The Sinner — Warning and Invitation

O Jesus! thou art standing

No. 416
Metre 7s & 6s. D.
Words William How.
Singing key B♭ major
3 stanzas

Sung to WEBB (hymn 492)

Words

O Jesus! thou art standingOutside the fast-closed door,In lowly patience waitingTo pass the threshold o'er:We bear the name of Christians,Thy name and sign we bear:O, shame, thrice shame upon us!To keep thee standing there.

O Jesus! thou art knocking;And lo! that hand is scarred,And thorns thy brow encircle,And tears thy face have marred:O, love that passeth knowledge,So patiently to wait!O, sin that hath no equal,So fast to bar the gate!

O Jesus! thou art pleadingIn accents meek and low,—"I died for you, my children,And will ye treat me so?"O Lord, with shame and sorrowWe open now the door:Dear Saviour, enter, enter,And leave us nevermore!

About this hymn

As printed As printed: words only, in the right column of page 134 (running head «THE SINNER—WARNING AND INVITATION.»), below the end of the music of hymn 415. Hymn number «416» (large) with the reference line «492, 742, 246.» in italics beside it (= sung to the tunes of hymns 492, 246 or 742; all three are 7s & 6s. D. in the book, so the meter is the references' — it is not printed with this hymn). The first word after «O», «JESUS», is printed in capitals and small capitals («O JESUS!»); it is written «Jesus» here. Lines 2, 4, 6 and 8 of each stanza are indented. «William How.» in italics after stanza 3. The print sets a thin space before «!», «:», «;» and «?» («JESUS !», «o'er :», «bear :», «us !», «knocking ;», «lo !», «marred :», «wait !», «gate !», «so ?"», «door :», «nevermore !»); it is closed up here. The printer's curly quotation marks and apostrophes are written straight («o'er», «"I died … so?"»). The stanza numbers are printed without a period («1», «2», «3»); they are written «1.» … here, as in the other deliveries of this book. Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's.