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Hymns

“Are You Able?” Said the Master

Words: Earl Bowman Marlatt (b. May 24, 1892; d. June 13, 1976)
Music: Beacon Hill, by Harry Silverdale Mason (b. Oct. 17, 1891; d. Nov. 15, 1964)

Note: Earl Marlatt joined the faculty of his alma mater, Boston University, in 1923. In 1926, a service of dedication was planned for the students of its School of Religious Education. Professor Marlatt had preached on Matthew 20:22 the Sunday before, and provided his hymn on the text, for the service a few days later. Printed in leaflet form, the six stanzas were simply entitled “Challenge.”

Harry Mason had been a graduate student at the school several years before. He had composed the tune Beacon Hill for a song he entered in a contest. The song didn’t win, but Marlatt remembered the melody, and used it for the new hymn. (Beacon Hill, in Boston, was at one time the location of the Boston University School of Theology.)

Earl Marlatt said that two experiences had inspired the writing of the hymn. One had been a series of lectures he had attended on the Gospel of John, in which the speaker, Marcus Buell, referred to the stirring question of the Lord in Matthew 20:22 (KJV), “Are ye able…?” The other, a couple of years later, was his attendance at the Passion Play at Oberammergau. He said:

“Somehow those two moments got together when I was asked to write a hymn of self-dedication for the School of Religious Education. The words came so spontaneously to the music of a tune Harry Mason had already written that the text seemed to write itself.”

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The biblical incident, and the question on which the hymn is based is recorded by both Matthew and Mark.

“Then [Salome] the mother of Zebedee’s sons [James and John] came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She said to Him, ‘Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.’ But Jesus answered and said, ‘You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They said to Him, ‘We are able.’ So He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.’” (Matt. 20:20-23; cf. Mk. 10:35-40)

The Lord Jesus had just described what awaited Him in Jerusalem–betrayal, scornful mockery, scourging, and crucifixion (vs. 18-19; cf. 26:39, 42). But, in their zeal, the brothers seem to be looking forward to the eternal glory to come, without considering the sacrifices they would have to make in the years ahead. They wanted the crown but had forgotten the cross.

Would they be willing and able to face the kind of experiences that lay ahead for the Lord? The two hastily and naively say, “We are able.” But not long after, in Gethsemane, when Christ was betrayed and arrested, “All the disciples forsook Him and fled” (Matt. 26:56).

The Lord declares that James and John will indeed follow Him on the path of suffering. The death of James is described in Acts 12:1-2. John may also have suffered a martyr’s death at the end of the first century. That is not certain, but we know that he suffered exile on the isle of Patmos (Rev. 1:9). As to Salome’s request, Jesus simply tells her that those decisions will be made by His heavenly Father.

Dr. Marlatt’s hymn has been embraced and rejected a number of times over the years. There is definitely a problem with it. As I point out in the Wordwise link below, Marlatt seems to have missed the irony in Jesus’ words. The thought behind the words seems to be, “You may think that you are able, but in yourselves, you are not.”

The proper answer to the Lord’s question is, “No. We are too weak. You must help us or we will miserably fail.” As Paul puts it, “Who is sufficient for these things?…Our sufficiency is from God” (II Cor. 2:16; 3:5). Christ says to us, “Without Me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5). Marlatt’s “sturdy dreamers” seem much too jolly and self-assured about what lies ahead.

If we are not daily conscious of our own weakness and fallibility, if we are not constantly appealing to the throne for “grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16), we are in grave danger of faltering, and of dishonouring the One we seek to serve. In my view, this hymn should not be used without careful teaching and explanation.

() “Are ye able,” said the Master,
“To be crucified with Me?”
“Yea,” the sturdy dreamers answered,
“To the death we follow Thee.”

Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine.
  Remould them, make us, like Thee, divine.
Thy guiding radiance above us shall be
A beacon to God, to love and loyalty.

(6) Are ye able? Still the Master
Whispers down eternity,
And heroic spirits answer,
Now as then in Galilee.

Questions:

  1. Do you see the problem with this hymn? Is it enough, in your view, to refrain from using it?
  2. Is there a place for self-confidence, and a recognition of personal abilities, in the Christian life? (How would you keep that in balance with dependence on God?)

Links:

The Lord Is My Shepherd

Words: James Montgomery (b. Nov. 4, 1771; d. Apr. 30, 1854)
Music: Poland (or Koschat), by Thomas Koschat (b. Aug. 8, 1845; d. May 19, 1914)

Note: This beautiful paraphrase of Psalm 23 has been sung to a variety of tunes since it was written in 1822. Most familiar to me is Thomas Koschat’s Poland (which the Cyber Hymnal calls The Lord Is My Shepherd).

