THE
CHRISTIAN HYMN BOOK:

A COMPILATION OF
PSALMS, HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS,
ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.

BY
A. CAMPBELL AND OTHERS.

REVISED AND ENLARGED BY A COMMITTEE.

CINCINNATI:
H. S. BOSWORTH, PUBLISHER.
1870.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by
R. M. Bishop, C. H. Gould, W. H. Lape, O. A. Burgess, and J. B. Bowman, Trustees,
In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of Ohio.

MIAMI PRINTING COMPANY,
Printers, Stereotypers, and Binders,
WEST EIGHTH ST., NEAR MAIN.

INTRODUCTION.

This Hymn Book is the result of an agreement between Alexander Campbell—the former proprietor of the Christian Hymn Book—and the Christian brotherhood at large, as represented in the American Christian Missionary Society. At the annual meeting of the Society, in 1864, an overture was made by Mr. Campbell, of the copy-right of the Christian Hymn Book, to be held by certain brethren, in trust, on two conditions: 1. That a committee be mutually agreed on by himself and the Society, to revise and enlarge the book, so as to meet the general wishes of the brotherhood of Disciples; 2. That the profits arising from the sale of the book be given to the A. C. M. S. This overture was accepted, and the Committee of Revision was immediately appointed. That Committee, having fulfilled their task, now present the fruit of their labors to the public.

It will be seen that, while the former book was made the basis of this, the work of revision and enlargement has been made as thorough as possible. Still, comparatively few hymns have been expunged. After making as complete an exploration as our time would allow, of the realms of Christian Hymnology, we were more than ever convinced of the value of the labor, judgment, and taste, displayed in the compilation of the book we have so long used and cherished. We have met with no book of equal size, that possesses equal merit. The principal changes we have made, are:

1.—A new classification of subjects—increasing the facility of reference to hymns on the various subjects of song.

2.—An unbroken series of numbers to the hymns, which, while it necessitates the abolition of the formal distinction between Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, enables us to avoid the confusion that constantly grew out of the three series of numbers, which the former classification required.

3.—The numbering of the stanzas of every hymn, for easy reference, when any stanza is omitted in singing.

4.—An arrangement of meters, under every heading.

5.—A greatly enlarged number and variety of hymns, suited to the diversified wants of personal, social, and public devotion.

We take pleasure in acknowledging our indebtedness to numerous brethren, for counsel and assistance; especially to Elder William Baxter, whose collected material and original contributions have been cheerfully placed at our disposal.

While we have admitted a few original hymns, prepared expressly for this work, the additions have been made mostly from the old authors, or from the new resources furnished by the living authors of our own and other lands. It is believed that the work is brought fully up to the resources and demands of the present time.

Knowing that in Christian families, the Hymn Book is generally the most popular book of sacred poetry, and, not seldom, the sole resource of the family in that department, we have felt the importance of a large variety of the choicest lyrical productions that our language affords. We have done what our time and means would allow, toward this end. We hope that it may minister to the comfort, strength, and purity of the Church of God; throw over many a hearth-stone, and many a weary pilgrim-path, the sweet radiance of heavenly song; and give fresh encouragement to the cultivation of all pious sentiments and emotions, alike in the closet, the family, the prayer-meeting, and the public assembly.

ISAAC ERRETT, W. K. PENDLETON, W. T. MOORE, T. M. ALLEN, A. S. HAYDEN.

Cincinnati, O., August 7, 1865.

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

1

L. M.

The works and the word of God.
Psalm 19.

The heavens declare thy glory, Lord!

In every star thy wisdom shines;

But when our eyes behold thy word,

We read thy name in fairer lines.

2 The rolling sun, the changing light,

And nights and days, thy power confess;

But the blest volume thou hast writ,

Reveals thy justice and thy grace.

3 Sun, moon, and stars, convey thy praise

Round the whole earth, and never stand;

So when thy truth began its race,

It touched and glanced on every land.

4 Nor shall thy spreading gospel rest

Till through the world thy truth has run;

Till Christ has all the nations blest

That see the light, or feel the sun.

