1. Mary to her Savior’s tomb
Hasted at the early dawn;
Spice she brought, and sweet perfume,
But the Lord, the Loved, was gone.
2. For awhile she weeping stood,
Struck with sorrow and surprise;
Shedding tears, a plenteous flood,
For her heart supplied her eyes.
3. Jesus, who is always near,
Though too often unperceived
Came, His drooping child to cheer,
And inquired, Why she grieved?
4. Though at first she knew Him not,
When He called her by her name,
Then her griefs were all forgot,
For she found He was the same.
5. Grief and sighing quickly fled
When she heard His welcome voice;
Just before she thought Him dead,
Now He bids her heart rejoice:
6. What a change His Word can make,
Turning darkness into day!
You who weep for Jesus’ sake;
He will wipe your tears away.
7. He who came to comfort her,
When she thought her all was lost;
Will for your relief appear,
Though you now are tempest-tossed:
8. On His Word your burden cast,
On His love your thoughts employ;
Weeping for awhile may last,
But the morning brings the joy.
John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >
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