Hymns and Spiritual Songs, in Three Books ‎#II.CLIII

II.CLIII. The distemper, folly, and madness of sin

1 Sin, like a venomous disease,
Infects our vital blood;
The only balm is sov'reign grace,
And the physician, God.

2 Our beauty and our strength are fled,
And we draw near to death;
But Christ, the Lord recalls the dead,
With His almighty breath.

3 Madness by nature reigns within,
The passions burn and rage;
Till God's own Son, with skill divine,
The inward fire assuage.

4 [We lick the dust, we grasp the wind,
And solid good despise:
Such is the folly of the mind,
Till Jesus makes us wise.

5 We give our souls the wounds they feel,
We drink the pois'nous gall,
And rush with fury down to hell;
But heav'n prevents the fall.]

6 [The man possess'd, among the tombs
Cuts his own flesh and cries:
He foams and raves till Jesus comes,
And the foul spirit flies.]

Text Information

• First Line: Sin, like a venomous disease
• Title: The distemper, folly, and madness of sin
• Meter: C. M.
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1793

Tune Information

(No tune information)