INVITATION.

46

C. M. 8 l

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon My breast!”
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting-place,
And He has made me glad.
2. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink and live!”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.
3. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s Light;
Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise
And all thy day be bright!”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
In Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that Light of Life I’ll walk
Till traveling days are done.

H. Bonar, 1846.

47

C. M.

The Savior calls; let every ear
Attend the heavenly sound,
Ye doubting souls, dismiss your fear;
Hope smiles reviving round.
2. For every thirsty, longing heart
Here streams of bounty flow
And life and health and bliss impart
To banish mortal woe.
3. Here springs of sacred pleasures rise
To ease your every pain;
Immortal fountain! full supplies!
Nor shall you thirst in vain.
4. Ye sinners, come, ’tis Mercy’s voice;
The gracious call obey;
Mercy invites to heavenly joys,
And can you yet delay?
5. Dear Savior, draw reluctant hearts;
To Thee let sinners fly
And take the bliss Thy love imparts
And drink and never die.

Anne Steele, 1760.

48

7s

Sinners, turn; why will ye die?
God, your Maker, asks you—Why?
God, who did your being give,
Made you with Himself to live.
2. He the fatal cause demands,
Asks the work of His own hands,
Why, ye thankless creatures, why
Will ye cross His love and die?
3. Sinners, turn; why will ye die?
God, your Savior, asks you—Why?
He, who did your souls retrieve,
Died Himself that you might live.
4. Will ye let Him die in vain,
Crucify your Lord again?
Why, ye ransomed sinners, why
Will ye slight His grace and die?
5. Sinners, turn; why will ye die?
God the Spirit asks you—Why?
He, who all your lifetime strove,
Wooed you to embrace His love.
6. Will ye not His grace receive?
Will ye still refuse to live?
O ye long-sought sinners, why
Will ye grieve your God and die?

Charles Wesley, 1741.

49

7, 6, 8 l

“Come unto Me, ye weary,
And I will give you rest.”
O blessed voice of Jesus,
Which comes to hearts opprest!
It tells of benediction,
Of pardon, grace, and peace,
Of joy that hath no ending,
Of love which cannot cease.
2. “Come unto Me, dear children,
And I will give you light.”
O loving voice of Jesus,
Which comes to cheer the night!
Our hearts were filled with sadness,
And we had lost our way;
But He has brought us gladness
And songs at break of day.
3. “Come unto Me, ye weary,
And I will give you life,”
O cheering voice of Jesus,
Which comes to aid our strife!
The Foe is stern and eager,
The fight is fierce and long;
But Thou hast made us mighty
And stronger than the strong.
4. “And whosoever cometh,
I will not cast him out.”
O welcome voice of Jesus,
Which drives away our doubt,
Which calls us, very sinners,
Unworthy though we be
Of love so free and boundless,
To come, dear Lord, to Thee!

W. C. Dix, 1867.

50

7, 6, 8 l

To-day Thy mercy calls us
To wash away our sin.
However great our trespass,
Whatever we have been;
However long from mercy
Our hearts have turned away,
Thy precious blood can cleanse us
And make us white to-day.
2. To-day Thy gate is open,
And all who enter in
Shall find a Father’s welcome
And pardon for their sin.
The past shall be forgotten,
A present joy be giv’n,
A future grace be promised,
A glorious crown in heav’n.
3. To-day our Father calls us,
His Holy Spirit waits;
His blessed angels gather
Around the heavenly gates.
No question will be asked us
How often we have come;
Although we oft have wandered,
It is our Father’s home.
4. O all-embracing Mercy,
O ever-open Door,
What should we do without Thee
When heart and eye run o’er?
When all things seem against us,
To drive us to despair,
We know one gate is open,
One ear will hear our prayer.

O. Allen, 1862.

51

L. M.

Behold a Stranger at the door!
He gently knocks, has knocked before,
Has waited long, is waiting still;
You treat no other friend so ill.
2. But will He prove a friend indeed?
He will; the very Friend you need;
The Friend of sinners—yes, ’tis He,
With garments dyed on Calvary.
3. O lovely attitude! He stands
With melting heart and laden hands;
O matchless kindness! and He shows
This matchless kindness to His foes.
4. Admit Him lest His anger burn
And He, departing, ne’er return;
Admit Him, or the hour’s at hand
When at His door denied you’ll stand.

