Verse 1
God of unbounded patience, hear
An humble penitent sincere
Who at thy footstool fall,
My sins of ignorance confess,
Since first I tasted of thy grace,
And offer’d it to All.

Verse 2
A novice full of youthful fire,
I call’d them to the World’s Desire,
Who woud not One reject;
I preach’d his love to all mankind
Nor knew that mine was still confin’d
To my own narrow Sect.

Verse 3
Elate with controversial pride,
To janglings vain I tum’d aside,
And mercy show’d to none,
I did my fellow-servants smite,
In publishing their faults delight
But overlook’d my own.

Verse 4
Then, Lord, I had not learnt of Thee
To melt at man’s infirmity
To share the Sufferer’s sigh,
To pity Those that went astray,
And did not find the perfect way
Or know so much as I.

Verse 5
’Gainst every Sect I fiercely fought,
Unless with me they spake and thought;
Myself infallible
I scrupled not the Sons of Rome
As Satan’s Synagogue to doom
And send them all to hell.

Verse 6
The day of smaller things, the wise
To fear their Lord, I dared despise,
The Servants of my God
With Satan’s desperate slaves I join’d,
As those who coud no blessing find
Before they felt thy blood.

Verse 7
Their virtues, alms, accepted prayers,
Their well-meant deeds, and pious cares
As splendid sins I deem’d,
As filth their partial righteousness,
The work of thy Initial grace,
I impiously blasphem’d.

Verse 8
My strong partition-walls within,
I mock’d as “Advocates for sin”
Who saw not with my eyes,
As all but who my Plan allow’d,
Were, with the unbelieving croud,
Shut out of paradise.

Verse 9
But O! the depth of pardning love!
Thou dost the middle walls remove,
Detect the Serpent’s art,
Dost end the dark, Satanic hour,
And by th’ uniting Spirit’s power
Inlarge my wondring heart.

Verse 10
Inlighten’d by thy grace, I see,
The different Sects in One agree
Essentially the same,
Who love, or long to love their Lord,
And hope, believing in thy word,
Salvation thro’ thy Name.

Verse 11
The Men whoever hold the Head
And woud be by thy Spirit led,
And freely saved by grace,
To their own forms and modes I leave,
But Them with open arms receive
And cordially embrace.

Verse 12
With Those that do thy Father’s will
A closer fellowship I feel
Than nature’s dearest tie,
Whom neither life nor death can part
I have, I have them in my heart,
With Them to live, and die.