The stately flow of this melody suggests a serenity befitting the theme. (The tune requires a repeat of the last line of each stanza, which works as a means of emphasis.) The harmony of the alto part enhances it wonderfully and, at times, becomes a kind of counter melody. If it is still found on YouTube when you read this, you can find a rendition of it here.

One further note on the words. The Cyber Hymnal drops the word “the,” several times when I don’t believe it’s necessary–nor do most printings of the hymn do this. Lines where it is done: (2), line 1: “Through the valley of shadow;” (3), line 1: “In the midst of affliction;” and (4), line 4: “Through the land of their sojourn”

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The work of shepherds with their flocks is a prominent subject in the Bible. Words such as shepherd, sheep, and flock are found over four hundred and sixty times within its pages.

There are several reasons for that. First, Israel was an agrarian society, and sheep provided both food and clothing for the people. Then there was the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. Beginning with Abel (Gen. 4:4), many thousands of sheep–and other animals–were sacrificed upon ancient altars. They provided a picture of the innocent dying in place of the guilty, pointing forward to the great and final sacrifice of Christ, “the Lamb of God” (Jn. 1:29).

In addition, the watchful care of the shepherd, and the proneness of sheep to wander and put themselves in danger, provides a wonderful picture of the Lord’s concern for us often wayward human beings.

It’s particularly the analogy to shepherd care that hymn writers have employed again and again. There are dozens of English hymns on the theme, some closely following the wording of Psalm 23, “The Shepherd Psalm.” Others are a paraphrase of it, or of other passages on the subject. Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us is an example, and He Leadeth Me, and The Ninety and Nine. Montgomery’s version is a paraphrase, though it follows the text quite closely.

(1) The Lord is my Shepherd, no want shall I know;
I feed in green pastures, safe folded I rest;
He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow,
Restores me when wand’ring, redeems when oppressed.

The Lord Jesus is called the Shepherd of His flock several times in the New Testament. He refers to Himself as “the good Shepherd,” who gives His life to save the sheep (Jn. 10:11). He is also “that great Shepherd of the sheep” who continues to work in the lives of believers, bringing spiritual growth (Heb. 13:20-21). As “the Chief Shepherd,” He will one day reward faithful servants who do His will (I Pet. 5:2-4).

(2) Through the valley and shadow of death though I stray,
Since Thou art my Guardian, no evil I fear;
Thy rod shall defend me, Thy staff be my stay;
No harm can befall, with my Comforter near.

(3) In the midst of affliction my table is spread;
With blessings unmeasured my cup runneth o’er;
With perfume and oil Thou anointest my head;
O what shall I ask of Thy providence more?

It’s not that the Christian will have no trouble in his life, no challenging obstacles, no distracting pain. But the Lord has promised sustaining grace through all these things (cf. Paul’s experience, II Cor. 12:7-10). Not only that, but we are assured of a happy ending. In all such things the Lord works continually for our good and His own glory.

(4) Let goodness and mercy, my bountiful God,
Still follow my steps till I meet Thee above;
I seek, by the path which my forefathers trod,
Through the land of their sojourn, Thy kingdom of love.

Questions:

  1. What aspect of the Lord’s shepherd care is especially meaningful to you?
  2. What hymns on the shepherd theme are particular favourites of yours?

Links:

What Will You Do with Jesus?

Words: Albert Benjamin Simpson (b. Dec. 15, 1843; d. Oct. 29, 1919)
Music: Mary L. Stocks (no further information)

Note: This thoughtful hymn was published in 1891. It seems to be little known in some circles, though a number of hymnals from the latter half of the twentieth century and beyond include it (e.g. Favorite Hymns of Praise (1967), Great Hymns of the Faith (1968), The New Church Hymnal (1976),  Praise–Our Songs and Hymns (1979), Living Hymns (2009), and Rejoice Hymns (2011), to name a few). As expected, it’s found in Hymns of the Christian Life (1962), the Christian and Missionary Alliance hymn book, since it was written by founder, Albert Simpson.

