26 October 2011

Some favorite stanzas from Gerhardt's hymns

Love caused Your incarnation;
Love brought You down to me.
Your thirst for my salvation
Procured my liberty.
Oh, love beyond all telling,
That led You to embrace
In love, all love's excelling,
Our lost and fallen race.

Should we fear our God's displeasure,
Who, to save,
Freely gave
His most precious treasure?
To redeem us
He has given
His own Son
From the throne
Of His might in heaven.

Thou Christian heart,
Whoe'er thou art,
Be of good cheer and let no sorrow move thee!
For God's own Child,
In mercy mild,
Joins thee to Him; how greatly God must love thee!

"Yes, Father, yes, most willingly
I'll bear what You command me.
My will conforms to Your decree,
I'll do what You have asked me."
O wondrous Love, what have you done!
The Father offers up His Son,
Desiring our salvation.
O Love, how strong You are to save!
You lay the One into the grave
Who built the earth's foundations.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered
Was all for sinner's gain.
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

This is a sight that gladdens -
What peace it doth impart!
Now nothing ever saddens
The joy within my heart.
No gloom shall ever shake,
No foe shall ever take
The hope which God's own Son
In love for me has won.

He cancelled my offenses,
Delivered me from death;
He is the Lord who cleanses
My soul from sin through faith.
In Him I can be cheerful,
Courageous on my way;
In Him I am not fearful
Of God's great judgment day.

For no one can condemn me
Or set my hope aside;
Now hell no more can claim me;
Its fury I deride.
No sentence now reproves me,
No guilt destroys my peace;
For Christ, my Savior, loves me
And shields me with His grace.

Ills that still grieve me
Soon are to leave me;
Though billows tower,
And winds gain power,
After the storm the fair sun shows its face.
Joys e'er increasing,
And peace never ceasing;
These shall I treasure
And share in full measure
When in His mansions God grants me a place.

He only will with patience chide,
His rod falls gently down;
And all your sins He casts aside
In ocean depths to drown.

Leave all to His direction;
His wisdom rules for you
In ways to rouse your wonder
At all His love can do.
Soon, He, His promise keeping,
With wonder-working pow'rs
Will banish from your spirit
What gave you troubled hours.

Now in Christ, death cannot slay me,
Though it might,
Day and night,
Trouble and dismay me.
Christ has made my death a portal
From the strife
Of this life
To His joy immortal.

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