Scripture Verse

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? Luke 15:4

Introduction

portrait
Ellen M. Gates (1835–1920)

Words: Ell­en M. H. Gates, in Bright Jew­els, ed­it­ed by Ro­bert Low­ry (New York: Big­low & Main, 1869), num­ber 128.

Music: Chur Jo­seph M. Hunt, in Shook’s Song Ev­an­gel­ist, by L. B. Shook (Cleve­land, Ohio & Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois: S. Brain­ard’s Sons, 1883), num­ber 46 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

How ma­ny sheep are stray­ing,
Lost from the Sav­ior’s fold!
Upon those lone­ly mount­ains
They shi­ver in the cold;
Within the tan­gled thick­et,
Where poi­son vines do creep,
And over roc­ky ledg­es,
Wander the poor lost sheep.

Oh, who will go to find them,
Who, for the Sav­ior’s sake,
Will search with tire­less pa­tience,
Thro’ bri­er and thro’ brake?
Unheeding thirst and hun­ger,
Who still from day to day,
Will seek as for a trea­sure,
The sheep that go as­tray?

Oh, who will seek to find them,
From plea­sant bow­ers of ease?
Will you go forth de­ter­mined
To find the least of these?
For still the Sav­ior calls them,
And looks across the wold,
And still He holds wide op­en
The door in­to His fold.