By the anguished sigh that told
Treachery lurked within Thy fold;
From Thy seat above the sky,
Hear our solemn litany!
4 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 !
5 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, re-ascended Lord,
Listen, listen to the cry
Of our solemn litany!
WITH broken heart, and contrite sigh,
A trembling sinner, Lord, I cry;
Thy pardoning grace is rich and free;
O God, be merciful to me !
2 I smite upon my troubled breast,
With deep and conscious guilt oppressed;
Christ and His Cross my only plea;
O God, be merciful to me!
3 Far off I stand with tearful eyes
Nor dare uplift them to the skies;
But Thou dost all my anguish see;
O God, be merciful to me !
4 Nor alms, nor deeds that I have done
Can for a single sin atone;
To Calvary alone I flee;
O God, be merciful to me!
5 And when, redeemed from sin and hell, With all the ransomed throng I dwell, My raptured song shall ever be,
God has been merciful to me!
O JESUS, Thou art standing
Outside the fast-closed door,
In lowly patience waiting
To pass the threshold o'er :
Shame on us, Christian brothers,
His Name and sign who bear :
Oh, shame, thrice shame upon us,
To keep Him standing there!
2 O Jesus, Thou art knocking :
And lo! that hand is scarred,
And thorns Thy brow encircle,
And tears Thy face have marred :
O love that passeth knowledge,
So patiently to wait!
O sin that hath no equal,
So fast to bar the gate?
3 O Jesus, Thou art pleading
In accents meek and low,
"I died for you, My children,
And will ye treat Me so?"
O Lord, with shame and sorrow
We open now the door :
Dear Saviour, enter, enter,
And leave us nevermore.
I KNOW no life divided,
O Lord of life! from Thee;
In Thee is life provided
For all mankind and me;
I know no death, O Jesus!
Because I live in Thee;
Thy death it is which frees us
From death eternally.
2 I fear no tribulation,
Since, whatsoe'er it be,
It makes no separation
Between my Lord and me:
If Thou, my God and teacher;
Vouchsafe to be my own,
Though poor, I shall be richer
Than monarch on his throne.
3 Lord! with this truth impress me,
And write it on my heart,
To comfort, cheer, and bless me,
That Thou my Saviour art;
Without Thy love to guide me,
I should be wholly lost;
The floods would quickly hide me,
On life's wide ocean tost.
(German) C. J. P. Spitta. Tr. R. Massie.
Low at Thy cross we lie;
Lord, in Thy great compassion,
Hear our bewailing cry.
We come to Thee with mourning,
We come to Thee in woe;
With contrite hearts returning,
And tears that overflow.
2 O gracious Intercessor,
Ŏ Priest within the veil,
Plead, for each lost transgressor,
The blood that cannot fail.
We spread our sins before Thee,
We tell them one by one;
Oh, for Thy Name's great glory,
Forgive all we have done.
3 Oh, by Thy cross and passion,
Thy tears and agony,
And crown of cruel fashion,
And death on Calvary;
By all that untold suffering
Endured by Thee alone,
O Priest! O spotless Offering,
Plead for us, and atone.
JESUS, the sinner's friend! to Thee,
Lost and undone, for aid I flee;
Weary of earth, myself, and sin,
Open Thine arms, and take me in.
2 Pity and heal my sin-sick soul;
'Tis Thou alone canst make me whole;
I cannot rest till Thou art mine,
Until in me Thine image shine.
3 At last I own it cannot be
That I should fit myself for Thee;
Here then, to Thee, I all resign;
Thine is the work, and only Thine.
4 What can I say, Thy grace to move?
Lord! I am sin, but Thou art love;
I give up every plea beside ;
Lord! I'm condemned, but Thou hast died.
JUST as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come.
2 Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come.
3 Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come.
4 Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind,
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come.
5 Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come.
6 Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come.
LORD of mercy and of might,
Of mankind the life and light,
Maker, teacher infinite,
Jesus, hear and save.
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