217LM
WE sing the praise of Him Who died,
    Of Him Who died upon the cross;
The sinner’s hope let men deride,
    For this we count the world but loss.
 
2  Inscribed upon the cross we see,
    In shining letters, ‘God is love’:
He bears our sins upon the tree,
    He brings us mercy from above.
 
3  The cross! it takes our guilt away,
    It holds the fainting spirit up;
It cheers with hope the gloomy day,
    And sweetens every bitter cup.
 
4  It makes the coward spirit brave,
    And nerves the feeble arm for fight;
It takes the terror from the grave,
    And gilds the bed of death with light.
 
5  The balm of life, the cure of woe,
    The measure and the pledge of love;
The sinner’s refuge here below,
    The angels’ theme in Heaven above.
 
Thomas Kelly, 1769-1855