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Friday, February 18, 2011

The passion and exaltation of Christ

HYMN 84 S. M.

The passion and exaltation of Christ.

Come, all harmonious tongues,
Your noblest music bring;
'Tis Christ the everlasting God,
And Christ the man, we sing.

Tell how he took our flesh,
To take away our guilt;
Sing the dear drops of sacred blood
That hellish monsters spilt.

Alas! the cruel spear
Went deep into his side,
And the rich flood of purple gore
Their murd'rous weapons dyed.

The waves of swelling grief
Did o'er his bosom roll,
And mountains of Almighty wrath
Lay heavy on his soul.

Down to the shades of death
He bowed his awful head;
Yet he arose to live and reign
When death itself is dead.

No more the bloody spear,
The cross and nails no more
For hell itself shakes at his name,
And all the heav'ns adore.

There the Redeemer sits
High on the Father's throne;
The Father lays his vengeance by,
And smiles upon his Son.

There his full glories shine
With uncreated rays,
And bless his saints' and angels' eyes
To everlasting days.


Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book II, 1707

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Only our Lord could bare the fullest measure for all flesh, whether past, present, or future. Man can make personal sacrfices for others in earthly existence, though it shall ultimately pass away. Our Lord instituted an act of the utmost sacrifice to which there is no end, unlike even the most noble of deeds and actions man may undertake in goodwill.

May we forever see a picture of the agony on Golgotha to enable us to view our futility of fleshly actions. I believe then we shall be stronger in faith through the faith of a different sort which our Lord delivered upon.