O God, the spring of all our joys,
The life of our delights:
The glory of our brightest days,
The comfort of our nights.
The opened heaven around us throws
Fresh beams of sacred bliss,
The Savior shows that He is ours,
And whispers we are His.
Our souls would leave this cumbrous clay,
At that transporting word;
And brightened hope brings near the day,
To meet and see the Lord.
Category Archives: Hymns for the Little Flock
Hymns for the Little Flock Selected 1856 – Revised 1881
Jesus, Thy Head, Once Crowned With Thorns ( 285 )
Jesus, Thy head, once crowned with thorns,
Is crowned with glory now;
Heaven’s royal diadem adorns
The mighty Victor’s brow.
Thou glorious light of courts above,
Joy of the saints below,
To us still manifest Thy love,
That we its depths may know.
To us Thy cross with all its shame,
With all its grace be given;
Though earth disowns Thy lowly name,
God honors it in heaven.
Who suffer with Thee, Lord, below,
Shall reign with Thee above;
Then let it be our joy to know
This way of peace and love.
To us Thy cross is life and health;
‘Twas shame and death to Thee;
Our present glory, joy, and wealth,
Our everlasting stay.
Our Rest Is In Heaven, Our Rest Is Not Here ( 301 )
Our rest is in heaven, our rest is not here;
Then why should we tremble when trials are near?
Be hushed our sad spirits, the worst that can come
But shortens the journey, and hastens us home.
It is not for us to be seeking our bliss,
And building our hopes in a region like this:
We look for a city which hands have not piled–
We pant for a country by sin undefiled.
The thorn and the thistle around us may grow–
We would not lie down, e’en on roses, below:
We ask not our portion, we seek not a rest,
Till we find them for ever where Jesus is blest.
Let trial and danger our progress oppose,
They’ll only make heaven more sweet at the close;
Come joy or come sorrow, whate’er may befall,
A home with our God will make up for it all.
With a scrip on the back, and a staff in the hand,
We march on in haste through an enemy’s land;
The road may be rough, but it cannot be long,
And we’ll smooth it with hope, and we’ll cheer it with song.
How Pleasant Is The Sound Of Praise! ( 317 )
How pleasant is the sound of praise!
It well becomes the saints of God:
Should we refuse our songs to raise,
The stones might tell our shame abroad.
For Him who washed us in His blood,
Let us our sweetest songs prepare;
He sought us wandering far from God,
And now preserves us by His care.
One string there is of sweetest tone,
Reserved for sinners saved by grace;
‘Tis sacred to one class alone,
And touched by one peculiar race.
Though angels may with rapture see
How mercy flows in Jesus’ blood,
It is not theirs to prove, as we,
The cleansing virtue of this flood.
Though angels praise the heavenly King,
And Him their Lord adoring own,
We can with exultation sing,
"He wears our nature on the throne."
Lord, we adore the wondrous love
Which brought Thee here to bleed and die;
Soon may we meet in heaven above,
To sing Thy praises in the sky.
To Thee, O God, Our Hearts We Raise ( 333 )
To Thee, O God, our hearts we raise
In solemn songs of thankful praise
Thee as our God and Father own,
And bow our souls before Thy throne
While here below we seek to sound
Thy praise to earth’s remotest bound.
Worship and praise we render Thee
Father of endless majesty;
Thy true and only Son adore,
One with Thyself in bliss and power
And God the Holy Ghost declare
The saints’ eternal Comforter.
My Soul, Repeat His Praise ( A8 )
My soul, repeat His praise
Whose mercies are so great;
Whose anger is so slow to rise,
So ready to abate.
High as the heavens are raised
Above the earth we tread,
So far the riches of God’s grace
Our highest thoughts exceed.
His power subdues our sin;
And His forgiving love,
Far as the east is from the west,
Did all our guilt remove.
Man’s life is as the grass,
Or like the morning flower;
If one sharp blast sweep o’er the field,
It withers in an hour.
But Thy compassions, Lord,
To endless years endure;
And all Thy people ever find
Thy word of promise sure.
Nothing But Christ As On We Tread ( A24 )
Nothing but Christ as on we tread,
The Gift unpriced–God’s living Bread,
With staff in hand and feet well shod,
Nothing but Christ–the Christ of God.
Everything loss for Him below,
Taking the cross where’er we go;
Showing to all where once He trod,
Nothing but Christ–the Christ of God.
Nothing save Him, in all our ways,
Giving the theme for ceaseless praise;
Our whole resource along the road,
Nothing but Christ–the Christ of God.
Hail To The Lord’s Anointed! ( A40 )
Hail to the Lord’s anointed!
