful prayer
And nevermore forsaketh
This child of His and heir.
S. Dach, † 1659; A. Crull, tr.
324
6, 4, 6, 4, 6, 6, 4
Nearer, my God, to Thee!
Nearer to Thee!
Through Word and Sacrament,
Thou com’st to me.
Thy grace is ever near,
Thy Spirit ever here,
Drawing to Thee.
2. Ages on ages rolled
Ere earth appeared;
Yet Thine unmeasured love
The way prepared.
E’en then Thou yearn’st for me
That I might nearer be,
Nearer to Thee!
3. Thy Son has come to earth
My sin to bear,
My every wound to heal,
My pain to share.
“God in the flesh” for me,
Brings me now nearer Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
4. Lo! all my debt is paid,
My guilt is gone.
See! He has ris’n for me,
My throne is won.
Thanks, O my God, to Thee!
None now can nearer be,
Nearer to Thee!
5. Welcome, then, to Thy home,
Blest One in Three!
As Thou hast promised, come!
Come, Lord, to me!
Work, Thou, O God, through me;
Live, Thou, O God, in me,
Ever in me!
6. By the baptismal stream,
Which made me Thine,
By the dear flesh and blood,
Thy love made mine,
Purge Thou all sin from me
That I may nearer be,
Nearer to Thee!
7. Surely it matters not
What earth may bring,
Death is of no account,
Grace will I sing.
Nothing remains for me
Save to be nearer Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
H. E. Jacobs, 1887.
325
7s 6 l
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.
2. Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfil Thy Law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.
3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy Cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly,—
Wash me, Savior, or I die!
4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee!
A. M. Toplady, 1776, a.
326
L. M.
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness,
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
2. Bold shall I stand in that great Day,
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully through these absolved I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.
3. The holy, meek, unspotted Lamb,
Who from the Father’s bosom came,
Who died for me, e’en me t’ atone,
Now for my Lord and God I own.
4. Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,
Which at the mercy-seat of God
Forever doth for sinners plead,
For me—e’en for my soul—was shed.
5. Lord, I believe were sinners more
Than sands upon the ocean shore,
Thou hast for all a ransom paid,
For all a full atonement made.
6. When from the dust of death I rise
To claim my mansion in the skies,
E’en then this shall be all my plea:
Jesus hath lived and died for me.
7. Jesus, be endless praise to Thee,
Whose boundless mercy hath for me,
For me, and all Thy hands have made,
An everlasting ransom paid.
L. v. Zinzendorf, 1739; J. Wesley, 1740.
327
L. M.
Our God so loved the world that He
Gave His own Son and did decree
That all who would in Him believe
Should everlasting life receive.
2. Christ Jesus is the ground of faith,
Who was made flesh and suffered death;
All that confide in Him alone
Are built on this chief Corner-stone.
3. God would not have the sinner die;
His Son with saving grace is nigh,
His Spirit in the Word doth teach
How man the blessed goal may reach.
4. Be of good cheer, for God’s own Son
Forgives all sins which thou hast done;
Thou’rt justified by Jesus’ blood,
Thy Baptism grants the highest good.
5. If thou be sick, if death draw near,
This truth thy troubled heart can cheer:
Christ Jesus saves my soul from death;
That is the firmest ground of faith.
6. Glory to God the Father, Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One!
To Thee, O blessed Trinity,
Be praise now and eternally!
J. Olearius, 1671; A. Crull, tr.
328
S. M.
Grace! ’tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear;
Heav’n with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
2. Grace first contrived the way
To save rebellious man;
And all the steps that grace display
Which drew the wondrous plan.
3. Grace first inscribed my name
In God’s eternal book;
’Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took.
4. Grace led my roving feet
To tread the heavenly road;
And new supplies each hour I meet
While pressing on to God.
5. Grace taught my soul to pray
And made my eyes o’erflow;
’Twas grace that kept me to this day
And will not let me go.
6. Grace all the work shall crown
Through everlasting days;
It lays in heaven the topmost stone
And well deserves the praise.
Philip Doddridge, 1755.
329
6, 6, 6, 6, 8, 8 (H. M.)
Thy works, not mine, O Christ,
Speak gladness to this heart;
They tell me all is done,
They bid my fear depart.
To whom, save Thee, who canst alone
For sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?
2. Thy cross, not mine, O Christ,
Has borne the awful load
Of sins that none in heaven
Or earth could bear but God.
To whom, save Thee, who canst alone
For sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?
3. Thy death, not mine, O Christ,
Has paid the ransom due;
Ten thousand deaths like mine
Would have been all too few.
To whom, save Thee, who canst alone
For sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?
4. Thy righteousness, O Christ,
Alone can cover me;
No righteousness avails
Save that which is of Thee.
To whom, save Thee, who canst alone
For sin atone, Lord, shall I flee?
H. Bonar, 1857.
330
C. M.
O Mystery of Love Divine
That thought and thanks o’erpowers!
Lord Jesus, was our portion Thine,
And is Thy portion ours?
2. Emmanuel, didst Thou take our place
To set us in Thine own?
Didst Thou our low estate embrace
To lift us to Thy throne?
3. Didst Thou fulfil each righteous deed,
God’s perfect will express,
That we, th’ unfaithful ones, might plead
Thy perfect faithfulness?