FROM THE LIBRARY OF REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON. D. D. BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO THE LIBRARY OF PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY sec. ^^>4::Mri. -»*^N : *i^7TiJ! -3: •rx: ■'i.ir^/^^/or.>*-,: ^ . ■ >=3:^<.', ■-_■c^^I^^> ^^ ■=X^. ^V iT M^>>r >;r-^ .^;'r ^A^.^t i^H OUK HYMNS >- NOV 25 1936 AISTD THEIR AUTHORS. AN ANNOTATED EDITION OF THE HYMN BOOK OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. SOUTH, BY REV. WILBUR F. TILLETT, D.D., Professor of Systematic Theology in Vanderbilt University. Nashville, Tenn. : Publishing House of the M. E. Church, South. Barbee & Smith, Agents. "I 1892. Dedicated to my patl^er, BLEV. tJOHN TIlALEO^a^, Of the North Carolina Conference^ WHO, HAVING PREACHED THE GOSPEL FOR FIFTY YEARS, IS NOW, "IN AGE AND FEEBLENESS EXTREME," SUFFERING THE WILL OP GOD AND AWAITING THE MASTER'S SUMMONS. Copjrrlghtcd If^SO, By J. D. IJarbee, Agent, Nashville, Tenn. INTRODUCTION. The design of the author in preparing this annotated edition of the Hymn Book has been to furnish the Church with all desirable and helpful informa- tion concerning Our Hymns and Their Authors. To those who have an intelli- gent appreciation of the songs of Zion and who desire to sing " with the spirit and with the understanding also " such a volume will be recognized as meeting a long- felt want in the literature of the Church. All available sources of information have been sought and all accessible volumes in the literature of hymnology have been carefully examined in the preparation of the historical notes and biograph- ical sketches contained in this volume. Under each hymn Avill be found a note containing the following facts so far as they could be obtained : — (1) The original title given by the author to the hymn ; (2) The name and date of the book, magazine, or periodical in which it was first published ; (3) Any experience of the author, or other circumstance, which led to the writing of the hymn ; (4) The passage of Scripture, if any, upon which it is based ; (5) The changes made in the original text of the hymn ; (6) All omitted stanzas, unless too numerous ; (7) Any incident or illustration, or any use of the hymn in Christian experience, such as may add interest to the singing of it or give value to the use of it in social and revival meetings. AYhile these notes are made as brief as possible, no known fact of value or in- terest concerning any hymn has been omitted. Hymfi "myths" as a rule have been excluded, or if named, it is only that they might be duly discredited. The Biographical Index of Authors which follows the hymns will be found to contain in alphabetical order brief historical sketches of all the hymn-writ- ers whose productions find a place in the Hymn Book. This Index is easy of reference, and contains a simple statement of the leading facts in each author s life such asAvill give interest to the readinc; and sino;infr of his hvmns. And as it adds interest often to a hymn to know Avhat other familiar hymns Avere com- posed by the same author, we have given under each author's name the first line and the number cf each hymn by him fciund in the Hymn Book. This will be found especially serviceable where it is desired to make a s]u^cial studv of the various hymuAvriters and their hymns — and without such a study there can INTRODUCTION. 1)0 no real appreciation of our singers and their songs. Concerning the authors of some of the more modern liymns found in tlie Supjylement we have been able to secure only the most meager information^ and in some instances none at all. Few who use a Hymn Book appreciate its true value. The hymns found in the modern hymnals of the Christian Church are culled from the sacred poetry of all ages; and so rich and abundant is the material that only the best l^'rics of the best poets can find a permanent place in them. Few volumes are equal to a modern hymnal as a book of devotion for the closet and for hours of relig- ious meditation. There is no phase of Christian experience that does not find most faithful and helpful expression therein. Nearly every real hymn has been born in the heart of some child of God, wrung out, it may be, by experiences that broke up the ver}- fountains of the soul ; and these are the hymns that find a home in the hearts of others. The " hymns of the ages " were not writ- ten by the poets for pastime ; but as a rule were born of experiences, the deep- est that human hearts are ever called to pass through. They have an origin, a history, to know which onlj' increases their value and our appreciation of them as aids to 2-)rivate devotion or public worship. Xor is the doctrinal YtiluQ of a Hymn Book least among those qualities which make it one of the most j^owerful agencies in the hands of the Christian Church for the dissemination of truth among men. The theology of our hymns is scarcely less important than the theology of our creeds and confessions. The value of a hymnal as a book of Christian doctrine cannot bo pverestimatqd. It is a question whether there be not more in this day who get their theology from the hymns they sing than from their Church creeds. How important is it, therefore, that our hyfnns should have in them a sound. Scriptural theology! Second oidy to preaC-hing the gospel is the service of Christian song as a di- vinely appointed mode of indoctrinating men in Christian truth. Great as John Wesley was as a preacher of righteousness and an organizer of men, Meth- odism would never have accomplished half its work in "spreading scriptural holiness over these lands " had not our evangelical doctrines of sin and salvation, of free grace and an unlimited atonement, of heai't holiness and Christian love been embodied in the matchless hymns of the sweet and saintly singer of our Methodism. Th(; author in ])reparing this volume has had access to the original works of Tiearlv^ all the poets whose hymns find a ])lace in this collection ; and for in- formation he has gone directly to these original sources. But he has not failed INTRODUCTION. to appreciate and to use the many excellent work.s in hymnolo^^y withont which the preparation of such a volume as this would have heen inipossihle. While he feels indebted to all these works, the following have been especially useful in the preparation of the historical notes: Ili/mn Studies, by C. S. Nutter; T/te Methodist Ilynui Book, by Geo. John Stevenson ; Eiujlish Jlymns, bj- Samuel W. Duffield. If the publication of this volume shall lead even a portion of the ministrj-and membership of the Church to a higher appreciation of our excellent Hymn Book and to a more intelligent and spiritual use of the hymns found therein, the author's object in preparing it will have been accomplished. Wilbur F. Tillett. Yandcrbilt University, March 4, 1889. PREFACE TO THE HYMN BOOK. The General Conference of 188G, believing tliat the Hymn Book might be made more acceptable to our people by reducing its size and introduc- ing new material, appointed a committee for its revision. The labor of the committee was carefully performed, and has produced a book of doctrinal soundness and poetic merit, strictly maintaining, as in all previous editions of Methodist psalmody, the Wesleyan character of the collection. AVe cannot urge too strongly the vital importance of diffusing in the homes of our beloved Methodism the un wasting fragrance of these hymns as a daily tribute to Him, all whose " garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces." Let our congregations hold the theology which has brought life to myr- iads, as it is embalmed in these measures. Let our children in the Sab- l^ath-school be trained to lisp in advance the melody of the skies. Let us render to our Methodism the glory of having furnished from its own resources a psalmody unequaled in its rich statement of Christian experi- ence through all stages of nascent and perfected life, which has become the inspiration of youth and the treasure of age with God's people of our own and other Churches; and let us exclude from pulpit and prayer- room every utterance in song that would displace the doctrines and hymns of our Zion. The choice hymns of Montgomery, Newton, Cowper, and other ancient and modern j^oets will be found to have contributed to the classic and spir- itual value of the book; but to the gifted muse of Charles Wesley, the sweet singer of Methodism, is this volume mainly indebted for its excel- lence. It has been truly said that "every phase of Christian experience — its gloom, its struggle, its victory, its peace, its joy — finds in a AVesleyan hymn some true Castalian, almost seraphic, utterance. He wrote his I)oems in a style so immediately available that they rose upon the air (0) PREFACE TO THE HYMN BOOK. while the ink was hardly dry; and now, after a century and a half, they are sung in every land and in most of the languages of the world. They hold the essence of sermons, and serve as the liturgy of our Churches. Christian hearts can never let them die." May they continue to minister to the comfort and salvation of count- less thousands, and secure a large revenue of praise to the Triune God! Holland N. McTyeire, John C. Keener, Alpheus W. Wilson, John C. Granbery, Egbert K. Hargrove, William W. Duncan, Charles B. Galloway, Eugene E. Hendrix, Joseph S. Key. January 1, 1889. CONTENTS. s.cr,o» PART I. PUBLIC WORSHIP. I. Being and Perfections of God 1- 57 II. Mediation of Christ 58-166 III. Offices of the Holy Ghost 167-192 IV. Institutions of Christianity 193-266 1. The Church 193-214 2. The Ministry 215-232 3. Baptism 233-238 4. The Lord's Supper " 239-252 5. The Sabbath 253-266 v. The Gospel Call 267-307 VI. Penitential Exercises 308-37S Vll. Christian Experience 374-581 1. Justification and the New Birth 374-406 2. Entire Sanctification and Perfect Love 407-451 3. Duties and Trials 452-581 V^III. Death and the Future State 582-655 IX. Special Occasions 656-731 1. ]\Iissions 656-679 2. The Bible 680-688 3. Erection of Churches 689-697 4. Education of Youth 698-705 5. The Seasons 70()-719 6. National Solemnities 720-729 7. On a Voyage 730-731 PART II. SOCIAL WORSHIP. I. Communion of Saints 732-755 II. Prayer 756-790 PART III. DOMESTIC WORSHIP. T. The Family- 791-817 IT. The Closet 818-842 SUPPLEMENT— Miscellaneous 843-918 DOXOLOGIES 919-929 PAOES BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF AUTHORS 369-396 Index of Subjects 397-425 Index of First Links of Stanzas 426-431 TvDiv OF First Lines of Hymns 432-439 HYMNS. PART I. FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP. SECTIO:^^ I. BEING AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD. 1 6s, 4s. COME, thou almighty King, Help us thy name to sing. Help us to praise ! Father all-glorious. O'er all victorious, Come and reign over us, Ancient of days ! 2 Come, thou incarnate "Word, Gird on thy mighty sword, Our prayer attend ; Come, and thy people bless, And give thy word success : Spirit of holiness. On us descend ! 3 Come, holy Comforter, Thy sacred witness bear In this glad hour : Thou who almighty art. Now rule in every heart. And ne'er from us depart. Spirit of power ! 4 To the great One and Three Eternal praises be Hence evermore ! His sovereign majesty May we in glory see. And to eternity Love and adore ! Charles Wesley. The second stanza of the original hymn, omitted above, is: Jesus, onr Lord, arise, Scatter onr enemies, And make them fall: Let thine almighty aid ' Our sure defense be made, Our souls on thee be staid: Lord, hear our call! No finer hymn could be found among the Chris- tian lyrics of our language -with which to open a volume of sacred song or to begin divine worship than this. It invokes the presence and aid of each of the Persons of the Godhead in order, and then ascribes divine praise to the Triune Being with a dignity of language and a spirit of devotion that justly give it a foremost place among the hymns of all ages. Although this hymn is generally accredited to Charles Wesley, it is by no means certain that he wrote it. The ground of its being accredited to hini is found in the fact that it is one of three anony- mous hymns contained in a half-penny leaflet printed in 1757; and, as Wesley is known to be the author of the other two, it is therefore concluded that he wrote this also. But he is never known to have claimed its authorship, and it is not found among his published hymns and sacred poems. It appeared in Madan's Collection published in 1763, and this led to its being erroneously attributed to Martin Madan. The hymn is evidently written in imitation of England's national hyann, "God save the King," as will be seen at a glance by comparing the omitted stanza quoted above with the second below: " God save our gracious King, Long live our noble King, God save the King! Send him victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us: God save the King! (9) 10 BEING AND PERFECTIONS^ OF GOD. " O Lord our God, arise, Scatter his enemies, And make them fall. Frustrate their knavish tricks, C'onfound their politics; On him our liearts we 11 x: God save the King! "Thy richest gifts in store. On him be pleased to pour; Long may he reign! May he defend our laws, And ever give us cause To sing wiili heart and voice, God save tlie King! " Thisnational anthem (which in Victoria's reign, of course, has "Queen" substituted for "King") was first published in 1745 in the Gentleman's Mag- azine, and called "A Song for Two Voices," the tunc to which it is adapted having appeared three years l)reviously. Ourown national hymn," My country, 'tis of thee," is written in the same meter and sung to the same tune, called with us "America." (See No. 728). The above hymn, " Coinc, thou almighty King," M'as thus the first of all our religious songs com- l)osed in this meter. But quite a number of our most valuable hymns and tunes are now in this me- ter. During the Revolutionary War, while the Brit- ish had possession of Long Island, a body of Brit- ish trooi)s invaded a place of worship) one Sunday morning, and demanded that the congregation shouM sing " God save the King." They did sing it— that is, the tuue— but the words were about anotlier King: Come, thou Ahnighty King, Help us Thy name to sing. Help us to praise! Father all -glorious, O'er all victorious. Come and reign over us, Ancient of davs! 2 C. M. A THOUSAND oracles divine Their common beams unite, That sinners may with angels join To worship God aright ; 2 To praise a Trinity adored By all the hosts above ; And one thrice holy God and Lord Through endless ages love. 3 Triumphant host! they never cease To laud and magnify The Triuiu! fJod of holiness. Whose glory fills the sky; 4 Whose glory to this earth extends, When God himself imparts, And the whole Trinity descends Into our faithful hearts. 5 By fiiith the upper choir we meet. And challenge them to sing Jehovah, on his shining seat. Our Maker and our King. 6 But God made flesh is wholly ours. And asks our nobler strain : The Father of celestial powers. The Friend of earth-born man. Charles Wesley. This was the opening hymn in the former edition of the Hymn Book, but being simply didactic, about God, it has very properly given place to a hymn of invocation and praise addressed to God. It is one of the one hundred and eighty-two hymns found in the author's Hymns on the Trinity published in 1767. In verse five, line four, the author wrote " Our Maker, God, and King." It was originally published in four double stanzas, the last being omitted above: Ye seraphs, nearest to the throjie, "With rapturous amaze On us, poor ransomed worms, look down, For heaven's superior praise! The King, whose glorious face ye see. For us his crown resigned : That Fullness of the Deity, He died for all mankind! CM. HAIL, holy, holy, holy Lord ! Whom one in three we know ; By all thy heavenly host adored. By all thy Church below. 2 One undivided Trinity With triumph we i)roclaim ; Thy universe is full of thee. And speaks thy glorious name. 3 Thee, holy Father, we confess ; Thee, holy Son, adore ; Spirit of truth and holiness, We i)raise thee evermore. 4 Hail, holy, holy, holy Lord (Our lieavenly song shall be). Supreme, essential One, adored In co-eteriial Three ! Charles Wesley. PKAISE AND ADORATION. 11 From the author's Hymns on (he Trinity^ 17(57. It is based on Isaiah vi. 3: "'And one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." Also Revelation i v. 8: ''And they rest not day and night, saying. Holy, holy, holy. Lord (iod Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.'' The fourth and fifth stanzas of the original, omitted alxne, are: 4 The incommunicable right, Almighty liod, receive! "NVhich angel-choirs, and saints in light, And saints embodied, give. 5 Three persons, equally divine. We magnify and love; And 1)oth the choirs erelong shall join To teing thy praise abo\ e. 4 11,12,10. HOLY, lioly, holy, Lord God Almighty ! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee ; Holy, holy, holy, men.'iful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity ! 2 Holy, holy, holy ! all the saints adore thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea ; Cherubim and seraphim falUng down be- fore thee, AVhich wert and art and evermore shalt be. 3 Holy, holy, holy ! though the darkness hide thee. Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see ; Only thou art holy ; there is none beside tliee, Perfect in power, in love and purity. 4 Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty ! All thy works shall i)raise thy name, in earth and sky and sea ; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity ! Reginald Hebcr. This hymn for " Trinity Sxinday " was first ])ul)- lished in 1827, the year after the autlior's death, in Ifymns Written and Adapted to the Weekly Church Service of the Year. It is one of the noblest and most majestic odes ever addressed to the Divine Being, and is in every way Avorthy of the author of the most popular missionary hymn ever written, *' From Greenland's icy mountains." The tune to which it is commonly sung, and which is so well adapted to the words, is very appropriately named Xica'a, aitcv the first great ecumenical councilor the Christian Church, at wliich the Bible tloctrineof theTrinity was formulated. Tune and woids unite to fill the soul of the devout W(>isliii)er with feelings of awe and a sense of the Divine presence. It is based on Kevelation iv. 8: ''And they rest not day and night, saying. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Al- mighty, which was, and is, and is to come." HOLY, holy, holy Lord, God the Father, and the Word, God the Comforter, receive Blessings more than we can give. 2 One, Inexplicably three, One in simplest unity : God, incline thy gracious ear, Us thy lisping creatures hear. 3 Thee while man, the eai-th-born, sings, Angels shrink within their wings ; Prostrate seraphim above Breathe unutterable love. 4 Happy they who never rest, With thy heavenly presence blest ! They the heights of glory see, Sound the depths of Deity ! 5 Fain with them our souls would vie ; Sink as low, and mount as high ; Fall, o'erwhelmed with love, or soar ; Shout, or silently adore ! Charles Wesley. From the author's Hymns on the Trinity, 1767. The second stanza has been omitted: 2 Mixed with those beyond the sky, Chanters to the Lord most high, AVe our hearts anrl voices raise. Echoing thy eternal i)raise. 6 S. M. BLESS the Lord, my soul ; Let all within me join, And aid my tongue to bless his name, Whose favors are divine. 2 bless the Lord, my soul ; Nor let his mercies lie Forgotten in unthankfulness, And without praises die. 12 BEING AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD. 3 'Tis he foi-gives thy sins ; 'Tis he relieves thy pain ; 'Tis he who heals thy sicknesses, And makes thee young again. 