Loving the Lord with the First Love

Lord

I love Thee with the first love

For Thou hast first lovèd me.

E’en before the world’s foundation

Thou didst set Thy love on me.

’Twas in love that God the Father

Chose me to become a part

Of that holy

spotless Beauty

Thine own yearned-for counterpart.

Lord

I love Thee with the first love:

Thou hast proved Thy love for me.

I was dead in sins

offenses

Yet Thou hung upon the tree

Bore my sins in Thine own body

That I’d live to righteousness.

Made sin for me

that I might be

Made in Thee God’s righteousness!

Lord

I love Thee with the first love

For Thou didst not save Thyself.

E’en to death I’d love Thee best

Lord

Hating my soul-life

myself.

Thou laidst down Thy human life that

I may have Thy life divine.

Thy side piercèd and Thy blood shed

To graft me to Thee

the vine.

Lord

I love Thee with the first love

For Thy love constraineth me.

To myself I’d live no longer;

Lord

I’d live and die to Thee.

Thou didst give Thyself up for me;

I now let Thee live for me.

’Tis no longer I that liveth

But Thou

Christ

who lives in me.

Lord

I love Thee with the first love:

For Thou art preeminent;

The Firstborn of all creation

And the Firstborn from the dead.

Thou alone must have the first place

In all things

O dearest King;

In my heart I now enthrone Thee;

Reign in me in everything.

Lord

I love Thee with the first love.

To the first works I return.

I repent of fleshly labors;

In

by

for myself they were.

Motivated by the first love

Lab’ring to adorn Thy bride:

Purest gold

pearl

stones most precious

That Thy heart be satisfied.

Lord

I love Thee with the first love.

For my fair Bridegroom Thou art.

On Thy glorious face I’m gazing

With the eyes of unveiled heart.

Oh! to see Thee as Thou art

Lord

Shining forth in majesty!

Seeing Thee

I shall be like Thee;

One in life and love we’ll be.