Chapter L: M. (with Hall.) (2)

7. Naught ever so much blesses,
So much rejoices me,
As when in Thy distresses
I take a part with Thee.
All, well for me if lying
Here at Thy feet, my Life,
I, too, with Thee were dying
And thus might end my strife!

8. Thanks from my heart I offer
Thee, Jesus, dearest Friend,
For all that Thou didst suffer;
My good didst Thou intend.
Ah! grant that I may ever
To Thy truth faithful be;
When soul and body sever,
May I be found in Thee!

9. When hence I must betake me,
Lord, do not Thou depart!
O nevermore forsake me
When death is at my heart!
When soul and body languish,
O leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish
By virtue of Thine own!

10. Be Thou my Consolation
And Shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy Passion
When my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee,
Upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfold Thee.
Who dieth thus dies well!

From the Latin of Bernard of Clairvaux; Paul Gerhardt, 1652.

202

L. M.

Enslaved by sin and bound in chains,
Beneath its dreadful tyrant sway,
And doomed to everlasting pains,
We wretched, guilty captives lay.

2. Nor gold nor gems could buy our peace,
Nor all the world’s collected store
Suffice to purchase our release;
A thousand worlds were all too poor.

3. Jesus, the Lord, the mighty God,
An all-sufficient ransom paid.
O matchless price! His precious blood
For vile, rebellious traitors shed.

4. Jesus the sacrifice became
To rescue guilty souls from hell;
The spotless, bleeding, dying Lamb
Beneath avenging Justice fell.

5. Amazing goodness! love divine!
O may our grateful hearts adore
The matchless grace; nor yield to sin,
Nor wear its cruel fetters more!

Anne Steele, † 1778.

GOOD FRIDAY.

203

7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8

O Lamb of God most holy,
Upon the cursed tree slain;
E’er patient, meek, and lowly,
Though heaped with hate and disdain.
All sins Thou borest for us,
Else had despair reigned o’er us,
Have mercy on us, O Jesus!

2. O Lamb of God, most holy,
Upon the cursed tree slain;
E’er patient, meek, and lowly,
Though heaped with hate and disdain.
All sins Thou borest for us,
Else had despair reigned o’er us,
Have mercy on us, O Jesus!

3. O Lamb of God, most holy,
Upon the cursed tree slain;
E’er patient, meek, and lowly,
Though heaped with hate and disdain.
All sins Thou borest for us,
Else had despair reigned o’er us,
Thy peace be with us, O Jesus!

N. Decius, 1526; C. Winkworth, tr., a.

204

L. M.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.

2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

3. See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a tribute far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isaac Watts, 1707, a.

205

7, 7, 6, 7, 7, 8

See, world, thy Life assailèd,
On the accursed tree nailèd;
Thy Savior sinks in death!
The mighty Prince from heaven
Himself hath freely given
To shame and blows and cruel wrath.

2. Come hither now and ponder,
’Twill fill thy soul with wonder,
Blood streams from every pore.
Through grief whose depth none knoweth,
From His great heart there floweth
Sigh after sigh of anguish o’er.

3. Who is it that afflicts Thee?
My Savior, what dejects Thee
And causeth all Thy woe?
Sin Thou committedst never,
As we and our seed ever,
Of deeds of evil naught dost know.

4. I, many times transgressing,
In number far surpassing
The sand upon the coast,
I thus the cause have given
That Thou with grief art riven
And with afflictions’ scourging host.

5. I’ve done it, and deliver
Me hand and foot forever
Thou justly might’st to hell.
The mocking to Thee offered,
The scourging Thou hast suffered,
My soul it was deserved it well.

6. The load Thou takest on Thee,
That pressed so sorely on me
Than stone more heavily.
A curse, Lord, Thou becamest,
Thus blessings for me claimest;
Thy pain must all my comfort be.

