PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Hymns and Spiritual Songs
Watts, Isaac, 1674-1748 · 62,793 words · 378 reading sections
Hymn 2:27. Praise ye him, all his angels, Psalm 148. 2.
1 God! the eternal awful Name That the whole heavenly army fears, That shakes the wide creation's frame, And Satan trembles when he hears. 2 Like flames of fire his servants are, And light surrounds his dwelling place; But, O ye fiery flames, declare The brighter glories of his face. 3 'Tis not for such poor worms as…
240 wordsSECTION 182Hymn 2:28. Death and eternity.
1 Stoop down, my thoughts, that use to rise, Converse awhile with death: Think how a gasping mortal lies, And pants away his breath. 2 His quivering lip hangs feebly down His pulses faint and few, Then, speechless, with a doleful groan He bids the world adieu. 3 But, O the soul that never dies! At once it leaves the …
143 wordsSECTION 183Hymn 2:29. Redemption by price and power.
1 Jesus, with all thy saints above My tongue would bear her part, Would sound aloud thy saving love, And sing thy bleeding heart. 2 Bless'd be the Lamb, my dearest Lord, Who bought me with his blood, And quench'd his Father's flaming sword In his own vital blood: 3 The Lamb that freed my captive soul From Satan's hea…
97 wordsSECTION 184Hymn 2:30. Heavenly joy on earth.
1 [Come, we that love the Lord, And let our joys be known; Join in a song with sweet accord, And thus surround the throne. 2 The sorrows of the mind Be banish'd from the place! Religion never was design'd To make our pleasures less.] 3 Let those refuse to sing That never knew our God, But favourites of the heavenly K…
216 wordsSECTION 185Hymn 2:31. Christ's presence makes death easy.
1 Why should we start and fear to die? What timorous worms we mortals are! Death is the gate of endless joy, And yet we dread to enter there. 2 The pains, the groans, and dying strife, Fright our approaching souls away; Still we shrink back again to life, Fond of our prison and our clay. 3 O, if my Lord would come an…
114 wordsSECTION 186Hymn 2:32. Frailty and Folly.
1 How short and hasty is our life! How vast our souls' affairs! Yet senseless mortals vainly strive To lavish out their years. 2 Our days run thoughtlessly along, Without a moment's stay; Just like a story or a song We pass our lives away. 3 God from on high invites us home, But we march heedless on, And ever hasteni…
119 wordsSECTION 187Hymn 2:33. The blessed society in heaven.
1 Raise thee, my soul, fly up, and run Thro' every heavenly street, And say, there's nought below the sun That's worthy of thy feet. 2 [Thus will we mount on sacred wings, And tread the courts above; Nor earth, nor all her mightiest things Shall tempt our meanest love.] 3 There on a high majestic throne Th' Almighty …
188 wordsSECTION 188Hymn 2:34. Breathing after the Holy Spirit; or, Fervency of devotion desired.
1 Come, holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, With all thy quickening powers, Kindle a flame of sacred love, In these cold hearts of ours. 2 Look, how we grovel here below, Fond of these trifling toys; Our souls can neither fly nor go To reach eternal joys. 3 In vain we tune our formal songs, In vain we strive to rise; Hosanna…
118 wordsSECTION 189Hymn 2:35. Praise to God for creation and redemption.
1 Let them neglect thy glory, Lord, Who never knew thy grace, But our loud songs shall still record The wonders of thy praise. 2 We raise our shouts, O God, to thee, And send them to thy throne, All glory to th' united Three, The undivided One. 3 'Twas he (and we'll adore his Name) That form'd us by a word, 'Tis he r…
94 wordsSECTION 190Hymn 2:36. Christ's intercession.
1 Well, the Redeemer's gone T' appear before our God, To sprinkle o'er the flaming throne With his atoning blood. 2 No fiery vengeance now, Nor burning wrath comes down; If justice call for sinners' blood, The Saviour shews his own. 3 Before his Father's eye Our humble suit he moves, The Father lays his thunder by, A…
152 wordsSECTION 191Hymn 2:37. The same.
1 Lift up your eyes to th' heavenly seats Where your Redeemer stays; Kind intercessor, there he sits, And loves, and pleads, and prays. 2 'Twas well, my soul he dy'd for thee, And shed his vital blood, Appeas'd stern justice on the tree, And then arose to God. 3 Petitions now and praise may rise, And saints their off…
142 wordsSECTION 192Hymn 2:38. Love to God.
