“We have been on a strange pilgrimage,” remarked Dr. Sangster, as he faced his re-united people in their own place of worship. During the previous four months they had conducted their Sunday services in two different theatres, and also the Carlton Hotel, all of which had extended hospitality. Naturally, extensive preparations were made for the joyful occasion. The great Wiseman Choir, composed of singers from many religious centers in London, and organized in memory of the beloved musician and preacher, Dr. F. Luke Wiseman, sang; and Dr. George F. Brockless was the leader of the singing company.

“The choir obviously enjoyed themselves,” said a reporter. Famous musicians participated; and outstanding musical selections were rendered, including the majestic “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Everybody wanted to sing on this happy occasion. The hymns needed to be selected with particular care. Beautifully appropriate, therefore, was the first hymn of the program:

This hymn, which appeared in “Hymns Ancient and Modern,” 1861, has found wide acceptance. It is found in The Church Hymnary (Scotland); The Hymnary of the United Church of Canada; and likewise The Hymnal (1940) of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States.

The author was the Rev. William Bullock, D.D. (1798-1874), who was of English birth. Thirty-two years he served as a minister for the Society of the Propagation of the Gospel. Dr. James Moffatt tells us that this hymn, based on Psalm 26:8, “was composed in 1827 for the dedication of a church in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, where he was rector.” He also adds that “seventy years later, when a new building on the same site was dedicated, this hymn was once more sung.”

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise,” said the Psalmist. It was in this spirit that the congregation of the Central Hall, Westminster, “spent a memorable evening of thanksgiving.” The hearts of the people overflowed with joy as they ecstatically sang:

Prayerful were the lines which closed that hymn:

Memorable Rendering of the Doxology

“I believe the men will wish to sing and pray,” said the Rev. Dr. Oscar R. Maurer of New Haven, Conn., when he secured consent from the military authorities to have the doors of the cathedral of Verdun opened when the firing should cease at the end of World War I. The dramatic story of the event was written for Association Men by one who had been at work in France with the Red Triangle. The scene was thus vividly described:

“Ten minutes of eleven, and still the guns roared on, unmindful of the fact that peace was imminent. Five minutes of eleven, and even the general and his aides were showing signs of nervousness....

“Then, as suddenly as though God Himself had dropped a wet blanket over the crackling flames of hell and at one blow had extinguished them all, the firing and the rumbling ceased. There was an instant’s pause in which it seemed as though the world had come to an end. Then from the forty bells high in the still untouched towers of that old cathedral at Verdun, which had witnessed the most heroic sacrifice of life and love save that on Calvary alone, pealed forth as did the voices over the Bethlehem hills, those silver tones that once again were saying, ‘Peace on earth.’”

The men began to leap wildly and joyously. They shouted, sang and kissed one another. The cathedral doors opened slowly, and about six hundred soldiers from the armies of the Allies entered with a rush. Dr. Maurer walked quietly to the altar rail, and there knelt in prayer. Officers and privates alike reached for the swinging ropes, and gave the bells another pull. The possibility that the opportunity for a religious service was lost oppressed the heart of Dr. Maurer with fear. The assembling company, however, soon observed the lonely figure kneeling at the altar, and they began to move forward. He rose, and all was quiet. “Boys,” said he, “I believe we all want to sing, and that we ought to sing the doxology.” An English soldier, with a splendid tenor voice, started the familiar line:

Instantly all who knew the words joined in the glorious doxology. Then the Americans, the English and the French sang their respective national anthems before they reverently left the building.

General Valentine, who had given consent for the service to be held in the cathedral, went forward, took Dr. Maurer’s hands in his own, and said, “I want to thank you for leading these men on this occasion to offer praise to God....”

CHAPTER XII
CAROLS AT CHRISTMASTIDE

“Christina Rossetti strikes her highest notes in her Christmas songs. One is her delightful rhapsody:

“‘Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, Love Divine;

Love was born at Christmas,

Star and angels gave the sign.’

