Book 3 · Hymns 11–20

Hymns and Spiritual Songs · Isaac Watts

Hymn 3:11. Pardon brought in our senses.

1 Lord, how divine thy comforts are!
How heavenly is the place
Where Jesus spreads the sacred feast
Of his redeeming grace!

2 There the rich bounties of our God,
And sweetest glories shine;
There Jesus says, that "I am his,
"And my Beloved's mine."

3 "Here," (says the kind redeeming Lord,
And shews his wounded side)
"See here the spring of all your joys,
"That open'd when I dy'd."

4 [He smiles and cheers my mournful heart
And tells of all his pain,
"All this," says he, "I bore for thee;"
And then he smiles again.]

5 What shall we pay our heavenly King
For grace so vast as this?
He brings our pardon to our eyes,
And seals it with a kiss.

6 [Let such amazing loves as these
Be sounded all abroad,
Such favours are beyond degrees,
And worthy of a God.]

7 [To him that wash'd us in his blood
Be everlasting praise,
Salvation, honour, glory, power,
Eternal as his days.]

Hymn 3:12. The gospel feast, Luke 14. 16 &c.

1 [How rich are thy provisions Lord!
Thy table furnish'd from above,
The fruits of life o'erspread the board,
The cup o'erflows with heavenly love.

2 Thine ancient family the Jews,
Were first invited to the feast;
We humbly take what they refuse,
And Gentiles thy salvation taste.

3 We are the poor, the blind, the lame,
And help was far, and death was nigh,
But at the gospel call we came
And every want receiv'd supply.

4 From the highway that leads to hell,
From paths of darkness and despair,
Lord, we are come with thee to dwell,
Glad to enjoy thy presence here.]

5 [What shall we pay th' eternal Son,
That left the heaven of his abode,
And to this wretched earth came down
To bring us wanderers back to God?

6 It cost him death to save our lives,
To buy our souls it cost his own;
And all the unknown joys he gives,
Were bought with agonies unknown.

7 Our everlasting love is due
To him that ransom'd sinners lost;
And pity'd rebels when he knew
The vast expense his love would cost.]

Hymn 3:13. Divine love making a feast, and calling in the guests, Luke 14. 17 22 23.

1 How sweet and awful is the place
With Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays
The choicest of her stores!

2 Here every bowel of our God
With soft compassion rolls
Here peace and pardon bought with blood
Is food for dying souls.

3 [While all our hearts and all our songs
Join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry with thankful tongues,
"Lord, why was I a guest?

4 "Why was I made to hear thy voice,
"And enter while there's room?
"When thousands make a wretched choice,
"And rather starve than come."]

5 'Twas the same love that spread the feast,
That sweetly forc'd us in,
Else we had still refus'd to taste,
And perish'd in our sin.

6 [Pity the nations, O our God,
Constrain the earth to come;
Send thy victorious word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.

7 We long to see thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May with one voice and heart and soul,
Sing thy redeeming grace.]

Hymn 3:14. The song of Simeon, Luke 2. 28; or, A sight of Christ makes death easy.

1 Now have our hearts embrac'd our God,
We would forget all earthly charms,
And wish to die as Simeon would,
With his young Saviour in his arms.

2 Our lips should learn that joyful song,
Were but our hearts prepar'd like his;
Our souls still willing to be gone,
And at thy word depart in peace.

3 Here we have seen thy face, O Lord,
And view'd salvation with our eyes,
Tasted and felt the living word,
The bread descending from the skies.

4 Thou hast prepar'd this dying Lamb,
Hast set his blood before our face,
To teach the terrors of thy Name,
And show the wonders of thy grace.

5 He is our light; our morning star
Shall shine on nations yet unknown;
The glory of thine Israel here,
And joy of spirits near the throne.

Hymn 3:15. Our Lord Jesus at his own table.

1 [The memory of our dying Lord
Awakes a thankful tongue:
How rich he spread his royal board,
And blest the food, and sung.

2 Happy the men that eat this bread,
But double bless'd was he
That gently bow'd his loving head,
And lean'd it, Lord, on thee.

3 By faith the same delights we taste
As that great favourite did,
And sit and lean on Jesus' breast,
And take the heavenly bread.]

4 Down from the palace of the skies,
Hither the King descends;
"Come my beloved, eat, (he cries)
"And drink salvation, friends.

5 "[My flesh is food and physic too,
"A balm for all your pains;
"And the red streams of pardon flow
"From these my pierced veins."]

