Our Lord Jesus

249 Deity and Humanity of our Lord

1 ERE the blue heavens were stretch'd abroad, From everlasting was the Word: With God He was; the Word was God, And must divinely be adored.

2 By His own power were all things made; By Him supported all things stand;

He is the whole creation's head, And angels fly at His command.

3 Ere sin was born, or Satan fell, He led the host of morning stars;

(Thy generation who can tell, Or count the number of Thy years?)

4 But lo! He leaves those heavenly forms, The Word descends and dwells in clay, That He may hold converse with worms, Dress'd in such feeble flesh as they.

5 Mortals with joy beheld His face, Th' eternal Father's only Son;

How full of truth! how full of grace! When through His eyes the Godhead shone!

6 Archangels leave their high abode To learn new mysteries here, and tell The love of our descending God, The glories of Immanuel.

Isaac Watts, 1709.

250 His great Love.

1 THE Lord of glory, moved by love, Descends, in mercy, from above; And He, before whom angels bow, Is found a man of grief below.

2 Such love is great, too great for thought, Its length and breadth in vain are sought; No tongue can tell its depth and height; The love of Christ is infinite.

3 But though His love no measure knows, The Saviour to His people shows Enough to give them joy, when known, Enough to make their hearts His own.

4 Constrained by this, they walk with Him, His love their most delightful theme; To glorify Him here, their aim, Their hope, in heaven to praise His name.

Thomas Kelly, 1808.

251 Praise to the Redeemer

1 MIGHTY God! while angels bless Thee, May an infant lisp Thy name?

Lord of men, as well as angels, Thou art every creature's theme.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Amen.

2 Lord of every land and nation, Ancient of eternal days!

Sounded through the wide creation Be Thy just and lawful praise.

Hallelujah, &c.

3 For the grandeur of Thy nature, Grand beyond a seraph's thought; For created works of power, Works with skill and kindness wrought Hallelujah, &c.

4 For Thy providence, that governs Through Thine empire's wide domain, Wings an angel, guides a sparrow;

Blessed be Thy gentle reign.

Hallelujah, &c.

5 But Thy rich, Thy free redemption, Dark through brightness all along:

Thought is poor, and poor expression Who dare sing that awful song?

Hallelujah, &c.

6 Brightness of the Father's glory, Shall Thy praise unutter'd lie?

Fly, my tongue, such guilty silence!

Sing the Lord who came to die.

Hallelujah, &c.

7 Did archangels sing Thy coming? Did the shepherds learn their lays?

Shame would cover me ungrateful, Should my tongue refuse to praise.

Hallelujah, &c.

8 From the highest throne in glory, To the cross of deepest woe;

All to ransom guilty captives:

Flow, my praise, for ever flow.

Hallelujah, &c.

9 Go, return, immortal Saviour!

Leave Thy footstool, take Thy throne;

Thence return, and reign for ever, Be the kingdom all Thy own.

Hallelujah, &c.

Robert Robinson, 1774.

252 Joy at Jesus' Birth

1 LET us all with grateful praises, Celebrate the happy day, When the lovely, loving Jesus First partook of human clay;

2 When the heavenly host assembled, Gazed with wonder from the sky;

Angels joy'd, and devils trembled, Neither fully knowing why.

3 Long had Satan reign'd imperious, Till the woman's promised seed, Born a babe, by birth mysterious, Came to bruise the serpent's head

4 Crush, dear babe, his power within us, Break our chains, and set us free Pull down all the bars between us, Till we fly, and cleave to Thee.

Joseph Hart, 1759.

253

Good Tidings.

1 ANGELS, from the realms of glory, Wing your flight o'er all the earth, Ye who sang creation's story, Now proclaim Messiah's birth:

Come and worship, Worship Christ, the new-born King.

2 Saints, before the altar bending, Waiting long with hope and fear, Suddenly the Lord descending In His temple shall appear;

Come and worship, Worship Christ, the new-born King.

3 Sinners, wrung with true repentance, Doom'd for guilt to endless pains, Justice now repeals the sentence, Mercy calls you—break your chains;

Come and worship, Worship Christ, the new-born King.

James Montgomery, 1819.

254 Heaven's Joy at Incarnation

1 MORTALS, awake, with angels join. And chant the solemn lay;

Joy, love, and gratitude combine To hail the auspicious day.

2 In heaven the rapturous song began, And sweet seraphic fire Through all the shining legions ran, And strung and tuned the lyre.

3 Swift through the vast expanse it flew, And loud the echo roll'd; The theme, the song, the joy was new, 'Twas more than heaven could hold.