1 Happy the heart where graces reign, Where love inspires the breast; Love is the brightest of the train, And strengthens all the rest. 9 Knowledge, alas! 'Tis all in vain, And all in vain our fear, Our stubborn sins will fight and reign If love be absent there. 3 'Tis love that makes our cheerful feet In swift obedi…
123 wordsSECTION 193Hymn 2:39. The shortness and misery of life.
1 Our days, alas! our mortal days Are short and wretched too; "Evil and few," the patriarch says, [1] And well the patriarch knew. 2 'Tis but at best a narrow bound That heaven allows to men, And pains and sins run thro' the round Of threescore years and ten. 3 Well, if ye must be sad and few, Run on, my days, in has…
104 wordsSECTION 194Hymn 2:40. Our comfort in the covenant made with Christ.
1 Our God, how firm his promise stands, E'en when he hides his face! He trusts in our Redeemer's hands His glory and his grace. 2 Then why, my soul, these sad complaints, Since Christ and we are one; Thy God is faithful to his saints, Is faithful to his Son. 3 Beneath his smiles my heart has liv'd, And part of heaven…
77 wordsSECTION 195Hymn 2:41. A sight of God mortifies us to the world.
1 [Up to the fields where angels lie, And living waters gently roll, Fain would my thoughts leap out and fly, But sin hangs heavy on my soul. 2 Thy wondrous blood, dear dying Christ, Can make this load of guilt remove; And thou canst bear me where thou fly'st, On thy kind wings, celestial Dove!] 3 O might I once moun…
169 wordsSECTION 196Hymn 2:42. Delight in God.
1 My God, what endless pleasures dwell Above at thy right-hand! The courts below, how amiable, Where all thy graces stand! 2 The swallow near thy temple lies, And chirps a cheerful note; The lark mounts upward to thy skies, And tunes her warbling throat: 3 And we, when in thy presence, Lord, We shout with joyful tong…
146 wordsSECTION 197Hymn 2:43. Christ's sufferings and glory.
1 Now for a tune of lofty praise To great Jehovah's equal Son! Awake, my voice, in heavenly lays, Tell the loud wonders he hath done. 2 Sing how he left the worlds of light And the bright robes he wore above, How swift and joyful was his flight On wings of everlasting love. 3 Down to this base, this sinful earth He c…
186 wordsSECTION 198Hymn 2:44. Hell; or, The vengeance of God.
1 With holy fear and humble song, The dreadful God our souls adore; Reverence and awe becomes the tongue That speaks the terrors of his power. 2 Far in the deep where darkness dwells, The land of horror and despair, Justice has built a dismal hell, And laid her stores of vengeance there. 3 [Eternal plagues and heavy …
159 wordsSECTION 199Hymn 2:45. God's condescension to our worship.
1 Thy favours Lord, surprise our souls; Will the Eternal dwell with us? What canst thou find beneath the poles To tempt thy chariot downward thus? 2 Still might he fill his starry throne, And please his ears with Gabriel's songs; But th' heavenly Majesty comes down, And bows to hearken to our tongues. 3 Great God, wh…
81 wordsSECTION 200Hymn 2:46. God's condescension to human affairs.
1 Up to the Lord that reigns on high, And views the nations from afar, Let everlasting praises fly, And tell how large his bounties are. 2 [He that can shake the worlds he made, Or with his word, or with his rod, His goodness how amazing great! And what a condescending God!] 3 [God that must stoop to view the skies, …
185 wordsSECTION 201Hymn 2:47. Glory and grace in the person of Christ.
1 Now to the Lord a noble song! Awake, my soul, awake, my tongue; Hosanna to th' eternal Name, And all his boundless love proclaim. 2 See where it shines in Jesus' face, The brightest image of his grace; God, in the person of his Son, Has all his mightiest works outdone. 3 The spacious earth and spreading flood Procl…
158 wordsSECTION 202Hymn 2:48. Love to the creatures is dangerous.
1 How vain are all things here below! How false, and yet how fair! Each pleasure hath its poison too, And every sweet a snare. 2 The brightest things below the sky Give but a flattering light; We should suspect some danger nigh Where we possess delight. 3 Our dearest joys, and nearest friends, The partners of our blo…
116 wordsSECTION 203Hymn 2:49. Moses dying in the embraces of God.
