Scripture Verse

He will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities. And Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Words: Is­aac Watts, Hymns and Spi­ri­tu­al Songs 1707–09, Book 2, num­ber 85. Suf­fi­cien­cy of par­don.

Music: Ab­er­deen, pos­si­bly by An­drew Tait, in James Chal­mers’ un­ti­tled col­lect­ion, 1749; me­lo­dy from Ru­di­ments of Mu­sic, by Ro­bert Brem­ner, 1756 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

Why does your face, ye humble souls,
Those mournful colors wear!
What doubts are these that waste your faith,
And nourish your despair?

What though your numerous sins exceed
The stars that fill the skies,
And aiming at th’eter­nal throne,
Like pointed mountains rise:

What though your mighty guilt beyond
The wide creation swell,
And has its cursed foundations laid
Low as the deeps of hell:

See here an endless ocean flows
Of ne­ver-failing grace;
Behold a dying Sav­ior’s veins
The sacred flood increase.

It rises high, and drowns the hills,
Has neither shore nor bound:
Now, if we search to find our sins,
Our sins can ne’er be found.

Awake, our hearts, adore the grace
That buries all our faults;
And pardoning blood, that swells above
Our follies and our thoughts.