There is a brief biographical note on Pastor Simpson in the Wordwise link below, but an extensive one on the Cyber Hymnal (over 1700 words), along with a list of more than two dozen of his hymns. Several of these have become popular beyond his own denomination.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

There are a number of classic paintings depicting the time when the Lord Jesus stood before Pilate, after His arrest in Gethsemane. One of them, created in 1871 by Antonio Ciseri, pictures Jesus and Pilate standing on a balcony, looking over a parapet at the assembled multitude below. Christ, with a crown of thorns on His head, gazes out upon them. And Pilate, though looking at the crowd, has his hand extended in the Lord’s direction, as if speaking the words in John 19:5, “Behold the Man!”

Pontius Pilatus served as prefect of Judea, by the appointment of the Roman government, for ten years (AD 26-36). It was a difficult balancing act, to represent the iron fist of Rome, yet accede to the Jewish culture sufficiently to keep the peace. When the Jewish Sanhedrin brought Jesus before him, Pilate was faced with a most unwelcome dilemma.

If Christ was a revolutionary who threatened to lead a military uprising against his government, that was one thing. But everything he had heard suggested that the Lord was a teacher whose concern was more with the moral and spiritual state of the people. In an interview, Pilate asked pointedly, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Jn. 18:33), and the Lord answered that He was indeed a king (vs. 37), but He said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (vs. 36).

The latter statement has sometimes been misunderstood. Christ was not saying that His kingdom had nothing to do with people on earth. More precisely, His statement means, “My kingship is not of human origin, my authority doesn’t arise from military might, nor is it based on some earthly political system.” And Pilate concluded that Jesus was no threat to Rome, that He was innocent of any wrongdoing, and that the charges against Him were bogus.

Pilate told the Jews, “I find no fault with Him at all” (vs. 38), and he hoped to release Jesus. Thinking perhaps a beating would satisfy the crowd, he submitted Him to the cruel abuse of some Roman soldiers (Jn. 19:1-3), then brought Him once more before the people, in the scene described above. “Behold the Man….What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” (Jn. 19:5; Matt. 27:22). But the response was swift and definite, “Let Him be crucified!”

And like many politicians since, Pilate ignored what he knew to be right, and what his conscience was telling him, bowing to the will of the crowd. Better one unjust death than the political unrest of all Judea. At least, that’s what he thought. In an attempt to evade any responsibility, Pilate symbolically washed his hands, proclaiming, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person,” then sent Christ off to be executed (Matt. 27:24, 26).

But, of course, our duty to do what’s right can’t be so easily shrugged off. And the question of dithering Pilate echoes down the centuries since. “What shall I do with Jesus?” Albert Benjamin Simpson produced a penetrating song based on that question.

(1) Jesus is standing in Pilate’s hall,
Friendless, forsaken, betrayed by all;
Hearken! what meaneth the sudden call?
What will you do with Jesus?

What will you do with Jesus?
Neutral you cannot be;
Some day your heart will be asking,
“What will He do with me?”

Then the author brings Pilate’s question up to date. We today can be false or faithful to Christ (2). We can try to evade the issue, or choose Him as our Saviour (3). We can deny Him and sit among the Christ rejecters–or not (4). The final stanza expresses faith’s commitment.

(2) Jesus is standing on trial still,
You can be false to Him if you will,
You can be faithful through good or ill:
What will you do with Jesus?

(5) “Jesus, I give Thee my heart today!
Jesus, I’ll follow Thee all the way,
Gladly obeying Thee!” will you say:
“This I will do with Jesus!”

Questions:

  1. What are some things that motivate people to reject Christ?
  2. What are some reasons people are drawn to Christ and put their faith in Him?

Links:

What God Hath Promised

Words: Annie Johnson Flint (b. Dec. 24, 1866; d. Sept. 8, 1932)
Music: William Marion Runyon (b. Jan. 21, 1870; d. July 29, 1957)

Note: This beautiful gospel song from 1919 (sometimes titled God Hath Not Promised) was written by a woman who knew great suffering for many years. Both her poetic skill and her spiritual depth can be seen in her books of verse. For a bit more about her, see the biographical note in the link at the bottom of this post.

I don’t care for the oddly jumpy tune written by William Runyon. In 1952, Alfred Smith provided another tune in the old Favorites Four songbook, if you can find a copy. It is written as a duet, and works very well. I have a recording I made over fifty years ago, of a friend and his adult daughter singing it. A short time after, he would die of cancer, so the lovely rendering of the song has an added poignancy for me.

Editor: I believe the recording below is the duet referred to:

After the conquest of the Promised Land, elderly Joshua said to the people:

You know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed?

Josh. 23:14

Centuries later King Solomon made a similar statement. The king said: “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised” (I Kgs. 8:56).

