Blessed Redeemer, how divine,
How righteous is this rule of thine!
"To do to all men just the same
As we expect or wish from them."
This golden lesson, short and plain,
Gives not the mind nor mem'ry pain;
And every conscience must approve
This universal law of love.
How blest would every nation be,
Thus ruled by love and equity!
All would be friends without a foe,
And form a paradise below.
Jesus, forgive us, that we keep
Thy sacred law of love asleep;
No more let envy, wrath, and pride,
But thy blest maxims be our guide.
First Line: | Blessed Redeemer, how divine |
Title: | Justice and Equity |
Author: | Isaac Watts |
Meter: | 8.8.8.8 |
Language: | English |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
Blessed Redeemer, how divine. I. Watts. [Divine Equity.] A hymn on his sermon on St. Matt. vii. 12. It was published in an edition after 1723, of his Sermons on Various Subjects, &c, 1721-3, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed "The Universal law of Equity." In the older collections it is frequently found, especially the American, but in modern hymn-books it is seldom given, and then in an altered and abridged form.
-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)