One There Is, Above All Others

One there is

ab­ove all oth­ers

Well de­serves the name of friend;

His is love be­yond a bro­ther’s

Costly

free

and knows no end:

They who once His kind­ness prove

Find it ev­er­last­ing love!

Which of all our friends to save us

Could or would have shed their blood?

But our Je­sus died to have us

Reconciled

in Him to God:

This was bound­less love in­deed!

Jesus is a friend in need.

Men

when raised to lof­ty sta­tions

Often know their friends no more;

Slight and scorn their poor re­la­tions

Though they val­ued them be­fore.

But our Sav­ior al­ways owns

Those whom He re­deemed with groans.

When He lived on earth ab­as­èd

Friend of sin­ners was His name;

Now

above all glo­ry rais­èd

He re­joic­es in the same:

Still He calls them breth­ren

friends

And to all their wants at­tends.

Could we bear from one ano­ther

What He dai­ly bears from us?

Yet this glo­ri­ous friend and bro­ther

Loves us though we treat Him thus:

Though for good we ren­der ill

He ac­counts us breth­ren still.

O for grace our hearts to soft­en!

Teach us

Lord

at length to love;

We

alas! for­get too oft­en

What a friend we have ab­ove:

But when home our souls are brought

We will love Thee as we ought.