Waiting for Christ

Behold the Saviour at the door

No. 787
Metre L. M.
Tune HARTEL.
Words Anon.
Music Lowell Mason.
Key E major
Time 3/4
6 stanzas

Words

Behold the Saviour at the door!He gently knocks, has knocked before,Has waited long, is waiting still,You treat no other friend so ill.

He counsels thee to buy of himGold tried by fire, and raiment clean;Anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see,And put away thy stains from thee.

O, hear the faithful Witness' voice,He offers now a final choice;Thou art offensive, O lukewarm!Therefore be zealous and reform.

His mission now is almost o'er,Before the throne he'll plead no more;The filthy must his filth retain,He that is holy, so remain.

His locks with dews of night are wet,But at thy heart he lingereth yet.O wake, and open wide the door;Bid thy Beloved wait no more.

Yea, bring him in, a welcome guest;So shalt thou in his presence rest,And in communion sweet and free,Shalt sup with him and he with thee.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: hymn number «787» (large) at the top of p. 259 under the running head «WAITING FOR CHRIST—CLOSING WORK.» (first hymn of the section «Waiting for Christ»); tune name «HARTEL. L. M.» centred over the music (condensed capitals), «LOWELL MASON.» at the right (capitals and small capitals). Stanza 1 is interlinear, between the staves: «1. Be - hold the Sav-iour at the door! He gently knocks, has knocked be - fore,» under system 1 and «Has wait - ed long, is wait - ing still, You treat no oth - er friend so ill.» under system 2 («gently» printed as one word under its two notes). The reference line «624, 431, 316.» in italic figures stands centred over stanza 2 (sing also to the tunes of hymns 624, 431 and 316). Stanzas 2–6 are printed as text in the left column below the music, numbered «2»–«6» without periods (written «2.»–«6.» here, as in the other deliveries of this book); the lines of each stanza are set flush, without indents. «Anon.» in italics after stanza 6. The print sets a thin space before «!» and «;» («door !», «clean ;», «choice ;», «lukewarm !», «more ;», «door ;», «guest ;»); it is closed up here. The apostrophe of «Witness'» is the printer's curly one, written straight. Spelling («Saviour», «mayest», «o'er», «lingereth»), punctuation and capitals are the print's.