Ye earthly vanities, depart

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Ye earthly vanities, depart

Author: Anne Steele
Tune: XAVIER (51171)
Published in 17 hymnals

Representative Text

I. Ye earthly vanities depart,
Forever hence remove;
Jesus alone deserves my heart,
And ev'ry thought of love.

II. His heart, where love and pity dwelt
In all their softest forms,
Sustain'd the heavy load of guilt,
For lost rebellious worms:

III. His heart, whence love abundant flow'd
To wash the stains of sin,
In precious streams of vital blood—
Here, all my hopes begin.

IV. Can I my bleeding Saviour view,
And yet ungrateful prove,
And pierce his wounded heart anew,
And grieve his injur'd love?

V. Forbid it Lord, O bind this heart,
This rebel heart of mine,
So firm, that it may ne'er depart,
In chains of love divine.

Source: Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 1 #172

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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 >

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