Thou, the Christ Forever One

Thou

the Christ for­ev­er one

Mary’s child and Is­ra­el’s God

Daniel’s prince and Da­vid’s son

Jacob’s star and Jes­se’s rod

Thou of whom of the pro­phets spake

Thou in whom their words came true

Hear the plead­ing pray­er we make

Hear the Gen­tile for the Jew!

Knowing what the Spir­it saith

Sure of Thee

our Christ di­vine

Lo

we stand

by right of faith

Heirs of Ab­ra­ham’s char­tered line;

Can we then his sons for­get

Branches sev­ered from their tree

Exiles from their homes

and yet

Kinsmen

Lord

in flesh to Thee?

Though the blood be­trayed and spilt

On the race en­tailed a doom

Let its vir­tue cleanse the guilt

Melt the hard­ness

chase the gloom;

Lift the veil from off their heart

Make them Is­ra­el­ites indeed

Meet once more for lot and part

With Thy house­hold’s gen­uine seed.

Thou that didst Thy dews out­pour

Crowning ali­en grafts with fruit

Soon the na­tive growths re­store

Making glad the par­ent root:

Ah! but let not pride en­snare

Souls that need to mourn their sin;

Still the boughs adopt­ed spare

And the out­casts—graft them in!

Speed the day of un­ion sweet

When with us in faith allied

Israel’s heart shall turn to greet

Thee

whom Is­ra­el cru­ci­fied;

Thee

in all Thy truth and grace

Owned at last as Sa­lem’s king

While her child­ren find their place

Gathered safe be­neath Thy wing.