For They Shall Obtain Mercy
It was an awful hour that gave
Thee, Lord, the strength to win
Unholy men up from the grave
Of darkness and of sin.
And is this all thou dost require
For thy forgiveness now—
That we to loftier bliss aspire
By doing even as thou?
Thou risest on our darksome earth,
Radiant of human light,
That men may see, recall their birth,
And claim its lofty right;
The right to pardon and to bless,
By service high to rule;
Upheld with wealth of tenderness
From God the pitiful.