5 Great Sun of Righteousness! arise;

Bless the dark world with heavenly light:

Thy gospel makes the simple wise,

Thy laws are pure, thy judgments right.

6 Thy noblest wonders here we view,

In souls renewed, and sins forgiven;

Lord! cleanse my sins, my soul renew,

And make thy word my guide to heaven.

Watts.

2

L. M.

Divine love displayed, etc.

To thee my heart, Eternal King!

Would now its thankful tribute bring,

To thee its humble homage raise

In songs of ardent, grateful praise.

2 All nature shows thy boundless love,

In worlds below and worlds above;

But in thy blesséd word I trace

The richer glories of thy grace.

3 There what delightful truths are given;

There Jesus shows the way to heaven;

His name salutes my listening ear,

Revives my heart and checks my fear.

4 There Jesus bids our sorrows cease,

And gives the laboring conscience peace;

Raises our grateful feelings high,

And points to mansions in the sky.

5 For love like this, O, may our song

Through endless years thy praise prolong;

And distant climes thy name adore,

Till time and nature are no more!

Exeter Coll.

3

L. M.

Nature and revelation.

The starry firmament on high,

And all the glories of the sky,

Yet shine not to thy praise, O Lord,

So brightly as thy written word.

2 The hopes that holy word supplies,

Its truths divine and precepts wise—

In each a heavenly beam I see,

And every beam conducts to thee.

3 Almighty Lord! the sun shall fail,

The moon forget her nightly tale,

And deepest silence hush on high

The radiant chorus of the sky—

4 But fixed for everlasting years,

Unmoved amid the wreck of spheres,

Thy word shall shine in cloudless day

When heaven and earth have passed away.

Grant.

4

L. M.

Strength and peace from the divine word.

There is a stream whose gentle flow

Supplies the city of our God;

Life, love, and joy, still gliding through,

And watering our divine abode.

2 That sacred stream, thy holy word,

Supports our faith, our fear controls;

Sweet peace thy promises afford,

And give new strength to fainting souls.

Watts.

5

L. M.

The Scriptures our light and guide.

When Israel through the desert passed,

A fiery pillar went before,

To guide them through the dreary waste,

And lessen the fatigues they bore.

2 Such is thy glorious word, O God;

’Tis for our light and guidance given;

It sheds a luster all abroad,

And points the path to bliss and heaven.

3 It fills the soul with sweet delight,

And quickens its inactive powers;

It sets our wandering footsteps right,

Displays thy love and kindles ours.

4 Its promises rejoice our hearts;

Its doctrine is divinely true;

Knowledge and pleasure it imparts;

It comforts and instructs us too.

5 Ye favored lands, who have this word!

Ye saints, who feel its saving power!

Unite your tongues to praise the Lord,

And his distinguished grace adore.

Beddome.

6

L. M.

Their words to the end of the world.
Psalm 19:4.

Upon the gospel’s sacred page

The gathered beams of ages shine;

And, as it hastens, every age

But makes its brightness more divine.

2 On mightier wing, in loftier flight,

From year to year, does knowledge soar;

And, as it soars, the gospel light

Becomes effulgent more and more.

3 More glorious still, as centuries roll,

New regions blest, new powers unfurled;

Expanding with the expanding soul,

Its radiance shall o’erflow the world;

4 Flow to restore, but not destroy;

As when the cloudless lamp of day

Pours out its flood of light and joy,

And sweeps the lingering mist away.

Bowring.

7

L. M.

Hold fast the form of sound words.
2 Tim. 1:13.

God’s law demands one living faith,

Not a gaunt crowd of lifeless creeds;

Its warrant is a firm “God saith;”

Its claim, not words, but living deeds.

2 Yet, Lord, forgive; thy simple law

Grows tarnished in our earthly grasp;

Pure in itself, without a flaw,

It dims in our too-worldly clasp.

3 We handle it with unwashed hands;

We stain it with unhallowed breath;

We gloss it with device of man’s,

And hide thine image underneath.

