My God! My God! And Can It Be?

My God! my God! and can it be

That I should sin so light­ly now

And think no more of ev­il thoughts

Than of the wind that waves the bough?

I sin

and Heav’n and earth go round

As if no dread­ful deed were done;

As if Thy blood had nev­er flowed

To hin­der sin

or to atone.

I walk the earth with light­some step

Smile at the sun­shine

breathe the air

Do my own will

not ev­er heed

Gethsemane and Thy long pray­er.

Shall it be al­ways thus

O Lord?

Wilt Thou not work this hour in me

The grace of Thy Pass­ion mer­it­ed

Hatred of self

and love of Thee!

O by the pains of Thy pure love

Grant me the gift of ho­ly fear;

And by Thy woes and bloody sweat

Wash Thou my guil­ty con­science clear!

Ever when tempt­ed

make me see

Beneath the ol­ives’ moon pierced shade

My God

alone

out­stretched

and bruised

And bleed­ing

on the earth He made;

And make me feel it was my sin

As though no oth­er sins there were

That was to Him who bears the world

A load that He could scarce­ly bear.