Awake our souls, away our fears

Awake our souls, away our fears. Isaac Watts* (1674-1748). This appeared in Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1709), Book I, ‘Collected from the Holy Scriptures’, with the title, ‘The Christian Race, Isa. 40. 28, 29, 30, 31.’ It is a free paraphrase of the Old Testament passage, and, unusually for Watts, does not make any direct reference to Christ as the source of strength, apart from its title. The text in 1709 was as follows: Awake our Souls, (away our Fears,  Let every trembling Thought be gone)Awake and run the heavenly Race,  And put a chearful Courage on. True, ’tis a straight and thorny Road,  And Mortal Spirits tire and faint,But they forget the mighty God  That feeds the Strength of...