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Advent Hymnals

Hymns and Tunes 1886 321

Would Jesus have the sinner die?

Words: Charles WesleyTune: 284, 689, 706

Studio

1Would Jesus have the sinner die?
Why hangs he then on yonder tree?
What means that strange expiring cry?
Sinners, he prays for you and me:
"Forgive them, Father, O forgive!
They know not that by me they live."

2Jesus, descended from above,
Our loss of Eden to retrieve;
Great God of universal love,
If all the world through thee may live
In us a quickening spirit be,
And witness thou hast died for me.

3O, let thy love my heart constrain,—
Thy love, for every sinner free,—
That every fallen son of man
May taste the grace that rescued me,
That all mankind thy love may prove—
That sovereign, everlasting love.

Tune
284, 689, 706

Public Domain

The verse

Meter
8.8.8.8.8.8
Foot
iambic (da-DUM) · 53% of beats fit
Rhyme
ABABCD
Scan every line

/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary

Verse 1

Would Jesus have the sinner die?˘/˘˘˘/˘/8A
Why hangs he then on yonder tree?//˘/˘/˘/8B
What means that strange expiring cry?˘/˘/˘/˘/8A
Sinners, he prays for you and me:/˘˘/˘˘˘˘8B
"Forgive them, Father, O forgive!˘/˘/˘˘˘/8C
They know not that by me they live."˘/˘˘˘˘˘/8D

Verse 2

Jesus, descended from above,/˘˘/˘˘˘/8A
Our loss of Eden to retrieve;/˘/˘/˘˘˘/9B
Great God of universal love,//˘/˘/˘/8A
If all the world through thee may live˘/˘///˘/8C
In us a quickening spirit be,˘˘˘/˘˘/˘˘9D
And witness thou hast died for me.˘/˘///˘˘8D

Verse 3

O, let thy love my heart constrain,—˘///˘/˘/8A
Thy love, for every sinner free,—//˘/˘˘/˘/9B
That every fallen son of man˘/˘˘/˘/˘/9C
May taste the grace that rescued me,˘/˘/˘/˘˘8B
That all mankind thy love may prove—˘/////˘/8D
That sovereign, everlasting love.˘/˘/˘/˘/8E

Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.