Adventist Pioneer Library

The Sinner — Christ the Way of Life

How sad our state by nature is

  • No. 371
  • Words Isaac Watts.
  • 4 stanzas
  • Words only in the original

Words

⤢ Full screen
1

How sad our state by nature is;Our sin—how deep it stains!And Satan holds our captive mindsFast in his slavish chains.

2

But there's a voice of sovereign grace,Sounds from the sacred word;"Ho! ye despairing sinners, come!And trust a pardoning Lord."

3

My soul obeys the almighty call,And runs to this relief;I would believe thy promise, Lord;O, help my unbelief!

4

A guilty, weak, and helpless worm,In thy kind arms I fall;Be thou my Strength and Righteousness,My Saviour and my All.

About this hymn

As printed Words only. As printed: hymn number «371» (large) with the reference line «395, 227, 546.» in italics beside it (sing to the tune of hymn 395, 227 or 546), at the top of the right column of p. 122, beside the reference line of hymn 369; stanzas 1–4 in the right column, then «Isaac Watts.» in italics. The first word «HOW» is set in capitals and small capitals (the «ow» stand 2–3 px above the x-height at 450 dpi, like the small capitals of «THOU» in hymn 370); it is written «How» here. The stanza numbers are printed without a period («1» … «4»); they are written «1.» … here, as in the other deliveries of this book. The print sets a thin space before «;» and «!» (e.g. «is ;», «stains !», «word ;», «Ho !», «come !», «relief ;», «Lord ;», «unbelief !», «fall ;»); it is closed up here. The printer's curly quotation marks and apostrophe are written straight («"Ho! …», «… Lord."», «there's»). No meter is printed (the text is C. M., like the referenced tunes). Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's.

Source
The Seventh-day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book (Battle Creek: Review & Herald, 1886/1888)
Where
The Sinner — Christ the Way of Life · No. 371 · printed page 122
Checked
lyrics verified (fork reading; parent check pending) · 2026-10-01