Behold th’amazing gift of love
The Father hath bestowed
On us, the sinful sons of men,
To call us sons of God!

Concealed as yet this honor lies,
By this dark world unknown,
A world that knew not when He came,
Even God’s eternal Son.

High is the rank we now possess;
But higher we shall rise;
Though what we shall hereafter be
Is hid from mortal eyes.

Our souls, we know, when He appears,
Shall bear His image bright;
For all His glory, full disclosed,
Shall open to our sight.

A hope so great, and so divine,
May trials well endure;
And purge the soul from sense and sin,
As Christ Himself is pure.

Behold what wondrous grace
The Father hath bestow’d
On sinners of a mortal race
To call them Sons of God!

’Tis no surprising thing,
That we should be unknown;
The Jewish world knew not their King,
God’s everlasting Son.

Nor doth it yet appear
How great we must be made;
But when we see our Saviour here,
We shall be like our Head.

A hope so much divine
May trials well endure,
May purge our souls from sense and sin
As Christ the Lord is pure.

If in my Father’s love
I share a filial part,
Send down Thy Spirit like a dove,
To rest upon my heart.

We would no longer lie
Like slaves beneath the throne;
My faith shall Abba, Father, cry,
And Thou the kindred own.

Behold, what love, what boundless love,
The Father hath bestowed
On sinners lost, that we should be
Now called “the sons of God!”

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Behold, what manner of love!
What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
That we, that we should be called,
Should be called the sons of God!

No longer far from Him but now
By “precious blood” made nigh,
Accepted in the “Well beloved,”
Near to God’s heart we lie.

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What we in glory soon shall be,
It doth not yet appear;
But when our precious Lord we see,
We shall His image bear.

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With such a blessèd hope in view,
We would more holy be,
More like our risen, glorious Lord,
Whose face we soon shall see.

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Behold what wondrous grace
The Father has bestowed
On sinners of a mortal race,
To call them sons of God!

’Tis no surprising thing
That we should be unknown;
The Jewish world knew not their King,
God’s everlasting Son.

Nor doth it yet appear
How great we must be made;
But when we see our Savior here,
We shall be like our Head.

A hope so much divine
May trials well endure;
May purge our souls from sense and sin,
As Christ the Lord is pure.

If in my Father’s love
I share a filial part,
Send down Thy Spirit like a dove,
To rest upon my heart.

We would no longer lie
Like slaves beneath the throne;
My faith shall Abba, Father, cry,
And thou the kindred own.

Behold, what wondrous love and grace!
When we were wretched and undone,
To save our ruined, helpless race,
The Father gave His only Son!
Of twice ten thousand gifts divine,
No gift like this could ever shine.

Jesus, to save us from our fall,
Was made incarnate here below;
This was the greatest gift of all—
Heaven could no greater gift bestow:
On Him alone our sins were laid;
He died, and now the ransom’s paid.

O gift of love unspeakable!
O gift of mercy all divine!
We once were slaves of death and hell,
But now we in His image shine.
For other gifts our songs we raise,
But this demands our highest praise.

Praise shall employ these tongues of ours
Till we, with all the hosts above,
Extol His Name with nobler powers,
Lost in the ocean of His love:
While angel choirs with wonder gaze,
We’ll fill the heavens with shouts of praise.

Blessèd are the sons of God,
They are bought with Christ’s own blood;
They are ransomed from the grave,
Life eternal they shall have:
With them numbered may we be,
Here and in eternity.

They are justified by grace,
They enjoy the Savior’s peace;
All their sins are washed away,
They shall stand in God’s great day;
With them numbered may we be,
Here and in eternity.

They are lights upon the earth,
Children of a heavenly birth;
One with God, with Jesus one;
Glory is in them begun:
With them numbered may we be,
Here and in eternity.

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

Come, let us sing of a wonderful love,
Tender and true, tender and true,
Out of the heart of the Father above,
Streaming to me and to you:
Wonderful love, wonderful love,
Dwells in the heart of the Father above.

Jesus the Savior this Gospel to tell
Joyfully came, joyfully came,
Came with the helpless and hopeless to dwell,
Sharing their sorrow and shame:
Seeking the lost, seeking the lost,
Saving, redeeming at measureless cost.

Jesus is seeking the wanderers yet;
Why do they roam? Why do they roam?
Love only waits to forgive and forget;
Home, weary wanderers, home!
Wonderful love, wonderful love,
Dwells in the heart of the Father above.

