{"id":3413,"date":"2023-04-26T18:58:39","date_gmt":"2023-04-26T18:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/?p=3413"},"modified":"2023-04-26T18:58:39","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T18:58:39","slug":"loving-jesus-through-poetry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/2023\/04\/26\/loving-jesus-through-poetry\/","title":{"rendered":"Loving Jesus Through Poetry"},"content":{"rendered":"

I spent last week with my 96-year-old mother. In the midst of fading memory, she remembers Jesus, she remembers the Gospel \u2013 and she remembers poems and hymns that speak of Him and His Gospel. I tried to encourage those memories through singing with her, through listening to hymns and spiritual songs with her \u2013 and, for the first time in years, reading poetry with her. My main resource for poetry was A Sacrifice of Praise<\/em>, edited by James Trott (2nd<\/sup> Edition, Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).<\/p>\n

Here are two public domain poems from that collection. The first is related to our present Wednesday morning online study, Love Jesus\u2019 Return. I vaguely recall singing this hymn on occasion growing up. The second \u2013 by Joseph Hart, author of \u201cCome Ye Sinners\u201d \u2013 is a dialogue between a Gospel-speaking believer and his distressed \u201csoul.\u201d Note the structure: The speaker in the first seven verses rotates between the believer and his soul. In the eighth verse, the distressed soul speaks the first four lines, the believer the last four. In the ninth verse, the speakers alternate every two lines, while in the final verse, the speakers alternate every line.<\/p>\n

Read these \u2013 and, like my mother, delight in Jesus and His Gospel!<\/p>\n

The Second Advent by Thomas Kelly (1809)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Look, ye saints! the sight is glorious:
\nSee the Man of Sorrows now;
\nFrom the fight returned victorious,
\nEvery knee to Him shall bow;
\nCrown Him, crown Him,
\nCrown Him, crown Him,
\nCrowns become the Victor\u2019s brow,
\nCrowns become the Victor\u2019s brow.<\/p>\n

Crown the Savior! angels, crown Him;
\nRich the trophies Jesus brings;
\nIn the seat of power enthrone Him,
\nWhile the vault of heaven rings;
\nCrown Him, crown Him,
\nCrown Him, crown Him,
\nCrown the Savior King of kings,
\nCrown the Savior King of kings.<\/p>\n

Sinners in derision scorned Him,
\nMocking thus the Savior\u2019s claim;
\nSaints and angels crowd around Him,
\nOwn His title, praise His name;
\nCrown Him, crown Him,
\nCrown Him, crown Him,
\nSpread abroad the Victor\u2019s fame,
\nSpread abroad the Victor\u2019s fame.<\/p>\n

Hark, those bursts of acclamation!
\nHark, those loud triumphant chords!
\nJesus takes the highest station;
\nO what joy the sight affords!
\nCrown Him, crown Him,
\nCrown Him, crown Him,
\nKing of kings and Lord of lords!
\nKing of kings and Lord of lords!<\/p>\n

A Dialogue Between a Believer and His Soul by Joseph Hart (1759) \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

1 Come, my soul, and let us try,
\nFor a little season,
\nEvery burden to lay by;
\nCome, and let us reason.
\nWhat is this that casts thee down?
\nWho are those that grieve thee?
\nSpeak, and let the worst be known;
\nSpeaking may relieve thee.<\/p>\n

2 O I sink beneath the load
\nOf my nature\u2019s evil!
\nFull of enmity to God;
\nCaptived by the devil;
\nRestless as the troubled seas;
\nFeeble, faint, and fearful;
\nPlagued with every sore disease;
\nHow can I be cheerful?<\/p>\n

3 Think on what thy Saviour bore
\nIn the gloomy garden,
\nSweating blood at every pore,
\nTo procure thy pardon!
\nSee him stretched upon the wood,
\nBleeding, grieving, crying,
\nSuffering all the wrath of God,
\nGroaning, gasping, dying!<\/p>\n

4 This by faith I sometimes view,
\nAnd those views relieve me;
\nBut my sins return anew;
\nThese are they that grieve me.
\nOh! I\u2019m leprous, stinking, foul,
\nQuite throughout infected;
\nHave not I, if any soul,
\nCause to be dejected?<\/p>\n

5 Think how loud thy dying Lord
\nCried out, \u201cIt is finished!\u201d
\nTreasure up that sacred word,
\nWhole and undiminished;
\nDoubt not he will carry on,
\nTo its full perfection,
\nThat good work he has begun;
\nWhy, then, this dejection?<\/p>\n

6 Faith when void of works is dead;
\nThis the Scriptures witness;
\nAnd what works have I to plead,
\nWho am all unfitness?
\nAll my powers are depraved,
\nBlind, perverse, and filthy;
\nIf from death I\u2019m fully saved,
\nWhy am I not healthy?<\/p>\n

7 Pore not on thyself too long,
\nLest it sink thee lower;
\nLook to Jesus, kind as strong \u2013
\nMercy joined with power;
\nEvery work that thou must do,
\nWill thy gracious Saviour
\nFor thee work, and in thee too,
\nOf his special favour.<\/p>\n

8 Jesus\u2019 precious blood, once spilt,
\nI depend on solely,
\nTo release and clear my guilt;
\nBut I would be holy.
\nHe that bought thee on the cross
\nCan control thy nature;
\nFully purge away thy dross;
\nMake thee a new creature.<\/p>\n

9 That he can I nothing doubt,
\nBe it but his pleasure.
\nThough it be not done throughout,
\nMay it not in measure?
\nWhen that measure, far from great,
\nStill shall seem decreasing?
\nFaint not then, but pray and wait,
\nNever, never ceasing.<\/p>\n

10 What when prayer meets no regard?
\nStill repeat it often.
\nBut I feel myself so hard.
\nJesus will thee soften.
\nBut my enemies make head.
\nLet them closer drive thee.
\nBut I\u2019m cold, I\u2019m dark, I\u2019m dead.
\nJesus will revive thee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I spent last week with my 96-year-old mother. In the midst of fading memory, she remembers Jesus, she remembers the Gospel \u2013 and she remembers poems and hymns that speak…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,15,20],"tags":[2713,322,2716,2714,2712,2715,1409,2711],"class_list":["post-3413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-devotions","category-poetry-blog","tag-come-ye-sinners","tag-comfort","tag-crown-him","tag-doubt","tag-joseph-hart","tag-power-and-great-glory","tag-second-coming","tag-thomas-kelly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3413"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3414,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3413\/revisions\/3414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}