Who be­lieves the tid­ings? Who
Witnesses that God is true?
Sees his sins and fol­lies more
Than the sands up­on the shore?
Sees his works with ev­il fraught,
All his life a con­stant blot?
Sees his heart of vir­tue void,
Alien from the life of God?
Tastes in ev­ery taint­ed breath
Pride, and self, and sin and death!

Who, ah, who de­serves to feel
Never end­ing pains in hell?
Trembling views his long sought hire,
Vengeance of eter­nal fire?
Who hath fruit­less toil be­stowed
To ap­pease the wrath of God?
Vain is all thy toil and care,
Vain all na­ture’s trea­sures are:
More to buy one soul it cost,
More to save a spir­it lost.

What, then, wilt thou, canst thou do?
Canst thou form thy­self anew?
Canst thou cleanse a fil­thy heart,
Life to the dead soul im­part?
Canst Thou thy lost pow­ers restore?
Rise, go forth, and sin no more?
Never, ne­ver can it be,
God alone can set thee free!
God alone the work hath done,
Fought the fight, the bat­tle won.

God alone the price hath paid,
All thy sins on Him were laid;
Happy soul, from guilt set free,
Jesus died for thee, for thee!
Jesus does for thee atone,
Points thee to th’eter­nal crown,
Speaks to thee the king­dom giv’n,
Kingdom of an in­ward heav’n,
Glorious joy, un­ut­tered peace,
All vic­to­ri­ous right­eous­ness.

Why then do thy fears re­turn?
Yet again why dost thou mourn?
Why are all thy com­forts fled?
Sin re­vives, and I am dead.
Dead alas! thou art with­in,
Still re­mains the in­bred sin;
Dead with­in thou sure­ly art,
Still un­clean re­mains thy heart;
The un­tamed re­bel­lious will,
Foe to good, en­slaved to ill.

Soon the Com­fort­er will come,
Fix in thee His con­stant home,
With thy heart His wit­ness bear
Strong, and per­ma­nent, and clear:
All thy griefs shall then be gone,
Doubt and fear no more be known;
Holy love thy heart pos­sess,
Silent joy, and stead­fast peace;
Peace that ne­ver can de­cay,
Joy that none can take away.

Wrath, and pride and hat­red cease,
All thy heart is gen­tle­ness;
Let the waves around thee rise,
Let the tem­pest cloud the skies;
Calm thou ev­er art with­in,
All un­ruf­fled, all se­rene:
Thy sure an­chor can­not fail,
Entered now with­in the veil;
Glad this earth thou canst re­sign:
The new hea­vens and earth are thine.

Why then heave again thy sighs,
Heir of all in earth and skies?
Still thou feel’st the root with­in,
Bitter root of in­bred sin;
Nature still in thee hath part,
Unrenewed is still thy heart;
Still thy heart is un­re­newed,
Alien from the life of God:
Hence with se­cret ear­nest moans,
Deep un­ut­ter­able groans.

Come, Thou ho­ly God and true!
Come, and my whole heart re­new;
Take me now, pos­sess me whole,
Form the Sav­ior in my soul;
In my heart Thy name re­veal,
Stamp me with Thy Spir­it’s seal;
Change my na­ture in­to Thine,
In me Thy whole im­age shine:
Bow Thine ear, in mer­cy bow,
Fill me with Thy full­ness now.

Happy soul, who now re­newed,
God in thee, and thou in God,
Only feel’st with­in thee move
Tenderness, com­pas­sion, love;
Love im­mense and un­con­fined,
Love to all of hu­man­kind;
Love which will­eth all should live,
Love which all to all would give;
Love that ov­er all pre­vails,
Love that ne­ver, ev­er fails.

Stand se­cure, for thou shalt prove
All th’eter­ni­ty of love.
Happy soul, from self and sin
Clean, e’en as thy Lord is clean;
God hath made thy foot­steps sure,
Purified as He is pure.
God thou dost in all things see,
God is all in all to thee;
Heav’n above, and earth abroad,
All to thee is full of God.

Happy soul, whose ac­tive love
Emulates the blest above,
In thy ev­ery act­ion seen,
Sparkling from the soul with­in:
Thou to ev­ery suf­fer­er nigh,
Hearest, not in vain, the cry
Of the wi­dow in dis­tress,
Of the poor and fa­ther­less!
Raiment give to all that need,
To the hun­gry deal’st thy bread.

To the sick thou give re­lief,
Soothe the hap­less pri­son­er’s grief;
Weak the hands thou lift­est up,
Bid the help­less mourn­ers hope,
Give to those in dark­ness light,
Guide the wea­ry wan­der­er right;
Break the roar­ing li­on’s teeth,
Save the sin­ner’s soul from death;
Happy Thou, for God doth own
Thee, His well be­lov­èd son.

Let the sons of Be­li­al rage,
Let all hell its pow­ers en­gage;
Brand with in­fa­my thy name,
Put thee to an op­en shame;
Let earth’s com­forts be with­drawn,
Parents, kin­dred, friends be gone;
Happy, O thrice hap­py thou,
Sealed un­to re­demp­tion now!
All in earth thou well hast giv’n,
God is thy re­ward in Heav’n.