Scripture Verse

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Isaiah 9:2

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts
1674–1748

Words: Is­aac Watts, Hymns and Spi­ri­tu­al Songs 1707, Book 1, num­ber 48. The four stan­zas be­gin­ning My sor­rows like a flood have al­so been pub­lished sep­ar­ate­ly as a cen­to.

Music: Clegg Hen­ry Cow­ard, in The Pri­mi­tive Me­tho­dist Hym­nal, ed­it­ed by George Booth (Lon­don: Pri­mi­tive Me­tho­dist Pub­lish­ing House, 1889), num­ber 221 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

  • Reviving Light, in Har­mon­ia Sacra, by Jo­seph Funk (1778–1862) (🔊 pdf nwc) (re­peats last line of each verse)
  • St. John (Gre­gory), W. Greg­ory, in The Pri­mi­tive Me­tho­dist Hym­nal, ed­it­ed by George Booth (Lon­don: Pri­mi­tive Me­tho­dist Pub­lish­ing House, 1889), num­ber 221 (🔊 pdf nwc)
portrait
Henry Coward
1849–1944

Lyrics

How heavy is the night
That hangs upon our eyes,
Till Christ, with His reviving light,
Over our souls arise!

Our guilty spirits dread
To meet the wrath of Heaven:
But in His righteousness arrayed,
We see our sins forgiven.

Unholy and impure
Are all our thoughts and ways;
His hands infected nature cure
With sanctifying grace.

The powers of hell agree
To hold our souls in vain;
He sets the sons of bondage free,
And breaks th’accursèd chain.

Lord, we adore Thy ways
To bring us near to God;
Thy sovereign power, Thy healing grace,
And Thine atoning blood.