1
Olives that have known no pressure
No oil can bestow;
If the grapes escape the winepress,
Cheering wine can never flow;
Spikenard only through the crushing,
Fragrance can diffuse.
Shall I then, Lord, shrink from suff'ring
Which Thy love for me would choose?
No oil can bestow;
If the grapes escape the winepress,
Cheering wine can never flow;
Spikenard only through the crushing,
Fragrance can diffuse.
Shall I then, Lord, shrink from suff'ring
Which Thy love for me would choose?
DO
lives that have known no
Gpres
sure DNo
oil can bes
Atow;
DIf
the
D7grapes
escape the
Gwine
press, DCheer
ing wine can
A7nev
er
Dflow;
Spikenard only through the
Gcrush
ing, DFra
grance can dif
Afuse.
DShall
I
D7then,
Lord, shrink from
Gsuf
f'ring DWhich
Thy love for
A7me
would
Dchoose?
Each blow I suffer
Is true gain to me.
In the place of what Thou takest
Thou dost give Thyself to me.
Is true gain to me.
In the place of what Thou takest
Thou dost give Thyself to me.
GEach
blow I
Dsuf
fer Is true gain to
Ame.
DIn
the
D7place
of what Thou
Gtak
est DThou
dost give Thy
A7self
to
Dme.
2
Do my heart-strings need Thy stretching,
Songs divine to prove?
Do I need for sweetest music
Cruel treatment of Thy love?
Lord, I fear no deprivation
If it draws to Thee;
I would yield in full surrender
All Thy heart of love to see.
Songs divine to prove?
Do I need for sweetest music
Cruel treatment of Thy love?
Lord, I fear no deprivation
If it draws to Thee;
I would yield in full surrender
All Thy heart of love to see.
Do my heart-strings need Thy stretching,
Songs divine to prove?
Do I need for sweetest music
Cruel treatment of Thy love?
Lord, I fear no deprivation
If it draws to Thee;
I would yield in full surrender
All Thy heart of love to see.
Songs divine to prove?
Do I need for sweetest music
Cruel treatment of Thy love?
Lord, I fear no deprivation
If it draws to Thee;
I would yield in full surrender
All Thy heart of love to see.
3
I'm ashamed, my Lord, for seeking
Self to guard alway;
Though Thy love has done its stripping,
Yet I've been compelled this way.
Lord, according to Thy pleasure
Fully work on me;
Heeding not my human feelings,
Only do what pleases Thee.
Self to guard alway;
Though Thy love has done its stripping,
Yet I've been compelled this way.
Lord, according to Thy pleasure
Fully work on me;
Heeding not my human feelings,
Only do what pleases Thee.
I'm ashamed, my Lord, for seeking
Self to guard alway;
Though Thy love has done its stripping,
Yet I've been compelled this way.
Lord, according to Thy pleasure
Fully work on me;
Heeding not my human feelings,
Only do what pleases Thee.
Self to guard alway;
Though Thy love has done its stripping,
Yet I've been compelled this way.
Lord, according to Thy pleasure
Fully work on me;
Heeding not my human feelings,
Only do what pleases Thee.
4
If Thy mind and mine should differ,
Still pursue Thy way;
If Thy pleasure means my sorrow,
Still my heart shall answer, "Yea!"
'Tis my deep desire to please Thee,
Though I suffer loss;
E'en though Thy delight and glory
Mean that I endure the cross.
Still pursue Thy way;
If Thy pleasure means my sorrow,
Still my heart shall answer, "Yea!"
'Tis my deep desire to please Thee,
Though I suffer loss;
E'en though Thy delight and glory
Mean that I endure the cross.
If Thy mind and mine should differ,
Still pursue Thy way;
If Thy pleasure means my sorrow,
Still my heart shall answer, "Yea!"
'Tis my deep desire to please Thee,
Though I suffer loss;
E'en though Thy delight and glory
Mean that I endure the cross.
Still pursue Thy way;
If Thy pleasure means my sorrow,
Still my heart shall answer, "Yea!"
'Tis my deep desire to please Thee,
Though I suffer loss;
E'en though Thy delight and glory
Mean that I endure the cross.
5
Oh, I'll praise Thee, e'en if weeping
Mingle with my song.
Thine increasing sweetness calls forth
Grateful praises all day long.
Thou hast made Thyself more precious
Than all else to me:
Thou increase and I decrease, Lord—
This is now my only plea.
Mingle with my song.
Thine increasing sweetness calls forth
Grateful praises all day long.
Thou hast made Thyself more precious
Than all else to me:
Thou increase and I decrease, Lord—
This is now my only plea.
Oh, I'll praise Thee, e'en if weeping
Mingle with my song.
Thine increasing sweetness calls forth
Grateful praises all day long.
Thou hast made Thyself more precious
Than all else to me:
Thou increase and I decrease, Lord—
This is now my only plea.
Mingle with my song.
Thine increasing sweetness calls forth
Grateful praises all day long.
Thou hast made Thyself more precious
Than all else to me:
Thou increase and I decrease, Lord—
This is now my only plea.
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Manila, Philippines
"Thou hast made Thyself more precious than all else to me: Thou increase and I decrease, Lord - this is now my only plea." Be more precious to me...Do increase!
"In the place of what Thou takest Thou dost give Thyself to me." This line is so wonderful. He takes away but in return He gives us something more precious - Himself.
Sydney, NSW, Australia
The writer of this hymn portrays the crucified life in a most subjective way, without a hint of self-pity or introspection. The flavour of its utterance bespeaks the deeply wrought dealings of the cross to a degree that matches the Lord's heart for us to be conformed to His death in every single way. This hymn is not a dirge, but a detailed experiential exposition of the Christian life under the cross to a degree where the tone of the last verse is that of heartfelt praise and even boasting in the hope of fully expressing Christ. To enter into the sentiment of this hymn requires a full departure from and denial of the self, to the extent where our only interest is that Christ would be fully increased in us in every way, for the ministry.