Too Many, Lord, Abuse Thy Grace

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Too many, Lord, abuse Thy grace

Author: William Cowper (1779)
Tune: MARTYRDOM (Wilson)
Published in 1 hymnal

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Representative Text

1. Too many, Lord, abuse Thy grace,
In this licentious day;
And while they boast they see Thy face,
They turn their own away.

2. Thy Book displays a gracious light
That can the blind restore;
But these are dazzled by the sight,
And blinded still the more.

3. The pardon, such presume upon,
They do not beg, but steal;
And when they plead it at Thy throne,
Oh! where’s the Spirit’s seal?

4. Was it for this, ye lawless tribe,
The dear Redeemer bled?
Is this the grace the saints imbibe
From Christ the living Head?

5. Ah, Lord, we know Thy chosen few
Are fed with heavenly fare;
But these, the wretched husks they chew
Proclaim them what they are.

6. The liberty our hearts implore
Is not to live in sin;
But still to wait at wisdom’s door,
Till mercy calls us in.

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Author: William Cowper

William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper"; b. Berkampstead, Hertfordshire, England, 1731; d. East Dereham, Norfolk, England, 1800) is regarded as one of the best early Romantic poets. To biographers he is also known as "mad Cowper." His literary talents produced some of the finest English hymn texts, but his chronic depression accounts for the somber tone of many of those texts. Educated to become an attorney, Cowper was called to the bar in 1754 but never practiced law. In 1763 he had the opportunity to become a clerk for the House of Lords, but the dread of the required public examination triggered his tendency to depression, and he attempted suicide. His subsequent hospitalization and friendship with Morley and Mary Unwin provided emotional st… Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	Too many, Lord, abuse Thy grace
Title:	Too Many, Lord, Abuse Thy Grace
Author:	William Cowper (1779)
Meter:	8.6.8.6
Source:	Olney Hymns (London: W. Oliver, 1779)
Language:	English
Notes:	Alternate tunes: BANGOR, William Tans’ur, 1734; DALEHURST, Arthur Cottman, 1874
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Tune

MARTYRDOM (Wilson)

MARTYRDOM was originally an eighteenth-century Scottish folk melody used for the ballad "Helen of Kirkconnel." Hugh Wilson (b. Fenwick, Ayrshire, Scotland, c. 1766; d. Duntocher, Scotland, 1824) adapted MARTYRDOM into a hymn tune in duple meter around 1800. A triple-meter version of the tune was fir…

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