Hymns on God's Everlasting Love, 1

Father, whose everlasting love
Thy only Son for sinners gave,
Whose grace to all did freely move,
And sent Him down a world to save;

Help us Thy mercy to extol,
Immense, unfathom'd, unconfined;
To praise the Lamb who died for all,
The general Saviour of mankind.

Thy undistinguishing regard
Was cast on Adam's fallen race;
For all Thou hast in Christ prepared
Sufficient, sovereign, saving grace.

Jesus hath said, we all shall hope,
Preventing grace for all is free:
"And I, if I be lifted up,
I will draw all men unto Me."

What soul those drawings never knew?
With whom hath not Thy Spirit strove?
We all must own that God is true,
We all may feel that God is love.

O all ye ends of earth, behold
The bleeding, all-atoning Lamb!
Look unto Him for sinners sold,
Look and be saved through Jesu's name.

Behold the Lamb of God, who takes
The sins of all the world away!
His pity no exception makes;
But all that will receive Him, may.

A world He suffer'd to redeem;
For all He hath the' atonement made:
For those that will not come to Him
The ransom of His life was paid.

Their Lord, unto His own He came;
His own were who received Him not,
Denied and trampled on His name
And blood, by which themselves were bought.

Who under foot their Saviour trod,
Exposed afresh, and crucified,
Who trampled on the Son of God, —
For them, for them, their Saviour died.

For those who at the judgment day
On Him they pierced shall look with pain;
The Lamb for every castaway,
For every soul of man was slain.

Why then, Thou universal Love,
Should any of Thy grace despair?
To all, to all, Thy bowels move,
But straiten'd in our own we are.

Tis we, the wretched abjects we,
Our blasphemies on Thee translate;
We think that fury is in Thee,
Horribly think, that God is hate.

"Thou hast compell'd the lost to die,
Hast reprobated from Thy face;
Hast others saved, but them pass'd by,
Or mock'd with only damning grace."

How long, Thou jealous God! how long
Shall impious worms Thy word disprove,
Thy justice stain, Thy mercy wrong,
Deny Thy faithfulness and love?

Still shall the hellish doctrine stand,
And Thee for its dire author claim?
No: let it sink at Thy command
Down to the pit from whence it came.

Arise, O God, maintain Thy cause!
The fulness of the Gentiles call:
Lift up the standard of Thy cross,
And all shall own Thou diedst for all.