4 He crowns thy life with love, When ransomed from the grave ; He who redeemed my soul from hell Hath sovereign power to save. 5 He fills the poor with good ; He gives the suff'rers rest; The Lord hath judgment for the proud, And justice for th' oppressed. Isaac Watts. Tliis hymn of ^^ Praise for Spiritual and Tempo- ral Mercies'^ is from (he author's metrical version of the Psalms of David, 1710, and is based on the first part of Psahn ciii.: "r>less the Lord, O my soul: and all tliat is-svithin nic, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: "vvho forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; ^Tho redeemeth thj- life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving- kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is re- newed like the eagle's." The sixth stanza has been omitted: C His wondrous works and ways lie made by !Moses known; But sent the world his truth and grace By his beloved Son. 7 S. INI. CO^IE, sound liis praise abroad, And hymns of glory sing: Jehovah is the sovereign God, The universal King. 2 He formed the deeps unknown, He gave the seas their bound ; The wat'ry worlds are all his own. And all the solid ground. 3 Come, worship at his throne ; Come, bow before the J^ord : AVe are his work, and not our own, He formed us by his word. 4 To-(l:iy attend his voice, Nor dare jirovoke his rod : Come, like tlie j)cople of his choice, And own your gracious (Jod. Isaac Walls. The original of this '''■Psalm before Sermon " has six stanzas. It is based on parts of Psalm xcv. : " O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joy- ful noise to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Loid is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Jii his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker." The omitted stanzas are: 5 But if your ears refuse The language of his gi'ace. And hearts grow hard, like stubborn Jews, That unbelieving race; 6 The Lord in vengeance dressed Will lift liis head and swear. You that tlespise my promised rest Shall have no portion there. From the author's Psalms of David ^ 1719. 8 S.M.. STAND up, and bless the Lord, Ye people of his choice ; Stand up, and bless the Lord your God, AVith heart and soul and voice. 2 Though high above all praise, Above all blessing high, Who would not fear his holy name. And laud and magnify ? 3 O for the living flame From his own altar brought. To touch our lips, our minds inspire. And wing to heaven our thought ! 4 There, with benign regard. Our hymns he deigns to hear ; Though unrevealed to mortal sense. The spirit feels him near. 5 God is our strength and song. And his salvation ours ; Then be his love in Clirist proclaimed "With all our ransomed powei>. G Stand up, and bless the L)rd, The Lord your God adore ; tShmd up, and bless his glorious name, Henceforth, for evermore. James MonUjomery, PllAISE AND ADORATION. 13 From the Chrisliaii Psalmist, 1825, where it bears the title: ''■ Exhortation to Praise and Thanksgiv- ing.'' ItisbasedonNchemiah ix.5: " Stand up and bless the Lonl your God forever and ever, and bless- ed be thy glorious name, \vhich is exalted above all blessiny and praise." 9 M S.M. Y soul, repeat His praise, Whose mercies are so great, Whose anger is so slow to rise, So ready to abate. 2 God will not always chide ; And wlien his strokes are felt, His strokes are fe^^'er than our crimes, And lighter than our guilt. 3 High as the heavens are raised Above the ground Ave tread, So far the riches of his grace Our highest thoughts exceed. 4 His power subdues our sins ; And his forgiving love. Far as the east is from the Avest, Doth all our guilt remove. Isaac Watts. This is one-half of a hymn on the '•'■ Aboxinding Compassion of God; or, Mercy in the Midst of Judg- ment;'''' the other half being- the hymn beginning, "•The pity of the Lord" (No. 28). It is based on rsalmsoiii. 8-J2: '■'•The Lord is merciful and gra- cious, slow to anger, and ])lenteons in mercy. He -will not always chide: neither Avill he keep his an- ger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toAvard them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." From the author's Psalms of David^ 1719. 10 L.M. OTHOU, whom all thy saints adore. We now with all thy saints agree. And bow our inmost souls before Thy glorious, awful majesty. 2 AVe come, great God, to seek thy face. And for thy loving-kindness wait ; And O how dreadful is this place! 'Tis God's own house, 'tis heaven's gate 3 Tremble our hearts to find thee nigh, To thee our trembling hearts aspire ; And lo! we see descend from high The pillar and the flame of fire. 4 Still let it on th' assembly stay. And all the house with glory fill ; To Canaan's bounds point out the way, And lead us to thy holy hill. 5 There let us all with Jesus stand, And join the general Church above, And take our seat at thy right hand, And sing thine everlasting love. Charles Wesley. From Hymns and Sacred Poems, by J. and C. Wesley, 1742. The second and seventh stanzas are omitted above: 2 Thee, King of nations, -vve ])roclaim; AY ho -would not our great Sovereign fear? AVe long to experience all thy name, And now we come to meet thee here. 7 Come, Lord, our souls are on the wing; Now on thy great white throne appear, And let my eyes behold my King, And let me see my Saviour there. 11 L. M. THEE we adore, eternal Lord ; We praise thy name with one accord ; Thy saints, who here thy goodness see. Through all the world do worship thee. 2 To thee aloud all angels cry, The heavens and all the powers on liigh ; Thee, holy, holy, holy King, Lord God of Hosts, they ever sing. 3 Th' apostles join the glorious throng ; The proi)hets swell th' immortxl song; The martyrs' noble army raise Eternal anthems to thy praise. 4 From day to day, Lord, do we Highly exalt and honor thee ; Thy name we worshi}> and adore. World without end, for evermore. John Gambold. From the Moraviaii Collection, IT'A. Abriilged and altered by Rev. Thomas Colterill. The lifth stanza omifted: 5 Vouchsafe, O Lord, we humbly pray, To keep us safe from sin this day: Have mercy, Lord, we tiust in thee; O let us ne'er confounded be. 14 BEING AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD. 12 L. M. C10ME, O my soul, in sacred lays, I Attempt thy great Creator's praise: But O.what ton«j:ue can speak his fame? "What mortal verse can reach the theme ? 2 Enthroned amid the radiant spheres, He glory like a garment weai-s ; To form a robe of light divine, Ten thousand suns around him shine. 3 In all our IVIaker's grand designs. Omnipotence, with wisdom, shines ; His works, through all this wondrous frame, Declare the glory of his name. 4 Raised on devotion's lofty wing. Do thou, my soul, his glories sing; And let his praise employ thy tongue. Till listening worlds shall join the song. Thomas Blacklock. This hyinn was probably inspired by the one hun- dred and fourtli Psalm. It is tlie only one found in .\nierican hymn-books by this autlior, but it has found its way into nearly all of them. "-It is one of thej^randest hymns of praise," says Long, "that has ever ascended to ihe skies, and though it is now over a century old, it will doubtless find a place in the hyninology of the Clmrch until the last trump shall sound the end of time." The fact that tlie au- thor was blind from early childhood gives peculiar iutei-est to the hymn, and especially to the second stanza. It was written in 1754. 13 L.M. PRAISE ye the Lord ! 'tis good to raise Your hearts and voices in his praise ; His pature and his works invite To make this duty our delight. 2 He formed the stars, those heavenly flames, He counts their numbei's, calls their names ; His wisdom's vast, and knows no l)ound, A deep where all our thoughts are drowned. 3 Sing to the Lord, exalt him high, Who spreads his clouds along the sky ; There he ])repares the fruitful rain. Nor lets the drops descend in vain. i Pie makes the grass the hills adorn ; He clothes the smiling {ivhh with corn : Tlie l)('a>t« with food his hands sui)ply, And the young ravens when tiiey cry. 5 But saints are lovely in his sight , He views his children with delight ; He sees their hope, he knows their fea/, He looks, and loves his image there. Isaac Watts. It is based on Psalms cxlvii. 1-11: " Praise ve the Lord; for it is good to sing praises unto our tied; for it is pleasant, and praise is comely. He telleth the number of the stars; hecalletli them all by tlieir names. Great is our Lord, and of great power; his undeistanding is infinite: Who coverelh the heaven with clouds, who inepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass lo grow upon the mount- ains. He gjveth to the beast his food, and to tl>e young ravens which cry. lie deligbteth not in tlie strength of the horse, he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord taketli pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercyc" The fifth stanza is omitted: 5 What is the creature's skill or force? The sprightly man or warlike horse? The piercing wit, the active limb? All are too mean delights for him. 14 L. p. M. I'LL praise my INIaker while I've breath. And when my voice is lost in death, Praise shall employ my nobler powei's : My days of praise shall ne'er be past, While life and thought and being last. Or immortality endures. 2 Happy the man whose hopes rely On Israel's God ; he made the sky. And earth and seas, with all their train ; His truth forever stands secure ; He saves th' oppressed, he feeds the poor. And none shall find his promise vain. 3 The Lord pours eyesight on tiie blind ; The Lord supports the fainting mind ; He sends the lab'ring conscience ix?ace; He helps the stranger in distress, The widow and tlie fatherless. And grants the pris'nor sweet release. 4 I'll praise him while he lends mo breath. And when my voice is lost in death, Praise shall employ my nol)l('r powers: l\ry days of jiraise shall ne'er be past. While life and thought and being last, Or immortiUity endures. Isaac Walls. PRAISE AND ADORATION. 15 This hyinn was first published in 1719. John Wesley changed it somewhat for his Psalms and Hymns, 1741. Watts wrote : " I'll praise luy Maker with my breath," and in the first line of the tlurd verse : " The Lord Jiath eyes to give the blind, The Lord supports the sinking mind." "Wesley's improvement Avas perhaps suggested by a line in Pope's " Messiah : " "Alive blind,behold! He from thick films shall purge the visual ray, And on the sightless eyeballs pour the day." This was a favorite hymn with John Wesley. The day before he died, though emaciated and scarcely able to speak, he astonished his attendants by breaking out and singing the first stanza through; and all through his last night he seemed trjung to repeat it, but could only say, "I'll praise — I'll praise," and soon his "voice was lost in death." The second and third stanzas of the original are omitted above: 2 Why should I make a man my trust? Princes must die and turn to dust; Vain is the help of fiesh and blood: Their breath departs, their pomp and power And thoughts all vanish in an hour, Nor can they make their promise good. 3 He loves his saints ; he knows them well, But turns the wicked down to hell ; Thy God, O Zion, ever reigns: Let every tongue, let every age, In this exalted work engage; Praise him in everlasting strains. 15 L. M. OUR God ascends his lofty throne, Arrayed in majesty unknown ; His Ulster all the temple fills, And spreads o'er all th' ethereal hills. 2 The holy, holy, holy Lord Is by the seraphim adored ; And, while they stand beneath his seat, They veil their faces and their feet. 3 And can a sinful worm endure The presence of a God so pure ? Or these polluted lips proclaim The honors of so grand a name ? 4 for thine altar's glowing coal To touch my lips, to fire my soul. To purge the sordid dross away, And into crystal turn my clay ! Philip Doddridge. This hymn is found in no other Church collec- tion. It is from tlio author's Hymns Founded on Various Texts in the Holy Scrij)tures, 1755, and is based on Isaiah vi. 1-7: "I saw also the Lord sit- ting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the sera- phim, each one had six wings; with twain lie covered his face, and with twain he coveied his feet, and with twain he did fiy. And one crieil unto another, and said, Holj', holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is fuU of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone: because I am a man of xinclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Tlien flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, Avhich he had taken with the tongs from oflf the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." Two omitted stanzas are based on verse eight ("Here am I; send me"), and give the title to the original hymn: ^^Isaia7i^s Obedience to the Heav- enly Vision, " 16 CM. . MY God, how wonderful thou art ! Thy majesty how bright ! How beautiful thy mercy-seat In depths of burning light ! 2 How dread are thine eternal years, everlasting Lord, By prostrate spirits day and night Incessantly adored ! 3 O how I fear thee, living God, With deepest, tenderest fears. And worship thee "with trembling hope, And penitential tears. 4 Yet I may love thee too, O Lord, Almighty as thou art ; For thou hast stooped to ask of me The love of my poor heart. 5 No earthly father loves like thee ; No mother, half so mild, Bears and forbears as thou liast done With me, thy sinful child. 6 My God, how wonderful thou art. Thou everlasting Friend ; On thee I stay my trusting lieart. Till faith in vision end. Frederick William Faber. 16 BEING AND PEKFECTIONS OF GOD. Author's title: "-Our Heavenly FatherJ'* The oiigiual contains nine stanzas. The sixth stanza above is not found in the original as given in Faber's Hymns, publi.^hed iu 18GI. The ouiilleu stanzas are: 3 How beautiful, how beautiful, The sight of thee must be, Thine endless wisdom, boundless power. And awful purity ! 6 O then this Avorse than worthless heart In i)ity deign to take, . And make it love thee, for thyself And for thy glory's sake. 8 Onlf to sit and think of God,' O what a joy it is! To think the thought, to breathe the name. Earth has no higher bliss! 9 Father of Jesus, love's RcAA'ard! What rapture Avill it be, Trostrate before tliy throne to lie, And gaze, and gaze on thee ! 17 Cs, 8s, 4s. THE God of Abrah'm praise, Who reigns enthroned above, — Ancient of everlasting days. And God of love : Jehovah, great I AM ! By eartli and heaven confessed : 1 1)0W and bless the sacred Name, Forever blest. 2 The God of Abrah'm praise, At whose supreme command. From earth I rise, and seek the joys At his right liand : I all on earth foi-sake. Its -wisdom, fame, and power; And him my only portion make, ]\Iy shield and tower. 3 Tlie God of Abrah'm i)raise, AVhose all-suffK-ient grace Shall guide me all my hapi)y days In all his ways : He calls a wonn his friend ! He calls himself my God! And lie shall save me to the end. Through Jesus' Ijlood ! 4 He ])y liimself hath sworn ; I on his oath depend ; I shall, on eagles' wings upboriK^, To heaven ascend : I shall behold his fiice, I shall his power adore, And sing the wonders of his grace For evermore. Thomas Olivers. See note under next hymn for historical facts and critical estimate of this magnificent lyiic. The late Rev. T. M. Eddy, D.D., passing on one occasi(m through the streets of Baltimore, saw an aged and feeble colored man sawing some hard wood by the side of the road. Feeling that the colored man's lot Avas a hard one, as he contrasted his age and feebleness Avith the hardness of the Avork to be done, he turned and began to approach him, intending to speak a few kind and encourag- ing Avords of syjnpathy and of admonition concern- ing the state of his, perhaps, benighted soul. But draAving near, unobserved, he heard the old man singing softly, but feelingly: " The God of Abrah'm praise, Whose all-sufficient grace Shall guide me all my happy days In all his Avays: He calls a Avorm his friend! He calls himself my God! And he shall save me to the end, Through Jesus' blood! " The Doctor passed on Avithout inteiTupting him, saying: "He is rich; he is safe; he has a better friend than I could be. He needs not my comfort. I am the one that has received the needed encour- agement." On his death-bed Richard Watson i-epeated over and over again the last four lines of this hymn: " I shall behold his face, I shall his poAver adore, And sing the Avonders of his grace For evermore.'' 18 6s, 8s, 4s. THE God who reigns on high The great archangels sing. And " Holy, holy, holy,^' cry, ''Almighty King ! AVho was and is the same, And evermore shall be : Jehovah, Father, great I A]\I, We worshij) thee." 2 Before tlie Saviour's face The ransomed nations bow : O'erwhelmed at his almighty grace. Forever new : He shows his prints of love — They kindle to a flame ! And souikI through all the worlds alx^^ e, The slaughtered Lamb. rUAlSE AND ADOUATION. 17 3 The whole triumphant host Give thanks to God on high ; "Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," They ever cry : Hail, Ahrah'ni's God, and mine! (I join the heavenly lays,) All might and majesty are thine, And endless praise. Tliumas Olivers. We have in tliis and the preceding hymn parts one and three of Tliomas Olivers' magnilicent "Ili/mn to the God of Abraham.''^ Tlie second l)art, containing five stanzas, is here omitted. Perhaps no hymn ever written has receivcvl higher praise from poets and sclxolars than this. '• There is not in our language," says James Mont- gomery, the poet, ''a lyric of more majestic style, more elevated thought, or more glorious imagery. Its structure, indeed, is unattractive on account of the short lines, but like a stately pile of archi- tectuie, severe and simple in design, it strikes lesson the first view than after delil)evate exam- ination." "This is probably," says Nutter, "the finest ode in the English language; the theme is the grandest i)0ssible, and the execution in keeping Avith it." The hymn was written while the author ;who was one of ]Mr. "Wesley's preachers) was on a visit to John Bakewell, author of " Hail, thou once despis(>d Jesus." At a service in the JcAvish Syna- gogue at Westminster, London, he had heard Signor Leoni sing an old IlebrcAV melody, and was so delighted with it that he determined to write a Christian hymn that should be adapted to the tunc. Upon returning to the house of his frientl he imme- diately wrote out this magnificent hymn of twelve stanzas. It was first published in tract form in 1772, and attained immediate and wide-spread po;)- ularity. The following five stanzas are part sec- ond oi the original hymn: 1 Though nature's strength decay. And earth and hell withstand, To Canaan's bounds I urge my way, At his command. The wat'ry deep I pas?. With Jesus in my Aiew; And through the howling wilderness My way pursue. 2 The goodly land I see. With X)eace and plenty blest; A land of sacred liberty, And endless rest. There milk and honey flow, And oil and wine abound. And trees of life forever gnnv, AVith mercy crowned. 3 There dwells the Lord our King, The Lord our Righteousness, Triumphant o'er the world and sin. The Trince of Teace; 2 On Zion's sacred height His kingdom still maintains; And, glorious with his saints in ligiit, Forever reigns. 4 He keeps his own secure. He guards them by his side. Arrays in garments white and jture His spotless britle: With streams of sacred bliss. With groves of living joys. With all the fruits of paradise He still supplies, 5 Itefore the great Three-(^ne They all exulting stand. And tell the wonders he hath done Thnmgh all their land: Tlie list'ning spheres attend. And swell the growing fame. And sing, in songs which ne\ er end, The wondrous name. 19 5s, (S?. WORSHIP the King, All-glorious above ; gratefully sing His power and his love; Gur Shield and Defender, The Ancient of days, Pavilioned in splendor. And girded with praise. 