Poems (Dodd)/A Prayer

For works with similar titles, see Prayer.
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A PRAYER.
O, Father! make my bosom right within;
Cleanse thou my spirit from all stain of sin;
Bid every dark temptation far depart;
Grant me the blessing of "the pure in heart."

I would still walk beneath thy watchful eye,
With an abiding sense that thou art nigh,
Noting my actions with a searching look,
Reading my thoughts as from an unsealed book.

If I have sought to wear a meek disguise,
E'en while I turned to vanity mine eyes;
If calm my brow, while waves of passion roll
Within the secret chambers of my soul;

Lord, at thy footstool bending low, I pray
That thou wilt wash my guilty thoughts away;
Thine own restoring influence impart,
And keep me now, and ever, pure in heart.

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