J. Grigg, 1756, a.

52

S. M.

The Spirit in our hearts
Is whispering, “Sinner, come!”
The Bride, the Church of Christ, proclaims
To all His children, “Come!”
2. Let him that heareth say
To all about him, “Come!”
Let him that thirsts for righteousness
To Christ, the Fountain, come.
3. Yes, whosoever will,
O let him freely come
And freely drink the stream of life;
’Tis Jesus bids him come.
4. Lo, Jesus, who invites,
Declares, “I quickly come.”
Lord, even so; I wait Thine hour;
Jesus, my Savior, come!

H. U. Onderdonk, 1826.

53

S. M.

Let every ear attend
And every heart rejoice;
The trumpet of the Gospel sounds
With an inviting voice.
2. Ho! all ye starving souls,
That feed upon the wind
And vainly strive with earthly toys
To fill an empty mind.
3. Here Wisdom has prepared
A soul-reviving feast
And bids your longing appetites
The rich provision taste.
4. Ho! ye that pant for streams
And pine away and die,
Here you may quench your raging thirst
With springs that never dry.
5. Rivers of mercy here
In a rich ocean join;
Salvation in abundance flows
Like floods of milk and wine.
6. The gates of Gospel grace
Stand open night and day.
Lord, we are come to seek supplies
And drive our wants away.

Isaac Watts, 1707.

54

L. M.

Return, O wanderer, return
And seek an injured Father’s face;
Those warm desires that in thee burn
Were kindled by reclaiming grace.
2. Return, O wanderer, return
And seek a Father’s melting heart;
His pitying eyes thy grief discern,
His hand shall heal thine inward smart.
3. Return, O wanderer, return,
Thy Savior bids thy spirit live;
Go to His bleeding feet and learn
How freely Jesus can forgive.
4. Return, O wanderer, return
And wipe away the falling tear;
’Tis God who says, “No longer mourn,”
’Tis Mercy’s voice invites thee near.

W. B. Collyer, 1812.

55

L. M.

Hasten, O sinner, to be wise
And stay not for the morrow’s sun,
The longer wisdom you despise,
The harder is she to be won.
2. O hasten, mercy to implore
And stay not for the morrow’s sun,
For fear thy season should be o’er
Before this evening’s course be run.
3. Hasten, O sinner, to return
And stay not for the morrow’s sun,
For fear thy lamp should fail to burn
Before the needful work is done.
4. Hasten, O sinner, to be blest
And stay not for the morrow’s sun,
For fear the curse should thee arrest
Before the morrow is begun.

Thomas Scott, 1773.

56

7s

Come, my soul, thy suit prepare,
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He Himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not say thee nay.
2. Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such
None can ever ask too much.
3. With my burden I begin:
Lord, remove this load of sin;
Let Thy blood, for sinners spilt,
Set my conscience free from guilt.
4. Lord, I come to Thee for rest,
Take possession of my breast;
There Thy blood-bought right maintain
And without a rival reign.
5. While I am a pilgrim here,
Let Thy love my spirit cheer;
As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,
Lead me to my journey’s end.
6. Show me what I have to do,
Every hour my strength renew;
Let me live a life of faith,
Let me die Thy people’s death.

John Newton, 1779.

57

11s

Delay not, delay not, O sinner, draw near,
The waters of life are now flowing for thee;
No price is demanded; the Savior is here;
Redemption is purchased, salvation is free.
2. Delay not, delay not, why longer abuse
The love and compassion of Jesus, thy God?
A fountain is opened; how canst thou refuse
To wash and be cleansed in His pardoning blood?
3. Delay not, delay not, O sinner, to come,
For mercy still lingers and calls thee to-day;
Her voice is not heard in the vale of the tomb;
Her message, unheeded, will soon pass away.
4. Delay not, delay not, the Spirit of Grace,
Long grieved and resisted, may take its sad flight
And leave thee in darkness to finish thy race,
To sink in the gloom of eternity’s night.
5. Delay not, delay not, the hour is at hand;
The earth shall dissolve, and the heavens shall fade;
The dead, small and great, in the Judgment shall stand;
What power then, O sinner, shall lend thee its aid?

T. Hastings, 1831.

58

7s

Come, ye weary sinners, come,
All who feel your heavy load;
Jesus calls His wanderers home;
Hasten to your pardoning God.
2. Come, ye guilty souls opprest,
Answer to the Savior’s call:
“Come, and I will give you rest;
Come, and I will save you all.”
3. Jesus, full of truth and love,
We Thy gracious call obey;
Faithful let Thy mercies prove,
Take our load of guilt away.
4. Fain we would on Thee rely,
Cast on Thee our sin and care,
To Thine arms of mercy fly,
Find our lasting quiet there.
5. Lo, we come to Thee for ease:
True and gracious as Thou art,
How our weary souls release,
Write forgiveness on our heart.

Charles Wesley, 1746, a.