1. Zacchaeus climbed the tree
And thought himself unknown,
But how surprised was he
When Jesus called him down!
The Lord beheld him, tho' concealed,
And by a word his pow'r revealed.
2. Wonder and joy at once
Were painted on his face.
Does he my name pronounce?
And does he know my case?
Will Jesus deign with me to dine?
Lord, I, with all I have, am thine!
3. Thus where the gospel's preached,
And sinners come to hear,
The hearts of some are reached
Before they are aware;
The word directly speaks to them
And seems to point them out by name.
4. 'Tis curiosity
Oft brings them in the way
The spectacle to see,
And hear what we can say,
But how the sinners start to find
The Savior knows their inmost mind.
5. Their long-forgotten faults
Are brought again in view
And all their secret thoughts
Revealed in public, too;
Though compassed with a crowd about,
The searching word has found them out.
6. While thus distressing pain
And sorrow fills their hearts,
They hear a voice again
That bids their fears depart,
Then like Zacchaeus they are blest,
And Jesus deigns to be their guest.
Source: Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship #343
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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