John Telford

“ Head of Thy church triumphant The name we still acknowledge Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim This, this is the God we adore Happy soul that free from harms Father, to Thee my soul I lift Let not the wise his wisdom boast Jesus, to Thee I now can fly Jesus the good Shepherd is Jesus my Shepherd my want shall supply One thing with all my soul's desire Oft I in my heart have said My spirit on Thy care To the hills I lift mine eyes My faith looks up to Thee Rock of Ages, cleft for me I bring my sins to Thee I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin? ”

“ Lord God, by whom all change is wrought Far off we need not rove My God, how wonderful Thou art Great God! to me the sight afford Thou, my God, art good and wise Begin, my soul, some heavenly theme O Lord, how good, how great art Thou I'll praise my Maker while I've breath Ere God had built the mountains A thousand oracles divine Praise to the Holiest in the height O God of God, in whom combine O God of all grace Father, whose everlasting love What shall I do my God to love Thy ceaseless, unexhausted love Great God of wonders! ”

“ I could not do without Thee Leave God to order all thy ways My Saviour, mid life's varied scene I seek the kingdom first In heavenly love abiding Dear Lord and Father of mankind Jesu, nay Truth, my Way O Jesus, I have promised O Thou who art of all that is Jesu, Thy boundless love to me My Saviour, Thou Thy love to me O Love divine, how sweet Thou art! ”

“ Ye humble souls that seek the Lord In the bonds of death He lay Christ the Lord is risen again Jesus lives! thy terrors now Our Lord is risen from the dead On wings of living light The day of resurrection! Ye faithful souls, who Jesus know The foe behind, the deep before Hail the day that sees Him rise The golden gates are lifted up Thou art gone up on high He is gone beyond the skies God is gone up on high Clap your hands, ye people all See the Conqueror mounts in triumph Holy Ghost, Illuminator Hail, Thou once despisod Jesus! ”

“ Come, all whoe'er have set Come, let us anew Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah To God, the only Wise In every time and place How happy every child of grace Forward! be our watchword Hark! hark, my soul! angelic songs are swelling Saviour, blessed Saviour Jesus, still lead on O King of mercy, from Thy throne on high Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us I dared not hope that Thou wouldst deign to come Light of the world, faint were our weary feet Through the night of doubt and sorrow Heavenly Father, Thou hast brought us Author of faith, appear! ”

“ Was there ever kindest shepherd The King of Love my Shepherd is Let all that breathe Jehovah praise Far as creation's bounds extend The spacious firmament on high The earth with all her fulness owns Happy man whom God doth aid! With glory clad, with strength arrayed High in the heavens, eternal God Sweet is the memory of Thy grace You, who dwell above the skies Good Thou art, and good Thou dost Father, how wide Thy glory shines! ”

“ Come, Thou Conqueror of the nations Creator Spirit! by whose aid When God of old came down from heaven Jesus, we on the word depend Father, glorify Thy Son Father of our dying Lord Father, if justly still we claim Granted is the Saviour's prayer Our blest Redeemer, ere He breathed Lord, we believe to us and ours Holy Ghost! my Comforter! Come to our poor nature's night Away with our fears Sinners, lift up your hearts Eternal Spirit, come Spirit of truth! ”

“ Thou gracious God, whose mercy lends Lord of power, Lord of might O happy home, where Thou art loved the dearest Awake, my soul, and with the sun O timely happy, timely wise Once more the sun is beaming bright O Jesus, Lord of heavenly grace Christ, whose glory fills the skies Thou, Lord, art a shield for me Every morning mercies new Thou who art enthroned above Morning comes with light all-cheering Glory to Thee, my God, this night Sun of my soul, Thou Saviour dear Abide with me! ”

“ Father, who art alone Thou, Lord, hast blessed my going out Lord, whom winds and seas obey Eternal Father! strong to save Lord of the wide, extensive main While lone upon the furious waves O Lord, be with us when we sail God save our gracious King God bless our native land! Blessed be our everlasting Lord Praise to our God, whose bounteous hand O King of kings, O Lord of hosts, whose throne is lifted high Lord, while for all mankind we pray O God, who holdest in Thy hand To Thee our God we fly All glory to God in the sky These things shall be! ”

