Gadsby's Hymnal
#1 C.M. Isaac Watts
The Infinity of God. Ps. 147. 5; Heb. 4. 13
1 Great God! how infinite art thou!
What worthless worms are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow,
And pay their praise to thee!
2 Thy throne eternal ages stood,
Ere seas or stars were made;
Thou art the ever-living God,
Were all the nations dead.
3 [Nature and time quite naked lie
To thy immense survey,
From the formation of the sky,
To the great burning day.]
4 Eternity, with all its years,
Stands present in thy view;
To thee there’s nothing old appears –
Great God! there’s nothing new!
5 Our lives through various scenes are drawn,
And vexed with trifling cares,
While thy eternal thought moves on
Thy undisturbed affairs.
6 Great God! how infinite art thou!
What worthless worms are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow,
And pay their praise to thee!
2 C.M. Isaac Watts
The Eternity of God. Ps. 90. 2; Lam. 5. 19; Hab. 1. 12
1 Lord, raise my soul above the ground,
And draw my thoughts to thee;
Teach me, with sweet and solemn sound,
To praise the eternal Three.
2 Long ere the lofty skies were spread,
Jehovah filled his throne;
Or Adam formed, or angels made,
The Maker lived alone.
3 His boundless years can ne’er decrease,
But still maintain their prime;
Eternity’s his dwelling-place,
And ever is his time.
4 While like a tide our minutes flow,
The present and the past,
He fills his own immortal NOW,
And sees our ages waste.
5 The sea and sky must perish too,
And vast destruction come!
The creatures! look how old they grow,
And wait their fiery doom.
6 Well; let the sea shrink all away,
And flame melt down the skies,
My God shall live an endless day
When the old creation dies.
3 L.M. R. Burnham
The Power of God. Exod. 15. 6; Ps. 62. 11
1 God is my everlasting King;
God is my Strength, and I will sing;
His power upholds my feeble frame,
And I’m victorious through his name.
2 Devils retreat when he appears;
Then I arise above my fears,
And every fiery dart repel,
And vanquish all the force of hell.
3 Through the Redeemer’s precious blood,
I feel the mighty power of God;
Through the rich aid divinely given,
I rise from earth, and soar to heaven.
4 [Dear Lord, thy weaker saints inspire,
And fill them with celestial fire;
On thy kind arm may they rely,
And all their foes shall surely fly.]
5 Now, Lord, thy wondrous power exert,
And every ransomed soul support;
Give us fresh strength to wing our way
To regions of eternal day.
6 [There may we praise the great I AM,
And shout the victories of the Lamb;
Raise every chorus to his blood,
And triumph in the power of God.]
4 C.M. Isaac Watts
The Sovereignty of God. Job. 23. 13; Rom. 9. 15-18
1 Keep silence all created things,
And wait your Maker’s nod;
My soul stands trembling while she sings
The honours of her God.
2 Life, death, and hell, and worlds unknown,
Hang on his firm decree;
He sits on no precarious throne,
Nor borrows leave TO BE.
3 Chained to his throne a volume lies,
With all the fates of men,
With every angel’s form and size,
Drawn by the eternal pen.
4 His providence unfolds the book,
And makes his counsels shine;
Each opening leaf, and every stroke,
Fulfils some deep design.
5 Here he exalts neglected worms
To sceptres and a crown;
And there the following page he turns,
And treads the monarch down.
6 [Not Gabriel asks the reason why,
Nor God the reason gives;
Nor dares the favourite angel pry
Between the folded leaves.]
7 My God, I would not long to see
My fate with curious eyes;
What gloomy lines are writ for me,
Or what bright scenes may rise.
8 In thy fair book of life and grace,
O may I find my name
Recorded in some humble place,
Beneath my Lord the Lamb.
5 C.M. Isaac Watts
The Wisdom of God. 1 Cor. 1. 24; Eph. 3. 9-11
1 The Lord, descending from above,
Invites his children near,
While power, and truth, and boundless love
Display their glories here.
2 Here, in thy gospel’s wondrous frame,
Fresh wisdom we pursue;
A thousand angels learn thy name,
Beyond whate’er they knew.
3 Thy name is writ in fairest lines;
Thy wonders here we trace;
Wisdom through all the mystery shines,
And shines in Jesus’ face.
4 The law its best obedience owes
To our incarnate God;
And thy revenging justice shows
Its honours in his blood.
5 But still the lustre of thy grace
Our warmer thoughts employs;
Gilds the whole scene with brighter rays,
And more exalts our joys.
6 L.M. B. Beddome
The Wisdom and Knowledge of God. Ps. 139
1 God’s ways are just, his counsels wise;
No darkness can prevent his eyes;
No thought can fly, nor thing can move,
Unknown to him that sits above.
2 He in the thickest darkness dwells;
Performs his works, the cause conceals;
But though his methods are unknown,
Judgment and truth support his throne.
3 In heaven, and earth, and air, and seas,
He executes his firm decrees;
And by his saints it stands confessed,
That what he does is ever best.
4 Wait, then, my soul, submissive wait,
Prostrate before his awful seat;
And, ‘midst the terrors of his rod,
Trust in a wise and gracious God.
7 C.M. Samuel Medley
The Wisdom and Goodness of God. Exod. 34. 6
1 God shall alone the refuge be,
And comfort of my mind;
Too wise to be mistaken, He,
Too good to be unkind.
2 In all his holy, sovereign will,
He is, I daily find,
Too wise to be mistaken, still
Too good to be unkind.
3 [When I the tempter’s rage endure,
’Tis God supports my mind;
Too wise to be mistaken, sure,
Too good to be unkind.]
4 [When sore afflictions on me lie,
He is (though I am blind)
Too wise to be mistaken, yea,
Too good to be unkind.]
5 What though I can’t his goings see,
Nor all his footsteps find?
Too wise to be mistaken, He,
Too good to be unkind.
6 Hereafter he will make me know,
And I shall surely find,
He was too wise to err, and O,
Too good to be unkind.
8 L.M. B. Beddome
The Justice and Goodness of God. Deut. 32. 4
1 Great God! my Maker and my King,
Of thee I’ll speak, of thee I’ll sing;
All thou hast done, and all thou dost,
Declare thee good, proclaim thee just.
2 Thy ancient thoughts and firm decrees;
Thy threatenings and thy promises;
The joys of heaven, the pains of hell –
What angels taste, what devils feel;
3 Thy terrors and thy acts of grace;
Thy threatening rod, and smiling face;
Thy wounding and thy healing word;
A world undone, a world restored;
4 While these excite my fear and joy,
While these my tuneful lips employ,
Accept, O Lord, the humble song,
The tribute of a trembling tongue.
9 L.M. Samuel Medley
The Loving-Kindness of God. Ps. 36. 7
1 Awake, my soul, in joyful lays,
And sing thy great Redeemer’s praise;
He justly claims a song from me;
His loving-kindness, O how free!
2 He saw me ruined in the fall,
Yet loved me notwithstanding all;
He saved me from my lost estate;
His loving-kindness, O how great!
3 [Though numerous hosts of mighty foes,
Though earth and hell my way oppose,
He safely leads my soul along;
His loving-kindness, O how strong!]
4 [When trouble, like a gloomy cloud,
Has gathered thick and thundered loud,
He near my soul has always stood;
His loving-kindness, O how good!]
5 Often I feel my sinful heart
Prone from my Saviour to depart;
But though I have him oft forgot,
His loving-kindness changes not!
6 Soon shall I pass the gloomy vale;
Soon all my mortal powers must fail;
O may my last expiring breath
His loving-kindness sing in death!
7 Then let me mount and soar away
To the bright world of endless day,
And sing with rapture and surprise,
His loving-kindness in the skies.
10 L.M. J. Kent
The Everlasting Love of God. Jer. 31. 3; Eph. 2. 4, 5
1 ’Twas with an everlasting love
That God his own elect embraced;
Before he made the worlds above,
Or earth on her huge columns placed.
2 Long ere the sun’s refulgent ray
Primeval shades of darkness drove,
They on his sacred bosom lay,
Loved with an everlasting love.
3 Then in the glass of his decrees,
Christ and his bride appeared as one;
Her sin, by imputation, his,
Whilst she in spotless splendour shone.
4 O love, how high thy glories swell!
How great, immutable, and free!
Ten thousand sins, as black as hell,
Are swallowed up, O love, in thee!
5 [Loved, when a wretch defiled with sin,
At war with heaven, in league with hell,
A slave to every lust obscene;
Who, living, lived but to rebel.]
6 Believer, here thy comfort stands –
From first to last salvation’s free,
And everlasting love demands
An everlasting song from thee.
11 11s J. Stocker
Singing of Mercy. Ps. 89. 1; Rom. 15. 9
Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue;
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Has won my affections, and bound my soul fast.
2
Thy mercy, in Jesus, exempts me from hell;
Its glories I’ll sing, and its wonders I’ll tell;
’Twas Jesus, my Friend, when he hung on the tree,
Who opened the channel of mercy for me.
3
[Without thy sweet mercy I could not live here;
Sin soon would reduce me to utter despair;
But, through thy free goodness, my spirits revive,
And he that first made me still keeps me alive.]
4
[Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;
Dissolved by thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I found.]
5
The door of thy mercy stands open all day,
To the poor and the needy, who knock by the way.
No sinner shall ever be empty sent back,
Who comes seeking mercy for Jesus’s sake.
6
Great Father of mercies, thy goodness I own,
And the covenant love of thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit, whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.
12 8s R. Burnham
The All-Sufficient Mercy of God. Ps. 89. 28
1 All glory to mercy we bring,
The mercy that reigns evermore,
The infinite mercy we sing,
The mercy eternal adore.
2 The mercy converting we prize;
In mercy forgiving delight;
For conquering mercy we rise,
We rise and triumphantly fight.
3 [And when we are wounded by sin,
And scarcely a prayer can repeat,
The mercy that heals us again,
Is mercy transportingly sweet.]
4 What though in the furnace we fall,
Free mercy the Saviour proclaims;
Free mercy in Jesus we call,
And glorify God in the flames.
5 For mercy upholding we pray;
For mercy confirming aspire;
And mercy will bear us away
To God and the glorified choir.
13 C.M. J. Hart
The Everlasting Mercy of God. Ps. 136; 100. 5
1 God’s mercy is for ever sure;
Eternal is his name;
As long as life and speech endure,
My tongue this truth proclaim.
