Christ's commission.
John 3:16,17 Come, happy souls, approach your
With new melodious songs;
Come, tender to almighty
The tribute of your tongues.
So strange, so boundless was the
That pitied dying men,
The Father sent his equal
To give them life again.
Thy hands, dear Jesus, were not
With a revenging rod,
No hard commission to
The vengeance of a God.
But all was mercy, all was mild,
And wrath forsook the throne,
When Christ on the kind errand came,
And brought salvation down.
Here, sinners, you may heal your wounds,
And wipe your sorrows dry;
Trust in the mighty Savior's name,
And you shall never die.
See, dearest Lord, our willing
Accept thine offered grace;
We bless the great Redeemer's love,
And give the Father praise.