---

William Cowper - Divine Justice Amiable
Work rating: Low

Thou hast no lightnings, O thou Just!
Or I their force should know;
And, if thou strike me into dust,
My soul approves the blow.
 
The heart, that values less its ease
Than it adores thy ways,
In thine avenging anger sees
A subject of its praise.
 
Pleased I could lie, concealed and lost,
In shades of central night;
Not to avoid thy wrath, thou know`st,
But lest I grieve thy sight.
 
Smite me, O thou, whom I provoke!
And I will love thee still:
The well deserved and righteous stroke
Shall please me, though it kill.
 
Am I not worthy to sustain
The worst thou canst devise;
And dare I seek thy throne again,
And meet thy sacred eyes?

Far from afflicting, thou art kind;
And, in my saddest hours,
An unction of thy grace I find,
Pervading all my powers.
 
Alas! thou sparest me yet again;
And, when thy wrath should move,
Too gentle to endure my pain,
Thou soothest me with thy love.
 
I have no punishment to fear;
But, ah! that smile from thee
Imparts a pang far more severe
Than woe itself would be.
Source
The script ran 0.001 seconds.