O LOVE upon a cross impaled

Author: Albert W. T. Orsborn
Published in 1 hymnal

Representative Text

O LOVE upon a cross impaled,
My contrite heart is drawn to thee;
Are thine the hands my pride has nailed,
And thine the sorrows borne for me?
Are such the wounds my sin decrees?
I fall in shame upon my knees.

2 ‘Twere not for sinners such as I
To gaze upon thy sore distress,
Or comprehend thy bitter cry
Of God-forsaken loneliness.
I shelter from such agonies
Beneath thy cross, upon my knees.

3 Forgive! Forgive! I hear thee plead;
And me forgive! I instant cry.
For me thy wounds shall intercede,
For me thy prayer shall make reply;
I take the grace that flows from these,
In saving faith, upon my knees.

4 Now take thy throne, O Crucified,
And be my love-anointed King!
The weapons of my sinful pride
Are broken by thy suffering.
A captive to love’s victories,
I yield, I yield upon my knees.

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Author: Albert W. T. Orsborn

Albert Orsborn, "the poet general", was the sixth leader (general) of The Salvation Army. He led the international organization in the aftermath of World War II (1946-1954), and approved its becoming a founding member of the World Council of Churches (1948). He is noted for his poetry and hymns, of which "My life must be Christ's broken bread" is arguably the best known. email sent to Hymnary Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	O LOVE upon a cross impaled
Author:	Albert W. T. Orsborn
Language:	English
Publication Date:	1986
Copyright:	This text may still be under copyright because it was published in 1986.