Book 1 · Hymns 71–80

Hymns and Spiritual Songs · Isaac Watts

Hymn 1:71. Christ found in the street, and brought to the church, Cant. 3. 1-5.

1 Often I seek my Lord by night,
Jesus, my love, my soul's delight;
With warm desire and restless thought
I seek him oft, but find him not.

2 Then I arise, and search the street
Till I my Lord, my Saviour meet;
I ask the watchmen of the night,
"Where did you see my soul's delight?"

3 Sometimes I find him in the way,
Directed by a heavenly ray;
I leap for joy to see his face,
And hold him fast in mine embrace.

4 [I bring him to my mother's home,
Nor does my Lord refuse to come,
To Sion's sacred chambers, where
My soul first drew the vital air.

5 He gives me there his bleeding heart,
Pierc'd for my sake with deadly smart;
I give my soul to him, and there
Our loves their mutual tokens share.]

6 I charge you all, ye earthly toys,
Approach not to disturb my joys;
Nor sin, nor hell come near my heart,
Nor cause my Saviour to depart.

Hymn 1:72. The coronation of Christ, and espousals of the church, Cant. 3. 2.

1 Daughters of Sion, come, behold
The crown of honour and of gold,
Which the glad church with joys unknown
Plac'd on the head of Solomon.

2 Jesus, thou everlasting King,
Accept the tribute which we bring,
Accept the well-deserv'd renown,
And wear our praises as thy crown.

3 Let every act of worship be
Like our espousals, Lord, to thee;
Like the dear hour, when from above
We first receiv'd thy pledge of love.

4 The gladness of that happy day,
Our hearts would wish it long to stay,
Nor let our faith forsake its hold,
Nor comfort sink, nor love grow cold.

5 Each following minute as it flies,
Increase thy praise, improve our joys,
Till we are rais'd to sing thy Name
At the great supper of the Lamb.

6 O that the months would roll away,
And bring that coronation-day!
The King of Grace shall fill the throne
With all his Father's glories on.

Hymn 1:73. The church's beauty in the eyes of Christ, Cant. 4. 1 10 11 7 9 8.

1 Kind is the speech of Christ our Lord,
Affection sounds in every word,
"Lo, thou art fair, my love, he cries,
"Not the young doves have sweeter eyes.

2 ["Sweet are thy lips, thy pleasing voice
"Salutes mine ear with secret joys,
"No spice so much delights the smell,
"Nor milk nor honey taste so well.]

3 "Thou art all fair, my bride, to me,
"I will behold no spot in thee."
What mighty wonders love performs,
And puts a comeliness on worms!

4 Defil'd and loathsome as we are,
He makes us white, and calls us fair;
Adorns us with that heavenly dress,
His graces and his righteousness.

5 "My sister, and my spouse," he cries,
"Bound to my heart by various ties,
"Thy powerful love my heart detains
"In strong delight and pleasing chains."

6 He calls me from the leopard's den,
From this wild world of beasts and men,
To Sion where his glories are;
Not Lebanon is half so fair.

7 Nor dens of prey, nor flowery plains
Nor earthly joys, nor earthly pains
Shall hold my feet, or force my stay,
When Christ invites my soul away.

Hymn 1:74. The church the garden of Christ, Cant. 4. 12 14 15, and 5. 1.

1 We are a garden wall'd around,
Chosen and made peculiar ground;
A little spot inclos'd by grace,
Out of the world's wide wilderness.

2 Like trees of myrrh and spice we stand,
Planted by God the Father's hand;
And all his springs in Sion flow
To make the young plantation grow.

3 Awake, O heavenly wind, and come,
Blow on this garden of perfume;
Spirit divine, descend and breathe
A gracious gale on plants beneath.

4 Make our best spices flow abroad
To entertain our Saviour God:
And faith, and love, and joy appear,
And every grace be active here.

5 [Let my beloved come, and taste
His pleasant fruits at his own feast:
"I come, my spouse, I come," he cries,
With love and pleasure in his eyes.

6 Our Lord into his garden comes,
Well pleas'd to smell our poor perfumes;
And calls us to a feast divine,
Sweeter than honey, milk, or wine.

7 "Eat of the tree of life, my friends,
"The blessings that my Father sends;
"Your taste shall all my dainties prove,
"And drink abundance of my love."

8 Jesus, we will frequent thy board,
And sing the bounties of our Lord:
But the rich food on which we live
Demands more praise than tongues can give.]

Hymn 1:75. The description of Christ the beloved, Cant. 5. 9-12 14 15 16.

1 The wondering world enquires to know
Why I should love my Jesus so:
"What are his charms," say they, "above
"The objects of a mortal love!"

2 Yes, my beloved, to my sight,
Shews a sweet mixture red and white:
All human beauties, all divine,
In my beloved meet and shine,

3 White is his soul, from blemish free;
Red with the blood he shed for me;
The fairest of ten thousand fairs:
A sun amongst ten thousand stars.

4 [His head the finest gold excels,
There wisdom in perfection dwells;
And glory like a crown adorns
Those temples once beset with thorns.

5 Compassions in his heart are found,
Hard by the signals of his wound;
His sacred side no more shall bear
The cruel scourge, the piercing spear.]

6 [His hands are fairer to behold
Than diamonds set in rings of gold;
Those heavenly hands that on the tree
Were nail'd, and torn, and bled for me.

