When I survey the wondrous cross

When I survey the wondrous cross

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

To Christ, who won for sinners grace
By bitter grief and anguish sore,
Be praise from all the ransomed race
Forever and forevermore.

written by Isaac Watts​
 
It would be nice to put all the hymns that this autor wrote as he wrote so many .

About the Hymn
"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" was written in 1707 for use at a communion service conducted by the famous hymn-writer Isaac Watts. It first appeared in print that same year in Watt's outstanding collection, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. The original title was "Crucifixion to the World by the Cross of Christ."

Watts rewrote many of the Psalms during his time but he also wrote a number of hymns purely based on personal feelings. "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" is one of them, something he called hymns of human composure. This particular hymn is the product of the scripture found in the Bible's Galatians chapter 6 verse 14: "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Hymn-writer/author Isaac Watts
The eldest of nine children, Isaac Watts was born on July 17, 1674, in Southampton, England. His father was an educated deacon in a dissenting Congregational church. He was in prison for his non-conformist beliefs at the time of Isaac's birth.
 
Thank you for sharing this great poem and the background information on it.

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Isaac Watts.

Looking on the net for more info on this Author Isaac Watts ..... he wrote 518 hymns one being a famous Christmas Carol " Joy To The World ". Here is on of his many . His words are so profound.

The heav’ns declare Thy glory, Lord,
In every star Thy wisdom shines
But when our eyes behold Thy Word,
We read Thy Name in fairer lines.

The rolling sun, the changing light,
And nights and days, Thy power confess
But the blest volume Thou hast writ
Reveals Thy justice and Thy grace.

Sun, moon, and stars convey Thy praise
Round the whole earth, and never stand:
So when Thy truth begun its race,
It touched and glanced on every land.

Nor shall Thy spreading Gospel rest
Till through the world Thy truth has run,
Till Christ has all the nations blest
That see the light or feel the sun.

Great Sun of Righteousness, arise,
Bless the dark world with heav’nly light;
Thy Gospel makes the simple wise,
Thy laws are pure, Thy judgments right.

Thy noblest wonders here we view
In souls renewed and sins forgiv’n;
Lord, cleanse my sins, my soul renew,
And make Thy Word my guide to Heaven.


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