My God! till I received thy stroke

The words

1. 1

   Stanza 1. My God! till I received thy stroke,How like a beast was I!So unaccustomed to the yoke,So backward to comply.

2. 2

   Stanza 2. With grief my just reproach I bear,Shame fills me at the thought;How frequent my rebellions were!What wickedness I wrought!

3. 3

   Stanza 3. Thy merciful restraint I scornedAnd left the pleasant road;Yet turn me, and I shall be turned,Thou art the Lord my God.

4. 4

   Stanza 4. Is Ephraim banished from my thoughts,Or vile in my esteem?No, saith the LORD, with all his faults,I shall remember him.

5. 5

   Stanza 5. Is he a dear and pleasant child?Yes, dear and pleasant still;Though sin his foolish heart beguiled,And he withstood my will.

6. 6

   Stanza 6. My sharp rebuke has laid him low,He seeks my face again;My pity kindles at his woe,He shall not seek in vain.

Olney Hymns (1779), Book 1, Hymn 68. William Cowper. Public domain. CCEL transcription with modernized spelling. www.praylock.com/olney-hymns/1-68