Monday, June 23, 2008

How Sweet and Awful is The Place

I'm loving meditating on this hymn. It has been in my head since T4G. Does anyone know of anywhere to get a recording of it?

1. How sweet and awful is the place
With Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays
The choicest of her stores.

2. While all our hearts and all our songs
Join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry, with thankful tongues,
"Lord, why was I a guest?"

3. "Why was I made to hear Thy voice,
And enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?"

4. 'Twas the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly drew us in;
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin.

5. Pity the nations, O our God,
Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.

6. We long to see Thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May, with one voice and heart and soul,
Sing Thy redeeming grace.

Isaac Watts

8 comments:

Aaron said...

Justin,

Check out the link here, http://www.igracemusic.com/hymnbook/hymns/h05.html
It's a PCA site, I don't think it's the same tune as what Kauflin used at T4G, but the words are the same.

Blessings,

Aaron

Anonymous said...

That is the only one I found too.

Justin Nale said...

Our Presbyterian and Reformed Baptist friends have been singing that song for years out of the Trinity Hymnal. Great Commision Publications (which is the publisher of the Trinity Hymnal), also produces audio recordings of many of their hymns. Whether "How Sweet and Awful" is included on one, I do not know, but you could search the web or call them and find out.

I love the hymn, but I always try to explain the word "awful" to our congregation before we sing it.

Unknown said...

Try this link.
You can download the mp3 as well as the lead sheet.

BoldLion said...

What a beautiful song! I never had heard or read that song before. Thank you for sharing this on your blog, Justin!

Hungry to eat His Word,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion

pastor justin said...

Jason,
Great link. I like the lyrics they added but really want a recording with the original words.

Unknown said...

Did you check out the link Aaron listed? I think those are the original words there. At that link, you can find several helpful resources for that song. Including, the lyrics in text form, lead sheet, chord chart, demo mp3, etc...

pastor justin said...

Yes, I found the igrace link before. They have a "demo mp3" with 2 verses.

I guess there is no full recording of the whole hymn. That surprises me.