1 Death cannot make our souls afraid If God be with us there; We may walk thro' her darkest shade, And never yield to fear. 2 I could renounce my all below, If my Creator bid, And run, if I were call'd to go, And die as Moses did. 3 Might I but climb to Pisgah's top, And view the promis'd land, My flesh itself shall …
98 wordsSECTION 204Hymn 2:50. Comfort under sorrows and pains.
1 Now let the Lord my Saviour smile, And shew my name upon his heart, I would forget my pains awhile, And in the pleasure lose the smart. But O it swells my sorrows high To see my blessed Jesus frown! My spirits sink, my comforts die, And all the springs of life are down. 3 Yet why, my soul, why these complaints? Sti…
167 wordsSECTION 205Hymn 2:51. God the Son equal with the Father.
1 Bright King of Glory, dreadful God! Our spirits bow before thy seat, To thee we lift an humble thought, And worship at thine awful feet. 2 [Thy power hath form'd, thy wisdom sways All nature with a sovereign word; And the bright world of stars obeys The will of their superior Lord.] 3 [Mercy and truth unite in one,…
179 wordsSECTION 206Hymn 2:52. Death dreadful or delightful.
1 Death! 'tis a melancholy day To those that have no God, When the poor soul is forc'd away To seek her last abode. 2 In vain to heaven she lifts her eyes, But guilt, a heavy chain, Still drags her downward from the skies To darkness, fire, and pain. 3 Awake and mourn, ye heirs of hell, Let stubborn sinners fear, You…
146 wordsSECTION 207Hymn 2:53. The pilgrimage of the saints; or, Earth and heaven.
1 Lord! what a wretched land is this That yields us no supply! No cheering fruits no wholesome trees, Nor streams of living joy! 2 But pricking thorns thro' all the ground And mortal poisons grow, And all the rivers that are found With dangerous waters flow. 3 Yet the clear path to thine abode Lies thro' this horrid …
276 wordsSECTION 208Hymn 2:54. God's presence is light in darkness.
1 My God, the spring of all my joys, The life of my delights, The glory of my brightest days, And comfort of my nights. 2 In darkest shades if he appear, My dawning is begun; He is my soul's sweet morning star And he my rising sun. 3 The opening heavens around me shine With beams of sacred bliss, While Jesus shews hi…
121 wordsSECTION 209Hymn 2:55. Frail life and succeeding eternity.
1 Thee we adore, eternal Name, And humbly own to thee, How feeble is our mortal frame! What dying worms are we! 2 [Our wasting lives grow shorter still As months and days increase; And every beating pulse we tell Leaves but the number less. 3 The year rolls round, and steals away The breath that first it gave; Whate'…
161 wordsSECTION 210Hymn 2:56. The misery of being without God in this world; or, Vain prosperity.
1 O, I shall envy them no more Who grow profanely great, Tho' they increase their golden store, And rise to wondrous height. 2 They taste of all the joys that grow Upon this earthly clod, Well they may search the creature thro', For they have ne'er a God. 3 Shake off the thoughts of dying too, And think your life you…
126 wordsSECTION 211Hymn 2:57. The pleasures of a good conscience.
1 Lord, how secure and bless'd are they Who feel the joys of pardon'd sin! Should storms of wrath shake earth and sea, Their minds have heaven and peace within. 2 The day glides sweetly o'er their heads, Made up of innocence and love; And soft and silent as the shades Their nightly minutes gently move. 3 [Quick as th…
164 wordsSECTION 212Hymn 2:58 The shortness of life, and the goodness of God.
1 Time! what an empty vapour 'tis! And days how swift they are! Swift as an Indian arrow flies, Or like a shooting star. 2 [The present moments just appear, Then slide away in haste, That we can never say, "They're here," But only say, "They're past."] 3 [Our life is ever on the wing, And death is ever nigh; The mome…
168 wordsSECTION 213Hymn 2:59. Paradise on earth.
1 Glory to God that walks the sky, And sends his blessings thro', That tells his saints of joys on high, And gives a taste below. 2 [Glory to God that stoops his throne That dust and worms may see't, And brings a glimpse of glory down Around his sacred feet. 3 When Christ, with all his graces crown'd, Sheds his kind …
211 wordsSECTION 214Hymn 2:60. The truth of God the promiser; or, The promises are our security.