4 Down from the portals of the sky The impetuous torrent ran; And angels flew with eager joy To bear the news to man.

5 Hark! the cherubic armies shout, And glory leads the song;

Good will and peace" are heard through-out The harmonious heavenly throng.

6 With joy the chorus we repeat, "Glory to God on high!

Good-will and peace are now complete;

Jesus was born to die!"

7 Hail, Prince of Life! for ever hail, Redeemer, brother, friend!

Though earth, and time, and life should fail, Thy praise snail never end.

Samuel Medley, 1787.

255

Advent Morning

1 BRIGHT and joyful is the morn; For to us a Child is born; From the highest realms of heaven Unto us a Son is given.

2 On His shoulders He shall bear Power and majesty—and wear On His vesture, and His thigh, Names most awful, names most high.

3 Wonderful in counsel He; The incarnate Deity, Sire of Ages ne'er to cease;

King of kings, and Prince of Peace.

4 Come and worship at His feet, Yield to Christ the homage meet; From His manger to His throne, Homage due to God alone.

James Montgomery, 1819.

256 The Angel's Song

1 HARK, the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King.

"Peace on earth, and mercy mild;

God and sinners reconciled."

2 Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies;

Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

3 Veil'd in flesh the Godhead see;

Hail the incarnate Deity!

Pleased as man with men to appear, Jesus our Immanuel here.

4 Mild He lays His glory by;

Born, that men no more might die;

Born to raise the sons of earth;

Born, to give them second birth.

5 Come, Desire of Nations, come!

Fix in us Thy humble home;

Rise, the woman's promised Seed, Bruise in us the serpent's head.

6 Glory to the new-born King!

Let us all the anthem sing, "Peace on earth, and mercy mild;

God and sinners reconciled."

Charles Wesley, 1739

257 The Advent.

1 HARK, the glad sound, the Saviour comes, The Saviour promised long!

Let every heart prepare a throne, And every voice a song.

2 On Him the Spirit, largely pour'd, Exerts its sacred fire;

Wisdom and might, and zeal and love, His holy breast inspire.

3 He comes, the prisoners to release, In Satan's bondage held; The gates of brass before Him burst, The iron fetters yield.

4 He comes, from thickest films of vice, To clear the mental ray; And on the eye-balls of the blind To pour celestial day.

5 He comes, the broken heart to bind, The bleeding soul to cure;

And, with the treasures of His grace To enrich the humble poor

6 Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace, Thy welcome shall proclaim; And heaven's eternal arches ring With Thy beloved name.

Philip Doddridge, 1755.

258 Joy at His Coming

1 JOY to the world; the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King:

Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing.

2 Joy to the earth; the Saviour reigns!

Let men their songs employ:

While fields, and floods, rocks, hills, and plains, Repeat the sounding joy.

3 No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found.

4 He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love.

Isaac Watts, 1719.

259 "He humbled Himself."

1 SAVIOUR of men, and Lord of love, How sweet Thy gracious name! With joy that errand we review On which Thy mercy came.

2 While all Thy own angelic bands Stood watting on the wing, Charm'd with the honour to obey The word of such a King.

3 For us mean, wretched, sinful men, Thou laidst that glory by;

First, in our mortal flesh, to serve;

Then, in that flesh, to die.

4 Bought with Thy service and Thy blood, We doubly, Lord, are Thine; To Thee our lives we would devote, To Thee our death resign.

Philip Doddridge, 1755.

260 Jesus the Son of Man

1 IT is my sweetest comfort, Lord, And will for ever be, To muse upon the gracious truth Of Thy humanity.

2 Oh joy! there sitteth in our flesh, Upon a throne of light, One of a human mother born, In perfect Godhead bright!

3 Though earth's foundations should be moved, Down to their lowest deep;

Though all the trembling universe Into destruction sweep;

4 For ever God, for ever man, My Jesus shall endure; And fix'd on Him, my hope remains Eternally secure.

Edward Caswall, 1858

261 Flesh of our Flesh

1 JESUS, who pass'd the angels by, Assum'd our flesh, to bleed and die; And still He makes it His abode; As man, He fills the throne of God.

2 Our next of kin, our Brother now, Is He to whom the angels bow;

They join with us to praise His Name, But we the nearest interest claim.

3 But ah! how faint our praises rise!

Sure 'tis the wonder of the skies, That we, who share His richest love, So cold and unconcern'd should prove.

4 Oh glorious hour! it comes with speed, When we from sin and darkness freed, Shall see the God who died for man, And praise Him more than angels can.

John Newton, 1779