“The other is one written for her god-children:

“‘The shepherds had an angel,

The wise men had a star,

But what have I, a little child,

To guide me home from far?—’

delicate, humble, wondering, trustful.”

“I would like also to call attention to the new note contributed in Mr. Laurence Housman’s hymn:

“‘The Maker of the sun and moon,

The Maker of our earth,

Lo! late in time, a fairer boon,

Himself is brought to birth.’

. . . . .

“‘O Perfect Love, outpassing sight,

O Light beyond our ken,

Come down through all the world to-night,

And heal the hearts of men.’”

—Dr. F. Luke Wiseman in an address on “Christmas Hymns.”

Christmas Carols on Deck of Battleship

The battleship Missouri will always hold a unique place in the history of the United States, for on her, at the close of World War II, the Japanese made their formal surrender. But about four months later (December 21, 1945) a very different scene was witnessed on her deck. That night more than one hundred members of the Choral Group of the New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn sang Christmas carols in sub-freezing weather. Naturally the listening members of the appreciative crew recalled the experiences of the previous Christmas, when they were engaged in fighting World War II.

Beneath a string of 500-watt bulbs the chorus sang into a microphone. Perhaps it was natural that they should begin with the familiar and beloved carol written by Bishop Phillip Brooks:

Possibly some who listened made the words their heart prayer as the singers rendered the words:

Other carols were rendered, and then the singers concluded with:

The songs of the glorious holiday season in a year that began in war and ended in peace reminded the men of home and family. One of the sailors remarked quietly to another: “I shall be home this Christmas for the first time in four years.”

Christmastide Song of Blind Singers

At the Christmas season before the second World War a sale and entertainment were held in London under the auspices of the Greater London Fund for the Blind. Among the attractive features of the program during the afternoon and the evening was the rendering of Christmas carols by a company of blind singers. A London periodical, commenting on this part of the program, said that it was “especially impressive” when the chorus rendered the peculiarly appropriate hymn of Bishop Reginald Heber:

Blind though they were, the singers were conscious of the fact that Christ was the “Light of the world.”

This hymn was first published in 1811. Several other very popular hymns were written by the same author. Following his training at Oxford University, he became rector at Hodnet, and, later, Missionary Bishop of Calcutta, where this “man of learning and piety” lived only three years.

During this short period, however, he had the great satisfaction of hearing this and another of his hymns (“The Son of God Goes Forth to War”) sung better than he “had ever heard them sung in a church before.” This was on the occasion of the dedication of a church at Meerut, India, where in a remote situation, in sight of the Himalaya Mountains, he found an excellent organ in what he described as “one of the earliest, the largest and handsomest churches in India.”

The blind singers of London chose well when they decided to sing the hymn of this consecrated man.

Not Too Late to Hear the Christmas Music

Newspapers all over the United States on Christmas Day, 1945, carried pictures of returning troops from the scenes of war, as they arrived in the harbor of Los Angeles. The men were shown crowding the rails of the boats, and on their faces there was a wistful look. Happiness and disappointment were both registered. While they were privileged to see their native land on another Christmas Day, after their long and hard experiences in conflict, yet they were too late to join the Christmas circles in their homes.

A group of singers, however, made the rounds of the various ships on a greeter boat, and welcomed the warrior lads by the singing of Christmas carols. Sweet was it to the men to hear the singers render the old carol:

When the chorus was reached many of the men on shipboard also sang or hummed the lines:

The origin of this great Christian hymn is obscure. This observation is made by Dr. Charles A. Boyd: “Here is another of the much loved hymns of the church which we owe to the old Latin hymn-writers. They wrote not for money or fame, but for the love of the writing, and for the praise of Christ.” A somewhat extended discussion of both hymn and tune is found in the work of Dr. James Moffatt, and at the close he says: “The conclusion seems to be that the hymn and tune came into use together, in the services of the Roman Church, during the first part of the eighteenth century; that they were in circulation in manuscript for some time before they appeared in print, but that nothing definite can as yet be stated as to the author of either words or music.”

