Scripture Verse

Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold…but with the precious blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18–19

Introduction

portrait
Alfonso M. de’ Liguori (1696–1787)

Words: At­trib­ut­ed to Al­fon­so M. de’ Li­guo­ri (1696–1787) (Vi­va! vi­va! Ge­su, Che per mio be­ne). Pub­lished in Rac­col­ta di Ora­zi­oni e Pie Op­ere col­le In­dul­gen­ze, by Te­le­se­pho­ems Gal­li. Trans­lat­ed from Ita­li­an to Eng­lish by Ed­ward Cas­wall in Hymns for the Use of the Birm­ing­ham Ora­to­ry, 1857.

Music: Be­mer­ton (Cas­wall) Fried­rich Fil­itz, 1847 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Fil­itz (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Glory be to Je­sus,
Who, in bit­ter pains,
Poured for me the life­blood
From His sac­red veins!

Grace and life eter­nal
In that blood I find;
Blest be His com­pas­sion,
Infinitely kind.

Blest through end­less ag­es
Be the pre­cious stream
Which from end­less tor­ments
Doth the world re­deem.

There the faint­ing spir­it
Drinks of life her fill;
There as in a fount­ain
Laves her­self at will.

O, the blood of Christ! it
Soothes the Fa­ther’s ire;
Opes the gate of Hea­ven;
Quells eter­nal fire.

Abel’s blood for ven­geance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the blood of Je­sus
For our par­don cries.

Oft as it is sprin­kled
On our guil­ty hearts,
Satan in con­fu­sion
Terror struck de­parts.

Oft as earth ex­ult­ing
Wafts its praise on high,
Angel hosts, re­joic­ing,
Make their glad re­ply.

Lift we then our voic­es,
Swell the migh­ty flood;
Louder still and loud­er
Praise the pre­cious blood!

illustration
First Mourning
William Bouguereau (1825–1905)