Scripture Verse

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Words: Is­aac Watts, Hymns and Spi­ri­tu­al Songs 1707–09, Book 2, num­ber 157. Pre­sump­tion and des­pair: or, Sa­tan’s Va­ri­ous temp­ta­tions.

Music: Old Mar­tyrs Psalms (Ed­in­burgh, Scot­land: 1615) (🔊 pdf nwc).

illustration
Lucifer, St. Paul’s
Cathedral, Liège, Belgium
Gillaume Geefs
1805–1883

Lyrics

Now Sa­tan comes with dread­ful roar
And threat­ens to de­stroy;
He wor­ries whom he can’t de­vour
With a ma­li­cious joy.

Ye sons of God, op­pose his rage,
Resist, and he’ll be gone;
Thus did our dear­est Lord en­gage
And van­quish him alone.

Now he ap­pears al­most divine,
Like in­no­cence and love;
But the old ser­pent lurks with­in
When he as­sumes the dove.

Fly from the false de­ceiv­er’s tongue,
Ye sons of Ad­am, fly;
Our par­ents found the snare too strong,
Nor should the child­ren try.