Great David’s greater Son:
When to the time appointed
The rolling years shall run,
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free;
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.
The heavens–which now conceal Him
In counsels deep and wise–
In glory shall reveal Him
To our adoring eyes;
He who with hands uplifted
Went from the earth below,
Shall come again all gifted,
His blessings to bestow.
He shall come down like showers
Upon the new-mown grass,
And joy and hope, like flowers,
Spring up where He doth pass.
Before Him, on the mountains,
Shall Peace, the herald go;
And righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.
Kings shall fall down before Him,
And gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him,
His praise all people sing,
Outstretched His wide dominion
O’er river, sea, and shore,
Far as the eagle’s pinion,
Or dove’s light wing can soar.
Vain Is The Thought Of Man ( A56 )
Vain is the thought of man
To merit heaven by prayer;
‘Tis only Jesus’ precious blood
Can give admission there.
Could ceaseless prayers ascend,
Could tears for ever flow;
The soul were still unblest, unsaved,
And peace could never know.
But faith’s one look at Christ
Expiring on the tree–
One heart-believing glance at Him,
Can set the sinner free.
None can, without the blood
Of Jesus, be forgiven;
‘Tis resting on the blood alone
That fits the soul for heaven.
It Passeth Knowledge! That Dear Love Of Thine ( A72 )
It passeth knowledge! that dear love of Thine,
My Jesus! Savior! yet this soul of mine
Would of Thy love, in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth and everlasting strength,
Know more and more.
It passeth telling! that dear love of Thine,
My Jesus! Savior! yet these lips of mine
Would fain proclaim to sinners far and near
A love which can remove all guilty fear,
And love beget.
It passeth praises! that dear love of Thine,
My Jesus! Savior! yet this heart of mine,
Would sing a love so rich–so full–so free,
Which brought a rebel sinner such as me,
Nigh unto God.
But though I cannot tell, or sing, or know,
The fullness of Thy love while here below,
My empty vessel I may freely bring–
O Thou, who art of love the living spring,
My vessel fill.
I am an empty vessel–scarce one thought,
Or look of love to Thee I’ve ever brought;
Yet I may come, and come again to Thee,
With this the empty sinner’s only plea–
"Thou lovest me!"
Oh! fill me Jesus Savior with Thy love;
Lead, lead me to the living fount above!
Thither may I in simple faith draw nigh
And never to another fountain fly,
But unto Thee.
And, Jesus, when Thee face to face I see,
When on Thy lofty throne I sit with Thee;
Then of Thy love in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,
My soul shall sing.
Hark! Ten Thousand Voices Crying ( 14 )
Hark! ten thousand voices crying,
"Lamb of God!" with one accord;
Thousand thousand saints replying,
Wake at once the echoing chord.
"Praise the Lamb," the chorus waking,
All in heaven together throng;
Loud and far each tongue partaking
Rolls around the endless song.
Grateful incense this, ascending
Ever to the Father’s throne:
Every knee to Jesus bending,
All in mind in heaven is one.
All the father’s counsels claiming
Equal honors to the Son,
All the Son’s effulgence beaming,
Makes the Father’s glory known.
By the Spirit all pervading,
Hosts unnumbered round the Lamb,
Crowned with light and joy unfading,
Hail Him as the great "I AM."
Joyful now the new creation
Rests in undisturbed repose,
Blest in Jesus’ full salvation,
Sorrow now nor thralldom knows.
Hark! the heavenly notes again!
Loudly swells the song of praise;
Through creation’s vault, Amen!
Amen! responsive joy doth raise.
Thou Holy One Of God ( 30 )
Thou holy one of God,
Glorified in Thy cross,
He owns the value of that blood
Which speaks to Him for us.
The curse is gone, through Thee we’re blest,
God rests in Thee–in Thee we rest.
Soon the bright glorious day,
The rest of God, shall come,
Sorrow and sin shall pass away,
And we shall reach our home.
Then of the promised joy possessed,
Our souls shall know eternal rest.
Away With Our Sorrow And Fear! ( 46 )
Away with our sorrow and fear!.
We soon shall have entered our home,
The heavenly city appear,
The day of our glory have come!
From earth we shall quickly remove,
To dwell in our proper abode,
In mansions of glory above–
The house of our Father and God.
There Christ has our dwelling-place won,
And we in His glory shall be
With Him everlastingly one,
His glory and bliss we shall see.
All tears shall have passed from our eyes,
When Him we behold in the cloud,
And taste the full joy of the skies,
The love of our Father and God.
