Verse 1
Jesu, thy wand’ring sheep behold!
See, Lord, with yearning bowels see
Poor souls, that cannot find the fold,
Till sought, and gather’d in by thee.
Verse 2
Lost are they now, and scatter’d wide,
In pain, and weariness, and want,
With no kind shepherd near to guide
The sick, and spiritless, and faint.
Verse 3
Thou, only thou the kind, and good,
And sheep-redeeming shepherd art,
Collect thy flock, and give them food,
And pastors after thine own heart.
Verse 4
Give the pure word of general grace,
And great shall be the preachers’ crowd,
Preachers, who all the sinful race
Point to the all-atoning blood.
Verse 5
Open their mouth, and utterance give,
Give them a trumpet-voice to call
A world, who all may turn and live
Thro’ faith in him that died for all.
Verse 6
In every messenger reveal
The grace they preach divinely free,
That each may by thy Spirit tell
“He died for all, who died for me.”
Verse 7
A double portion from above,
Of that all-quick’ning Spirit impart,
Shed forth thine universal love
In every faithful pastor’s heart.
Verse 8
Thy only glory let them seek,
O let their hearts with love o’erflow,
Let them believe, and therefore speak,
And spread thy mercy’s praise below.
Verse 9
Mercy for all, be all their song,
Mercy which every soul may claim,
Mercy which doth to all belong,
Mercy for all in Jesu’s name.
Verse 10
To thee for all men lifted up,
O let them still their witness bear,
And shouting from the mountain-top,
The Saviour of the world declare.
Verse 11
“He willeth not the sinner’s death,
He died for all, he none pass’d by,
Since we would now resign our breath,
For every soul of man would die.”