I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
John 12:47
Words: Anonymous, in Christian Hymns (Boston, Massachusetts: Charles Crocker, printer, 1823), number 181.
Music: Frances James McGranahan, 1901 (🔊 pdf nwc).
Behold that splendor! Hear the shout;
Heav’n opens, angels issue out
And throng the nether sky.
What solemn tidings do they bring?
Rapt at th’approach of Israel’s king,
They speak their monarch nigh.
Why does the King approach our land?
Comes He with terror in His hand,
The meris of our crimes?
Shepherds be glad! He comes with peace,
Not wrath, but universal grace,
To bless e’en distant climes.
See Heav’n’s great heir, a woman’s son!
Behold, a manger is His throne!
Nay, see Him born to die:
Yours is the guilt, but His the pain:
His is the sorrow, yours the gain:
Then let His praise be high.
Come, mighty King! the grace enhance,
(A stable was Thy palace once,)
Dwell in these hearts of ours:
Teach us to praise the Father’s love,
’Till blessed, transported, fired, above,
We sing with nobler powers.