There Is a Fountain
One of the 94 hymns we sing together at Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church on the Gold Coast. Browse the full hymnbook.
Lyrics
Verse 1
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
Verse 2
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he,
Washed all my sins away.
Washed all my sins away,
Washed all my sins away;
And there have I, though vile as he,
Washed all my sins away.
Verse 3
I do believe, I will believe,
That Jesus died for me!
That on the cross He shed His blood,
From sin to set me free.
From sin to set me free,
From sin to set me free;
That on the cross He shed His blood,
from sin to set me free.
Verse 4
Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more,
Be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved, to sin no more.
Verse 5
E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die,
And shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
Verse 6
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing Thy power to save.
I'll sing Thy power to save,
I'll sing Thy power to save;
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing Thy power to save.
Behind the Hymn
"There Is a Fountain" was written by William Cowper in 1771, one of the most brilliant and tormented poets of the eighteenth century. Cowper (pronounced "Cooper") suffered from severe depression and multiple mental breakdowns throughout his life, and several times attempted to take his own life. He found refuge in the friendship of John Newton, the former slave trader turned pastor, and together they collaborated on the famous Olney Hymns collection (1779). This hymn, based on Zechariah 13:1 — "In that day a fountain shall be opened for sin and uncleanness" — reflects Cowper's deeply personal clinging to the sufficiency of Christ's blood despite his overwhelming sense of unworthiness. The vivid image of a fountain "filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins" where sinners "lose all their guilty stains" is graphic by modern standards but powerfully conveys the completeness of Christ's atonement. The verse about the dying thief who "rejoiced to see that fountain in his day" gave particular hope to Cowper, who often feared he was beyond God's reach. Despite his lifelong struggles with despair, Cowper's hymns remain among the most honest and moving expressions of faith in the Christian tradition.