1 Praise, everlasting praise be paid To him that earth's foundations laid; Praise to the God whose strong decrees Sway the creation as he please. 2 Praise to the goodness of the Lord Who rules his people by his word, And there as strong as his decrees He sets his kindest promises. 3 [Firm are the words his prophets g…
213 wordsSECTION 215Hymn 2:61. A thought of death and glory.
1 My soul, come meditate the day, And think how near it stands, When thou must quit this house of clay, And fly to unknown lands. 2 [And you, mine eyes, look down and view The hollow gaping tomb, This gloomy prison waits for you Whene'er the summons come.] 3 O could we die with those that die, And place us in their s…
149 wordsSECTION 216Hymn 2:62. God the thunderer; or, The last judgment and hell.*
1 Sing to the Lord, ye heavenly hosts, And thou, O earth, adore, Let death and hell thro' all their coasts, Stand trembling at his power. 2 His sounding chariot shakes the sky, He makes the clouds his throne, There all his stores of lightning lie, Till vengeance dart them down. 3 His nostrils breathe out fiery stream…
155 wordsSECTION 217Hymn 2:63. A funeral thought.
1 Hark! from the tombs a doleful sound, My ears attend the cry, "Ye living men, come view the ground "Where you must shortly lie. 2 "Princes, this clay must be your bed, "In spite of all your towers; "The tall, the wise, the reverend head "Must lie as low as ours." 3 Great God, is this our certain doom? And are we st…
102 wordsSECTION 218Hymn 2:64. God the glory and defence of Sion.
1 Happy the church, thou sacred place, The seat of thy Creator's grace; Thine holy courts are his abode, Thou earthly palace of our God. 2 Thy walls are strength, and at thy gates A guard of heavenly warriors waits; Nor shall thy deep foundations move, Fix'd on his counsels and his love. 3 Thy foes in vain designs en…
136 wordsSECTION 219Hymn 2:65. The hope of heaven our support under trials on earth.
1 When I can read my title clear To mansions in the skies, I bid farewell to every fear, And wipe my weeping eyes. 2 Should earth against my soul engage, And hellish darts be hurl'd, Then I can smile at Satan's rage, And face a frowning world. 3 Let cares like a wild deluge come, And storms of sorrow fall, May I but …
98 wordsSECTION 220Hymn 2:66. A prospect of heaven makes death easy.
1 There is a land of pure delight Where saints immortal reign, Infinite day excludes the night, And pleasures banish pain. 2 There everlasting spring abides, And never withering flowers: Death like a narrow sea divides This heavenly land from ours. 3 [Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood, Stand dress'd in living gr…
136 wordsSECTION 221Hymn 2:67. God's eternal dominion.
1 Great God, how infinite art thou! What worthless worms are we! Let the whole race of creatures bow And pay their praise to thee. 2 Thy throne eternal ages stood, Ere seas or stars were made; Thou art the ever-living God Were all the nations dead. 3 Nature and time quite naked lie To thine immense survey, From the f…
138 wordsSECTION 222Hymn 2:68. The humble worship of heaven.
1 Father, I long, I faint to see The place of thine abode, I'd leave thy earthly courts and flee Up to thy seat, my God! 2 Here I behold thy distant face, And 'tis a pleasing sight; But to abide in thine embrace Is infinite delight. 3 I'd part with all the joys of sense To gaze upon thy throne; Pleasure springs fresh…
171 wordsSECTION 223Hymn 2:69. The faithfulness of God in his promises.
1 [Begin, my tongue, some heavenly theme, And speak some boundless thing, The mighty works, or mightier name Of our eternal King. 2 Tell of his wondrous faithfulness, And sound his power abroad, Sing the sweet promise of his grace, And the performing God. 3 Proclaim "salvation from the Lord "For wretched dying men;" …
207 wordsSECTION 224Hymn 2:70. God's dominion over the sea, Psalm 107. 23 &c.
1 God of the seas, thy thundering voice Makes all the roaring waves rejoice, And one soft word of thy command Can sink them silent in the sand. 2 If but a Moses wave thy rod, The sea divides, and owns its God: The stormy floods their Maker knew, And let his chosen armies thro'. 3 The scaly flocks amidst the sea, To t…
272 wordsSECTION 225Hymn 2:71. Praise to God from all creatures.
