A favorite old hymn - sung by our pioneer ancestors -
Come ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and power.
Come, ye weary, heavy laden
Lost and ruined by he fall;
If you linger till you're better
You will never come at all
Let not conscience make you linger
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him!
These amazing words were written by Joseph Hart, who born in 1712 and died in 1768.
He was well-educated, became proficient in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, (which he later taught) and spent much time translating and writing poetry.
He was well-educated, became proficient in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, (which he later taught) and spent much time translating and writing poetry.
He lived in London, served as pastor of Jewin Street Chapel, and had a large congregation.
But Joseph Hart was not a Christian, believing as many people of his day, that the atonement of Jesus Christ was a myth and all one needed to do was believe in God and salvation was assured.
He even wrote a tract denouncing Christianity and ridiculing the popular preacher John Wesley. He titled his piece, The Unreasonableness of Religion Being Remarks and Animadversions on the Rev. John Wesley's Sermon on Romans 8:32.
But he had persistent doubts about his own salvation.
Maybe, he considered, righteous acts were the key, and he began to concentrate on living a good life and performing deeds that would honor God.
The doubts persisted: was he really and truly saved?
Did belief in God take care of it? Did righteous deeds?
He prayed for a sign, some special revelation from God, and writes later that he had sincere torments "for more than a year."
Just before Easter, 1757, Joseph Hart, "had such an amazing view of the agony of Christ in the garden [of Gethsemane]" that he began to understand that all Christ's sufferings were for him and for his salvation.
He began re-reading the Bible and searching for answers.
Shortly after, on Whitsunday (Pentecost), he was converted under the ministry of George Whitefield, and began to feel the confidence that God had indeed, through the sufferings of Jesus Christ, eternally saved his soul, and that all those who trust in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, would find salvation.
He apologized publicly to John Wesley and the other Christians he had ridiculed and his life became a living testimony to the grace and goodness of God.
He wrote a number of hymns, but in the days of colonial America, "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy," was the most popular, as newly arriving settlers from England came to these shores and brought the song with them.
When he died, in May of 1768, it was reported that tens of thousands gathered around his graveside at Bunhill Fields.
What makes these words to appealing to us today, as well as then?
To me it is these phrases: if you linger till you're better, you will never come at all...and All the fitness He requireth, is to feel your need of Him....
Is it foolish to try to fix yourself up in order to come to Jesus. We are unable to do that. All our righteous acts are as "filthy rags" as Isaiah says.
We're just wasting time and energy trying to be good enough!
We come to Jesus just as we are...poor, wretched, and needy. That is how we are and that is how He receives us.
Come now!
Then He clothes us in His righteousness and forever sees us in the radiance of His glory!
To God be the glory --- such great things He has done!
But Joseph Hart was not a Christian, believing as many people of his day, that the atonement of Jesus Christ was a myth and all one needed to do was believe in God and salvation was assured.
He even wrote a tract denouncing Christianity and ridiculing the popular preacher John Wesley. He titled his piece, The Unreasonableness of Religion Being Remarks and Animadversions on the Rev. John Wesley's Sermon on Romans 8:32.
But he had persistent doubts about his own salvation.
Maybe, he considered, righteous acts were the key, and he began to concentrate on living a good life and performing deeds that would honor God.
The doubts persisted: was he really and truly saved?
Did belief in God take care of it? Did righteous deeds?
He prayed for a sign, some special revelation from God, and writes later that he had sincere torments "for more than a year."
Just before Easter, 1757, Joseph Hart, "had such an amazing view of the agony of Christ in the garden [of Gethsemane]" that he began to understand that all Christ's sufferings were for him and for his salvation.
He began re-reading the Bible and searching for answers.
Shortly after, on Whitsunday (Pentecost), he was converted under the ministry of George Whitefield, and began to feel the confidence that God had indeed, through the sufferings of Jesus Christ, eternally saved his soul, and that all those who trust in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, would find salvation.
He apologized publicly to John Wesley and the other Christians he had ridiculed and his life became a living testimony to the grace and goodness of God.
He wrote a number of hymns, but in the days of colonial America, "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy," was the most popular, as newly arriving settlers from England came to these shores and brought the song with them.
When he died, in May of 1768, it was reported that tens of thousands gathered around his graveside at Bunhill Fields.
What makes these words to appealing to us today, as well as then?
To me it is these phrases: if you linger till you're better, you will never come at all...and All the fitness He requireth, is to feel your need of Him....
Is it foolish to try to fix yourself up in order to come to Jesus. We are unable to do that. All our righteous acts are as "filthy rags" as Isaiah says.
We're just wasting time and energy trying to be good enough!
We come to Jesus just as we are...poor, wretched, and needy. That is how we are and that is how He receives us.
Come now!
Then He clothes us in His righteousness and forever sees us in the radiance of His glory!
To God be the glory --- such great things He has done!
I sought the LORD and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant;
Their faces are never covered with shame.
--Psalm 34:4-5
I delight greatly in the Lord;
My soul rejoices in my God.
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation
And arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.
--Isaiah 61:10
I delight greatly in the Lord;
My soul rejoices in my God.
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation
And arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.
--Isaiah 61:10
No comments:
Post a Comment