HYMN II               8,8,8,8
CAIN and ABEL. Gen iv. 3—8
by John Newton (1725-1807)

hen Adam fell he quickly lost
God’s image, which he once possessed:
See All our nature since could boast
In Cain, his first-born Son, expressed!

The sacrifice the Lord ordained
In type of the Redeemer’s blood,
Self–righteous reas’ning Cain disdained,
And thought his own first-fruits as good.

Yet rage and envy filled his mind,
When, with a fallen, downcast look,
He saw his brother favor find,
Who God’s appointed method took.

By Cain’s own hand, good Abel died,
Because the Lord approved his faith;
And, when his blood for vengeance cried,
He vainly thought to hide his death.

Such was the wicked murd’rer Cain,
And such by nature still are we,
Until by grace we’re born again,
Malicious, blind and proud, as he.

Like him the way of grace we slight,
And in our own devices trust;
Call evil good, and darkness light,
And hate and persecute the just.

The saints, in every age and place,
Have found this history fulfilled;
The numbers all our thoughts surpass
Of Abels, whom the Cains have killed!

Thus Jesus fell—but O! his blood
Far better things than Abel’s cries:
Obtains his murd’rers peace with God,
And gains them mansions in the skies.

From Olney Hymns. Book I: On select Passages of Scripture.

salme 80 (Geneva Bible)
To him that excelleth on Shoshannim Eduth. A Psalme committed to Asaph.

1 Heare, O thou Shepheard of Israel, thou that leadest Ioseph like sheepe: shewe thy brightnes, thou that sittest betweene the Cherubims.
2 Before Ephraim and Beniamin and Manasseh stirre vp thy strength, and come to helpe vs.
3 Turne vs againe, O God, and cause thy face to shine that we may be saued.
4 O Lord God of hostes, how long wilt thou be angrie against the prayer of thy people?
5 Thou hast fedde them with the bread of teares, and giuen them teares to drinke with great measure.
6 Thou hast made vs a strife vnto our neighbours, and our enemies laugh at vs among themselues.
7 Turne vs againe, O God of hostes: cause thy face to shine, and we shalbe saued.
8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9 Thou madest roume for it, and didest cause it to take roote, and it filled the land.
10 The mountaines were couered with the shadowe of it, and the boughes thereof were like the goodly cedars.
11 Shee stretched out her branches vnto the Sea, and her boughes vnto the Riuer.
12 Why hast thou then broken downe her hedges, so that all they, which passe by the way, haue plucked her?
13 The wilde bore out of the wood hath destroyed it, and the wilde beastes of the fielde haue eaten it vp.
14 Returne we beseech thee, O God of hostes: looke downe from heauen and beholde and visite this vine,
15 And the vineyard, that thy right hand hath planted, and the young vine, which thou madest strong for thy selfe.
16 It is burnt with fire and cut downe: and they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17 Let thine hande be vpon the man of thy right hande, and vpon the sonne of man, whome thou madest strong for thine owne selfe.
18 So will not we goe backe from thee: reuiue thou vs, and we shall call vpon thy Name.
19 Turne vs againe, O Lord God of hostes: cause thy face to shine and we shalbe saued.

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