1 The glories of my Maker God, My joyful voice shall sing, And call the nations to adore Their Former and their King. 2 'Twas his right-hand that shap'd our clay, And wrought this human frame, But from his own immediate breath Our nobler spirits came. 3 We bring our mortal powers to God, And worship with our tongues:…
137 wordsSECTION 226Hymn 2:72. The Lord's Day; or, The resurrection of Christ.
1 Bless'd morning, whose young dawning rays Beheld our rising God, That saw him triumph o'er the dust, And leave his dark abode. 2 In the cold prison of a tomb, The dead Redeemer lay, Till the revolving skies had brought The third, th' appointed day. 3 Hell and the grave unite their force To hold our God in vain, The…
112 wordsSECTION 227Hymn 2:73. Doubts scattered; or, Spiritual joy restored.
1 Hence from my soul, sad thoughts, be gone, And leave me to my joys, My tongue shall triumph in my God, And make a joyful noise. 2 Darkness and doubts had veil'd my mind, And drown'd my head in tears, Till sovereign grace with shining rays Dispell'd my gloomy fears. 3 O what immortal joys I felt, And raptures all di…
98 wordsSECTION 228Hymn 2:74. Repentance from a sense of divine goodness; or, A complaint of ingratitude.
1 Is this the kind return, And these the thanks we owe, Thus to abuse eternal love, Whence all our blessings flow? 2 TO what a stubborn frame Has sin reduc'd our mind! What strange rebellious wretches we, And God as strangely kind! 3 [On us he bids the sun Shed his reviving rays, For us the skies their circles run To…
131 wordsSECTION 229Hymn 2:75. Spiritual and eternal joys; or, The beatific sight of Christ.
1 From thee, my God, my joys shall rise, And run eternal rounds, Beyond the limits of the skies And all created bounds. 2 The holy triumphs of my soul Shall death itself out-brave, Leave dull mortality behind, And fly beyond the grave. 3 There, where my blessed Jesus reigns In heaven's unmeasur'd space, I'll spend a …
132 wordsSECTION 230Hymn 2:76. The resurrection and ascension of Christ.
1 Hosanna to the Prince of Light, That cloth'd himself in clay, Enter'd the iron gates of death, And tore the bars away. 2 Death is no more the king of dread Since our Immanuel rose, He took the tyrant's sting away, And spoil'd our hellish foes. 3 See how the Conqueror mounts aloft, And to his Father flies, With scar…
134 wordsSECTION 231Hymn 77. The Christian warfare.
1 [Stand up, my soul, shake off thy fears, And gird the gospel-armour on, March to the gates of endless joy Where thy great Captain-Saviour's gone. 2 Hell and thy sins resist thy course, But hell and sin are vanquish'd foes, Thy Jesus nail'd them to the cross, And sung the triumph when he rose.] 3 [What tho' the prin…
160 wordsSECTION 232Hymn 2:78. Redemption by Christ.
1 When the first parents of our race Rebell'd and lost their God, And the infection of their sin Had tainted all our blood; 2 Infinite pity touch'd the heart Of the eternal Son, Descending from the heavenly court He left his Father's throne. 3 Aside the Prince of glory threw His most divine array, And wrapt his Godhe…
134 wordsSECTION 233Hymn 2:79. Praise to the Redeemer.
1 Plung'd in a gulph of dark despair We wretched sinners lay, Without one cheerful beam of hope, Or spark of glimmering day. 2 With pitying eyes, the Prince of Grace Beheld our helpless grief, He saw, and (O amazing love!) He ran to our relief. 3 Down from the shining seats above With joyful haste he fled, Enter'd th…
185 wordsSECTION 234Hymn 2:80. God's awful power and goodness.
1 O the Almighty Lord! How matchless is his power! Tremble, O earth, beneath his word, And all the heavens adore. 2 Let proud imperious kings Bow low before his throne, Crouch to his feet, ye haughty things, Or he shall tread you down. 3 Above the skies he reigns, And with amazing blows He deals unsufferable pains On…
125 wordsSECTION 235Hymn 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 Lo…
121 wordsSECTION 236Hymn 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 …
134 wordsSECTION 237Hymn 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 …
119 wordsSECTION 238Hymn 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 go…
173 wordsSECTION 239Hymn 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 c…
140 wordsSECTION 240Hymn 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…
120 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.