4 Forgive the sacrilege, and take

From off our souls th’ unworthy stain;

And show us, for thy Son’s dear sake

Thy pure and perfect law again.

Briggs.

8

L. P. M.

The entrance of thy word giveth light.
Psalm 119:130.

I love the volume of thy word;

What light and joy those leaves afford

To souls benighted and distressed!

Thy precepts guide my doubtful way,

Thy fear forbids my feet to stray,

Thy promise leads my heart to rest.

2 Thy threatenings wake my slumbering eyes,

And warn me where my danger lies;

But ’tis thy blessed gospel, Lord,

That makes my guilty conscience clean,

Converts my soul, subdues my sin,

And gives a free, but large reward.

3 Who knows the errors of his thoughts?

My God, forgive my secret faults,

And from presumptuous sins restrain;

Accept my poor attempts of praise,

That I have read thy book of grace,

And book of nature, not in vain.

Watts.

9

C. M.

Thy word is a lamp.
Psalm 119:105.

How precious is the book divine,

By inspiration given!

Bright as a lamp its precepts shine,

To guide our souls to heaven.

2 It sweetly cheers our drooping hearts

In this dark vale of tears;

Life, light, and joy, it still imparts,

And quells our rising fears.

3 This lamp, through all the tedious night

Of life, shall guide our way,

Till we behold the clearer light

Of an eternal day.

Fawcett.

10

C. M.

Thy testimonies are my delight.
Psalm 119:24.

Father of Mercies! in thy word

What endless glory shines!

For ever be thine name adored

For these celestial lines!

2 Here may the wretched sons of want

Exhaustless riches find;

Riches above what earth can grant,

And lasting as the mind.

3 Here the fair tree of knowledge grows,

And yields a rich repast:

Sublimer sweets than nature knows

Invite the longing taste.

4 Here springs of consolation rise

To cheer the fainting mind,

And thirsty souls receive supplies,

And sweet refreshment find.

5 Here the Redeemer’s welcome voice,

Spreads heavenly peace around;

And life and everlasting joys

Attend the blissful sound.

6 O may these heavenly pages be

My ever dear delight;

And still new beauties may I see,

And still increasing light.

7 Divine Instructor! gracious Lord,

Be thou for ever near;

Teach me to love thy sacred word,

And view my Saviour there!

Mrs. Steele.

11

C. M.

A light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105.

What glory gilds the sacred page,

Majestic like the sun!

It gives a light to every age—

It gives but borrows none.

2 The hand that gave it, still supplies

His gracious light and heat;

His truths upon the nations rise—

They rise, but never set.

3 Let everlasting thanks be thine

For such a bright display,

As makes the world of darkness shine

With beams of heavenly day.

4 My soul rejoices to pursue

The paths of truth and love,

Till glory breaks upon my view

In brighter worlds above.

Cowper.

12

C. M.

Thy law is my delight.
Psalm 119:174.

Lord, I have made thy word my choice,

My lasting heritage;

There shall my noblest powers rejoice,

My warmest thoughts engage.

2 I’ll read the histories of thy love,

And keep thy laws in sight;

While through the promises I rove,

With ever fresh delight.

3 ’Tis a broad land, of wealth unknown,

Where springs of life arise,

Seeds of immortal bliss are sown,

And hidden glory lies.

4 The best relief that mourners have;

It makes our sorrows blest;

Our fairest hope beyond the grave,

And our eternal rest.

Watts.

13

C. M.

Revelation welcomed.

Hail, sacred truth! whose piercing rays

Dispel the shades of night,

Diffusing o’er a sinful world

The healing beams of light.

2 Thy word, O Lord, with friendly aid,

Restores our wandering feet,

Converts the sorrows of the mind

To joys divinely sweet.

3 O, send thy light and truth abroad,

In all their radiant blaze;

And bid the admiring world adore

The glories of thy grace.

14

C. M.

O, how I love thy law.
Psalm 119:97.

O how I love thy holy law!