For thy mercy and thy grace

For thy mercy and thy grace. Henry Downton* (1818-1885). This hymn for New Year was written in 1841, and published in the Church of England Magazine in the year that Downton was ordained deacon (1843). It later appeared in his Hymns and Verses, Original and Translated (1873). It had seven stanzas, five of which were printed in the First Edition of A&M (1861). The omitted stanzas were 2 and 3: Lo, our sins on Thee we cast, Thee, our perfect Sacrifice: And, forgetting all the past, Press towards our glorious prize. Dark the future: let the light Guide us, Bright and Morning Star; Fierce our foes, and hard the fight: Arm us Saviour, for the war. A&M (1904) omitted...