STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

I would, but cannot sing The good that I would I do not

John Newton printed it in 1779 in Olney Hymns, Book I, no. 126, under Romans 7.

WRITTEN BY

John Newton 1725–1807

PRINTED

1779 Olney Hymns · no. 126

METRE

Short Metre 6.6.8.6 · 9 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Romans 7 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 9 stanzas as Newton printed them, with the verses their lines echo beside them. Point at a line to join it to its verse; click to read the passage.

SHARED WORDSthe verse shares the line's wording ECHOproposed by an AI model, confirmed by a separate check Not the author's own notes

AMONG THE SCRIPTURES

The stanzas at the centre; around them, every book its heading and its echoes come from, Old Testament on the left and New on the right. Choose a stanza or a book.

a line echoes this verse its heading or an echo comes from here

STANZA I

I would, but cannot sing

I would, but cannot sing,

Guilt has untuned my voice;

The serpent sin’s envenomed sting

Has poisoned all my joys.

No line of this stanza quotes a verse closely; it is the hymn's own confession.

Where Newton found it

Newton printed the hymn under Romans 7. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1Do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? 2For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress, even if she marries another man. 4Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. … 21 more verses ROMANS 7 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ ROMANS 7

I would, but cannot sing, Guilt has untuned my voice; The serpent sin’s envenomed sting Has poisoned all my joys. STANZA I

Its place in the book

Book I of Olney Hymns walks through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, one hymn per passage: 141 hymns. This is number 126. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 126 · JOHN NEWTON · THIS HYMN I would, but cannot sing

Rooted in Scripture. Open for discovery.

A place to read slowly, ask deeply, and follow the connections. Scripture, study and the voices of Christian history, brought together for a lifetime of learning.

SPEND TIME IN THE WORD

  • Open the reader
  • Books & reading progress
  • Compare Scripture editions
  • Find a passage

FOLLOW YOUR QUESTIONS

  • Study collections
  • People & places
  • Faith & apologetics
  • Stories of faith

A library with a paper trail.

Meet the authors. Explore the collection. Trace each work to its source.

Download the code.

Open source on GitHub.