Approach, My Soul, The Mercy Seat

John Newton is a well-beloved hymn writer to many believers today. His famous hymn "Amazing Grace" is known world-wide, and his testimony of God's amazing grace in his own life has virtually gone viral.

In 1779 Newton, along with friend, William Cowper, published a hymnal for their church entitled The Olney Hymnal. In book 3 of that hymnal, a hymn with a sub-title, "The Effort" is listed, and has as its subject our approach to the mercy seat of God in prayer. May the words encourage your burdened soul today, and may we run to this mercy seat, to find the grace and help in our time of need.

You can find a PDF of this here.

Approach, my soul the mercy seat

Where Jesus answers prayer;

There humbly fall before his feet,

For none can perish there.

Thy promise is my only plea,

With this I venture nigh;

Thou callest burdened souls to thee,

And such, O Lord, am I.

Bowed down beneath a load of sin,

By Satan sorely pressed;

By war without, and fears within,

I come to thee for rest.

Be thou my shield and hiding-place!

That, sheltered near thy side,

I may my fierce accuser face,

And tell him, "Thou hast died."

Oh wondrous love! to bleed and die,

To bear the cross and shame;

That guilty sinners, such as I,

Might plead thy gracious name.

"Poor tempest-tossed soul, be still,

My promised grace receive;"

'Tis Jesus speaks - I must, I will,

I can, I do believe.