2 tell of his might, O sing of his grace, "Whose robe is the light, Whose canopy space : His chariots of wrath The deep thunder-clouds form, And dark is his path On the wings of the storm. 3 Thy bountiful care What tongue can recite ? It breathes in the air, It shines in the light. It streams from the hill.^, It descends to the plain, And sweetly distills In the dew and the rain. 4 Frail children of dust, And feeble as frail, In thee do we trust, Nor find thee to fail : 18 BEING AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD. This in 183<.) ••h'vcn nurd ;i Thy mercies how tender, How lirni to the end ! Our ;Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend Hubert Grant. h5-mn is based on Ps. civ. It was published (the year after the author died), i\\on<^ with othei-.'s. It lias been nuu-h admired. The ind .-ixth stanzas of the original are omitted: :5 The earth, with its stores Of wcMiders untold, Alniig-lity ! thy i)ower Hath ftmndedof old: Hath stablished it fast IJy a changeless decree, And round it hath cast, Like a mantle, the sea. 6 O measureless might, Ineffable love: "While angels delight To hymn tliee above. The hund)ler creation, Though feeble their lays, With true adoration. Shall lisp to thy praise. 20 5s, Gs. YE servants of God, Your Master proclaim. And publisli aljroad His wonderful name; The name all-victorious Of Jesus extol ; His kingdom is glorious. And rules over all. 2 God ruleth on high, v\l mighty to save; And still he is nigh ; His presence we have : The great congregation His triumpli shall sing. Ascribing salvation To Jesus, our King. 3 TIk^i let us adore, And give him his right. All glory and power, And wisdom and might. All honor and blessing, With jingels above. And llianks never ceasing For infinite; love. Charlrs Wcslrij. This hymn, " To be Suikj in a Tumult,-' liist aj. peared in 1744, in a pamphletcontaining thirty-threo pieces, entitled llynins for Times of Trouble and Persecution. It was a year of great commotion in England. Efforts were being made to dethrone George II. and to place the exiled Tretender of the House of Stuart, a Koman Catliolic, upon the throne. The :Melhodists were accused of being papists and favoring tl»e Pretender's claims, and ' so suffered great ])ersecutions at the hamls of dis- j orderly mobs, and otherwise. This hymn was l)orn of these exi)eiiencos. The second, thiril, and lifth stanzas are omit led: 2 Tlie waves of llie sea Have lift up their voice. Sore troubled that we In Jesus rejoice; The floods they are roaring. But Jesus is here, "While we are adoring He always is near. 3 "Wheu devils engage, Tlie billows arise, And horribly rage. And threaten the skies: Their furj- shall uever Our steadfastness shock; The weakest believer Is built on a rock. 5 Salvation to God, Who sits on tlie throne, I>et all cry aloud. And honor the Son: The praises of Jesus The angels i)roclaim, Fall down on their faces. Anil worship the Land). 21 I FT us, Avitli a gladsome mind, J Praise the Lord, for he is kind; l^)r his mercies aye endure, Ever faithful, ever sure. 2 Let us blaze his name abroad, I'^or of gods he is the God : 1m )r his mercies aye endure, Ever faithful, ever sure. :') All tilings living he dotli feed, His full hand sui)j)li('s their need For his mercies aye endure, Ever faithful, ever sure. PRAISE AND ADOllATION. 4 Let uii, therefore, warble forth His high majesty and worth : For his mercies aye endure, Ever faithful, ever sure. John Milton. The paraphrase of Ps. cxxxvi, in twenty-four stanzas, from which this hj-mn is taken, was writ- ten when the author Avas only fifteen y.ears old. It evinces both genius and immaturity. These are the first, second, twenty-second, and twenty-third stanzas of the original. The third and fourth stanzas have been slightly altered to make the lines uniformly of seven syllables. The author wrote: All living creatures he doth feed, And with full hand supplies their need. Let us therefore warble forth His viicjhtu majesty and worth. 22 6s, 8s. • TTOUNG men and maidens, raise X Your tuneful voices high ; Old men and children, praise The Lord of earth and sky : Ilim Three in One, and One in Three, Extol to all eternity. 2 The universal King Let all the world proclaim ; Let every creature sing His attributes and name ! Him Three in One, and One in Three, Extol to all eternity. 3 In his great name alone All excellences meet, AVho sits upon the throne, And sliall forever sit : Him Three in One^ and One in Three, Extol to all eternity. 4 Glory to God belongs ; Glory to God be given, Above the noblest songs. Of all in earth and heaven : Him Three in One, and One in Three, Extol to all eternity. Charles Wesley. From the author's Hymns for Children^ 17(58. IJasedonrs. cxiviii.]2, 13: "Young men, and maid- ens; old men, and children: let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; h/s i^Iory is above the earth and heaven." 23 8». THIS, this is the God we adore. Our faithful, unchangeable Friend, "Whose love is iis great as liis i)Ower, And neither knows measure nor end. 2 'Tis Jesus, the first and the last, . AVhose Spirit shall guide us safe home . We'll praise him for all that is past, And trust him for all that's to come. Joficph Hart. From the author's Hymns Composed on Various Occasions, 17r)9. This is the last of seven doub'.o stanzas found in the original, the first line of which is: " No prophet or dreamer of dreams." 24 8s, 7s. PRAISE the Lord ! ye heavens, adore hi-n ; Praise him, angels, in the height ; Sun and moon, rejoice before him ; Praise him, all ye stars of light. 2 Praise the Lord ! for he hath spoken ; Worlds his mighty voice obeyed ; Laws which never shall be broken For their guidance he hath made. 3 Praise the Lord ! for he is glorious ; Never shall his promise fail ; God hath made his saints victorioits ; Sin and death shall not prevail. 4 Praise the God of our salvation ; Hosts on high, his power proclaim ; Heaven and earth, and all creation, Laud and magnify his name. , John Kempthornc. It is not certain Avho is the author of this hymn. It first appeared in Psalms, Hymns., and Anthems for the Foundling Chapel, London, 1790. The evi- dence on the ground of which it is attributed to Rev. John Kempthornc (1775-1838) is indirect ami unsatisfactory. It is found in a volume of hymns which he compiled and published in 1801), and wlwch contains some of his own hymns, but he does not, there or elsewhere, claim itsauthorsliip. It isbat^e.J on Ps. cxlviii. 1-3: "• Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moim: praise ye him, all ye stars of light." 20 BEING AND PEKFECTfONS OF GOD. LORD, thy -lory iills the licaven ; Earth is witii itri fulhie^js btorod ; Unto thee be glory given, Holy, holy, holy Lord. 2 Heaven is still with glory ringing; Earth' tiikes up the angels' ciy, '' Holy, holy, holy," singing, *' Lord of hosts. Lord God most high." 3 With his seraph train before him, AVith his holy Church below, Thus unite we to adore him : Bid we thus our anthems How : 4 '• Lord, thy glory fills the heaven : Earth is with its fullness stored ; Unto thee be glory given, Ploly, holy, lioly Lord." JiicJiin-d Mant. From the autlior's Original Hymns added to Ancient Hymns from the lloman Breviary, 1S']7, Avhere it bears the title '■'■Hymn Commemorative of the Thrice Holy:' The original has eight stan- zas. The first, second, fifth, and eighth are omitted here. The author Avrote "con^jjire" instead of '• unite" in verse 3. In some collections it begins: " Wound the Lord in glory seated." It is based ou I.-aiah's vision, chapter sixth. 26 8., 7s. GOD is love ; his mercy briglitens All the path in which we rove ; Bliss he wakes and woe he lightens : God is wisdom, God is love. 2 Chance and change are Tmsy ever ; ^Man decays, and ages move ; But his mercy waneth never: CJod is wisdom, God is love. 3 E'en tlie hour that darkest Reem(>tlj, AVill his cliangeless goodness i)rove; From the mist his l)rightness streameth: God is wisdom, (Jod is love. 4 He with earthly cares entwinetl) Hope and comfort from above; Everywhere his glory shineth: God is wisdom, CJod is love. John Jloirritig. From the atilhoi's iri/inns, London, 1S2."), where It beurH tJie title '' d'oU is Love,"' and reinats the first htanza in closing. 27 8.., 7s. THERE'S a wideness in God's mercy. Like the wideness of the sea : There's a kindness in his justice, "Which is more than liberty. 2 There is welcome for the sinner ; There are blessings for the good ; There is mercy with the Saviour; There is healing in his blood. 3 For the love of God is broader Than the measure of man's mind; And the heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind. 4 If our faith were but more simple, AVe should tiike him at his word ; And our lives would be all sunshine In the sweetness of our Ix)rd. Frederick William Faber, From a poem of thirteen stanzas on «' Comic to Je.s'«s" in the author's Hymns, London, 1802 (Nt'w York, 18S4), We have here the fourth, sixth, eighth, and thirteenth stanzas of the original. Jn ver.se two the author wrote "yl?ifi more graces for the good," and iu verse four " If our love were but moi-e simple." 28 S.M. milE pity of the Lord, -L To those that fear his name, Is such as tender i^arent-! foci : He knows our feeble frame. 2 He knows we are but dust, Scattered with every breath : His anger, like a rising wind, Can send us swift to death. 3 Our days arc as the grass, Or like the morning flower: If one sharp blast sweep o'er the field, It withers in an Iiour. 4 But thy compassions, Lord, To endless years endure ; And children's children ever find Thy words of jiromise sure. Isaac Watts. Tillv.'-'Abounding Compassion of(Jod;or,Merry in the Midst of Judgment r Ha.sed on I's. ciii. l:i- 18: ''Like as a fallu'r pidetli his children, so the Lord ])itieth them t!iat fear him. For lieknoweth our frame: he rememborcth that we are dust. As DIVINE ATTRIBUTES. 21 loi- man, liis days are as grass: as a flower of the liekl, so he llourisheth. For the wind passeth over It, and it is gone: and the place thereof shall know- it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children: to such as keep his covenant, and to those who remem- ber his commandments to do tlicm." (See No. 9.) 29 F S. M. ^THER, in whom wo live, 111 whom we are and move, The glory, power, and j^raise receive Of thv creating love. 2 Incarnate Deity, Let all the ransomed race Render, in thanks, their lives to thee, For thy redeeming grace. 3 The grace to sinners showed, Ye heavenly choirs proclaim, And cry, " Salvation to our God, Salvation to the Lamb I " 4 Spirit of holiness. Let all thy saints adore Thy sacred energy, and bless Thy heart-renewing power. 5 Eternal, Triune Lord, Let all the hosts above. Let all the sons of men, record And dwell upon thy love. G "When heaven and earth are fled Before thy glorious face. Sing, all the saints thy love hath made, Thine everlasting praise ! Charles Wesley. Yroxa Hymns for Those that Seek and Thosethat Flave Redemption in ihe Blood of Jesus Christy r.ondon, 1747, where it bears the title, ^To the Triii- ity.'''' The second and sixth stanzas of the original ure omitted: 2 Let all the angel throng Give thanks to God on high, "While earth repeats the joyful song, And echoes through the tky. 6 Not angel tongues can tell Thy love's ecstatic height. The glorious joy unspeakable, The beatific sight ! 30 s. M. I HEAR thy word with love, And I would fain oljcy ; Lord, send thy Spirit from above To guide me, lest I stray ! 2 O who can ever find The errors of his ways ? Yot with a bold, presumptuous miiil, I would not dare transgress. 3 Warn me of every sin. Forgive my secret faults. And cleanse this guilty soul of mine, AVhose crimes exceed my thought-. 4 While with my heart and tongue I spread thy praise abroad. Accept the worship and the song, ]\Iy Saviour and my God. Isaac Watts. Based on parts of Ps. xix. Title: "God's Wont Most Excellent; or. Sincerity and WatchfuUiess.^ From the author's Fsabns of David, 1719. 31 L- ^i- ETERNAL Power, whose high abode Becomes the grandeur of a God : Infinite lengths beyond the bounds Where stars revolve their little rounds. 2 Thee wliile the first archangel sings. He hides his face behind his wings ; And ranks of shining thrones around Fall woi-shiping, and spread the ground. 3 Lord, what shall earth and ashes do? We would adore our Maker too ! From sin and dust to thee we cry. The Great, the Holy, and the High ! 4 Earth from afar hath heard thy fame. And worms have learned to lisp thy name ; But O I the glories of thy mind Leave all our soaring thoughts behind ! 5 God is in heaven, and men below : Be short, our tunes ; our words, be fe'^ ! A solemn rev'rence checks cur songs, And praise sits silent on our tongues. Isaac Watts. From Horae Lyricae, 1700. Avhere its title is: '•T/jf Conclusion— God Exalted A hove A II Praise.''' Tlie second stanza of the original has been omitted: 22 BEING AND PEHFECTIONS OF GOD. 'J The lowest step beneath thy feet, Itises too high for Gabriel's feet; In vain tlie tall archangel trios To reach thine height ■with wondering eyes. in the lirst line of the second stanza above the atUhor wrote: """Thr/ dazzUiuj beauties while he sidgs.'' 32 L. M. OGOD, thou bottomless abyss ! Thee to perfection wlio can know? O heiglit innnense ! What words sufiice Thy countless attributes to show ? 2 I'nfathomable depths thou art! O plune, all infinite, I set, By faith, before my ravished eye, My weakness bends beneath the wei<:ht: O'erpowered, I sink, I faint, I die. 4 Greatness unspeakable is thine, Greatness, whose undiminishecl ray, When short-lived worlds are lost, shall shine AVlien earth and heaven are fled away. 5 Unchangeable, all-perfect Lord, Essential life's unbounded sea, What lives and moves, lives by thy word : It lives, and moves, and is from thee ! Ernc6t Lange. Tr. by John Wesley. This and hymn No. T)? ("Parent of good," etc.) arc taken fioni a hymn of eight twelve-line stanzas on '■'■God's Greafncss,''' which llrst apjjeared in .lohn AN'esley's CoUection of I^salms caul Ili/mns, )tubli.she«l at Charleston, S, C, 1737. The Gciman oi-iginal is found in the JJorrtihvt Collection. In the former edition of our ITymn Bonk the whole of the original translation will be found, being Nos. in, 10, 17, and 18. 33 c. M. LORD, Jill I am is known to IIkm*: In vain my soul wouM try To shun thy presence, or to flee The notice of thine eye. 2 Thy all-surroundin.LT siLrlit snrvcys My risiiii; and my rest, My public walks, my private ways, Tlie secrets of my breast. 3 ^ly thoughts lie open to thee, Lord, Before tliey're formed within ; And ere my lips ])ronounce the word. Thou know'st the sense I mean. 4 O wondrous knowledge 1 deep and high: Where can a creature hide? Within thy circling arms I lie. Beset on every side. 5 So let thy grace surround me still, And like a bulwark prove, To guard my soul from every ill, Secured by sovereign love. Isaac Walls. Author's title: '•'• God is Everywhere.^'' It is a part of his version of P.s. cxxxix., pul)lished in 1719. "O Lord, thou hast searched me, and know- cth me. Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up -rising; thou understandest my thought afar ofl". Thou compassest my jiath and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast set me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for nie; it is high. I cannot attain unto it." Yvowxihc Psalms of Davidy 1719. 34 c. M. EARLY, my God, without delay, I haste to seek tliy face; jNIy tliirsty spirit faints away, Without thy cheering grace. 2 So pilgrims on the scorching sand, Beneath a ])in-ning sky. Long for a cooling stream at hand ; And they must drink or die. n I've seen thy glory and thy jiower Through all thy temj)le shine ; iMy (lod, repeat that heavenly hour. That vision so divine. 4 Not all tlje blessings of a feast Can please my soul so well, As when thy richer grace I tiistc. And in thy i)resence dwell. 5 Not life it«elf, with all its joys. Can my best passions move, Or raise so high my cheerful voice, As thy forgiving love. DIVINE ATTRIBUTES. 23 () Thus, till my last expiring day, I'll bless my God and King; Thus will I lift my hands to pray. And tunc my lips to sing. Isaac Watts. The author's title i^: " The Morning of a Lord's Day.''' It is based on Ps. Ixiii. 1-5: "O God, tliou art my God ; early will I seek thee; my soul thirsteth for thee, my llesli longcth for thee in a dry and thirsty lanil, Avhei-e no water is: to see thy power and thy glory, so as 1 have seen thee in the sanctu- ary. Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 3Iy soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness: and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips." From the Psalms of David, 1711). 35 c. M. LET every tongue thy goodness speak, Thou sovereign Lord of all ; Thy strength'ning hands uphold the weak. And raise the poor that fall. 2 When sorrows bow the spirit down. When virtue lies distressed Beneath the proud oppressor's frown. Thou giv'st the mourner rest. 3 Thou know'st the pains thy servants feel, Thou hear'st thy children's cry ; And theii best wishes to fuliflll. Thy grace is ever nigh. 4 Thy mercy never shall remove From men of heart sincere : Thou sav'st the souls whose humble love Is joined with holy fear. 5 My lips shall dwell upon th}^ praise. And spread thy fame abroad : Let all the sons of Adam raise The honors of their God. Isaac Watts. This is a paraphrase of Ps. cxlv. 11:-21, and was first published in 1719, under the title: '■'■ Mercy to Sufferers; or, God Hearing Prayer.'' Two verses of the original are omitted, and those here given have been slightly altered. From the author's Psalms of David, 1719. 36 c. M. BLEST be our everlasting Lord, Our Father, God, and King ! Thy sovereign goodness we record. Thy glorious power we sing. 2 Thou hast on us the grace bestowed, Thy greatness to pro(;laim ; And therefore now we thank our God, And praise thy glorious name. 3 Thy glorious name, and nature's powers, Thou dost to us make known; And all the Deity is oun^. Through thy inc-arnatc Son. Charles Wesley. From Short Scripture Hymns, 17G2. IJased on 1 Chron. xxix. 10-13: "■Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and tlie power and the glory. . . . Now therefoie, our God, we thank thee and praise thy glorious name." The author has three hymns based on this passage from which the three stan- zas above have been selected. 37 c. M. SHALL foolish, weak, short-sighted man Beyond archangels go. The great almighty God explain, Or to perfection know ? His attributes divinely soar Above the creature's sight. And prostrate seraphim adore The glorious Infinite. 2 Jehovah's everlasting days, They cannot numbered be ; Incomprehensible the space Of thine immensity : Thy wisdom's depths by reason's lino In vain we strive to sound, Or stretch our lab'ring thought t' assign Omnipotence a bound. 3 The brightness of thy glories leaves Description far below ; Nor man, nor angel's heart conceives How deep thy mercies flow : Thy love is most unsearchable. And dazzles all above ; They gaze, but cannot count or tell The treasures of thy love ! Charles Wesley. Based on Job xi. 7-9: "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almiglity unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou knowv The measure thereof is k)nger than the earth, and broader than the sea." This hymn is found in no other Church collection. It is from Short Script- ure Hymns, 1762. 21 BEING AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD. 38 L. M. I). 