2 I basely sinned against his love,
And yet my God was good;
His favour nothing could remove,
For I was bought with blood.
3 [That precious blood atones all sin,
And fully clears from guilt;
It makes the foulest sinner clean,
For ’twas for sinners spilt.]
4 He raised me from the lowest state,
When hell was my desert;
I broke his law, and, worse than that,
Alas! I broke his heart!
5 My soul, thou hast, let what will ail,
A never-changing Friend;
When brethren, friends, and helpers fail,
On him alone depend.
14 C.M. Isaac Watts
Faithfulness of God. Numb. 23. 19; Ps. 89. 1-8
1 Begin, my tongue, some heavenly theme,
And speak some boundless thing;
The mighty works, or mightier name,
Of our eternal King.
2 Tell of his wondrous faithfulness,
And sound his power abroad;
Sing the sweet promise of his grace,
And the performing God.
3 Proclaim, “Salvation from the Lord,
For wretched dying men”;
His hand has writ the sacred word
With an immortal pen.
4 [Engraved as in eternal brass,
The mighty promise shines;
Nor can the powers of darkness rase
Those everlasting lines.]
5 He that can dash whole worlds to death,
And make them when he please,
He speaks, and that almighty breath
Fulfils his great decrees.
6 His every word of grace is strong
As that which built the skies;
The voice that rolls the stars along
Speaks all the promises.
15 C.M. Isaac Watts & J. Needham
The Holiness of God. Ps. 111. 9; 145. 17
1 How shall I praise the eternal God,
That infinite Unknown?
Who can ascend his high abode,
Or venture near his throne?
2 Heaven’s brightest lamps, with him compared,
How mean they look, and dim!
The holy angels have no spots,
Yet can’t compare with him.
3 Holy is he in all his works,
And truth is his delight;
But sinners, and their wicked ways,
Shall perish from his sight.
4 None but his favourites may draw near,
Who stand in Christ complete;
Those holy ones shall all appear
And worship at his feet.
5 In Jesus’ image shining bright
With rapture they adore
The holy, holy, holy Lord,
In glory evermore.
16 C.M. R. Burnham
Holiness. Lev. 19. 2; 1 Sam. 2. 2; Heb. 12. 14
1 The Father is a holy God;
His holy Son he gave;
Who freely shed atoning blood,
A guilty world to save.
2 The Spirit brings the chosen race,
A holy Christ to view;
And while by faith they see his face,
Their souls grow holy too.
3 In holiness the saints delight,
While here on earth they dwell;
By faith they wrestle day and night,
More holiness to feel.
4 The Holy Spirit leads them on,
His holy truth to know;
Inscribes his laws in every son,
And works obedience too.
5 He makes them feel the cleansing grace,
That flows through Jesus’ blood;
Unites in love the holy race –
The new-born sons of God.
17 L.M. W. Tucker
Harmony of the Perfections of God. Rom. 3. 26
1 O Love, beyond conception great,
That formed the vast stupendous plan,
Where all divine perfections meet,
To reconcile rebellious man.
2 There wisdom shines in fullest blaze
And justice all her rights maintains;
Astonished angels stoop to gaze,
While mercy o’er the guilty reigns.
3 Yes, mercy reigns, and justice too;
In Christ they both harmonious meet;
He paid to justice all its due,
And now he fills the mercy-seat.
4 Such are the wonders of our God,
And the amazing depths of grace,
To save from wrath’s vindictive rod,
The chosen sons of Adam’s race.
18 L.M. Isaac Watts
Glory and Grace in the Person of Christ. 2 Cor. 4. 6
1 Now to the Lord a noble song!
Awake, my soul; awake, my tongue!
Hosanna to the eternal name,
And all his boundless love proclaim!
2 See where it shines in Jesus’ face,
The brightest image of his grace!
God, in the person of his Son,
Has all his mightiest works outdone.
3 The spacious earth and spreading flood
Proclaim the wise, the powerful God;
And thy rich glories from afar
Sparkle in every rolling star.
4 But in his looks a glory stands,
The noblest labour of thy hands;
The pleasing lustre of his eyes
Outshines the wonders of the skies.
5 [Grace! ’tis a sweet, a charming theme!
My thoughts rejoice at Jesus’ name!
Ye angels, dwell upon the sound!
Ye heavens, reflect it to the ground!]
6 O may I live to reach the place
Where he unveils his lovely face,
Where all his beauties you behold,
And sing his name to harps of gold!
19 C.M. Isaac Watts
A New Song to the Lamb that was Slain. Rev. 5. 6-12
1 Behold the glories of the Lamb,
Amidst his Father’s throne;
Prepare new honours for his name,
And songs before unknown.
2 Let elders worship at his feet;
The church adore around;
With vials full of odours sweet,
And harps of sweeter sound.
3 Those are the prayers of the saints,
And these the hymns they raise –
Jesus is kind to our complaints,
He loves to hear our praise.
4 [Eternal Father, who shall look
Into thy secret will?
Who but the Son shall take that book,
And open every seal?
5 He shall fulfil thy great decrees;
The Son deserves it well;
Lo! in his hands the sovereign keys
Of heaven, and death, and hell.]
6 Now to the Lamb that once was slain,
Be endless blessings paid;
Salvation, glory, joy remain
For ever on thy head.
7 Thou hast redeemed our souls with blood,
Hast set the prisoners free,
Hast made us kings and priests to God,
And we shall reign with thee.
8 The worlds of nature and of grace
Are put beneath thy power;
Then shorten these delaying days,
And bring the promised hour.
20 L.M. Isaac Watts
Deity and Humanity of Christ. Col. 1. 16; 1 Tim. 3. 16
1 Ere the blue heavens were stretched abroad,
From everlasting was the Word;
With God he was; the Word was God;
And must divinely be adored.
2 By his own power were all things made;
By him supported all things stand;
He is the whole creation’s Head,
And angels fly at his command.
3 [Ere sin was born, or Satan fell,
He led the host of morning stars;
(Thy generation who can tell,
Or count the number of thy years?)]
4 But lo! he leaves those heavenly forms;
The Word descends and dwells in clay,
That he may hold converse with worms,
Dressed in such feeble flesh as they.
5 Mortals with joy behold his face,
The eternal Father’s only Son;
How full of truth! how full of grace!
When through his eyes the Godhead shone.
6 Blest angels leave their high abode,
To learn new mysteries here, and tell
The loves of our descending God,
The glories of Immanuel.
21 L.M. Isaac Watts
A Description of Christ, the Beloved. Song. 5. 9-16
1 The wondering world inquires to know
Why I should love my Jesus so;
“What are his charms,” say they, “above
The objects of a mortal love?”
2 Yes, my Beloved to my sight
Shows a sweet mixture, red and white:
All human beauties, all divine,
In my Beloved meet and shine.
3 White is his soul, from blemish free;
Red with the blood he shed for me;
The fairest of ten thousand fairs;
A sun amongst ten thousand stars.
4 [His head the finest gold excels;
There wisdom in perfection dwells;
And glory, like a crown, adorns
Those temples once beset with thorns.
5 Compassions in his heart are found,
Hard by the signals of his wound;
His sacred side no more shall bear
The cruel scourge, the piercing spear.]
6 [His hands are fairer to behold
Than diamonds, set in rings of gold;
Those heavenly hands that on the tree
Were nailed, and torn, and bled for me.]
7 [Though once he bowed his feeble knees,
Loaded with sins and agonies,
Now on the throne of his command,
His legs like marble pillars stand.]
8 [His eyes are majesty and love,
The eagle tempered with the dove;
No more shall trickling sorrows roll
Through those dear windows of his soul.]
9 [His mouth, that poured out long complaints,
Now smiles, and cheers his fainting saints;
His countenance more graceful is
Than Lebanon, with all its trees.]
10 All over glorious is my Lord;
Must be beloved, and yet adored;
His worth if all the nations knew,
Sure the whole world would love him too!
22 L.M. Isaac Watts
Christ Dwells in Heaven, but Visits on Earth. Song. 6. 1
1 When mourners stand and hear me tell
What beauties in my Saviour dwell,
Where he is gone they fain would know,
That they may seek and love him too.
2 My best Beloved keeps his throne
On hills of light, in worlds unknown;
But he descends and shows his face
In the young gardens of his grace.
3 [In vineyards, planted by his hand,
Where fruitful trees in order stand,
He feeds among the spicy beds,
Where lilies show their spotless heads.]
4 He has engrossed my warmest love;
No earthly charms my soul can move;
I have a mansion in his heart,
Nor death nor hell shall make us part.
5 [He takes my soul, ere I’m aware,
And shows me where his glories are;
No chariots of Amminadib
The heavenly rapture can describe.]
6 O may my spirit daily rise
On wings of faith above the skies;
Till death shall make my last remove,
To dwell for ever with my Love.
23 C.M. J. Hart
Christ Very God and Man. John 1. 29; Isa. 9. 6
1 A Man there is, a real Man,
With wounds still gaping wide,
From which rich streams of blood once ran,
In hands, and feet, and side.
2 [’Tis no wild fancy of our brains,
No metaphor we speak;
The same dear Man in heaven now reigns
That suffered for our sake.]
3 This wondrous Man of whom we tell,
Is true Almighty God;
He bought our souls from death and hell;
The price, his own heart’s blood.
4 That human heart he still retains,
Though throned in highest bliss;
And feels each tempted member’s pains;
For our affliction’s his.
5 Come, then, repenting sinner, come;
Approach with humble faith;
Owe what thou wilt, the total sum
Is cancelled by his death.
6 His blood can cleanse the blackest soul,
And wash our guilt away;
He will present us sound and whole,
In that tremendous day.
24 C.M. Isaac Watts
The Witnessing and Sealing Spirit. Rom. 8. 14, 16
1 Why should the children of a King
Go mourning all their days?
Great Comforter! descend and bring
Some tokens of thy grace.
2 Dost thou not dwell in all the saints,
And seal them heirs of heaven?
When wilt thou banish my complaints,
And show my sins forgiven?
3 Assure my conscience of her part
In the Redeemer’s blood;
And bear thy witness with my heart,
That I am born of God.
4 Thou art the earnest of his love,
The pledge of joys to come;
And thy soft wings, celestial Dove,
Will safe convey me home.