These statements could just as easily be made today. God keeps His Word. In fact, that is a declaration that no one ever could accurately and honestly refute, down the ages of time since the beginning until today.

Almighty God is “a God of truth” (Deut. 32:4). He “cannot lie” (Tit. 1:2). His “Word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). “All the promises of God in Him [Christ] are Yes, and in Him Amen [true and faithful], to the glory of God through us” (II Cor. 1:20). Christ declared, “I am..the truth” (Jn. 14:6), and in Revelation He is called “Faithful and True” (Rev. 19:11).

Since these things are abundantly and universally so, whenever we are disappointed in God, or believe He has not kept His Word, it is we who are mistaken. We have built up expectations that are not in accordance with His Word of promise. Or, we have failed to interpret the promises of Scripture properly, taking into account the historical context and so on.

The “Prosperity Gospel” folks do some of that, by claiming God wants us always to be healthy, wealthy and happy. So much Scripture, not to mention practical experience, refutes that, it is amazing that so many swallow it. Then, if the Lord doesn’t deliver, they will either shoulder the blame themselves (i.e. not enough faith) or become bitter because God has let them down.

This fine gospel song sets things right by comparing what the Lord has not promised us (in the stanzas), and what He has promised us (in the refrain).

God Has Not Promised…

Blue skies and flower strewn pathways, sunny days without storm clouds or rain (1). These are poetic images, but the last line explains that God has not promised we’ll never know sorrow or pain. Nor has He promised (2) we’ll never experience “toil and temptation, trouble and woe,” or burdens, and the cares of daily life. Nor has God promised we’ll all have (3) smooth, easy travel through life, with no rugged mountains to climb and no perilous rivers to cross. We’re not going to be able to get through it without our “Guide.”

(1) God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

(2) God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

(3) God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.

What God Has Promised…

Annie Johnson Flint lists seven marvellous things that are promised to the believer in the Word of God. Let me provide a few Bible verses that relate to them. 1) II Cor. 12:9; 2) Matt. 11:28-30; 3) Ps. 119:105, 130; 4) Heb. 4:15-16; 5) Phil. 4:19; 6) Lam. 3:22-24; 7) Rom. 8:38-39.

But God hath promised [1] strength for the day,
[2] Rest for the labour, [3] light for the way,
[4] Grace for the trials, [5] help from above,
[6] Unfailing sympathy, [7] undying love.

Questions:

  1. Which of the trials and difficulties the hymn mentions are you currently going through?
  2. Which of God’s seven great provisions have you claimed and enjoyed today?

Links:

The Light of the World Is Jesus

Words: Philip Paul Bliss (b. July 9, 1938; d. Dec. 29, 1876)
Music: Philip Paul Bliss

Note: According to the Cyber Hymnal (link below), this hymn was published in 1875, a year before Bliss’s tragic death. However, Hymnnary.org shows it in a book five years before that. There is an incident in Bliss’s life which suggests the later date is the correct one. Perhaps the hymn book date is a printing error.

One day in the summer of 1875, in the Blisses home in Chicago, he was walking down the hall to his bedroom when the idea for a new song came to him. We cannot know for certain, but it could well be the light in the hall–or lack of it–that turned his thoughts in that direction. Thomas Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb lay several years in the future, so Mr. Bliss was likely relying on a lamp or a candle. He immediately thought of Christ’s great statement that He is “the light of the world.” And out of that experience Philip Bliss created both words and music for the present song.

(1) The whole world was lost
In the darkness of sin,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Like sunshine at noonday,
His glory shone in.
The Light of the world is Jesus!

Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me.
Once I was blind, but now I can see:
The Light of the world is Jesus!

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

A dozen times this simple gospel song tells us that the Lord Jesus is the Light of the world, reiterating what He Himself said (Jn. 8:12).

Various forms of the words light and dark are found all through the Word of God (over two dozen times each in the New Testament epistles alone). Sometimes they speak of the physical light and darkness of day and night. But when the words are used in a symbolic way, they are used to contrast the following things (cf. Ps. 36:9; 119:105, 130; Prov. 4:18; Jn. 8:12; 12:46; I Jn. 1:5-7):

¤ Light – righteousness, purity, truth, honesty, life, salvation
¤ Darkness – sin, impurity, ignorance, deceit, death, condemnation

There are many kinds of man-made lights in the world. Human ingenuity and exertion has produced some amazing things. But compared to the eternal glory of God, the lights of man are darkness, and the world is “a dark place” (II Pet. 1:19). That’s even more true spiritually. Nor can we, spiritually, by human effort, gain the light of life, make ourselves acceptable to God, or gain an entry into heaven.