In The Lord We Have Redemption ( 62 )
In the Lord we have redemption,
Full remission in His blood;
From the curse entire exemption,
From the curse pronounced by God:
What a Savior Jesus is!
O what grace, what love is His!
Sweet His name, that name transcending
Every name on earth, in heaven;
Praise through ages never-ending,
To the Son of God be given!
He alone the Savior is,
Everlasting praise be His.
O What Blessings Flow From Grace ( 78 )
O what blessings flow from grace,
Treasured up in Christ the Head!
He who perfected life’s race
Bore sin’s burden in our stead.
Christ our ransom doth appear
In the glorious courts above:
Righteousness divine we wear,
Loved with everlasting love.
The Lord Is Risen Indeed:( 94 )
The Lord is risen indeed:
And all His work performed!
The captive Surety now is freed,
And death, our foe, disarmed.
The Lord is risen indeed:
He lives–to die no more;
He lives–His people’s cause to plead,
Whose curse and shame He bore.
The Lord is risen indeed:
And death has lost its prey:
And with Him all the ransomed seed
Shall reign in endless day.
O God! Thou Now Hast Glorified ( 110 )
O God! Thou now hast glorified
Thy holy, blest, eternal Son;
The Nazarene, the Crucified,
Now sits exalted on Thy throne!
To Him in faith we cry aloud,
Worthy art Thou, O Lamb of God!
Father, Thy holy name we bless,
Gracious and just Thy wise decree,
That every tongue shall soon confess
Jesus the Lord of all to be!
But, oh! Thy grace has taught us now
Before that Lord the knee to bow.
Him as our Lord we gladly own:
To Him alone we now would live,
Who bowed our hearts before Thy throne,
And gave us all that love could give.
Our willing voices cry aloud,
Worthy art Thou, O Lamb of God!
Endless Praises To The Lord ( 126 )
Endless praises to the Lord,
Ever be His name adored!
Hallelujah!
He is worthy–praise His name.
We adore Him, sound His fame,
Us He saved from endless shame:
Hallelujah!
Glory to the Priest and King.
"Glory To God On High! ( 142 )
"Glory to God on high!
Peace upon earth and joy,
Good will to man."
We who God’s blessing prove
His name all names above,
Sing now the Savior’s love,
Too vast to scan.
Mercy and truth unite,
Oh! ’tis a wondrous sight,
All sights above!
Jesus the curse sustains!
Guilt’s bitter cup He drains!
Nothing for us remains–
Nothing but love.
Love that no tongue can teach,
Love that no thought can reach,
No love like His.
God is its blessed source,
Death ne’er can stop its course,
Nothing can stay its force;
Matchless it is.
Blest in this love, we sing;
To God our praises bring;
All sins forgiven.
Jesus, our Lord, to Thee
Honor and majesty,
Now and forever be,
Here and in heaven.
Secured In Christ, Their Head On High ( 158 )
Secured in Christ, their Head on high,
The saints below may boldly cry–
Praise to our God, Amen!
To God in Christ all praise be given–
For evermore, on earth, in heaven.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
O Patient, Spotless One! ( 174 )
O patient, spotless One!
Our hearts in meekness train,
To bear Thy yoke, and learn of Thee,
That we may rest obtain.
Jesus! Thou art enough
The mind and heart to fill;
Thy patient life–to calm the soul;
Thy love–its fear dispel.
O fix our earnest gaze
So wholly, Lord, on Thee,
That, with Thy beauty occupied,
We elsewhere none may see.
The Stream That From The Fountain Flows ( 190 )
The stream that from the fountain flows,
The fountain of eternal love,
Imparts its virtue as it goes,
A gift all other gifts above;
‘Tis life and peace divinely given,
The love of God come down from heaven.
How blessed to enjoy the gift,
To taste of mercy here below;
In humble thankfulness to lift
Our hearts to Him whom now we know,
To know His love, how great it is,
To own and feel that we are His.
How blessed is the hope of good,
The good that without measure is,
Of seeing Him who shed His blood
To save us and to make us His.
Redeemed by blood and saved by grace,
We look to see the Savior’s face.
O Lord, We Know It Matters Not ( 206 )
O Lord, we know it matters not
How sweet the song may be;
No heart but of the Spirit taught
Makes melody to Thee.
Then teach Thy gathered saints, O Lord,
To worship in Thy fear;
And let Thy grace mould every word
That meets Thy holy ear.
Thou hast by blood made sinners meet
As saints in light, to come
And worship at the mercy-seat,
Before th’ eternal throne.
Thy precious name is all we show,
Our only passport, Lord;
And full assurance now we know,
Confiding in Thy word.
