Gadsby's Hymnal
#801 7.6.8. Joseph Hart
“All my springs are in thee.” Ps. 87.7
1 Bless the Lord, my soul, and raise
A glad and grateful song
To my dear Redeemer’s praise,
For I to him belong.
He, my Goodness, Strength, and God,
In whom I live, and move, and am,
Paid my ransom with his blood;
My portion is the Lamb.
2 [Though temptations seldom cease,
Though frequent griefs I feel,
Yet his Spirit whispers peace,
And he is with me still.
Weak of body, sick in soul,
Depressed at heart, and faint with fears,
His dear presence makes me whole,
And with sweet comfort cheers.]
3 O my Jesus, thou art mine,
With all thy grace and power;
I am now, and shall be thine
When time shall be no more;
Thou revivest me by thy death;
Thy blood from guilt has set me free;
My fresh springs of hope, and faith,
And love, are all in thee.
802 7s Joseph Hart
Gethsemane. John 18. 1, 2; Matt 26. 36
1 Jesus, while he dwelt below,
As divine historians say,
To a place would often go;
Near to Kedron’s brook it lay;
In this place he loved to be,
And ’twas named Gethsemane.
2 [’Twas a garden, as we read,
At the foot of Olivet,
Low, and proper to be made
The Redeemer’s lone retreat;
When from noise he would be free,
Then he sought Gethsemane.
3 Thither, by their Master brought,
His disciples likewise came;
There the heavenly truths he taught
Often set their hearts on flame;
Therefore they, as well as he,
Visited Gethsemane.
4 Here they oft conversing sat,
Or might join with Christ in prayer;
O what blest devotion’s that,
When the Lord himself is there!
All things to them seemed to agree
To endear Gethsemane.
5 Here no strangers durst intrude;
But the Prince of Peace could sit,
Cheered with sacred solitude,
Wrapped in contemplation sweet;
Yet how little they could see
Why he chose Gethsemane!
6 Full of love to man’s lost race,
On his conflict much he thought;
This he knew the destined place,
And he loved the sacred spot;
Therefore ’twas he liked to be
Often in Gethsemane.
7 They his followers, with the rest,
Had incurred the wrath divine;
And their Lord, with pity pressed,
Longed to bear their loads – and mine;
Love to them, and love to me,
Made him love Gethsemane.
8 Many woes had he endured,
Many sore temptations met,
Patient, and to pains inured;
But the sorest trial yet,
Was to be sustained in thee,
Gloomy, sad Gethsemane.
9 Came at length the dreadful night,
Vengeance, with its iron rod,
Stood, and with collected might
Bruised the harmless Lamb of God;
See, my soul, thy Saviour see,
Grovelling in Gethsemane.
10 View him in that olive press,
Squeezed and wrung till ’whelmed in blood,
View thy Maker’s deep distress!
Hear the sighs and groans of God!
Then reflect what sin must be,
Gazing on Gethsemane.
11 Poor disciples, tell me now,
Where’s the love ye lately had,
Where’s the faith ye all could vow?
But this hour is too, too sad!
’Tis not now for such as ye
To support Gethsemane.
12 O what wonders love has done!
But how little understood!
God well knows, and God alone,
What produced that sweat of blood;
Who can thy deep wonders see,
Wonderful Gethsemane?
13 There my God bore all my guilt;
This through grace can be believed;
But the horrors which he felt,
Are too vast to be conceived.
None can penetrate through thee,
Doleful, dark Gethsemane.
14 Gloomy garden, on thy beds,
Washed by Kedron’s waters foul,
Grow most rank and bitter weeds;
Think on these, my sinful soul;
Would’st thou sin’s dominion flee,
Call to mind Gethsemane.
15 Sinners vile like me, and lost,
If there’s one so vile as I,
Leave more righteous souls to boast:
Leave them, and to refuge fly;
We may well bless that decree
Which ordained Gethsemane.
16 We can hope no healing hand,
Leprous quite throughout with sin;
Loathed incurables we stand,
Crying out, “Unclean, unclean!”
Help there’s none for such as we,
But in dear Gethsemane.
17 Eden, from each flowery bed,
Did for man short sweetness breathe;
Soon, by Satan’s counsel led,
Man wrought sin, and sin wrought death;
But of life, the healing tree
Grows in rich Gethsemane.
18 Hither, Lord, thou didst resort,
Ofttimes with thy little train;
Here would’st keep thy private court;
O confer that grace again;
Lord, resort with worthless me
Ofttimes to Gethsemane.
19 True, I can’t deserve to share
In a favour so divine;
But, since sin first fixed thee there,
None have greater sins than mine;
And to this my woeful plea,
Witness thou, Gethsemane.
20 Sins against a holy God;
Sins against his righteous laws;
Sins against his love, his blood;
Sins against his name, and cause;
Sins immense as is the sea –
Hide me, O Gethsemane!
21 Here’s my claim, and here alone;
None a Saviour more can need;
Deeds of righteousness I’ve none;
No, not one good work to plead;
Not a glimpse of hope for me,
Only in Gethsemane.]
22 Saviour, all the stone remove
From my flinty, frozen heart;
Thaw it with the beams of love,
Pierce it with the blood-dipped dart;
Wound the heart that wounded thee;
Melt it in Gethsemane.
23 Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
One almighty God of love,
Hymned by all the heavenly host
In thy shining courts above;
We poor sinners, gracious THREE,
Bless thee for Gethsemane.
803 C.M. Joseph Hart
The Death and Excellency of Christ. Isa. 13. 12
1 The things on earth which men esteem,
And of their richness boast,
In value less or greater seem,
Proportioned to their cost.
2 [The diamond, that’s for thousands sold,
Our admiration draws;
For dust men seldom part with gold,
Or barter pearls for straws.]
3 Then what inestimable worth
Must in those crowns appear,
For which the Lord came down to earth,
And bought for us, so dear!
4 The Father dearly loves the Son,
And rates his merits high;
For no mean cause he sent him down
To suffer, grieve, and die.
5 The blessings from his death that flow,
So little we esteem,
Only because we slightly know,
And meanly value him.
6 [’Twas our Creator for us bled,
The Lord of life and power;
Whom angels worship, devils dread –
God blest for evermore.]
7 O could we but with clearer eyes
His excellencies trace,
Could we his person learn to prize,
We more should prize his grace.
803A C.M. Joseph Hart
1 Cor. 2. 9; Heb. 11. 16; 1 Pet. 1. 18, 19
1 And did the darling Son of God
For sinners deign to bleed?
The purchase of that precious blood
Must needs be rich indeed.
2 God’s wisdom would not pay for toys
So great a price as this;
’Tis God-like glory, boundless joys;
’Tis unexampled bliss.
3 Saints, raise your expectations high;
Hope all that heaven has good;
The blood of Christ has brought you nigh –
Invaluable blood!
4 Eye has not seen, nor ear has heard,
Nor can the heart conceive,
What blessings are for them prepared
Who in the Lord believe.
5 By others, for their virtue fair,
Let rich rewards be sought;
Give me, my God, to freely share
What thou hast freely bought.
804 104th Joseph Hart
The Lambs Safe. Ps. 23.; 34. 10; 1 Thess. 5 . 14
Ye lambs of Christ’s fold, ye weaklings in faith,
Who long to lay hold on life by his death;
Who fain would believe him, and in your best room
Would gladly receive him, but fear to presume;
2
Remember one thing, O may it sink deep;
Our Shepherd and King cares much for his sheep;
To trust him endeavour; the work is his own;
He makes the believer, and gives him his crown.
3
Those feeble desires, those wishes so weak,
’Tis Jesus inspires, and bids you still seek;
His Spirit will cherish the life he first gave;
You never shall perish if Jesus can save.
4
[Proud lions, that boast when lusty and young,
Soon find, to their cost, self-confidence wrong;
Tormented with hunger, they feel their strength vain;
For famine is stronger, and gnaws them with pain.
5
But lambs are preserved, though helpless in kind;
When lions are starved, they nourishment find;
Their Shepherd upholds them, when faint, in his arms;
And feeds them, and folds them, and guards them from harms.
6
Though sometimes we see the case is not thus;
Bad shepherds will flee, yet what’s that to us?
The Shepherd that chose us must surely be good,
Who rather than lose us would shed his heart’s blood.]
7
Blest soul that can say, “Christ only I seek.”
Wait for him alway; be constant though weak;
The Lord whom thou seekest will not tarry long;
And to him the weakest is dear as the strong.
805 C.M. Joseph Hart
The Robe of Righteousness. Isa. 61. 10; Luke 15. 22
1 Of all the creatures God has made,
There is but man alone
That stands in need to be arrayed
In coverings not his own.
2 [By nature, bears, and bulls, and swine,
With fowls of every wing,
Are much more warm, more safe, more fine,
Than man, their fallen king.]
3 Naked and weak, we want a screen;
But when with clothes we’re decked,
Not only lies our shame unseen,
But we command respect.
4 [Can sinful souls, then, stand unclad,
Before God’s burning throne,
All bare, or, what is quite as bad,
In coverings of their own?
5 Rich garments must be worn to grace
The marriage of the Lamb;
Not nasty rags to foul the place,
Nor nakedness to shame.]
6 Robes of imputed righteousness
Will gain us God’s esteem;
No naked pride, no fig-leaf dress,
How fair soe’er it seem.
7 [’Tis called a robe, perhaps to mean
Man has by nature none;
It grows not native, like our skin,
But is by faith put on.]
8 A sinner clothed in this rich vest,
And garments washed in blood,
Is rendered fit with Christ to feast,
And be the guest of God.
