Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I?
[originally, For
such a worm as I?]
Thy body slain, sweet Jesus,
Thine—
And bathed in its own blood—
While the firm mark of wrath divine,
His Soul in anguish stood.
Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
’Tis all that I can do.
lyrics by Isaac Watts 1707
music "Martyrdom" by Hugh Wilson 1800
Isaac Watts is considered one of the best and
most prolific hymn writers of all time. His only competition in
this arena might be another Englishman, Charles Wesley. Like
Wesley, he only wrote lyrics. Showing great poetic promise as a
child, a local physician offered to fund his university
education, assuming that he would be ordained in the Church of
England. He declined and attended a nonconformist academy.
Later he joined an Independent congregation under the pastoral
leadership of Thomas Rowe. He wrote most of his lyrics between
1694 and 1697. Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed was
probably written in that period, but was first published along
with many of his hymns in 1707 in his collection, Hymns and
Spiritual Songs. He was ordained and preached in an
Independent congregation.
Hugh Wilson (1766 - 1824) was a Scotsman who
taught mathematics and music and made sun dials.
Do you feel like you have seen these words
elsewhere? You almost certainly have. While this hymn is
famous in its own right, it is also known as "At
the Cross." This hymn is created by adding a refrain,
written later by Ralph E. Hudson in 1885.
At the cross, at the
cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
