Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes,
the Saviour promised long:
let every heart exult with joy,
and every voice with song!
He comes, the prisoners to relieve,
in Satan’s bondage held;
the gates of brass before him burst,
the iron fetters yield.
He comes the broken hearts to bind,
the bleeding souls to cure;
and with the treasures of his grace
to enrich the humble poor.
The sacred year has now revolved,
accepted of the Lord,
when heaven’s high promise is fulfilled,
and Israel is restored.
Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
thy welcome shall proclaim;
and heaven’s exalted arches ring
with thy most honoured name.
Philip Doddridge, 1735
Read Isaiah 61:1-3
“Hark the Glad Sound” takes the long view of Christ’s Advent. Drawing on the language of Isaiah 61, the very Scripture Jesus read in the synagogue in Nazareth as recorded in Luke 4. Let us be careful to remember why He came as we celebrate His coming. In that we know He is coming again according the same eternal plan and purpose.