O largely give, ’tis all Thy own,
The Spirit’s goodly fruit:
Praise, issuing forth in life, alone
Our living Lord can suit.
Everlasting Glory Be ( 222 )
Everlasting glory be,
God and Father, unto Thee!
‘Tis with joy Thy children raise
Hearts and voice in Thy praise.
Thou the light that showed our sin,
Showed how guilty we had been:
Thine the love that us to save
Thine own Son for sinners gave.
Called to share the rest of God
In the Father’s blest abode,
God of love, and God of light,
In Thy praises we unite.
Gladly we Thy grace proclaim,
Knowing now the Father’s name:
God and Father, unto Thee
Everlasting glory be!
Our Shepherd Is The Lord ( 238 )
Our Shepherd is the Lord,
The living Lord who died;
With all His fulness can afford
We are supplied.
He richly feeds our souls
With blessings from above;
And leads us where the river rolls
Of endless love.
Our souls He doth restore,
And keeps us in His way;
He makes our cup of joy run o’er
From day to day;
Through love so full, so deep,
Anointed is our head;
Mercy and goodness us shall keep,
Where’er we tread.
When faith and hope shall cease,
And love abide alone,
Then shall we see Him face to face,
And know as known:
Still shall we lift our voice,
His praise our song shall be;
And we shall in His love rejoice
Who set us free.
Death And Judgment Are Behind Us ( 254 )
Death and judgment are behind us,
Grace and glory are before;
All the billows rolled o’er Jesus,
There they spent their utmost power.
"First fruits" of the resurrection,
He is risen from the tomb;
Now we stand in new creation,
Free, because beyond our doom.
Jesus died, and we died with Him,
"Buried" in His grave we lay,
One with Him in resurrection,
Now "in Him" in heaven’s bright day.
And Shall We See Thy Face ( 270 )
And shall we see Thy face,
And hear Thy heavenly voice,
Well known to us in present grace?
Well may our hearts rejoice.
With Thee in garments white,
Lord Jesus, we shall walk;
And spotless in that heavenly light,
Of all Thy sufferings talk.
Close to Thy trusted side,
In fellowship divine;
No cloud, no distance, e’er shall hide
Glories that then shall shine.
Fruit of Thy boundless love,
That gave Thyself for us;
For ever we shall with Thee prove
That Thou still lovest us thus.
And we love Thee, blest Lord,
E’en now, though feeble here,
The sorrow and Thy cross record
What makes us know Thee near.
We wait to see Thee, Lord,
Yet now within our hearts
Thou dwell’st in love that doth afford
The joy that love imparts.
Yet still we wait for Thee,
To see Thee as Thou art;
Be with Thee, like Thee, Lord, and free
To love with all our heart.
Soon Thou Wilt Come Again ( 286 )
Soon Thou wilt come again,
Jesus, our Lord!
We shall be happy then,
Jesus, our Lord!
Then we Thy face shall see,
Then we shall like Thee be,
Then evermore with Thee,
Jesus, our Lord!
O Blessed Lord, What Hast Thou Done? ( 302 )
O blessed Lord, what hast Thou done?
How vast a ransom given?
Thyself of God th’ eternal Son;
The Lord of earth and heaven.
The Father in His gracious love,
Did spare Thee from His side;
And Thou didst stoop to bear above,
At such a cost, Thy bride.
Lord, while our souls in faith repose
Upon Thy precious blood,
Peace like an even river flows,
And mercy, like a flood.
But boundless joy shall fill our hearts,
When gazing on Thy face,
We fully see what faith imparts,
And glory crowns Thy grace.
Unseen, we love Thee; dear Thy name;
But when our eyes behold,
With joyful wonder we’ll exclaim,
"The half has not been told!"
For Thou exceedest all the fame
Our ears have ever heard;
How happy we who know Thy name,
And trust Thy faithful word!
O Lamb Of God, Still Keep Us ( 318 )
O Lamb of God, still keep us
Close to Thy pierced side;
‘Tis only there in safety
And peace we can abide;
With foes and snares around us,
And lusts and fears within,
The grace that sought and found us,
Alone can keep us clean.
‘Tis only in Thee hiding
We feel ourselves secure;
Only in Thee abiding
The conflict can endure;
Thine arm the victory gaineth
O’er every hateful foe;
Thy love our hearts sustaineth,
In all their cares and woe.
Soon shall our eyes behold Thee
With rapture face to face;
And, resting there in glory,
We’ll sing Thy power and grace:
Thy beauty Lord and glory,
The wonders of Thy love,
Shall be the endless story
Of all Thy saints above.