Come, sinners, to the gospel feast;

O, do no longer stay;

Let every soul be Jesus’ guest,

O, do no longer stay away!

CHORUS.

O, do no longer stay away,

For now your Saviour calls,

And the gospel sounds the jubilee;

O, do no longer stay away.

2 Hark! ’tis the Saviour’s gracious call,

The invitation is to all;

Come, all the world—come, sinner, thou—

All things in Christ are ready now.

3 Come, all you souls by sin oppressed,

You weary wanderers after rest;

You poor and maimed, and halt and blind,

In Christ a hearty welcome find.

4 The message, as from God, receive—

You all may come to Christ and live;

O let his love your hearts constrain,

Nor suffer him to call in vain.

5 This is the time—no more delay;

The Saviour calls you all to-day:

O may his call effectual prove!

Accept the offers of his love!

Let every mortal ear attend,

And every heart rejoice;

The trumpet of the gospel sounds

With an inviting voice:

2 Ho! all you hungry, starving souls,

Who feed upon the wind,

And vainly strive with earthly toys

To fill an empty mind.

How free and boundless is the grace

Of our redeeming God!

Extending to the Greek and Jew,

And men of every blood.

2 Come, all you wretched sinners, come,

He’ll form your souls anew;

His gospel and his heart have room

For rebels such as you.

3 His doctrine is almighty love;

There’s virtue in his name

To turn a raven to a dove,

A lion to a lamb.

Return, O wanderer, now return,

And seek thy Father’s face;

Those new desires which in thee burn

Were kindled by his grace.

2 Return, O wanderer, now return!

He hears thy humble sigh!

He sees thy softened spirit mourn,

When no one else is nigh.

3 Return, O wanderer, now return!

Thy Saviour bids thee live;

Go to his feet, and grateful learn

How freely he’ll forgive.

4 Return, O wanderer, now return!

And wipe the falling tear;

Thy Father calls—no longer mourn,

’Tis love invites thee near.

The Saviour calls; let every ear

Attend the heavenly sound;

Ye doubting souls, dismiss your fear;

Hope smiles reviving round.

2 For every thirsty, longing heart,

Here streams of bounty flow,

And life, and health, and bliss impart,

To banish mortal woe.

3 Ye sinners, come; ’tis mercy’s voice;

That gracious voice obey;

’Tis Jesus calls to heavenly joys;

And can you yet delay?

O what amazing words of grace

Are in the gospel found,

Suited to every sinner’s case

Who hears the joyful sound!

2 Come, then, with all your wants and wounds

Your every burden bring;

Here love, unchanging love, abounds—

A deep celestial spring.

3 This spring with living water flows,

And heavenly joy imparts;

Come, thirsty souls! your wants disclose,

And drink with thankful hearts.

4 Millions of sinners, vile as you,

Have here found life and peace;

Come then, and prove its virtues too,

And drink, adore, and bless.

Come, humble sinner, in whose breast

A thousand thoughts revolve;

Come, with your guilt and fear oppressed,

And make this last resolve:

2 I’ll go to Jesus, though my sin

Has like a mountain rose;

His kingdom now I’ll enter in,

Whatever may oppose.

3 Humbly I’ll bow at his command,

And there my guilt confess;

I’ll own I am a wretch undone,

Without his sovereign grace.

Come to the ark, come to the ark;

To Jesus come away;

The pestilence walks forth by night,

The arrow flies by day.

2 Come to the ark; the waters rise,

The seas their billows rear:

While darkness gathers o’er the skies,

Behold a refuge near!

3 Come to the ark, all, all that weep

Beneath the sense of sin:

Without, deep calleth unto deep,

But all is peace within.

4 Come to the ark, ere yet the flood

Your lingering steps oppose;

Come, for the door, which open stood,

Is now about to close.

Ye wretched, hungry, starving poor,

Behold a royal feast,

Where mercy spreads her bounteous store

For every humble guest.

2 See, Jesus stands with open arms;

He calls, he bids you come;

Guilt holds you back, and fear alarms,

But see, there yet is room,

The King of heaven his table spreads,

And dainties crown the board;

Not paradise, with all its joys,

Could such delights afford.