When a young high school student, whom I knew, attended the illumination of a community Christmas tree she heard a chorus of Welsh voices, at midnight on Christmas Eve, sing this carol. Several times before, very naturally, she had heard it in church and school. But this night she returned home full of enthusiasm, and said to her parents, “I never before heard anything so beautiful!” Perhaps the returning troops had just this feeling when they listened to this and other carols rendered in the Christmas season of 1945, as they were welcomed back with joyful song to the land for which they had victoriously fought.

Carol the Children Wanted

Two little girls jumped from their bed to listen to the choir of an English church as they were making their rounds at Christmastide singing carols, according to a local custom. They were, of course, singing the old favorites, as they had been doing for a few successive evenings, and they were tired. But this was their last call for the year.

The first selection was rendered when, according to the one who narrated the incident in an English periodical (Mrs. Lyndon Hill), a bedroom window was lifted, and two little girls leaned out and asked them to sing the carol they most loved, “Away in a Manger.” Soon the Christmas callers were singing:

“In all our singing it had never occurred to us to sing this seemingly childish carol,” said the one who related the story; “but we did sing it, and the beauty and simplicity of the words and tune struck me as never before, as the two little voices joined with us. They seemed to be the expression of all the wonder of God’s gift of the Christ child in the humility of His manger bed, and our singing took on new life as we caught a vision of the utter simplicity of the Christmas message.... And I never fail to receive inspiration from the mental picture of two little sleepy girls at a bedroom window singing ‘Away in a Manger.’”

And what an especially appropriate prayer it must have been for the little girls when they closed the song with the words:

CHAPTER XIII
THE CROSS AND THE CHURCH

A large group of Christian men gathered in Chicago early in 1938 for a convention. Said one who was present: “The mood and point of view were indicated by the opening hymn:

The great and inspiring gathering closed with the same hymn, and thus before they separated these same men sang:

Building Gone, but Hymn Remains

“The church where that hymn was first sung is utterly destroyed, but the hymn remains. In this thought I take comfort.” Thus wrote the Rev. Thomas Tiplady, superintendent of the Lambeth Mission, London, to The Hymn Society of America a few weeks after the end of World War II. He explained thus: “Had not the Church of England friends granted the use of a tiny chapel and a wooden hut the congregation would have been entirely homeless, for the wrecking of the entire buildings of the Mission was completed by a rocket bomb.” The building was historic, and dated back to the ministry of the notable commentator, Dr. Adam Clark.

The author has written a fairly large collection of hymns, and they are rapidly finding places in new hymnals. But “Above the Hills of Time” continues to be the favorite. Congregations sing with enthusiasm:

Visits to the United States have been made by the author; and the writer was privileged to hear him speak at Columbus, Ohio, to an immense audience. Hearers were profoundly moved as this chaplain in World War I told the story which is found in his book, “The Cross at the Front.”

This beautiful tribute appeared in a review of one of his little collections of hymns, where an English periodical made this comment: “Hymns are rarely poetry, say the critics, but there is poetry of a high order here ... and frequent evidence that the poet has been inspired not by the muse alone, but also by the Holy Spirit.” No one doubts this when he hears a great congregation sing:

An Army with Banners

A monster rally of the Salvation Army for the raising of needed funds was held in New York City in March, 1938, when something dramatic occurred which brought the vast audience to its feet. Among the speakers were many noted people, including Walter Lippmann, the renowned philosopher, and General Hugh S. Johnson, experienced soldier and distinguished writer.

The speakers had been talking about the need of peace. Then, at one point, the Salvation Army officer in charge, asked: “Is there no solution for the world’s woes but bayonets in the hands of soldiers?” He paused. Quickly the answer came as the band began to play:

Emphasis was given to the song when a group of “eager and exalted” young soldiers of the Salvation Army marched into the building carrying their own colors and the national emblem. These youthful soldiers, enlisted in the cause of Christ, were militantly engaged in service for the Prince of Peace. And the parade of the singing soldiers “touched everybody deeply.”

