805    C.M.     J. Hart
The Robe of Righteousness. Isa. 61. 10; Luke 15. 22

1 Of all the creatures God has made,
  There is but man alone
  That stands in need to be arrayed
  In coverings not his own.

2 [By nature, bears, and bulls, and swine,
  With fowls of every wing,
  Are much more warm, more safe, more fine,
  Than man, their fallen king.]

3 Naked and weak, we want a screen;
  But when with clothes we’re decked,
  Not only lies our shame unseen,
  But we command respect.

4 [Can sinful souls, then, stand unclad,
  Before God’s burning throne,
  All bare, or, what is quite as bad,
  In coverings of their own?

5 Rich garments must be worn to grace
  The marriage of the Lamb;
  Not nasty rags to foul the place,
  Nor nakedness to shame.]

6 Robes of imputed righteousness
  Will gain us God’s esteem;
  No naked pride, no fig-leaf dress,
  How fair soe’er it seem.

7 [’Tis called a robe, perhaps to mean
  Man has by nature none;
  It grows not native, like our skin,
  But is by faith put on.]

8 A sinner clothed in this rich vest,
  And garments washed in blood,
  Is rendered fit with Christ to feast,
  And be the guest of God.