Words: , 1700. The man­u­script for this hymn bare­ly es­caped the flames when Wes­ley’s Ep­worth rec­tory burned on Feb­ru­ary 9, 1709. Sam­u­el’s son was al­so res­cued that day, as a “brand plucked out of the burn­ing.” John la­ter pub­lished this hymn in A Col­lect­ion of Psalms and Hymns, ti­tled “On the Cru­ci­fix­ion.”

Music: Mar­tyr­dom, , 1800; ar­ranged by , cir­ca 1885. Al­ter­nate tunes:

  • Asbury, in Har­mon­ia Sac­ra, by , fifth edi­tion, 1851
  • Windsor, , 1533; ar­ranged in the Booke of Mu­sicke, by Wil­liam Da­man, 1591

Behold the Savior of mankind
Nailed to the shameful tree!
How vast the love that Him inclined
To bleed and die for thee!

Though far unequal our low praise
To Thy vast sufferings prove,
O Lamb of God, thus all our days,
Thus will we grieve and love.

Hark, how He groans, while nature shakes,
And earth’s strong pillars bend;
The temple’s veil in sunder breaks,
The solid marbles rend.

“’Tis done!” The precious ransom’s paid,
“Receive My soul,” He cries!
See where He bows His sacred head!
He bows His head, and dies!

But soon He’ll break death’s envious chain,
And in full glory shine:
O Lamb of God! was ever pain,
Was ever love, like Thine?

Thy loss our ruin did repair;
Death by death is slain;
Thou wilt at length exalt us where
Thou dost in glory reign.