Church Cross Inspired Grocer’s Song

A church which he served in his early ministry is thus described by Dr. William L. Stidger, professor in Boston University: “There was a little church on the top of a hill in the sand dunes of the Sunset District of San Francisco, California. On the top of that beautiful little church, covered with ivy vines, a white revolving cross flashed its light through the night across the dunes.” I visited that church when I attended the great Exposition in the city mentioned, and heard Dr. Stidger preach. In fact, I received great kindness at his hands during the few days I was in the city. Through him I was privileged to attend a meeting at which Edwin Markham spoke.

In one of his articles Professor Stidger related this story: “At the foot of that little hill there was a grocery store. The light of that revolving cross, when it turned west, flashed through the front windows of that grocery store. The proprietor of the store, Robert Mobbs, as he waited on his customers at evening time, could look up and see the flash of that white cross and it always gave him a comfortable feeling. He liked that cross, he liked to have it flash its message into his store when the twilight fell across the sand dunes looking toward the Golden Gate.

“Robert Mobbs, tall, angular, had been born in Prince Edward Island, and he had grown up in a church-going family. His mother had taught him to memorize the great hymns of the church and he loved them. As he worked in the grocery store he liked to hum the hymns of the church over to himself as he waited on his customers. The hymn he loved best of all was ‘In the Cross of Christ I Glory.’ He would hum that hymn to himself as the evening shadows gathered and the light of Calvary’s Cross flashed in through the wide windows. One of his customers, hearing him, said, ‘I go out with little songs singing in my heart. I like it.’” He had heard the grocer sing:

Visiting Singer Familiar with the Hymn

Nelson Eddy, famed for his singing voice, was far from his American home when he gave a concert to the United States Army on a Saturday evening at Aden. But an interesting sidelight of this visit to the troops was given in The British Weekly in February, 1944, and also referred to the next morning, when he sang in the little Scots Kirk.

The explanation was made to the soloist to the effect that the place of worship was only a small building. But, accepting the invitation, he said that the size of the church made no difference, as it was his personal wish to sing the Lord’s Prayer in the Scottish Church. He, therefore, slipped quietly into the building just as the congregation had begun to sing the hymn, “Crown Him With Many Crowns.” “Not only did he join in,” said the one who reported the incident, “but he practically led the singing, and without a hymn book.”

After the scripture lesson, Mr. Eddy rendered his solo, a musical setting of the Lord’s Prayer, “And it was magnificently sung as if it were a prayer.” The soloist remained while another hymn was sung, and then he quietly left the sanctuary, as he had to leave Aden immediately.

It was interesting to learn that the visiting singer was so familiar with the hymn, “Crown Him With Many Crowns,” and that he sang it so heartily. It is one of stirring hymns of the Christian Church, and with the tune to which it is set, “Diademata,” it makes a jubilant song of praise. Hymn and tune form “a perfect union.” Said Covert and Laufer: “The tune fully conveys the triumphant and ecstatic joy of the text, and yet its great dignity and solidity are preserved. It is a tune which organists like to play and which choirs and congregations enjoy singing.” Even in wartime, doubtless, all enjoyed singing:

CHAPTER XIV
EASTER WITH THE HYMNAL

A portion of Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, is indicated as being the favorite resting-place of Dr. Isaac Watts. A writer paid an early morning visit to this location on a beautiful summer day. Fastened to a tree there was found a piece of paper on which there was written the following verse:

“There is a land of pure delight

Where saints immortal dwell,

Infinite day excludes the night,

And pleasures banish pain.”

Underneath were the words:

“Dr. Watts now enjoys what he then wrote.”

—The British Weekly.