7. Not death itself Thou fearest,
As Surety Thou appearest
For all my debts and me.
For me Thy brow is crownèd
With thorns, and Thou’rt disownèd
By men and bear’st all patiently.

8. Into death’s jaws Thou springest,
Deliverance to me bringest
From such a monster dire.
My death away Thou takest,
Thy grave its grave Thou makest;
O love, O unexampled fire!

9. I’m bound, my Savior, ever
By ties most sacred never
Thy service to forsake;
With soul and body ever,
With all my powers t’ endeavor,
In praise and service joy to take.

10. Not much can I be giving
In this poor life I’m living,
But one thing do I say:
Thy death and sorrows ever,
Till soul from body sever,
My heart remember shall for aye.

11. Before mine eyes I’ll place them
And joyfully embrace them,
Wherever I may be;
They’ll be a glass revealing
Pure innocence and sealing
Love and unfeigned sincerity.

12. Of sin, how great the danger;
How it excites God’s anger;
How doth His vengeance burn;
How sternly He chastiseth;
How His wrath’s flood ariseth:—
Shall I from all Thy suff’rings learn.

13. From them shall I be learning
How I may be adorning
My heart with quietness,
And how I still should love them
Whose malice aye doth move them
To grieve me by their wickedness.

14. When tongues of bad men grieve me,
Of peace and name deprive me,
My restive heart I’ll still,
Their evil deeds enduring,
Of pardon free assuring
My neighbor for his every ill.

15. Upon the cross I’ll nail me
With Thee; when sins assail me
Thou shalt my Refuge be.
Forsaking sins that grieve Thee,
Lord, let me never leave Thee,
And let me find my strength in Thee.

16. Thy groaning and Thy sighing,
Thy thousand tears and crying,
That once were heard from Thee,
They’ll lead me to Thy glory,
Where I shall joy before Thee
And evermore at rest shall be!

Paul Gerhardt, 1653; J. Kelly, tr., a.

206

L. M.

Thy soul, O Jesus, hallow me,
Thy Spirit steep me all in Thee,
Thy body, pierced by ruthless steel,
My wretched soul and body heal.

2. The water from Thy side that poured
For me a cleansing bath afford,
And all Thy blood, with life divine,
Revive this weakened heart of mine.

3. The sweat of death upon Thy face
Deliver me from death’s embrace,
And all Thy Passion, cross, and pain,
With strength my feebleness sustain.

4. O Christ, turn not away from me,
Receive and hide me all in Thee,
Within Thy holy wounds inclose,
And keep me safe from all my foes.

5. In death’s dark hour with me abide
And place me, Savior, at Thy side,
Where with Thy saints I shall adore
And praise Thee, Lord, forevermore.

J. Scheffler, † 1677; M. Loy, tr., a.

207

8, 8, 7, 8, 7

Sev’n times our blessed Savior spoke
When on the cross our sins He took
And died lest man should perish.
Let us His last and dying words
In our remembrance cherish.

2. “Father, forgive these men, for, lo,
They truly know not what they do.”
So far His love extended.
Forgive us, Lord, for we, too, have
Through ignorance offended.

3. Now to the contrite thief He cries:
“Thou, verily, in Paradise
Shalt meet me ere to-morrow.”
Lord, take us to Thy kingdom soon,
Who linger here in sorrow.

4. To weeping Mary, standing by,
“Behold thy Son!” now hear Him cry;
To John, “Behold thy mother!”
Provide, O Lord, for those we leave,
Let each befriend the other.

5. The Savior’s fourth word was, “I thirst!”
O mighty Prince of Life, Thy thirst
For us and our salvation
Is truly great; do help us, then,
That we escape damnation.

6. The fifth, “My God, my God, O why
Forsake me?” Hark, the awful cry!
Lord, Thou wast here forsaken
That we might be received on high;
Let this hope not be shaken.

7. The sixth, when victory was won,
“’Tis finished!” for Thy work was done.
Grant, Lord, that, onward pressing,
We may the work Thou dost impose
Fulfil with Thine own blessing.

