Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior,
My heart belongs to Thee,
Thou hast from sin relieved me,
From bondage set me free.
At home with Thee forever
I'll fully know Thy love,
And gaze upon Thy beauty,
Light of the courts above.
But what can e'er transcend, Lord,
The glory of Thy grace,
Shown in humiliation
When Thou did'st take our place;
When on the cursed tree, Lord,
The judgment due to sin,
Jehovah's ire and passion,
Consumed Thy soul within?
The burning drought of judgment,
The fearfulness of thirst,
The portion of the sinner,
The chain he ne'er could burst;
Thou didst accept it all Lord,
In pity and in love,
That we might drink the river
Of God's delight above.
The thoughtless, haughty rich man,
Careless of God Most High,
Woke up to find it written,
"The soul that sins shall die!"
Fulfilled in thirsty torments,
God's sentence against sin;
The gates of hopeless darkness
He finds himself within.
Lest Scripture should be broken
Thou, too, did'st say, "I thirst;"
The spring of joy from Heaven
Thou must be riven first;
The stream of grace and blessing,
The love that brought Thee here,
Could find no other outlet
Than by the soldier's spear.
O, Lord, how much I owe Thee
I could not even say!
'Tis past all computation—
The debt I ne'er can pay.
I would not if I could, Lord,
For then I should be free,
But love that paid my ransom
Has made a slave of me.
Make me to serve Thee better
The "little while" I'm here:
Be Thy felt presence, Savior,
My comfort and my cheer;
That while I journey homeward,
This thought may be my guide,
I go to dwell forever
Close by Thy holy side.
C.