Early, my God, without delay

Early, my God, without delay,I haste to seek thy face,My thirsty spirit faints awayWithout thy cheering grace.

So pilgrims on the scorching sand,Beneath a burning sky,Long for a cooling stream at hand,And they must drink or die.

I've seen thy glory and thy powerThrough all thy temple shine:My God, repeat that heavenly hour,That vision so divine.

Not life itself, with all its joys,Can my best passions move,Or raise so high my cheerful voiceAs thy forgiving love.