1 Behold a stranger at the door!
He gently knocks, has knocked before,
Has waited long, is waiting still;
You treat no other friend so ill.
2 But will He prove a friend indeed?
He will- the very Friend you need!
The Man of Nazareth, 'tis He,
With garments dyed at Calvary.
3 O lovely attitude! He stands
With melting heart and laden hands!
O matchless kindness! And He shows
This matchless kindness to His foes.
4 Admit Him, for the human breast
Ne'er entertained so kind a guest;
No mortal tongue their joys can tell
With whom He condescends to dwell.
Source: Praise for the Lord (Expanded Edition) #65
Behold, a stranger at the door. J. Grigg. [Expostulation.] This is one of Four Hymns on Divine Subjects, &c., 1765, in 11 stanzas of 4 lines, a second being the well-known "Jesus, and shall it ever be?" (q.v.). It came into congregational use at an early date, but usually in an abbreviated form. Both in Great Britain, and in America, various arrangements of the text are given in collections in common use. The full original text was reprinted in D. Sedgwick's edition of Grigg's Hymns, &c, 1861. It is also found in Lord Selborne's Book of Praise, 1862, and in Lyra Britannica, 1867, p. 254.
-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)