The Awakened Sinner

O MY FORGETFUL SOUL,

Awake from thy wandering dream;
        turn from chasing vanities,
  look inward, forward, upward,
  view thyself,
  reflect upon thyself,
      who and what thou art, why here,
      what thou must soon be.
Thou art a creature of God,
    formed and furnished by him,
    lodged in a body like a shepherd in his tent;
Dost thou not desire to know God’s ways?


O God,


Thou injured, neglected, provoked Benefactor
  when I think upon thy greatness and thy goodness
  I am ashamed at my insensibility,
  I blush to lift up my face,
  for I have foolishly erred.
Shall I go on neglecting thee,
  when every one of thy rational creatures
    should love thee,
  and take every care to please thee?
I confess that thou hast not been in all my thoughts,
  that the knowledge of thyself as the end of
    my being has been strangely overlooked,
  that I have never seriously considered
    my heart-need.
But although my mind is perplexed and divided,
  my nature perverse,
  yet my secret dispositions still desire thee.
Let me not delay to come to thee;
Break the fatal enchantment that binds
    my evil affections,
  and bring me to a happy mind that rests in thee,
  for thou hast made me and canst not forget me.
Let thy Spirit teach me the vital lessons of Christ,
  for I am slow to learn;
And hear thou my broken cries.

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