Library · Hymns and Spiritual Songs
Book 2 · Hymns 81–90
Hymns and Spiritual Songs · Isaac Watts
Hymn 2:81. Our sin the cause of Christ's death.
1 And now the scales have left mine eyes,
Now I begin to see;
O the curs'd deeds my sins have done!
What murderous things they be!
2 Were these the traitors, dearest Lord,
That thy fair body tore?
Monsters, that stain'd those heavenly limbs
With floods of purple gore?
3 Was it for crimes that I had done
My dearest Lord was slain
When justice seiz'd God's only Son,
And put his soul to pain?
4 Forgive my guilt, O Prince of peace,
I'll wound my God no more;
Hence from my heart, ye sins, be gone,
For Jesus I adore.
5 Furnish me, Lord, with heavenly arms
From grace's magazine,
And I'll proclaim eternal war
With every darling sin.
Hymn 2:82. Redemption and protection from spiritual enemies.
1 Arise my soul, my joyful powers,
And triumph in my God,
Awake, my voice, and loud proclaim
His glorious grace abroad.
2 He rais'd me from the deeps of sin,
The gates of gaping hell,
And fix'd my standing more secure
Than 'twas before I fell.
3 The arms of everlasting love
Beneath my soul he plac'd,
And on the rock of ages set
My slippery footsteps fast.
4 The city of my bless'd abode
Is wall'd 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.
Hymn 2:83. The passion and exaltation of Christ.
1 Thus saith the Ruler of the skies,
"Awake, my dreadful sword;
"Awake, my wrath and smite the man,
"My fellow," saith the Lord.
2 Vengeance receiv'd the dread command,
And armed down she flies,
Jesus submits t' his Father's hand,
And bows his head and dies.
3 But O! the wisdom and the grace
That join with vengeance now!
He dies to save our guilty race,
And yet he rises too.
4 A person so divine was he
Who yielded to be slain,
That he could give his soul away,
And take his life again.
5 Live, glorious Lord, and reign on high,
Let every nation sing,
And angels sound with endless joy
The Saviour and the King.
Hymn 2:84. The same.
1 Come, all harmonious tongues,
Your noblest music bring,
'Tis Christ the everlasting God,
And Christ the man we sing.
2 Tell how he took our flesh
To take away our guilt,
Sing the dear drops of sacred blood
That hellish monsters spilt.
3 [Alas, the cruel spear
Went deep into his side,
And the rich flood of purple gore
Their murderous weapons dy'd.]
4 [The waves of swelling grief
Did o'er his bosom roll,
And mountains of almighty wrath
Lay heavy on his soul.]
5 Down to the shades of death
He bow'd his awful head,
Yet he arose to live and reign
When death itself is dead.
6 No more the bloody spear,
The cross and nails no more;
For hell itself shakes at his Name,
And all the heavens adore.
7 There the Redeemer sits
High on the Father's throne;
The Father lays his vengeance by,
And smiles upon his Son.
8 There his full glories shine
With uncreated rays,
And bless his saints' and angels' eyes
To everlasting days.
Hymn 2:85. Sufficiency of pardon.
1 Why does your face, ye humble souls,
Those mournful colours wear?
What doubts are these that waste your faith,
And nourish your despair?
2 What tho' your numerous sins exceed
The stars that fill the skies,
And aiming at th' eternal throne,
Like pointed mountains rise?
3 What tho' your mighty guilt beyond
The wide creation swell,
And has its curs'd foundations laid
Low as the deeps of hell?
4 See here an endless ocean flows
Of never-failing grace,
Behold a dying Saviour's veins
The sacred flood increase:
5 It rises high and drowns the hills,
'T has neither shore nor bound:
Nor if we search to find our sins,
Our sins can ne'er be found.
6 Awake, our hearts, adore the grace
That buries all our faults,
And pardoning blood that swells above
Our follies and our thoughts.
Hymn 2:86. Freedom from sin and misery in heaven.
1 Our sins, alas, how strong they be!
And like a violent sea
They break our duty, Lord, to thee,
And hurry us away.
2 The waves of trouble how they rise!
How loud the tempests roar!
But death shall land our weary souls
Safe on the heavenly shore.
3 There to fulfil his sweet commands
Our speedy feet shall move,
No sin shall clog our winged zeal,
Or cool our burning love.
4 There shall we sit, and sing, and tell
The wonders of his grace,
Till heavenly raptures fire our hearts,
And smile in every face.
5 For ever his dear sacred Name
Shall dwell upon our tongue,
And Jesus and salvation be
The close of every song.
Hymn 2:87. The divine glories above our reason.
1 How wond'rous great, how glorious bright
Must our Creator be,
Who dwells amidst the dazzling light
Of vast infinity!
2 Our soaring spirits upward rise
Tow'rd the celestial throne,
Fain would we see the blessed Three,
And the Almighty One.
3 Our reason stretches all its wings,
And climbs above the skies;
But still how far beneath thy feet
Our groveling reason lies!
4 [Lord, here we bend our humble souls,
And awfully adore,
For the weak pinions of our mind
Can stretch a thought no more.]
5 Thy glories infinitely rise
Above our labouring tongue;
In vain the highest seraph tries
To form an equal song.
6 [In humble notes our faith adores
The great mysterious King,
While angels strain their nobler powers,
And sweep th' immortal string.]
Hymn 2:88. Salvation.
1 Salvation! O, the joyful sound!
'Tis pleasure to our ears;
A sovereign balm for every wound,
A cordial for our fears.
2 Buried in sorrow and in sin,
At hell's dark door we lay,
But we arise by grace divine
To see a heavenly day.
3 Salvation! let the echo fly
The spacious earth around,
While all the armies of the sky
Conspire to raise the sound.
Hymn 2:89. Christ's victory over Satan.
1 Hosanna to our conquering King!
The prince of darkness flies,
His troops rush headlong down to hell
Like lightning from the skies.
2 There, bound in chains, the lions roar,
And fright the rescu'd sheep,
But heavy bars confine their power
And malice to the deep.
3 Hosanna to our conquering King,
All hail, incarnate love!
Ten thousand songs and glories wait
To crown thy head above.
4 Thy victories and thy deathless fame
Thro' the wide world shall run,
And everlasting ages sing
The triumphs thou hast won.
Hymn 2:90. Faith in Christ for pardon and sanctification.
1 How sad our state by nature is!
Our sin how deep it stains!
And Satan binds our captive minds
Fast in his slavish chains.
2 But there's a voice of sovereign grace
Sounds from the sacred word,
"Ho, ye despairing sinners, come,
"And trust upon the Lord."
3 My soul obeys th' almighty call,
And runs to this relief,
I would believe thy promise, Lord,
O! help my unbelief.
4 [To the dear fountain of thy blood,
Incarnate God, I fly,
Here let me wash my spotted soul
From crimes of deepest die.
5 Stretch out thine arm victorious King,
My reigning sins subdue,
Drive the old dragon from his seat,
With all his hellish crew.]
6 A guilty, weak, and helpless worm,
On thy kind arms I fall:
Be thou my strength and righteousness,
My Jesus, and my all.