This is the Fast, which I will choose

Verse 1

This is the Fast, which I will choose, The Burdens to undo; The Bands of Wickedness to loose, And let the Pris'ner go: Let such who are opprest be freed, Break ev'ry Yoke in twain, Gladly supply the Brethren's Need, And thus allay their Pain:

Verse 2

To hungry Souls to deal thy Bread, Nor thrust them from thy Door, But in thine House a Table spread, For all the cast-out Poor: To all the Naked Cov'ring give, Their drooping Hearts refresh; Nor hide thyself, whilst thou dost live, From those who're thine own Flesh.

Verse 3

Attentive to the heav'nly word We stand convicted deep, That we ourselves, before the Lord, This Fast can never keep: But up we look unto our Head, Jesus the Fast hath kept; And us in him, thro' all he did, The Father doth accept.

Verse 4

He kept the Fast, which God did choose; Our Burdens did undo; Our Bands of Wickedness did loose, And let us Pris'ners go: From Sin's Oppression us he freed, Brake ev'ry Yoke in twain, Gladly supply'd his Brethren's need, And sav'd us from Hell's Pain.

Verse 5

To us he deals the living Bread, Nor thrusts us from his Door; But to his House, and Table spread, He brings us cast-out Poor: Cloath'd with the Labours of his Cross, He did our Hearts refresh; Nor did he hide himself from us, But calls us his own Flesh.

Verse 6

Hail, Alpha and Omega, hail! All hail, thou first and last! O'er all our foes we shall prevail, For thou hast kept the Fast: Complete in thee, our dearest Lord, Thy Works as ours are known: We now, encourag'd by thy Word, Conclude thy Fast's our own.