'piIE Fpacious firmament on liigh, J. With all the blue ethereal sky, And si)angled heavens, a shining IVaun', Tijeir great Original proclaim : Til' unwearied sun, from day to day Doth Ids Creator's i)ower display, And publishes to every land The work of an almighty hand. 2 Soon as the evening shades prevail, The moon tiikes up the wondrous tide. And nightly to the list'ning earth Rei)eat< the story of her birtli : "Wlnle all the stiirs that round her burn, And all the i)lanets in their turn, (■onfirm the tidings as they roll. And spread the truth from pole to ix:)le. B What though, in solemn silence, all Move round the dark, terrestrial ball? AVhat though no real voice nor sound Amid the radiant orbs be found? In reason's ear they all rejoice. And utter forth a glorious voice, Forever singing as they shine, " The hand that made us is divine." Joseph Addison. Tins publiinc romposlliou is thought by many to !)(• tlie best of Adtlisou's liyuiiis. It is the lan- tjiiagc of one who knows how to reason "from jiature up lo natuie's Ciod," and not only to reason, but lo worship. J t first appeared in 1712, at the end of an article in Ihe Spectator on '■^The Right Means to Strenijthen Faith.'''' It isbaseil on Psalm xix. 1-G: *'The heavens declare the gloi-y of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto y all thy works on earth adored, We worsliij) thee, the connnon Low ourselves before thv throne. 2 Thee all the choir of angels sings, The Lord of hosts, the King of kings ; Cherubs i)roclaim thy praise aloud, And seraphs shout the Triune God; And " Holy, holy, holy," cry, " Thy glory fdls both earth and sky ! " 3 Father of endless majesty. All might and love we render thee; Thy true and only Son adore. The same in dignity and power; And God the Holy Ghost declare, The saints' eternal Comforter. VharJcs WcsJcy. From Redemption Hymns, 1747. These are the first, second, and fifth of the original foui'teen stan- zas by the author on the 7V; Deuia Laudamus. 40 L- ^i- G 1. THE Lord my jxisture shall prepare, And feed me with a shepherd's care; His presence shall my wants supply, And guard me with a watchful eye: ]\Iy noonday walks he shall atttuid, And all my midnight hours defend. 2 When in the sultry glebe I faint. Or on the thirsty mountain pant, To fertile vales and dewy meads. My weary, wandering ste|>s he leads, Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow, Amid the verdant landscai)e flow. 3 Though in a bare and rugged way. Through devious, lonely wilds I stray, Thy bounty shall my pains beguile ; The barren wilderness shall smile. With sudden greens and herbage crowned. And streams shall nmrmur all around. 4 Though in the paths of death I tread. With gloomy horrors overspread, INIy steadfast heait shall fear no ill. For thou, O Lord, art with me still : Thy friendly crook shall give me aid. And guide me through the dreadful shade. Joseph Adffison. This hymn first api)eared in 1712 in the Sprrfatf))-^ at the eml of an article on ^'■Tnist in the Supreme Ileinff,^* the closing sentence of which is: " David has very beautifully rei)resente(l this steady re- liance on God Almighty iii Tsalm xxiii., which is a kind of i)astoral hymn, and filleil with the alia- DIVINE ATTRIBUTES. eions ■\vhicli are us-ual in that kind of writinj!:. As the i)oetry is very exy which transposition inneh is gained in secnring a climactic arrangement to the hymn, which is r.oticeably wanting in the original order of the stanzas. 41 CM. OGOD, our strength, to thee our song With grateful hearts we raise ; To thee, and thee alone, belong All worship, love and praise. 2 In trouble's dark and stormy hour Thine ear hath heard our prayer; And graciously thine arm of power Hath saved us from despair. o And thou, ever gracious Lord, AVilt keep thy promise still, If, meekly hearkening to thy word, We seek to do thy will. 4 Led by the light thy grace imparts. Ne'er may we bow the knee To idols, which our wayward hearts Set up instead of thee. 5 So shall thy choicest gifts, Lord, Thy faithful people bless; For tliem shall earth its stores aCbrd, And heaven its happiness. Harriet Anber. I'naltercd and comi)lete. Based on parts of Psalm Ixxxi. : " Sing aloud unto God our strength : make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. . . . Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee. I an- swered thee in the secret place. . . . O Israel, if thou Milt hearken unto me; there shall no strange god he in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the T^ord thy God, that; brought thee out of the land of Egypt."' 42 C. II. F \THEIl, how wide thy glory shines ! How high thy wonders rise ! Known through the earth by thousand signs, - By thousands throuah the skies. 2 Tho^'e mighty orbs proclaim thy i)Ower ; Their motions speak thy skill ; And on the wings of every hour We read thy patience still. 3 Part of thy name divinely stands On all thy creatures writ; They show the labor of thy Iiands, Or impress of thy feet. 4 But when we view thy strange design To save rebellious worms, AVhere vengeance and compassion join In their divinest forms, 5 Our thoughts are lost in reverent awe ; AVe love and we adore : The first archangel never saw So mtich of God before. G Here the whole Deity is known. Nor dares a creature guess Which of the glories brighter shone. The justice or the grace. Isaac Watts. In the author's Horce Lyricce (1709) this hymn bears the title: ^^God Glorious and Sinners Saved.'* The last three stanzas are omitted: 7 When sinners broke the Father's laws, The dying Son atones: Oh the dear mysteries of his cross, The triumph of his groans! 8 Now the full glories of the Lamb Adorn the heavenly plains; Sweet cherubs learn Immanuel's name, Aud try their choicest strains. 9 O may I bear some humble part In that immortal song: "Wonder and joy shall tune my heart, And love command mv tongue. 43 . CM. GOD moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform ; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. 2 Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill, He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sovereign will. 3 Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take ; The clouds ye so nnich dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. 4 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense. But trust him for his grace ; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. 26 BEING AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD. 5 His puri>o«es will lipen fast, Unfolding every hour: The bud niay have a bitter tiiste, But sweet will be the flower. C Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan his work in vain ; God is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain. William Cowprr. This is the last hyimi written by Cowper for the OlncyCollec/ion,l779, uiul bears the title : '■^Light Shin- ing out of Darkness.''^ It is, as Moutgomei y has said, rendered '•'awfully interesting" by the circuni- stanees under which it was written— in "the twi- light of departing reason." It was after his second attack of insanity, in 1773, had begun to show signs of the coming night of mental darkness. Meditat- ing suicide, he had engaged a coachman to take him to a certain i)lace in the river Ouso, intending tliere to drown himself. But the coachman lost his way — >hall we say accidentally or providentially? — and Mas so belated that the trip was abandoned. In the meantime the suicidal si)ell Avas broken, and the l)oet, instead of carrying out his original intention, returned home, and wrote this profonnavc been disappointed." Yet he can still add, speaking to the Saviour: "I love thee, even now, more than niany who see thee «laily," "• It was such agonies as these," observes Dullield, " which have given Cowper's hymns tlieir marvelous hold upon liie heart." James T. Fields has fcait a])peared in the authoi's cele- brated work titlecl Mcditaiiuus (17-tl\ where it is precedeil by this sentence: "■Be still, then, thou uneasy mortal: know that God is unerringly Avise, and be assured that amidst the greatest multiplic- ity of beings lie does not overlook thee." Verses two and three have been transposed. In verse one the author wrote "•downward tracks" for "•vary- ing scenes," and " regulate " for " to appoint." lu verse thiee he wrote: "Since none can doubt his ciiual lo\ c. Immeasurably kind." A fourth stanza is found in many collections: In thy fair book of life divine, ^ly God, inscribe my name; There let it fill some humble i>lace Beneath mv Lord, the Lamb. 45 c. i\i. THY way, Lord, is in the sea; Thy i)aths we cannot trace, Nor comprehend the mystery Of thine unbounded grace. 2 As through a glass, we dimly see The wonders of thy love ; How little do we know of thee, Or uf the j(iys above ! ;> 'Tis but in jiart we know thy will ; AVe bless thee for the sight ; Soon w ill thy love the rest reveal In glory's clearer light. 4 AVith rai)tur(' shall we then survey Thy i)rovidence and grace, And spend an ev(>rlasting day In wonder, love, and praise. John Fauittt. DIVINE ATTRIBUTES. 27 tioni the author's i/i/??J«.s Adapted to the Cir- cumstances of Public Worship and Private Devo- tion, 1782. Based on Ps. Lxxvii. li): "Thy way is in the sea and thy path in the great waters, aiul thy footsteps are not known." Also, 1 Cor. xii. 12: " For now we see thiough a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in i)art; but then shall I know even as also I am known." The hymn lias been changed from the first person singular to the first person plural. Three stanzas of the original are omitted. 46 c. M. THY ceaseless, unexhausted love, Unmerited and free, Deli.sihts our evil to remove, And help our misery. 2 Thou waitest to be gracious still, Thou dost with sinners bear, That, saved, we may thy goodness feel, And all thy grace declare. 3 Thy goodness and thy truth to me. To every soul, abound : A vast unfothomable sea, Where all our thoughts are drowned. 4 Its streams the whole creation reach. So plenteous is the store ; Enough for all, enough for each. Enough for evermore. 5 Faithful, Lord, thy mercies are, A rock that cannot move : A thousand promises declare Thy constancy of love. 6 Throughout the universe it reign ^, Unalterably sure ; And while the truth of God remains. His goodness must endure. CJiarlcs Wcslct/. From SJiort Hymns on Select Passages of the Ilohj Scriptures, 1702. Based on Exodus xxxiv. 0: '•'•The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsufl'er- ing, and abundant in goodness and truth." In the last line the author wrote "• The " instead of " ITis." The similarity of the sentiments of this hymn to Matthew Henry's comments on the same passage of Scripture corroborates what Charles "NVeeley says in the ]ircfacc to the volume from which this hymn is taken: "Many of the thoughts arc bor- rowed from IMr. Henry's Comments, Dr. Gill on the Pentateuch, and Bengelius on the New Testa- 47 L. M. GOD of my life, whose gracious power Through various deaths my soul iiath led. Or turned aside the fatid hour, Or lifted up my sinking head ! 2 In all my ways thy hand I own, Thy ruling providence I see : Assist me still my course to run, And still direct my paths to thee. 3 Whither, O whither should I fly, But to my loving Saviour's breast? Secure within thine arms to lie. And safe beneath thy wings to rest. 4 I have no skill the snare to shun, But thou, Christ, my wisdom art: I ever into ruin run, But thou art greater than my heart. 5 Foolish, and impotent, and blind, Lead me a way I have not known ; Bring me where I my heaven may find, The heaven of loving thee alone. CJiarles Weslei/. From Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1740. The original has fifteen stanzas. The title is: ^'■At the Approach of Temptation.''^ In verse two the author wrote " O help " for "Assist." Two of the omitted stanzas are worthy of a place in this note, as in them he sings of his deliverance from death by shipwreck and by fever; and they have often been quoted by otliers when contemplating similar experiences of providential preservation: Oft hath the sea confessed thy power, And gaA-c nie back to thy command: It could not, Lord, my life devour, Safe in the hollow of thy hand. Oft from the margin of the grave, Thou, Lord, hast lifted \xp my head; Sudden I found thee uear to save; The fever owned thy touch and lied. 48 L. :m- PEACE, troubled soul, thou nccd'st not fear; Thy great Provider still is near; Who fed thee, last, will feed thee still : Be calm, and sink into his will. 2 The Lord, who built the earth and sky, In mercy stoops to hear thy cry ; His promise all may freely claim : Ask and receive in Jesus' name. 28 BEING AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD. 3 Without reserve give Christ your heart ; Let him his righteousness impart : Then all things else he'll freely give ; With him you all things shall receive. 4 Thus shall the soul be truly blest, That seeks in God his only rest ; ^lay I that happy person be, In time and in eternity. Samuel Ecking. This hymn llrst appeared in a volume by the au- thor, tilled Essays on Grace, Faith,ased on Ex. xxxiv. 5,G: "And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood Avith him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord i)assed hy before him, and proclainieil, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-sufl'ering, and abundant in gootlness and truth." This is thefirst part of a hymn of twelve stanzas, the second part being hymn No. 46, beginning, "Thy ceaseless, un- exhausted love." By omitting "down" from the end of the first line in the second stanza, the meter has been i^reserved at the expense of the rhyme- perhaps the lesser of the two evils— though " come " and " known " rhyme almost as well as do " down " and " known." The sixth stanza is omitted: 6 Our mis'ry doth for pity call, Our sin implores thy grace; And thou art merciful to all Our lost, apostate race. 53 , L.M. ERE mountains reared their forms sublime, Or heaven and earth in order stood. Before the birth of ancient time, From e^'erlasting thou art Gcm. 2 A thousand ages, in their flight. With thee are as a fleeting day ; Past^ present, fiiture, to thy sight At once their various scenes display. 3 But our brief life's a shadowy dream, A passing thought that soon is o'er. That fades with morning's earliest beam, And fills the musing mind no more. 30 BEING AND PERFECTIONS OF GOD. 4 To us, O Lord, tlic wisdom give E:uh i>assing moment so to ^pcnd, Tiiat ^^o at loiiirth with thee may Hve AVhere life and bliss shall never end. J la rr ill Aiibcr. A nohle hymn, based on Ps. kc. : '' Lord, thou hast le3 note under hynm No. V,2.) SECTIOX IT. MEDIATION OF CHRIST. 58 c. M. HARK the glad gound ! the Saviour comes ! The Saviour i)roniised loiit,^ ! Let every heart prepare a throne, And every voice a sonj?. 2 He comes, the pris'ners to release, In Satan's bondage held ; The gates of brass before him burst. The iron fettere yield ! 3 He comes, from thickest films of vice To clear the mental ray ; And on the eye-balls of the blind To pour celestial day. 4 He comes, the broken heart to bind. The bleeding soul to cure ; And, with tlie treasures of his grace, T' enrich the humljle poor. 5 Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace, Thy welcome shall proclaim ; And heaven's eternal arclies ring AVith thy beloved name. Philip Doddridge. Title: " Christ's Mcssaf/e.^^ This is jrenorally re- garded a.s Dr. Doddridge's masterpiece. It was written to 1)e sung at the close of a Christmas ser- mon, preaclied Deceniber 28th, 1735. The text of the sermon, and of the hymn as well, is Luke iv. 18,19: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, hecau.se he liath anointed me to jneach the gospel to the poor; lie halh .^cnt me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to th('cai)tives, ami i-ecover- Ing of sight to tl:e blind, to .«et at liberty them that are bruised, to jireach the a(reptal)k' year of the 1.^)1(1." The original hymn has been much im- IM-ovedby the omission of the second and sixth stan- zas. It from tiie aiitlior's Ilymns^ 1755. (32) 59 c. M. OY to the world — tlie Lord is come I Let earth receive her King ; Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing. J 2 Joy to the earth — the Saviour reigns ! Let men their songs employ ; "While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy. 3 No more let sins and sorrows grow. Nor thorns infest the ground : He comes to make his blessings flow, Far as the curse is found. 4 He rules the world with truth and grace. And makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness. And wonders of his love. Isaac Watts. First published in 1710under the title: " The Mrs- siah's Coining and Kingdom.'^ This is one of the finest Advent hymns ever written, as its wide- spread and unchanging po])ularity attests. It is i)ne of those happy and joyful C'iiristian lyrics in which Watts's hymns abound and which have jilaced him in the very front rank of the hymn- writers of all ages. Few hymns ever written have been sung to tunes so i)opular and so well aet ns learn the wondrous story Of oui- great llecU'enier's birth; Spread tlic brightness of his glory Till it eover all the earth. 00 L. >f- WIIKX marshaled on the nightly plain, The glitt'ring hosts bestud the sky, One stiir alone of all the train Can fix the sinner's wand'ring eye. 2 Hark ! liark ! to God the chorus breaks, From every host, from every gem ; P.ut one alone the Saviour speaks. It is the Star of Bethlehem. :; It is my g'lide, my light, my all ; Tt bids my dark forebodings cea.se; And til rough life's storm and danger's tlirall, Jt leads me to the port of i)eace. -i Thus, safely moored, my j^erils o'er, I'll sing, fii-st in night's diadem. For ever, and for evermore, The Star ! the Star of Bethlehem ! Ih'unj Kirkc Mlute. The tliird and fourth stanzas of the original arc here omitted: il Once on the raging seas T rode, The storm was loud, the night was dark, The ocean yawned, and rudely blowed The wind that tossed my foundering bark. 4 Deep hoiror then my vitals froze; Death-struck, I ceased the tide to stem; When suddenly a star arose. It was the Star of Bethlehem. In the third stanza above, "was" has been changed to " is," " bade " to " bids," " the storm " to "life's storm," "led" to "leads;" and in verse four, "Now " to "Thus." Strangely enough, in the former edition of our Hymn Book this hymn was l)ut under t!ic head entitled: "On « Voijafjc.'^ In most collections it is i»laced among the Advent and Incarnation hymns, being published entire and unchanged. Both classifications seem equally in- appropriate. The only way to adapt it to its pres- ent subject and sxirroundings is to do what has here been done— viz.: omit the third and fourth stanzas, and change the tense of the third stanza from the past to the i)iesent. By this means it is adjust-ed to the i)rescnt subject. But, in truth, the author had neither a "voyage" nor the "Advent" in mind in wiiting this hymn. It was written to describe his religious experience and to commem- oi-ate his conversion, Avith special reference to the si)iritual skepticism that had marked his unregen- erate state ancl turned his life into a " raging sea," on which his foundering bark was tossed in the darkened night, threatening speedy destruction, when suddenly the "Star of Bethlehem" arose and guided him to the " port of peace." Dr. Nettleton, comi)iler of the Village ITijmns^ was an eminently useful evangelist. During one of his tours, which were so remarkably blessed in tlie salvation of souls, he stopi)ed at a house in the region of the Catskill Mountains. While convers- ing with the older members of the family, he heai-d two young, sweet, and clear voices in a I'oom above warbling the excjuisitely beautiful air of Bonnie Doon. "Ask them," said he to the jiarents, "to come down and sing it to me, for I am ardently devoted to music." The re(iuest was chccifully comi)lied with, and he listened with delighted at- tention till the close of the song, when, kindly turning to the young ladies, he said, " I think I can teach you some far better words to that tune," and then sang to them the above beautiful hymn. As he ])roceeded to sing it lie called their attention so touchingly and tenderly to the beauty of its ADVENT AND INCARNATION. 