Thou great mysterious God unknown,

Whose love hath gently led me on.

E'en from my infant days,

Mine inmost soul expose to view

And tell me, if I ever knew

Thy justifying grace.

If I have only known Thy fear,

And followed with a heart sincere

Thy drawings from above,

Now, now the further grace bestow,

And let my sprinkled conscience know

Thy sweet forgiving love.

Short of Thy love I would not stop,

A stranger to the gospel hope,

The sense of sin forgiven;

I would not, Lord, my soul deceive,

Without the inward witness live,

That antepast of heaven.

If now the Witness were in me,

Would He not testify of Thee

In Jesus reconciled?

And should I not with faith draw nigh,

And boldly Abba, Father! cry

And know myself Thy child?

Whate’er obstructs Thy pard’ning love,

Or sin or righteousness, remove,

Thy glory to display;

Mine heart of unbelief convince,

And now absolve me from my sins,

And take them all away.

Father, in me reveal Thy Son,

And to my inmost soul make known

How merciful Thou art

The secret of Thy love reveal,

And by Thine hall’wing Spirit dwell

For ever in my heart.