O Thou, the contrite sinner’s Friend,
Who loving, lov’st them to the end,
On this alone my hopes depend,
That Thou wilt plead for me.
When weary in the Christian race,
Far off appears my resting place,
And, fainting, I mistrust Thy grace,
Then, Savior, plead for me.
When I have erred and gone astray,
Afar from Thine and wisdom’s way,
And see no glimmering, guiding ray,
Still, Savior, plead for me.
When Satan, by my sins made bold,
Strives from Thy cross to loose my hold,
Then with Thy pitying arms infold,
And plead, O plead for me.
And when my dying hour draws near,
Darkened with anguish, guilt, and fear,
Then to my fainting sight appear,
Pleading in Heav’n for me.
When the full light of heavenly day
Reveals my sins in dread array,
Say Thou hast washed them all away;
O say, Thou plead’st for me!
Charlotte Elliott died this date, 9/22/1871, at Brighton, East Sussex, England. She is best known for her hymn “Just As I Am” (1836).
Born 3/18/1789at Clapham, Surrey, England, Charlottebecame an invalid somewhere between 30 and 33 years of age. What a waste? Ah, man sees not as God sees. She produced the above (O Thou, the Contrite Sinner’s Friend is one of her lesser known hymns) and some 150 others in those years of pain.
In addition to her hymns she is known to have had a “spiritual” correspondence with Henri A. C. Malan for around 40 years.