806 7.7.8.7. Joseph Hart
Happy Mourners. Matt. 5. 4; John. 16. 22
1 Christ is the Friend of sinners;
Be that forgotten never;
A wounded soul, and not a whole,
Becomes a true believer;
To see sin smarts but slightly;
To own, with lip confession,
Is easier still; but O to feel
Cuts deep beyond expression.
2 [Trust not to joyous fancies,
Light hearts, or smooth behaviour;
Sinners can say, and none but they,
“How precious is the Saviour!”
Then hail, ye happy mourners;
How blest your state to come is!
Ye soon will meet with comfort sweet;
It is the Lord’s own promise.]
3 The contrite heart and broken
God will not give to ruin;
This sacrifice he’ll not despise,
For ’tis his Spirit’s doing.
Then hail, ye happy mourners,
Who pass through tribulation;
Sin’s filth and guilt, perceived and felt,
Make known God’s great salvation.
4 [Dry doctrine cannot save us,
Blind zeal, or false devotion;
The feeblest prayer, if faith be there,
Exceeds all empty notion.
Then hail, ye happy mourners,
Ye will at last be winners;
By Jesus’ blood, the righteous God
Now reconciles poor sinners.]
806A 8.6.8.8. Joseph Hart
“Return, thou backsliding Israel.” Jer. 3. 12, 14
1 Come, ye backsliding sons of God,
For many such there are,
Who long the paths of sin have trod,
Come, cast away despair;
Return to Jesus Christ, and see
There’s mercy still for such as we.
2 ’Tis true we can’t pretend to much
Of usefulness or fruit;
But yet the love of Christ is such,
We still retain the root;
Returning prodigals shall find,
Though they are base, their Father’s kind.
3 The indignation of the Lord
Awhile we will endure,
For we have sinned against his word;
But still his grace is sure;
’Tis all a gift; let no man boast;
For Jesus came to save the lost.
807 8.8.8. Joseph Hart
“Love not the world.” 1 John. 2. 15-17; Matt. 6. 24
1 My brethren, why these anxious fears,
These warm pursuits and eager cares
For earth and all its gilded toys?
If the whole world you could possess,
It might enchant; it could not bless;
False hopes, vain pleasures, and light joys.
2 [Remember, brethren, whose you are;
Whose cause you own, whose name you bear;
Is it not his who could not call
His own (though he had all things made)
A place whereon to lay his head –
A servant, though the Lord of all?
3 If wealth or honour, power or fame,
Can bring you nearer to the Lamb,
Then follow these with all your might;
But if they only make you stray,
And draw your hearts from him away,
Reflect in what you thus delight.]
4 Jesus has said (who surely knew
Much better what we ought to do
Than we can e’er pretend to see),
“No thought e’en for the morrow take;”
And “He that will not for my sake
Relinquish all, ‘s unworthy me.”
5 [Let no vain words your souls deceive,
Nor Satan tempt you to believe
The world and God can hold their parts;
True Christians long for Christ alone.
The sacrifices God will own,
Are broken, not divided, hearts.
6 Great things we are not here to crave;
But if we food and raiment have,
Should learn to be therewith content.
Into the world we nothing brought,
Nor can we from it carry aught;
Then walk the way your Master went.
808 C.M. Joseph Hart
For Public Fast or Humiliation. Joel. 1. 14; 2. 15-17
1 Lord, look on all assembled here,
Who in thy presence stand
To offer up united prayer
For this our sinful land.
2 [Oft have we each in private prayed
Our country might find grace;
Now hear the same petitions made
In this appointed place.
3 Or, if among us some be met,
So careless of their sin,
They have not cried for mercy yet,
Lord, make them now begin.]
4 Thou, by whose death poor sinners live,
By whom their prayers succeed,
Thy Spirit of supplication give,
And we shall pray indeed.
5 We will not slack, nor give thee rest,
But importune thee so
That, till we shall by thee be blest,
We will not let thee go.
6 Great God of Hosts, deliverance bring;
Guide those that hold the helm;
Support the state, preserve the king,
And spare the guilty realm.
7 Or, should the dread decree be past,
And we must feel thy rod,
May faith and patience hold us fast
To our correcting God.
8 Whatever be our destined case,
Accept us in thy Son;
Give us his gospel and his grace,
And then, Thy will be done.
809 C.M. Joseph Hart
The Law and Grace. John 1. 17; Rom. 3. 31
1 Is, then, the law of God untrue,
Which he by Moses gave?
No! but to take it in this view,
That it has power to save.
2 [Legal obedience were complete,
Could we the law fulfil;
But no man ever did so yet,
And no man ever will.]
3 The law was never meant to give
New strength to man’s lost race;
We cannot act before we live,
And life proceeds from grace.
4 But grace and truth by Christ are given;
To him must Moses bow;
Grace fits the new-born soul for heaven,
And truth informs us how.
5 By Christ we enter into rest,
And triumph o’er the fall;
Whoe’er would be completely blest
Must trust to Christ for all.
810 L.M. Joseph Hart
“Condescend to men of low estate.” Rom. 12. 16
1 To you who stand in Christ so fast,
Ye know your faith shall ever last;
The Lord, on whom that faith depends,
This kind, important message sends:
2 If light, exulting thoughts arise,
Your weaker brethren to despise,
Remember all to me are dear;
Who most is favoured most should bear.
3 If strong thyself, support the weak;
If well, be tender to the sick;
To babes I oft reveal my mind,
And they who seek my face shall find.
4 If faith be strong as well as true,
Then strive that love may be so too;
Boast not, but meek and lowly be;
The humblest soul is most like me.
5 [Should I, displeased, my face but turn,
Ye sadly would your folly mourn;
Who now seemed best would soon be worst;
I often make the last the first.]
6 Encourage souls that on me wait,
And stoop to those of low estate.
Contempt or slight I can’t approve;
Be love your aim, for I am love.
811 S.M. Joseph Hart
Flesh and Spirit. Rom. 7. 14-25; Gal. 5. 17-24
1 Though void of all that’s good,
And very, very poor,
Through Christ I hope to be renewed,
And live for evermore.
2 I view my own bad heart,
And see such evils there,
The sight with horror makes me start,
And tempts me to despair.
3 Then with a single eye
I look to Christ alone;
And on his righteousness rely,
Though I myself have none.
4 By virtue of his blood,
The Lord declares me clean.
Now serves my mind the law of God,
My flesh the law of sin.
812 C.M. Joseph Hart
Jesus my Guide. Ps. 73. 24; 2 Cor. 5. 7
1 Whene’er I make some sudden stop –
For many such I make –
And cannot see the cloud cleared up
Nor know which path to take,
2 I to my Saviour speed my way,
To tell my dubious state;
Then listen what the Lord will say,
And hope to follow that.
3 If Jesus seem to hide his face,
What anxious fears I feel!
But if he deign to whisper peace,
I’m happy! all is well.
4 Confirmed by one soft, secret word,
I seek no further light;
But walk, depending on my Lord,
By faith, and not by sight.
5 Of friends and counsellors bereft,
I often hear him say,
“Decline not to the right or left;
Go on; lo! here’s the way.”
6 Weak in myself, in him I’m strong;
His Spirit’s voice I hear.
The way I walk cannot be wrong,
If Jesus be but there.
7 [He is my Helper and my Guide;
I trust in him alone;
No other helps have I beside;
I venture all on One.]
814 P.M. Joseph Hart
A General Admonition. Heb. 13. 22; Matt. 6. 19-21
1 Brethren, why toil ye thus for toys,
And reckon trash for treasure?
Call gay deceptions solid joys,
Intoxication pleasure?
2 If more refined amusements please,
As knowledge, arts, or learning,
A moment puts an end to these,
And sometimes short’s the warning.
3 What balm could wretches ever find
In wit to heal affliction?
Or who can cure a troubled mind
With all the pomp of diction?
4 Reflect what trifles ye pursue,
So anxious and so heedful;
For, after all, you’ll find it true,
There is but one thing needful.
5 God in his Scriptures to reveal
His will has condescended;
What there is said he will fulfil,
Though man may be offended.
6 This written word with reverence treat;
Join prayer with each inspection;
And be not wise in self-conceit;
’Tis folly to perfection.
7 True wisdom, of celestial birth,
Can both instruct and cherish;
Other attainments are of earth,
And all that’s earth must perish.
8 The chief concern of fall’n mankind
Should be to enjoy God’s favour;
What safety can a sinner find
Before he finds a Saviour?
9 This Saviour must be one that can
From sin and death release us,
Make up the breach ’twixt God and man;
Which none can do but Jesus.
10 Jesus is Judge of quick and dead;
And there is none beside him,
Whether his power we slight or dread,
Adore him or deride him.
11 Whate’er we judge ourselves, we must
Or stand or fall by his doom;
And they that in this Jesus trust,
Have found eternal wisdom.
12 Mercy and love, from Jesus felt,
Can heal a wounded spirit;
Mercy that triumphs over guilt,
And love that seeks no merit.
815 L.M. Joseph Hart
An End of Sin. Dan. 9. 24; John. 19. 18-30
1 Jesus, when on the bloody tree
He hung, through soul and body pierced,
That all things might accomplished be
Contained in Scripture, said, “I thirst.”
2 Hyssop, the plant ordained by God,
And held by Jews in high esteem,
Which sprinkled them with paschal blood,
Sharp vinegar conveyed to him.
3 This done, our dear, our dying Lord
Exerts his short, expiring breath;
Utters this rich, important word,
“’Tis finished!” and submits to death.
4 Henceforth an end is put to sin
(The important word implies not less).
Now for believers is brought in
An everlasting righteousness.
