Christ in the Garden

Representative Text

1 Come hither, ye that fain would know
The exceeding sinfulness of sin;
Come see a scene of matchless woe,
And tell me what it all can mean.

2 Behold the darling Son of God
Bowed down with horror to the ground,
Wrung at the heart, and sweating blood,
His eyes in tears of sorrow drowned!

3 See how the Victim panting lies,
His soul with bitter anguish pressed;
He sighs, he faints, he groans, he cries,
Dismayed, dejected, shocked, distressed.

4 What pangs are these that tear his heart?
What burden’s this that’s on him laid?
What means this agony of smart?
What makes our Maker hang his head?

5 ’Tis Justice, with its iron rod,
Inflicting strokes of wrath divine;
’Tis the avenging hand of God,
Incensed at all your sins and mine.

6 Deep in his breast our names were cut;
He undertook our desperate debt;
Such loads of guilt were on him put,
He could but just sustain the weight.

7 Then let us not ourselves deceive;
For, while of sin we lightly deem,
Whatever notions we may have,
Indeed we are not much like him.

Source: A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #712

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Author: J. Hart

Hart, Joseph, was born in London in 1712. His early life is involved in obscurity. His education was fairly good; and from the testimony of his brother-in-law, and successor in the ministry in Jewin Street, the Rev. John Hughes, "his civil calling was" for some time "that of a teacher of the learned languages." His early life, according to his own Experience which he prefaced to his Hymns, was a curious mixture of loose conduct, serious conviction of sin, and endeavours after amendment of life, and not until Whitsuntide, 1757, did he realize a permanent change, which was brought about mainly through his attending divine service at the Moravian Chapel, in Fetter Lane, London, and hearing a sermon on Rev. iii. 10. During the next two years ma… Go to person page >

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