Tag Archives: Isaac Watts

The Promise of My Father’s Love ~Hymn

The Promise of My Father’s Love

The promise of My Father’s love
Shall stand for ever good,
He said, and gave His soul to death,
And sealed the grace with blood.

To this dear covenant of Thy Word
I set my worthless name;
I seal th’engagement to my Lord,
And make my humble claim.

The light, and strength, and pardoning grace,
And glory shall be mine;
My life and soul, my heart and flesh,
And all my powers are Thine.

I call that legacy my own
Which Jesus did bequeath;
’Twas purchased with a dying groan,
And ratified in death.

Sweet is the memory of His name,
Who blessed us in His will,
And to His testament of love
Made His own life the seal.

Words: Isaac Watts, 1709.

O That the Lord Would Guide My Ways

O That the Lord Would Guide My Ways

O that the Lord would guide my ways
To keep his statutes still!
O that my God would grant me grace
To know and do his will!

O send thy Spirit down to write
Thy law upon my heart!
Nor let my tongue indulge deceit,
Nor act the liar’s part.

From vanity turn off my eyes;
Let no corrupt design,
Nor covetous desires, arise
Within this soul of mine.

Order my footsteps by thy word,
And make my heart sincere;
Let sin have no dominion, Lord,
But keep my conscience clear.

My soul hath gone too far astray,
My feet too often slip;
Yet since I’ve not forgot thy way,
Restore thy wand’ring sheep.

Make me to walk in thy commands,
‘Tis a delightful road;
Nor let my head, or heart, or hands,
Offend against my God.

Words: Isaac Watts, The Psalms of David, “Breathing After Holiness”

Begin, My Tongue, Some Heav’nly Theme ~ Hymn

Begin, My Tongue, Some Heav’nly Theme

Begin, my tongue, some heav’nly theme
And speak some boundless thing;
The mighty works, or mightier name
Of our eternal king.

Tell of His wondrous faithfulness
And sound His power abroad;
Sing the sweet promise of His grace,
And the performing God.

Proclaim salvation from the Lord
For wretched, dying men;
His hand has writ the sacred Word
With an immortal pen.

Engraved as in eternal brass
The mighty promise shines;
Nor can the powers of darkness rase
Those everlasting lines.

He that can dash whole worlds to death,
And make them when He please,
He speaks, and that almighty breath
Fulfills His great decrees.

His very word of grace is strong
As that which built the skies;
The voice that rolls the stars along
Speaks all the promises.

He said, Let the wide heav’n be spread,
And heav’n was stretched abroad:
Abram, I’ll be thy God, He said,
And He was Abram’s God.

O might I hear Thine heav’nly tongue
But whisper, Thou art Mine!
Those gentle words shall raise my song
To notes almost divine.

How would my leaping heart rejoice,
And think my heav’n secure!
I trust the all-creating voice,
And faith desires no more.

Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

Awake My Heart; Arise, My Tongue ~ Hymn

Awake My Heart; Arise, My Tongue

Awake, my heart; arise, my tongue,
Prepare a tuneful voice;
In God, the life of all my joys,
Aloud will I rejoice.

’Tis He adorned my naked soul,
And made salvation mine;
Upon a poor polluted worm
He makes His graces shine.

And lest the shadow of a spot
Should on my soul be found,
He took the robe the Savior wrought,
And cast it all around.

How far the heav’nly robe exceeds
What earthly princes wear!
These ornaments, how bright they shine!
How white the garments are!

The Spirit wrought my faith, and love,
And hope, and every grace;
But Jesus spent His life to work
The robe of righteousness.

Strangely, my soul, art thou arrayed
By the great Sacred Three!
In sweetest harmony of praise
Let all thy powers agree.

Words: Isaac Watts, 1707

Alas and Did My Savior Bleed ~ Hymn

Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Refrain

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine,
And bathed in its own blood,
While all exposed to wrath divine,
The glorious Sufferer stood!

Refrain

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Refrain

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.

Refrain

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.

Refrain

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
’Tis all that I can do.

Refrain

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

Words: Isaac Watts, 1707.

How Pleased and Blest Was I ~ Hymn

How Pleased and Blest Was I 

How pleased and blest was I
To hear the people cry,
Come, let us seek our God today;
Yes, with a cheerful zeal
We haste to Zion’s hill,
And there our vows and honors pay.