The Lord Jesus came to this earth to bring light. He says, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12). The gospel, the good news of salvation in Christ, is meant to “turn [individuals] from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18). Through personal faith in Christ as Saviour we receive that light, and Christians are able to say, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col. 1:13; cf. I Pet. 2:19).

In the world of nature, the sun is the source of light; the moon has no light in itself, but reflects the light of the sun. Similarly, though the Lord Himself is the Source of spiritual light, a number of texts speak of believers as being given that light, bearing and sharing God’s light (Matt. 5:16; Eph. 5:8; Phil. 2:15).

(2) No darkness have we
Who in Jesus abide;
The Light of the world is Jesus!
We walk in the light
When we follow our Guide!
The Light of the world is Jesus!

(3) Ye dwellers in darkness
With sin blinded eyes,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Go, wash, at His bidding,
And light will arise.
The Light of the world is Jesus!

Questions:

  1. Why is light a good symbol for the list of six things given above?
  2. Why is darkness a good symbol for the six things listed above?

Links:

The Haven of Rest

Words: Henry Lake Gilmour (b. Jan. 19, 1836; d. May 20, 1920)
Music: George D. Moore (no information available)

Note: As you will see in the Cyber Hymnal’s biographical note (link below), Henry Gilmour, a dentist by profession, became a gospel musician who contributed to many songbooks during his years of ministry. But of George Moore there seems to be no further information beyond his name.

(1) My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice, saying,
“Make Me your choice”;
And I entered the “Haven of Rest”!

I’ve anchored my soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

There’s a centuries-old proverb that says, “Any port in a storm,” meaning that when you are in desperate trouble, you’ll take whatever help you can get. But there’s an even older proverb from a fable about a fish that jumped “out of the frying pan into the fire.” Sometimes the refuge we seek turns out to be no refuge at all.

The abuse of drugs and alcohol provides an example. Troubles may seem to disappear in a fog of blissful oblivion, but the addict soon finds he has simply heaped another grievous trial on things he struggled with before. Tempting though it is for some, that’s not a safe harbour for a troubled soul.

Especially in the days before air travel, the imagery of trying to escape a tempest at sea was a common one. A passage in Psalms describes “those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters” (Ps. 107:23). There the ancient mariners see stormy waves “mount up to the heavens [and] go down again to the depths” (vs. 25-26), and “they [the sailors] reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits end” (vs. 27).

In the New Testament, Luke, the author of Acts, gives a whole chapter to a graphic portrayal of the perils of sea travel (Acts 27). Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem, accused by the Jews of acting and speaking in ways contrary to the Law of Israel (21:28). But he appealed to Caesar (in effect, the supreme court of the empire), and was transported to Rome to stand trial (25:12). On the way there he and his companions faced a terrible storm at sea. However, though the ship was lost, all 276 of the passengers and crew escaped (27:37, 44).

The earlier of these passages stresses the importance and value of calling upon God for help in the desperate hour. As the waves rose mountain high, we read, “Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses….He guides them to their desired haven” (Ps. 107:28, 30). A “haven” is a harbour, a place of shelter and safety (cf. Acts 27:8). It provides a lovely metaphor for the spiritual refuge that is offered to the sinner, like the invitation to trust in Christ for salvation: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

(2) I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
In faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;
The “Haven of Rest” is my Lord.

(3) The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blest,
Of Jesus, who’ll save whosoever will have
A home in the “Haven of Rest.”

It’s not a matter of, “Trust God and all your troubles are over.” But there’s an inner peace and confidence that can be ours when we look to Him. Even so, sometimes that’s the last thing we do. Author George MacDonald writes perceptively:

“How often we look upon God as our last and feeblest resource! We go to Him because we have nowhere else to go. And then we learn that the storms of life have driven us, not upon the rocks, but into the desired haven.”

George MacDonald

(5) O come to the Saviour, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
And say, “My Belovèd is mine.”

Questions:

  1. In what distress have you recently found the Lord to be a safe haven?
  2. Is there someone you can encourage, today, to seek haven in Christ?