5 The Son of God and man, has died,
Sinners as black as hell to save;
And, that they might be justified,
Is risen victorious from the grave.
6 In heaven he lives, our King, our Priest;
There for his people ever pleads:
How sure is our salvation! Christ
Died, rose, ascended, intercedes.
816 C.M. Joseph Hart
“And ye are complete in him.” Col. 2. 10; Gal. 5. 6
1 When is it Christians all agree,
And let distinctions fall?
When, nothing in themselves, they see
That Christ is all in all.
2 But strife and difference will subsist
While men will something seem;
Let them but singly look to Christ
And all are one in him.
3 The infant and the aged saint,
The worker and the weak,
They who are strong and seldom faint,
And they who scarce can speak.
4 Eternal life’s the gift of God;
It comes through Christ alone;
’Tis his, he bought it with his blood;
And therefore gives his own.
5 We have no life, no power, no faith,
But what by Christ is given;
We all deserve eternal death,
And thus we all are even.
817 148th Joseph Hart
The Author’s Confession. Gen. 27. 20
1 And now the work is done,
Without much pains or cost;
The author’s merit’s none,
And therefore none his boast;
He only claims whate’er’s amiss;
Alas! how large a share is his!
2 Some time it took to beat
And hunt for tinkling sound;
But the rich savoury meat
Was very quickly found;
For every truly Christian thought
Was by the God of Isaac brought.
3 May he that sings or reads
That precious blessing know
That comes by Jacob’s kids,
And not from Esau’s bow.
O bring no price! God’s grace is free
To Paul, to Magdalene, to me!
4 Glory to God alone
(Let man forbear to boast),
To Father, and to Son,
And to the Holy Ghost:
Eternal life’s the gift of God;
The Lamb procured it by his blood.
818 C.M. Joseph Hart
The Lord’s Supper. Prov. 9. 1-5; Luke. 22. 19
1 The King of heaven a feast has made,
And to his much-loved friends,
The faint, the famished, and the sad,
This invitation sends:
2 “Beggars, approach my royal board,
Furnished with all that’s good;
Come, sit at table with your Lord,
And eat celestial food.
3 “My body and my blood receive,
It comes entirely free;
I ask no price for all I give,
But O remember Me!”
4 Lo, at thy gracious bidding, Lord,
Though vile and base, we come;
O speak the reconciling word,
And welcome wanderers home.
5 [Rich wine, and milk, and heavenly meat,
We come to buy and live;
Since nothing is the price that’s set,
And we have nought to give.]
6 Impart to all thy flock below
The blessings of thy death.
On every begging soul bestow
Thy love, thy hope, thy faith.
7 May each, with strength from heaven endued,
Say, “My Beloved’s mine:
I eat his flesh, and drink his blood,
In signs of bread and wine.”
820 S.M. Joseph Hart
The Broken Body & Shed Blood of Christ. Mark. 14. 22-24
1 Glory to God on high!
Our peace is made with heaven;
The Son of God came down to die,
That sin might be forgiven.
2 His precious blood was shed,
His body bruised for sin;
Remember this in eating bread,
And that in drinking wine.
3 Approach his royal board,
In his rich garments clad;
Join, every tongue, to praise the Lord,
And every heart be glad.
4 [The Father gives the Son;
The Son his flesh and blood;
The Spirit applies, and faith puts on,
The righteousness of God.]
5 Sinners the gift receive,
And each says, “I am chief;
Thou know’st, O Lord, I would believe;
O help my unbelief!”
6 Lord, help us from above;
The power is all thy own;
Faith is thy gift, and hope, and love,
For of ourselves we’ve none.
821 C.M. Joseph Hart
Wonderful Love. Heb. 10. 19, 20; John. 3. 16; 16. 27
1 Father of heaven, almighty King,
How wondrous is thy love,
That worms of dust thy praise should sing,
And thou their songs approve!
2 [Since by a new and living Way
Access to thee is given,
Poor sinners may with boldness pray,
And earth converse with heaven.]
3 Give each some token, Lord, for good,
And send the Spirit down,
To feed us with celestial food,
The body of thy Son.
4 The feast thou hast been pleased to make
We would by faith receive,
That all that come their part may take,
And all that take may live.
5 Let every tongue the Father own,
Who, when we all were lost,
To seek and save us sent the Son,
And gives the Holy Ghost.
822 C.M. Joseph Hart
“Drink ye all of it.” Matt. 26. 27; John. 6. 54, 56
1 The blest memorials of thy grief,
Thy sufferings, and thy death,
We come, dear Saviour, to receive;
But would receive by faith.
2 The tokens sent us to relieve
Our spirits when they droop,
We come, dear Saviour, to receive;
But would receive with hope.
3 The pledges thou wast pleased to leave,
Our mournful minds to move,
We come, dear Saviour, to receive;
But would receive with love.
4 Here, in obedience to thy word,
We take the bread and wine,
The utmost we can do, dear Lord,
For all beyond is thine.
5 Increase our faith, and hope, and love;
Lord, give us all that’s good;
We would thy full salvation prove,
And share thy flesh and blood.
823 7.6.8. Joseph Hart
“In remembrance of me.” 1 Cor. 11. 23-25
1 Hail, thou Bridegroom, bruised to death,
Who hast the wine-press trod
Of the Almighty’s burning wrath!
Hail, slaughtered Lamb of God;
Melt our hearts with love like thine,
While we behold thee on the tree,
Sweetly mourning o’er each sign,
In memory of thee.
2 Hail, thou mighty Saviour, blest
Before the world began
In the eternal Father’s breast,
Hail, Son of God and man!
Thee we hymn in humble strains;
And to receive we now agree,
These blest symbols of thy pains,
In memory of thee.
3 Break, O break these hearts of stone,
By some endearing word.
Jesus, come! May every one
Behold his suffering Lord.
The Holy Ghost into us breathe;
Help us to take, from doubtings free,
These dear tokens of thy death
In memory of thee.
4 [Thou, our great Melchisedec,
Bring’st forth thy bread and wine;
Thou hast wrought out, for our sake,
A righteousness divine.
Send thy blessing from above,
When worms partake, such worms as we,
These rich pledges of thy love,
In memory of thee.]
824 L.M. Joseph Hart
“Reproach hath broken my heart.” Ps. 69. 20
1 O that our flinty hearts could melt,
While to remembrance, Lord, we call
Part of that weight which thou hast felt;
For who can comprehend it all?
2 Ye sinners, while these symbols dear
Present your suffering Lord to view,
Drop the soft tribute of a tear,
For he shed many a tear for you.
3 In the sad garden, on the wood,
His body bruised, from every part
Poured on the ground a purple flood,
Till sorrow broke his tender heart.
4 Lord, while we thus show forth thy death,
O send thy Spirit from above;
Help us to feed on thee by faith,
And sigh, and sing, and mourn, and love.
825 S.M. Joseph Hart
“Evermore give us this bread.” John 6. 34, 51-58
1 Lord, send thy Spirit down
On babes that long to learn;
Open our eyes, and make us wise,
Thy body to discern.
2 ’Tis by thy word we live,
And not by bread alone;
The word of truth from thy blest mouth,
O make it clearly known.
3 With what we have received
Impart thy quickening power;
We would be fed with living bread,
And live for evermore.
826 8.7. Joseph Hart
God’s Goodness for the Poor. Ps. 68. 10
1 O how good our gracious God is!
What rich feasts does he provide!
Bread and wine to feed our bodies;
But much more is signified:
All his sheep (amazing wonder!)
Feeds he with his flesh and blood;
Where’s the power can ever sunder
Souls united thus to God?
2 When we take the sacred symbols
Of his body, bread and wine;
While the heart relents and trembles,
We rejoice with joy divine;
Jesus makes the weakest able,
Feeds us with his flesh and blood;
Needy beggars at his table
Are the welcome guests of God.
3 Cease thy fears, then, weak believer;
Jesus Christ is still the same,
Yesterday, today, for ever,
Saviour is his unctuous name;
Lowliness of heart, and meekness
To the bleeding Lamb belong;
Trust to him, and by thy weakness
Thou shalt prove that Christ is strong.
827 7.6. Joseph Hart
“And they shall mourn for him.” Zech. 12. 10
1 Suffering Saviour, Lamb of God,
How hast thou been usèd?
With the Almighty’s wrathful rod
Soul and body bruisèd!
2 We, for whom thou once wast slain,
We, whose sins did pierce thee,
Now commemorate thy pain,
And implore thy mercy.
3 We would with thee sympathise
In thy bitter passion;
With soft hearts and weeping eyes
See thy great salvation.
4 [Thine’s an everlasting love;
We have dearly tried thee;
Whom have we in heaven above,
Whom on earth beside thee?
5 What can helpless sinners do
When temptations seize us?
Nought have we to look unto
But the blood of Jesus.]
6 Pardon all our baseness, Lord;
All our weakness pity;
Guide us safely by thy word
To the heavenly city.
7 O sustain us on the road
Through this desert dreary;
Feed us with thy flesh and blood
When we’re faint and weary.
8 Bid us call to mind thy cross,
Our hard hearts to soften;
Often, Saviour, feast us thus,
For we need it often.
828 C.M. Joseph Hart
He that eateth this bread shall live for ever. John. 6. 50, 51
1 The tender mercies of the Lord
On those that fear his name,
For every thankful tongue afford
An everlasting theme.
2 [He pities all that feel his fear,
When wounded, pained or weak;
As tender mothers grieve to hear
Their infants moan when sick.]
3 He to the needy and the faint
His mighty aid makes known;
And, when their languid life is spent,
Supplies it with his own.
