SPEAK, Gracious Lord, oh, speak; thy servant hears: | |
| For I ’m thy servant and I ’ll still be so: | |
| Speak words of comfort in my willing ears; | |
| And since my tongue is in thy praises slow, | |
| And since that thine all Rhetoric exceeds: | 5 |
| Speak thou in words, but let me speak in deeds! | |
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| Nor speak alone, but give me grace to hear | |
| What thy celestial Sweetness does impart; | |
| Let in not stop when enter’d at the ear, | |
| But sink, and take deep rooting in my heart. | 10 |
| As the parch’d Earth drinks rain (but grace afford) | |
| With such a gust will I receive thy word. | |
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| Nor with the Israelites shall I desire | |
| Thy heav’nly word by Moses to receive, | |
| Lest I should die: but Thou who didst inspire | 15 |
| Moses himself, speak Thou, that I may live. | |
| Rather with Samuel I beseech with tears, | |
| Speak, gracious Lord, oh, speak, thy servant hears. | |
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| Moses, indeed, may say the words, but Thou | |
| Must give the Spirit, and the Life inspire; | 20 |
| Our Love to thee his fervent breath may blow, | |
| But ’t is thyself alone can give the fire: | |
| Thou without them may’st speak and profit too; | |
| But without thee what could the Prophets do? | |
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| They preach the Doctrine, but thou mak’st us do ’t; | 25 |
| They teach the myst’ries thou dost open lay; | |
| The trees they water, but thou giv’st the fruit; | |
| They to Salvation show the arduous way, | |
| But none but you can give us strength to walk; | |
| You give the Practice, they but give the Talk. | 30 |
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| Let them be silent then; and thou alone, | |
| My God! speak comfort to my ravish’d ears; | |
| Light of my eyes, my Consolation, | |
| Speak when thou wilt, for still thy servant hears. | |
| Whate’er thou speak’st, let this be understood: | 35 |
| Thy greater Glory, and my greater Good! | |
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