My Saviour accepts sinners!

My Saviour accepts sinners!

Those who, under the weight of their sins

No man, no angel can comfort,

Those who can find rest and salvation nowhere;

Those who find even the wide world too small,

Who are an abomination both to themselves and to God,

Those over whom Moses already broke his staff

And consigned them to hell,

To those this refuge is opened.

My Saviour accepts sinners!

His heart that is more than motherly

Drove Him to earth from His throne.

The woes and pains of sinners urged Him

To become a bane in their stead.

He sunk Himself into their misery,

And tasted the death they had earned.

Now, since He His own life

Gave as the dear price,

And pacified His Father.

Thus it is said: He accepts sinners!

Now His open arms are

A safe sanctuary for hounded souls.

He absolves them from the judgement,

And soon wipes out their anxious torments.

The entire swarm of their sins is sunk

Into the fathomlessly deep sea

By His pure blood;

The spirit that is given unto them

Waves the flag of mercy over them.

My Saviour accepts sinners!

Thus He brings them to the Father

In His arms, streaming with blood;

That inclines the Father's spirit

To pure, eternal mercy.

He accepts them as His children;

Yes, everything that He is and has

He consigns to them as their own;

And even the door to eternal life

Is gladly opened to them.

My Saviour accepts sinners!

Oh if you could see His heart,

How it yearns after poor sinners,

As much when they are still going astray

As when their eyes are filled with remorseful tears before Him!

How He reaches out to the publicans!

How He hurries into the house of Zacchaeus!

How kindly He stills Magdalene's

Gently flowing river of tears, forced from her by her remorse,

And does not consider what she formerly had done!

My Saviour accepts sinners!

In what a friendly manner He gazes upon Peter

Despite the fact that he fell so low!

And this He not only did

While He was dwelling upon earth:

No! He is ever the same,

Just and devout and eternally faithful;

And as He was under disgrace and suffering,

So is He upon the throne of joys

Lovingly inclined towards sinners.

My Saviour accepts sinners!

So come then, whoever is called sinner,

And who is saddened by the abomination of his sin,

Come to Him, who casts out

No one who comes to Him in humility.

What? do you wish to stand in your own way,

And perish without effort?

Do you wish to continue to serve sin,

When He has appeared in order to save you?

Oh no, forsake the sinful path.

My Saviour accepts sinners!

Only come, troubled and bowed down!

Only come, as well as you know how to come!

Even if your burden is crushing you,

You will be accepted even if you are crawling.

See how His heart is open to you,

And how He comes to meet you!

How long has He, with much supplication,

Longingly watched for you!

So come forward then, you poor worm.

My Saviour accepts sinners!

Do not say: I have gone too far,

Too long and too nefariously have I

Destroyed the gifts of His grace;

He often called me in vain.

As long as now you mean it honestly

And gravely bewail your fall,

Then nothing shall tie His hands,

And you shall find grace;

He helps, when nothing else can help.

My Saviour accepts sinners!

But do not speak this either: There is still time,

I must first enjoy this pleasure;

God will not today already

Close the open gate of mercy.

No, while He is calling, you should heed,

And grasp your salvation with both hands.

Who dreams away the day of his soul,

Misses the opportunity for grace;

The gate of mercy will not be opened to him afterwards.

Come today! today Jesus will accept you.

Yes, draw us Thyself close to Thee,

Fair, sweet friend of sinners;

Fill us with intense longing,

Us and all of Adam's children.>

In the midst of our souls' sorrow

Show us Thy riven, loving heart;

And when we see our misery,

Let us not stand still,

Until everyone may say:

Praise be to God! Jesus accepts even me.