{"slug": "approach-my-soul-the-mercy-seat", "title": "Approach, My Soul, the Mercy Seat", "first_line": "Approach, my soul, the mercy seat", "author": "john-newton", "author_date": "1779", "foot": "iambic", "meter": {"pattern": [8, 6, 8, 6], "doubled": false, "refrain": false, "alleluia": false, "irregular": false}, "topics": ["Prayer", "Grace", "Penitence"], "provenance": {"layer": "text", "source": "cyberhymnal", "source_kind": "open_encoding", "pd_basis": "pub_pre_1931", "pd_evidence": "John Newton, \"Approach, my soul, the mercy seat,\" Olney Hymns (London: W. Oliver, 1779), Book 3, No. 12. Text from The Cyber Hymnal. All components pre-1931 (Newton d. 1807).", "pd_jurisdictions": {"US": true}}, "stanzas": {"1": {"syllabified": "Ap -- proach, my soul, the mer -- cy seat, Where Je -- sus an -- swers prayer; There hum -- bly fall be -- fore His feet, For none can per -- ish there.", "prose": ["Approach, my soul, the mercy seat,", "Where Jesus answers prayer;", "There humbly fall before His feet,", "For none can perish there."]}, "2": {"syllabified": "Thy prom -- ise is my on -- ly plea, With this I ven -- ture nigh; Thou call -- est bur -- dened souls to Thee, And such, O Lord, am I.", "prose": ["Thy promise is my only plea,", "With this I venture nigh;", "Thou callest burdened souls to Thee,", "And such, O Lord, am I."]}, "3": {"syllabified": "Bowed down be -- neath a load of sin, By Sa -- tan sore -- ly pressed, By war with -- out and fears with -- in, I come to Thee for rest.", "prose": ["Bowed down beneath a load of sin,", "By Satan sorely pressed,", "By war without and fears within,", "I come to Thee for rest."]}, "4": {"syllabified": "Be Thou my shield and hid -- ing place, That, shel -- tered by Thy side, I may my fierce ac -- cus -- er face, And tell him Thou hast died!", "prose": ["Be Thou my shield and hiding place,", "That, sheltered by Thy side,", "I may my fierce accuser face,", "And tell him Thou hast died!"]}, "5": {"syllabified": "O won -- drous love! to bleed and die, To bear the cross and shame, That guil -- ty sin -- ners, such as I, Might plead Thy gra -- cious name.", "prose": ["O wondrous love! to bleed and die,", "To bear the cross and shame,", "That guilty sinners, such as I,", "Might plead Thy gracious name."]}, "6": {"syllabified": "Poor tem -- pest toss -- \u00e8d soul, be still; My prom -- ised grace re -- ceive; 'Tis Je -- sus speaks\u2014 I must, I will, I can, I do be -- lieve.", "prose": ["Poor tempest toss\u00e8d soul, be still;", "My promised grace receive;", "'Tis Jesus speaks\u2014I must, I will,", "I can, I do believe."]}}, "license": "The hymn texts and tunes are in the public domain; per-layer provenance is recorded on each record."}