Links:

Welcome, Happy Morning

Words: Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus (b. circa 530; d. circa 609); English paraphrase of the Latin by John Ellerton (b. Dec. 16, 1826; d. June 15, 1893)
Music: Hermas, by Frances Ridley Havergal (b. Dec. 14, 1836; d. June 3, 1879)

Note: The Latin original of this resurrection hymn was written around AD 590, making it more than fourteen centuries old. John Ellerton’s fine paraphrase was produced in 1868. The tune I’m most familiar with is Hermas (named after an acquaintance of Paul’s, Rom. 16:14). Miss Havergal wrote Hermas for her hymn Golden Harps Are Sounding, but it has also been linked to the present hymn text for over a hundred years. (Notice that Hermas requires a slightly longer refrain than the tune Fortunatus, used in the Cyber Hymnal.)

The original hymn includes two stanzas ((2) and (3)) specifically about the coming of spring–which coincides with the Easter season. The thought is that in spring’s renewal, all of nature celebrates Christ’s victory over death. Just as we welcome the signs of new life in the earth, so we rejoice in Christ’s resurrection and the new spiritual life that comes through faith in Him. Hymnals often omit one or both of these stanzas.

(2) Earth her joy confesses, clothing her for spring,
All fresh gifts returned with her returning King:
Bloom in every meadow, leaves on every bough,
Speak His sorrow ended, hail His triumph now.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

There is always, for me, something encouraging–and yes, even thrilling–about reading or using a hymn whose origin takes us back so many centuries. To think of Christians in other lands, and other far-off times, celebrating the resurrection of Christ–it gives me a sense, both of the unity of the body of Christ and of its immensity. These early believers are all gone now, but still we are connected with them. The Bible speaks of Christ, “from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Eph. 3:15).

(1) “Welcome, happy morning!” age to age shall say:
“Hell today is vanquished, heav’n is won today!”
Lo! the dead is living, God forevermore!
Him, their true Creator, all His works adore!

“Welcome, happy morning!”
Age to age shall say.
“Hell today is vanquished,
Heav’n is won today!”

When the United States entered the Second World War, many (including Churchill) exulted that the victorious outcome of the war for the Allies was certain. They remembered what had happened when the Americans joined the conflict in World War One. What Roosevelt called the “righteous might” of his nation would win the day. This hymn treats the resurrection of Christ similarly. Though the final chapter has yet to be written, the ending is not in any doubt: Hell is vanquished, heaven is won, through Christ.

In (4) Venantius Fortunatus states the identity of his Subject in an unmistakable way. He is both Maker and Redeemer (Col. 1:16; Job 19:25), and a member of the Trinity (Jn. 5:23; Heb. 1:8) who became incarnate Man to deliver us (Heb. 2:14-15). (5) proclaims Him the Author of life (Jn. 11:25; 14:6), and the True and Faithful One (Rev. 19:11).

(4) Maker and Redeemer, life and health of all,
Thou from heaven beholding human nature’s fall,
Of the Father’s Godhead true and only Son,
Mankind to deliver, manhood didst put on.

(5) Thou, of life the Author, death didst undergo,
Tread the path of darkness, saving strength to show;
Come, then True and Faithful, now fulfil Thy Word;
’Tis Thine own third morning; rise, O buried Lord!

Jerome of Prague, one of the early reformers, was an admirer of Wyclif and Hus. But when imprisoned and pressured, weak and sickly, he recanted, going so far as to say that he approved of Hus having been burned at the stake. Later, greatly troubled over what he had done, he recanted. At his trial, he eloquently defended himself against the charge of his own heresy. Nevertheless, he was condemned to be burned at the stake as Hus had been. On May 30, 1416, he died and, as the fire began to blaze around him, he sang this hymn.

Questions:

  1. What does it mean that hell was vanquished and heaven won at Christ’s resurrection?
  2. Why is Christ’s resurrection an absolutely essential element of the gospel?

Links:

The Fight Is On

Words: Lelia Naylor Morris (b. Apr. 15, 1862; d. July 23, 1929)
Music: Lelia Naylor Morris

Note: The author of many fine gospel songs, Mrs. Morris published this one in 1905. It’s one of a few songs whose refrain is longer than the stanzas (in this case, twice as long!). The tune–which she supplied–is certainly a rousing one, with a definite military ring that suits the text.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The subject of spiritual warfare is much in evidence in the New Testament. In this world, Christians live and work on enemy territory. Arrayed against us are not only human beings who reject God and rebel against His Word and will, but also a host of evil spirits. Fallen angels, Satan and his host of demons, will do all in their power to defeat God’s plan and purpose.