8. The last, as woe and sufferings end,
“O God, My Father, I commend
Into Thy hands My spirit.”
Be this, dear Lord, my dying wish;
O heavenly Father, hear it!

9. Whoe’er, by sense of sin opprest,
Upon these words his thoughts will rest,
He joy and hope obtaineth
And, through God’s love and boundless grace,
A peaceful conscience gaineth.

10. O Jesus Christ, Thou Crucified,
Who hast for our offenses died,
Grant that we e’er may ponder
Thy wounds, Thy cross, Thy bitter death,
Both here below and yonder.

Johann Boeschenstein, 15th cent.; tr., anon.

208

6, 5, 6, 5

Glory be to Jesus,
Who in bitter pains
Poured for me the life-blood
From His sacred veins!

2. Grace and life eternal
In that blood I find;
Blest be His compassion,
Infinitely kind!

3. Blest through endless ages
Be the precious stream
Which from endless torments
Did the world redeem!

4. Abel’s blood for vengeance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the blood of Jesus
For our pardon cries.

5. Oft as earth exulting
Wafts its praise on high,
Angel hosts rejoicing
Make their glad reply.

6. Lift we, then, our voices,
Swell the mighty flood;
Louder still and louder
Praise the precious blood!

Italian, 18th cent.; E. Caswall, tr., 1857.

209

8, 7, 8 l

Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
See Him dying on the tree!
’Tis the Christ by man rejected;
Yes, my soul, ’tis He! ’tis He!
’Tis the long-expected Prophet,
David’s Son, yet David’s Lord;
Proofs I see sufficient of it:
’Tis the true and faithful Word.

2. Tell me, ye who hear Him groaning,
Was there ever grief like His?
Friends through fear His cause disowning,
Foes insulting His distress;
Many hands were raised to wound Him,
None would interpose to save;
But the deepest stroke that pierced Him
Was the stroke that Justice gave.

3. Ye who think of sin but lightly,
Nor suppose the evil great,
Here may view its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the Sacrifice appointed!
See who bears the awful load;
’Tis the WORD, the LORD’S ANOINTED,
Son of Man and Son of God.

4. Here we have a firm foundation;
Here the refuge of the lost;
Christ’s the Rock of our salvation:
His the name of which we boast;
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded!
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
Who on Him their hope have built.

Thomas Kelly, 1804.

210

8, 7, 8 l

Jesus, Refuge of the weary,
Object of the spirit’s love,
Fountain in life’s desert dreary,
Savior from the world above;
O how oft Thine eyes, offended,
Gaze upon the sinner’s fall!
Yet, upon the cross extended,
Thou didst bear the pain of all.

2. Do we pass that cross unheeding,
Breathing no repentant vow,
Though we see Thee wounded, bleeding,
See Thy thorn-encircled brow?
Yet Thy sinless death hath brought us
Life eternal, peace, and rest;
Only what Thy grace hath taught us
Calms the sinner’s stormy breast.

3. Jesus, may our hearts be burning
With more fervent love for Thee;
May our eyes be ever turning
To Thy cross of agony;
Till in glory, parted never
From the blessed Savior’s side,
Graven in our hearts forever
Dwell the cross, the Crucified!

Jerome Savonarola, † 1498.

211

C. M.

Behold the Savior of mankind
Nailed to the shameful tree!
How vast the love that Him inclined
To bleed and die for thee!

2. Hark how He groans while nature shakes
And earth’s strong pillars bend!
The Temple’s veil in sunder breaks,
The solid marbles rend.

3. ’Tis done; the precious ransom’s paid;
“Receive my soul!” He cries:
See where He bows His sacred head!
He bows His head and dies.

4. But soon He’ll break death’s envious chain
And in full glory shine.
O Lamb of God, was ever pain,
Was ever love, like Thine?

Samuel Wesley, Sr., 1700.