4 The body in his bounty shares,
Sustained with corn and wine;
But for the soul himself prepares
A banquet more divine.
5 By faith received, his flesh and blood
Shall life eternal give;
For he that eats immortal food,
Immortally must live.
829 C.M. Joseph Hart
He “gave himself for me.” Gal. 2. 20; Luke 22. 19
1 That doleful night before his death,
The Lamb, for sinners slain,
Did almost with his latest breath
This solemn feast ordain.
2 To keep thy feast, Lord, are we met,
And to remember thee;
Help each poor trembler to repeat,
“For me he died, for me.”
3 Thy sufferings, Lord, each sacred sign
To our remembrance brings;
We eat the bread and drink the wine,
But think on nobler things.
4 O tune our tongues, and set in frame
Each heart that pants to thee,
To sing, “Hosanna to the Lamb,
The Lamb that died for me!”
830 7s Joseph Hart
“Shew the Lord’s death till he come.” 1 Cor. 11. 26
1 Jesus, once for sinners slain,
From the dead was raised again,
And in heaven is now set down
With his Father in his throne.
2 There he reigns a King supreme;
We shall also reign with him;
Feeble souls, be not dismayed;
Trust in his almighty aid.
3 He has made an end of sin,
And his blood has washed us clean;
Fear not, he is ever near;
Now, e’en now, he’s with us here.
4 Thus assembling, we, by faith,
Till he come, show forth his death;
Of his body bread’s the sign,
And we drink his blood in wine.
5 Bread, thus broken, aptly shows
How his body God did bruise;
When the grape’s rich blood we see,
Lord, we then remember thee.
6 [Saints on earth, with saints above,
Celebrate his dying love,
And let every ransomed soul
Sound his praise from pole to pole.]
831 S.M. Joseph Hart
The Free Feast. Isa. 55. 1, 2; Luke. 1. 53
1 The God that first us chose,
The eternal Father, praise;
What wondrous bounties he bestows;
And by what wondrous ways!
2 His creatures all are filled
By him with proper food;
But O! he gives to every child
His Son’s own flesh and blood.
3 Here hungry souls appear,
And eat celestial bread;
The needy beggar banquets here,
With royal dainties fed.
4 Here thirsty souls approach,
And drink immortal wine:
The entertainment is for such,
Prepared by grace divine.
5 [God bids us bring no price;
The feast is furnished free;
His bounteous hand the poor supplies,
And who more poor than we?
6 His Spirit from above
The Father sends us down,
And looks with everlasting love
On all that love the Son.]
832 S.M. Joseph Hart
The Fear of the Lord. Ecc. 8. 12; Ps. 25. 14
1 The men that fear the Lord,
In every state are blest;
The Lord will grant whate’er they want;
Their souls shall dwell at rest.
2 [His secrets they shall share,
His covenant shall learn;
Guided by grace, shall walk his ways,
And heavenly truths discern.]
3 [He pities all their griefs;
When sinking, makes them swim;
He dries their tears, relieves their fears,
And bids them trust in him.]
4 In his remembrance-book
The Saviour sets them down,
Accounting each a jewel rich,
And calls them all his own.
5 This fear’s the spirit of faith,
A confidence that’s strong;
An unctuous light to all that’s right,
A bar to all that’s wrong.
6 It gives religion life
To warm, as well as light;
Makes mercy sweet, salvation great,
And all God’s judgments right.
833 S.M. Joseph Hart
“I will sing of mercy and judgement.” Ps. 101. 1
1 Thy mercy, Lord, we praise;
Of judgment too we sing;
For all the riches of thy grace
Our grateful tribute bring.
2 Mercy may justly claim
A sinner’s thankful voice;
And judgment joining in the theme,
We tremble and rejoice.
3 Thy mercies bid us trust;
Thy judgments strike with awe;
We fear the last, we bless the first,
And love thy righteous law.
4 Who can thy acts express,
Or trace thy wondrous ways?
How glorious is thy holiness;
How terrible thy praise!
5 Thy goodness how immense
To those that fear thy name!
Thy love surpasses thought or sense,
And always is the same.
6 Thy judgments are too deep
For reason’s line to sound.
Thy tender mercies to thy sheep
No bottom know, nor bound.
834 C.M. Joseph Hart
Praise for Creation and Redemption. Ps. 103. 22
1 While heavenly hosts their anthems sing,
In realms above the sky,
Let worms of earth their tribute bring,
And laud the Lord most high.
2 In thankful notes your voices raise,
Ye ransomed of the Lord;
And sing the eternal Father’s praise,
The God by all adored.
3 All creatures to his bounty owe
Their being and their breath;
But greatest gratitude should flow
In men redeemed from death.
4 His only Son he deigned to give;
What love this gift declares!
And all that in the Son believe,
Eternal life is theirs.
835 112th Joseph Hart
Desertion. Ps. 25. 16, 17; 69. 1, 2; 143. 4
1 Deep in a cold, a joyless cell,
A doleful gulf of gloomy care,
Where dismal doubts and darkness dwell,
The dangerous brink of black despair;
Chilled by the icy damps of death,
I feel no firm support of faith.
2 [How can a burdened cripple rise?
How can a fettered captive flee?
Ah! Lord, direct my wishful eyes,
And let me look, at least, to thee.
Alas! my sinking spirits droop;
I scarce perceive a glimpse of hope.]
3 Extend thy mercy, gracious God;
Thy quickening Spirit vouchsafe to send;
Apply the reconciling blood,
And kindly call thy foe thy friend;
Or, if rich cordials thou deny,
Let patience comfort’s place supply.
4 Let hope survive, though damped by doubt;
Do thou defend my battered shield;
O let me never quite give out;
Help me to keep the bloody field;
Lord, look upon the unequal strife;
Delay not, lest I lose my life.
836 L.M. Joseph Hart
Christ’s Resurrection. Matt. 28. 6; Eph. 1. 20-22
1 Believer, lift thy drooping head;
Thy Saviour has the victory gained;
See all thy foes in triumph led,
And everlasting life obtained.
2 God from the grave has raised his Son;
The powers of darkness are despoiled;
Justice declares the work is done,
And God and man are reconciled.
3 Lo! the Redeemer leaves the tomb;
See the triumphant Hero rise!
His mighty arms their strength resume,
And conquest sparkles in his eyes.
4 Death his death’s wound has now received;
An end of sin’s entirely made;
Prisoners of hope are quite reprieved,
And all the dreadful debt is paid.
837 L.M. Joseph Hart
“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Mark. 1. 15
1 Repent, awakened souls, repent;
Hear the good tidings God has sent,
Of sinners saved, and sins forgiven,
And beggars raised to reign in heaven.
2 God sent his Son to die for us,
Die to redeem us from the curse;
He took our weakness, bore our load,
And dearly bought us with his blood.
3 In guilt’s dark dungeon when we lay,
Mercy cried, “Spare;” and Justice, “Slay.”
But Jesus answered, “Set them free,
And pardon them and punish me.”
4 Salvation is of God alone;
Life everlasting in his Son;
And he that gave his Son to bleed,
Will freely give us all we need.
5 Believe the gospel, and rejoice;
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
His goodness praise, his wonders tell,
Who ransomed our poor souls from hell.
838 L.M. Joseph Hart
Sickness. Isa. 38. 12; Job. 7. 3-5; Ps. 102. 4-5
1 Lord, hear a restless wretch’s groans;
To thee my soul in secret moans:
My body’s weak, my heart’s unclean;
I pine with sickness and with sin.
2 My strength decays, my spirits droop;
Bowed down with guilt, I can’t look up;
I lose my life, I lose my soul,
Except thy mercy make me whole.
3 Sin’s rankling sores my soul corrode;
O heal them with thy balmy blood!
And, if thou dost my health restore,
Lord, let me ne’er offend thee more.
4 Or, if I never more must rise,
But death’s cold hand must close my eyes,
Pardon my sins, and take me home;
O come, Lord Jesus, quickly come!
842 S.M. Joseph Hart
“Sorrow not.” 1 Thess. 4. 13, 14; 2 Sam. 12. 19-23
1 The spirits of the just,
Confined in bodies, groan,
Till death consigns the corpse to dust,
And then the conflict’s done.
2 Jesus, who came to save,
The Lamb for sinners slain,
Perfumed the chambers of the grave,
And made e’en death our gain.
3 Why fear we, then, to trust
The place where Jesus lay?
In quiet rests our brother’s dust,
And thus it seems to say:
4 “Forbear, my friends, to weep,
Since death has lost its sting;
Those Christians that in Jesus sleep,
Our God will with him bring.”
5 This message, then, receive,
And grief indulge no more;
Return to pray awhile; believe,
And wait the welcome hour.
843 7.6.8. Joseph Hart
The Interment of a Believer. Job. 19. 26
1 Christians, view this solemn scene,
And if your souls be sad,
Look beyond the cloud between,
And let your hearts be glad.
Never from your memory lose
The resurrection of the just.
Death’s a blessing now to those
Who in our Jesus trust.
2 Deep interred in earth’s dark womb
The mouldering body lies;
But the Christian from the tomb
Shall soon triumphant rise.
Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge,
For all his people’s sins was slain;
Give the Saviour, without grudge,
The purchase of his pain.
3 Now, the grave’s a downy bed,
Embroidered round with blood;
Say not the believer’s dead,
He only rests in God.
Lord, we long to be at home,
Lay down our heads, and sleep in thee;
Come, Lord Jesus, quickly come,
And set thy prisoners free.
844 L.M. Joseph Hart
The Interment of a Believer. Hos. 13. 14
1 Fountain of life, who gavest us breath,
Eternal Sire, by all adored;
Who makest us conquerors over death,
Through Jesus, our victorious Lord,
2 We give thee thanks, we sing thy praise,
For calling thus thy children home;
And shortening tribulation days
To hide them in the peaceful tomb.
