Scripture Verse

In that day the Lord with His hard and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent; and He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. Isaiah 27:1

Introduction

portrait
Thoro Harris (1874–1955)

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems (Bris­tol, Eng­land: Fe­lix Far­ley, 1749), vol­ume 1, page 11, alt.

Music: Cri­mea Tho­ro Har­ris, cir­ca 1905 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

portrait
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Lyrics

The Lord of hosts, th’al­migh­ty Lord,
Shall punish in that vengeful day,
Shall with His Spi­rit’s two-edged sword
The piercing, crooked serpent slay.

Leviathan, that subtle fiend,
That soul-insinuating foe,
Jesus shall make his malice end,
And root out all our sins below.

Jesus shall make us free indeed,
Redeem from all iniquity,
And crush the hellish serpent’s head,
And slay the dragon in the sea.

The sea is calmed, the troubled soul,
In which he did his pastime take;
The sinner now by faith made whole,
Can ne­ver more his God forsake.

Sing to the Church in that glad day,
(The Church is joined to those above,
When all their sins are washed away,
And they are perfect made in love:

Partakers of the life divine,
When grace the full sal­va­tion brings)
Sing ye, a vineyard of red wine,
A vineyard for the King of kings!

“I keep it, I th’al­migh­ty Lord,
My Spi­rit every moment pour,
Descends the water and the Word,
The gracious ne­ver-ceasing shower.

“I water it with heav’nly dew,
Satan and sin I chase away,
I water it, and keep it, too,
I watch My vineyard night and day.

“Fury is not in Me; to all
To all My mercies freely move:
Who would resist My gracious call,
Or spurn the bowels of My love?

“Who against Me would madly dare
To set the thorns and briers in fight?
Through all I would My passage tear,
And trample on their feeble might.

“The soul that will not taste My love
Shall perish by My righteous ire,
My vengeful indignation prove,
And feel Me a consuming fire.

“But rather let Him freely take
A power from Me to turn and live;
Peace with his God he then shall make,
And Christ into his heart receive.

“My Son from all, who come to Him,
Shall every spot of sin remove,
From all iniquity redeem,
And root and ’stablish them in love.

“Grafted in Him, they all shall share
The life, and fatness of the root,
And every holy temper bear,
And fill the world with golden fruit.

The trees of right­eous­ness shall rise,
Watered each moment from above,
And bear the fruits of paradise,
The glo­ri­ous fruits of perfect love.