O solemn hour! O hour alone

1
O solemn hour! O hour alone,
  In solitary night,
When God the Father's only Son,
As Man, for sinners lost, undone,
  Expires—amazing sight!
The Lord of glory crucified!
The Lord of Life has bled and died!
2
O mystery of mysteries!
  Of life and death the tree!
Center of two eternities,
Which look with rapt, adoring eyes,
  Onward, and back to Thee'
O cross of Christ, where all His pain
And death is our eternal gain.
3
O how our inmost hearts do move,
  While gazing on that cross!
The death of the incarnate Love!
What shame, what grief, what joy we prove,
  That He should die for us!
Our hearts were broken by that cry,
"Eli, lama sabachthani!"
4
Worthy of death, O Lord, we were;
  That vengeance was our due;
In grace Thou, spotless Lamb, didst bear
Thyself our sins, and guilt, and fear;
  Justice our Surety slew.
With Thee, our Surety, we have died;
With Thee, we there were crucified.
5
Quickened with Thee with life divine,
  Raised with Thee from the dead;
Thine Own, now human and divine,
Shall with Thee in Thy glories shine,
  The Church's living Head!
We, who were worthy but to die,
Now with Thee, "Abba Father," cry.
2
Edna Leung

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Indeed a nugget esp. in stanza 5. Searched in the Brethen archives online and did not see stanza 5 there. In the Little Flock hymnal stanza 5 was added (captured below) but appreciate the further improvement in the Hymnal.net version. We are made human and divine - this is the mystery of mysteries!

"Quickened with Him with life divine,

Raised with Him from the dead;

His own, and all His own are Thine,

Shall with Him in His glories shine,

His church's living Head!

We, who were worthy but to die,

Now with Him, "Abba, Father," cry."


Daniel

Worcester, MA, United States

What a redemption wrought by our Savior and Leader! He's the Tree of Life that died on the cross of wood and not only there alone but we were there too. Br. James touches God's economy with stanza 5 concerning our status in the Lord's resurrection by the "big" birth; our becoming God-men, both human and divine! How marvelous to find such nuggets of gold in the hymns!