We Were Pharaoh’s Bondmen

I

Beneath the tyrant Satan’s yoke
  Our souls were long opprest,
Till grace our galling fetters broke,
  And gave the weary rest.

II

Jesus, in that important hour,
  His mighty arm made known;
He ransom’d us by price and power,
  And claim’d us for his own.

III

Now, freed from bondage, sin, and death,
  We walk in wisdom’s ways;
And wish to spend our every breath
  In wonder, love, and praise.

IV

Ere long, we hope with Him to dwell
  In yonder world above;
And now we only live to tell
  The riches of his love.

V

O might we, ere we hence remove,
  Prevail upon our youth
To seek, that they may likewise prove
  His mercy and his truth!

VI

Like Simeon, we shall gladly go,
  When Jesus calls us home;
If they are left a seed below,
  To serve him in our room.

VII

Lord, hear our prayer, indulge our hope.
  On these thy Spirit pour,
That they may take our story up,
  When we can speak no more.