Analysis of The Word Quick And Powerful

John Newton 1725 (Wapping, London) – 1807 (London)



The word of Christ, our Lord,
With whom we have to do;
Is sharper than a two-edged sword,
To pierce the sinner through.

Swift as the lightnings blaze
When aweful thunders roll,
It fills the conscience with amaze,
And penetrates the soul.

No heart can he concealed
From his all-piercing eyes;
Each thought and purpose stands revealed,
Naked, without disguise.

He sees his peoples' fears,
He notes their mournful cry;
He counts their sighs and falling tears,
And helps them from on high.

Though feeble is their good,
It has his kind regard;
Yea, all they would do, if they could,
Shall find a sure reward.

He sees the wicked too,
And will repay them soon,
For all the evil deeds they do,
And all they would have done.

Since all our secret ways
Are marked and known by thee;
Afford us, Lord, thy light of grace
That we ourselves may see.


Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF XGXG HXHA BXBX CIXI
Poetic Form Quatrain  (71%)
Metre 0111101 111111 11010111 110101 110101 11101 11010101 01001 111101 111101 11010101 100101 111101 111101 11110101 011111 110111 111101 11111111 110101 110101 010111 11010111 011111 1110101 110111 01111111 1100111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 821
Words 154
Sentences 8
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 93
Words per stanza (avg) 22
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

46 sec read
50

John Newton

Rev Dr John A Newton CBE is a prominent Methodist minister, author, historian and former President of the Methodist Conference. more…

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