Adventist Pioneer Library

The Sinner — Christ the Way of Life

Vain are the hopes the sons of men

  • No. 376
  • Words Isaac Watts.
  • 3 stanzas
  • Words only in the original

Words

⤢ Full screen
1

Vain are the hopes the sons of menOn their own works have built;Their hearts, by nature, all unclean,And all their actions, guilt.

2

Let Jew and Gentile equal stand,Without a murmuring word;And the whole race of Adam ownTheir guilt before the Lord.

3

Jesus, how glorious is thy grace;When in thy name we trust,Our faith receives a righteousnessThat makes the sinner just.

About this hymn

As printed Words only. As printed: hymn number «376» (large) with the reference line «395, 446, 669.» in italics beside it (sing to the tune of hymn 395, 446 or 669); the hymn stands in the lower half of the right column of p. 123, below hymn 375, and ends at the foot of that column with «Isaac Watts.» in italics. The first word «VAIN» is set in capitals and small capitals. The print sets a thin space before «;» («built ;», «word ;», «grace ;»); it is closed up here. Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's. A wide space after «Jesus,» in stanza 3 is justification and is not reproduced. Lines 2 and 4 of each stanza are indented in the print. No meter is printed (the text is C. M., 8.6.8.6, like the three tunes of the reference line).

Source
The Seventh-day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book (Battle Creek: Review & Herald, 1886/1888)
Where
The Sinner — Christ the Way of Life · No. 376 · printed page 123
Checked
lyrics verified (fork reading; parent check pending) · 2026-10-01