Scripture Verse

Do you love Me? John 21:15

Introduction

portrait
John Newton (1725–1807)

Words: John New­ton, Ol­ney Hymns (Lon­don: W. Ol­iv­er, 1779), Book 1, num­ber 119. Lov­est thou Me?

Music: Alet­ta Will­iam B. Brad­bu­ry, Ju­bi­lee (New York: Ma­son Bro­thers, 1858), page 232 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
William Bradbury
(1816–1868)

Lyrics

’Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it caus­es an­xious thought;
Do I love the Lord, or no?
Am I His, or am I not?

If I love, why am I thus?
Why this dull and life­less frame?
Hardly, sure, can they be worse,
Who have ne­ver heard His name!

Could my heart so hard re­main,
Prayer a task and bur­den prove;
Every tri­fle give me pain,
If I knew a Sav­ior’s love?

When I turn my eyes with­in,
All is dark, and vain, and wild;
Filled with un­belief and sin,
Can I deem my­self a child?

If I pray, or hear, or read,
Sin is mixed with all I do;
You that love the Lord in­deed,
Tell me: Is it thus with you?

Yet I mourn my stub­born will,
Find my sin, a grief, and thrall;
Should I grieve for what I feel,
If I did not love at all?

Could I joy His saints to meet,
Choose the ways I once ab­horred,
Find, at times, the pr­omise sweet,
If I did not love the Lord?

Lord, de­cide the doubt­ful case!
Thou who art Thy peo­ple’s sun;
Shine up­on Thy work of grace,
If it be in­deed be­gun.

Let me love Thee more and more,
If I love at all, I pray;
If I have not loved be­fore,
Help me to be­gin to­day.