25 C.M. Isaac Watts
Breathing after the Holy Spirit. Ps. 44. 25, 26
1 Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With thy all-quickening powers;
Kindle a flame of sacred love
In these cold hearts of ours.
2 Look how we grovel here below,
Fond of these trifling toys;
Our souls can neither fly nor go,
To reach eternal joys.
3 In vain we tune our formal songs,
In vain we strive to rise;
Hosannas languish on our tongues,
And our devotion dies.
4 Dear Lord, and shall we ever live
At this poor dying rate?
Our love so faint, so cold to thee,
And thine to us so great?
5 Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With thy all-quickening powers;
Come shed abroad a Saviour’s love,
And that shall kindle ours.
26 L.M. Isaac Watts
The Operations of the Holy Spirit. Zech. 4. 6
1 Eternal Spirit, we confess
And sing the wonders of thy grace;
Thy power conveys our blessings down
From God the Father and the Son.
2 Enlightened by thy heavenly ray,
Our shades and darkness turn to day;
Thy inward teachings make us know
Our danger and our refuge too.
3 Thy power and glory work within,
And break the chains of reigning sin;
Do our imperious lusts subdue,
And guide our roving feet anew.
4 The troubled conscience knows thy voice;
Thy cheering words awake our joys;
Thy words allay the stormy wind,
And calm the surges of the mind.
27 S.M. J. Hart
To the Holy Ghost. Luke 11. 13; John 14. 26; 15. 26
1 Come, Holy Spirit, come;
Let thy bright beams arise;
Dispel the darkness from our minds,
And open all our eyes.
2 [Cheer our desponding hearts,
Thou heavenly Paraclete;
Give us to lie, with humble hope,
At our Redeemer’s feet.]
3 Revive our drooping faith;
Our doubts and fears remove;
And kindle in our breasts the flames
Of never-dying love.
4 Convince us of our sin,
Then lead to Jesus’ blood;
And to our wondering view reveal
The secret love of God.
5 [Show us that loving Man
That rules the courts of bliss,
The Lord of Hosts, the Mighty God,
The eternal Prince of Peace.]
6 [’Tis thine to cleanse the heart,
To sanctify the soul,
To pour fresh life on every part,
And new-create the whole.]
7 If thou, celestial Dove,
Thy influence withdraw,
What easy victims soon we fall
To conscience, wrath, and law!
8 [No longer burns our love;
Our faith and patience fail;
Our sin revives, and death and hell
Our feeble souls assail.]
9 Dwell, therefore, in our hearts;
Our minds from bondage free;
Then shall we know, and praise, and love
The Father, Son, and Thee.
28 C.M. J. Hart
“It is the Spirit that quickeneth.” John 6. 63; 14. 16
1 Blest Spirit of truth, eternal God,
Thou meek and lowly Dove,
Who fill’st the soul through Jesus’ blood,
With faith, and hope, and love;
2 Who comfortest the heavy heart,
By sin and sorrow pressed;
Who to the dead canst life impart,
And to the weary rest;
3 [Thy sweet communion charms the soul,
And gives true peace and joy,
Which Satan’s power cannot control,
Nor all his wiles destroy;]
4 Come from the blissful realms above;
Our longing breasts inspire
With thy soft flames of heavenly love,
And fan the sacred fire.
5 [Let no false comfort lift us up
To confidence that’s vain;
Nor let their faith and courage droop,
For whom the Lamb was slain.]
6 Breathe comfort where distress abounds,
Make the whole conscience clean,
And heal, with balm from Jesus’ wounds,
The festering sores of sin.
7 Vanquish our lust, our pride remove,
Take out the heart of stone;
Show us the Father’s boundless love,
And merits of the Son.
8 The Father sent the Son to die;
The willing Son obeyed;
The witness thou, to ratify
The purchase Christ has made.
29 8.8.6. J. Hart
Led by the Spirit. Ezek. 37. 5, 9; John 16. 14
1 Descend from heaven, celestial Dove,
With flames of pure seraphic love
Our ravished breasts inspire;
Fountain of joy, blest Paraclete,
Warm our cold hearts with heavenly heat,
And set our souls on fire.
2 Breathe on these bones, so dry and dead;
Thy sweetest, softest influence shed
In all our hearts abroad;
Point out the place where grace abounds;
Direct us to the bleeding wounds
Of our incarnate God.
3 Conduct, blest Guide, thy sinner-train
To Calvary, where the Lamb was slain,
And with us there abide;
Let us our loved Redeemer meet,
Weep o’er his piercèd hands and feet,
And view his wounded side.
4 [From which pure fountain if thou draw
Water to quench the fiery law,
And blood to purge our sin;
We’ll tell the Father in that day,
(And thou shalt witness what we say),
“We’re clean, just God, we’re clean.”]
5 Teach us for what to pray, and how;
And since, kind God, ’tis only thou
The throne of grace canst move,
Pray thou for us, that we, through faith,
May feel the effects of Jesus’ death,
Through faith, that works by love.
6 [Thou, with the Father and the Son,
Art that mysterious Three-in-One,
God blest for evermore!
Whom though we cannot comprehend,
Feeling thou art the sinner’s Friend,
We love thee and adore.]
30 C.M. J. Hart
The Fruit of the Spirit. Acts 2. 3; Gal. 5. 22; Eph. 5. 9
1 The soul that with sincere desires
Seeks after Jesus’ love,
That soul the Holy Ghost inspires
With breathings from above.
2 [Not every one in like degree
The Spirit of God receives;
The Christian often cannot see
His faith, and yet believes.
3 So gentle sometimes is the flame,
That, if we take not heed,
We may unkindly quench the same,
We may, my friends, indeed.]
4 Blest God! that once in fiery tongues
Cam’st down in open view,
Come, visit every heart that longs
To entertain thee too.
5 [And though not like a mighty wind,
Nor with a rushing noise,
May we thy calmer comforts find,
And hear thy still small voice.]
6 Not for the gift of tongues we pray,
Nor power the sick to heal;
Give wisdom to direct our way,
And strength to do thy will.
7 We pray to be renewed within,
And reconciled to God;
To have our conscience washed from sin
In the Redeemer’s blood.
8 We pray to have our faith increased,
And O, celestial Dove!
We pray to be completely blessed
With that rich blessing, love.
31 C.M. J. Hart
“The kingdom of God is ... in power.” 1 Cor. 4. 20
1 A form of words, though e’er so sound,
Can never save a soul;
The Holy Ghost must give the wound,
And make the wounded whole.
2 Though God’s election is a truth,
Small comfort there I see,
Till I am told by God’s own mouth,
That he has chosen me.
3 [Sinners, I read, are justified,
By faith in Jesus’ blood;
But when to me that blood’s applied,
’Tis then it does me good.]
4 [To perseverance I agree;
The thing to me is clear;
Because the Lord has promised me
That I shall persevere.]
5 [Imputed righteousness I own
A doctrine most divine;
For Jesus to my heart makes known
That all his merit’s mine.]
6 That Christ is God I can avouch,
And for his people cares,
Since I have prayed to him as such,
And he has heard my prayers.
7 That sinners black as hell, by Christ
Are saved, I know full well;
For I his mercy have not missed,
And I am black as hell.
8 Thus, Christians glorify the Lord,
His Spirit joins with ours
In bearing witness to his word,
With all its saving powers.
32 C.M. J. Hart
“He shall not speak of himself.” John 16. 13; 15. 26
1 Whatever prompts the soul to pride,
Or gives us room to boast,
Except in Jesus crucified,
Is not the Holy Ghost.
2 That blessed Spirit omits to speak
Of what himself has done,
And bids the enlightened sinner seek
Salvation in the Son.
3 He never moves a man to say,
“Thank God, I’m made so good,”
But turns his eye another way,
To Jesus and his blood.
4 Great are the graces he confers,
But all in Jesus’ name;
He gladly dictates, gladly hears,
“Salvation to the Lamb.”
33 L.M. Isaac Watts
Praise to the Ever-blessed Trinity. Col. 2. 2; Rev. 11. 17
1 Blest be the Father and his love,
To whose celestial source we owe
Rivers of endless joy above,
And rills of comfort here below.
2 Glory to thee, great Son of God,
From whose dear wounded body rolls
A precious stream of vital blood,
Pardon and life for dying souls.
3 We give thee, sacred Spirit, praise,
Who in our hearts of sin and woe
Makes living springs of grace arise,
And into boundless glory flow.
4 Thus God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit we adore;
That sea of life and love unknown,
Without a bottom or a shore.
34 L.M. J. Hart
Love of and praise to the blessed Trinity. Tit. 3. 4-6
1 To comprehend the great THREE-ONE,
Is more than highest angels can;
Or what the Trinity has done
From death and hell to ransom man.
2 But all true Christians this may boast,
(A truth from nature never learned),
That Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
To save our souls are all concerned.
3 [The Father’s love in this we find,
He made his Son our sacrifice;
The Son in love his life resigned;
The Spirit of love his blood applies.]
4 Thus we the Trinity can praise
In Unity through Christ our King;
Our grateful hearts and voices raise
In faith and love, while thus we sing:
5 Glory to God the Father be,
Because he sent his Son to die;
Glory to God the Son, that he
Did with such willingness comply;
6 Glory to God the Holy Ghost,
Who to our hearts this love reveals;
Thus God Three-One, to sinners lost
Salvation sends, procures, and seals.
35 6.4. C. Wesley
Praise to Father, Son and Spirit. Ps. 9. 11; 27. 6
1 Come, thou almighty King,
Help us thy name to sing;
Help us to praise:
Father all glorious,
O’er all victorious,
Come and reign over us,
Ancient of Days!
2 Jesus, our Lord, arise,
Scatter our enemies,
And make them fall!
Let thy almighty aid
Our sure defence be made,
Our souls on thee be stayed;
Lord, hear our call!
3 Come, thou Incarnate Word,
Gird on thy mighty sword;
Our prayers attend;
Come, and thy people bless,
And give thy word success;
Spirit of holiness,
On us descend!
4 Come, holy Comforter,
Thy sacred witness bear
In this glad hour!
Thou, who almighty art,
Now rule in every heart,
And ne’er from us depart,
Spirit of power!
5 To the great One-in-Three
Eternal praises be
Hence evermore!
His sovereign majesty
May we in glory see,
And to eternity
Love and adore!