3 Jesus, confiding in thy name,
Thou King of saints, thy body’s Head,
We give to earth the breathless frame,
Remembering thou thyself wast dead.
4 Thine was a bitter death indeed,
Thou harmless, suffering Lamb of God!
Thou hast from hell thy people freed,
And drowned destruction in thy blood.
845 C.M. Joseph Hart
The Resurrection. 1 Cor. 15. 36-44; Acts 24. 15
1 The praise of Christ, ye Christians, sound;
His mighty acts be told;
Death has received a deadly wound;
He takes, but cannot hold.
2 [Clipped are the greedy vulture’s claws;
No more we dread his power;
He gapes with adamantine jaws,
And grins, but can’t devour.]
3 Believers in their darksome graves
Shall start, to light restored;
Forsake their monumental caves,
And mount to meet the Lord.
4 Not long in ground the dying grain
Is hid, or lies forlorn;
But soon revives, and springs again,
And comes to standing corn.
5 So, waking from the womb of earth,
Where Christ has lain before,
And bursting to a better birth,
We rise to die no more.
6 The wicked, too, shall rise again,
The difference will be this:
They rise to everlasting pain,
And saints to endless bliss.
847 S.M. Joseph Hart
The Day of Judgement. 2 Cor. 5. 10; Mark. 13. 33
1 Behold! with awful pomp
The Judge prepares to come;
The archangel sounds the dreadful trump,
And wakes the general doom.
2 Nature in wild amaze,
Her dissolution mourns;
Blushes of blood the moon deface;
The sun to darkness turns.
3 The living look with dread;
The frighted dead arise,
Start from the monumental bed,
And lift their ghastly eyes.
4 Horrors all hearts appal;
They quake, they shriek, they cry;
Bid rocks and mountains on them fall,
But rocks and mountains fly.
5 Great God, in whom we live,
Prepare us for that day;
Help us in Jesus to believe,
To watch, and wait, and pray.
850 C.M. Joseph Hart
Heaven. Rev. 7. 15-17; 2 Cor. 5. 1; Heb. 6. 20
1 Ye souls that trust in Christ, rejoice;
Your sins are all forgiven;
Let every Christian lift his voice,
And sing the joys of heaven.
2 Heaven is that holy, happy place,
Where sin no more defiles;
Where God unveils his blissful face,
And looks, and loves, and smiles;
3 [Where Jesus, Son of man and God,
Triumphant from his wars,
Walks in rich garments, dipped in blood,
And shows his glorious scars;]
4 [Where ransomed sinners sound God’s praise
The angelic host among;
Sing the rich wonders of his grace,
And Jesus leads the song;]
5 [Where saints are free from every load
Of passions, or of pains;
God dwells in them, and they in God;
And love for ever reigns.]
6 Lord, as thou show’st thy glory there,
Make known thy grace to us;
And heaven will not be wanting here
While we can hymn thee thus:
7 Jesus, our dear Redeemer, died
That we might be forgiven;
Rose that we might be justified,
And sends the Spirit from heaven.
851 C.M. Joseph Hart
Faith and Works. James 2. 17; Gal. 5. 6; 1 John. 3. 7
1 When filthy passions or unjust
Professors’ minds control;
When men give up the reins to lust,
And interest sways the whole;
2 Or when they seek themselves to please,
Decline each thorny road,
Indulge their sloth, consult their ease,
And slight the fear of God;
3 The faith is vain such men profess;
It comes not from above;
The righteous man does righteousness,
And true faith works by love.
4 [Men’s actions with their minds will suit;
By them the heart is viewed;
A tree that bears corrupted fruit,
Cannot be callèd good.]
5 The Christian seeks his brother’s good,
Sometimes beyond his own;
Or, if self-interest will intrude,
It does not reign alone.
6 Help us, dear Lord, to honour thee;
Let our good works abound;
Thou art that green, that fruitful tree;
From thee our fruit is found.
852 S.M. Joseph Hart
“Faith without works is dead.” James 2. 20-26
1 Vain man, to boast forbear,
The knowledge in thy head;
The sacred Scriptures this declare:
“Faith without works is dead.”
2 When Christ the Judge shall come
To render each his due,
He’ll deal thy deeds their righteous doom,
And set thy works in view.
3 Food to the hungry give;
Give to the thirsty drink;
To follow Christ is to believe;
Dead faith is but to think.
4 The man that loves the Lord
Will mind whate’er he bid;
Will pay regard to all his word,
And do as Jesus did.
5 [The dead professor counts
Good works as legal ties;
His faith to action seldom mounts;
On doctrine he relies.
6 But words engender strife;
Behold the gospel plan:
Trust in the Lord alone for life,
And do what good you can.]
853 7.5. Joseph Hart
“Believe only.” Luke. 8. 50; John. 6. 29
1 Zeal extinguished to a spark;
Life is very, very low;
All my evidences dark,
And good works I’ve none to show.
Prayer, too, seems a load;
Ordinances tease or tire;
I can feel no love to God;
Hardly have a good desire.
2 Though thy fainting spirits droop,
Yet thy God is with thee still.
To believe in hope ’gainst hope,
And against thee all things feel;
Only to believe,
’Midst thy coldness, doubts, and death,
Canst thou not, poor soul, perceive
This is now thy work of faith?
854 7.6.8. Joseph Hart
Christ is holy. Ps. 22. 3; Rev. 4. 8; Isa. 6. 3
1 Jesus, Lord of life and peace,
To thee we lift our voice;
Teach us at thy holiness
To tremble and rejoice.
Sweet and terrible’s thy word;
Thou and thy word are both the same.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
We love thy holy name.
2 Burning seraphs round thy throne,
Beyond all brightness bright,
Bow their bashful heads, and own
Their own diminished light.
Worthy thou to be adored,
Lord God Almighty, great I AM!
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
We love thy holy name.
3 Saints, in whom thy Spirit dwells,
Pour out their souls to thee;
Each his tale in secret tells,
And sighs to be set free.
Christ admired, themselves abhorred,
They cry with awe, delight, and shame,
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
We love thy holy name.
4 [Men whose hearts admit not fear,
At thy perfections awed,
Use thy name, but not revere
The holy child of God;
These thy kingdom own in word;
Save us from loyalty so lame,
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
We love thy holy name.
5 Just and righteous is our King;
Glorious in holiness;
Though we tremble while we sing,
We would not wish it less.
Souls by whom the truth’s explored
Wonders of mercy best proclaim,
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
We love thy holy name.]
855 C.M. Joseph Hart
The Holy Trinity. Isa. 57. 15; 1 Pet. 1. 16
1 God is a high and holy God,
Eternally the same;
Holiness is his blest abode,
And holy is his name.
2 The holy Father, Holy Ghost,
Men readily will own;
But ’tis a blessing few can boast,
To know the holy Son.
3 [With hearts of flint, and fronts of brass,
Some talk of Christ their Head;
And make the living Lord, alas!
Companion with the dead.
4 Familiar freedom, luscious names,
To Christ some fondly use;
Visions of wonder, flashy frames,
Are others’ utmost views.
5 By things like these men often run
To this or that extreme;
But that man truly knows the Son
Who loves to live like him.]
6 Lord, help us by thy mighty power
To gain our constant view;
Which is, that we may know thee more,
And more resemble too.
856 C.M. Joseph Hart
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.” Rev. 5. 6-12
1 We sing thy praise, exalted Lamb,
Who sitt’st upon thy throne;
Ten thousand blessings on thy name,
Who worthy art alone.
2 Thy bruisèd, broken body bore
Our sins upon the tree;
And now thou liv’st for evermore,
And now we live through thee.
3 Poor sinners, sing the Lamb that died;
What theme can sound so sweet?
His drooping head, his streaming side,
His piercèd hands and feet;
4 With all that scene of suffering love
Which faith presents to view:
For now he lives and reigns above,
And lives and reigns for you.
5 [Was ever grace, Lord, rich as thine?
Can aught be with it named?
What powerful beams of love divine
Thy tender heart inflamed!]
6 Ye angels, hymn his glorious name,
Who loved and conquered thus;
And we will likewise laud the Lamb,
For he was slain for us.
857 7s Joseph Hart
Praising Christ. Rev. 1. 5, 6; 1 Tim. 6. 16
1 Jesus Christ, God’s holy Lamb,
We will laud thy lovely name;
We were saved by God’s decree,
And our debt was paid by thee.
2 Thou hast washed us in thy blood,
Made us kings and priests to God;
Take this tribute of the poor;
Less we can’t, we can’t give more.
3 Souls redeemed, your voices raise,
Sing your dear Redeemer’s praise;
Worthy thou of love and laud,
King of saints, incarnate God.
4 Righteous are thy ways, and true;
Endless honours are thy due;
Grace and glory in thee shine;
Matchless mercy, love divine.
5 We for whom thou once wast slain,
We thy ransomed sinner-train,
In this one request agree,
“Make us more resemble thee.”
858 L.M. Joseph Hart
“Return, thou backsliding Israel.” Jer. 3. 12, 14, 22
1 Backsliding souls, return to God;
Your faithful God is gracious still;
Leave the false ways ye long have trod,
For God will your backslidings heal.
2 Your first espousals call to mind;
’Tis time ye should be now reclaimed.
What fruit could ever Christians find
In things whereof they’re now ashamed?
3 The indignation of the Lord
Awhile endure, for ’tis your due;
But firm and steadfast stands his word;
Though you are faithless, he is true.
