Book 1 · Hymns 121–130

Hymns and Spiritual Songs · Isaac Watts

Hymn 1:121. Children devoted to God, Gen. 17. 7 10. Acts 16. 14 15 33. (For those who practise infant Baptism.)

1 Thus saith the mercy of the Lord,
"I'll be a God to thee;
"I'll bless thy numerous race, and they
"Shall be a seed for me."

2 Abra'm believ'd the promis'd grace,
And gave his sons to God;
But water seals the blessing now,
That once was seal'd with blood.

3 Thus Lydia sanctify'd her house
When she receiv'd the word;
Thus the believing jailor gave
His household to the Lord.

4 Thus later saints, eternal King,
Thine ancient truth embrace;
To thee their infant-offspring bring,
And humbly claim the grace.

Hymn 1:122. Believers buried with Christ in baptism, Rom. 6. 3 &c.

1 Do we not know that solemn word,
That we are bury'd with the Lord,
Baptis'd into his death, and then
Put off the body of our sin?

2 Our souls receive diviner breath,
Rais'd from corruption, guilt, and death;
So from the grave did Christ arise,
And lives to God above the skies.

3 No more let sin or Satan reign
Over our mortal flesh again;
The various lusts we serv'd before
Shall have dominion now no more.

Hymn 1:123. The repenting prodigal, Luke 15. 13 &c.

1 Behold the wretch whose lust and wine
Had wasted his estate,
He begs a share among the swine,
To taste the husks they eat!

2 "I die with hunger here (he cries)
"I starve in foreign lands,
"My father's house has large supplies,
"And bounteous are his hands.

3 "I'll go, and with a mournful tongue
"Fall down before his face,
"Father, I've done thy justice wrong,
"Nor can deserve thy grace."

4 He said, and hasten'd to his home,
To seek his father's love;
The father saw the rebel come,
And all his bowels move.

5 He ran, and fell upon his neck,
Embrac'd and kiss'd his son;
The rebel's heart with sorrow brake
For follies he had done.

6 "Take off his clothes of shame and sin,"
(The father gives command)
"Dress him in garments white and clean,
"With rings adorn his hand.

7 "A day of feasting I ordain,
"Let mirth and joy abound;
"My son was dead, and lives again,
"Was lost, and now is found."

Hymn 1:124. The first and second Adam, Rom. 5. 12 &c.

1 Deep in the dust before thy throne
Our guilt and our disgrace we own;
Great God, we own th' unhappy name
Whence sprang our nature and our shame.

2 Adam, the sinner: At his fall
Death like a conqueror seiz'd us all;
A thousand new-born babes are dead
By fatal union to their head.

3 But whilst our spirits fill'd with awe
Behold the terrors of thy law,
We sing the honours of thy grace,
That sent to save our ruin'd race.

4 We sing thine everlasting Son,
Who join'd our nature to his own;
Adam the second, from the dust
Raises the ruins of the first.

5 [By the rebellion of one man
Thro' all his seed the mischief ran;
And by one man's obedience now
Are all his seed made righteous too.]

6 Where sin did reign, and death abound,
There have the sons of Adam found
Abounding life; there glorious grace
Reigns thro' the Lord our righteousness.

Hymn 1:125. Christ's compassion to the weak and tempted, Heb. 4. 15 16. and 5. 7. Matt. 12. 20.

1 With joy we meditate the grace
Of our High Priest above;
His heart is made of tenderness,
His bowels melt with love.

2 Touch'd with a sympathy within
He knows our feeble frame;
He knows what sore temptations mean,
For he has felt the same.

3 But spotless, innocent, and pure
The great Redeemer stood,
While Satan's fiery darts he bore,
And did resist to blood.

4 He in the days of feeble flesh
Pour'd out his cries and tears,
And in his measure feels afresh
What every member bears.

5 [He'll never quench the smoking flax,
But raise it to a flame;
The bruised reed he never breaks,
Nor scorns the meanest name.]

6 Then let our humble faith address
His mercy and his power,
We shall obtain delivering grace
In the distressing hour.

Hymn 1:126. Charity and uncharitableness, Rom. 14. 17 19. 1 Cor. 10. 32.

1 Not different food, or different dress
Compose the kingdom of our Lord,
But peace and joy and righteousness,
Faith and obedience to his word.

2 When weaker Christians we despise
We do the gospel mighty wrong,
For God the gracious and the wise
Receives the feeble with the strong.

3 Let pride and wrath be banish'd hence,
Meekness and love our souls pursue;
Nor shall our practice give offence
To saints, the Gentile or the Jew.

Hymn 1:127. Christ's invitation to sinners; or, Humility and pride, Matt. 11. 28 29 30.

1 "Come hither, all ye weary souls,
"Ye heavy laden sinners, come,
"I'll give you rest from all your toils,
"And raise you to my heavenly home.

2 "They shall find rest that learn of me;
"I'm of a meek and lowly mind;
"But passion rages like the sea,
"And pride is restless as the wind.

3 "Blest is the man whose shoulders take
"My yoke, and bear it with delight;
"My yoke is easy to his neck,
"My grace shall make the burden light."

4 Jesus, we come at thy command,
With faith and hope and humble zeal
Resign our spirits to thy hand,
To mould and guide us at thy will.

Hymn 1:128. The Apostles' commission; or, The gospel attested by miracles, Mark 16. 15 &c. Matt. 28. 18 &c.

1 "Go preach my gospel, (saith the Lord,)
"Bid the whole earth my grace receive;
"He shall be sav'd that trusts my word,
"He shall be damn'd that won't believe.

2 "[I'll make your great commission known,
"And ye shall prove my gospel true
"By all the works that I have done,
"By all the wonders ye shall do.

3 "Go heal the sick, go raise the dead,
"Go cast out devils in my name;
"Nor let my prophets be afraid,
"Tho' Greeks reproach, and Jews blaspheme.]

4 "Teach all the nations my commands,
"I'm with you till the world shall end;
"All power is trusted to my hands,
"I can destroy, and I defend."

He spake, and light shone round his head,
On a bright cloud to heaven he rode;
They to the farthest nations spread
The grace of their ascended God.

Hymn 1:129. Submission and deliverance; or, Abraham offering his son, Gen. 22. 6 &c.

1 Saints, at your Father's heavenly word
Give up your comforts to the Lord;
He shall restore what you resign,
Or grant you blessings more divine.

2 So Abraham with obedient hand,
Led forth his son at God's command,
The wood, the fire, the knife he took,
His arm prepar'd the dreadful stroke.

3 "Abraham, forbear, (the angel cry'd)
"Thy faith is known, thy love is try'd,
"Thy son shall live, and in thy seed
"Shall the whole earth be bless'd indeed."

4 Just in the last distressing hour
The Lord displays delivering power;
The mount of danger is the place
Where we shall see surprising grace.

Hymn 1:130. Love and hatred, Phil. 2. 2. Eph. 4. 30 &c.

1 Now by the bowels of my God,
His sharp distress, his sore complaints,
By his last groans, his dying blood,
I charge my soul to love the saints.

2 Clamour, and wrath, and war be gone,
Envy and spite for ever cease,
Let bitter words no more be known
Amongst the saints, the sons of peace.

3 The Spirit, like a peaceful dove,
Flies from the realms of noise and strife;
Why should we vex and grieve his love,
Who seals our souls to heavenly life?

4 Tender and kind be all our thoughts,
Thro' all our lives let mercy run;
So God forgives our numerous faults
For the clear sake of Christ his Son.

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