William Cowper
Psalm 36:5-7; 9
Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgements are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
There is a fountain filled with blood TFF 78
1. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains:
Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.
2. The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away:
Wash all my sins away, wash all my sins away;
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.
3. E'er since by faith I saw the stream thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die:
And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
4. When this poor lisping, stamm'ring tongue lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song I'll sing Thy pow'r to save:
I'll sing Thy pow'r to save, I'll sing Thy pow'r to save;
Then in a nobler, sweeter song I'll sing Thy pow'r to save.
William Cowper (1731-1899)
William Cowper suffered from depression for most of his life, spending a significant part of his adult life in asylums. It was there that He was converted to Christianity. Despite his emotional pain, or perhaps because of it, he wrote poetry containing amazing insight and became known as one of England’s greatest writers.
This hymn, written in 1770, is based upon Zechariah 13:1 “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David…to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” Cowper always felt guilty and grasped for any comfort he could find. As you can tell from this hymn, he felt unworthy of the gift of grace offered through Jesus. Though he also stammered and lisped, as his final verse reveals, he saw that even one as unworthy as he could be a vessel for Christ’s hope and salvation.
Prayer: Lord of all hopefulness, come into our lives, even at their worst moments, and fill us with a sense of renewal and forgiveness that even lisping and stammering, we may sing praise to you, our redeemer. Amen.