Dear center of my best soul's desires

Dear center of my best soul's desires

Author: Anne Steele
Published in 7 hymnals

Representative Text

I. Dear center of my best desires,
And sov'reign of my heart,
What sweet delight thy name inspires!
What bliss thy smiles impart!

II. Jesus—O loveliest, dearest name!
And wilt thou condescend
To own the bold, yet humble claim,
My everlasting friend?

III. Too oft, alas, my passions rove,
In search of meaner charms;
Trifles unworthy of my love
Divide me from thy arms.

IV. Ye teazing vanities depart,
I seek my absent Lord;
No balm to ease my aking heart,
Can all your joys afford.

V. Come, dearest Lord, with pow'r divine,
And drive thy foes away;
O be my heart, my passions thine,
And never, never stray.

Source: Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 1 #163

Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Dear center of my best soul's desires
Author: Anne Steele
Copyright: Public Domain

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Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 1 #163

Page Scan

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Page Scan

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