As with the physical realm, with its germs and viruses, it is what we can’t see that is often the most difficult and dangerous.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Eph. 6:12

Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

II Cor. 10:3-5

Paul describes Epaphroditus to the Philippian church as “my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier” (Phil. 2:25). In Philemon, he refers to “Archippus our fellow soldier” (Phm. 1:2). The people of God are in a battle together, and we can encourage and exhort one another in the fight.

(1) The fight is on, the trumpet sound is ringing out,
The cry “To arms!” is heard afar and near;
The Lord of hosts is marching on to victory,
The triumph of the Christ will soon appear.

The fight is on, O Christian soldier,
And face to face in stern array,
With armour gleaming, and colours streaming,
The right and wrong engage today!
The fight is on, but be not weary;
Be strong, and in His might hold fast;
If God be for us, His banner o’er us,
We’ll sing the victor’s song at last!

If we are to “sing the victor’s song at last,” we need God’s power and equipping. We are to be “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10), “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power” (Col. 1:11). This is the enabling God gives through faith-filled prayer (Eph. 6:18; Col. 1:9-11; Heb. 4:15-16). Then, there is the armour provided for our protection, and the weapon in our hand, the Word of God.

Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Eph. 6:13-17

For a detailed explanation of these pieces of equipment, see my article on Christian Armour.

To Timothy, Paul writes of the discipline required of one enlisted in the Lord’s army: “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (II Tim. 2:3-4). Timothy is exhorted also to “Wage the good warfare” (I Tim. 1:18), and “Fight the good fight of [the] faith” (I Tim. 6:12). At the end of his life, this was something Paul could say he had done (II Tim. 4:7).

(2) The fight is on, arouse, ye soldiers brave and true!
Jehovah leads, and victory will assure;
Go buckle on the armour God has given you,
And in His strength unto the end endure.

(3) The Lord is leading on to certain victory;
The bow of promise spans the eastern sky;
His glorious name in every land shall honoured be;
The morn will break, the dawn of peace is nigh.

Questions:

  1. What differences can you think of between physical wars and our spiritual warfare?
  2. What are some of the strategies of the enemy, and how are we to triumph over them?

Links:

From Every Stormy Wind

Words: Hugh Stowell (b. Dec. 3, 1799; d. Oct. 8, 1865)
Music: Retreat, by Thomas Hastings (b. Oct. 15, 1784; d. May 15, 1872)

Note: Hastings’ tune, Retreat, was written for this hymn in 1842. It fits the text and the mood of the hymn very well.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

T he “mercy seat” was that holy place in the tabernacle (and later, the temple) where God revealed His presence in Israel. It is where the high priest went, on the Day of Atonement, to apply the shed blood of the sacrifice. In order to recall the significance of this, I encourage you to go to the Wordwise Hymns link, where I’ve spent some time on it.

Sufficient to say, here, that Hugh Stowell is using the mercy seat to represent the place of prayer, for the Christian. For us, it is more exactly what the Bible calls “the throne of grace” in heaven (Heb. 4:16), the place where we make our appeal to God, on the basis of the shed blood of Christ, our Saviour, and our heavenly great High Priest.

(1) From every stormy wind that blows,
From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat;
’Tis found beneath the mercy seat.

In (2) Stowell refers to “the oil of gladness.” This is mentioned in a Royal Psalm, Psalm 45, regarding the crowning of a king–which is easily given a prophetic application to Israel’s future Messiah-King, the Lord Jesus Christ. When a new king took the throne, he was anointed with holy oil, and the occasion was one of great joy and celebration (cf. I Kgs. 1:39-40). The application to Christ is confirmed in the book of Hebrews.

To the Son He [God the Father] says: “‘”Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions”.

Heb. 1:8-9

The companions of the Lord Jesus in this case may be His Jewish brethren, spoken of in the next chapter (Heb. 2:10-11). As to this oil being “shed…on our heads,” perhaps the author is indicating the ready welcome we receive as those who belong to the royal family. We are “a royal priesthood” before God (I Pet. 2:9).

(2) There is a place where Jesus sheds
The oil of gladness on our heads;
A place than all besides more sweet;
It is the blood-bought mercy seat.

(3) There is a scene where spirits blend,
Where friend holds fellowship with friend;
Though sundered far, by faith they meet
Around one common mercy seat.

(4) Ah, whither could we flee for aid,
When tempted, desolate, dismayed,
Or how the hosts of hell defeat,
Had suffering saints no mercy-seat?