36 7s C. Wesley
Christ’s Nativity. Luke 2. 13-15; 2 Cor. 5. 19
1 Hark! the herald-angels sing,
Glory to the new-born King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
2 Sons of Zion, too, arise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
And with angels loud proclaim,
“Christ was born in Bethlehem!”
3 Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that we no more may die!
4 Glory to the new-born King,
Let us now the anthem sing;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
37 148th C. Wesley
The Incarnate God. Isa. 7. 14; Matt. 1. 23
1 Let earth and heaven combine,
Angels and men agree,
To praise, in songs divine,
The incarnate Deity;
Our God contracted to a span,
Incomprehensibly made man.
2 He laid his glory by,
And wrapped him in our clay;
Unmarked by human eye,
The latent Godhead lay;
Infant of Days he here became,
And bore the loved Immanuel’s name.
3 Unsearchable the love
That has the Saviour brought;
The grace is far above
Or man’s or angel’s thought;
Suffice for us, that God we know,
Our God, was manifest below!
38 S.M. Isaac Watts
“Jesus.” Luke 1. 31-33; 2. 10-14
1 Behold! the grace appears,
The promise is fulfilled!
Mary, the wondrous virgin, bears,
And Jesus is the child.
2 [The Lord, the highest God,
Calls him his only Son;
He bids him rule the lands abroad,
And gives him David’s throne.]
3 [O’er Jacob shall he reign
With a peculiar sway;
The nations shall his grace obtain,
His kingdom ne’er decay.]
4 To bring the glorious news
A heavenly form appears;
He tells the shepherds of their joys,
And banishes their fears.
5 “Go, humble swains,” said he,
“To David’s city fly,
The promised Infant born today
Does in a manger lie.
6 “With looks and hearts serene,
Go visit Christ, your King”;
And straight a flaming troop was seen;
The shepherds heard them sing:
7 “Glory to God on high,
And heavenly peace on earth;
Good will to men, to angels joy,
At the Redeemer’s birth!”
8 [In worship so divine
Let saints employ their tongues;
With the celestial host we join,
And loud repeat their songs:
9 “Glory to God on high,
And heavenly peace on earth;
Good will to men, to angels joy,
At the Redeemer’s birth!”]
39 C.M. J. Hart
“Bethlehem.” Matt. 2. 1, 5, 6; Luke 2. 4-16
1 Come, ye redeemèd of the Lord,
Your grateful tribute bring;
And celebrate, with one accord,
The birthday of our King.
2 Let us with humble hearts repair
(Faith will point out the road)
To little Bethlehem, and there
Adore our infant God.
3 [In swaddling bands the Saviour view!
Let none his weakness scorn;
The feeblest heart shall hell subdue,
Where Jesus Christ is born.]
4 No pomp adorns, no sweets perfume
The place where Christ is laid;
A stable serves him for his room,
A manger is his bed.
5 The crowded inn, like sinners’ hearts,
(O ignorance extreme!)
For other guests, of various sorts,
Had room; but none for him.
6 But see what different thoughts arise
In our and angels’ breasts;
To hail his birth they left the skies,
We lodged him with the beasts!
7 Yet let believers cease their fears,
Nor envy heavenly powers;
If sinless innocence be theirs,
Redemption all is ours.
40 11s J. Hart
“And the Word was made flesh.” John 1. 14
How blest is the season at which we appear!
Bow down, sense and reason, faith only reign here.
’Tis heard by mere nature with coldness and scorn,
That God, our Creator, an infant was born.
2
Lost souls to recover, and form them afresh,
Our wonderful Lover took flesh of our flesh;
>From sin to release us – that yoke so long worn,
The holy child Jesus of Mary was born.
3
Poor sinners dejected, of comfort debarred,
Whose hearts are afflicted because they’re so hard;
Despairing of favour – cold, lifeless, forlorn,
Remember, the Saviour in winter was born.
4
And ye that sincerely confide in the Lamb,
(He loves you most dearly) rejoice in his name;
No more the believer from God shall be torn –
To hold him for ever an Infant was born.
41 11s E. L. Schlict
Rejoicing in the Incarnation of Christ. Matt. 2. 10
My God, my Creator, the heavens did bow,
To ransom offenders, and stooped very low;
The body prepared by the Father assumes,
And on the kind errand most joyfully comes.
2
O wonder of wonders! astonished I gaze,
To see in the manger the Ancient of Days;
And angels proclaiming the stranger forlorn,
And telling the shepherds that Jesus is born.
3
For thousands of sinners the Lord bowed his head;
For thousands of sinners he groaned and he bled.
My spirit rejoices – the work it is done!
My soul is redeemèd – salvation is won!
4
[Dear Jesus, my Saviour, thy truth I embrace –
Thy name and thy natures, thy Spirit and grace;
And trace the pure footsteps of Jesus, my Lord,
And glory in him whom proud sinners abhorred.]
5
My God is returnèd to glory on high;
When death makes a passage, then to him I’ll fly,
To join in the song of all praise through his blood,
To the Three who are One inconceivable God.
42 C.M. S. Stennett
Excellency of the Scriptures. Ps. 19. 10; Luke 24. 32
1 Let avarice, from shore to shore
Her favourite god pursue;
Thy word, O Lord, we value more
Than India or Peru.
2 When God the Holy Ghost reveals
The riches it contains,
And in the conscience safely seals
The grandeur of its lines;
3 Then mines of knowledge, love, and joy
Are opened to our sight;
The purest gold without alloy
And gems divinely bright.
4 The counsels of redeeming grace
Those sacred leaves unfold;
And here the Saviour’s lovely face
Our raptured eyes behold.
5 Here light, descending from above,
Directs our doubtful feet;
Here promises of heavenly love
Our ardent wishes meet.
6 Our numerous griefs are here redressed,
And all our wants supplied;
Nought we can ask to make us blest
Is in this book denied.
43 8.7.4. John Newton
The Word of God. Ps. 119. 50, 103; Jer. 15. 16
1 Precious Bible! what a treasure
Does the word of God afford!
All I want for life or pleasure,
Food and medicine, shield and sword,
Is revealèd
In Jehovah’s sacred word.
2 Food, to which the world’s a stranger,
Here my hungry soul enjoys;
Of excess there is no danger;
Though it fills, it never cloys,
While the Spirit
To my heart its truth applies.
3 When my faith is faint and sickly,
Or when Satan wounds my mind,
Cordials to revive me quickly,
Healing medicines, here I find,
When my Jesus
Shines therein into my mind.
4 In the hour of dark temptation,
Satan cannot make me yield;
For the word of consolation
Is to me a mighty shield,
While Jehovah
Gives me faith the truth to wield.
5 [Vain his threats to overcome me,
When in faith I take the sword;
Then with ease I drive him from me;
Satan trembles at the word,
When my Helper
Makes me strong in Christ my Lord.]
6 [Shall I envy, then, the miser,
Doting on his golden store?
Sure I am, or should be, wiser;
I am rich, ’tis he is poor:
Having Jesus,
I have an immortal store.]
44 L.M. J. Maxwell
Lawful Use of the Law. Rom. 3. 19, 20; Eph. 2. 3-9
1 Here, Lord, my soul convicted stands
Of breaking all thy ten commands;
And on me justly might’st thou pour
Thy wrath in one eternal shower.
2 But, thanks to God, its loud alarms
Have warned me of approaching harms;
And now, O Lord, my wants I see;
Lost and undone, I come to thee.
3 I see my fig-leaf righteousness
Can ne’er thy broken law redress;
Yet in thy gospel plan I see,
There’s hope of pardon e’en for me.
4 Here I behold thy wonders, Lord,
How Christ has to thy law restored
Those honours, on the atoning day,
Which guilty sinners took away.
5 Amazing wisdom, power, and love,
Displayed to rebels from above!
Do thou, O Lord, my faith increase,
To love and trust thy plan of grace.
45 C.M. J. Hart
Salvation by Christ alone. Rom. 11. 6; Gal. 3. 10
1 How can ye hope, deluded souls,
To see what none e’er saw,
Salvation by the works obtained
Of Sinai’s fiery law?
2 [There ye may toil, and weep, and fast,
And vex your heart with pain;
And, when you’ve ended, find at last
That all your toil was vain.]
3 That law but makes your guilt abound;
Sad help! and (what is worst)
All souls that under that are found,
By God himself are cursed.
4 [This curse pertains to those who break
One precept, e’er so small;
And where’s the man, in thought or deed,
That has not broken all?]
5 Fly, then, awakened sinners, fly;
Your case admits no stay;
The fountain’s opened now for sin;
Come, wash your guilt away.
6 See how from Jesus’ wounded side
The water flows and blood!
If you but touch that purple tide,
You then have peace with God.
7 Only by faith in Jesus’ wounds
The sinner finds release;
No other sacrifice for sin
Will God accept but this.
46 C.M. Isaac Watts
Conviction of Sin by the Law. Rom. 5. 20
1 Lord, how secure my conscience was,
And felt no inward dread!
I was alive without thy law,
And thought my sins were dead.
2 My hopes of heaven were firm and bright,
But since the precept came
With a convincing power and light,
I find how vile I am.
3 [My guilt appeared but small before,
Till terribly I saw
How perfect, holy, just, and pure
Was thy eternal law!
4 Then felt my soul the heavy load;
My sins revived again;
I had provoked a dreadful God,
And all my hopes were slain.]
5 Thy gracious throne I bow beneath;
Lord, thou alone canst save;
O break the yoke of sin and death,
And thus redeem the slave.
47 L.M. Isaac Watts
The Law and Gospel. Gal. 3. 10; Luke 23. 34; 1 Cor. 1. 18
1 [Cursed be the man, for ever cursed,
That does one wilful sin commit;
Death and damnation for the first,
Without relief and infinite.
2 Thus Sinai roars, and round the earth
Thunder, and fire, and vengeance flings;
But Jesus, thy dear gasping breath
And Calvary, say gentler things:
3 “Pardon and grace, and boundless love,
Streaming along a Saviour’s blood;
And life, and joy, and crowns above,
Obtained by a dear bleeding God.”
4 Hark! how he prays, (the charming sound
Dwells on his dying lips,) “Forgive!”
And every groan and gaping wound
Cries, “Father, let the rebels live!”]
5 Go, ye that rest upon the law,
And toil and seek salvation there,
Look to the flame that Moses saw,
And shrink, and tremble, and despair.
6 But I’ll retire beneath the cross;
Saviour, at thy dear feet I’ll lie!
