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Select Hymns & Poems

of Augustus Toplady (1740-1778)

 

 

This following texts were found in The Complete Works of Augustus Toplady (1794; re-released in America by Sprinkle Publications in 1987). The electronic edition of this text was scanned and edited by Shane Rosenthal for Reformation Ink. It is in the public domain and may be freely copied and distributed.

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Thanksgiving for the Righteousness of Christ

Fountain of never-ceasing grace,

Thy saints' eexhaustless theme,

Great object of immortal praise,

Essentially supreme;

We bless the for the glorious fruits

Thy incarnation gives;

The righteousness which grace imputes,

And faith alone receives.

 

Whom heaven's angelic host adores,

Was slaughter'd for our sin;

The guilt, O Lord was wholly ours,

The punishment was thine:

Our God in the flesh, to set us free,

Was manifested here;

And meekly bare are sins, that we

His righteousness might wear.

 

Imputatively guitly then

Our substitute was made,

That we the blessings might obtain

For which his blood was shed:

Himself he offer'd on the cross,

Our sorrows to remove;

And all he suffer'd was for us,

And all he did was love.

 

In him we have a righteousness,

By God himself approv'd

Our rock, our sure foundation this,

Which never can be mov'd.

Our ransom by his death he paid,

For all his people giv'n,

The law he perfectly obey'd,

That they might enter heav'n.

 

As all, when Adam sinn'd alone,

In his transgression died,

So by the righteousness of one,

Are sinners justify'd,

We to thy merit, gracious Lord,

With humblest joy submit,

Again to Paradise restor'd,

In thee alone complete

 

Our souls his watchful love retrieves,

Nor lets them go astray,

His righteousness to us he gives,

And takes our sins away:

We claim salvation in his right,

Adopted and forgiv'n,

His merit is our robe of light,

His death the gate of heav'n.

 

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Assurance of Faith

A debtor to mercy alone,

Of covenant mercy I sing;

Nor fear with thy righteousness on,

The terrors of law and of God

With me can have nothing to do;

My Savior's obedience and blood

Hide all my transgressions from view.

 

The work which his goodness began,

The arm of his strength will complete;

His promise is, Yea and Amen,

And never was forfeited yet:

Things future, nor things that are now,

Not all things below nor above

Can make him his purpose forego,

Or sever my soul from his love.

 

My name from the palms of his hands

Eternity will not erase;

Impress'd on his heart it remains

In marks of indelible grace;

Yes, I to the end shall endure,

As sure as the earnest is giv'n;

More happy, but not more secure,

The glorified spirits in heav'n.

 

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Poem XIII

Father, to thee in Christ I fly,

What tho' my sins of crimson dye

For thy resentment call?

My crimes he did on Calv'ry bear,

The blood that flow'd for sinners there

Shall cleanse me from them all.

 

Spirit divine, thy pow'r bring in,

O raise me from this depth of sin,

Take off my guilty load:

Now let me live through Jesu's death,

And, being justified by faith,

May I have peace with God!

 

Foul as I am, deserving hell,

Thou can'st not from thy throne repel

A soul that leans on God:

My sins at they command shall be

Cast as a stone into the sea­­

The sea of Jesu's blood.

 

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A Prayer, living and dying

Rock of ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in thee;

Let the water and the blood

From thy riven side which flow'd

Be of sin the double cure,

Cleans me from its guilt and pow'r.

 

Not the labors of my hands,

Can fulfil thy law's demands:

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears for ever flow;

All for sin could not atone,

Thou must save and thou alone.

 

Nothing in my hand I bring,

Simply to thy cross I cling:

Naked come to thee for dress,

Helpless, look to thee for grace:

Foul I to the fountain fly,

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

 

While I draw this fleeting breath,

When my eye-strings break in death;

When I soar to worlds unknown;

See thee on thy judgment throne,

Rock of ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in thee.

 

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