37 sentiments that tears soon llowed from their eyes; and those two young ladies were among the first fruits of a gracious revival which attended his labors in that town. 70 L. M. TO us a Child of royal birth, Heir of the i)romises, is given ; Th' Invisible appears on earth, The Son of man, the God of heaven. 2 A Saviour born, in love supreme He comes, our fallen souls to raise ; He comes, his j^eople to redeem, AVith all his plenitude of grace. 3 The Christ by raptured seers foretold, Fill'd with th' eternal S])irit's power, Prophet, and Priest, and King, behold, And Lord of all the worlds adore. 4 The Lord of hosts, the God most high. Who quits his throne on earth to live, AVith joy we welcome from the sky. With faith into our hearts receive. Charles Wesley. From Short Scripture Hymns., 17G2. Based on Luke ii. 11: " For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." 71 C. M. rpHE Lord will come, and not be slow ; -L His footsteps cannot err; liefore him righteousness shall go, His royal harbinger. 2 IMercy and Truth, that long were missed, Now joyfully are met ; Sweet Peace and Righteousness have kiss'd. And hand in hand are set. 3 The nations all whom thou hast made Shall come, and all shall frame To bow them low before thee, Lord, And glorify thy name. 4 Truth from the earth, like to a flower, Shall bud and blossom then, And Justice, from her heavenly bowc^r. Look down on mortal men. 5 Thee Avill I praise, Lord, my God ! Thee honor and adore With my whole heart; and blaze abroad Thy name for evermore ! John Milton. Tliis liymn is made U]) of jiarts of tlic author's l)araphrase of I'salms Ixxxv. and Ixxxvi. Tlie five stanzas of tlie hymn were comitoscd upon the following passages fiom the Psahns: "Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his slei)s." (I's. Ixxxv. 18.) " Jlercy and truth aie met together; righteous- ness and j)cace have kissed eacli other." (I's. Ixxxv. 10.) "■All nations whoni thou hast made shall come and woi'ship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorily thy name." (Ps. Ixxxvi. 9.) " Truth shall si)ring out of the earth; and right- eousness shall look down from heaven." (Ps. Ixxxv. 11.) "• 1 will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermoie/' (Ps. Ixxxvi. 12.) "•David and IMilton," observes NiUter, "the greatest of inspired, and the greatest of uninspired, lioets, ought to be able to produce a valuable hymn." The only change of Milton's text is in the first stanza, Avhich is difl'erently arranged and slightly alteied: " Before him righteousness shall go. His royal harbinger: Then will he come, and not bo slov.", His footsteps cannot err." 72 lis, los. BPvIGHTEST and best of the sons of the morning. Dawn on our darkness and lend us tliine aid! Star of the East, the horizon adorning. Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid! 2 Cold on his cradle the dew-drops are shining, Low lies his head with the beasts of the stall ! Angels adore him in slumber reclining. Maker, and ]Monarch„and Saviour of all. 3 Say, shall we yield him, in costly devotion. Odors of Edom, and off 'ring-s divine? Gems of the mountain, and pearls of tlie ocean, IMyrrh fro]n the forest, and gold from the mine ? 4 Vainly we offer each ample oblation. Vainly with gifts would his favor se<.-ur(^ : Richer by far is the heart's adoration, Deai'cr to God are the prayers of the l)Oor ! MEDIATION OF CHRIST. 5 Brighte.^t and best of the sons of the morninL', Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid ! Star of the East, the horizon adorning, Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid. Reginald Ilebcr. This hymn on the " Star of the East''' was first I)uhlishe(l in ISU in the Christian Observer, and loniid a place, the year after the author's death, i.i Hymns Written and Adapted to the Weekly Church Service, 1827. 73 s-.'-'*.-'-^- ANGELS, from the realms of glory, AV^ing your flight o'er all the earth ; You who sang creation's story. Now proclaim Messiah's birth : Come and worship, Worship Christ, the new-born King. 2 Shepherds, in the field abiding, AVatching o'er your flocks by night, God with man is now residing ; Yonder shines the infant light : Come and worship, AVorship Christ, the new-born King. 3 Sages, leave your contemplations, Brigliter visions beam afar; Seek the great Desire of nations ; Ye have seen his natal star: Come and worship, AVorship Christ, the new-born King. 4 Saints,bcfore the altar ])ending, Watching long in hope and fear. Suddenly the Lord, descending. In his temple shall appear: Come and woi-ship, AVorship Christ, the new-born King. 5 Sinners, wrung with true repentance. Doomed for guilt to endless pains. Justice now revokes the sentence, Mercy calls you, break your chains : Come and worship, AVorship Christ, the new-born King. Ja nies Montgomery . From tl»c Christian Psalmist, ISa.'). Original title " (,'ood Tidings of great Joy to all People. ^^ '' Foi ouinprcheubiveue.-^si, appropriateness of expression. force and elevation of sentiment," says an intelli- gent and admiring critic, "• this hymn may clial- lenge comi)arison wilii any hymn that ^vas ever written in anv language or country."' 74 L. ^i. HOAV sw'eetly flowed the gospel sound From lips of gentleness and grace, AVhen list'ning thousands gathered round, And joy and gladness filled the place ! 2 From heaven he came, of heaven he spoke, To heaven he led his foll'wers' way: Dark clouds of gloomy night he broke, Unveiling an immortal day. :i " Come, wand'rers, to my Father's home ; Come, all ye weary ones, and rest." Y''es, sacred Teacher, we will come. Obey thee, love thee, and be blest. John Bowring. Author's title: '■'■Jesus Teaching the People.''^ It is based on Matt. xi. 28, 2*J.: "■ Come unto me, all ye that labt)i- and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; fori am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls." From the author's Matins and Vespers, 1823. One stanza is omitted: 4 Decay, then, tenements of dust! IMllars of earthly i)ride, decay I A nobler mansion wails the just, And Jesus has prepared the way. 75 8s, 7s. D. ONE there is, above all others, AA^'ll deserves the name of Friend ; His is love beyond a brother's. Costly, free, and knows no end. AVhich of all our friends, to save us, Could or would have shed his blood? liut the Saviour died to have us Keconciled in him to God. 2 AVhen he lived on earth al)asC'(l, l-'riend of sinners was his name; Now, above all glory raised, lie rejoices in tlie same. () for grace our liearts to soften ! Teach us, l^ord, at lengtli to love ; AA\»,alas! forget too often, AVhat a Friend w(^ luivc alK)V(\ Joftii Xcnton. LIFE AND CHARACTEll. 39 '■'Closer (han a Brother " is the title of this hj-mn in the Olncy Hymns, 1779. It is based on Proverbs xviii. ai: "A man that hath friends must show liiniself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." The hyinn,as given above, is nuich altered from the original, which contains >ix stanzas of six lines each. The above two double stanzas are made from four single stanzas, omitting the last two lines of each. Tlie omitted stanzas arc : 3 Men, when raised to lofty stations, Often know their friends no more; Slight and scorn their poor relations, Though the J- valued them before: But our Saviour always owns Those whom he redeemed with groans. 5 Coidd we bear from one another What lie daily bears from us? Yet this glorious Friend and Brother Loves us, though we treat Ilim thus: Though for good we render ill, He accounts us brethren still 76 L. M. WHAT equal honors shall we bring To thee, Lord our God, the Lamh, AVhen all the notes that angels sing Are far inferior to thy name ? 2 AVorthy is he that once was slain, The Prince of Life, that groaned and died ; Worthy to rise, and live, and reign At his almighty Father's side. ?) Power and dominion are His due, Who stood condemn'd at Pilate's bar ; Wisdom belongs to Jesus too, Though he was charged with madness here. 4 All riches are his native right, Yet he sustained amazing loss ; To him ascribe eternal might, Who left his weakness on the cross. 5 Honor immortal must be paid, Instead of scandal and of scorn ; While glory shines around his head, And a bright crown without a thorn. G Blessings forever on the Lamb, AVho bore our sin, and curse, and pain ; Let angels sound his sacred name. And every creature say, Amen ! Isaac Watts. The author prepared this hymn on " Christ's Ilu- miiiation and Exaltation'' to be sung after a KCr- nion on Rev. v. 12: "■ Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive jjower and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and gltjry, and blessihg." From the author's Jlijnms and Spiritual Soikjs, 1707. 77 L. M. BEHOLD the blind their sight receive! Behold the dead awake and live! The dumb speak wonders ! and the lame Leap like the hart, and bless His name ! 2 Thus does th' eternal Spirit own, And seal the mission of the Son ; The Father vindicates his cause, AVliile he hangs bleeding on the cross. 3 He dies ! — the heavens in mourning stood ! He rises — and appears a God ! Behold the Lord ascending high, No more to bleed, no more to die. 4 Hence, and forever, from my heart I l3id my doubts and fears depart ; And to those hands my soul resign, AVhich bear credentials so divine. I mac Walts. '•'Miracles in the Life., Death aiid Jiesurrectiov of Christ " is the title of this valuable hymn, which is based on Matt. xi. 2-C: "• Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Ait thoii he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them. Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the de;;d are raised np, and the poor have the gosjicl preached unto them. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be ofTended in me.'' 78 L. M. NOAV to the Lord a noble song ! Awake, my soul ! awake, my tongue I Hosanna to th' Eternal Name, And all his boundless love proclaim. 2 See, where it shines in Jesus' face, The brightest image of liis grace: God, in the person of Ins Son, Has all his mightiest works outdon(\ 40 MEDIATION OF CHRIST. 3 Grace I — 'tis a sweet, a charming theme : >r y thought^ rejoice at Jesus' name ! Ye an^^'ls, dwell upon the sound ; Ye heavens, reflect it to the ground I 4 O may I reach that hai>py i)lace Where he unveils his lovely face! Where all his beauties you hehold, And sing his name to harps of gold, Isaac Waits. This is truly a '' noble song."' '■'■Glorij and Grace ill the Prison of Christ,"' the suhject of thiti song, w;i.s :i theme that always set aglow the serajjhic soul of Dr. Watts. The following stanzas, the third and fourth of the original, have been omitted: y The spacious earth and spreading flood J'roclaini the wise, the jwwerful (Jod; And thy rich glories, from afar, Si>arkle in every rolling star: 4 Cut In his looks a glory stands, Tlie noblest labor of thy hands: The pleasing lustre of his eyes Outshijiesthe wonders of the skies. 9 L. :m. il.I Y dear Redeemer, and my Lord, 111 I read my duty in thy word : r>iit in thy life the law appears. Drawn out in living characters. 2 Such was thy truth, and such thy zeal, Such def rence to thy Father's will. Such love, and meekness so divine, I would transcribe and make them mine. 3 Cold mountiuns and the midnight air Witnessed the fervor of thy prayer; The desert thy temptations knew, Thy conflict, and thy vict'ry too. 4 Be thou my pattern ; make me bear More of thy gracious image here; Then (fod, tlie Judge, sliall own my name, Among the ffjll'wers of tlie Lamb. Isaac Watts. '■'•Tfic Example, of Christ " is the authoi-'s title to this hymn in his Jli/nms ami Spiritual Sonrjs, 1707. It Is (iiH'<»r the vciy few good liymns we haveo:i the life and ('\anii)le of oui- Lord. 80 I). HOLY Land), who thee confess, FoU'wers of thy holiness. Thee they ever keej) in view, Kver ask. " AVhat siiall we do? " Governed by thy only will, All thy words we would fidlill, AVould in all thy foot Thou art the Life: — the rending tomb Proclaims thy conqu'ring arm ; And those who \\\\i their trust in thee Nor death nor hell shall harm. 4 Thou art the Way, the Truth, the Life Grant us that way to know. That truth to keej), that Life to win, Whose joys eternal flow. (Jeoryv W. Doatoe. TRANSFIGURATION. 41 From the author's So)if/s by the Way^ 1824. This hymn is based on John xiv. (5: ''I am the way, ll\e trutli and tlie life: no inau cometh unto the Father, Ijxit by me." 82 i^- M. OLOVE divine, that stooped to share Oar sharpest pang, our bitterest tear ! On thee we cast each earthborn care ; AVe smile at jjain while thou art near. 2 Though long the weary way we- tread, And sorrow crown each lingering year, No path we shun, no darkness dread. Our hearts still whispering, thou art near. 3 When drooping pleasure turns to grief, And trembling faith is changed to fear. The murmuring wind, the quivering leaf, Shall softly tell us thou art near ! 4 On thee we fling our burdening woe, Love divine, forever dear ; Content to suffer while we know. Living and dying, thou art near ! Oliver Wendell Holmes. This is titled a '•'•Hymn of Trust " in the author's Poems (1SB2). It was written in 1848, and published in the Professor at the Breakfast Table {Atlantic Monthly., November., 1859). Dr. Holmes has Avrit- ten one other hymn Avhich is in nearly all the col- lections and which is even more admired than this. It is to be regretted that it has not found a place in this collection. The Hrst stanza of this omitted hymn is: '' Lord of all being! throned afar. Thy gloiy flames from sun and star; Center and soul of every sphere. Yet to each loving heart how near I " 83 c. M. OUT of the depths to thee I cry, Incarnate Son of God : The paths of our humanity. Thy fainting footsteps trod. ~ 2 Thou ]Man of grief, who once apart Didst all our sorrows bear, — The trembling hand, the fainting heart, The agony, and prayer ! 3 Is this the consecrated dower,' Thy chosen ones obtain. To know thy resurrection power Through fellowship of pain ? 4 Then, my soul, in silence wait; Faint not, O faltering feet ; Press onward to that blest esUite, | In righteousness complete. .5 Let faith transcend the i)assing hour, The transient pain and strife, Upraised by an immortal power — The power of endless life. Elizabeth Ermiee Marcy. Thi:; valuable hymn was contributed by the au- thor to the new //^)h?««Z of the ^lethodist K])isco- pal Church in 1877. As it appears there the lirst verse reads: Out of the dei)ths to thee I cry, Whose fainting footsteps trod The paths of our humanity, Incarnate Son of God I 84 c. M. DARK was the night, and cold the ground, On which the Lord was laid ; His sweat, like drops of blood, ran down; In agony he pray'd, — 2 *' Father, remove this bitter cup, If such thy sacred will ; If not, content to drink it up, Thy j)leasure I fulfill." 3 Go to the garden, sinner ; see Those precious drops that flow ; The heavy load he bore for thee ; For thee he lies so low. Thomas Haiveis. This hymn is based on the familiar Scripture scene of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane. Fi-om the author's Carmina Christo; or, Hymns to the Saviour. 1808. 85 T- M. D. .MASTER, it is good to be High on the mountain here with thee, Where stand revealed to mortal gaze Those glorious saints of other days, AVho once received on Horeb's height The eternal laws of truth and right, Or caught the still small whisper, liigher Than storm, than earthquake, or than fire. 2 jNIaster, it is good to be Entranced, enwrapt, alone with thee ; And watch thy glistering raiment glow Whiter than Ilermon's whitest snow ; 42 MEDIATION OF CHRIST. The huuian liiieaments that t^hine Irrailiant with a H^'ht divine; Till we too elianij:e from grace to grace, Gazing on that transfigured face. :) O Ma^^ter, it is good to be Here on the holy mount with thee: When darkhng in the depths of night, AVhen dazzled with excess of light, AVe bow before the heavenly voice That bids bewildered souls rejoice, Thougli love wax cold, and foith be dim, *• This is my Son, O hear ye him." Arthur Penrhyn Stanley. Tliis hymn was written in 1872. In 1S53 Dean Stanley visited the Holy Land. ITc, along with other modern anthoiitios, located the Translign- i-ation scene on Mount Ilermon. Two of the older liymns contained in this collection name Tabor as tlie i)rol)able .ccene of the event. The words of I'eter nttererl at tlie time, "blaster, it is good for U.S to be here'' (Mark ix. .'>), seem to be tlie text of the hymn. The second stanza of the oiigiual is omitted: 2 O ^faster, it is good to be With thee, and with thy faithful three: Here, where the Apostle's heart of rock Is nerved against temptation's shock; Here, wliere the Son of Thunder learns The thought that breathes, and word that burns; Here, where on eagles' wings we move Willi him whose last best creed is Icvc. 86 i^- M. Ainil^X at tliis distance, Lord, we trace V y Tlie various glories of thy face. What transport pours o'er all our breast. And charms our cares and woes to rest ! 2 Away, ye dreams of mortid joy ; Rai)tures liguration scene on Talmr. Dean Stanley, in the foregoing hymn, locates it on Iler- mon. The following stanzas, the second ami tlu" >i.\lh of the original, have been omitted: 2 Willi thee, in the obscurest cell. On some bleak mountain, woulil I dwell, leather than i)ompous courts behoM, And share their grandeur and their gold. G Tliat mount, how bright I those form3,how fairl 'Tis good lo dwell forever there! ( ome, death, dear envoy of my God, And bear me to that blc?t abode I 87 lis. GARDEN of Olivet, dear honored si>ot. The fame of thy wonder shall ne'er l^e forgot : The theme most transporting to seraphs above ; The triumph of sorrow, the triumph of love ! 2 Come, saints, and adore him ; come, bow at his feet ! . O give him the glory, the praise that is meet : Let joyful hosannas unceasing arise, And join the full chorus that gladdens the skies. Maria Dc Fleury. From the author's Divine Poems and Essays on Various Subjects., 175)1. The original contains live stanzas. The llrst stanza begins: *'Thou soft-llow- ing Kcdron.*' It is not found in any moilern C hurch collection. 88 L. M. HE dies ! the Friend of sinners dies! Lo ! Salem's daughters weep around ; A solemn darkness veils the skies; A sudden trem!)ling shakes the ground. 2 Come, saint.s, and drop a tear or two For him who groaned beneath your load : He shed a thousand drops for you, A thousand drops of richest blood. 3 Here's love and grief beyond degi-ee: The l^)rd of glory dies for man ! lint lo ! what sudden joys we see ! Jesus, tlu' dead, revives again! SUFFERINGS AND DEATH. 43 4 The rising God foi-sakes the tomb ; Up to his Father's courts he flies ; Cherubic legions guard him liome, And shout him welcome to the skies I ■") Break off your teai-s, ye saints, and tell How high your great Deliv'rer reigns ; Sing how he spoiled the hosts of hell, And led the monster death in chains I G iSay, " Live for ever, wondrous King! Born to redeem, and strong to save I " Then ask the monster, " AVhere's thy sting?" And, '' Where's thy vict'ry, boasting o-rave?" '^ Isaac Walls. Taken from Horce Lyricce (1709) whcio it bears tlie title: •"' Christ, Di/ing, Risi)ii/,and Reigning." Tlie lirst stanza has been materially altered and mnch iniproved. Watts wrote: lie dies! the Heav'nly Toverdies! The Tiilings ^-tnke a doleful sound On my poor Heartstrings: deep he lies In the cold caverns of the Ground. In the second line of the second stanza he also wrote: ,, ^ , , „ „ , , ., " On the dear Uosom of your God. ' John "Wesley is accredited with having made these improvements on the original. 