In mercy, not in wrath

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In mercy, not in wrath, Rebuke me, gracious God!

Author: John Newton
Published in 43 hymnals

Representative Text

1 In mercy, not in wrath,
Rebuke me, gracious God!
Lest, if Thy whole displeasure rise,
I sink beneath Thy rod.

2 Touch'd by Thy quickening power,
My load of guilt I feel;
The wounds Thy Spirit hath unclosed,
Oh, let that Spirit heal.

3 In trouble and in gloom,
Must I for ever mourn?
And wilt Thou not at length, O God,
In pitying love return?

4 O come, ere life expire,
Send down Thy power to save;
For who shall sing Thy Name in death,
Or praise Thee in the grave?

5 Why should I doubt Thy grace,
Or yield to dread despair?
Thou wilt fulfil Thy promised word,
And grant me all my prayer.

Hymnal: according to the use of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, 1871

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Author: John Newton

John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >

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First Line:	In mercy, not in wrath, Rebuke me, gracious God!
Title:	In mercy, not in wrath
Author:	John Newton
Meter:	6.6.8.6
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain