HymnPod

This hymn was written in 1890 and found in Precious Times of Refreshing and Revival. After emigrating to America, Bottome be came a Methodist Episcopal minister in 1850. Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, awarded him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1872.

Lyrics: Francis Bottome
Music: William J. Kirkpatrick

O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound;
Let ev’ry Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!

Refrain:
The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from Heav’n, the Father’s promise giv’n;
O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found-
The Comforter has come!

The long, long night is past, the morning breaks at last,
And hushed the dreadful wail and fury of the blast,
As o’er the golden hills the day advances fast!
The Comforter has come!

Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,
To ev’ry captive soul a full deliverance brings;
And through the vacant cells the song of triumph rings;
The Comforter has come!

O boundless love divine! How shall this tongue of mine
To wond’ring mortals tell the matchless grace divine-
That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine!
The Comforter has come!

This hymn is an excellent one to mark Pentecostal Sunday, which falls on 31 May 2009 this year.

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This hymn was composed by Robert Robinson. His father died when he was young and his mother could not control him. He was wild as a youth and was into drinking and gang-life. One day, he attend a service with George Whitefield preaching.

He later sobered up and three years later on Dec 10, 1755, he gave his heart to Christ. After that at age 23, Robert entered the ministry and served at Calvinist Methodist Chapel in Norfolk, England. This hymn was written by him for Pentecost Sunday in 1758.

Lyrics: Robert Robinson
Music: John Wyeth

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.

This hymn seems to be a favourite even up to this day.

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This lovely hymn reminds us the omnipresence of the Lord Jesus.

It was written by Major Daniel Whittle who remarked that, “I do not like the hymn I Need Thee Every Hour very well, because I need him every moment of the day.”

His daughter, May Whittle wrote the music, and she later became the wife of Will R. Moody.

Lyrics: Daniel W. Whittle
Music: May W. Moody

Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Refrain:
Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Never a trial that He is not there,
Never a burden that He doth not bear,
Never a sorrow that He doth not share,
Moment by moment, I’m under His care.

Never a heartache, and never a groan,
Never a teardrop and never a moan;
Never a danger but there on the throne,
Moment by moment He thinks of His own.

Never a weakness that He doth not feel,
Never a sickness that He cannot heal;
Moment by moment, in woe or in weal,
Jesus my Savior, abides with me still.

Rev. Andrew Murray adopted this as his favourite hymn. There is a good writeup at http://nethymnal.org/htm/m/o/momentby.htm

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Henry Francis Lyte was born in Scotland, 1793. His father abandoned his mother and him and later, he was orphaned at 9 years old with no support. He was invited by Rev. Robert Burrows into his home, accepted as part of his family, and had his education paid for. Henry studied at Divinity school, was ordained at 21 and began preaching at St. Munn’s Church in Taghmon, Ireland.

This hymn was written in 1824, when he ministered to Rev. Abraham Swanne who was dying. They both studied the Scriptures together and realized they were both blind guides. After coming to a saving knowledge of Christ, Henry was inspired to write this hymn.

Lyrics: Henry F. Lyte
Music: attributed to Wolfgang A. Mozart

Jesus, I my cross have taken,
all to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
all I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still mine own.

Let the world despise and leave me,
they have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
show Thy face and all is bright.

Man may trouble and distress me,
’twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
while Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Haste then on from grace to glory,
armed by faith, and winged by prayer,
Heaven’s eternal day’s before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
swift shall pass thy pilgrim days;
Hope soon change to glad fruition,
faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Life is hard, therefore, let us carry our crosses and follow the Lord Jesus.

Also, please visit http://hymnplayer.hymnpod.com

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This hymn was composed in the 8th century by an unknown poet. In 1905, Mary Elizabeth Bryne, a scholar in Dublin, Ireland, translated this ancient Irish poem into English. Later, another scholar, Eleanor Hull of Manchester, English, took Bryne’s translation and created verses with rhyme and meter. It was then set to this traditional Irish folk song “Slane”.

Lyrics: Irish hymn, c. 8th century
Music: Irish melody – Slane

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

This is an old but meaningful hymn.

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This hymn was written by a former shoe salesman who became a Baptist preacher. John Henry Yates, born in Batavia, New York, on Nov 21, 1837 was the son of John and Elizabeth Yates who emigrated from England.

After attending Batavia Union School, John Yates became a shoe seller, and later a local department manager for a hardware firm. Next, he worked as an editor of a the local newspaper.

In 1858, he was licensed to preach in the Methodist church, and was later ordained. He served as pastor of West Bethany Freewill Baptist Church.

In 1891, Yates sent “Faith Is The Victory” to Ira Sankey, who wrote the music for it. It first appeared in The Christian Endeavor Handbook and in Gospel Hymns No. 6.

Lyrics: John H. Yates
Music: Ira D. Sankey

Encamped along the hills of light,
Ye Christian soldiers, rise.
And press the battle ere the night
Shall veil the glowing skies.
Against the foe in vales below
Let all our strength be hurled.
Faith is the victory, we know,
That overcomes the world.

Refrain:
Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory, that overcomes the world.

His banner over us is love,
Our sword the Word of God.
We tread the road the saints above
With shouts of triumph trod.
By faith, they like a whirlwind’s breath,
Swept on o’er every field.
The faith by which they conquered death
Is still our shining shield.

On every hand the foe we find
Drawn up in dread array.
Let tents of ease be left behind,
And onward to the fray.
Salvation’s helmet on each head,
With truth all girt about,
The earth shall tremble ‘neath our tread,
And echo with our shout.

To him that overcomes the foe,
White raiment shall be giv’n.
Before the angels he shall know
His name confessed in Heav’n.
Then onward from the hill of light,
Our hearts with love aflame,
We’ll vanquish all the hosts of night,
In Jesus’ conqu’ring Name.

Let us remember to have faith in each and every situation in life.

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This hymn reminds us not to put our hope and trust in man, but rather on the Rock, our Lord Jesus Christ. It was written by Priscilla Jane Owens from Baltimore, Maryland. She was a schoolteacher for 49 years at Baltimore, and a member of the local Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Lyrics: Priscilla J. Owens
Music: William J. Kirkpatrick

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

Refrain:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,
For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;
And the cables, passed from His heart to mine,
Can defy that blast, thro’ strength divine.

It will surely hold in the Straits of Fear-
When the breakers have told that the reef is near;
Though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow,
Not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow.

It will firmly hold in the Floods of Death–
When the waters cold chill our latest breath,
On the rising tide it can never fail,
While our hopes abide within the Veil.

When our eyes behold through the gath’ring night
The city of gold, our harbor bright,
We shall anchor fast by the heav’nly shore,
With the storms all past forevermore.

This hymn also happens to be the Boys Brigade theme in Singapore.

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Edward Mote was born into poverty on Jan 21, 1797, London. His parents were innkeepers who wouldn’t allow a Bible in the home. Young Edward spend most of his Sundays playing in the City Streets. Of his theological upbringing, he said “So ignorant was I that I did not know that there was a God.”

Eventually Mote became exposed to the Word of God, and was baptized at the age of 18. This event, however, did not send Mote immediately into the ministry. He was apprenticed to become a cabinetmaker, a career which he successfully conducted for another 37 years. Eventually, at the age of 55, he became pastor of a Baptist church in Horsham, Sussex, where he did not miss a Sunday in the pulpit for the next 21 years. He resigned from this pastorate in 1873 due to ill health, and died the following year at the age of 77.

Lyrics: Edward Mote
Music: William B. Bradbury

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

There are two additional verses which are not commonly found in hymnals today:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
‘Midst all the hell I feel within,
On His completed work I lean.

I trust His righteous character
His council, promise, and His power;
His honor and His name’s at stake,
To save me from the burning lake.

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Lyrics: Augustus M. Toplady
Music: Thomas Hastings

This hymn was written in 1776 by Augustus Montague Toplady who was a staunch Calvinist and an Anglican priest. This hymn reminds us that we cannot save ourselves. We need the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Rock 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.

Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill thy law’s commands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee.

Augustus Toplady died at age 38, but this hymn continues to be one of the best known, best loved, and widely useful hymn in the English language.

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Lyrics and Music: C. Austin Miles

Ever wonder what it would be like in heaven? This hymn paints a picture of what it would be like. It was written by Charles Austin Miles in 1911 who was a pharmacist-turned-publisher. Miles was an amateur photographer who wrote many of his hymns in a darkroom, while waiting for the photographs to develop.

Far away the noise of strife upon my ear is falling.
Then I know the sins of earth beset on every hand.
Doubt and fear and things of earth in vain to me are calling.
None of these shall move me from Beulah Land.

Refrain:
I’m living on the mountain, underneath a cloudless sky.
I’m drinking at the fountain that never shall run dry.
O yes! I’m feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply,
For I am dwelling in Beulah Land.

Far below the storm of doubt upon the world is beating.
Sons of men in battle long the enemy withstand.
Safe am I within the castle of God’s Word retreating.
Nothing then can reach me-’tis Beulah Land.

Let the stormy breezes blow, their cry cannot alarm me;
I am safely sheltered here, protected by God’s hand.
Here the sun is always shining, here there’s naught can harm me.
I am safe forever in Beulah Land.

Viewing here the works of God, I sink in contemplation.
Hearing now His blessed voice, I see the way He planned.
Dwelling in the Spirit here I learn of full salvation.
Gladly I will tarry in Beulah Land.

I hope you enjoy this cheerful optimistic hymn.

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