89 L. M. YE that pass by, behold the Man ! -1 The ]Man of griefs, condemned for you I The Lamb of God, for sinners slain, Weeping to Calvary pursue ! 2 See there, his temples crowned with thorn, His bleeding hands extended wide ! His streaming feet, transfixed and torn ! The fountain gushing from his side ' 3 Where is the King of glory now ? Tlie everlasting Son of God! Th' Immortal hangs his languid brow : Th' Almighty foints beneath his load ! 4 The earth could to her center quake. Convulsed while her Creator died : let my inmost nature shake, And die with Jesus crucified ! 5 At thy last gasp the graves displayed Their horrors to the upper skies : that my soul might burst the shade, And, quickened by thy death, arise ! The rocks could feel thy ]>owerful deatii, And tremble, and asunder part: O rend witli thine expiring breath The harder marble of my heart! Charles Wesley. The original of this most remarkable hymn on the '■'Crucijixion of C/n-jsr' has twelve sranzas. It is one of tlie most vivid and life-like pictures of the crucifixion ever drawn with tiie pen. The sec- ond, thiril, fourth, lifth, eighth, and ninth stanzas are omitted: 2 See! how his back the scourges tear, M'hile to the bloody pillar bound ! The ploughers make longfunows there. Till all his body is one wound, o Nor can he thus their hate assuage: His innocence, to death pursued, iMust fully glut their utmost rage: Hark ! how they clamor for his blood I 4 '- To us our own Barabbas give: Away with him" (they loudly cry), "Away with him, not fit to live, The vile seducer crucify ! " o His sacred limbs they stretch, they tear, With nails they fasten to the wood! Jlis sacred limbs, exposed and bare, Or only covered w ith his blood. 5 Beneath ?j?j/ load he faints and dies; I filled his soul with Jiangs unknown; I caused those mortal groans and cries: I killed the Father's only Sou ! 9 O thou dear sufi^'ring Son of God, How doth thy heart to sinners move! Help me to catch thy precious blood! Help mo to taste thv dvinir love! 90 7s, 6s. D. SACRED Head, now wounded, With grief and shame weighed down, Now scornfully surrounded AVith thorns, thine only crown ; O sacred Head, what glory, What bliss till now was thine! Yet, thou despised and gory, I joy to call thee mine. 2 What thou, my Lord, hast suffered Was all for sinners' gain : jNIine, mine was the transgression, But thine the deadly pain. Lo, here I fall, my Saviour ! 'Tis I deserve thy place ; Look on me with thv favor, ^ Vouchsafe to me thy grace. i 44 MEDIATION OF CiiiiliiT. 3 Bo nciu- me when I'm dying, O show thy cross to mo ; And, for my succor Hying, Come, Lonl, and set me free : These eyes, new faith receiving, From Jesus shall not move ; For he who dies Ix^ieving Dies safely, through thy love. Bernardo/ Clairvauj-. Tr. by J. \V. Alexander. This is a translation of a translation. The origi- nal is Hernard's liynin beginning, " Salve caput cruentatum." In 1(>5C Paul Gerhardt rendered it into German, beginning, "O Haupt roll Hint tind Wiinck'ii,''^ and it has ever since been a great favorite in the Fatherland. In 1849 l^ev. James Waddell Alexander made a translation of Ger- hardt's German into English for Dr. Philip SchafT^ DexUsche Kir Chen frcund, and this is what is here given. It has Ave stanzas in the Latin, where it bears the title: '■^Ad faciem Chriati in cruce pcn- dentis.'' The third stanza of Dr. Alexander's translation is omitted: What language shall T borrow To thank thee, dearest Friend, For this, thy dying sorrow, Tliy pity without end? O make me thine forever; And should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never, Outlive my love to thee. Hard, indeed, must be that heart that is not warmed to devotion and brought into more loving contact Avith tlic Saviour of men by reading and singing the ardent and glowing love-hymns of Bernard, the pious monk of C'lairvaux. 91 7s, Os. D. JESUS drinks the bitter cup, The wine-press treads alone ; • Tears the graves and mountains up By his expiring groan : Lo, tlio powers of heaven he shakes ; Nature in convulsion lies ; Karth's profoimdest center quakes : The King of glory dies I 2 O niy God, he dies for me, I feel the mortid smart! See liini hanging on the tree, A siglit tliat V)reaks my heart I () tliat all to thee miglit turn ! Sinners, ye may love him too: I^K)k on him, ye ])ierced, and mourn For one who Ijled for you. 3 Weep o'er your desii-e and hope With teai-s of humblest love; Sing, for Jesus is gone up. And reigns enthroned abo\e ! Lives our Head to die no more, Power is all to Jesus given, AVoi-shii)ed as lie was l)efore, Th' iunnortal King of heaven. Charles Wesleif. The first three stanzas of this hymn on tl)c "Mi/stcrij of Locc'' are omitted. The author wrote as the last line of the first verse above: "The great Jehovah dies." 92 s. M. OUR sins on Christ were laid ; He bore the mighty load ; Our ransom-price he fully paid In groans, and tears, and blood. 2 To save a world, he dies ; Sinners, behold the Lamb ! To him lift up your longing eyes; Seek mercy in his name. 3 Pardon and peace abound ; He will your sins forgive ; Salvation in his name is foimd ; He bids the sinner live. 4 Jesus, we look to thee ; AVhere else can sinners go ? Thy boundless love shall set us free Fi-oni wretchedness and woe. John Fawcett. Fron\ the author's Jli/wnt;, 17S2. The original contains seven .stanzas. These are verses three, foui-, five, anrl seven, alteied. Only three lines rcniain unclianged. The object was eviy the llesli with scourges torn. By the crown of twisted tiiorn, By the side so deejily i)ierced. By the baffled, burning tliirst, By the drooi)ing, death- prant us then to (ind a place Around the footstool of thy grace, An: Thomas (). Sununers has sufr-rested that the re frain of this hymn, ''My Lord, my Love, is cru ciIkMl," was taken from I^rnatius, the martVr. 97 f>. >h ne retiring, Till he bowed his head exi)iring, And to Gf)d bri'athed out his ^oul. SUFFERINGS AND DEATH. 47 :> But we have no need to borrow Motives from the mother's sorrow, At our Saviours cross to mourn : 'Twas our sins brought him from lieaven ; These the cruel nails had driven : All his griefs for us were borne. 4 When no eye its pity gave us, AVhen there was no arm to save us. He his love and power displayed : By his stripes he wrought our healing, By his death, our life revealing. He for us the ransom paid. 5 Jesus, may thy love constrain us. That from sin we may refrain us, In thy griefs may deeply grieve: ' Thee our best affections giving, To thy glory ever living. May we in tin- glory live ! Jacopone da Tndl. Tr. by Jcones Waddell Alexander. Thi.s is a tiaii^latiou of the celebrated Latin hynm, the '•'•Stabat Mater,"" of Jacoponi, a Fran- ciscan monk. It i.->, next to tlie '■•Dies Irce'' of Tlionuis of Celano, the most noted and hi.-toric of all llie Latin hymns. Tiie original has ten stanzas, many of which contain idolatrous allusions and addresses to the Virgin Mary, fronj all of which, however, the above hymn, taken from the transla- tion of Dr. Alexander, is free. This hymn has been translated into nearly all the languages of modern Europe, and by many different persons into the English language. Many noted musicians have composed accompaniments for it. It is this hymn which has inspired the several famous j-amtings of the masters, titletl Mater Dolorosa. We give here the first verse of the original: Stabat mater dolorosa Juxta crucem lachrymosa, Qua pendebat filins; Cujus aniinam gementem, Contristantem et dolentem, Pertransivit gladius. The key-note of the hymn is stiiick in the two fii-st lines, which are taken almost literally from the Gospel of John, Latin version: ^'Stabat juxta <:ruce)ii mater ejKS.^" It was jjerhaps in the grief which the mother suflered while thus gazing npon her dying Son tiiat were fulfilled tlie worrls of ^imeou: '^A sword shall pass through thine own soul also.'' 99 8s, 8s, 7s. D. FROM the cross the ))lood is falling, And to us a voice is calling, Like a trumpet silver clear : 'Tis the voice announcing pardon — Jl is finished, is its burden, — Pardon to the far and near. 2 Peace that glorious blood is sealiuLr, All our wounds forever healing, And removing every load : "Words of peace that voice has spoken, Peace that shall no more be broken. Peace between mankind and God. Jloratius Bonar. This short but beautifid hymn is from the third series of the author's Hymns of Faith and Hope, l>ublished iu ISGC. There are two additional stan- zas. 100 L M MY Saviour, how shall I proclaim, How pay the mighty debt I owe? Let all I have, and all I am, Ceaseless to all thy glory show. 2 Too much to thee I cannot give ; Too much I cannot do for thee : Let all thy love, and all thy grief, Grav'n on my heart forever be ! o The meek, the still, the lowly mind, O may I learn from thee, my God ; And love, with softest pity joined, For those that trample on thy blood ! 4 Still let thy tears, thy groans, thy sighs, O'erflow my eyes and heave my breast ; Till loose from flesh and earth I rise. And ever in thy bosom rest. Paul Gerhardt. Tr. by John Wesley. The original of this hymn was written in IGoH. Wesley's translation first appeared in 1740, in Hymns and Sacred Poemg. It is based on Zech. xii. 10: "They shall look upon me whom they have pierced." The first five stanzas of the hymn have been omitted: 1 Extended on a cursed tree, Besmeared with dust, and sweat, and blood. See there, the King of glory see! Sinks and expires the Sou of God! 2 Who, who, my Saviour, this hath done? "Who could thy sacred body wound? No guilt thy spotless heart hath known, No guile hath in thy lips been found. 3 I— T alone have done the deed! 'Tis I thy sacred llesh have torn; My sins have caused thee. Lord, to bleetl, roinicd the nail, and lixctl the thorn. 48 MEDIATION OF CHRIST. i For mc, the bunU-n, to sustain Too jrroat, on thee, my Lonl, wasla'nl: To heal nie, thou has;t borne the pain; To bles.e w a?l uiak of all I lay; Thou >i>ran}r'i?t intt) the jaws of «leath. From death to save the helpless prey. 101 «^ ';■ IN the crop? of Christ I jj:lory, Towering o'er the wrecks of time ; All the light of sacred storj- Cnithers round its head sublime. 2 AVhen the woes of life o'ertiike me, Hopes deceive and fears annoy, Never shall the cross forsake me ; 1^3 ! it glows with peace and joy. 3 "When the sun of bliss is beaming Light and love upon my way, From the cross the radiance streaming Adds more luster to the day. 4 Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure, By the cross are sanctified ; Peace is there, that knows no measure^ Joys that through all time abide. 5 In the cross of Christ I glory, Towering o'er the wrecks of time ; All the light of sacred story Gathers round its head sublime. John JJoivriru/. r.alatians vi. 14: "God forl)id that I should glory, save in the eross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom tlie world is erucilied unto me, and I unto the woi Id." It is strange tljat a hymn on the cioss of Christ, so noble and evangelical in sentiment and spirit, should have been wiitten by a Unita- lian. IJut although Sir. John IJowring was nomi- nally and theoiotieally a I'nitarian, " i)ractically,"' says a ("hi-istian biographer, "■he was a devote See, from his head, his hands, his feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e'er such love and sorrow meet ? Or thorns comi)Ose so rich a crown ? 4 Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small ; Love so amazing, so divine. Demands my soul, my life, my all. Isaac ]Vatts. This is thought by many to be Dr. Walts's finest hymn. It is certainly one of the noblest hymns ever written on the crucilixion. It is based on Gal.vi. 14: "Hut God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord .Jesus Christ, by whom the world is erucilied unto me, anus promises are sealed ; The spotless Landj of God is slain. 5 Death, licll, and sin, are now sulxlued ; All grace is now to sinners given ; And lo ! I i)lead th' atoning l)lood, And in thy right I claim thy heaven. Charles Wesley. SUFFERINGS AND DEATH. 49 This first appearerl in Short Scripture Hymnn, 17(52. It is based on John xix. 30: '" It is flniphed." In the last line of the second verse the author wrote '• God " instead of " C hrist." Three stanzas are omitted. 104 -^ 1 ^HEX on Sinai's top I see T T God descend in majesty, To proclaim his holy law, All my spirit sinks with awe. 2 AVhen, in ecstasy sublime, Tabor's glorious height I climb, In the too transporting light, Darkness rushes o'er my sight 3 AVhen on Calvary I rest, God, in flesh made manifest, Shines in my Redeemer's face. Full of beauty, truth, and grace. 4 Here I would forever stay, Weep and gaze my soul away ; Thou art heaven on earth to me, Lovely, mournful Calvary. James Montgomery. This hymn, on '•'■The Three Mountains,"'' first ap- peared in William B. Collj-er's Collection, in 1812. Montgomery heie, as does Doddridge in the hymn beginning*'- When at this distance, Lord, ^ve trace,*' locates the transfiguration scene on Mount Tabor. Recent writers, however, locate it on IMount Her- mon. See Dean Stanley's hymn beginning '' O Master, it is good to be,'' (No. 85). The contrast between ''the three mountains" and the religious emotions awakened by a contemplation of each is very finely drawn in the above hymn. 105 7s SONS of God, triumphant rise, Shout th' accomplished sacrifice ! Shout your sins in Christ forgiven. Sons of God, and heirs of heaven ! 2 Ye that round our altars throng, List'ning angels, join the song ; Sing with us, ye heavenly powers, Pardon, grace, and glory, ours ! 3 Love's mysterious work is done ; Greet we now th' atoning Son ; Healed and quickened by his blood. Joined to Christ, and one with God. 4 4 Him by faith we taste below, ^Mightier joys ordained to know, AVhen his utmost grace we prove, Rise to heaven by perfect love. Charles Wedey. This Wesleyan hymn is in no other Church col- lection. Its title in Hymns and Sacred Poems (IToO) is '''■Hymn after the Sacrament.'"' Four stanzas arc omitted. 106 R OCK of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee ; Let the water and the blood, From thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure. 2 Could my tears forever flow, Could my zeal no languor know, These for sin could not atone ; Thou must save, and thou alone ; In my hand no price I bring. Simply to thy cross I cling. 3 AVhile I draw this fleeting breath, When my eyes shall close in death, "When I rise to worlds unknown, And behold thee on thy throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee. Augustus Montague Toplady. "yl Living and Dying Prayer for the Holiest Believer in the World^' is the author's title to this matchless hymn, which contends with Charles Wesley's '■^ Jesus, Lover of my Soul,'^ for being the most popular hymn in the English language. It first appeared in the Gospel Magazine for 31 arch, 1776, a periodical of which Toplady was then editor, in an article on '•'The National Debt,"^ in which, along with other things, he discusses the ''debt of sin " which Christ has canceled, and our conse- quent indebtedness to him for the manifold bless- ings of redemption, the article closing with this hymn. But neither in this article nor in Toplady's Hymn Book (published that same year) is this hymn distinctly accredited to him. In a letter in the Wesleyan Magazine, as late as 18o2, Richard "Watson erroneously attributes it to Charles Wes- ley. The eaily Methodists would have welcomed proof that Wesley was the author; for the most unpleasant personal controversy that John Wesley was ever drawn into was that which he had with the author of this hymn over doctrinal points, Toplady being a pronounced Calviuist. 50 MEDIATION OF CHRIST. There is a story sometimes published concerning the origin of this liviun unci "Jt'sMs, Lover of my Soul."" It IS to the eOect that Toplady and Wesley, after waging for some tiuK' their wiw over mailers of lUketriiie, had a friendly cunleiciK-e, and in j)art- mg agreed that each .-hould celebrate the meeting i»y wnling a hymn, setting forth the one central and caitlinal doctrine of his faith, and it might be fonnd that each would agree lo what the other wivte. Thereui»on Toplady wrote '''•Rock of Ages,"' and \Ve?ley "Jeaus, Lorer of mi/ »S'o«/." It is to l>e legielted that so beatitiful a story has no foun- dation. ( liailes Wesley's hymn was wrillen the year Itefore Toplady was born ! The original of this hymn has four stanzas. which were altered and abridged into three stanzas by Montgomery and Cotlerill for their She/field ITtjmn Book (1819), and since that time it has generally appeared in this abridged form, as alK>ve. The following is its original form, tlie parts changed being here italicized : 1 T{ock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee! T.ct the water and the blood, Fiom thy riven side which lloAved, IJe of sin the double cure. Cleanse me from its guilt andj)0\ver. 2 Not the labors of my Jiancls (^an fulfill thy law's demands: Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears fore\-er flow, All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and thou alone. n Xothiiig in my hand I bring ; Simply to thy cross I cling; Naked, come to thee for dress; Jfelpless, look to thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly ; Wash me. Saviour, or I die. 4 Whilst I ])lMdy died only two years after writing this hymn, being in his thirty-eighth year. His deatit more tlian realized " tlie living and (lying jn-ayer '' exjiressed in the last stanza. lie called himself ''the hajtinest man in the world," and said on his death -bed: "I cannot tell the comforts I feel in my sold; they a)-c jtast expression. The consola- tions of (Jod aiT s«) abundant he leaves me nothing to pray f<»i-; my i)rayers are all converted into ]>rnise, I enjoy a heaven already in niy soul. No mortal can live after having seen the glories which (Itwl hns manifeste ihc author's 1 title to this hymn in his Hymns and Spiritual MEDIATION OF CHRIST. Songs, 1707. It is based on Hcb. x. 4: "For it is not possible that tlie blotxl of bulls and of poats should take away sins." Two stanzas are omitted: 4 My soul looks back to sec The burdens thou didst bear When hanging: on the cursed tree, Ami hopes her guilt was there. 5 Relieving, we rejoice To see the curse remove; "We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice. And sing his bleeding love. There are several instances on record of the value of this particular hymn. One of the liiblc So.'iely's colporteui's was one day oQ'ering Bibles for sale in the Jews' quarter, at the East End of Jx)ndon, when a Jewess infonned him, if any of theii- peojjle bought a Bible, read it, and became converts to Christianity, they would certainly re- turn to their former belief, and die in the faith of Abraham. The Bible-man rc])lied that when he was a city mis>ionary he had been induced to call upon a dying Jewess. •■' She had been brought from afllucncc to abject poverty for the faith of Christ; at one time she had kept her own carriage. One day her eye rested on the leaf of a hymn-book, which had come into the bouse covering some but- ter, and she read ujjon it these words: '' ' Not all the blood of beasts, On Jewish altars slain, ■ Could give the guilty conscience ])eace. Or wash away the stain.' Tlie verse haunted her; she could not dismiss it or forget it. After a time she went to a box whei-e iilicyremembcied she had a copy of the Bible, and induced by that xcv^c, she began to lead it, and she read on till she found Jesus Christ, 'the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.' Shebecanie openly a convert to Christianity. This caused her Jewish husband to divorce lier. lie went to India, where he n)arrieil again, and died. She lived in much jtoveity with two of her nation, Jewish sisters, who had also become (;hi'istians." "All this," said the Bible-man, " I knew; and as I fetood by her bedside, she did not renounce lier faith in her crucilied Lord, but died triumphing in liiin as licr rock, her shield, and her exceeding great rewai'd." 110 LM 'rpLS midiiiglit; and on Olive's brow X Tlie stiir is dininied that lately shone: 'Tis inidnitauza of the orii'inal is omitted. 