A touching incident in connection with the death of Woodrow Wilson concerns the manner in which the news of his passing came to his friend and admirer Roland Hayes, the great American Negro singer, at the time he was giving a series of concerts in Boston. In the midst of his program Hayes raised his hand for silence and said, “I have just learned of the passing of a great soul and I’m going to sing something for a memorial to him.” And then he sang “I Am Goin’ Home” with a theme from the “New World Symphony,” in an arrangement by William A. Fisher:

“Goin’ home, goin’ home, I’m jes’ goin’ home;

It’s not far, jes’ close by, through an open door.

Work all done, care laid by,

Gwine to fear no more.”

—Home Quarterly.

Easter Song of a Centenarian

Living in two centuries and in two countries, the Rev. Timothy Edwards enjoyed some unusual experiences. He loved both to preach and to sing. Born in England, he reached the United States before 1870, and was assigned to a circuit in Michigan, as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. But because of throat trouble, he was compelled to leave his ministerial work in 1876.

He then became editor of a small paper, and likewise a student of law. Later he was admitted to the bar. After a few years, however, he was able to re-enter the ministry, and served churches in northern Michigan until, in 1895, he was superannuated.

When he observed his ninetieth birthday, he preached in the Methodist Church at Washington, Michigan, and said: “I will not speak in this church again until I am one hundred years old”—and he did not. But on April 1, 1934, celebrating his 100th birthday he once more preached in the same church.

Midway in the sermon his congregation was delighted when the aged Christian, one of God’s singing saints, voiced his experience in sacred song. It was one he long had loved:

It was Easter Sunday, and the centenarian could look forward to an ageless life beyond the present. Hence he could sing:

The veteran preacher made that Easter Sunday memorable to his congregation, and led them to see how happy a Christian can be when he reaches the age of one hundred.

Easter in New Guinea

Sunrise in New Guinea in 1943 made Easter morning memorable for Lt. John McDaniel Slocum, whose home was in Oswego, Oregon. Earlier he had dropped out of the freshman class at Oregon State College to enlist in the service of his country. By Easter, 1943, he was a second lieutenant in the infantry, and was in charge of a reconnaissance party of twelve men in New Guinea. These men had been away from their base for many weeks, and were living on powdered milk and canned stew. The letter which he wrote to his mother at Eastertide was a significant one. Said he:

“All my men and myself were having a big gabfest last night, and the fact that Easter was today was mentioned. Not too much was said and the subject was dropped.... But for some reason I woke up at 5:30 and I just had an impulse to go out to our hill which overlooks the ocean, and hold myself a little sunrise service.... Every man in camp was there!... We sang several hymns. Some natives (Christians) joined us, and we sang some more.

“As the sky turned pink we all were quiet. As the sun came up someone started to sing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ and as the sun rose over the mighty blue Pacific our voices, with a background of natives humming, reached out across that sea to tell all of you at home that all was well....

“Then one of the boys took out a Bible and asked me to read something from it.... As I glanced at the opened page there was the Lord’s Prayer. I read it through very quietly once, and then we all said it in unison.

“Then, with a glance at the rising sun, we all returned to camp.”

What an unforgettable Easter for those young Americans! Fighting for their native land on far-distant shores, yet “at the dawn’s early light” on Easter morning they could sing their song of patriotic hope:

Eastertide Hymn at an Easter Funeral

They sang, they all sang, at the funeral of Mrs. Grace Beaven in Rochester, N. Y., on Easter Monday, in 1938. She would have liked that, for she was a lover of music. In her girlhood days she journeyed from her far-away home in Tacoma, Washington, to New York City that she might pursue a course in music. Completing her course, she returned to her home community, and became choir director in the First Baptist Church. Soon she became the bride of a young Baptist minister, served with him in the pastorate, and then shared his responsible life when he, the Rev. Dr. Albert W. Beaven, became the president of the Colgate-Rochester Divinity School.

