Himself For Me!

by Belton, C. | Category: General | Jun 1955

"Who loved me, and gave Himself up for me" (Galatians 2.20).

"For me!" Howe'er unworthy was my case,

The rebel offspring of a rebel race

Whose words and ways betrayed a mind within

Estranged from God by intercourse with sin.

Cursed by the inclination to fulfil

Desires that only fructified in ill.

Drawn to the evil; turning from the good;

That baneful legacy which flesh and blood

Inherit from a fallen ancestry,

And transmit onward to posterity.

"For me!" who with indifference received

His many creature-benefits: who grieved

His kindly heart, and for the gifts bestowed,

This base return, an ingrate spirit showed.

Despising long my Benefactor's claims,

I squandered mercies on my selfish aims.

"For me!" Who, when His Holy Mentor sought

To bring sin, death and judgement to my thought;

With fast-closed ears and heart would bid that One

In angry obstinacy to "Begone!"

Who, when at times the gentle Spirit strove

To whisper tenderly that "God is Love,"

With bitter scorn would turn to Earth's distress,

And spurn the thought of heavenly kindliness.

Such my unworthiness; and can it be

That He so loved, HE GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME?

And who was He who loved, and longed

My person to possess;

Who gave Himself-the Gift supreme

For mine own nothingness?

Ah! Here the tale of love unfolds

A wonder so immense

A mountain height-that overwhelms

My tiny finite sense.

Astounded reason stands aside,

And gasps, "Incredible!"

'Tis faith alone attempts to scale

Its lofty pinnacle.

Gaze on its height, my soul, with awe!

Love such as this there's none;

For He who loved, none other was

Than GOD'S ETERNAL SON!

I do not know just why He should

Such value place on me

He whose vast heritage extends

To all infinity.

Who dwelt 'mid ev'ry perfect joy

In heaven's supernal day:

Where waited hosts of holy ones,

His mandates to obey.

I cannot tell the reason why

He left that bliss above

For my poor sake, unless it be

That HE HIMSELF IS LOVE!

"HIMSELF He gave." No lesser price

No meaner bounty would suffice

To save me from eternal woe

I richly merited, and show

The greatness of His love to me

In its superb immensity.

Terrestrial treasure, all untold

The richest store of purest gold

The brightest and most precious gem

Adorning monarch's diadem;

Or yet by human hands unmined,

Deep in earth's bosom still enshrined

The highest form of creature life

The fairest flowers, with fragrance rife

The grandest of those orbs on high,

In splendour rolling through the sky;

With all the treasures there confined,

Undreamt of by the human mind

The noblest form that heaven could give

From hosts of ministers who live

To do His will and worship Him,

The cherubim and. Seraphim

The choicest of His treas'ry great,

Things living or inanimate,

If these He gave; for His they were,

Creation's Maker and its Heir;

All were inadequate to prove

The depth of His amazing love.

His universe could ne'er provide;

E'en heaven itself knew nought beside

That would a gift all-worthy be

In making known His love to me.

And so, "HIMSELF HE GAVE!"

This is the wondrous story

The Lord, for me, a slave,

Gave up His heavenly glory.

To earth, as Man, He came;

His choice a lowly station;

Refusing earthly fame,

And worldly exaltation.

A "Man of Sorrows" He,

'Mid scornful men abiding,

Endured in grace for me

Their ignorant deriding:

And when to words of hate

They added blows and spitting,

Did not retaliate;

Yea, though they deemed it fitting

To nail Him to the tree,

To bleed, and thirst, and languish;

He took it all for me,

The cruel pain and anguish.

But, oh, He suffered more,

When He, the Pure and Holy

My sin's great burden bore,

And gave Himself up wholly

To bear the dreadful stroke

My guiltiness befitted;

When Justice stern awoke

'Gainst wrongs by me committed.

0, Substitute Divine,

Thy love all loves excelling,

That gave Thy life for mine,

Surpasses all my telling.

Yea, when Thy home I reach,

And larger thoughts are given,

And greater powers of speech,

The perfect tongue of heaven;

Its magnitude above

My thought for ever swelling,

The wonder of Thy love

Will take eternal telling.

Thou, who in love Thyself didst give

To death for me,

Teach me, 0 Lord, how I should live

Down here for Thee.

Oh, may Thine all-consuming love

My soul devour,

And from my heart self-love remove

By that same power.

Its burning force my being fill

With heavenly fire,

That melts my pride, my stubborn will,

Mine own desire:

And, as like generates like kind,

O Saviour mine,

So permeate my heart and mind

With love like Thine:

That, caring not for earthly fame,

Nor present loss,

I feel its fervent heat constrain

To bear Thy cross.

And all a hostile world can give

Content to take;

To bear reproach-to die-to live

For Thine own sake,

To die towards a world that gave

The cross to Thee,

And live for Thee, who died, to save

Poor wretched me.

O Lord, from its rich fount above,

In constant flow,

Streamed forth Thy pure, unselfish love

On mankind's woe.

Kind, sympathetic, tender, true,

That living rill,

With power almighty pregnant, too,

Laved human ill.

Howe'er unworthy, none with need

Was ever spurned,

(Though little Thou didst know indeed

Of love returned)

Life, health, and peace flowed out where'er

Thy footsteps trod.

Enriched, impov'rished sinners were

By love from God.

0 Lord, may I, although so small,

A channel be,

Through which some drops of love may fall

On men from Thee:

For Thou hast loved and lavished ALL

THYSELF ON ME!

Belton, C. | Jun 1955
General

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