An interesting hymn...

Submitted by David on Mon, 2006-07-31 00:02

In the PCAs it seems that you'll find a fair number of the more modern worship songs sung. However, the hymn that's been stuck in my mind lately dates back from the 1860s. I sung it in the (Woodgreen) PCA last weekend, and then in a URC this evening. Here are the lyrics of the song, courtesy of Cyberhymnal.org:


Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He Who saveth me, and freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to locate a good recording of the song. Have any of you heard this hymn before?

Comments

RevGoT (not verified)

Mon, 2006-07-31 11:55

A modern redo of it from the PCA University Ministry RUF is found at www.igracemusic.com. Click on the Hymnbook link for a listing of the hymns. Most of them have an mp3 sample. This recording is also found on the CD Indelible Grace: For All the Saints.

Great to see your thoughtful inquiries regarding worship. Most of discussions on worship centre on "I like that" "I don't like that" etc. Thanks for joining us in our worship as well!

Pastor Shawn

David

Mon, 2006-07-31 13:18

It was kind of interesting to read the following in RUF's biography of the composer of this hymn (Horatius Bonar):

He wrote over 600 hymns, yet in his church (the Free Church of Scotland), hymns were never sung in the worship service! He began to write hymns when after finishing college, he began to do mission work in a an area called Leith, a poor and squalid part of the city (according to E.E. Ryden.) The children he was trying to minister to were not very fond of singing the metrical Psalms used in the Church of Scotland in those days , and so he began to write hymns of his own for them. He set his hymns to happy childlike tunes and the children loved them. One time, near the end of his life, he attempted to sing two of his hymns at a worship service and two of his elders promptly walked out

Rhea (not verified)

Mon, 2006-07-31 14:22

I have heard this hymn before, but if you would ask me where I really could not tell you. Personally I think there are many hymns out there that are based on biblical teaching or new testament passages which we could include in our Book of Praise. I am not saying that I have no regard for the Psalms, if fact I think they are beautiful and used well in our churches. But if in King Davids times they could sing new psalms created by him, I think we can also use the hymns created in our time to worship God. I am pretty sure there is already a commitee in our churches addressing new hymns but I am not sure. As I said before I would support the introduction of new songs into our Book of Praise.