212

8, 7, 8, 7, 7, 7

Come to Calvary’s holy mountain,
Sinners, ruined by the Fall;
Here a pure and healing fountain
Flows to you, to me, to all,
In a full, perpetual tide,
Opened when our Savior died.

2. Come in poverty and meanness,
Come defiled, without, within;
From infection and uncleanness,
From the leprosy of sin,
Wash your robes and make them white;
Ye shall walk with God in light.

3. Come in sorrow and contrition,
Wounded, impotent, and blind;
Here the guilty free remission,
Here the troubled peace, may find.
Health this fountain will restore;
He that drinks shall thirst no more.

4. He that drinks shall live forever;
’Tis a soul-renewing flood.
God is faithful; God will never
Break His covenant of blood,
Signed when our Redeemer died,
Sealed when He was glorified.

James Montgomery, 1819.

213

7s 8 l

Savior, when in dust to Thee
Low we bow th’ adoring knee,
When, repentant, to the skies
Scarce we lift our weeping eyes,
Oh, by all Thy pains and woe,
Suffered once for man below,
Bending from Thy throne on high,
Hear our solemn litany!

2. By Thy helpless infant years,
By Thy life of want and tears,
By Thy days of sore distress
In the savage wilderness,
By the dread, mysterious hour
Of th’ insulting Tempter’s power:
Turn, O turn, a favoring eye,
Hear our solemn litany!

3. By Thine hour of dire despair,
By Thine agony of prayer,
By the cross, the nail, the thorn,
Piercing spear, and torturing scorn;
By the gloom that veiled the skies
O’er the dreadful sacrifice:
Listen to our humble cry,
Hear our solemn litany!

4. By Thy deep expiring groan;
By the sad sepulchral stone;
By the vault, whose dark abode
Held in vain the rising God:
Oh, from earth to heaven restored,
Mighty, reascended Lord,
Listen, listen to the cry
Of our solemn litany!

Robert Grant, 1815, a.

214

C. M.

Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

2. Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
And love beyond degree!

3. Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in
When God, the mighty Maker, died
For man the creature’s sin.

4. Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear Cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes in tears.

5. But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
’Tis all that I can do.

Isaac Watts, 1707.

BURIAL OF JESUS.

215

4, 4, 7, 7, 6

O darkest woe!
Ye tears, forth flow!
Has earth so sad a wonder?
God the Father’s only Son
Now is buried yonder!

2. O sorrow dread
Our God is dead!
But by His expiation
Of our guilt upon the cross
Gained for us salvation.

3. O child of man!
It was the ban
Of death on thee that brought Him
Down to suffer for thy sins,
And such woe hath wrought Him.

4. See, stained with blood,
The Lamb of God,
The Bridegroom, lies before thee,
Pouring out His life that He
May to life restore thee.

5. O Ground of faith,
Laid low in death,
Sweet lips now silent sleeping!
Surely all that live must mourn
Here with bitter weeping.

6. O Virgin-born,
Thy death we mourn,
Thou lovely Star of gladness!
Who could see Thy reeking blood
Without grief and sadness?

7. Yea, blest is he
Whose heart shall be
Fixed here, who apprehendeth
Why the Lord of Glory thus
To the grave descendeth.

8. O Jesus blest,
My Help and Rest,
With tears I now entreat Thee:
Make me love Thee to the last,
Till in heaven I greet Thee!

First stanza, anon.; J. Rist, 1641.

216

4, 4, 7, 7, 6

So rest, my Rest,
Thou Ever-blest!
Thy grave with sinners making;
By Thy precious death from sin
My dead soul awaking.

2. After Thy strife,
Life of my life,
Thou’rt in the tomb reposing,
Round Thee now a rock-hewn grave,
Rock of Ages, closing.

3. How cold art Thou,
My Savior, now!
Thy fervent love hath driven
Thee into the cold, dark grave
That I might gain heaven.