113 8^, 7., 4s. HARK I the voice of love and mercy Sounds aloud from Calvary ; See ! it rends the rocks asunder. Shakes the earth and veils the sky : "It is finished!" Hear the dying Saviour cry. 2 " It is finished ! " O what pleasure Do these precious words afibrd ! Heavenly blessings, without measure, Flow to us from Christ the Lord : " It is finished ! " Saints, the dying words record. 3 Tune your harps anew, ye seraphs ; Join to sing tlie pleasing theme ; All on earth, and all in heaven, Join to praise Immanuel's name : Hallelujah ! Glory to the bleeding Lamb ! Jonathan Evans. " Finished Redemption " is the title of this beau- tiful hymn which lirst appeared \\\ Rippon's Se- lection, 17S7. Avhcie it was marked F . Some i'ollections asciibed it to Francis, It is claimed, Iiowever, that F.uieant Folcshill, where Evans was ]»astor. It has not been altereil; but two stanzas, the third and fourth, of the original have been omitted: 3 Finished all tlie types and shadows Of tlie ceremonial law; Finished, all that God has promised; Death and hell no more shall awe; It isfuiished! Saints from hence your comforts draw. 4 IIapi)v souls, approach the table, Taste the soul-reviving food! Kothing half so sweet and i)Icasant, As the Saviour's Jlesh and blood, It is finislied ! Christ has borne the heavy loatl. 114 C M. YE humble souls, that seek the Lord, Chase all your feai-s away ; And bow with pleasure down to see The place where Jesus lay. 2 Thus low the Lord of life was brought ; Such wondei-s love can do : Thus cold in death that bosom lay, Which throbbed and bled for you. 3 But raise your eyes, and tune your songs, The Saviour lives again ; Not all the bolts and bars of death The Conqu'ror could detain. 4 High o'er th' angelic bands he rears His once dishonored head ; And through unnumbered years he reigns, AVho dwelt among the dead. 5 With joy like his shall every saint His empty tomb survey ; Then rise with his ascending Lord, Through all his shining way. Philip Doddridge. On the '•'■Resurrection of Christ."' a jubilant hynin. based on Matt, xwiii. 5, G: '-And the angel an- swered and said unto the women: Fear not ye, for 1 know that ye seek Jesus, which was cniciOed. He is not liere; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place Avhere the Lord lay." 115 C M THE Sun of righteousness appears, To set in blood no more : Adore the Scatt'rer of your fears, Your rising Sun adore. 2 The saints, when he resigned his breath, Unclosed their sleeping eyes: He breaks again the bands of death, Again the dead arise. 3 Alone the dreadful race he ran, Alone the wine-press trod : He dies and suffers as a man. He rises as a God. 4 In vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Forbid an early rise To him who breaks the gates of hell, And opens paradise. Snrntiel Wrslei/. .7>\ ".4 Hymn on Easter Day" is the title liiis hymn bears in the author's volume of I\)ems. MEDIATION OF CHIUST. 110 S M '• r'PHE Lord is risen indeed ;" J- lie lives to die no more; He lives the sinner's cause to plead, Whose curse and shame he bore. 2 " Tlie Lord is risen indeed ; " Then hell has lot his prey ; AVith him has risen the ransomed seed, To reign in endless day. 3 " The Lord is risen indeed ;" Attending angels hear; Up to the courts of heaven, with sjieed, The joyful tidings bear. 4 Then wake your golden lyres, And strike each cheerful chord ; Join, all ye bright, celestial choii-s, To sing our risen Lord. Thomas Kclh/. 1' rom Hi/rnvs on Various Passages of Sci'iplure, ISOl. The oiiKin«il contains cijjht btiiuzas. 117 Ss,7s,4s. ("iOME, ye saints, look here and wonder ; J See the place where Jesus lay : He has burst his bands asunder; He has borne our sins away : Joyful tidings ! Yes, the Lord has risen to-day. 2 Jesus triumphs ! sing ye praises ; P>y his death he overcame: Thus the Lord his gloiy raises, Thus he fills his foes with shame : Sing ye praises! Piaises to the Victor's name. ?t Jesus triumphs ! countless legions Come from heaven to meet their King ; Soon, in yonder blessed regions, They shall join his praise to sing: Songs eternal Sliall through heaven's high arches ring. Thomas Kvllif- T'.a^ofl on Mark \vi. 0: " r.cliold the ]>lace wIumv tli(!V laid him." Fioni the author's //v/7Hns, ISOO, 118 i'>'- I KNOW that my Redeemer lives; AVhat joy the blest assurance gives! He lives, he lives, who once was dead 1 Ic lives, my everlasting Head ! 2 He lives, to bless me with his love ; He lives, to plead for me above ; He lives, my hungry soul to feed ; He lives, to help in time of need. 3 Jle lives, and grants me daily breath ; He lives, and I shall conquer death ; He lives, my mansion to prej^are ; He lives, to bring me safely there. 4 He lives, all glory to his name ; He lives, my Saviour, still the same ; AVhat joy the blest assurance gives, I know that my Redeemer lives I Sa)iu(el Medley. From Mcdlei/'s Ilijmns^ ISIIO. Based on Job xix. •2.'): "/ kitoiv that my Jirdccmcr lirelh.'^ The origi- nal contains nine stanzas. These are verses one, three, eight, and nine. Four hnes have l)een changed. \'er.>e one, lines two and lour: " What comfort this srreet passage gives." " He lives, my ever-living Ileaill " Verse four, lines two and three: "• lie lives, my Jesxis., still llie same: O the swccl joy this sentence gives!" 119 L M VTE faithful souls, who Jesus know, 1 If risen indeed with him ye are, Superior to the joys below, His resurrection's ])ower dei-lare. 2 Yoiu' faith by holy tempers prove. By actions show your sins forgiven ; And seek the glorious thiuirs above, And follow Ciirist, your Head, to heaven. ?> There your exalted Saviour see. Seated at (iod's right hand again. In all his Father's majesty. In everlasting pomp, to reign. 4 To him continually asi)ire. Contending for yom- native place; And emidate the angel-choir, And only live to love and jmiise. .") For wh(^ l)y faith your Lord receive. Ye nothing seek or want beside ; I>(^ad to the world and sin ye live ; Yom- creature-love is crucified. RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION. Your real life, with Christ concealed, Deep ill the Father's bosom lies ; And, glorious as your Head revealed, Ye soon shall meet him in the skies. Charles Wesley. From S/iort Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy iScrijilures, 17(j2. This was written on Col. iii. 1-1: '' If ye then be risen with Christ, seek tliosc things which are aliove, wluire Christ silteth on llie right hand of Cod. Set your affections on things al>ove, not on things on the eartli. For ye are ilead, and your life is hid with Clirist in God. AVlien Christ, who is our life, shall ajjpcar, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." 120 L- M. LORD, when thou didst ascend on high. Ten thousand angels filled the sky : Those heavenly guards around thee wait, Like chariots that attend thy state. 2 Not Sinai's mountain could appear jNIore glorious, when the Lord was there : AVhile he pronounced his dreadful law. And struck the chosen tribes with awe. 3 How bright the triumph none can tell, When the rebellious powers of hell, That thousand souls had captives made, AVere all in chains, like captives, led. 4 Raised by his Father to the throne. He sent the promised Spirit down, AVith gifts and grace for rebel men, That God might dwell on earth again. Isaac Wads. Based on Psalm Ixviii. 17, 18: "The chariots of Cod are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy i)hK'e. Th(m hast ascended on high, thou hast led cajnivity cai)tive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea. for the rebellions also, that the Lortl God might dwell among them," Date, 1719. 121 L.M. OUR Lord is risen from the dead ; Our Jesus is gone up on higli ! The powers of hell are captive led. Dragged to the portals of the sky. 2 There his triumphal chariot waits, And angels chant the solemn lay : " Lift up your heads, ye heavenly gates, Y^'e everlasting doors, give way ! 3 " Loose all your bars of massy light, And wide unfold th' ethereal scene : lie claims these mansions as his right — Receive the King of glory in ! " 4 " AVho is the King of glory ? Who ?" " The Lord, that all our foes o'ercame. The world, sin, death, and hell o'erthrew ; And Jesus is the Conqu'ror's name." 5 Lo I his triumphal chariot wait«, And angels chant the solemn lay : "Lift up your heads, ye heavenly gates. Ye everlasting doors, give way ! " (i " Who is the King of glory ? Who ? " "The Lord, of glorious power possessed, The King of saints and angels too, God over all, forever blessed." Charles Wesley. From Psalms and Hymns, 1743. Uased on I'salm \.\iv. 7-10: '•'• Lift u]) your heads, O ye gates; and l)e ye lifted np, ye everlasting doors; and the King (if gloiy shall come in. Who is this King of gloryV The Lorne verse, the third, isut spotless, innocent, and jinre, The great Kedeeujcr sl(»od, AN'liile Satan's llery y the eternal Spirit made An ofFring in the sinner's stead : Our everlasting Priest art thou. And plead'st thy death for siimers now ; 2 Thy off'ring still continues new ; Thy vesture keeps its bloody hue; Thou stand'st the ever-slaughtered Lamb ; Thy priesthood still remains the same: Thy years, O God, can never fail ; Thy goodness is unchangeable. 3 O that our faith may never move, But stand unshaken as thy love : Sure evidence of tilings unseen, Now let it pass the years between. And view thee bleeding on the tree, ;My God, who dies for me, for me ! Charles Wesley. Taken from Hymns on the Lord'' s Supper^lTih. Its full title is: '■'■The Lord's Supper as it is a Me- morial of the Sufferimjs and. Death of Christ.''^ "The sacramental hymns of Charles Wesley ai* to a large exteut ba^ed on the sentiments recorded by Dr. I'.ievint In his treatise on the Christian Sac- rament and Sacrijiee., which is usually prefixed to the hymns. A thoughtful rearlcr of both -will icadily discAivor the sentiments both of I>r. llrevint and Thomas A Jvempis, but tliese are embellished by Charles Wesley with all the charm of sacred poetry." (Stevenson.) 125 L.M. 01. BE1\)KE the throne my Saviour stands, ^ly Friend and Advocate appears : My name is graven on his hands, And him the Father always hears : RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION. 57 While low at Jesus' cross I bow, He hears the blood of sprinkling now. 2 This instant now I may receive The answer of his powerful prayer ; This instant now by him I live, His prevalence with God declare ; And soon my spirit, in his hands, Shall stand where my Forerunner stands. Charles Wesley. From Sho}-t Scripture JIym;is. Title: ^'■Priest- hood of Christ.'^ Based on lleb. ix. 24: '• For Clirist is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the iigures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to aiipear in the presence of God for us." The first stanza is omitted: 1 Entered the holy place above, Covered Avith meritorious scars, The tokens of his dying love Our great High Priest in glory bears: He pleads his jiassion on the tree, He shows himself to God for me. 126 H AIL, the day that sees Him rise, Ravished from our wishful eyes ! Christ, awhile to mortals given, Reascends his native heaven. 2 There the pompous triumph waits : " Lift your heads, eternal gates ; AVide unfold the radiant scene ; Take the King of glory in ! " 3 Circled round with angel powers. Their triumphant Lord and ours, Conqu'ror over death and sin — Take the King of glory in ! 4 Him though highest heaven receives, Still he loves the earth he leaves ; Though returning to his throne, Still he calls mankind his own. 5 See, he lifts his hands above ! See, he shows the prints of love ! Hark, his graoious lips bestow Blessings on his church below ! Charles Wesley. The first jSve of ten stanzas in the author's " Hymn for Ascension Day^" first jjublibhed in TTymns and Sacred PoetrirS, 17o9. 127 7s ' ' n HRIST, the Lord, is risen to-day," \J Sons of men and angels say ! Raise your joys and triumi)hs high! Sing, ye heavens ! thou earth, reply I 2 Ivove's redeeming work is done ; Fought the fight, the battle won: Lo ! the sun's eclipse is o'er ; Lo ! he sets in blood no more. 3 Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Christ hath burst the gates of hell ; Death in vain forbids his rise ; Christ hath opened paradise. 4 Lives again our glorious King! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Once he died our souls to save, Where's thy vict'ry, boasting grave ? 5 Soar we now where Christ has led, Foll'wing our exalted Head : Made like him, like him we rise ; Ours the cross, the gi'ave, the skies ! Charles Wesley. These are tlie first five of eleven stanzas bclong- ingto the aullior's ^'•Hymn for Easter Day'- pub- lished in Hymns and Sacred Poems^ 1730. The original of the last two hues of the fourth verse is: " Dying once he all doth save: "Where thy victory, O grave?" (Compare the third stanza with the fourth stanza of No. 115.) 128 EARTH, rejoice, our Lord is King! Sons of men, his praises sing; Sing ye in triumphant strains, Jesus our Messiah reigns ! 2 Angels and archangels join, All triumphantly combine ; All in Jesus' praise agree, Cai-rying on his victor^'. 3 Though the sons of night blaspheme, More there are with us than them : God with us, we cannot fear ; Fear, ye fiends, for Chiist is here ! 5S MEDIATION OF CHRIST. 4 L<:> ! to faith'?! enlightened sight All the mountain flames with light: Hell i^J nigh, but God is nigher, Circling us with hosts of fire. Charles Wesley. From JTi/mns 0}id Sacred Poems, 1740. Title; •To be Sung in a Tutnult."' Thcoriyinal hnsfour- tCCU btUUZilS. 120 8^,'^. D. HA I L, thou once despised Jesus ! Hail, thou lialilean King! Thou didst sutler to release us ; Thou didst free salvation bring. Hail, thou agonizing Saviour, Bearer of our sin and shame ! By thy merits we find favor ; Life is given through thy name. 2 Paschal Lamb, by God appointed, All our sins on thee were laid ; By Almighty love anointed, Thou hast full atonement made : All thy people are forgiven. Through the virtue of thy blood : Opened is the gate of heaven ; Peace is made 'twixt man and God. 3 Jesus, hail ! enthroned in glory. There forever to abide! All the heaveidy host* adore thee, Seated at thy Father's side: There for sinners thou art i)leading, There thou dost our place i)repare ; Ever for us interceding. Till in glory we appear. 4 Woi-ship, honor, power, and blessing. Thou art worthy to receive ; Loudest praises, without ceii.'^ing, Meet it is for us to give : Help, ye bright angelic spirits, Bring your sweetest, noblest lays ; Hclj) to sing our Saviour's merits ; Helj) to chant Immanuel's j^raise. John JiftkeireU. This hymn aiiiiearcd in M'>7 in a collection of ITjimns arldrrssrd to (he Holy, Jfoly, Jfoli/ Triune (lodyin the person of Jesus Christ, our ^tedi^^lnr and Adroeafp. It is nlsofonntl in M;n-tin MaMnn's Collection^ 1700, and in Topljuly'h J'sabns and HymnSy 177G. It appeared in the Metholady*s alterations. A lifth irtanza is given in the Einvorth Singers: 5 Soon we shall with those in glory llis transcendent grace relate; Gladly sing the amazing story Of his dying love so gi'eat; la that blessetl contemplation We forevermore shall dwell, Crowned witli bliss and consolation Such as none l)clow can tell. An incident related in connection with this hymn is worthy of mention: A devoted Christian woman, as she lay upon her invalid couch, softly chautetl ti»e words of this hymn : "Jesus, haillcnthronerl in glory, There foievcr to abide."' She paused, and asked of a coujpanion sitting by, who was the author of this beautiful hymn, which had been a source of consolation to her through many weary days and nights. On being told the author,she replied, " Bakewell I liakewell ! Surely it may be the same that wrote a letter which I have rea liow that seems to agree with the feeling which his hymn gives me I " saiil the invalid. It was almost the dying i)rayer of this venerable "father in Israel," who was now ninety-two years of age. Only two years later, crownetl w ilh the benedic- tion of a long and u.seful life, he fell on sleeit ami went to " Hail the Lord, enthroned m glory. There forever lt)abiile." l.W w c. :\r. HAT grace, I>jrd, anook; but one needs to write only one such hymn as this to gain an enviable immortality in the Christian ( hnrch. The author in writing this hymn "builded wiser than he knew." The won- 60 MEDIATION OF CHRIST. ileiful i)Oitul;uity of tliis liynin is doubtless at- tiibiitable in part to the beauty and i>o\vcr of the tune, "Coronation,'' which, iiuleed, is inseparable from the hymn. The last stanza yiven above was not written by Perronet, but was a»l liow free," "}?reat," etc., in the fourth lines be wrote " 7S so free," "jjreat," etc. In verse two he wrote " //». the fall" and ^'■And saved me," etc. In verse three the original is: '■'^Throufjh mighty hosls (»f cruel foes. Where eartli and boll my way opi)()se." This is a deservedly ])())mlar hymn. Tlie tune eallerl " T.ovinjr-Kindness " is especially adapted to the words. PEAISE TO CH1118T. g;^ 139 ^- i^ M- COULD I speak the matchless worth, cuuld 1 sound the glories forth, AVhich in my Saviour shine ! I'd soar and touch the heav'nly strings, And vie with Gabriel while he sings In notes almost divine. 2 I'd sing the precious blood he spilt, My ransom from the dreadful guilt Of sin and wrath divine ; I'd sing his glorious righteousness. In which all-perfect, heavenly dress My soul shall ever shine. 3 I'd sing the characters he bears, And all the forms of love he wears, Exalted on his throne : In loftiest songs of sweetest praise, I would to everlasting days Make all his glories known. 4 Well, the delightful day will come, When my dear Lord will bring me home, And T shall see his face ; Then with my Saviour, Brother, Friend, A blest eternity I'll spend. Triumphant in his grace. Saymiel Medley. This hymn first appearerl in 17S9, in the third edi- tion of the author's JTymim. The oiiginal bears the title '• Christ Our King^"' and lias eight stanzas — tlie above being tlie second, fjftli, sixth, and eighth. It was never verj- nnich sung nntil Dr. Hastings wrote the tune "-Ariel," when it took new life, and is now perhaps the most popular of all :Medley'shrmns— especially in America. Inverse foui. line two, the author Avrote "When i/e, dear Lord," etc., and in line four "there" instead of " then." 140 8s, 7s. D. MIGHTY God, while angels bless thee, May a mortal lisp thy name ? Lord of men as well as angels. Thou art every creature's theme. Lord of every land and nation, Ancient of eternal days. Sounded through the wide creation, Be thy just and lawful praise. 2 For the grandeur of thy nature — Grand beyond a seraph's thought — For created works of i)ower, Works with skill and kindness wrought; For thy providence that governs Through thine empire's wide domain, AVing-s an angel, guides a sparrow, — Blessed be thy gentle reign. :> But thy rich, thy free redemption, Dark through brightness all along! Thought is poor, and poor expression : Who dare sing that awful song? Brightness of the Father's glory, Shall thy praise unuttered lie ? Fly, my tongue, such guilty silence ! Sing the Lord who came to die. 4 Did archangels sing thy coming? Did the shepherds learn their lays ? Shame would cover me, ungrateful, Should my tongue refuse to praise. From the highest throne in glory. To the cross of deepest woe. All to ransom guilty captives- Flow, my praise, forever flow ! Robert Robinson. This hymn is by the same author, and in the same meter, as " Come., thoa Fount of every blessing.'