The words
Stanza 1. Legion was my name by nature,Satan raged within my breast;Never misery was greater,Never sinner more possessed:Mischievous to all around me,To myself the greatest foe;Thus I was, when Jesus found me,Filled with madness, sin and woe.
Stanza 2. Yet in this forlorn condition,When he came to see me free;I replied, to my Physician,“What have I to do with thee?”But he would not be prevented,Rescued me against my will;Had he stayed till I consented,I had been a captive still.
Stanza 3. “Satan, though thou fain wouldst have it,Know this soul is none of thine;I have shed my blood to save it,Now I challenge it for mine,Though it long has thee resembled,Henceforth it shall me obey;”Thus he spoke while Satan trembled,Gnashed his teeth and fled away.
Stanza 4. Thus my frantic soul he healed,Bid my sins and sorrows cease;“Take, said he, my pardon sealed,I have saved thee, go in peace:”Rather take me, LORD, to heaven,Now thy love and grace I know;Since thou hast my sins forgiven,Why should I remain below?
Stanza 5. “Love, he said, will sweeten labors,Thou hast something yet to do;Go and tell your friends and neighbors,What my love has done for you:Live to manifest my glory,Wait for heav’n a little space;Sinners, when they hear thy story,Will repent and seek my face.”
Olney Hymns (1779), Book 1, Hymn 92. John Newton. Public domain. CCEL transcription with modernized spelling. www.praylock.com/olney-hymns/1-92
