The Heart Healed and Changed by Mercy

I

Sin enslaved me many years,
  And led me bound and blind,
Till at length a thousand fears
  Came swarming o’er my mind.
Where, said I, in deep distress,
Will these sinful pleasures end?
How shall I secure my peace,
  And make the Lord my friend?

II

Friends and ministers said much,
  The gospel to enforce;
But my blindness still was such
  I chose a legal course:
Much I fasted, watch’d, and strove,
Scarce would show my face abroad,
Fear’d almost to speak or move,
  A stranger still to God.

III

Thus afraid to trust his grace,
  Long time did I rebel,
Till, despairing of my case,
  Down at his feet I fell:
Then my stubborn heart he broke,
And subdued me to his sway,
By a simple word he spoke,
  “Thy sins are done away.”