Absence from God

O Thou whose tender mercy hears

Author: Anne Steele
Published in 360 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 O Thou, whose tender mercy hears
Contrition's humble sigh,
Whose hand indulgent wipes the tears
From sorrow's weeping eye;

2 See, low before Thy throne of grace,
A wretched wanderer mourn;
Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face?
Hast Thou not said, return?

3 And shall my guilty fears prevail
To drive me from Thy feet?
O let not this dear refuge fail,
This only safe retreat!

4 O shine on this benighted heart,
With beams of mercy shine!
And let Thy healing voice impart
A taste of joys divine.

5 Thy presence only can bestow
Delights which never cloy:
Be this my solace here below,
And my eternal joy!

Source: International Song Service: with Bright Gems from fifty authors, for Sunday-schools, gospel meetings, missionary and young people's societies, prayer-meetings, etc. #288

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: O Thou whose tender mercy hears
Title: Absence from God
Author: Anne Steele
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

MARTYRDOM (Wilson)

MARTYRDOM was originally an eighteenth-century Scottish folk melody used for the ballad "Helen of Kirkconnel." Hugh Wilson (b. Fenwick, Ayrshire, Scotland, c. 1766; d. Duntocher, Scotland, 1824) adapted MARTYRDOM into a hymn tune in duple meter around 1800. A triple-meter version of the tune was fir…

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Timeline

Instances

Instances (301 - 360 of 360)
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The New Jubilee Harp #507

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The New Laudes Domini #648

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The New York Choralist #109

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The Plymouth Sabbath School Collection of Hymns and Tunes #94

The Praise #d204

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The Presbyterian Hymnal #402

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The Presbyterian Hymnal #402

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The Primitive Methodist Church Hymnal #279

The Providence Selection of Hymns, Supplementary to Dr. Watts. #d189

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The Psalmist #482

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The Psalmist #482

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The Psalmody #424

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The Psalmody #1192

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The Reformed Church Hymnal #171

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The Sabbath Hymn and Tune Book #251c

The Sabbath Hymn Book. Baptist ed. #d820

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The Sabbath School Lute #99

The Sabbath School Lyre #d117

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The Sabbath School Lyre #65

The Sabbath School Timbrel ... On the Same Notation as "The Timbrel of Zion" #d57

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The Sacred Lyre #60

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The Sanctuary Hymnal, published by Order of the General Conference of the United Brethren in Christ #305

The Service of Song for Baptist Churches #d698

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The Seventh-Day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book #585

The Social Harp #d232

The Social Harp. Rev. #d280

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The Social Psalmist #106

The South Western Psalmist #d286

TextAudioPage Scan

The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion (New ed. thoroughly rev. and much enl.) #290

The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion. New ed. #d87

The Southern Psalmist #d611

The Southern Psalmist #d637

The Southern Psalmist. New ed. #d639

The Southern Psalmist. New ed. #d668

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The Sweet Singer of Israel #177

The Tabernacle #d218

The Universalist Hymn Book #d352

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The Universalist Hymn-Book #215

The Vestry Hymn Book #d345

The Victory #d292

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The Virginia Selection of Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs #103

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The Voice of Praise #418

The Wesleyan Harp, a Collection of Hymns and Tunes Suitable for Social Worship. 1st ed. #d86

The Western Harp #d148

Union Hymns #d304

Union Hymns. Rev. #d295

Union Hymns. Rev. #d300

Union Prayer Meeting Hymns #d173

Union Prayer Meeting Hymns #d173

Village Hymns #87

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Village hymns for social worship, selected and original #87

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Village hymns for social worship, selected and original #87

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Village Hymns for Social Worship, Selected and Original #87

Virginia Selection of Psalms #d332

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Young Singer's Friend #236

Pages

Exclude 358 pre-1979 instances
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