4 The blood of Christ, a precious blood!
Cleanses from all sin, doubt it not,
And reconciles the soul to God,
From every folly, every fault.
860 C.M. Joseph Hart
“Pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.” Ps. 25. 11
1 From poisonous errors, pleasing cheats,
And gilded baits of sin,
Which, swallowed as delicious meats,
Infect and rot within;
2 Lord, pardon a backslider base,
Returning from the dead;
Ashamed to show his shameful face,
Or lift his guilty head.
3 Ah! what a fool have I been made!
Or rather made myself;
That mariner’s mad part I played,
That sees, yet strikes the shelf.
4 How weak must be this wicked heart,
Which, boasting much to know,
Made light of all thy bitter smart
And wantoned with thy woe!
5 Monstrous ingratitude I own,
Well worthy wrath divine;
Can blood such horrid crimes atone?
Yes, blood so rich as thine.
6 Then, since thy mercy makes me melt,
My baseness I deplore;
Regard the grief and shame I’ve felt,
And daily make them more.
861 C.M. Joseph Hart
Salvation to the Lamb. Rev. 7. 10; Jer. 3. 23
1 Poor sinner, come, cast off thy fear,
And raise thy drooping head;
Come, sing with all poor sinners here,
Jesus, who once was dead.
2 Salvation sing, no word more meet
To join to Jesus’ name;
Let every thankful tongue repeat,
“Salvation to the Lamb.”
3 Saints, from the garden to the cross,
Your conquering Lord pursue,
Who, dearly to redeem your loss,
Groaned, bled, and died for you.
4 Now reigns victorious over death
The glorious great I AM;
Let every soul repeat with faith,
“Salvation to the Lamb.”
5 When we incurred the wrath of God –
Alas! what could we worse?
He came, and, with his own heart’s blood,
Redeemed us from the curse.
6 This paschal Lamb, our heavenly meat,
Was roasted in the flame;
Repeat, ye ransomed souls, repeat,
“Salvation to the Lamb.”
862 C.M. Joseph Hart
Baptism. Rom. 6. 3, 4; Acts 10. 47
1 Father of heaven, we thee address;
Obedience is our view;
Accept us in thy Son, and bless
The work we have to do.
2 Jesus, as water well applied
Will make the body clean,
So in the fountain of thy side
Wash thou the soul from sin.
3 Celestial Dove, descend from high,
And on the water brood;
And with thy quickening power apply
The water and the blood.
4 Great God, Three-One, again we call,
And our requests renew;
Accept in Christ, and bless withal
The work we’ve now to do.
863 S.M. Joseph Hart
Baptism. 1 Pet. 3. 21; Gal. 3. 27
1 By what amazing ways
The Lord vouchsafes to explain
The wonders of his sovereign grace
Towards the sons of men!
2 He shows us first how foul
Our nature’s made by sin;
Then teaches the believing soul
The way to make it clean.
3 Our baptism first declares
What need we’ve all to cleanse;
Then shows that Christ to all God’s heirs
Can purity dispense.
4 Water the body laves;
And, if ’tis done by faith,
The blood of Jesus surely saves
The sinful soul from death.
5 Water no man denies;
But, brethren, rest not there;
’Tis faith in Christ that justifies,
And makes the conscience clear.
6 Baptized into his death,
We rise to life divine;
The Holy Spirit works the faith,
And water is the sign.
864 8.7. Joseph Hart
At Recommending a Minister. 1 Cor. 3. 21-23
1 Holy Ghost, inspire our praises,
Touch our hearts, and tune our tongues;
While we laud the name of Jesus,
Heaven will gladly share our songs.
Hosts of angels, bright and glorious,
While we hymn our common King,
Will be glad to join the chorus;
And the Lord himself shall sing.
2 Raise we, then, our cheerful voices
To our God, who, full of grace,
In our happiness rejoices,
And delights to hear his praise.
Whoso lives upon his promise,
Eats his flesh and drinks his blood;
All that’s past, and all to come, is
For that soul’s eternal good.
3 [Happy soul, that hears and follows
Jesus speaking in his word!
Paul, and Cephas, and Apollos,
All are his in Christ the Lord.
Every state, howe’er distressing,
Shall be profit in the end;
Every ordinance a blessing,
Every providence a friend.]
4 [Christian, dost thou want a teacher,
Helper, counsellor, or guide?
Would’st thou find a proper preacher?
Ask thy God, for he’ll provide.
Build on no man’s parts or merit,
But behold the gospel plan;
Jesus sends his Holy Spirit,
And the Spirit sends the man.]
5 [Bless, dear Lord, each labouring servant;
Bless the work they undertake;
Make them able, faithful, fervent;
Bless them, for thy church’s sake.
All things for our good are given;
Comforts, crosses, staffs, or rods;
All is ours in earth and heaven;
We are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.]
865 7.6.7. Joseph Hart
Dismission. Mark. 4. 15-20; John. 4. 36
Guardian of thy helpless sheep,
Jesus, almighty Lord,
Help our heedful hearts to keep
The treasure of thy word;
Let not Satan steal what’s sown;
Bid it bring forth precious fruit;
Thou canst soften hearts of stone,
And make thy word take root.
866 7.6.8. Joseph Hart
Dismission. 1 Cor. 3. 6; 2 Thess. 3. 5
1 Father, ere we hence depart,
Send thy good Spirit down,
To reside in every heart,
And bless the seed that’s sown;
Fountain of eternal love,
Thou freely gavest thy Son to die;
Send thy Spirit from above,
To quicken and apply.
867 C.M. Joseph Hart
Praise to the Trinity. Ps. 150. 6; Isa. 42. 10-12
1 O praise the Lord, ye heavenly hosts!
The same on earth be done;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The great, the good Three-One.
868 L.M. Joseph Hart
Praise to the Trinity. Ps. 117. 1; 148. 7-11
1 To the great Godhead, Father, Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three-in-One,
Be glory, praise, and honour given
By all on earth, and all in heaven.
869 104th Joseph Hart
Praise to the Trinity. Ps. 67. 3, 5
Give glory to God, ye children of men,
And publish abroad, again and again,
The Son’s glorious merit, the Father’s free grace,
The gifts of the Spirit, to Adam’s lost race.
870 C.M. Joseph Hart
Praise to the Trinity. Rom. 15. 11
1 We laud thy name, almighty Lord,
The Father of all grace;
We laud thy name, incarnate Word,
Who saved’st a sinful race;
2 We laud thy name, blest Spirit of truth,
Who dost salvation seal;
Incline the heart, unclose the mouth,
And sanctify the will.
871 C.M. Joseph Hart
Chastisement. Ps. 94. 12; Heb. 12. 5-11
1 Happy the man that bears the stroke
Of his chastising God;
Nor stubbornly rejects the yoke,
Nor faints beneath his rod.
2 They who the Lord’s correction share
Have favour in his eyes;
As kindest fathers will not spare
Their children to chastise.
3 Thy Lord for nothing would not chide;
Thou highly should’st esteem
The cross that’s sent to purge thy pride,
And make thee more like him.
4 For this correction render praise;
’Tis given thee for thy good.
The lash is steeped he on thee lays,
And softened in his blood.
5 [Know, whom the Saviour favours much,
Their faults he oft reproves;
He takes peculiar care of such,
And chastens whom he loves.]
6 Then kiss the rod; thy sins confess;
It shall a blessing prove;
And yield the fruits of righteousness –
Humility and love.
872 S.M. Joseph Hart
Chastisement. Zech. 13. 9; Mal. 3. 3; Prov. 3. 11
1 Gold in the furnace tried
Ne’er loses aught but dross;
So is the Christian purified
And bettered by the cross.
2 Afflictions make us see,
What else would ’scape our sight.
How very foul and dim are we,
And God how pure and bright.
3 [The punished child repents;
The parent’s bowels move;
The offended father soon relents,
And turns with double love.]
4 If God rebuke for pride,
He’ll humble thy proud heart;
If for thy want of love he chide,
That love he will impart.
5 He shall by means like these
Thy stubborn temper break;
Soften thy heart by due degrees,
And make thy spirit meek.
6 His chastening, therefore, prize,
The privilege of a saint;
Their hearts are hard who that despise,
And theirs too weak who faint.
873 L.M. Joseph Hart
Chastisement. Ps. 6. 1; 30. 8-10; 118. 18
1 To thee, my God, I make my plaint;
To thee my trembling soul draws near;
Let not thy chastening make me faint,
Nor guilt o’erwhelm me with despair.
2 What though thou frown to try my faith?
What though thy heavy hand afflict?
Thou wilt not give me up to death,
Not enter into judgment strict.
3 I know thy judgments, Lord, are right;
Thy rod commands me to repent;
If with my sin compared, ’tis light,
And all in faithfulness is sent.
4 What would my blood avail, if spilt?
Thou hast in richer blood been paid,
When all my dreadful debt of guilt
Was on my dying Saviour laid.
5 Then help me by thy grace to bear
Whate’er thou send to purge my dross;
If in his crown I hope to share,
Why should I grudge to bear his cross?
6 Though thou severely with me deal,
Still will I in thy mercy trust;
Accomplish in me all thy will;
Only remember I am dust.
874 7s Joseph Hart
Be clothed with humility. 1 Pet. 5. 5; Isa. 64. 6
1 Lord, if with thee part I bear;
If I through thy word am clean;
In thy mercy if I share;
If thy blood has purged my sin;
To my needy soul impart
Thy good Spirit from above,
To enrich my barren heart
With humility and love.
2 Lord, my heart, a desert vast,
Thy reviving hand requires;
Sin has laid my vineyard waste,
Overgrown with weeds and briars.