“She lived radiantly and gallantly to the end,” testified her husband, who confessed that he had asked for himself the privilege of conducting her funeral service. Clear and strong was his voice as, entering the Lake Avenue Baptist, Rochester, he read the great words of affirmation from the Scripture, “I am the resurrection and the life.” The standing congregation then sang the triumphant Easter song of Charles Wesley:

The bereaved family sang with the congregation. The song on the lips came from their hearts, whatever tears may have been in their eyes. A thousand voices united with theirs in singing:

“This hymn by Charles Wesley ... has long been accepted as the best English Easter Hymn” was the positive statement made by W. T. Stead. Unquestionably it is also sung more frequently than any other selection in our American churches on Easter Sunday. The author once went through the published Easter Sunday morning programs of twenty-nine churches of various denominations of a city near his home at that time. This hymn appeared in all but three of the programs, and mostly it was the opening selection. Poetic language asks the question:

Then it gives the assuring reply:

Friday, July 23, 1742, John Wesley was with his beloved mother. “Her look was calm and serene,” said he, “and her eyes fixed upward, while we commended her soul to God. Soon the soul was set at liberty. There was no struggle. Those present then stood round the bed, and fulfilled her last request, uttered a little while before she lost her speech, ‘Children, as soon as I am released, sing a psalm of praise to God.’”

The passion-tide and an Easter message is summed up in the undying words of one of the singing sons of that honored mother which the family and friends of Grace Beaven sang on that Easter Monday soon after, being released from suffering, she joined the great multitude of the singing company in the celestial city.

What other hymn has such a triumphant climax?

Mother’s Hymn at Eventide

A little girl would clutch her mother’s hand and the two would go through the tall grass of an English meadow to a stile. There they both loved to stand to watch the sunset. Just when the last crimson streak was dying in the west, the mother would sing, in her rich Welsh voice:

The manner in which the woman greeted the passing of the day left a memory with the young daughter which the latter carried with her through the years, and brought with her when she came to America. “Sing, kitten,” the mother would sometimes exclaim. Then, with faces still set westward, the daughter would chirp with her little voice, and the two would sing:

The girl was still young when her mother reached

but she carried with her the memory of being led into a room where she saw her father kneeling by the bed, with his face hidden in his hands. The clergyman was there administering Holy Communion; also present was the family physician. An older sister was sobbing.

Rushing to the bedside, the child gazed at the bright, beloved face of her mother. She was smiling. Her lips began to move. Beatrice Plumb, who once told this story about her mother and herself, said that even before she put her ear close to her mother, she knew that the latter was singing their eventide hymn.

Opening her eyes, the mother faintly whispered, “Sing, Kitten!” Once more, the last time together, mother and little daughter were singing their old sunset song:

Carved on the mother’s tombstone, and cherished in the daughter’s memory, were the words:

BIBLIOGRAPHY

While the writer consulted many books, the following list includes those to which reference was most frequently made. The name of the author appears in the text, and the quotations may mostly be found by referring to the author’s discussion of that particular hymn.

An extensive bibliography of the subject may be found in the work of McCutchan.

Boyd, Charles Arthur, Stories of Hymns for Creative Living, The Judson Press.

Covert, William Chalmers, and Laufer, Calvin Weiss, Handbook to the Hymnal, Presbyterian Board of Christian Education.

Gillman, Frederick John, The Evolution of the English Hymn, George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.

Lorenz, Edmund S., Practical Hymn Studies, Fleming H. Revell.

McCutchan, Robert Guy, Our Hymnody, The Methodist Book Concern.

Moffatt, James, Handbook to the Church Hymnary, Oxford University Press.

Nutter, Charles S., Hymn Studies, Phillips & Hunt.

Nutter, Charles S., and Tillett, Wilbur F., The Hymns and Hymn Writers of the Church, The Methodist Book Concern.

Pratt, John Barnes, Present Day Hymns and Why They Were Written, A. S. Barnes and Company.

Robinson, Charles Seymour, Annotations Upon Popular Hymns, Hunt and Eaton.