Come to my heart, O thou wonderful love!
Come and abide, come and abide,
Lifting my life till it rises above
Envy and falsehood and pride:
Seeking to be, seeking to be,
Lowly and humble, a learner of thee.

Father, loving Father,
Hear Thy children’s call;
With Thy love enfold us,
And protect us all.

From the dawn’s first glimmer,
To the close of day
May we feel Thee near us
On our earthly way.

And from evening prayer time
Through the dark of night,
Let us rest in quietness
Until morn brings light.

Teach our tongues to praise Thee
In the hymns we sing;
Teach our hearts to love Thee
As our voices ring.

I belong to the King; I’m a child of His love,
I shall dwell in His palace so fair,
For He tells of its bliss in yon heaven above,
And His children in splendor shall share.

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I belong to the King; I’m a child of His love,
And he never forsaketh His own.
He will call me some day to His palace above;
I shall dwell by His glorified throne.

I belong to the King, and He loves me I know,
For His mercy and kindness so free
Are unceasingly mine wheresoever I go,
And my Refuge unfailing is He.

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I belong to the King, and His promise is sure:
That we all shall be gathered at last
In His kingdom above, by life’s waters so pure,
When this life with its trials is past.

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A friend I have called Jesus, whose love is strong and true,
And never fails howe’er ’tis tried, no matter what I do;
I’ve sinned against this love of His, but when I knelt to pray,
Confessing all my guilt to Him, the sin clouds rolled away.

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It’s just like Jesus to roll the clouds away,
It’s just like Jesus to keep me day by day,
It’s just like Jesus all along the way,
It’s just like His great love.

Sometimes the clouds of trouble bedim the sky above,
I cannot see my Savior’s face, I doubt His wondrous love;
But He, from Heaven’s mercy seat, beholding my despair,
In pity bursts the clouds between, and shows me He is there.

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When sorrow’s clouds o’ertake me, and break upon my head,
When life seems worse than useless, and I were better dead;
I take my grief to Jesus then, nor do I go in vain,
For heavenly hope He gives that cheers like sunshine after rain.

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O, I could sing forever of Jesus’ love divine,
Of all His care and tenderness for this poor life of mine;
His love is in and over all, and wind and waves obey,
When Jesus whispers “Peace, be still!” and rolls the clouds away.

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O Father, we would thank Thee
For all Thy love has given,
Our present joy of sonship,
Our future joy in Heaven;
The life which sin had blighted
So wondrously restored
By our mysterious union
With Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rich gifts of life and gladness—
A new and heav’nly birth,
Baptismal waters flowing
To cleanse the sons of earth;
The strength in which to follow
The steps that Jesus trod;
And love beyond all knowledge
Which calls us sons of God.

O mercy all abundant
Bestowed on us today!
O hope of future glory
Which fadeth not away!
By God’s great love begotten
To living hope and sure,
May we at Christ’s appearing
Be pure as He is pure.

For all Thy gifts, O Father,
Our hymns of praise arise—
The love which calls us children,
The hope which purifies;
The grace by which we offer
A service glad and free;
The earnest of perfection,
Of fuller life with Thee.

Our Father’s love, so vast and boundless—
His arms of mercy opened wide—
Has sent His Son on earth to save us
Through nail-pierced hands and wounded side.

Lord Jesus Christ, the Cross You’ve taken
Has lifted up and set us free
To live in oneness with each other
In perfect peace and harmony.

Fill me, Lord, with Your Holy Spirit
That I may know and do Your will;
Grant me the grace to trust You daily,
And love within my heart instill.

And at the time when I am dying,
May Jesus come and life restore,
Calling me from my grave to meet Him
To live with Him for evermore.

Tell it to others as onward you go,
Wonderful message of love;
Send it from hearts that with joy overflow,
Wonderful message of love.

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Wonderful message, beautiful message,
Sent by the Father above;
Wonderful message, life giving message,
Marvelous message of love.

Tell how it brightens each step of the way,
Wonderful message of love;
Tell it to those who from God are astray,
Wonderful message of love.

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Sweeter it seems every time it is told,
Wonderful message of love;
Tell it, till safe in the city of gold,
Wonderful message of love.

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Wonderful story of love;
Tell it to me again;
Wonderful story of love;
Wake the immortal strain!
Angels with rapture announce it,
Shepherds with wonder receive it;
Sinner, O won’t you believe it?

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Wonderful story of love,
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Wonderful, wonderful story of love.

