How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds is a hymn by the evangelical Anglican cleric John Newton. It was published in Olney Hymns in 1779.[1] Of a metaphorical nature, it focuses on the power of the name of Jesus.[2] It is often sung to the tune of Saint Peter by Alexander Reinagle and less frequently to Ortonville by Thomas Hastings.[3] A modern alternative tune is Rachel by Chris Bowater.[4]

Text

1 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
in a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds,
and drives away his fear.

2 It makes the wounded spirit whole
and calms the troubled breast;
'tis manna to the hungry soul,
and to the weary, rest.

3 Dear Name! the Rock on which I build;
my shield and hiding-place;
My never-failing treasury, fill'd
with boundless stores of grace,

4 By Thee my prayers acceptance gain,
although with sin defil'd;
Satan accuses me in vain,
and I am own'd a child.

5 Jesus, my Savior, Shepherd, Friend,
my Prophet, Priest, and King,
my Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
accept the praise I bring.

6 Weak is the effort of my heart,
and cold my warmest thought;
but when I see Thee as Thou art,
I'll praise Thee as I ought,

7 Till then I would Thy love proclaim
with every fleeting breath;
and may the music of Thy name
refresh my soul in death.

References
  1. Newton, John (1779). Olney Hymns: In Three Parts (3rd ed.). London, Edinburgh and New York: T Nelson and Sons. p. 73.
  2. Marshall, Madeleine Forell (1995). Common Hymnsense. Chicago, Illinois: GIA Publications. p. 84. ISBN 9780941050692.
  3. https://hymnary.org/text/how_sweet_the_name_of_jesus_sounds_in_a
  4. https://hymnary.org/tune/rachel_bowater
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