Scripture Verse

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

Introduction

Words: Ben­ja­min Bed­dome (1717–1795). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Adapt­ed to Pub­lic Wor­ship, ed­it­ed by R. Hall (Lon­don: Bur­ton & Briggs, 1817), num­ber 362, alt. Un­right­eous Ex­clud­ed from Hea­ven.

Music: Chi­sel­hurst Jo­seph Barn­by, 1887 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

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

portrait
Joseph Barnby (1838–1896)
National Portrait Gallery

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Lyrics

Can sin­ners hope for Heav’n,
Who love this world so well;
Or dream of fu­ture hap­pi­ness
While on the road to hell?

Shall they ho­san­nas sing,
With an un­hal­lowed tongue;
Shall palms adorn the guil­ty hand,
Which does its neigh­bor wrong?

Canan sin’s de­ceit­ful way
Conduct to Zi­on’s hill;
Or those ex­pect with God to reign
Who dis­re­gard His will?

’Tis naught but grace di­vine
Can so­lid hope af­ford;
The pure in heart alone shall see
The glo­ry of the Lord.