1. Now let us join with hearts and tongues,
And emulate the angels’ songs;
Yea, sinners may address their King
In songs that angels cannot sing.
2. They praise the Lamb who once was slain,
But we can add a higher strain;
Not only say, He suffered thus,
But that He suffered all for us.
3. When angels by transgression fell,
Justice consigned them all to hell;
But mercy formed a wondrous plan,
To save and honor fallen man.
4. Jesus, who passed the angels by,
Assumed our flesh to bleed and die;
And still He makes it His abode,
As man, He fills the throne of God.
5. Our next of kin, our brother now,
Is He to whom the angels bow;
They join with us to praise His name,
But we the nearest interest claim.
6. But ah! how faint our praises rise!
Sure, ’tis the wonder of the skies;
That we, who share His richest love,
So cold and unconcerned should prove.
7. O glorious hour, it comes with speed
When we from sin and darkness freed,
Shall see the God who died for man,
And praise Him more than angels can.
Source: The Cyber Hymnal #4555
John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >
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