Christ's Sufferings and Zeal

Verse 1

'Twas for our sake, eternal God, Thy Son sustain'd that heavy load Of base reproach and sore disgrace, And shame defil'd his sacred face.

Verse 2

The Jews, his brethren and his kin, Abus'd him when he check'd their sin; While he fulfill'd thy holy laws, They hate him, but without a cause.

Verse 3

Zeal for the temple of his God Consum'd his life, expos'd his blood; Reproaches at thy glory thrown He felt, and mourn'd them as his own.

Verse 4

His friends forsook, his followers fled, While foes and arms surround his head; They nail him to the shameful tree; There hung my Lord, who died for me.

Verse 5

But God his Father heard his cry; Rais'd from the dead, he reigns on high; The nations learn his righteousness, And humble sinners taste his grace.