Man's Righteousness

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Man, bewail thy situation

Author: J. Hart
Published in 4 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Man, bewail thy situation;
Hell-born sin,
once crept in,
Mars God’s fair creation.

2 Vaunt thy native strength no longer;
Vain’s the boast;
all is lost;
Sin and death are stronger.

3 Enemies to God and goodness,
Great and small,
since the fall,
Sink in lust and lewdness.

4 If to this thou art a stranger,
While thou liest
out of Christ,
Greater is thy danger.

5 [Trust not to thy smooth behaviour;
All’s deceit;
and the cheat
Keeps thee from the Saviour.]

6 Oft we’re best when dangers fright us,
Jesus came
to reclaim
Sinners, not the righteous.

7 Sick men feel their bad condition;
But the soul
that is whole
Slights the good Physician.

Source: A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #799

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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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