Sankey, Ira D., My Life and the Story of the Gospel Hymns, Harper & Brothers.

Sheppard, W. J. L., Great Hymns and Their Stories, The Religious Tract Society, London.

Smith, H. Augustine, Lyric Religion, The Century Co.

Stead, W. T., Hymns That Have Helped, Doubleday and McClure Co.

Stevenson, G. J., The Methodist Hymn Book Illustrated, S. W. Partridge & Co., London.

Telford, John, The New Methodist Hymn Book Illustrated, Epworth Press, London.

Washburn, Charles C., Hymn Interpretations, Cokesbury Press.

Wiseman, F. Luke, Charles Wesley, The Abingdon Press.

INDEX OF HYMNS

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Abide with me: fast falls the eventide 53, 60, 77

Above the hills of time the cross is gleaming 122

A charge to keep I have 80

All hail the power of Jesus’ name 32

At even, ere the sun was set 35

A mighty fortress is our God 44, 97

“Are ye able,” said the Master 75

Art thou weary, art thou laden 37

Ask ye what great thing I know 121

Awake, awake to love and work 26

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed 90, 120

B

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side 62

Blessed Master, I have promised 83

Brightest and Best of the sons of the morning 117

C

Christ is made the sure foundation 36

Christ the Lord is risen today 131

Christ, whose glory fills the skies 30

Come! Peace of God, and dwell again on earth 15

Come, let us anew our journey pursue 20

Come, let us join our friends above 66

Come Thou Fount of every blessing 40

Crown Him with many crowns 126

D

Day is dying in the west 33

E

Eternal Father, strong to save 53

F

Faith of our fathers! living still 54, 62

For ever with the Lord 133

For the beauty of the earth 105

G

God of our fathers, known of old 102

God is working His purpose out 56

God moves in a mysterious way 73

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah 49

H

Hark, hark, my soul! angelic songs are swelling 34

He shall give His angels charge 48

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty 29, 33, 37

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord 55, 63

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds 47

I

I come to the garden alone 54

I love Thy kingdom, Lord 68

I need Thee every hour 43

In the cross of Christ I glory 125

J

Jerusalem the golden 39

Jesus bids us shine 85

Jesus, Lover of my soul 57, 58, 80

Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me 81

L

Lord, I want to be a Christian 88

Love came down at Christmas 115

Low in the grave He lay 92

M

Mid all the traffic of the ways 64

Mine eyes have seen 93, 99

My country, ’tis of thee 57, 106

My God, I am Thine 73

My Jesus, I love Thee 128

N

Nearer, my God, to Thee 38, 53, 56

New every morning is the love 28

Now the day is over 32, 85

Now the laborer’s task is o’er 54

O

O beautiful for spacious skies 57, 95

O come, all ye faithful 118

O God, our help in ages past 56, 97

O Jesus, I have promised 39

O little town of Bethlehem 116

O Master, let me walk with Thee 55

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross 53

Onward, Christian soldiers 18, 53, 99

O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light 14, 56, 92, 93, 101, 129

P

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow 113

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven 59, 108

R

Rise up, O men of God 20

Rock of Ages, cleft for me 44, 96

S

Silent night, holy night 91, 116

T

Tell me the old, old story 41

The day is slowly wending 16

The Church’s one foundation 39, 123

The heavens declare Thy glory, Lord 110

The Maker of the sun and moon 115

The shepherds had an angel 115

The Son of God goes forth to war 37, 69

The strife is o’er 69

There is a land of pure delight 127

There is no sorrow, Lord, too light 50

There’s a Friend for little children 39

There were ninety and nine that safely lay 45

’Tis the promise of God, full salvation to give 72

W

We love the place, O God 111

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought 71

When I survey the wondrous cross 46

With all my heart, I’ll do my part 59

Transcriber’s Notes

• Retained copyright information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.
• Silently corrected a few palpable typos.
• In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.