Wonderful story of love;
Though you are far away;
Wonderful story of love;
Still He doth call today;
Calling from Calvary’s mountain,
Down from the crystal bright fountain,
E’en from the dawn of creation,

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Wonderful story of love;
Jesus provides a rest;
Wonderful story of love;
For all the pure and blest,
Rest in those mansions above us,
With those who’ve gone on before us,
Singing the rapturous chorus,

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The day is fast approaching when the Savior shall appear,
And every eye His glory shall behold;
The tokens of His coming fill the loyal heart with cheer
Though strife abounds and love is waxing cold.

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We’ll see Him as He is,
And the brightness of His glory we shall share;
We’ll see Him as He is,
And the likeness of His image we shall bear.

In all His Father’s glory, clothed in majesty unveiled,
With myriads of the shining angel band,
The King descends triumphant in Whose might we have prevailed,
And all the ransomed rise at His command.

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Oh, may we all as sons of light be watching unto prayer,
For surely our redemption draweth nigh;
With holy zeal and patient faith, let every soul prepare
To join the advent chorus in the sky.

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And is it so—I shall be like Thy Son?
Is this the grace which He for me has won?
Father of glory (thought beyond all thought!)—
In glory, to His own blest likeness brought!

Oh, Jesus, Lord, who loved me like to Thee?
Fruit of Thy work, with Thee, too, there to see
Thy glory, Lord, while endless ages roll,
Myself the prize and travail of Thy soul.

Yet it must be: Thy love had not its rest
Were Thy redeemed not with Thee fully blest.
That love that gives not as the world, but shares
All it possesses with its loved co-heirs.

Nor I alone; Thy loved ones all, complete
In glory, round Thee there with joy shall meet,
All like Thee, for Thy glory like Thee, Lord,
Object supreme of all, by all adored.

The heart is satisfied; can ask no more
All thought of self is now forever o’er:
Christ, its un-mingled Object, fills the heart
In blest adoring love—the endless part.

Father of mercies, in Thy presence bright
All this shall be unfolded in the light;
Thy children all, with joy Thy counsels know
Fulfilled; patient in hope, while here below.

Sons of God, belovèd in Jesus!
O the wondrous word of grace;
In His Son the Father sees us,
And as sons He gives us place.

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Belovèd, now are we the sons of God,
And it doth not yet appear what we shall be;
But we know that when He shall appear;
We know that when He shall appear,
We shall be like Him, we shall be like Him,
For we shall see Him as He is.

Blessèd hope now brightly beaming,
On our God we soon shall gaze;
And in light celestial gleaming,
We shall see our Savior’s face.

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By the pow’r of grace transforming,
We shall then His image bear;
Christ His promised word performing,
We shall then His glory share.

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As I journey thro’ the land, singing as I go,
Pointing souls to Calvary—to the crimson flow,
Many arrows pierce my soul from without, within;
But my Lord leads me on, thro’ Him I must win.

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O I want to see Him, look upon His face,
There to sing forever of His saving grace;
On the streets of glory let me lift my voice,
Cares all past, home at last, ever to rejoice.

When in service for my Lord dark may be the night,
But I’ll cling more close to Him, He will give me light;
Satan’s snares may vex my soul, turn my tho’ts aside;
But my Lord goes ahead, leads whate’er betide.

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When in valleys low I look tow’rd the mountain height,
And behold my Savior there, leading in the fight,
With a tender hand outstretched tow’rd the valley low,
Guiding me, I can see, as I onward go.

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When before me billows rise form the mighty deep,
Then my Lord directs my bark; He doth safely keep,
And He leads me gently on thro’ this world below;
He’s a real Friend to me, O I love Him so.

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“We shall be like Him,” the Son of God most holy,
“We shall be like Him,” sweet promise of His grace!
Christian, press forward! some bright, some glad tomorrow
“We shall be like Him,” for we shall see His face.

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We shall be like Him, we shall be like Him,
For we shall see Him as He is;
We shall be like Him, we shall be like Him,
For we shall see Him as He is.

“We shall be like Him,” this promise lights the future,
Shedding soft radiance upon our pathway dim.
He who redeemed us, the Lamb once slain on Calv’ry,
Shines now in glory, and we shall be like Him.

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“We shall be like Him,” the glorified Redeemer;
His lovingkindness this added grace bestows!
We shall behold Him no more with clouded vision,
Brighter and brighter to faith the prospect grows.

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