Mercies, Lord, belong to Thee

Verse 1
Mercies, Lord, belong to Thee
Tho’ I have rebellious been,
O forgive the enmity,
O forget the cancel’d sin,
For thy mercies’ sake forgive
Bid thy pardon’d rebel live:

Verse 2
Live for deeper grief to cry
When thy smile my sorrow chears
Live at those dear feet to lie,
Live to wash them with my tears,
Live, to love, lament, and pray,
Live to weep my life away.

Verse 3
Blest with constant power to mourn,
Thus woud I my love express,
Till my glorious Lord’s return
Brings the joys that never cease,
Saves the penitent forgiven,
Dries up all these tears in heaven.

Hymnal/Album: This hymn was included in a manuscript titled “MS Hymns for Love.” This manuscript is held by the Methodist Archive and Research Centre of the John Rylands Library at The University of Manchester (accession number MA 1977/578, Charles Wesley Notebooks Box 3). Accessed through the website of The Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition, Duke Divinity School. Published in The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley, Collected and Arranged by G. Osborn, Vol. 8 (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Conference Office, 1870), page 362.
Publishing: Public Domain