God’s Eternal, Holy Law

GOD’S ETERNAL, HOLY LAW

by John Peter Bodner

1 God’s eternal, holy Law
Saint and sinner, hear with awe:
Ten Commandments God alone
With His finger wrote in stone.

2 What doth He require of thee?
Love to God , and charity
To thy neigbbour , this with all
Heart, and strength, and mind and soul.

3 Of His likeness now bereft,
In thy sinful heart is left
Witness of His Law to find
In thy conscience and thy mind.

4 Now revealed before thee stands
In the Scriptures Ten Commands;
Hear with trembling fear and dread:
"GOD spake all these words and said"

I

5 "I the LORD thy God am He
Who from bondage set Thee free:
Other gods are vanity-
Thou shalt worship none but Me!"

II

6 "Graven images but take
From my glory; do not make
Form or likeness unto thee,
From the heaven or earth or sea:

7 "Unto such thou shalt not bow,
Pray nor give thy service low:
Jealous is my Name, the LORD
All will-worship shall reward.

8 "Generations three and four,
Shall endure My judgments sore,
For the vile iniquity
That their fathers do to Me."

9 " Yet My mercies shall be for
Thousand generations more
Of them all who keep My Law
And shall love My Name with awe."

III

10 "Thou shalt not with lips profane
Take My Holy Name in vain:
For I shall not guiltless hold
Brasen blasphemers or bold.

IV

11 "Holy keep the Sabbath Day,
And remember then to pay,
Praise and thanks in worship true
To My Name, the glory due.

12 "Six days thou shalt toil with zest,
One in seven, shalt thou rest,
Thou, thou house and family,
From all care and work set free.

13 "For in six days heaven so great,
Earth and seas did I create.
With their fullness, then I ceased
On the seventh, to rest in peace.

14 "Therefore one in seven days
Have I hallowed for My praise;
On the Sabbath Day I blessed,
Thou shalt worship and shalt rest!"

V

15 "Honour to thy father give,
And thy mother, that to live
Long upon the earth thou may
Know my blessing every day."

VI

16 "In Mine image thou art still:
Do no murder, do not kill –
And of hate in hand or heart
To thy neighbour have no part.

VII

17 "Lust and low adultery,
These abominations be:
These do not commit, but flee:
Keep thy heart in purity."

VIII

18 I command :"Thou shalt not steal" ,
Treacherouly thou shalt not deal
With thy neighbour’s goods but seek
Mercy for the poor and weak.

IX

19 "Witness false thou shalt not bear
To thy neighbour" but have care
His good name and truth to guard,
In thine oath and every word.

X

20 " Covet not: thy neighbour’s wife,
Ox, nor ass": his place in life
In my wisdom I ordained.
True contentment is thy gain.

21 By this holy Law begins
All the knowledge of our sins:
Labouring ‘neath its guilt and curse,
For God’s righteousness we thirst.

22 God’s schoolmaster makes us see
Faith in Christ alone our plea:
Cursed upon the Tree of shame,
Christ our Righteousness became.

23 Faith in Jesu’s precious Blood
Justifies, brings peace with God:
Thus the Law fulfilled is o’er
In its hell-condemning power.

24 Yet we have a yoke of rest
Under this same Law to Christ:
Who our matchless King of peace
Rules us by the Law in grace.

25 By His Holy Spirit led,
Unto sin we now are dead;
Now alive in Christ we joy
All His precepts to obey.

26 In the Spirit we fulfill
All the Law’s most holy will:
Jesu’s Blood will cleanse from sin
O’er the flesh the Spirit win.

27 True believers, God in you
Worketh both to will and do:
Trust the Saviour then, obey
All His precepts, watch and pray.

28 Weary sinner, flee to Christ!
His own Blood has paid the price
For all sins against the Law:
Turn and trust Him, joy with awe!

29 "Holy am I: Holy be!"
High the call of God we see:
Lord, this prayer we raise to Thee:
"Grant Thy Law most graciously!"

30 Without holiness to Thee,
None Thy face shall ever see
Christ is made our holiness:
With Thee let us rest in bliss!

31` "Holy, holy holy" sings
All creation to their King:
All earth’s fullness, sea and sky,
Now Jehovah magnify!

32 To our God, the Three in One,
Father, Holy Spirit, Son
Bring we praise eternally,
God Most Holy Trinity!

JOHN PETER BODNER
Mississauga, Canada. jbodner@aei.net
1 OCTOBER, 2002.

7.7.7.7. / 7.7.7.7D
Tune: Aberystwyth