Hymn
Looking to the Cross
- Writer
- John Newton
- Theme
- The Cross
I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agony and blood;
He fixed His languid eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood.
What wondrous love!
Thy life to give
That I might ransomed be;
Had I a thousand lives to live
I'd live them all for Thee.
Sure, never, till my latest breath,
Can I forget that look:
It seemed to charge me with His death,
Tho' not a word He spoke.
My conscience felt and owned the guilt,
And plunged me in despair;
I saw my sins His blood had spilt
And helped to nail Him there.
Alas! I knew not what I did -
But now my tears are vain:
Where shall my trembling soul be hid?
For I the Lord have slain.
A second look He gave, which said,
“I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid,
I die that thou may'st live.”
Looking to the Cross — Text from The New Praiseworthy, 1916. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/looking-to-the-cross
No chord chart yet
Want to know when they're ready? Leave your email and we'll tell you.
Questions about this hymn
Who wrote Looking to the Cross?
The words of Looking to the Cross were written by John Newton; the version here was published in 1916. The library holds 37 more hymns by John Newton, including Sinner, art thou still secure? and Encouragement to Pray.
Is Looking to the Cross public domain?
Yes. The words here are taken from The New Praiseworthy, published in 1916. Works published before 1931 are out of copyright in the United States, so you can print, project, perform and record this hymn freely. How we source and check every hymn.
What is the meter of Looking to the Cross?
Looking to the Cross is in Common Meter (8.6.8.6). Hymns in the same meter can usually be sung to the same tunes — for example, Happy is He, whose early years, Repentance and Winter.