“ My God, if I may call Thee mine Jesus, my strength, my hope What various hindrances we meet Lord, teach us how to pray aright Come, my soul, thy suit prepare Prayer is the soul's sincere desire O Lord, how happy should we be Hear Thou my prayer, O Lord As pants the hart for cooling streams Great God, indulge my humble claim O God, my hope, my heavenly rest The voice that speaks Jehovah near Out of the depths I cry to Thee O disclose Thy lovely face! ”

“ I will hearken what the Lord Come, holy celestial Dove O for a closer walk with God Son of God, if Thy free grace Author of faith, eternal Word Spirit of faith, come down Faith is a living power from heaven Author of faith, to Thee I cry The God of love, to earth He came Father, I stretch my hands to Thee Wherewith, O God, shall I draw near Jesus! Redeemer, Saviour, Lord Thee, Jesus, Thee, the sinner's Friend Come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, God of my salvation, hear Weary of earth, and laden with my sin Day after day I sought the Lord Where shall my wondering soul begin? ”

“ The Lord of earth and sky Eternal Source of every joy The old year's long campaign is o'er How many pass the guilty night Join, all ye ransomed sons of grace Across the sky the shades of night Praise, O praise our God and King! ”

“ O Thou eternal Victim, slain Jesus, to Thee we fly Entered the holy place above With joy we meditate the grace My sufferings all to Thee are known There is no sorrow, Lord, too light Christ, the true anointed Seer O come, O come, Immanuel Come, Thou long-expected Jesus Light of those whose dreary dwelling Lo! ”

“ O for a thousand tongues to sing All people that on earth do dwell Before Jehovah's awful throne O worship the King, all glorious above Eternal Power, whose high abode Come, sound His praise abroad Praise, Lord, for Thee in Zion waits Earth, with all thy thousand voices From all that dwell below the skies Praise the Lord! ”

“ My God, I am Thine. Jesus, the Conqueror, reigns. Soldiers of Christ, arise. Thou hidden Source of calm repose. Forth in Thy name, O Lord, I go. God of almighty love. Ye neighbours, and friends Of Jesus, draw near. See how great a flame aspires. ”

“ Where an English hymn opens up the human blessings, and seeks to bring home the great truths of religion to heart and conscience, the Greek hymnist is absorbed with the doctrine itself. The human aspect is either made secondary or entirely overlooked. The contrast between the genius of the Greek and the Latin race is strikingly evident in the hymnology of the two churches, as indeed in the whole course of their history. One is speculative, the other practical. The Eastern hymns on the divine perfections and the Incarnation differ widely from 'our self-regarding mode of praise'. ”

“ Lord Selborne, in his Book of Praise, holds that 'a good hymn should have simplicity, freshness, and reality of feeling; a consistent elevation of tone, and a rhythm easy and harmonious, but not jingling or trivial. Its language may be homely, but should not be slovenly or mean. Affectation or visible artifice is worse than excess of homeliness; a hymn is easily spoilt by a single falsetto note. ”

“ How beauteous are their feet Jesus, Thy servants bless Lord, if at Thy command Disposer Supreme, and Judge of the earth Not from a stock of ours but Thine Jesus, the needy sinner's Friend Lord of the living harvest Shine Thou upon us, Lord Lord, speak to me, that I may speak Master, speak! ”

“ Christian soldiers I need Thee every hour O that I could in every place O it is hard to work for God Shall I, for fear of feeble man I m not ashamed to own my Lord Jesus! and shall it ever be Stand up! stand up for Jesus Who is on the Lord's side? Light of the world, Thy beams I bless Worship, and thanks, and blessing A safe stronghold our God is still Peace, doubting heart! ”

“ In age and feebleness extreme The morning flowers display their sweets Shrinking from the cold hand of death Lord, it belongs not to my care Thou, Lord, on whom I still depend Why do we mourn departing friends Blessing, honour, thanks, and praise Hark! a voice divides the sky Again we lift our voice Glory be to God on high Rejoice for a brother deceased Happy soul, thy days are ended God of the living, in whose eyes Safely, safely gathered in Safe home, safe home in port! ”

