Permit me, Lord, to seek Thy face

I. Permit me, Lord, to seek thy face,
Obedient to thy call,
To seek the presence of thy grace,
My strength, my life, my all.

II. All I can wish is thine to give;
My God, I ask thy love,
That greatest bliss I can receive,
That bliss of heav'n above.

III. In these dark scenes of pain and woe,
What can my spirit find?
No happiness can dwell below,
To fill th' immortal mind.

IV. To heav'n my restless heart aspires:
O for a quick'ning ray,
T' invigorate my faint desires,
And cheer the tiresome way.

V. The path to thy divine abode,
Through a wild desert lies;
A thousand snares beset the road,
A thousand terrors rise.

VI. Satan and sin unite their art,
To keep me from my Lord:
Dear Saviour, guard my trembling heart,
And guide me by thy word.

VII. Whene'er the tempting foe alarms,
Or spreads the fatal snare,
I'll fly to my Redeemer's arms,
For safety must be there.

VIII. My guardian, my almighty friend,
On thee, my soul would rest;
On thee alone, my hopes depend,
Be near, and I am blest.

Source: Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 1 #72