The second line of (5) below seems to have troubled editors since it was written in 1828. Hymnary.org gives us dozens of hymn books, dating back to 1829. The original line was “And sin and sense seem all no more.” It’s difficult to imagine that sin seems to cease to exist when we go to God in prayer, since one of the reasons we go to Him is to confess our sins!

A number of early books (1847, 1855) try this: “And sense and sin becloud no more.” (Notice the reversal of sin and sense. I like that, I think it works better poetically.) The point then would be that, in intimate fellowship with the Lord, the things that would intrude through our physical senses (touch and taste, and so on) recede into the background and, because of God’s forgiveness, sin doesn’t hinder our fellowship either, once it is confessed (I Jn. 1:9).

Other books have “And sense and sin molest no more”–though “molest” is perhaps a little strong for what our senses do. The Cyber Hymnal settles on “And time and sense seem all no more.” (This version seems to have appeared around 1888.) That is, the physical world, and the passing of time go unnoticed in times of earnest prayer.

I mention these variations to show how hymn writers and editors are conscious of the words, and want to get things right–in tune with the truths of the Word of God. We should be just as careful when we sing, to be sure what we sing is right, and that we are expressing what is in our hearts. Let’s keep in mind that the Lord Himself is present when we gather for worship.

(5) There, there, on eagles’ wings we soar,
And time and sense seem all no more;
And heaven comes down, our souls to greet,
And glory crowns the mercy seat.

Questions:

  1. Is this a hymn you could explain and use in your church?
  2. What other great hymns of prayer do you treasure?

Links:

All People That on Earth Do Dwell

Words: William Kethe (b. date unknown; d. June 6, 1594)
Music: Old Hundredth, composed or arranged by Louis Bourgeois (b. circa 1510; d. circa 1561)

All People That on Earth Do Dwell

Note: Published in 1561, this is the oldest English version of a psalm still sung–and sung with very few changes from the original. It has appeared in the majority of hymnals for the last four hundred and fifty years.

Pictured here (from Hymnary.org) is a copy printed around 1640. The hymn was included in William Kethe’s Four Score and Seven Psalms of David, with Old Hundredth appearing as the tune. Musician Louis Bourgeios was appointed by John Calvin as the music editor of the Geneva Psalter. A century and a half after William Kethe’s work, Isaac Watts paraphrased the same psalm with:

Before Jehovah’s awful throne,
Ye nations, bow with sacred joy…

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Here is the passage on which the present hymn is based (Ps. 100:1-5):

1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Early critics (in 1650) pointed out that “Him serve with fear” (1) does not express the psalm, which encourages us to “serve the Lord with gladness.” The Scottish Psalter changed the line to “Him serve with mirth.” But that doesn’t seem quite right either. The dictionary says that mirth is: “gaiety or jollity, especially when accompanied by laughter.” Does jolly laughter do it for you?

Ronald Knox’s paraphrase of vs. 2 of the psalm says: “Pay the Lord the homage of your rejoicing.” I think that helps us. The Hebrew word is simchah, which is most often translated “joy.” To my mind that works far better than mirth. “Him serve with joy.” Even when our service for the Lord is a painful and wearying burden, we can find inner joy in knowing we are pleasing Him.

(1) All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.

In (2), the word “folk” (folck in the original) is thought by some to be a printer’s error–that the word “flock” was intended. (That is how it is sometimes printed in later hymnals.) However, I disagree. Vs. 3 of the psalm says, “ We are His people [His folk] and the sheep of His pasture.” the psalmist and the hymn writer wanted to refer to us as both, as God’s people and His sheep. And evolutionists take note: “It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves” (vs. 3). “ Without our aid He did us make” (2).

(2) The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His folk, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.

Praise and thanksgiving are always–and eternally–fitting activities for the saints. As vs. 4 of the psalm puts it, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” the Hebrew word for “thankful” (yadah) means literally: to hold out an empty hand.

That suggests our response to grace. We have nothing to give God in exchange for His bounty. We reach out empty hands to God, in faith, believing that our heavenly Father will place in our hands those blessings of His grace that He knows are best for us. We can rest in the fact that “the Lord our God is good” (4).

(3) O enter then His gates with praise;
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His name always,
For it is seemly so to do.

(4) For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is for ever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.

The doxology of (5) is not taken from the psalm, but has been added. It is a fitting conclusion to a great hymn. You can see it on the Cyber Hymnal.

Questions:

  1. What would you say to someone who claims to be “a self-made man?”
  2. What reasons for praising God does the psalm give? (And what are some others you can think of?)

Links:

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