“ Let us join Partners of a glorious hope Saviour of all, to Thee we bow Come, let us use the grace divine O God, how often hath Thine ear O happy day that fixed ray choice Lord, from this time wo cry to Theo When Thy soldiers take their swords The Saviour, when to heaven He rose Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire Lord of the harvest, hear Jesus, Thy wandering sheep behold! ”

“ In hymns and psalms we have a universal ritual. It is the theology of the heart that unites men. Our very childhood is embalmed in sacred tunes and hymns. Our early lives and the lives of our parents hang in the atmosphere of sacred song. The art of singing together is one that is for ever winding invisible threads about persons.'
England is a nation of hymn-singers. Mr. Stead says, 'The songs of the English-speaking people are for the most part hymns. ”

“ O Lord of hosts, the fight is long There's a glorious work before us The voice that breathed o er Eden O Father, all creating O perfect Love, all human thought transcending How are Thy servants blest, O Lord! ”

“ Frederick Faber, the most fruitful of modern Romanist hymnists, did more than any other man to promote congregational singing in his adopted communion. 'He certainly perceived and appreciated, as a scholar, and from his standpoint as a Roman Catholic, the double advantage possessed by a church which sings both in an ancient and modern tongue, making twofold melody continually unto God. He did not prize the less the magnificent hymns of Christian antiquity in Latin, because he taught congregations to sing in the English of to-day'. ”

“ Earle says, 'To these three—Cardinal Newman, Caswall, and Faber—the Roman Catholic hymnody in England principally owes its revival.' Anglicanism produced them all. Roman Catholic congregations thus owe no small debt to the Church of England, and in some sense they have well repaid it. Our noblest hymns are dear alike to all sections of the Church. They show that deep down beneath all our differences lie great fundamental truths in which true Christian people are at one. ”

“ Now the labourer's task is o'er Days and moments quickly flying A few more years shall roll Hearken to the solemn voice Thou Judge of quick and dead O Thou who wouldst not have Thou God of glorious majesty This is the field, the world below Day of wrath! ”

“ As Sunday schools sprang up in all parts of the country, psalms and hymns for the young multiplied. Jane and Ann Taylor's Hymns for Infant Minds have endeared themselves to every generation since they were written. Mr. Brooke thinks Mrs. Alexander's Hymns for Little Children 'unequalled and unapproachable,' whilst the Methodist Sunday School Hymn-Book 'ranks first in merit of any collection for children yet made.' Certainly the Church's later gift of song has been abundantly consecrated to the service of the nursery and the Sunday school. ”

“ Again we lift our voice. Happy soul, thy days are ended. Hark, how the watchmen cry! Ye virgin souls, arise. Surrounded by a host of foes. Jesus comes with all His grace. Come, let us ascend. And are we yet alive. In 1762 Charles Wesley published Short Hymns on Select Passages of Scripture, in two volumes. There are 2,030 hymns, ranging over the whole Bible. The preface says, 'God, having graciously laid His hand upon my body, and disabled me for the principal work of the ministry, has therefore given me an unexpected occasion of writing the following hymns'. ”

“ The vastness of the subject can be gauged when we remember that we have above 400,000 hymns, in more than two hundred different languages and dialects.
Augustine says a hymn 'is a song with praise of God. If thou singest and praisest not God, thou utterest no hymn. A hymn, then, containeth these three things: song, and praise, and that of God. Praise, then, of God in song is called a hymn'. Gregory Nazianzen put it thus: 'Modidata laus est hymnus' A definition in the Cottonian MS. says a hymn must be praise of God or of His saints, be capable of being sung, and be metrical. ”

“ He wrote a little book in defence of hymns, and managed at last to get them safely restored to Dissenting worship. Keach also published two volumes of hymns. Other collections soon sprang up. Dr. Watts made a memorable advance on his predecessors. Dr. Julian pays a high tribute in the Dictionary of Hymnology to the soft richness of his diction; his free, vigorous rhythm, especially in his long metres; and to the pervading joyfulness and buoyant faith which light up even his saddest hymns. ”