Zion, thrice happy place,
Adorned with wondrous grace,
And walls of strength embrace thee round;
In thee our tribes appear
To pray, and praise, and hear
The sacred Gospel’s joyful sound.

There David’s greater Son
Has fixed His royal throne,
He sits for grace and judgment there:
He bids the saint be glad,
He makes the sinner sad,
And humble souls rejoice with fear.

May peace attend thy gate,
And joy within thee wait
To bless the soul of every guest!
The man that seeks thy peace,
And wishes thine increase,
A thousand blessings on him rest!

My tongue repeats her vows,
Peace to this sacred house!
For there my friends and kindred dwell;
And since my glorious God
Makes thee His blest abode,
My soul shall ever love thee well.

Words: Isaac Watts, 1719.

With Joy We Meditate the Grace ~ Hymn

 

With Joy We Meditate the Grace

With joy we meditate the grace
Of our high priest above:
His heart is made of tenderness,
His bowels melt with love.

Touched with a sympathy within,
He knows our feeble frame;
He knows what sore temptations mean,
For He has felt the same.

But spotless, innocent, and pure,
The great Redeemer stood,
While Satan’s fiery darts He bore,
And did resist to blood.

He in the days of feeble flesh
Poured out His cries and tears,
And in His measure feels afresh
What every member bears.

He’ll never quench the smoking flax,
But raise it to a flame;
The bruisèd reed He never breaks,
Nor scorns the meanest name.

Then let our humble faith address
His mercy and His power;
We shall obtain delivering grace
In the distressing hour.

Words: Isaac Watts, 1707.

Great God, With Wonder and With Praise

The Thames 106

Great God, With Wonder and With Praise

Great God, with wonder and with praise
On all Thy works I look:
But still Thy wisdom, power, and grace,
Shine brighter in Thy Book.

The stars that in their courses roll
Have much instruction giv’n;
But Thy good Word informs my soul
How I may climb to Heav’n.

The fields provide me food, and show
The goodness of the Lord;
But fruits of life and glory grow
In Thy most holy Word.

Here are my choicest treasures hid;
Here my best comfort lies;
Here my desires are satisfied;
And hence my joys arise.

Lord, make me understand Thy law;
Show what my faults have been;
And from Thy Gospel let me draw
A pardon for my sin.

Here would I learn how Christ has died
To save my soul from hell:
Not all the books on earth beside
Such heav’nly wonders tell.

Then let me love my Bible more;
And take a fresh delight
By day to read these wonders o’er,
And meditate by night.

Words: Isaac Watts, (1674-1748)

Have You Not Known, Have You Not Heard ~ Hymn

 

Have You Not Known, Have You Not Heard

Have you not known, have you not heard
That firm remains on high
The everlasting throne of Him
Who formed the earth and sky?

Are you afraid His power shall fail
When comes your evil day?
And can an all creating arm
Grow weary or decay?

Supreme in wisdom as in power
The Rock of Ages stands,
Though Him you cannot see, nor trace
The working of His hands.

He gives the conquest to the weak,
Supports the fainting heart;
And courage in the evil hour
His heavenly aids impart.

Mere human power shall fast decay,
And youthful vigor cease;
But they who wait upon the Lord
In strength shall still increase.

They with unwearied feet shall tread
The path of life divine;
With growing ardor onward move,
With growing brightness shine.

On eagles’ wings they mount, they soar,
Their wings are faith and love;
Till, past the cloudy regions here,
They rise to Heav’n above.

 

How Oft Have Sin and Satan Strove ~ Hymn

 

751 (L.M.) Isaac Watts

How oft have sin and Satan strove
To rend my soul from Thee, my God!
But everlasting is Thy love,
And Jesus seals it with His blood.

The oath and promise of the Lord
Join to confirm the wondrous grace;
Eternal pow’r performs the word,
And fills all heav’n with endless praise.

Amidst temptations sharp and long,
My soul to this dear refuge flies;
Hope is my anchor, firm and strong,
While tempests blow and billows rise.

The gospel bears my spirit up;
A faithful and unchanging God
Lays the foundation for my hope
In oaths, and promises, and blood