1 The Christ of God hath come,
Long promised, long delayed!
True God, from Heav’n He cometh down,
True man, of woman made.
The Son of God is here:
O fair and welcome morn;
God manifest in flesh hath come,
To us a child is born!
2 In lowliness He lies,
That blessèd Babe of Heav’n;
Our God for us becometh man,
To us a son is giv’n!
He cometh in His love,
For us on earth to live;
To bear all the burden of our guilt,
For us His life to give.
3 O many sided love,
So boundless and so free!
Love of the cradle and the cross,
What joy we find in Thee!
He cometh in His grace,
The guilty to forgive;
He cometh in His glorious power,
That maketh dead men live.
4 He comes to live our life,
He comes to weep our tears,
To give us sympathy in all
Our sorrows and our fears.
He comes to die our death,
To enter our dark tomb,
To conquer our last enemy,
And rob the grave of gloom.
5 He cometh, clothed in light,
To bid our darkness flee;
For night to give us day, for death
His immortality.
The Christ of God we sing,
The Babe of Bethlehem!
And on His infant head we place
His royal diadem.
6 The crown of thorns is His,
That Child of poverty,
Who on this earth of ours can find
No place His head to lay.
The crown of Heav’n is His,
And angels own Him there.
The crown of earth shall yet be His,
And we that crown shall share.
Source: The Cyber Hymnal #9171
Horatius Bonar was born at Edinburgh, in 1808. His education was obtained at the High School, and the University of his native city. He was ordained to the ministry, in 1837, and since then has been pastor at Kelso. In 1843, he joined the Free Church of Scotland. His reputation as a religious writer was first gained on the publication of the "Kelso Tracts," of which he was the author. He has also written many other prose works, some of which have had a very large circulation. Nor is he less favorably known as a religious poet and hymn-writer. The three series of "Hymns of Faith and Hope," have passed through several editions.
--Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872… Go to person page >
My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files