And the keen sword that justice draws,
Flaming and red, shall pass me by.
48 L.M. Isaac Watts
The Law and Gospel. Rom. 8. 3; Gal. 3. 10, 11
1 What curses does the law denounce
Against the man who fails but once!
But in the gospel Christ appears
Pardoning the guilt of numerous years.
2 My soul, no more attempt to draw
Thy life and comfort from the law;
Fly to the hope the gospel gives;
The man that trusts the promise lives.
49 L.M. J. Berridge
The Law and Gospel. Rom. 8. 3, 4; 10. 5-15
1 The law demands a weighty debt,
And not a single mite will bate;
But gospel sings of Jesus’ blood,
And says it made the payment good.
2 The law provokes men oft to ill,
And churlish hearts makes harder still;
But gospel acts a kinder part,
And melts a most obdurate heart.
3 “Run, run, and work,” the law commands,
Yet finds me neither feet nor hands;
But sweeter news the gospel brings;
It bids me fly, and lends me wings.
4 [Such needful wings, O Lord, impart,
To brace my feet and brace my heart;
Good wings of faith and wings of love
Will make a cripple sprightly move.]
5 With these a lumpish soul may fly,
And soar aloft, and reach the sky;
Nor faint nor falter in the race,
But cheerly work, and sing of grace.
50 S.M. Isaac Watts
Moses and Christ. John 1. 17; Heb. 3. 1-6
1 The law by Moses came,
But peace, and truth, and love
Were brought by Christ (a nobler name)
Descending from above.
2 Amidst the house of God
Their different works were done;
Moses a faithful servant stood,
But Christ a faithful Son.
3 Then to his new commands
Be strict obedience paid;
O’er all his Father’s house he stands
The Sovereign and the Head.
51 C.M. S. Stennett
The Glorious Gospel. Heb. 9. 24-28; 1 Tim. 1. 11
1 What wisdom, majesty, and grace
Through all the gospel shine!
’Tis God that speaks, and we confess
The doctrine most divine.
2 Down from his shining throne on high
The Almighty Saviour comes,
Lays his bright robes of glory by,
And feeble flesh assumes.
3 The mighty debt his chosen owed
Upon the cross he pays;
Then through the clouds ascends to God,
’Midst shouts of loftiest praise.
4 There he, our great High Priest, appears
Before his Father’s throne;
There on his breast our names he wears,
And counts our cause his own.
52 11s Gospel Mag., 1777
The Gospel. Mark 2. 17; 1 Tim. 1. 15; Rev. 22. 17
The gospel brings tidings to each wounded soul,
That Jesus the Saviour can make it quite whole;
And what makes this gospel most precious to me,
It holds forth salvation so perfectly free!
2
The gospel declares that God, sending his Son
To die for poor sinners, gave all things in one;
This, too, makes the gospel most precious to me;
Because ’tis a gospel as full as ’tis free!
3
Since Jesus has saved me, and that freely too,
I fain would in all things my gratitude show;
But as to man’s merit, ’tis hateful to me!
The gospel – I love it; ’tis perfectly free!
53 L.M. Isaac Watts
The Gospel. Ezek. 11. 19; 37. 9, 10
1 This is the word of truth and love,
Sent to the nations from above;
Jehovah here resolves to show
What his almighty grace can do.
2 Lo! at its sound the dead revive,
Quickened by grace are made alive;
Dry bones are raised and clothed afresh,
And hearts of stone are turned to flesh.
3 [Lions and beasts of savage name
Put on the nature of the lamb;
While the vile world esteem it strange,
Gaze and admire, and hate the change.]
4 May but this grace my soul renew,
Let sinners gaze and hate me too;
The word that saves me does engage
A sure defence from all their rage.
54 C.M. Isaac Watts
Not ashamed of the Gospel. Rom. 1. 16; 2 Tim. 1. 12
1 I’m not ashamed to own my Lord,
Or to defend his cause,
Maintain the honour of his word,
The glory of his cross.
2 Jesus, my God, I know his name,
His name is all my trust;
Nor will he put my soul to shame,
Nor let my hope be lost.
3 Firm as his throne his promise stands,
And he can well secure
What I’ve committed to his hands,
Till the decisive hour.
4 Then will he own my worthless name
Before his Father’s face,
And in the new Jerusalem
Appoint my soul a place.
55 C.M. J. Humphreys
Gracious Invitation. Matt. 11. 28; John 6. 37
1 Come, guilty souls, and flee away
To Christ, and heal your wounds;
This is the welcome gospel-day
Wherein free grace abounds.
2 God loved the church, and gave his Son
To drink the cup of wrath;
And Jesus says he’ll cast out none
That come to him by faith.
56 C.M. Isaac Watts
Gospel Invitation. Song. 5. 1; Isa. 55. 1-3
1 [Let every open ear attend,
And broken heart rejoice;
The trumpet of the gospel sounds
With an inviting voice.]
2 Ho! all ye hungry, starving souls,
That feed upon the wind,
And vainly strive with earthly toys
To fill an empty mind;
3 Eternal Wisdom has prepared
A soul-reviving feast;
And bids your longing appetites
The rich provision taste.
4 Ho! ye that pant for living streams,
And pine away and die;
Here you may quench your raging thirst,
With springs that never dry.
5 Rivers of love and mercy here
In a rich ocean join;
Salvation in abundance flows,
Like floods of milk and wine.
6 [Ye perishing and naked poor,
Who work with mighty pain
To weave a garment of your own
That will not hide your sin;
7 Come naked, and adorn your souls
In robes prepared by God,
Wrought by the labours of his Son,
And dyed in his own blood.]
8 Dear God! the treasures of thy love
Are everlasting mines;
Deep as our helpless miseries are,
And boundless as our sins!
9 The happy gates of gospel grace
Stand open night and day;
Lord, we are come to seek supplies,
And drive our wants away.
57 L.M. Isaac Watts
The Gospel the Power of God to Salvation. Rom. 1. 16
1 What shall the dying sinner do,
That seeks relief for all his woe?
Where shall the guilty conscience find
Ease for the torment of the mind?
2 How shall we get our crimes forgiven,
Or form our natures fit for heaven?
Can souls, all o’er defiled with sin,
Make their own powers and passions clean?
3 In vain we search, in vain we try,
Till Jesus brings his gospel nigh;
’Tis there that power and glory dwell,
That save rebellious souls from hell.
4 This is the pillar of our hope,
That bears our fainting spirits up;
We read the grace, we trust the word,
And find salvation in the Lord.
5 [Let men or angels dig the mines
Where nature’s golden treasure shines;
Brought near the doctrine of the cross,
All nature’s gold appears but dross.]
6 Should vile blasphemers, with disdain,
Pronounce the truths of Jesus vain,
We’ll meet the scandal and the shame,
And sing and triumph in his name.
58 C.M. Isaac Watts
A Joyful Gospel. Ps. 89. 15-18; 3. 8
1 Blest are the souls that hear and know
The gospel’s joyful sound;
Peace shall attend the path they go,
And light their steps surround.
2 Their joy shall bear their spirits up,
Through their Redeemer’s name;
His righteousness exalts their hope,
Nor Satan dares condemn.
3 The Lord, our glory and defence,
Strength and salvation gives;
Israel, thy King for ever reigns,
Thy God for ever lives.
59 148th C. Wesley
The Jubilee. Lev. 25. 8-18; Isa. 35. 10; 61. 1-3
1 Blow ye the trumpet, blow
The gladly solemn sound!
Let poor insolvents know
To earth’s remotest bound:
The year of jubilee is come;
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.
2 Exalt the Lamb of God,
The sin-atoning Lamb;
Redemption by his blood,
To burdened souls proclaim:
The year of jubilee is come;
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.
3 Ye slaves in Sinai’s cell,
Your liberty receive;
And safe in Jesus dwell,
And blest in Jesus live:
The year of jubilee is come;
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.
4 The gospel-trumpet hear,
The news of pardoning grace;
Ye happy souls, draw near,
Behold your Saviour’s face:
The year of jubilee is come;
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.
5 Jesus, our great High Priest,
Has full atonement made;
Ye weary spirits, rest;
Ye mournful souls, be glad!
The year of jubilee is come;
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.
60 148th R. Burnham
Chosen to Salvation. Rom. 11. 5; 2 Thess. 2. 13
1 All the elected train
Were chosen in their Head,
To all eternal good,
Before the worlds were made;
Chosen to know the Prince of Peace,
And taste the riches of his grace.
2 Chosen to faith and hope,
To purity and love,
To all the life of God,
To all the things above;
Chosen to prove salvation sure;
Chosen to reign for evermore.
3 Nothing but grace appears
In this eternal choice;
It charms the humble saint,
And makes the soul rejoice;
Its endless glories shine so bright,
It makes obedience all delight.
4 Now, Lord, to us reveal
The all-confirming grace;
And may we all pursue
The shining paths of peace;
Run in the way to joys above,
And ever sing electing love.
61 L.M. R. Burnham
Predestination. Acts 13. 48; Rom. 8. 30
1 ’Twas fixed in God’s eternal mind
When his dear sons should mercy find;
From everlasting he decreed
When every good should be conveyed.
2 Determined was the manner how
Eternal favours he’d bestow;
Yea, he decreed the very place
Where he would show triumphant grace.
3 Also the means were fixed upon
Through which his sovereign love should run.
So time and place, yea, means and mode,
Were all determined by our God.
4 Vast were the settlements of grace
On millions of the human race;
And every favour, richly given,
Flows from the high decree of heaven.
5 [In every mercy, full and free,
A sovereign God I wish to see;
To see how grace, free grace has reigned,
In every blessing he ordained.
6 Yes, dearest Lord, ’tis my desire
Thy wise appointments to admire;
And trace the footsteps of my God,
Through every path in Zion’s road.]
62 L.M. W. A. Clarke
God’s Sovereignty Displayed in Christ. 1 Cor. 6. 11
1 Space and duration God does fill,
And orders all things by his will,
Respecting all the holy seed,
Chosen in Christ their blessed Head.
2 God’s jewels of election-love
Were sanctified in Christ above;
In oneness with his nature pure,
Joint-heirs with him for evermore.
63 C.M. Isaac Watts
All things decreed. Matt. 10. 29-31; Isa. 45. 7; Dan. 2. 21
1 There’s not a sparrow nor a worm
But’s found in God’s decrees;
He raises monarchs to their thrones,
And sinks them if he please.
