Cold Affections

Representative Text

I. Sure I must love the Saviour's name—
Or is the heav'n-born passion dead,
Extinguish'd the celestial flame,
And all my joys forever fled?

II. At the sweet mention of his love,
How should the sacred ardour rise!
And ev'ry thought, transported, move
In grateful joy, and glad surprise!

III. Jesus demands this heart of mine,
Demands my wish, my joy, my care;
But ah! how dead to things divine,
How cold my best affections are!

IV. What death-like lethargy detains
My captive pow'rs with fatal art,
And spreads its unrelenting chains
Heavy and cold, around my heart!

V. 'Tis sin, alas! with dreadful pow'r
Divides my Saviour from my sight;
O for one happy, shining hour
Of sacred freedom, sweet delight!

VI. See, dearest Lord, my wretched state,
And thy almighty pow'r employ;
To thee I seek, on thee I wait,
For life, and liberty, and joy.

VII. O let thy love shine forth, and raise
My captive pow'rs from sin and death;
And fill my heart and life with praise,
And tune my last expiring breath.

VIII. Then bear me to the blissful seats
Of perfect freedom, life and light,
Where thy redeem'd assembly meets,
To love and praise with full delight.

IX. There shall my thoughts transported trace,
And all my soul forever prove,
The boundless riches of thy grace,
The endless wonders of thy love.

Source: Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 1 #120

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Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	Sure I must love the Savior's name
Title:	Cold Affections
Author:	Anne Steele (1760)
Language:	English
Publication Date:	1760
Copyright:	This text is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before 1929.