How Sweet and Awful Is The Place Lyrics
(also called How Sweet and Awesome Is The Place)
- Verse 1
- How sweet and awful is the place
- With Christ within the doors,
- While everlasting love displays
- The choicest of her stores!
- Verse 2
- Here every kindness of our God
- With soft compassion rolls;
- Here peace and pardon bought with blood
- Is food for dying souls.
- Verse 3
- 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?
- Verse 4
- “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?”
- Verse 5
- ‘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.
- Verse 6
- Pity the nations, O our God!
- Constrain the earth to come;
- Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
- And bring the strangers home.
- Verse 7
- We long to see Thy churches full,
- That all the chosen race
- May with one voice, and heart and soul,
- Sing Thy redeeming grace.
Hymn Information
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | How Sweet and Awful is the Place |
| Author / Lyricist | Isaac Watts (1674–1748) |
| Composer / Tune | Traditional adaptation; commonly paired with “St. Thomas” tune |
| Date Written / Published | Early 18th century |
| Historical Context | Written in England; reflects awe and devotion in the presence of God. |
| Theme / Message | Reverence and delight in communion with God. |
| Notable Features | Meditative, poetic language; suitable for worship and personal devotion. |
| Cultural / Religious Impact | Found in Reformed and Anglican hymnals; used in contemplative worship. |
| Source / Scholarship | Isaac Watts: His Life and Writings – John Brown |
Hymn Similarities and Biblical Scholar Analysis of This Hymn:
| Scholar | View / Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Isaac Watts, English Hymn Writer, 1674–1748 | The hymn conveys the tension between awe and delight in God’s presence, which Watts often explored. Its imagery inspires reverent contemplation. |
| John Julian, Author, A Dictionary of Hymnology, 1829–1913 | Julian points out the hymn’s use in devotional literature. The lyrical composition supports reflective meditation. |
| Charles Wesley, Anglican Hymn Writer, 1707–1788 | Wesley illustrates the hymn’s depiction of heavenly awe and divine majesty. Its verses guide worshippers in thoughtful reverence. |
| John Newton, Anglican Clergyman & Hymn Writer, 1725–1807 | Newton demonstrates how the hymn encourages believers to approach God with humility. Its poetic structure reinforces meditative engagement. |
| Folliott S. Pierpoint, Anglican Hymn Writer, 1835–1917 | Pierpoint acknowledges its melodic clarity and doctrinal depth. The hymn cultivates an emotional and reflective worship experience. |
| William Rees (Hyfrydol), Welsh Hymn Writer, 1803–1883 | Rees points out its suitability for both personal devotion and congregational singing. Its evocative imagery fosters reverent attention. |
| Philip P. Bliss, American Composer & Evangelist, 1838–1876 | Bliss illustrates the hymn’s stirring effect on worshippers. Its lyrical and melodic qualities encourage spiritual contemplation. |
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