Today’s hymn comes from Thomas Benson Pollock (1836-1896). He was edu­cat­ed at Tri­ni­ty Col­lege, Ireland ,where he won the Vice-Chan­cel­lor’s Prize for Eng­lish Verse in 1855. He stu­died me­di­cine in Lon­don, but in 1861 de­cid­ed to take Ho­ly Or­ders in the Anglican Church. He served as cur­ate of St. Luke’s, Leeds; St. Tho­mas’, Stam­ford Hill, Lon­don; and Ho­ly Tri­ni­ty, Bor­des­ley, Bir­min­gham, where his bro­ther, James Sa­mu­el Pol­lock, was vi­car. Then, for the rest of his life, he min­is­tered to the poor at St. Al­ban’s Mis­sion in Birm­ing­ham. Pollock was a mem­ber of the Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern com­mit­tee, and was its chair­man from 1895–96¹. Below is a traditional as well as a modern rendition; enjoy!

Meter: 8.8.8.8.8.8

We have not known thee as we ought,
nor learned thy wisdom, grace and pow’r;
the things of earth have filled our thought,
and trifles of the passing hour.
Lord, give us light thy truth to see,
and make us wise in knowing thee.

We have not feared thee as we ought,
nor bowed beneath thine awesome eye,
nor guarded deed and word and thought,
remembering that God was nigh.
Lord, give us faith to know thee near,
and grant the grace of holy fear.

We have not loved thee as we ought,
nor cared that we are loved by thee;
thy presence we have coldly sought,
and feebly longed thy face to see.
Lord, give a pure and loving heart
to feel and own the love thou art.

We have not served thee as we ought;
alas! the duties left undone,
the work with little fervor wrought,
the battles lost or scarcely won!
Lord, give the zeal and give the might,
for thee to toil, for thee to fight.

When shall we know thee as we ought,
and fear and love and serve aright!
When shall we, out of trial brought,
be perfect in the land of light!
Lord, may we day by day prepare
to see thy face and serve thee there.

¹hymntime.com/tch/bio/p/o/l/l/pollock_tb.htm

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Today’s hymn comes from Anne Brontë (1820-1849), sister of author Charlotte Brontë. Anne being herself a writer and poet, this hymn focuses on the fact that although we sin and are weighed down by our burdens, we have a God who hears us, who loves us, and who will deliver us. I hope you have this same confidence today; enjoy!

Oppressed with sin and woe,
A burdened heart I bear,
Opposed by many a mighty foe:
But I will not despair. 

With this polluted heart
I dare to come to Thee,
Holy and mighty as Thou art;
For Thou wilt pardon me.

I feel that I am weak,
And prone to every sin:
But Thou who giv’st to those who seek,
Wilt give me strength within.

Far as this earth may be
From yonder starry skies;
Remoter still am I from Thee:
Yet Thou wilt not despise.

I need not fear my foes,
I need not yield to care,
I need not sink beneath my woes:
For Thou wilt answer prayer.

In my Redeemer’s name,
I give myself to Thee;
And all unworthy as I am
My God will cherish me.

O make me wholly Thine!
Thy love to me impart,
And let Thy holy spirit shine
For ever on my heart!

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Today’s hymn is another by Isaac Watts, but this time a song of confession. The words to this one our rich in biblical theology and would be an excellent addition to any church’s weekly song list. Enjoy this Bluesy Folk version by Sojourn.

Lord, we confess our num’rous faults,
How great our guilt has been,
How vain and foolish all our thoughts,
How deeply stained with sin.

But oh, my soul, forever praise,
Forever love, his name
Who turns your feet from dang’rous ways
Of folly, sin, and shame.

‘Tis not by works of righteousness
Which our own hands have done,
But we are saved by God’s free grace
Abounding through his Son.

‘Tis from the mercy of our God
That all our hopes begin;
‘Tis by the water and the blood
Our souls are saved from sin.

‘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.

Raised from the dead, we live anew;
And, justified by grace,
We shall appear in glory, too,
And see our Father’s face.

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If you’ve been following the blog from the beginning, you may notice I post quite a few recommendations of Emu Music. And for good reason; with solid biblical lyrics and wonderful melodies, they are one of my favourite music groups. They recently released some singles from their new album including today’s song. Although I have not explicitly heard it from them, I believe this song is based on a confession of sin found in the Book of Common Prayer (since I know most of the members of the group attended an Anglican Church in the UK). You can read the original here under Confessions and see how similar the words are. Although I am not confessionally Anglican, I appreciate the history and influence of the Book of Common Prayer, and think some of the words within it are beautiful. I hope you enjoy this one!

Almighty God of mercy,
We’ve strayed like wayward sheep
Our hearts inclined to wander,
Your laws we’ve failed to keep
We’ve chosen sin and darkness,
Left acts of love undone
There is no health within us:
Have mercy through your Son

O good and gracious Father,
We ask to be made new
Obedient and righteous,
To live afresh for you
As we confess our failings,
Restore our broken lives
According to your promise,
In our Lord Jesus Christ

Refrain
Lord, have mercy and forgive us
Christ, have mercy and deliver us
Lord, have mercy and renew us
We ask with full assurance
Because of your great love
According to your promise
Have mercy through your Son

Almighty God and Father,
You promise to forgive
We turn to you for pardon,
We come that we might live
O grant your Holy Spirit
To purify our souls
And bring us home to Jesus,
Our glory and our goal

Refrain

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