Love Constraining To Obedience.

No strength of nature can suffice
To serve the Lord aright:
And what she has she misapplies,
For want of clearer light.


How long beneath the law I lay
In bondage and distress!
I toil’d the precept to obey,
But toil’d without success.


Then, to abstain from outward sin
Was more than I could do;
Now, if I feel its power within,
I feel I hate it too.


Then, all my servile works were done
A righteousness to raise;
Now, freely chosen in the Son,
I freely choose his ways.


“What shall I do,” was then the word,
“That I may worthier grow?”
“What shall I render to the Lord?”
Is my inquiry now.


To see the law by Christ fulfill’d,
And hear his pardoning voice,
Changes a slave into a child,[1]
And duty into choice.

William Cowper

William Cowper

William Cowper was an English poet and hymnodist known for his contributions to English literature and the Evangelical revival of the 18th century. He suffered from periods of severe depression and mental illness, which influenced much of his work. Despite his struggles, Cowper produced notable works including 'Olney Hymns' in collaboration with John Newton and 'The Task,' which gained considerable popularity. His poetry is often characterized by its introspective, religious, and sometimes melancholic themes.

William Cowper

English

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