7 Tho' once he bow'd his feeble knees,
Loaded with sins and agonies,
Now on the throne of his command
His legs like marble pillars stand.]

8 [His eyes are majesty and love,
The eagle temper'd with the dove:
No more shall trickling sorrows roll
Thro' those dear windows of his soul.

9 His mouth, that pour'd out long complaints,
Now smiles, and cheers his fainting saints;
His countenance more graceful is
Than Lebanon with all its trees.]

10 All over glorious is my Lord,
Must be belov'd, and yet ador'd:
His worth if all the nations knew,
Sure the whole earth would love him too.

Hymn 1:76. Christ dwells in heaven, but visits on earth, Cant. 6. 1 2 3 12.

1 When strangers stand and hear me tell
What beauties in my Saviour dwell;
Where he is gone, they fain would know,
That they may seek and love him too.

2 My best beloved keeps his throne
On hills of light in worlds unknown
But he descends, and shews his face
In the young gardens of his grace.

3 [In vineyards planted by his hand,
Where fruitful trees in order stand;
He feeds among the spicy beds,
Where lilies shew their spotless heads.

4 He has engross'd my warmest love,
No earthly charms my soul can move:
I have a mansion in his heart,
Nor death nor hell shall make us part.]

5 [He takes my soul ere I'm aware,
And shews me where his glories are;
No chariot of Amminadib
The heavenly rapture can describe.

6 O may my spirit daily rise
On wings of faith above the skies,
Till death shall make my last remove
To dwell for ever with my love.]

Hymn 1:77. The love of Christ to the church, in his language to her, and provisions for her, Cant. 7. 5 6 9 12 13.

1 Now in the galleries of his grace
Appears the King, and thus he says,
"How fair my saints are in my sight;
"My love how pleasant for delight!"

2 Kind is thy language, sovereign Lord,
There's heavenly grace in every word:
From that dear mouth a stream divine
Flows sweeter than the choicest wine.

3 Such wondrous love awakes the lip
Of saints that were almost asleep,
To speak the praises of thy name,
And makes our cold affections flame.

4 These are the joys he lets us know
In fields and villages below,
Gives us a relish of his love,
But keeps his noblest feast above.

5 In Paradise within the gates
An higher entertainment waits;
Fruits new and old laid up in store,
Where we shall feed, but thirst no more.

Hymn 1:78. The strength of Christ's love, and the soul's jealousy of her own, Cant. 8. 5 6 7 13 14.

1 [Who is this fair one in distress,
That travels from the wilderness?
And press'd with sorrows and with sins,
On her beloved Lord she leans.

2 This is the spouse of Christ our God,
Bought with the treasure of his blood;
And her request and her complaint
Is but the voice of every saint.]

3 "O let my name engraven stand,
"Both on thy heart and on thy hand:
"Seal me upon thine arm; and wear
"That pledge of love for ever there.

4 "Stronger than death thy love is known,
"Which floods of wrath could never drown;
"And hell and earth in vain combine
"To quench a fire so much divine.

5 "But I am jealous of my heart,
Lest it should once from thee depart;
"Then let thy name be well impress'd
As a fair signet on my breast.

6 "Till thou hast brought me to thy home,
"Where fears and doubts can never come,
"Thy count'nance let me often see,
"And often thou shalt hear from me.

7 "Come, my beloved, haste away,
"Cut short the hours of thy delay,
"Fly like a youthful hart or roe
"Over the hills where spices grow."

Hymn 1:79. A morning hymn, Psalm 19. 5 8 and 73. 24 25.

1 God of the morning, at whose voice
The cheerful sun makes haste to rise,
And, like a giant doth rejoice
To run his journey thro' the skies;

2 From the fair chambers of the east
The circuit of his race begins,
And without weariness or rest,
Round the whole earth he flies and shines.

3 O like the sun may I fulfil
Th' appointed duties of the day,
With ready mind and active will
March on and keep my heavenly way.

4 [But I shall rove and lose the race,
If God my sun should disappear,
And leave me in this world's wild maze,
To follow every wandering star.

5 Lord, thy commands are clean and pure,
Enlightening our beclouded eyes,
Thy threatenings just, thy promise sure,
Thy gospel makes the simple wise.]

6 Give me thy counsels for my guide,
And then receive me to thy bliss;
All my desires and hopes beside
Are faint and cold compar'd to this.

Hymn 1:80. An evening hymn, Psalm 4. 8. and 3. 5 6. and 143. 8.

1 Thus far the Lord has led me on,
Thus far his power prolongs my days,
And every evening shall make known
Some fresh memorial of his grace.

2 Much of my time has run to waste,
And I perhaps am near my home;
But he forgives my follies past,
He gives me strength for days to come.

3 I lay my body down to sleep,
Peace is the pillow for my head,
While well-appointed angels keep
Their watchful stations round my bed.

4 In vain the sons of earth or hell
Tell me a thousand frightful things,
My God in safety makes me dwell
Beneath the shadow of his wings.

5 [Faith in his name forbids my fear:
O may thy presence ne'er depart!
And in the morning make me hear
The love and kindness of thy heart.

6 Thus when the night of death shall come,
My flesh shall rest beneath the ground,
And wait thy voice to rouse my tomb,
With sweet salvation in the sound.

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