Alas! and did my Saviour bleed!
And did my Sov'reign die?
Would he devote that sacred Head
For such a Worm as I?
[Thy Body slain, sweet Jesus, thine,
And bath'd in its own Blood,
While all expos'd to Wrath Divine
The glorious Suff'rer stood!]
Was it for Crimes that I had done,
He groan'd upon the Tree!
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
Well might the Sun in Darkness hide,
And shut his Glories in,
When God the mighty Maker dy'd
For Man the Creature's Sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing Face,
While his dear Cross appears,
Dissolve my Heart in Thankfulness,
And melt my Eyes to Tears.
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
(From his Hymns and Spiritual Songs.)
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I've refrained from posting this before, because we all know the words—although the second stanza was news to me—and what I really wanted to show was Gregory Wilbur's mournful tune, which in my opinion ties the stanzas together and gives a more mournful feel to the hymn, as it should have. I recently figured out that Spotify lets me embed songs, however, so now I have no qualms about posting; the song, as found in My Cry Ascends, is below. Enjoy! (Or contemplate. That seems more appropriate.)
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