^ Either one would justly entitle the author to im- mortality as a hymn-writer; they have no supe- riors in the Hymn Book. This hymn is fidl of beauty, majesty, and grandeur. It is titled a "■"■C/n-iatmas Ilyniu.,'' and is said to ha\ e been wi-it- ten for a little boy named Benjamin Williams, who sat on the author's knee while he -wrote it ofl' raj)- idly, giving it to him as soon as it was linishcd. The autlior Avrote the second line: "May an iu/cuit lisp thy name?" Williams afterwards became a deacon in the Baptist Church. The oiiginal has nine single stanzas, all ending with a Hallelujah chorus. The last stanza is omitted above : (.i«% return, immortal Saviour! Leave thy footstool, take thy throne; Thence return, and reign foiever; r>e the Kingdom all thine own. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Amen! 141 H. M. LET eaith and heaven agree, Angels and men be joined, To celebrate with me 64 MEDIATION OF CHRIST. The Siiviour of mankind; T' adore the all-atoning Liuiib, And bless the sound of Jesus' name. 2 Jesus I transporting sound ! The joy of eartli and heaven : No other help is found, No other name is given, By which we can salvation have ; But Jesus came the world to save. 3 unexampled love ! all-redeeming grace ! How swiftly didst thou move To save a fallen race ! What shall I do to make it known What thou for all mankind hast done ? 4 for a trumpet voice, On all the world to call ! To bid their hearts rejoice In Him who died for all ! For all my Lord was crucified ; For all, for all my Saviour died. Charles Wesley. This is one of Charles Wesley's finest hj^mns. It is part of a poem of ten stanzas, from Hymns on Oo(Vs Everlasting Love, 1741. The hymn is made up of the first two, the seventh, and ninth stanzas. Charles Wesley, observes C. S. Nntter, was never weary of insisting upon the truth of the two last lines of this hymn. He had a most intense aversion to the o])i)()site doctrine of unconditional election. In anoliiei- liymn, published in the above hook, he exclaims: "Take back my interest in Thy blood, unless it streamed for all the race." In holy au- dacity, this reminds us of the prayer of Moses for Israel: "Now, if thou wilt forgive their sin— ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy hook." The author wrote "freely" instead of "swiftly" in verse three, line three. 142 c M BEHOLD where in a mortiil form Ai)pears each grace divine! The virtues, all in Jesus met, AVith mildest radiance shine. 2 To s])r( ad tlie rays of heavenly light, To give the mourner joy, To preach glad tidings to the poor, Was his divine employ. 3 Lowly in heart, to all his friends A friend and servant found : He wiushed their feet, he wiped their tears, And healed each bleeding wound. 4 Midst keen reproach and cruel scorn. Patient and meek he stood : His foes, ungrateful, sought his life : He labored for their good. 5 In the last hours of deep distress, Before his Father's throne, With soul resigned, he bowed, and s^id, "Thy will, not mine, be done!" 6 Be Christ our Pattern and our Guide I His image may we bear! O may we tread his holy steps. His joy and glory share! William Enfield. This hymn was written in 1771. The first line of the original is: '' Uehohl, -where, in (lie Friend of man.^' The /ifth stanza of the original is omitted: 5 To God he left his righteous cause. And still his task pnrsueil; With humble i)rayer, and holy faith, His fainting strength renewed. 143 c. M. COME, let us join our cheerful songs Witli angels round the throne; Ten thousand thousand are their tongues, But all their joys are one. 2 "Worthy the Lamb that died," they cry, " To be exalted thus : " "Worthy the Lamb," our hearts reply, " For he was slain for us." 3 Jesus is worthy to receive Honor and power divine ; And blessings, more than we can give. Be, Lord, forever thine. 4 The whole creation join in one To bless the sacred name Of Him that sit'^ upon the throne, And to adore the Lamb. Isaac Wafts. '■'■Christ Jesus, the Lamb of Gofl, worshipped hi/ all the Creation'' is the title of this hymn In the author's Hymns and Spiritual Sonffs, 1707. It was written to be sung at the close of a sermon on Ucv. V. 11-13: "And I beheld, aud 1 heard the voice PRAISE TO CHRIST. 65 of many angels about the throne, and the beasts, and the eUleis: and the nnuibei" ol" them was ten thousand times ten thousanil, and tliousands of tliousands; saying witli a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing,and honor, and glory, and power, be nnto him that sitteth ui)on the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Watts wrote/*' lips" instead of "hearts" in the third line of the second stanza. The fourth stanza of the original has been omitted: 4 Let all that dwell above the sky, And air, and earth, and seas. Conspire to lift thy glories high. And speak thine endless praise. 144 c. M. MY Saviour, my almighty Friend, When T begin thy praise, AVhere will the growing numbers end, The numbers of thy grace ? 2 Thou art my everlasting trust ; Thy goodness I adore : Send down thy grace, O blessed Lord, That I may love thee more. 3 My feet shall travel all the length Of the celestial road ; And march with courage in thy strength, To see the Lord my God. 4 Awake ! awake I my tuneful powers : With this delightful song I'll entertain the darkest hours, Nor think the season long. Isaac Watts. '■'•Christy our Strength and Rightcous7iess,'^ is the title of this magnificent hymn in the author's Psabns of David, 1719. It is based on Ps. Ixxi. U, 15: "But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. 'My mouth shall shoAV foith thy righteousness and salvation all the day: for I know not the numbers thereof." Three stanzas of the original are here omitted. The last two lines of verse two were, as written by Watts : "And since I knew thy graces first, I speak thy glories more." In the last line of verse three he wrote "w?/ Fa- ther God " instead of " the Lord my God." 5 145 c. M. JESUS, these eyes have never seen That radiant form of tliine ; The veil of sense hangs dark between Thy blessed face and mine. 2 I see thee not, I hear thee not. Yet art thou oft with me ; And earth has ne'er so dear a spot As where I meet with thee. 3 Like some bright dream that comes un- sought When slumbers o'er me roll, Thine image ever fills my thought, And charms my ravished soul. 4 Yet though I have not seen, and still Must rest in faith alone, I love thee, dearest Lord, and will. Unseen, but not unknown. 5 When death these mortal eyes shall seal. And still this thro))bing heart, The rending veil shall thee reveal, All-glorious as thou art. Ray Palmer. '■'■ Unseen— Not Unknown'''' is the title of this hymn as it first appeared in the Sabbath Hymn Book, 1858. It is based on 1 Pet. i. 8: " Whom hav- ing uot seen, ye love." During the last three or four days of his life Dr. Palmer lay most of the time apparently uncon- scious. When told by his son that the end was near, he answered "Thank God!" in a louder tone of voice than he had employed for some time. Occasionally he Avould be heard to repeat to him- self a hymn of faith and praise, now one of Charles \Vcsley's, and now one of his own. The last words he was heard to utter were spoken not long before his death. His lips were seen to move, and listen- ing ears caught a few syllables, inarticulately spoken, of the last verse of this hymn: "When death these mortal eyes shall seal. And still this throbbing heart. The rending veil shall thee reveal, All-glorious as thou art." The woi'ds " The rending veil shall thee reveal" were distinctly made out. So he passed away with his own words of faith, written in life, now rati- fied and sealed in death. This hymn is Avorthy of the author of " My faith looks up to thee." The few hymns by Ray Palmer which are found in the present collection are among the choicest of the new hymns added br tlie Committee of Revision. (j6 MEDIATION OF CHRIST. 146 c M JESUS, Liglit of all below, Thou Fount of living fire, Surpa-^i^ing all tlie joys we know, And all we can desire ! 2 When once thou visite^^t the lieart, Then truth begins to shine, Then earthly vanities depart, Then kindles love divine. 3 O Jesus, Saviour, hear the sighs AVhich unto thee we send ; To thee our inmost spirit cries, To thee our prayers ascend, 4 Abide with us, and let thy light Shine, Lord, on every heart; Disi)el the darkness of our niglit, And joy to all impart. 5 O Jesus, King of earth and heaven, Our Life and Joy ! to thee Be honor, thanks, and blessing given Through all eternity ! llrrnurd of Clairvaux. Tr. by Edivard Caswall. Tills is a i»ait of CaswalTs translation, in fifty >lanza.sof IJernai(l".s hymn beginning: Jesu dulcis iiionoria. (Sec note under liynin No. lo2). The arr)2 a version of the Psalms known as Stern- luild an Martin Madan: but the preponderance of evidence seems to be in favor of Langford. The sccoml stanza is omitted: 2 Ye who see the Father's grace Beaming in the Saviour's face, As to Canaan on ye move. Praise and bless redeeming love. 150 H. M. SHALL hymns of gratd"ul love Through heaven's high arches ringj And all the hosts above Their songs of triumph sing ; And shall not we take up the strain, And send the echo back ag-ain ? 2 Shall they adore the Lord, Who bought them with his blcKxl, And all the love record That led them home to God ; And shall not we take up the strain. And send the echo back atrain ? 68 MEDIATION OF CHRIST. 3 O spread the joyful sound, The SaviourV love proelaim, And publish all around Salvation through his name; Till all the world t;ike up the strain, And send the echo back again. James J. Ciimiuins. This liynin is taken from the author's Ilymyis, Meditations, and other Poems, lS4i). It " takes up a »»liain " fouiul in uo other hymu, auil heuce tills a useful place. 151 C M MY God ! I love thee, not because I hope for heaven thereby ; Nor yet because, if I love not, I must forever die ; 2 Not for the sake of gaining aught. Not seeking a reward, But as thyself hast loved me, ever-loving Lord. 3 Thou, my Saviour, thou didst me Upon the cross embrace, For me didst bear the nails and spear And manifold disgrace, 4 And griefs and torments numberless. And sweat of agony. E'en death itself— and all for me, Who was thine enemy. 5 Then why, since thou first lovedst me. Should I not love thee well, E'en though I had not heaven to win Or to escape from hell? G So will I love thee, dearest I^ord, And in thy praise will sing, Becxiusc thou art my Saviour God, And my eternal King. Fran c i s Xa vier. T r . I » y Ed wa rd Ca stvall. This hymn fills a needed place in our Hymn lk><>k. '^'^ Loving Christ because he first loved us"' Is its theme. The rewards of heaven and the feai- ol hell are holh nu)tives that may i)ron)pt men to seek the salvation ol their .souls. Hut to love Christ because he first loved us and because of hi> huflerlnj^s for us is a higher and nobler motive by which to be influenced than the hope of reward or ll«e fear of punishment; and this hymn is well adapted to express the feelinj^s of those who, in be- coming Christians, arc so strongly movetl by the contemplation of Christ's love and suflerings foi- us that they are not conscious of being influenced at all by either of the other motives named. The first verse of the original is: O Dens, ego amo TV, Nee amo Te, ut salves nir, Ant quid not amanles Te, Aelernopunis igne. In the above hymn the translation of Dr. Caswall has been altered in several particulars, he being more faithful to the Latin original. In the first stanza, third and fourth lines, he wrote: "Nor yet because who love thee not Must die eternally." The second stanza here is the fifth in his transla- tion. "Jesus "is changed to "Saviour" lu verse three. Verse five is much altered: " Then why, O blessed Jesus Christ, Shouhl I not love thee well? Not for the sake of winning heaven, Nor of escaping hell." The third line of last stanza is also changed: "Solely because thou art mv God." 152 c. M. JESUS, the very thought of thee With sweetness fills the breast; But sweeter far thy face to see, And in thy presence rest. 2 Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame. Nor can the memory find A sweeter sound than thy blest name, O Saviour of mankind ! 3 Hope of every contrite heart, O Joy of all the meek. To those who ask, how kind thou art ! How good to those who seek ! 4 But what to those who find ? Ah, this Nor tongue nor pen can show : The love of Jesus, what it is, None but his loved ones know. 5 Jesus, our only joy be thou. As thou our prize wilt be ; In thee be all our glory now. And through eternity. Bernard of Clair vaux. Tr. by Edward Caswall. This is a translation of a part of Bernard's hymn beginning ".7r.v» dnlcis memnria,"'' of which the title is, ^■'•Thy Name is as Ointment Poured Forth." It has been ju-onounced an "almost unapjiroach- ably fine translation." Caswall's rendering first LOVE TO CHRIST. 69 appeai-ecl in the Lyra Catholica, iu 1S49, in fifty .stanzas. "It is in this liyuni," says Dufliekl, au- thor of English //j//>i»s, " that the great theologian and scholar, and jireacher of crusades, has set the key for modern hynuiology. No one can fail to rec- ognize how its spirit has gone into the German and English lyrics." '-Some hymns," says (ieorge John Stevenson, "have so much divine insidration in them that the world will not let them die. This liymn has been like a charm in the Church for eight hundred years, and its music is as fresh as ever." In verse three the translator wrote '■'•fair'' instead of "ask," and in verse four, ^'■lovers'' in- stead of " loved ones." The ardent language of the fourth verse finds a parallel in the following remarkable lines, written in 1779, by a partially insane man living at Cirencester: Could we with ink the ocean fill. Were the whole earth of parchment made, AVere every single stick a fiuill. Were every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God alone, Would drain the ocean dry; Nor Avould the scroll contain the whole. Though stretched from sky to sky. 153 c. M. HOW sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer's ear ! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his fear. 2 It makes the wounded spirit whole, And calms the troubled breast ; 'Tis manna to the hungry soul, And to the weary, rest. 3 Dear Name, the rock on which I build. My shield and hiding place ; My never-failing treasury, filled With boundless stores of grace ! 4 Jesus, my Shepherd, Husband, Fiiend, My Prophet, Priest, and King ; My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, Accept the praise I bring. 5 Weak is the effort of my heart, And cold my warmest thought ; But when I see thee as thou art, I'll praise thee as I ought. 6 Till then I would thy love proclaim With every fleeting breath ; And may the music of thy name Refresh my soul in death ! JoJin Xcuton. From the Olney Hymns^ 1779. Title: " The JVame of Jt'sus." Based on .Soug of .Solomon, i. .J: "Thy name is as ointment poured forth." One stanza, the fourth of the original, omitted: 4 By thee my prayers acceptance gain, Altliough with sin defiled; Satan accuses me in vain, And 1 am owned a child. 154 c. M. MAJESTIC sweetness sits enthroned L^pon tke Saviour's brow ; His head with radiant glories crowne<^, His lips with grace o'erflow. 2 He saw me plunged in deep distress, And flew to my relief; For me he bore the shameful cross, And carried all my grief. 3 To heaven, the place of his abode, He brings my weary feet. Shows me the glories of my God, And makes my joys complete. 4 Since from his bounty I receive Such proofs of love Divine, Had I a thousand hearts to give, Lord, they should all be thine. Samuel Stennett. From liippon's Selection^ 1787, where it is titled: '"'Chief Among Ten Thousand; or, the Excellences of Christ." Based on Cant. v. 10-16. The follow- ing five omitted stanzas make an excellent hymn in themselves: 1 To Christ, the Lord, let every tongue Its noblest tribute bring: "When he's the subject of the song, AVho can refuse to sing? 2 Survey the beauties of his face, And on his glories dwell; Think of the wonders of his grace, And all his triumphs tell. 4 No mortal can with him compare. Among the sons of men ; Fairer is he than all the fair That fill the heavenly train. G His hand a thousand blessings pours Upon my guilty head ; His presence gilds my darkest hours, And guards my sleeping bed. 7 To him I owe my life and breath. And all the joys I have: He makes me triumph over death. He saves me from the grave. 70 MEDIATION OF CHKIST. 155 C. M. PLUNGED in a gulf of dark despair, We wretched dinners lay, AVithout one cheering l:>eani of hope, Or spark of glimm'ring day. 2 With pitying eyes the Prince of grace Beheld our lieli)less grief; lie saw, and (O amazing love!) He rah to our relief. 3 Down from the shining seats above With joyful ha.ste he fled, Entered the grave in mortal flesh, And dwelt among the dead. 4 O for thi.s love let rocks and hilLs Their lasting silence break, And all harmonious human tongues The Saviour's praises speak ! 5 Angels, assist our mighty joys. Strike all your harps of gold ; But when you raise your highest notes. His love can ne'er be told ! usnac Watts. "■Praise (olhf Redeemer''' is the titlcof tlusliymii in Llie author's //.vm»sonfZ Spiritual Souc/s, 1707, M'hcre it first appeared. '• I lK)))e," says the author, "the readei- will for-ive the neglectof rhymes in' the first and third lines of the stanzas." "This :)iy.mn," observes a thoughtful critic, "is pufiieient to piovc that such rliynie is not necessary to the loftiest poetical composition. TJicre are very few Jinesof sacred ])oetry so sublime as the la8t part of tijis hymn." Three stanzas are omitted above: 4 lie spoiled thepoM-ers of darkness thus, And brake our iron cliains; Jesus has freed our cajjtlve sonis From everlasting pains. 5 In vain tlie baflled piince of hell Iliscuised projects tries; We that were doomed his endless slaves Are raised above the skies. 7 Yes, we will praise thee, dearest Lord, Our souls are ail on flame; Ilosanna lound the spacious eartli To tliine adorod name! r. M. 150 JESUS, I love thy charming m 'Tis music to my ear ; amo. 2 Yes, thou art precious to my soul, My transport and my tru-st ; Jewels, to thee, are gaudy toys. And gold is sordid dust. 3 All my capacious powers can wi.-h. In thee doth richly meet ; Nor to mine eyes is light so dear, Nor friendship half so sweet. 4 Thy grace still dwells upon my heart. And slieds its fragrance there; The noblest balm of all its wounds, The cordial of its care. 5 ril speak the honors of thy name With my last, lab'ring breath ; Then si)eechless clasp thee in mine arms, The antidote of death. Philip Doddridye. This is based on 1 Pet. ii. 7, "Unto vou therefore winch believe he is preciims," and was written in ]"..-. to ije sung after a sermon on tills text. Speak- ing of tiie aiK)ve and other liymns bv Dr. Dod- dridge, a writer in tiie Xorth British Review says: " If amber is tiie gum of fossil trees, fetched up and floated off by tlie ocean, iiymns like these are a spiritual amber. Most of the sermons to whicli they originally pertained have disapjieared for- ever; but at once beautiful and buoyant, tliese sacred strains are destined to carry Uie devoirt emotions of Doddridge to every sliore where iiis Master is loved anil wiiere liis mother-tongue is spoken." An old minister, quite feelile in mind from long illness, was