I See the Crowd in Pilate's Hall |
Horatius Bonar, 1856
I see the crowd in Pilate's hall, Their furious cries I hear; Their shouts of "Crucify!" appall, Their curses fill mine ear. And of that shouting multitude I feel that I am one, And in that din of voices rude I recognize my own. | 2. I see the scourgers rend the flesh Of God's beloved Son; And as they smite I feel afresh That I of them am one. Around the Cross the throng I see That mock the Sufferer's groan, Yet still my voice it seems to be, As if I mocked alone. |
3. 'Twas I that shed that sacred Blood, I nailed him to the Tree, I crucified the Christ of God, I joined the mockery. Yet not the less that Blood avails To cleanse me from sin, And not the less that Cross prevails To give me peace within. |