Thou canst make this desert bloom;
Breathe, O breathe, celestial Dove,
Till it blow with rich perfume
Of humility and love.
3 Vanquish in me lust and pride;
All my stubbornness subdue;
Smile me into fruit, or chide,
If no milder means will do.
Ah! compassionate my case;
Let the poor thy pity move;
Give me of thy boundless grace,
Give humility and love.
4 [Why should one that bears thy name,
Why should thy adopted child,
Be in rags, exposed to shame,
Like a savage, fierce and wild?
With thy children I would sit,
And not like an alien rove;
Clothe my soul and make it fit,
With humility and love.]
5 [Greatest sinners, greatly spared,
Love much, and themselves abase;
Mine’s a paradox too hard –
Rich of mercy, poor of grace;
Me thou hast forgiven much;
(This my sins too plainly prove).
Give me what thou givest such –
Much humility and love.]
875 L.M. Joseph Hart
“My leanness, my leanness!” Isa. 24. 16; 32. 15
1 Jesus, to thee I make my moan;
My doleful tale I tell to thee;
For thou canst help, and thou alone,
A lifeless lump of sin like me.
2 Fain would I find increase of faith;
Fain would I see fresh graces bloom;
But ah! my heart’s a barren heath,
Blasted with cold, and black with gloom.
3 True, thou hast kindly given me light;
I know what Christians ought to be;
But did the blind receive their sight
Nothing but dismal things to see?
4 Though winter waste the earth awhile,
Spring soon revives the verdant meads;
The ripening fields in summer smile,
And autumn with rich crops succeeds;
5 But I from month to month complain;
I feel no warmth; no fruits I see;
I look for life, but dead remain:
’Tis winter all the year with me.
6 [Yet sin’s rank weeds within me live;
Barrenness is not all I bear;
I do not so for nothing grieve:
Alas! there’s worse than nothing there.]
7 Still on thy promise I’ll rely,
From whom alone my fruit is found,
Until the Spirit from on high
Enrich the dry and barren ground.
876 8.8.7. Joseph Hart
The Brazen Serpent. Numb. 21. 9; John. 3. 14
1 When the chosen tribes debated
’Gainst their God, as hardly treated,
And complained their hopes were spilt,
God, for murmuring to requite them,
Fiery serpents sent to bite them;
Lively type of deadly guilt!
2 Stung by these, they soon repented;
And their God as soon relented;
Moses prayed; he answer gave:
“Serpents are the beasts that strike them;
Make of brass a serpent like them;
That’s the way I choose to save.”
3 Vain was bandage, oil, or plaster;
Rankling venom killed the faster;
Till the serpent Moses took,
Reared it high, that all might view it;
Bid the bitten look up to it;
Life attended every look.
4 Jesus, thus for sinners smitten,
Wounded, bruisèd, serpent-bitten,
To his cross directs their faith.
Why should I, then, poison cherish?
Why despair of cure, and perish?
Look, my soul, though stung to death.
5 Thine’s alas! a lost condition;
Works cannot work thee remission,
Nor thy goodness do thee good.
Death’s within thee, all about thee;
But the remedy’s without thee;
See it in thy Saviour’s blood.
6 See the Lord of glory dying!
See him gasping! Hear him crying!
See his burdened bosom heave!
Look, ye sinners, ye that hung him;
Look how deep your sins have stung him;
Dying sinners, look and live.
878 S.M. Joseph Hart
The Scriptures. 2 Tim. 3. 16; Prov. 8.8; 13. 13
1 Say, Christian, would’st thou thrive
In knowledge of thy Lord?
Against no Scripture ever strive,
But tremble at his word.
2 Revere the sacred page;
To injure any part
Betrays, with blind and feeble rage,
A hard and haughty heart.
3 If aught there dark appear,
Bewail thy want of sight;
No imperfection can be there,
For all God’s words are right.
4 The Scriptures and the Lord
Bear one tremendous name;
The written and the incarnate Word
In all things are the same.
880 S.M. Joseph Hart
Treasure in Heaven. 1 Tim. 6. 17-19; Prov. 11. 24
1 Remember, man, thy birth;
Set not on gold thy heart;
Naked thou cam’st upon the earth,
And naked must depart.
2 This world’s vain wealth despise;
Happiness is not here;
To Jesus lift thy longing eyes,
And seek thy treasure there.
3 If profit be thy scope,
Diffuse thy alms about;
The worldling prospers laying up,
The Christian laying out.
4 Returns will not be scant
With honour in the high’st;
For who relieves his brethren’s want,
Bestows his alms on Christ.
5 Give gladly to the poor,
’Tis lending to the Lord;
In secret so increase thy store,
And hide in heaven the hoard.
6 There thou may’st fear no thief,
No rankling rust or moth;
Thy treasure and thy heart are safe;
Where one is, will be both.
882 L.M. Joseph Hart
“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thess. 5. 17; Eph. 6. 18
1 Prayer was appointed to convey
The blessings God designs to give.
Long as they live should Christians pray;
For only while they pray they live.
2 The Christian’s heart his prayer indites;
He speaks as prompted from within;
The Spirit his petition writes,
And Christ receives and gives it in.
3 ’Tis prayer supports the soul that’s weak,
Though thought be broken, language lame,
Pray, if thou canst or canst not speak;
But pray with faith in Jesus’ name.
4 Depend on him, thou canst not fail;
Make all thy wants and wishes known;
Fear not, his merits must prevail;
Ask what thou wilt, it shall be done.
883 148th John Berridge
“Draw me, we will run after thee.” Song 1. 4; Lam. 5. 21
1 How backward is my heart
In search of endless life!
How loth with toys to part,
Which only bring me grief!
Small riddance in the race I make,
Yet pant for breath each step I take.
2 I cannot well abide
The cross’s daily load,
It makes me start aside,
And leave the narrow road;
Like some raw bullock not well broke,
My shoulder frets beneath the yoke.
3 Erewhile I sit and sigh,
And loathe my folly too;
Then up I get and try
What human might can do;
Lay to my arm, but all in vain;
No arm of mine can break the chain.
4 Ah! whither must I go,
Since flesh and reason fail?
No help on earth, I know,
Can o’er my heart prevail;
No arm can reach my desperate case
But his whose name is Truth and Grace.
5 To him I lift my eyes;
Thou Son of David, hear,
And let my feeble cries
Bring thy salvation near;
My froward heart is in thy hand,
And it will move at thy command.
884 148th John Berridge
“My heart and my flesh crieth out.” Ps. 84. 2
1 With solemn weekly state
The worldling treads thy court,
Content to see thy gate,
And such as there resort;
But ah! what is the house to me,
Unless the Master I can see?
2 Nought will content my heart
But fellowship with him;
And when from him I start,
My life is all a dream;
I seem to eat and take my fill,
But wake and feel my hunger still.
3 In vain I seek for rest
In all created good;
It leaves me yet unblest,
And makes me pant for God;
And restless sure my heart must be
Till finding all its rest in thee.
4 For thee my soul would cry,
And send a labouring groan;
For thee my heart would sigh,
And make a pensive moan;
And each for thee would daily pine,
And would be always only thine.
885 148th John Berridge
“What have I to do any more with idols?” Hos. 14. 8
1 Our fancy loves to range
In search of earthly good,
And freely would exchange
A pearl for rotten wood;
Snaps at a shadow, thin and vain,
Is fooled and vexed, yet snaps again.
2 Fain would the heart unite
A Christ with idols base,
And link mid-day with night,
Or mammon foul with grace;
And in one bosom, false as hell,
Would have the ark and Dagon dwell.
3 But Christ will not allow
A rival near his throne;
A jealous God art thou,
And wilt be King alone!
Dagon shall fall before thy face,
Or thy sweet ark will leave the place.
4 Dear Jesus, thou art true,
Though false from thee I slide;
And wilt thou not subdue
And link me to thy side?
I would give all my ramblings o’er;
Speak, Lord, and bid me stray no more.
886 148th John Berridge
“Thou art my portion, O Lord.” Ps. 119. 57
1 I seek and hope to find
A portion for my soul,
To heal a feverish mind,
And make a bankrupt whole;
A cup of blessing for the poor,
That’s free, and full, and flowing o’er.
2 No satisfying rest
Earth’s fluttering joys impart;
The portion of a beast
Will not content my heart;
The God of spirits only can
Fill up the vast desires of man.
3 Then, Jesus, wilt thou be
My portion and my all?
For I would wait on thee,
And listen to thy call;
My daily wants thou canst supply,
And find me food, and bring me joy.
4 Whate’er I wish or want
Can come from thee alone,
Thou canst my heart content;
Then let thy grace be shown;
I’d choose thee for my portion, Lord;
Supply me well from mercy’s board.
887 148th John Berridge
“Pull me out of the net.” Ps. 31. 4; Isa. 42. 22
1 A thousand snares beset
A pilgrim in his walk,
To trap him by the feet,
Or catch him in his talk;
The creature often proves a bait,
And Satan lays his wily net.
2 A stubborn guest is sin,
And makes a rueful rout;
We may let idols in,
But cannot turn them out;
The Saviour’s arm is wanted here,
To pluck the sinner from a snare.
3 What if the tyrant roar,
And of his conquest boast?
The Lord will help the poor,
That in his mercy trust;
And he has gainèd high renown
In bringing proud Goliaths down.
888 148th John Berridge
No man can come to me, except the Father draw him
1 No wit or will of man,
Or learning he may boast,
No power of reason can
Draw sinners unto Christ;
So fallen is nature, such her flaw,
None come except the Father draw.
