Scripture Verse

Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Isaiah 1:18

Introduction

portrait
Mary Kidder (1820–1905)

Words: Mary A. Kid­der, in Sun­day School Songs, ed­it­ed by Eli­sha A. Hoff­man (Cleve­land, Ohio: Pub­lish­ing House of the Ev­an­gel­ic­al As­so­ci­ation, 1880), number 74.

Music: An­dhra Pra­desh Jo­seph Gar­ris­on (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

Fear not, lit­tle flock, says the Sav­ior di­vine,
The Father has willed that the king­dom be thine;
Oh! soil not your gar­ments with sin here be­low,
My sheep and My lambs must be whit­er than snow.

Refrain

Look up, O my bro­ther! and be not cast down,
While bear­ing the cross, you are sight­ing the crown;
Go, wash in the fount­ain, while wait­ing be­low—
Your sins shall, though scar­let, be whit­er than snow.

Far whit­er than snow, and as fair as the day,
For Christ is the fount­ain to wash guilt away;
Oh, give Him, poor sin­ner, that bur­den of thine,
And en­ter the fold with the nin­ety and nine.

Refrain

Yon sheep that was lost in the val­ley of sin,
Was found by the shep­herd, who ga­thered him in;
With songs of thanksgiving the hills did resound,
My friends and my neigh­bors, the lost sheep is found.

Refrain

Ride ov­er temp­ta­tions, and cease your alarms;
Your shep­herd is Jesus, your ref­uge His arms;
He’ll nev­er forget you, a bro­ther and a friend,
But love you, and save you in worlds with­out end.

Refrain