The triumph of faith; or, Christ's unchangeable love,

Isaac Watts · 1707

Catalog grade guidance: 3–5 — Watts hymn chosen for school recitation; some archaic pronouns.

27 content lines · 175 words · Est. recitation about 1 min 43 sec (approx.)

Public-domain text for reading and recitation practice. Source: Project Gutenberg #13341.Estimated time uses ~120 words/minute plus short pauses—not a contest rule.

Hymn 1:14.
The triumph of faith; or, Christ's unchangeable love,
Rom. 8. 33 &c.

1 Who shall the Lord's elect condemn?
'Tis God that justifies their souls,
And mercy like a mighty stream
O'er all their sins divinely rolls.


2 Who shall adjudge the saints to hell?
'Tis Christ that suffer'd in their stead,
And the salvation to fulfil,
Behold him rising from the dead.

3 He lives, he lives, and sits above,
For ever interceding there:
Who shall divide us from his love?
Or what should tempt us to despair?

4 Shall persecution, or distress,
Famine, or sword, or nakedness?
He that hath lov'd us bears us thro',
And makes us more than conquerors too.

5 Faith hath an overcoming power,
It triumphs in the dying hour;
Christ is our life, our joy, our hope,
Nor can we sink with such a prop.

6 Not all that men on earth can do,
Nor powers on high, nor powers below,
Shall cause his mercy to remove,
Or wean our hearts from Christ our love.