2 His Spirit must disclose
The deadly plague within,
Uncover all our woes,
And show the man of sin;
And feeling thus our ruined state,
We humbly fall at Jesus’ feet.
3 [The Comforter must teach
The Saviour’s toil and smart,
And with conviction preach
Atonement to the heart;
Then sinners gaze with ravished eyes,
And feast upon the sacrifice.]
4 [The Spirit, too, must show
The power of Jesus’ arm,
To vanquish every foe,
And guard the soul from harm;
Believers then grow strong in faith,
And triumph over sin and death.]
5 So let my heart be drawn
To Jesus Christ the Lord,
And learn to feast upon
His person and his word,
Feel sweet redemption through his blood,
And give the glory all to God.
889 148th John Berridge
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart
1 Say, is thy heart well broke,
And feels the plague of sin?
And hateth Satan’s yoke,
It sweetly once drew in?
Give Christ the praise; he broke thy heart,
And taught thee how to feel the smart.
2 [What if Mount Sinai’s smoke
Should darken all the skies,
And thy weak stomach choke,
And bring on weeping eyes?
It points the road to Zion’s hill,
Where grace and peace for ever dwell.
3 Thick glooms lie in the way
To Jesus’ heavenly light;
Before the gospel day,
He sends a legal night;
And while the legal nights abide,
No Christ is seen, although the Guide.]
4 The Lord is surely near
When drooping sinners pray,
And lends a gracious ear,
But steals himself away;
Regards their moan with pitying eye,
And brings at length salvation nigh.
5 O let the Lord bestow
That broken heart on me,
Which feeleth well its woe,
And blushing, looks to thee;
Amazed to see myself so vile,
And Jesus smiling all the while.
890 S.M. John Berridge
“Wine, which cheereth God and man.” Judges. 9. 13
1 A wondrous wine there is,
None can with it compare,
Creating most exalted bliss,
Which God and man will cheer.
2 It is the wine of Love,
That precious love divine
Which knits and cheers all hearts above,
And makes their faces shine.
3 Believers know its taste,
And can its virtues tell;
Oft when their hearts are sinking fast,
One sip has made them well.
4 It is the cordial true;
Lord, cheer me with it still;
Till at thy seat I drink it new,
And take my hearty fill.
891 S.M. John Berridge
“Thou shalt see greater abominations.” Ezek. 8. 6
1 That image-chamber foul
Which met Ezekiel’s eye,
Points out the breast of every soul,
Where lurking idols lie.
2 Yet ask for further light,
And turn to see thy woe,
And God will clear thy misty sight,
And deeper visions show.
3 As we the light can bear
To break upon our eyes,
Still deeper idols shall appear,
And more will after rise.
4 Thus pride is broken down,
And humbled in the dust,
We view our vileness, and must own
The Lord is all our trust.
5 May Jesus Christ disclose
The plagues within my heart;
And as my soul more humbled grows,
A brighter faith impart.
892 C.M. John Berridge
“He shall let go my captives.” Isa. 45. 13
1 Art thou by sin a captive led?
Is sin thy daily grief?
The Man who brake the serpent’s head
Can bring thee sweet relief.
2 His name is Jesus, for he saves,
And setteth captives free;
His office is to purchase slaves,
And give them liberty.
3 No money for thy ransom take,
But mercy much entreat;
Go, with the chains about thy neck,
And fall before his feet.
4 Tell how thy bosom tyrants lash,
And rage without control;
Show where the fetters gall thy flesh,
And bruise thy inmost soul.
5 The sight will melt his piteous heart,
Soon touched with human woe;
And healing up thy guilty smart,
His freed-man thou shalt go.
893 C.M. John Berridge
“Though it tarry, wait for it.” Hab. 2. 3
1 If guilt pursue thee with its cry,
And would to prison hale;
To Jesus Christ, the Surety, fly,
And he will give in bail.
2 If hope, that used thy soul to cheer,
Now leaves thee dark as night,
And neither sun nor stars appear,
Yet wait for morning light.
3 Still look to Christ with longing eyes,
Though both begin to fail;
Still follow with thy feeble cries,
For mercy will prevail.
4 What if he drops no gracious smile,
Or bid thee leave his door?
Yet still knock on, and wait awhile;
He must relieve the poor.
5 He tarries oft till men are faint,
And comes at evening late;
He hears and will relieve complaint:
’Tis ours to pray and wait.
894 C.M. John Berridge
“I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal.” Deut. 32. 39
1 The Saviour empties whom he fills,
And quickens whom he slays,
Our legal hope he kindly kills,
To teach us gospel praise.
2 He wraps in frowns as well as smiles,
Some tokens of his love;
And if he wounds, or if he heals,
In both his grace we prove.
3 No sooner we begin to mourn,
And feel a broken heart,
But Jesus cries, “Return, return,
And let me heal thy smart.”
4 My legal self may Jesus kill,
And make my heart alive;
My guilty wounds may Jesus heal,
And make my spirit thrive.
895 7s John Berridge
“The wages of sin is death.” Rom. 6. 23; Gen. 2. 17
1 Awful is thy threatening, Lord;
Let me mark the solemn word;
What the righteous Ruler saith:
“Wages due to sin is death.”
2 Then I stand condemned to die
By the mouth of God most high.
Sins I have, a thousand too,
And a thousand deaths are due.
3 Should I spend my life in prayers,
Water all my couch with tears,
Turn from every evil past,
Still I am condemned and cast.
4 [Lord, I own the sentence just,
Drop my head into the dust;
If my soul is cast to hell,
Thou, O Lord, art righteous still.]
5 In myself I have no hope;
Justice every plea will stop;
Yet for mercy I may plead,
Springing from the church’s Head.
6 Knock I may at Jesus’ door,
Mercy for his sake implore,
Mercy, such as thou wilt give;
Show it, Lord, and let me live.
896 L.M. John Berridge
A Fountain opened for Sin. Zech. 13. 1; 1 Cor. 6. 11
1 A fountain! cries the man of God,
A fountain with a purple flood;
A fountain opened for the poor,
Where sickly souls may find a cure.
2 It softens well the heart of stone,
And kindly knits a broken bone,
Restoring hearing, speech, and sight,
And puts all guilty fears to flight.
3 It heals the soul of feverish heat,
And helps a pulse with grace to beat;
The fretful look, the wanton eye,
And lordly self before it fly.
4 No spring like this makes lepers whole,
Not that renowned Bethesda’s pool,
Nor Siloam’s stream, nor Jordan’s flood,
Were altogether half so good.
5 Fast by this fountain let me stay,
And drink, and wash my sores away;
If but a moment I depart,
Sick is my head, and faint my heart.
897 L.M. John Berridge
Believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them
1 Ye poor afflicted souls, give ear,
Who seek the Lord, but fear his frown;
What things ye ask in fervent prayer,
Believing, Christ will send them down.
2 If sin is loathsome to thy heart,
And shows a most ill-favoured face;
If guilt affords thee fearful smart,
It flows from Jesus’ love and grace.
3 A feast is now prepared for thee,
In spite of all thy unbelief;
A feast of mercy, sweetly free
For sinners and the sinners’ chief.
4 Take courage, then; ask and believe,
Expecting mercy from the Lord;
The promise runs, “Ask and receive,”
And Christ is faithful to his word.
5 O Lord, increase my feeble faith,
And give my straitened bosom room
To credit what thy promise saith,
And wait till thy salvation come.
898 112th John Berridge
“A rod for the fool’s back.” Prov. 26. 3; 10. 13
1 I wonder not if giddy men
Run roving all the world about,
Pursuing folly with much pain,
And wearied oft, yet give not out;
The world must be their fluttering aim,
Who see no charm in Jesus’ name.
2 Yet none so foolish are and base,
As those who’ve felt the legal lash,
And having tasted gospel-grace,
Good manna leave for earthly trash;
When such from wisdom’s teaching start,
A rod shall make their shoulders smart.
3 In vain they seek the world’s relief;
The Lord will weary them with woe,
And lash them well with grief on grief,
With rods and stinging scorpions too;
They drink of every bitter cup,
Till, sick, they cast their idols up.
4 My heart, too, after idols sought,
And rovèd from the gospel track;
And by such rovings I have brought
A thousand stripes upon my back;
Lord, take my foolish heart at last,
And guide it right, and hold it fast.
899 112th John Berridge
“Wait ye upon me, saith the Lord.” Zeph. 3. 8
1 O thou with battering tempest tossed,
Perplexed and shattered here and there,
Bewildered on a legal coast,
And finding no deliverance near,
On Jesus calling with sad thought,
But Jesus seems to mind thee not!
2 Soon as thy heart can moaning cry,
“What must a wretched sinner do?”
To Jesus lift thy weary eye,
For whither else can sinners go?
And Jesus will not fail thy hope;
But on him wait till he rise up.
3 He will rise up the prey to take;
His mighty arm he will make bare;
He will, for his own mercy’s sake,
Bereave thee of thy guilty fear,
And tame the beasts within thy breast;
But on him wait, till he give rest.
900 112th John Berridge
“He (Jesus) shall let go my captives” Isa. 45. 13
1 Say, wast thou not a captive born,
And art thou not a captive led,
With fetters loaded every morn,
And chainèd down each night in bed?
Do not thy lusts beset thee still,
And take thee captive at their will?
2 Do not rough tempers, proud and base,
Insult and rend thy helpless soul?
And what can tame the lusts but grace?
Or what the tempers will control?
The work for Jesus is prepared,
Who does the work without reward.
3 His blood must purge the conscience clean,
And show a sin-forgiving God;
His Spirit write the law within,
And guide us on the gospel road;
And all that seek to him shall know,
That Jesus lets the captives go.