4. Breath of all breath!
I know from death
Thou wilt my dust awaken;
Wherefore should I dread the grave
Or my faith be shaken?

5. To me the tomb
Shall be a room
Where I lie down on roses;
Who by faith hath conquered death
Sweetly there reposes.

6. The body dies—
Naught else—and lies
In dust until victorious
From the grave it shall arise
Beautiful and glorious.

7. Meantime I will,
My Savior, still
Deep in my bosom lay Thee,
Ever musing on Thy death.
Leave me not, I pray Thee!

Sal. Franck, 1716.

217

L. M.

Lord Jesus, who, our souls to save,
Didst rest and slumber in the grave,
Now grant us all in Thee to rest
And here to live as seems Thee best.

2. Give us the strength, the dauntless faith,
That Thou hast purchased with Thy death
And lead us to that glorious place
Where we shall see the Father’s face.

3. O Lamb of God, who once wast slain,
We thank Thee for that bitter pain.
Let us share in Thy death that we
May enter into life with Thee.

G. Werner, 1638; C. Winkworth, tr., a.

EASTER.

218

7, 6, 7, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Awake, my heart, with gladness,
See what to-day is done,
How after gloom and sadness
Comes forth the glorious Sun!
My Savior there was laid
Where our bed must be made
When to the realms of light
Our spirit wings its flight.

2. They in the grave did sink Him,
The Foe held jubilee;
Before he can bethink him,
Lo! Christ again is free,
And “Victory!” He cries
And waveth toward the skies
His banner, for the field
Is by the Hero held.

3. Upon the grave is standing
The Hero, looking round;
The Foe, no more withstanding,
His weapons on the ground
Throws down, his hellish power
To Christ he must give o’er
And to the Victor’s bands
Must yield his feet and hands.

4. This is a sight that gladdens
And fills my heart with glee;
Now naughtsoever saddens
My soul nor takes from me
My trust or fortitude
Or any precious good
Which by His victory
My Savior gained for me.

5. Hell and its prince, the devil,
Now of their power are shorn,
I now am safe from evil,
And sin I laugh to scorn.
Grim Death with all his might
Cannot my soul affright;
He is a powerless form,
Howe’er he rage and storm.

6. The world against me rageth,
Its fury I disdain;
Though bitter war it wageth,
Its work is all in vain.
My heart from care is free,
No trouble troubles me,
Misfortune now is play;
And night is bright as day.

7. I cleave now and forever
To Christ, a member true;
My Head will leave me never,
Whate’er He passeth through.
He treads the world beneath
His feet and conquers death
And hell and breaks sin’s thrall;
I’m with Him through it all.

8. To glory He ascendeth,
I follow Him fore’er,
For Christ, my Head, defendeth
His member from all care.
No enemy I fear
Because my Head is near;
My Savior is my Shield,
By Him all rage is stilled.

9. He brings me to the portal
That opens into bliss,
Where, graved in words immortal,
This golden scripture is:
“Who there are scorned with Me
Here with Me crowned shall be;
Who there with Me shall die
Shall here be raised as I!”

Paul Gerhardt, 1649; J. Kelly, tr., a.

219

C. M.

Father of Jesus Christ, my Lord,
My Savior, and my Head,
I trust in Thee, whose powerful word
Hath raised Him from the dead.

2. Thou know’st for my offense He died
And rose again for me,
Fully and freely justified,
That I might live to Thee.

3. Eternal life to all mankind
Thou hast in Jesus giv’n;
And all who seek, in Him shall find
The happiness of heav’n.

4. Obedient faith, that waits on Thee,
Thou never wilt reprove;
But Thou wilt form Thy Son in me
And perfect me in love.

5. To Thee the glory of Thy power
And faithfulness I give.
I shall in Christ at that glad hour,
And Christ in me, shall live.

Charles Wesley, 1742.

