Scripture Verse

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them, thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams. Deuteronomy 13:1–3

Introduction

Words: Jo­seph Hart, Hymns Com­posed on Var­i­ous Sub­jects 1822, num­ber 69. The last verse is al­so used by it­self as How Good Is the God We Adore.

Music: El­ez Ben­ja­min F. Al­le­man, in Augs­burg Songs (Phil­a­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: Lu­ther­an Pub­li­ca­tion So­ci­e­ty, 1885), num­ber 2 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Hart or Al­le­man (head-and-shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), would you ?

Lyrics

No prophet, nor dreamer of dreams,
No master of plausible speech,
To live like an angel who seems,
Or like an apostle to preach;
No tempter, without or within,
No spirit, tho’ ever so bright,
That comes crying out against sin,
And looks like an angel of light;

Tho’ reason, tho’ fitness he urge,
Or plead with the words of a friend,
Or wonders of argument forge,
Or deep revelations pretend,
Should meet with a moment’s regard,
But rather be boldly withstood,
If any thing, easy or hard,
He teach, save the Lamb and His blood.

Remember, O Christian, with heed,
When sunk under sentence of death,
How first thou from bondage wast freed;
Say, was it by works, or by faith?
On Christ thy affections then fixed,
What conjugal truth didst thou vow!
With Him was there any thing mixed?
Then what wouldst thou mix with Him now?

If close to the Lord thou wouldst cleave,
Depend on His promise alone;
His righteousness wouldst thou receive,
Then learn to renounce all thy own;
The faith of a Christian indeed
Is more than mere notion or whim;
United to Jesus, his head,
He draws life and virtue from Him.

Deceived by the father of lies,
Blind guides cry, Lo here! and Lo there!
By these our Redeemer us tries,
And warns us of such to beware.
Poor comfort to mourners they give,
Who set us to labor in vain;
And strive, with a Do this and live
To drive us to Egypt again.

But what says our Shepherd divine?
For His blessèd word we should keep;
This flock has My Father made Mine,
I lay down My life for My sheep;
’Tis life everlasting I give,
My blood was the price that it cost;
Not one that on Me shall believe,
Shall ever be finally lost.

This God is the God we adore,
Our faithful, unchangeable friend,
Whose love is as large as His power,
And neither knows measure nor end;
’Tis Jesus, the first and the last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We’ll praise Him for all that is past,
And trust Him for all that’s to come.