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Who now will hear our gospel,
In faithfulness proclaimed--
The everlasting gospel
By God himself ordained--
The gospel of the prophets,
Which holy angels sung,
And Christ and the apostles
Pronounced with flaming tongue.
We preach no vengeful gospel
Replete with wrath and gloom--
No wrath of God to sinners
That seals their hopeless doom,
No wrath of warring peoples,
No wrath of deadly laws,
No wrath that deals destruction
On man for any cause.
We preach the holy gospel
Which publishes good news,
And scatters joyful tidings,
Like heaven's benignant dews,
All o'er this sinful planet
For every suffering soul
That needs a loving helper
To counsel or console.
This is a blessed gospel
Proclaiming love and peace--
The love of God all-prefect
That ne'er to man shall cease--
The love which human brothers
To one another owe,
That never harm doth render
To stranger, friend, or foe.
It makes God's justice gracious,
And all his mercies just,
His goodness full of wisdom,
And Him our perfect trust;
It bids us bless each other,
And ne'er inflict a curse,
E'en on the vile offender,
To slay, or make him worse.
Will you despise this gospel
That comes to reconcile
Mankind to their Creator
Responsive to his smile--
That comes to end oppression,
To abrogate all war,
And put away transgression
By love's triumphant law?!
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