2 If light attend the course I run,
’Tis he provides those rays;
And ’tis his hand that hides my sun,
If darkness cloud my days.
3 When he reveals the Book of Life,
O may I read my name
Among the chosen of his love,
The followers of the Lamb!
64 7s J. Ryland
God’s Decrees. Eccles. 3. 1-8, 17; Ps. 31. 14, 15
1 Sovereign Ruler of the skies,
Ever gracious, ever wise;
All my times are in thy hand,
All events at thy command.
2 His decree who formed the earth
Fixed my first and second birth;
Parents, native place, and time,
All appointed were by him.
3 He that formed me in the womb,
He shall guide me to the tomb:
All my times shall ever be
Ordered by his wise decree.
4 [Times of sickness; times of health;
Times of penury and wealth;
Times of trial and of grief;
Times of triumph and relief;
5 Times the tempter’s power to prove;
Times to taste the Saviour’s love;
All must come, and last, and end,
As shall please my heavenly Friend.]
6 Plagues and deaths around me fly;
Till he bids, I cannot die;
Not a single shaft can hit,
Till the God of love sees fit.
65 L.M. W. Tucker
Election in Christ. Eph. 1. 5, 11; 2 Tim. 1. 9
1 Expand, my soul, arise and sing
The matchless grace of Zion’s King;
His love, as ancient as his name,
Let all thy powers aloud proclaim.
2 Chosen of old, of old approved,
In Christ eternally beloved;
Adopted too, and children made,
Ere sin its baleful poison spread.
3 Though sin and guilt infest them here,
In Christ they all complete appear;
The whole that justice e’er demands
Received full payment from his hands.
4 In him the Father never saw
The least transgression of his law;
Perfection, then, in him we view;
His saints in him are perfect too.
5 Then let our souls in him rejoice,
As favoured objects of his choice;
Redeemed, and saved by grace, we sing
Eternal praise to Christ our King.
66 L.M. W. Tucker
Free Election. John 17. 23, 24; Rom. 8. 29
1 Deep in the everlasting mind
The great mysterious purpose lay,
Of choosing some from lost mankind,
Whose sins the Lamb should bear away.
2 Them, loved with an eternal love,
To grace and glory he ordained;
Gave them a throne which cannot move,
And chose them both to means and end.
3 In these he was resolved to make
The riches of his goodness known;
These he accepts for Jesus’ sake,
And views them righteous in his Son.
4 No goodness God foresaw in his,
But what his grace decreed to give;
No comeliness in them there is
Which they did not from him receive.
5 Faith and repentance he bestows
On such as he designs to save;
From him their soul’s obedience flows,
And he shall all the glory have.
67 8.8.6. J. Adams
The Elect Ransomed. Isa. 53. 6, 7; 2 Cor. 5. 21
1 Our Jesus loves his dear elect;
With glory they shall all be decked
Before his Father’s face.
Not one of them for whom he bled,
But shall with joy behold their Head,
In heaven their dwelling-place.
2 [They are the travail of his soul;
His sweetest thoughts on them did roll
From all eternity.
And, as the jewels of his crown,
He’ll give them honour, peace, renown,
And full felicity.]
3 Their sins upon him all were laid,
And he the dreadful debt has paid,
(A debt no more to pay;)
Their Surety in their law-place stood,
Appeased stern Justice with his blood,
And bore their sins away.
68 11s Irreg. Augustus Toplady
Election. Luke 10. 20; John 13. 1; Eph. 1. 5, 6
How happy are we our election who see,
And venture, O Lord, for salvation on thee!
In Jesus approvèd, eternally loved,
Upheld by his power, we cannot be moved.
2
[’Tis sweet to recline on the bosom divine,
And experience the comforts peculiar to thine;
While, born from above, and upheld by thy love,
With singing and triumph to Zion we move!]
3
Our seeking thy face was all of thy grace;
Thy mercy demands and shall have all the praise.
No sinner can be beforehand with thee;
Thy grace is eternal, almighty, and free!
4
Our Saviour and Friend, his love shall extend;
It knew no beginning, and never shall end!
Whom once he receives, his Spirit ne’er leaves,
Nor ever repents of the grace that he gives.
5
[This proof we would give that thee we receive,
Thou art precious alone to the souls that believe;
Be precious to us; all beside is as dross,
Compared with thy love and the blood of thy cross.]
6
[Through mercy we taste the invisible feast,
The bread of the kingdom, the wine of the blest!
Who grants us to know his drawings below
Will endless salvation and glory bestow.]
69 8.7.4. Gospel Mag., 1777
The Consolation of Election. Eph. 1. 3-7; Deut. 7. 7
1 Sons we are, through God’s election,
Who in Jesus Christ believe;
By eternal destination,
Saving grace we here receive;
Our Redeemer
Does both grace and glory give.
2 Every soul of man, by sinning,
Merits everlasting pain;
But thy love, without beginning,
Formed and fixed salvation’s plan.
Countless millions
Shall in life through Jesus reign.
3 [Pause, my soul! adore and wonder!
Ask, “O why such love to me?”
Grace has put me in the number
Of the Saviour’s family;
Hallelujah!
Thanks, Eternal Love, to thee!]
4 These are springs of consolation,
To converted sons of grace;
Finished, free, and full salvation
Shining in the Saviour’s face!
Free grace only
Suits the wretched sinner’s case.
5 When in that blest habitation,
Which my God for me ordained;
When in glory’s full possession,
I with saints and angels stand;
Free grace only
Shall resound through Canaan’s land!
70 S.M. C. Wesley
Divine Providence. Deut. 33. 27; Ps. 73. 24
1 Thrice comfortable hope
That calms my stormy breast;
My Father’s hand prepares the cup,
And what he wills is best.
2 My fearful heart he reads;
Secures my soul from harms;
While underneath his mercy spreads
Its everlasting arms.
3 His skill infallible,
His providential grace,
His power and truth, that never fail,
Shall order all my ways.
4 [The fictious power of chance
And fortune I defy;
My life’s minutest circumstance
Is subject to his eye.]
5 O might I doubt no more,
But in his pleasure rest;
Whose wisdom, love, and truth, and power,
Engage to make me blest!
71 C.M. Isaac Watts
Free Grace in Revealing Christ. Matt. 11. 25, 26
1 Jesus, the Man of constant grief,
A mourner all his days;
His spirit once rejoiced aloud,
And turned his joy to praise:
2 “Father, I thank thy wondrous love,
That has revealed thy Son
To men unlearnèd; and to babes
Has made the gospel known.
3 “The mysteries of redeeming grace
Are hidden from the wise;
While pride and carnal reasonings join
To swell and blind their eyes.”
4 Thus does the Lord of heaven and earth
His great decrees fulfil,
And order all his works of grace
By his own sovereign will.
72 L.M. Isaac Watts
The Triumph of Faith. Rom. 8. 1, 33-39
1 Who shall the Lord’s elect condemn?
’Tis God that justifies their souls;
And mercy, like a mighty stream,
O’er all their sins divinely rolls.
2 Who shall adjudge the saints to hell?
’Tis Christ that suffered in their stead;
And the salvation to fulfil,
Behold him rising from the dead!
3 He lives! he lives! and sits above,
For ever interceding there;
Who shall divide us from his love,
Or what shall tempt us to despair?
4 Shall persecution, or distress,
Famine, or sword, or nakedness?
He that has loved us bears us through,
And makes us more than conquerors, too.
5 Faith has an overcoming power;
It triumphs in the dying hour.
Christ is our life, our joy, our hope,
Nor can we sink with such a prop.
6 Not all that men on earth can do,
Nor powers on high, nor powers below,
Shall cause his mercy to remove,
Or wean our hearts from Christ our love.
73 L.M. Isaac Watts
Electing Grace. Eph. 1. 3-13; John 20. 17
1 Jesus, we bless thy Father’s name;
Thy God and ours are both the same,
What heavenly blessings from his throne
Flow down to sinners through his Son!
2 “Christ be my first elect,” he said;
Then chose our souls in Christ, our Head,
Before he gave the mountains birth,
Or laid foundations for the earth.
3 Thus did eternal love begin
To raise us up from death and sin;
Our characters were then decreed,
Blameless in love, a holy seed.
4 Predestinated to be sons,
Born by degrees, but chose at once;
A new regenerated race,
To praise the glory of his grace.
5 With Christ, our Lord, we share our part
In the affections of his heart;
Nor shall our souls be thence removed,
Till he forgets his first Beloved.
74 C.M. Isaac Watts
Election Excludes Boasting. 1 Cor. 1. 26-31
1 But few among the carnal wise,
But few of noble race,
Obtain the favour of thy eyes,
Almighty King of grace!
2 He takes the men of meanest name
For sons and heirs of God;
And thus he pours abundant shame
On honourable blood.
3 He calls the fool and makes him know
The mysteries of his grace,
To bring aspiring wisdom low,
And all its pride abase.
4 Nature has all its glories lost,
When brought before his throne;
No flesh shall in his presence boast,
But in the Lord alone.
75 L.M. Isaac Watts
Election Sovereign and Free. Rom. 9. 20-23
1 Behold the potter and the clay;
He forms his vessels as he please;
Such is our God, and such are we,
The subjects of his high decrees.
2 [Does not the workman’s power extend
O’er all the mass, which part to choose,
And mould it for a nobler end,
And which to leave for viler use?]
3 May not the sovereign Lord on high
Dispense his favours as he will?
Choose some to life, while others die,
And yet be just and gracious still?
4 [What if, to make his terror known,
He let his patience long endure,
Suffering vile rebels to go on,
And seal their own destruction sure?]
5 [What if he mean to show his grace,
And his electing love employs,
To mark out some of mortal race,
And form them fit for heavenly joys?]
6 Shall man reply against his Lord,
And call his Maker’s ways unjust,
The thunder of whose dreadful word
Can crush a thousand worlds to dust?
7 But O, my soul, if truths so bright
Should dazzle and confound thy sight,
Yet still his written will obey,
And wait the great decisive day.
8 Then shall he make his justice known,
And the whole world before his throne,
With joy or terror shall confess
The glory of his righteousness.
76 L.M. J. Kent
Effectual Calling. Ps. 102. 13; 110. 3; Ezek. 34. 11-16
1 There is a period known to God
When all his sheep, redeemed by blood,
Shall leave the hateful ways of sin,
Turn to the fold, and enter in.
