{
 "id": "john-newton/oh-that-i-were-as-in-months-past",
 "title": "Oh That I Were as in Months Past!",
 "ordinal": "43",
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "John Newton",
 "poet_slug": "john-newton",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Olney Hymns",
 "book_slug": "olney-hymns",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 43,
 "container": "Book I On Select Texts of Scripture",
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1779,
  "venue": "Olney Hymns (1779)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_olney-hymns-in-three-bo_newton-john_1779",
   "https://cowperandnewtonmuseum.org.uk/bulletin/computerised-index-to-the-olney-hymns/",
   "https://archive.org/details/olneyhymnsinthre00cowpuoft"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/john-newton_william-cowper_olney-hymns",
  "file": "book-1.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Olney_Hymns_%281840%29",
   "https://archive.org/details/olneyhymnsinthre00cowpuoft"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-15"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 32,
  "n_stanzas": 8,
  "n_parts": 8,
  "longest_line_chars": 39,
  "max_indent": 1
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [
  {
   "ordinal": "I",
   "title": null,
   "stanza_range": [
    0,
    1
   ]
  },
  {
   "ordinal": "II",
   "title": null,
   "stanza_range": [
    1,
    2
   ]
  },
  {
   "ordinal": "III",
   "title": null,
   "stanza_range": [
    2,
    3
   ]
  },
  {
   "ordinal": "IV",
   "title": null,
   "stanza_range": [
    3,
    4
   ]
  },
  {
   "ordinal": "V",
   "title": null,
   "stanza_range": [
    4,
    5
   ]
  },
  {
   "ordinal": "VI",
   "title": null,
   "stanza_range": [
    5,
    6
   ]
  },
  {
   "ordinal": "VII",
   "title": null,
   "stanza_range": [
    6,
    7
   ]
  },
  {
   "ordinal": "VIII",
   "title": null,
   "stanza_range": [
    7,
    8
   ]
  }
 ],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "Sweet was the time when first I felt",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The Saviour’s pard’ning blood",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Applied, to cleanse my soul from guilt,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And bring me home to God.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Soon as the morn the light reveal’d,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "His praises tuned my tongue;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And when the evening shades prevail’d,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "His love was all my song:",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "In vain the tempter spread his wiles,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The world no more could charm;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "I lived upon my Saviour’s smiles,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And lean’d upon his arm.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "In pray’r my soul drew near the Lord,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And saw his glory shine;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And when I read his holy word",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I call’d each promise mine.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Then to his saints I often spoke",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of what his love hath done:",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "But now my heart is almost broke,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For all my joys are gone.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Now when the evening shade prevails,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "My soul in darkness mourns;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And when the morn the light reveals,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "No light to me returns.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "My pray’rs are now a chatt’ring noise,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For Jesus hides his face;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "I read, the promise meets my eyes,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But will not reach my case.",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Now Satan threatens to prevail,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And make my soul his prey;",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Yet, Lord, thy mercies cannot fail:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "O come without delay!",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ]
 ]
}