42. Unto Bethesda’s Pool

1. Unto Bethesda’s pool,
At times its waters stirring,
An unseen angel came,
The power to hear conferring:
Whoever then would first
Into the pool descend
Could certain be that now
His every ill would end.

2. Five porches there were built,
Where close beside the water,
The blind, the deaf, the halt,
And cripple folk could gather.
There many invalids,
By many ailments bound,
In hope of being healed
Beside the pool were found.

3. Come, let yourselves be healed
From sickness of transgression,
Ye sinners, great and small,
Here only is remission.
Therefore this heav’nly means
Of health and help embrace,
And be immersed within
God’s holy pool of grace.

4. But hasten, do not wait,
For sin your heart will harden;
No balm or remedy
Can help, save Jesus’ pardon.
The Cov’nant Messenger,
To cleanse us by His grace,
As Servant came, that we
Might walk before His face.

5. As Adam ere the Fall,
So in our Lord confiding
We now are one in Him,
No more is sin dividing;
Believing, we are healed,
And then, baptized, are made
Pure, holy, free from sin,
For Christ our debt hath paid.

6. As witness of God’s love,
The Spirit then descendeth,
As unction hallows all
Whom Christ as His commendeth.
But they who have this grace
And then to sin revert
Shall double stripes receive
To their eternal hurt!

7. We bring our prayer to Thee;
O Lord, in mercy hear it,
And now impart to them
Rich measure of Thy Spirit
Who now have entered in
The household of Thy grace;
Keep them from Satan’s yoke,
Grant them in heav’n a place!