Scripture Verse

Every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isaiah 55:1

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Words: Is­aac Watts, Hymns and Spi­ri­tu­al Songs, Book 1, 1707, num­ber 7. The in­vi­ta­tion of the Gos­pel; or spi­rit­ual food and clo­thing.

Music: Wood­stock (Dut­ton) De­o­da­tus Dut­ton, Jr., in Am­er­ican Psal­mody, by De­o­da­tus Dut­ton & El­am Ives, Jr., 1829 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

  • Ur in Car­mi­na Sac­ra, by Lo­well Ma­son (Bos­ton Mas­sa­chu­setts: John H. Wil­kins & Ri­chard B. Car­ter, 1841), page 99 (🔊 pdf nwc) (me­ter uses ev­en num­ber of vers­es)
  • Tisbury in A Com­pi­la­tion of Ge­nu­ine Church Mu­sic, by Jo­seph Funk, fourth edi­tion, 1847 (🔊 pdf nwc) (re­peats some lines)

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

Lyrics

Let every mortal ear attend,
And every heart rejoice;
The trumpet of the Gos­pel sounds
With an inviting voice.

Lo! all ye hungry, starving souls
That feed upon the wind,
And vainly strive with earthly toys
To fill an empty mind.

Eternal wisdom has prepared
A soul reviving feast,
And bids your longing appetites
The rich provision taste.

Ho! ye that pant for living streams,
And pine away and die;
Here you may quench your raging thirst
With springs that ne­ver dry.

Rivers of love and mercy here
In a rich ocean join;
Salvation in abundance flows,
Like floods of milk and wine.

Ye perishing and naked poor,
Who work with mighty pain
To weave a garment of your own,
That will not hide your sin,

Come naked, and adorn your souls
In robes prepared by God,
Wrought by the labors of His Son,
And dyed in His own blood.

Dear God! the treasures of Thy love
Are ev­er­last­ing mines,
Deep as our helpless miseries are,
And boundless as our sins!

The happy gates of Gos­pel grace
Stand open night and day;
Lord, we are come to seek supplies,
And drive our wants away.