6 Hosanna to his bounteous love
For such a taste below!
And yet he feeds his saints above
With nobler blessings too.

7 [Come the dear day, the glorious hour
That brings our souls to rest!
Then we shall need these types no more,
But dwell at th' heavenly feast.]

Hymn 3:16. The agonies of Christ.

1 Now let our pains be all forgot,
Our hearts no more repine,
Our sufferings are not worth a thought,
When, Lord, compar'd with thine.

2 In lively figures here we see
The bleeding Prince of love;
Each of us hope he dy'd for me,
And then our griefs remove.

3 [Our humble faith here takes her rise,
While sitting round his board;
And back to Calvary she flies,
To view her groaning Lord.

4 His soul, what agonies it felt
When his own God withdrew!
And the large load of all our guilt
Lay heavy on him too.

5 But the divinity within
Supported him to bear:
Dying he conquer'd hell and sin,
And made his triumph there.]

6 Grace, wisdom, justice join'd and wrought
The wonders of that day:
No mortal tongue, nor mortal thought
Can equal thanks repay.

7 Our hymns should sound like those above,
Could we our voices raise;
Yet, Lord, our hearts shall all be love,
And all our lives be praise.

Hymn 3:17. Incomparable food; or, The flesh and blood of Christ.

1[We sing th' amazing deeds
That grace divine performs;
Th' eternal God comes down and bleeds
To nourish dying worms.

2 This soul reviving wine,
Dear Saviour, 'tis thy blood;
We thank that sacred flesh of thine
For this immortal food.]

3 The banquet that we eat
Is made of heavenly things,
Earth hath no dainties half so sweet
As our Redeemer brings.

4 In vain had Adam sought
And search'd his garden round,
For there was no such blessed fruit
In all the happy ground.

5 Th' angelic host above
Can never taste this food,
They feast upon their Maker's love,
But not a Saviour's blood.

6 On us th' Almighty Lord
Bestows this matchless grace,
And meets us with some cheering word,
With pleasure in his face.

7 Come, all ye drooping saints,
And banquet with the King,
This wine will drown your sad complaints,
And tune your voice to sing.

8 Salvation to the Name
Of our adored Christ:
Thro' the wide earth his grace proclaim
His glory in the high'st.

Hymn 3:18. The same.

1 Jesus, we bow before thy feet,
Thy table is divinely stor'd:
Thy sacred flesh our souls have eat,
'Tis living bread; we thank thee, Lord!

2 And here we drink our Saviour's blood,
We thank thee, Lord, 'tis generous wine;
Mingled with love the fountain flow'd
From that dear bleeding heart of thine.

3 On earth is no such sweetness found,
For the Lamb's flesh is heavenly food;
In vain we search the globe around
For bread so fine, or wine so good.

4 Carnal provisions can at best
But cheer the heart, or warm the head,
But the rich cordial that we taste
Gives life eternal to the dead.

5 Joy to the Master of the feast,
His name our souls for ever bless:
To God the King, and God the Priest,
A loud Hosanna round the place.

Hymn 3:19. Glory in the cross; or, Not ashamed of Christ crucified.

1 At thy command, our dearest Lord,
Here we attend thy dying feast;
Thy blood like wine adorns thy board,
And thine own flesh feeds every guest.

2 Our faith adores thy bleeding love,
And trusts for life in one that dy'd;
We hope for heavenly crowns above
From a Redeemer crucify'd.

3 Let the vain world pronounce it shame,
And fling their scandals on thy cause;
We come to boast our Saviour's Name,
And make our triumphs in his cross.

4 With joy we tell the scoffing age
He that was dead has left his tomb,
He lives above their utmost rage,
And we are waiting till he come.

Hymn 3:20. The provisions for the table of our Lord; or, The tree of life, and river of love.

1 Lord, we adore thy bounteous hand,
And sing the solemn feast
Where sweet celestial dainties stand
For every willing guest.

2 [The tree of life adorns the board
With rich immortal fruit,
And ne'er an angry flaming sword
To guard the passage to't.

3 The cup stands crown'd with living juice;
The fountain flows above,
And runs down streaming for our use
In rivulets of love.]

4 The food's prepar'd by heavenly art,
The pleasure's well refin'd,
They spread new life thro' every heart,
And cheer the drooping mind.

5 Shout and proclaim the Saviour's love,
Ye saints that taste his wine,
Join with your kindred saints above,
In loud hosannas join.

6 A thousand glories to the God
That gives such joy as this;
Hosanna! let it sound abroad,
And reach where Jesus is.

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