Scripture Verse

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Introduction

Words: Ben­ja­min Bed­dome (1717–1795). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Adapt­ed to Pub­lic Wor­ship (Lon­don: Bu­rton & Briggs, 1818), num­ber 260. The Fall.

Music: Bres­lau As Hym­no­dus Sa­cer (Leip­zig, Ger­ma­ny: 1625) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

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

Lyrics

illustration
Madonna della Vittoria
Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506)

When Satan saw his re­bel host,
His cause, and Heav’n for ev­er lost,
Malice and wrath his mind pos­sessed,
And fu­ry burned with­in his breast.

He knew how vain th’ at­tempts to rise,
With im­pi­ous rage against the skies;
But bent on ill, an­oth­er way
He turns his arms, and wins the day.

‘Twas in a dark un­guard­ed hour,
That our first par­ents felt his pow­er;
Soft in­no­cence and vir­tue fell
An ea­sy prey to death and hell.

Ye sons of God, the tempt­er fly,
Nor the un­eq­ual con­test try;
By prom­ised bliss the fiend de­coys—
First he al­lures, and then de­stroys.