The Cyber Hymnal 14157. Sweet was the hour, O Lord, to Thee

The Cyber Hymnal‎#14157

1 Sweet was the hour, O Lord, to Thee,
At Sychar’s lonely well,
When that poor outcast heard Thee there
Thy great salvation tell.

2 Thither she came; but O, her heart
All filled with earthly care,
Dreamed not of Thee, nor thought to find
The Hope of Israel there.

3 Lord! ’twas Thy power unseen that drew
The stray one to that place,
In solitude to learn from Thee
The secrets of Thy grace.

4 There Jacob’s erring daughter found
Those streams unknown before,
The water brooks of life that make
The weary thirst no more.

5 And Lord, to us, as vile as she,
Thy gracious lips have told
That mystery of love revealed
At Jacob’s well of old.

6 In spirit, Lord, we’ve sat with Thee
Beside the springing well
Of life and peace—and heard Thee there
Its healing virtues tell.

7 Dead to the world, we dream no more
Of earthly pleasures now;
Our deep, divine unfailing spring
Of grace and glory Thou!

8 No hope of rest in aught beside,
No beauty, Lord, we see;
And, like Samaria’s daughter, seek,
And find our all in Thee.

Text Information
First Line:	Sweet was the hour, O Lord, to Thee
Title:	The Well of Sychar
Author:	Edward Denny
Meter:	CM
Language:	English
Source:	Hymns and Poems (London: James Nisbet, 1849)
Copyright:	Public Domain
Notes:	Alternate tunes: BELMONT by William Gardiner, BISHOPTHORPE by Jeremiah Clarke, BOARDMAN variously attributed to Charles Jeffereys or L. Devereux; A well of water in Scripture is the symbol of grace; and our blessed Lord, by the very same well which was given by Jacob of old to Joseph his son, may be viewed as the true Joseph, with His branches indeed running over the wall, namely, His love going forth, beyond the bounds of that people to whom alone he was sent…to bless, not only this poor Samaritan woman, but all in like manner, whose souls are, like hers, athirst for the water of life. Edward Denny