220

7, 8, 7, 8, 7, 7

Jesus Christ, my sure Defense
And my Savior, ever liveth;
Knowing this, my confidence
Rests upon the hope it giveth
Though thy night of death be fraught
Still with many an anxious thought.

2. Jesus, my Redeemer, lives!
I, too, unto life must waken;
Endless joy my Savior gives;
Shall my courage, then, be shaken?
Shall I fear, or could the Head
Rise and leave His members dead?

3. Nay, too closely am I bound
Unto Him by hope forever;
Faith’s strong hand the Rock hath found,
Grasped it, and will leave it never;
Even death now cannot part
From its Lord the trusting heart.

4. I am only flesh and blood,
And on this corruption seizeth;
But I know my Lord and God
From the grave my body raiseth
That with Him eternally
In His glory I may be.

5. Glorified, I shall again
With this skin then be enshrouded;
In this body I shall then
See my God with eyes unclouded;
In this flesh I then shall see
Jesus Christ eternally.

6. Then these eyes my Lord shall know,
My Redeemer and my Brother;
In His love my soul shall glow,—
I myself, and not another!
Only there shall disappear
Weakness in and round me here.

7. What now sickens, mourns, and sighs
Christ with Him in glory bringeth;
Earthly is the seed and dies,
Heavenly from the grave it springeth;
Natural is the death we die,
Spiritual our life on high.

8. Then take comfort, nay, rejoice!
For His members Christ will cherish;
Fear not, they will know His voice,
Though awhile they seem to perish,
When the final trump is heard
And the deaf, cold grave is stirred.

9. Laugh to scorn the gloomy grave
And at death no longer tremble;
For the Lord, who comes to save,
Round Him shall His saints assemble,
Raising them o’er all their foes,
Mortal weakness, fear, and woes.

10. Only draw away your heart
Now from pleasures base and hollow;
Would ye there with Christ have part,
Here His footsteps ye must follow;
Fix your hearts beyond the skies,
Whither ye yourselves would rise!

Berlin, 1653; C. Winkworth, tr., a.

221

7s

“Christ the Lord is risen to-day,”
Sons of men and angels say.
Raise your joys and triumphs high;
Sing, ye heavens, and, earth, reply.

2. Love’s redeeming work is done,
Fought the fight, the battle won;
Lo! our Sun’s eclipse is o’er;
Lo! He sets in blood no more.

3. Vain the stone, the watch, the seal;
Christ has burst the gates of hell.
Death in vain forbids His rise;
Christ has opened Paradise.

4. Lives again our glorious King;
Where, O Death, is now thy sting?
Dying once, He all doth save;
Where thy victory, O Grave?

5. Soar we now where Christ has led,
Following our exalted Head.
Made like Him, like Him we rise;
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.

6. Hail the Lord of earth and heav’n!
Praise to Thee by both be giv’n!
Thee we greet triumphant now;
Hail, the Resurrection Thou!

Charles Wesley, 1739.

222

7, 8, 7, 8, 7, 7

Jesus lives! No longer now
Can thy terrors, Death, appal me;
Jesus lives! by this I know
From the grave He will recall me.
Brighter scenes will then commence;
This shall be my confidence.

2. Jesus lives! To Him the throne
High o’er heaven and earth is given.
I shall go where He is gone,
Live and reign with Him in heaven.
God is pledged; weak doubtings, hence!
This shall be my confidence.

3. Jesus lives! For me He died,
Hence will I, to Jesus living,
Pure in heart and act abide,
Praise to Him and glory giving.
Freely God doth aid dispense;
This shall be my confidence.

4. Jesus lives! I know full well
Naught from me His love shall sever;
Life nor death nor powers of hell
Part me now from Christ forever.
God will be a sure Defense:
This shall be my confidence.

5. Jesus lives! Henceforth is death
But the gate of life immortal;
This shall calm my trembling breath
When I pass its gloomy portal.
Faith shall cry, as fails each sense,
“Jesus is my confidence!”