2 At peace with hell, with God at war,
In sin’s dark maze they wander far,
Indulge their lust, and still go on
As far from God as sheep can run.
3 But see how heaven’s indulgent care
Attends their wanderings here and there;
Still hard at heel, where’er they stray,
With pricking thorns to hedge their way.
4 [When wisdom calls, they stop their ear,
And headlong urge the mad career;
Judgments nor mercies e’er can sway
Their roving feet to wisdom’s way.]
5 Glory to God, they ne’er shall rove
Beyond the limits of his love;
Fenced with Jehovah’s shalls and wills,
Firm as the everlasting hills.
6 The appointed time rolls on apace,
Not to propose but call by grace;
To change the heart, renew the will,
And turn the feet to Zion’s hill.
77 7.5. J. Hart
Election. Mark 13. 20; John 10. 28; 15. 16
1 Brethren, would you know your stay,
What it is supports you still?
Why, though tempted every day,
Yet you stand, and stand you will?
Long before our birth,
Nay, before Jehovah laid
The foundations of the earth,
We were chosen in our Head.
2 God’s election is the ground
Of our hope to persevere;
On this rock your building found,
And preserve your title clear.
Infidels may laugh;
Pharisees gainsay or rail;
Here’s your tenure (keep it safe) –
God’s elect can never fail!
78 L.M. W. Tucker
Predestination. Luke 16. 26; Eph. 1. 5-12
1 Fixed was the eternal state of man,
Ere time its rapid course began;
Appointed, by God’s firm decree,
To endless joy or misery.
2 Fixed was the vast eternal deep
Between the goats and chosen sheep;
Nor can a union e’er take place
’Twixt heirs of wrath and heirs of grace.
3 [Yet erring men make much ado,
And strive to force a passage through;
But, ah! what vain attempt is this,
To strive to ford that deep abyss!]
4 All glory to the great I AM,
Who chose me in the blessed Lamb;
Whilst millions of the human race
Will never know or taste his grace;
5 And blessings on atoning blood,
By which I’m reconciled to God;
And praise be to the Spirit given,
Who frees from sin and leads to heaven.
79 S.M. Isaac Watts
The Glories of Adoption. 1 John 3. 1-3; Rom. 8. 15
1 Behold what wondrous grace
The Father has bestowed
On sinners of a mortal race,
To call them sons of God.
2 ’Tis no surprising thing
That we should be unknown;
The Jewish world knew not their King,
God’s everlasting Son.
3 Nor does it yet appear
How great we must be made;
But when we see our Saviour there,
We shall be like our Head.
4 A hope so much divine
May trials well endure,
For we, as sons in Christ, are made
As pure as he is pure.
5 If in my Father’s love
I share a filial part,
Send down thy Spirit, like a dove,
To rest upon my heart.
6 We would no longer lie
Like slaves before thy throne;
Our faith shall Abba, Father, cry,
And thou the kindred own.
80 7s J. Humphreys
Privileges of Adoption. Rom. 3. 24
1 Blessèd are the sons of God,
They are bought with Jesus’ blood;
They are ransomed from the grave
Life eternal they shall have.
2 God did love them in his Son
Long before the world began;
They the seal of this receive,
When in Jesus they believe.
3 They are justified by grace;
They enjoy a solid peace;
All their sins are washed away;
They shall stand in God’s great day!
4 [They produce the fruits of grace,
Clothed in Jesus’ righteousness;
Born of God, they hate all sin;
God’s pure seed remains within!]
5 They have fellowship with God,
Through the Mediator’s blood;
One with God, through Jesus one,
Glory is in them begun!
6 Though they suffer much on earth,
Strangers to the worldling’s mirth,
Yet they have an inward joy,
Pleasures which can never cloy.
81 S.M. J. Berridge
Spirit of Adoption. Rom. 8. 15
1 Well, canst thou read thy heart,
And feel the plague of sin?
Does Sinai’s thunder make thee start,
And conscience roar within?
2 Expect to find no balm
On nature’s barren ground;
All human medicines will do harm;
They only skin the wound.
3 To Jesus Christ repair,
And knock at mercy’s gate;
His blood alone can wash thee fair,
And make thy conscience sweet.
4 In season due he seals
A pardon on the breast;
The wounds of sin his Spirit heals,
And brings the gospel-rest.
5 [So comes the peace of God,
Which cheers the conscience well;
And love shed in the heart abroad,
More sweet than we can tell.]
6 Adopted sons perceive
Their kindred to the sky;
The Father’s pardoning love receive,
And “Abba, Father,” cry.
82 L.M. B. Wallin
Stability of Covenant. Ps. 89. 28; Isa. 54. 9, 10
1 Rejoice, ye saints, in every state,
Divine decrees remain unmoved;
No turns of providence abate
God’s care for those he once has loved.
2 Firmer than heaven his covenant stands,
Though earth should shake and skies depart.
You’re safe in your Redeemer’s hands,
Who bears your names upon his heart.
3 Our Surety knows for whom he stood
And gave himself a sacrifice:
The souls once sprinkled with his blood,
Possess a life that never dies.
4 Though darkness spread around our tent,
Though fear prevail and joy decline,
God will not of his oath repent:
Dear Lord, thy people still are thine!
83 L.M. Isaac Watts
Hope in the Covenant. Heb. 6. 17-19; Isa. 54. 8
1 How oft have sin and Satan strove
To rend my soul from thee, my God!
But everlasting is thy love,
And Jesus seals it with his blood.
2 The oath and promise of the Lord
Join to confirm the wondrous grace,
Eternal power performs the word,
And fills all heaven with endless praise.
3 Amidst temptations sharp and long,
My soul to this dear refuge flies;
Hope is my anchor, firm and strong,
While tempests blow and billows rise.
4 The gospel bears my spirit up;
A faithful and unchanging God,
Lays the foundation of my hope,
In oaths, and promises, and blood.
84 C.M. P. Doddridge
Support in the Covenant. 2 Sam. 23. 5; Ps. 25. 14
1 ’Tis mine, the covenant of his grace,
And every promise mine;
All flowing from eternal love,
And sealed by blood divine.
2 On my unworthy, favoured head,
Its blessings all unite;
Blessings more numerous than the stars,
More lasting and more bright.
3 That covenant the last accent claims
Of this poor faltering tongue;
And that shall the first notes employ
Of my celestial song.
85 C.M. Isaac Watts
God keeping Covenant. Ps. 89. 19-34
1 Our God, how firm his promise stands,
E’en when he hides his face!
He trusts in our Redeemer’s hands
His glory and his grace.
2 Then why, my soul, these sad complaints,
Since Christ and thou are one?
Thy God is faithful to his saints,
Is faithful to his Son.
3 Beneath his smiles my heart has lived,
And part of heaven possessed.
I’ll praise his name for grace received,
And trust him for the rest.
86 S.M. Gospel Mag., 1778
Covenant Favours. Deut. 4. 31; 2 Cor. 1. 20; Heb. 8. 8-12
1 The covenant of free grace,
As made with Christ our Head,
Is stored with precious promises,
By which our souls are fed.
2 The solemn oath of God
Confirms each promise true;
And Jesus, with his precious blood,
Has sealed the covenant, too!
3 Hence all our comforts flow,
And balm for every fear;
May we by sweet experience know
How choice, how rich they are.
87 148th J. Kent
Everlasting Love. Jer. 31. 31-34; 33. 20, 21
1 With David’s Lord and ours,
A covenant once was made,
Whose bonds are firm and sure,
Whose glories ne’er shall fade!
Signed by the sacred Three-in-One,
In mutual love, ere time began.
2 Firm as the lasting hills,
This covenant shall endure,
Whose potent shalls and wills
Make every blessing sure:
When ruin shakes all nature’s frame,
Its jots and tittles stand the same.
3 [Here the vast seas of grace,
Love, peace, and mercy flow,
That all the blood-bought race
Of men, or angels know:
O sacred deep, without a shore,
Who shall thy limits e’er explore?]
4 Here when thy feet shall fall,
Believer, thou shalt see
Grace to restore thy soul,
And pardon, full and free;
Thee with delight shall God behold,
A chosen sheep in Zion’s fold.
5 And when through Jordan’s flood
Thy God shall bid thee go,
His arm shall thee defend,
And vanquish every foe;
And in this covenant thou shalt view
Sufficient strength to bear thee through.
87A L.M. J. Kent
Eph. 2; Mal. 3. 6
1 O the mysterious depths of grace!
Who shall thy wandering mazes trace?
Surpassing human thought to know
Where this abyss of love shall flow.
2 ’Twas hid in God’s eternal breast,
For all his sons in Jesus blest,
Whose mystic members, from of old,
Were in the book of life enrolled.
3 [Shall one, as now in thy embrace,
Before tomorrow fall from grace;
Be doomed to Tophet’s endless flame,
Where hope or mercy never came?
4 No! glory to his name we say,
He’ll love tomorrow as today.
No wrath shall e’er his bosom move
Towards an object of his love.]
5 No heights of guilt, nor depths of sin,
Where his redeemed have ever been,
But sovereign grace was underneath,
And love eternal, strong as death.
6 Come, then, ye saints, in strains divine,
Rehearse the same in every line;
Nor fear to sing the charming lay;
You’ll sing the same another day.
7 No other song will be the employ
Of saints, in worlds of endless joy,
But loud hosannas round the throne,
To the great sacred Three-in-One.
88 L.M. J. Hart
The Wonders of Redeeming Love. Ps. 130. 7
1 How wondrous are the works of God,
Displayed through all the world abroad!
Immensely great! immensely small!
Yet one strange work exceeds them all!
2 [He formed the sun, fair fount of light;
The moon and stars, to rule the night;
But night and stars, and moon and sun,
Are little works compared with one.]
3 [He rolled the seas and spread the skies,
Made valleys sink and mountains rise;
The meadows clothed with native green,
And bade the rivers glide between.
4 But what are seas, or skies, or hills,
Or verdant vales, or gliding rills,
To wonders man was born to prove –
The wonders of redeeming love?]
5 ’Tis far beyond what words express,
What saints can feel or angels guess;
Angels, that hymn the great I AM,
Fall down and veil before the Lamb.
6 The highest heavens are short of this;
’Tis deeper than the vast abyss;
’Tis more than thought can e’er conceive,
Or hope expect, or faith believe.
7 Almighty God sighed human breath!
The Lord of life experienced death!
