Abraham, when severely tried,

His faith by his obedience show’d;

He with the harsh command complied,

And gave his Isaac back to God.

His son the father offer’d up,

Son of his age, his only son,

Object of all his joy and hope,

And less beloved than God alone.

His seed elect, his heir foretold,

Of whom the promised Christ should rise,

He could not from his God withhold

That best, that costliest sacrifice.

The father curb’d his swelling grief;

’Twas God required, it must be done;

He stagger’d not through unbelief,

He bared his arm to slay his son.

He rested in Jehovah’s power;

The word must stand which God hath said;

He knew the Almighty could restore,

Could raise his Isaac from the dead.

He knew in whom he had believed,

And, trusting in Omnipotence,

His son as from the dead received,

His steadfast face received him thence.

O for a faith like his, that we

The bright example may pursue;

May gladly give up all to Thee,

To whom our more than all is due!

Now, Lord, for Thee our all we leave;

Our willing soul Thy call obeys;

Pleasure, and wealth, and fame we give,

Freedom, and life, to win Thy grace.

Is there a thing than life more dear,

A thing from which we cannot part—

We can; we now rejoice to tear

The idol from our bleeding heart.

Jesu, accept our sacrifice;

All things for Thee we count but loss;

Lo! at Thy word our Isaac dies,

Dies on the altar of Thy cross.

Now to Thyself the victim take;

Nature’s last agony is o’er;

Freely Thine own we render back,

We grieve to part with all no more.

For what to Thee, O Lord, we give,

An hundred-fold we here obtain;

And soon with Thee shall all receive,

And loss shall be eternal gain.