Loved with everlasting love...

'Twas with an everlasting love

that God His own elected embraced,

Before He made the worlds above

or earth in her position placed. 

Long before sun's first brilliant ray

primeral shades of darkness drove,

saints in His arms of purpose lay, 

loved with an everlasting love. 

Then, in His wonderful decrees, 

Christ and His Church appear as one:

Her sin, by imputation, His, 

while she in spotless splendour shone. 

Such love! how high its glories swell, 

how great immutable and free, 

millions of sins, deserving hell, 

where swallowed up, no more to be!

Loved, when a wretched defiled with sin, 

at war with Heaven, in league with hell, 

a slave to every lust obscene,

who living lived but to rebel. 

Believing, here my comfort stand, 

salvation undeserved and free!

Such everlasting love

demands an everlasting song from me. 

John Kent 

1766-1843