1. Make me a captive, Lord,
  And then I shall be free;
  Force me to render up my sword,
  And I shall conq'ror be.
  I sink in life's alarms
  When by myself I stand,
  Imprison me within Thy arms,
  And strong shall be my hand.
2. My heart is weak and poor
  Until it master find:
  It has no spring of action sure,
  It varies with the wind;
  It cannot freely move
  Till Thou hast wrought its chain;
  Enslave it with Thy matchless love,
  And deathless it shall reign.
3. My power is faint and low
  Till I have learned to serve:
  It wants the needed fire to glow,
  It wants the breeze to nerve;
  It cannot drive the world
  Until itself be driven;
  Its flag can only be unfurled
  When Thou shalt breathe from heaven.
4. My will is not my own
  Till Thou hast made it Thine;
  If it would reach the monarch's throne
  It must its crown resign;
  It only stands unbent
  Amid the clashing strife.
  When on Thy bosom it has leant,
  And found in Thee its life.