How sad our state by nature i. J. Watts. [Salvation through Christ.] First published in his Hymns & Sacred Songs, 1707 (edition 1709, Book ii., No. 90), in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed "Faith in Christ for Pardon and Sanctification." In 1736-7 it was included by J. Wesley in his Charlestown Psalms &Hymns, p. 52, with the change of stanza v., line 4, "With all his hellish crew,” to "With his infernal crew." Wesley's alteration was repeated by G. Whitefield in his Collection, 1753; by M. Madan, in his Psalms & Hymns 1760, and others. In Conyers's Collection, edition 1774, the line reads, “And form our souls anew.” In modern hymn-books the difficulty is over-come by the omission of the stanza. Several interesting "Associations " in connection with this hymn are given in G. J. Stevenson's Methodist Hymn Book Notes, 1883.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)