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Author: S. W. Widney Hymnal: The Voice of Praise #769 (1873) Meter: 8.8.8.8 Lyrics: 1 Lord, on this sadly-solemn day,
We bow our souls--we fast and pray;
Before our eyes our sins appear,
And give us sorrow, shame, and fear.
2 Our private sins of heart and thought,
Our words and deeds with errors fraught,
Obnoxious to thy holiness,
We mourn before thee, and confess.
3 The demon with the poisonous bowl
That kills the body--damns the soul--
O'er bleeding bosoms stalks along,
With maniac laugh and drunken song.
4 In vain they fast, they pray in vain,
Who lift the hands that forget the chain
To bind the body or the soul
A slave to man or to the bowl.
5 Forgive us, Lord; regard us now,
While here we pledge our solemn vow,
To shun the vile oppressor's ways,
And labor fallen man to raise. Topics: The Christian Nation Fast-Day; Fast-Day Hymn
Lord, on this sadly-solemn day