The Cyber Hymnal ‎#16243

16243. I Fear The Serpent's Hiss

1 I fear the ser­pent’s hiss,
The prowl­ing li­on’s roar,
The tempt­er’s fas­ci­nat­ing wiles,
And his de­stroy­ing pow­er.

2 What sub­tle arts he tries,
To draw me in­to sin!
Presents th’al­lur­ing bait, but hides
The bane­ful hook with­in.

3 He makes fair pro­mis­es
Of safe­ty, peace and joy;
And where his craft does not pre­vail,
He’ll ope­n force em­ploy.

4 A thou­sand forms he takes,
As best may suit his end;
Now a bright an­gel he ap­pears,
And now a hate­ful fiend.

5 But why should I of him
Be slav­ish­ly afraid?
Jesus, whose heel the ser­pent bruised,
Shall bruise the ser­pent’s head.

Text Information

• First Line: I fear the ser­pent’s hiss
• Title: I Fear The Serpent's Hiss
• Author: Benjamin Beddome, 1717-1795
• Meter: SM
• Language: English
• Source: Hymns Adapted to Public Worship (London: Burton & Briggs, 1818)
• Copyright: Public Domain

Tune Information

• Name: SOUTHWELL
• Composer: William Daman (1579)
• Meter: SM
• Key: e minor or modal
• Copyright: Public Domain