How it was done we can’t discuss,
But this we know, ’twas done for us.
8 Blest with this faith, then let us raise
Our hearts in love, our voice in praise;
All things to us must work for good,
For whom the Lamb has shed his blood.
9 [Trials may press of every sort;
They may be sore, they must be short;
We now believe, but soon shall view,
The greatest glories God can show.]
89 112th J. Hart
Christ the Saviour. 1 Tim. 1. 15; Rom. 5. 12
1 When Adam by transgression fell,
And conscious, fled his Maker’s face,
Linked in clandestine league with hell,
He ruined all his future race:
The seeds of evil once brought in,
Increased and filled the world with sin.
2 But lo! the Second Adam came,
The serpent’s subtle head to bruise;
He cancels his malicious claim,
And disappoints his devilish views;
Ransoms poor prisoners with his blood,
And brings the sinner back to God.
3 [To understand these things aright,
This grand distinction should be known:
Though all are sinners in God’s sight,
There are but few so in their own.
To such as these our Lord was sent;
They’re only sinners who repent.]
4 [What comfort can a Saviour bring
To those who never felt their woe?
A sinner is a sacred thing;
The Holy Ghost has made him so.
New life from him we must receive,
Before for sin we rightly grieve.]
5 This faithful saying let us own,
Well worthy ’tis to be believed,
That Christ into the world came down,
That sinners might by him be saved.
Sinners are high in his esteem,
And sinners highly value him.
90 7s J. Langford
Redeeming Love. Gal. 3. 13; 1 John 3. 16; Isa. 63. 9
1 Now begin the heavenly theme;
Sing aloud in Jesus’ name;
Ye who his salvation prove,
Triumph in redeeming love.
2 Ye who see the Father’s grace
Beaming in the Saviour’s face,
As to Canaan on you move,
Praise and bless redeeming love.
3 Mourning souls, dry up your tears;
Banish all your guilty fears;
See your guilt and curse remove,
Cancelled by redeeming love.
4 [Welcome all by sin oppressed,
Welcome to his sacred rest;
Nothing brought him from above,
Nothing but redeeming love.]
5 When his Spirit leads us home,
When we to his glory come,
We shall all the fulness prove
Of our Lord’s redeeming love.
6 [He subdued the infernal powers,
Those tremendous foes of ours;
From their cursèd empire drove,
Mighty in redeeming love.]
7 Hither, then, your music bring;
Strike aloud each cheerful string;
Join, ye saints, the hosts above;
Join to praise redeeming love.
91 L.M. John Newton
Christ a Redeemer and Friend. Matt. 11. 19; Luke 7. 34
1 Poor, weak, and worthless though I am,
I have a rich, almighty Friend;
Jesus, the Saviour, is his name;
He freely loves, and without end.
2 He ransomed me from hell with blood,
And by his power my foes controlled;
He found me wandering far from God,
And brought me to his chosen fold.
3 He cheers my heart, my needs supplies,
And says that I shall shortly be
Enthroned with him above the skies;
O what a Friend is Christ to me!
92 L.M. Isaac Watts
The Strength of Christ’s Redeeming Love. Song. 8. 5
1 Who is this fair one in distress,
That travels from this wilderness;
And, pressed with sorrows and with sins,
On her beloved Lord she leans?
2 This is the spouse of Christ our God,
Bought with the treasures of his blood;
And her request and her complaint
Is but the voice of every saint:
3 “O let my name engraven stand
Both on thy heart and on thy hand;
Seal me upon thy arm, and wear
That pledge of love for ever there.
4 “Stronger than death thy love is known,
Which floods of wrath can never drown;
And hell and earth in vain combine,
To quench a fire so much divine.
5 “But I am jealous of my heart,
Lest it should once from thee depart;
Then let thy name be well impressed,
As a fair signet, on my breast.
6 “Till thou hast brought me to thy home,
Where fears and doubts can never come,
Thy countenance let me often see,
And often thou shalt hear from me.”
93 8.7.4. J. Evans
“It is finished.” John 19. 30
1 Hark! the voice of love and mercy
Sounds aloud from Calvary!
See! it rends the rocks asunder,
Shakes the earth and veils the sky!
“It is finished!”
Hear the dying Saviour cry!
2 “It is finished!” – O what pleasure
Do these charming words afford!
Heavenly blessings, without measure,
Flow to us from Christ the Lord.
“It is finished!”
Saints, the dying words record.
3 [Finished, all the types and shadows
Of the ceremonial law;
Finished all that God had promised;
Death and hell no more shall awe.
“It is finished!”
Saints, from hence your comfort draw.]
4 Tune your harps anew, ye seraphs;
Join to sing the pleasing theme;
Saints on earth, and all in heaven,
Join to praise Immanuel’s name.
Hallelujah!
Glory to the bleeding Lamb!
94 C.M. Isaac Watts
Redemption and Protection. Ps. 40. 2, 3; 116. 8
1 Arise, my soul, my joyful powers,
And triumph in thy God;
Awake, my voice, and loud proclaim
His glorious grace abroad.
2 He raised me from the depths of sin,
The gates of gaping hell;
And fixed my standing more secure
Than ’twas before I fell.
3 The arms of everlasting love
Beneath my soul he placed,
And on the Rock of Ages set
My slippery footsteps fast.
4 The city of my blest abode
Is walled around with grace;
Salvation for a bulwark stands,
To shield the sacred place.
5 Satan may vent his sharpest spite,
And all his legions roar;
Almighty mercy guards my life,
And bounds his raging power.
6 [Arise, my soul! awake my voice,
And tunes of pleasure sing;
Loud hallelujahs shall address
My Saviour and my King.]
95 C.M. A. Steele
The Wonders of Redemption. Phil. 2. 8; Heb. 10. 10
1 And did the Holy and the Just,
The Sovereign of the skies,
Stoop down to wretchedness and dust,
That guilty worms might rise?
2 Yes, the Redeemer left his throne,
His radiant throne on high,
(Surprising mercy! love unknown!)
To suffer, bleed, and die!
3 He took the dying traitor’s place,
And suffered in his stead;
For man (O miracle of grace!)
For man the Saviour bled.
4 Dear Lord, what heavenly wonders dwell
In thy atoning blood!
By this are sinners snatched from hell,
And rebels brought to God.
5 What glad return can I impart
For favours so divine?
O take my all, this worthless heart,
And make it wholly thine.
96 112th J. A. Rothe translated by J. Weeks
Redemption Found. 2 Cor. 5. 1; 1 Pet. 1. 18-20
1 Now I have found the ground wherein
My anchor, hope, shall firm remain,
The wounds of Jesus, for my sin
Before the world’s foundation slain;
Whose mercy shall unshaken stay,
When heaven and earth are fled away.
2 [O grace, thou bottomless abyss,
My sins are swallowed up in thee!
Covered is my unrighteousness;
From condemnation I am free.
For Jesus’ blood, through earth and skies,
Mercy, eternal mercy, cries.]
3 Jesus, I know, has died for me;
Here is my hope, my joy, my rest;
Hither, when hell assails, I flee;
I look into my Saviour’s breast.
Away, sad doubt and anxious fear;
Mercy and love are written there.
4 Though waves and storms go o’er my head,
Though strength, and health, and friends be gone,
Though joys be withered all and dead,
And every comfort be withdrawn,
Steadfast on this my soul relies,
Redeeming mercy never dies.
5 Fixed on this ground will I remain,
Though my heart fail and flesh decay;
This anchor shall my soul sustain,
When earth’s foundations melt away.
Mercy’s full power I then shall prove,
Loved with an everlasting love.
97 L.M. C. Wesley
Finished Redemption. John 19. 30; Isa. 53. 10, 11
1 ’Tis finished! the Messiah dies!
Cut off for sins, but not his own;
Accomplished is the sacrifice;
The great redeeming work is done.
2 Finished our vile transgression is,
And purged the guilt of all our sin;
And everlasting righteousness
Is brought, for all his people, in.
3 ’Tis finished, all my guilt and pain.
I want no sacrifice beside.
For me, for me the Lamb was slain,
And I’m for ever justified.
4 Sin, death, and hell are now subdued;
All grace is now to sinners given;
And lo! I plead the atoning blood,
For pardon, holiness, and heaven.
98 7.6.8. C. Wesley
Redeeming Blood. 1 John 1. 7; Isa. 64. 6
1 Let the world their virtue boast,
And works of righteousness,
I, a wretch undone and lost,
Am freely saved by grace.
Take me, Saviour, as I am,
And let me lose my sins in thee.
Friend of sinners, spotless Lamb,
Thy blood was shed for me.
2 Full of truth and grace thou art,
And here is all my hope;
False and foul as hell, my heart
To thee I offer up.
Thou wast given to redeem
My soul from all iniquity.
Friend of sinners, spotless Lamb,
Thy blood was shed for me.
3 Nothing have I, Lord, to pay,
Nor can thy grace procure,
Empty send me not away,
For I, thou know’st, am poor.
Dust and ashes is my name,
My all is sin and misery.
Friend of sinners, spotless Lamb,
Thy blood was shed for me.
99 7s J. Adams
Salvation by Christ. Ps. 62. 6, 7; Isa. 12. 5
1 Blessed Jesus! thee we sing;
Thou of life, the eternal spring;
Thou art worthy, thou alone;
Thou the Rock and Corner-Stone.
2 ’Tis from thee salvation flows;
This the ransomed sinner knows.
Thou, O Christ, art all his plea,
When he sees his poverty.
3 None shall glory in thy sight
Of their labours e’er so bright;
All who are taught by thee shall know,
Living faith from God must flow.
4 Grace shall be our lovely theme;
Free redemption, glorious scheme!
This will be the song above:
Praise to Jesus’ bleeding love.
100 C.M. Isaac Watts
Redemption by Price and Power. John 1. 29; Heb. 2. 14
1 Jesus, with all thy saints above,
My tongue would bear her part;
Would sound aloud thy saving love,
And sing thy bleeding heart.
2 Blest be the Lamb, my dearest Lord,
Who bought me with his blood,
And quenched his Father’s flaming sword
In his own vital flood;
3 The Lamb that freed my captive soul
From Satan’s heavy chains,
And sent the lion down to howl
Where hell and horror reigns.
4 All glory to the dying Lamb,
And never-ceasing praise,
While angels live to know his name,
Or saints to feel his grace.