2 Pardon and peace to dying men,

And endless life are given,

Through the rich blood that Jesus shed,

To raise our souls to heaven.

3 You hungry poor, that long have strayed

In sin’s dark mazes, come;

Come from your most obscure retreat,

And grace shall find you room.

4 Millions of souls in glory now

Were fed and feasted here;

And millions more still on the way

Around the board appear.

Jesus, thy blessings are not few,

Nor is thy gospel weak;

Thy grace can melt the stubborn Jew,

And heal the dying Greek.

2 Wide as the reach of Satan’s rage

Doth thy salvation flow;

’Tis not confined to sex nor age,

The lofty nor the low.

3 While grace is offered to the prince,

The poor may take his share;

No mortal has a just pretense

To perish in despair.

4 Come, all ye wretched sinners, come,

He’ll form your souls anew;

His gospel and his heart have room

For rebels such as you.

5 His doctrine is almighty love;

There’s virtue in his name

To turn the raven to a dove,

The lion to a lamb.

Return, O wanderer, to thy home,

Thy Father calls for thee;

No longer now an exile roam,

In guilt and misery:

Return, return!

Now is th’ accepted time,

Now is the day of grace;

Now, sinners, come, without delay,

And seek the Saviour’s face.

2 Now is th’ accepted time,

The Saviour calls to-day;

To-morrow it may be too late—

Then why should you delay?

3 Now is th’ accepted time,

The gospel bids you come;

And every promise in his word

Declares there yet is room.

Now is the day of grace;

Now to the Saviour come;

The Lord is calling, “Seek my face,

And I will guide you home.”

2 The Father bids you speed;

O, wherefore then delay?

He calls in love; he sees your need;

He bids you come to-day.

Give to the Lord thine heart;

In him all pleasures meet:

O, come and choose the better part,

Low at the Saviour’s feet.

2 Hear, and your soul shall live;

His peace shall be your stay—

Peace, which the world can never give,

Can never take away.

And will the Judge descend?

And must the dead arise?

And not a single soul escape

His all-discerning eyes?

2 How will my heart endure

The terrors of that day,

When earth and heaven before his face,

Astonished, shrink away?

3 But ere the trumpet shakes

The mansions of the dead;

Hark! from the Gospel’s cheering sound,

What joyful tidings spread.

4 Ye sinners! seek his grace,

Whose wrath you can not bear;

Flee to the shelter of his cross,

And find salvation there.

5 Come! take his offers now,

From every sin depart,

Perform thy oft-repeated vow,

And render him thy heart.

Ye trembling captives! hear;

The gospel-trumpet sounds;

No music more can charm the ear,

Or heal your heart-felt wounds.

2 ’Tis not the trump of war,

Nor Sinai’s awful roar;

Salvation’s news it spreads afar,

And vengeance is no more.

3 Forgiveness, love, and peace,

Glad heaven aloud proclaims;

And earth, the jubilee’s release,

With eager rapture claims.

4 Far, far to distant lands

The saving news shall spread;

And Jesus all his willing bands

In glorious triumph lead.

To-morrow, Lord! is thine,

Lodged in thy sovereign hand;

And if its sun arise and shine,

It shines by thy command.

2 The present moment flies,

And bears our life away;

O, make thy servants truly wise,

That they may live to-day.

3 Since on this fleeting hour

Eternity is hung,

Awake, by thine almighty power,

The agÉd and the young.

From the cross, uplifted high,

Where the Saviour deigns to die,

What melodious sounds we hear,

Bursting on the ravished ear!

“Love’s redeeming work is done;

Come and welcome, sinner, come.

2 “Sprinkled now with blood the throne,

Why beneath thy burdens groan?

On my piercÉd body laid,

Justice owns the ransom paid;

Bow the knee, embrace the Son;

Come and welcome, sinner, come.

3 “Spread for thee the festal board,

See with richest dainties stored;

To thy Father’s bosom pressed,

Yet again a child confessed,

Never from his house to roam—

Come and welcome, sinner, come.

4 “Soon the days of life shall end;

Lo! I come, your Saviour, Friend,

Safe your spirits to convey

To the realms of endless day,

Up to my eternal home;

Come and welcome, sinner, come.”