Author: John Newton, 1725-1807 Meter: 8.8.8.8 Appears in 4 hymnals Lyrics: 1 Though in the outward church below
The wheat and tares together grow;
Jesus ere long will weed the crop,
And pluck the tares, in anger, up.
2 Will it relieve their horrors there,
To recollect their stations here?
How much they heard, how much they knew,
How long amongst the wheat they grew!
3 Oh! this will aggravate their case!
They perished under means of grace;
To them the word of life and faith,
Became an instrument of death.
4 We seem alike when thus we meet,
Strangers might think we all are wheat;
But to the Lord’s all-searching eyes,
Each heart appears without disguise.
5 The tares are spared for various ends,
Some, for the sake of praying friends;
Others, the Lord, against their will,
Employs His counsels to fulfill.
6 But though they grow so tall and strong,
His plan will not require them long;
In harvest, when He saves His own,
The tares shall into hell be thrown. Used With Tune: OLD 100TH Text Sources: Olney Hymns (London, W. Oliver, 1779), Book 1
Though In The Outward Church Below