Hymn 161

Isaac Watts 1674 (Southampton, Hampshire) – 1748 (Stoke Newington, Middlesex)



Christian virtues; or, The difficulty of conversion.

Strait is the way, the door is strait,
That leads to joys on high;
'Tis but a few that find the gate,
While crowds mistake, and die.

Beloved self must be denied,
The mind and will renewed
Passion suppressed, and patience tried,
And vain desires subdued.

[Flesh is a dangerous foe to grace,
Where it prevails and rules;
Flesh must be humbled, pride abased,
Lest they destroy our souls.

The love of gold be banished hence,
That vile idolatry,
And every member, every sense,
in sweet subjection lie.]

The tongue, that most unruly power,
Requires a strong restraint;
We must be watchful every hour,
And pray, but never faint.

Lord, can a feeble, helpless worm
Fulfil a task so hard?
Thy grace must all my work perform,
And give the free reward.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
91

Quick analysis:

Scheme X ABAB CDCD XXAX EXEB FGFG XXXX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 777
Words 142
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was an English Christian minister (Congregational), hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. He is recognized as the "Godfather of English Hymnody"; many of his hymns remain in use today and have been translated into numerous languages. more…

All Isaac Watts poems | Isaac Watts Books

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