Heavy on Me, O Lord, Thy Judgments Lie - Matthew Prior
Heavy on me, O Lord, thy judgments lie:
And curst I am, for God neglects my cry;
Heavy on me, O Lord, thy judgments lie:
And curst I am, for God neglects my cry;
O Lord, in darkness, in despair I groan;
And every place is hell; for God is gone!
O Lord arise, and let thy beams control
These horrid clouds that press my frighted soul,
O rise and save me from eternal night!
Thou art the God of light!
Downward I hasten to my destined place:
There none obtain thy aid, none sing thy praise:
Soon I shall lie in death’s deep ocean drowned;
Is mercy there, is sweet forgiveness found?
O save me yet, while on the brink I stand!
Rebuke these storms, and set me safe on land.
O make my longings and thy mercy sure!
Thou art the God of power!
Behold the weary prodigal is come,
To thee his hope, his harbour, and his home.
No father can he find, no friend abroad;
Deprived of joy, and destitute of God.
O let thy terrors and his anguish end!
Be thou his father, Lord, be thou his friend;
Receive the son thou didst so long reprove!
Thou art the God of love!
Matthew Prior
Psalm lxxxviii.