O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound.
Let every Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!
Refrain:
The Comforter has come! The Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from heaven, the Father’s promise given,
O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found:
The Comforter has come!
Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,
To every captive soul a full deliv’rance brings;
And thro’ the vacant cells the song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come!
Sing, till the echoes fly Above the vaulted sky,
And all the saints above To all below reply,
In strains of endless love, The song that ne’er will die:
The Comforter has come!
Oh, the best friend to have is Jesus,
When the cares of life upon you roll;
He will heal the wounded heart,
He will strength and grace impart;
Oh, the best friend to have is Jesus.
Refrain
The best friend to have is Jesus,
The best friend to have is Jesus,
He will help you when you fall,
He will hear you when you call;
Oh, the best friend to have is Jesus.
What a friend I have found in Jesus!
Peace and comfort to my soul He brings;
Leaning on His mighty arm,
I will fear no ill nor harm;
Oh, the best friend to have is Jesus.
Though I pass through the night of sorrow,
And the chilly waves of Jordan roll,
Never need I shrink nor fear,
For my Savior is so near,
Oh, the best friend to have is Jesus.
When at last to our home we gather,
With the loved ones who have gone before,
We will sing upon the shore,
Praising Him forevermore;
Oh, the best friend to have is Jesus.
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.
Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.