1 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.

2 If I have only known Thy fear,
And followed with a heart sincere
Thy drawing from above,
Now, now the farther grace bestow,
And let my sprinkled conscience know
Thy sweet forgiving love.

3 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 Thine inward witness live,
That antepast of heaven.

4 If now the witness were in me,
Would He not testify of thee,
In Jesus reconcil'd?
And should I not with faith draw nigh,
And boldly, Abba, Father, cry,
I know myself Thy child?

5 Ah! never let Thy servant rest,
Till, of my part in Christ possessed,
I on Thy mercy feed:
Unworthy of the crumbs that fall,
Yet raised by Him who died for all,
To eat the children's bread.

6 Whate'er obstructs Thy pardoning love,
Or sin, or righteousness, remove,
Thy glory to display;
My heart of unbelief convince,
And now absolve me from my sins,
And take them all away.