MMF - Hymns And Their Stories

Where did our hymns come from and what are the stories behind them. Many of these God honoring hymns have interesting stories behind them. As you discover the ones you love add them and their story to the list... Brother Glen

~It Is Well With My Soul

Horatio G. Spafford had been a successful attorney in Chicago. He was the father of four daughters, an active member of the Presbyte­rian Church, and a loyal friend and supporter of D. L. Moody.

When Mr. Moody and his music associate, Ira Sankey, left for Great Britain for an evangelistic campaign, Spafford decided to lift the spirits of his family by taking them on a vacation to Europe. He also planned to assist in the Moody‑Sankey meetings there.

In November, 1873, Spafford was detained by urgent business, but he sent his wife and four daughters as scheduled on the S.S. Ville du Harve, planning to join them soon.

Halfway across the Atlantic, the ship was struck by an English vessel, and sank in 12 minutes. All four of the Spafford claughters‑-Tanetta, Maggie, Annie and Bessie-‑were among the 226 who drowned.

Mrs. Spafford was among the few who were miraculously saved.

Later, Horatio Spafford stood hour after hour on the deck of the ship carrying him to rejoin his sorrowing wife in Cardiff, Wales. When the ship passed the approximate place where his precious daughters had drowned, Spafford received sustaining comfort from God that enabled him to write the words of this hymn: 'When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul.”

--Adapted from Kenneth W. Osbeck

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It Is Well with My Soul

(1) When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll-

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

CHORUS: It is well with my soul,

it is well, it is well with my soul.

(2) My sin- O the joy of this glorious thought-

My sin, not in part, but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more:

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

(3) And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll:

The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,

"Even so"- it is well with my soul... Brother Glen

[ September 11, 2002, 12:01 PM: Message edited by: Aaron ]

 

Known as an American hymn writer and poetess, Fanny Crosby wrote over 9,000 hymns during her life. She entered the NY Institute in at the age of fifteen and afterward taught English and history (1847-58). As a pupil and as a teacher, Fanny spent 35 years at the school. Her first book of poems was published in 1844 was called The Blind Girl and Other Poems.

In 1858, she published a book called "A Wreath of Columbia's Flowers". It is collection of secular stories and poems filled with the same emotional tone she gave her hymns. Her last book, Memories of Eighty Years, was published in 1906.

One biographer wrote of her, "...in her day, she was considered by most people to be the greatest in America. As Johann Strauss reigned in Vienna as the "Waltz King", and John Phillip Sousa in Washington as the "March King", so Fanny Crosby reigned in New York in the later nineteenth and early twentieth century as the "Hymn Queen".

Although blinded by an illness at the age of 6 weeks, she never became bitter. One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you." She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised clergyman. "Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"

One of Miss Crosby's hymns was so personal that for years she kept it to herself. Kenneth Osbeck, author of several books on hymnology, says its revelation to the public came about this way: "One day at the Bible conference in Northfield, Massachusetts, Miss Crosby was asked by D.L. Moody to give a personal testimony. At first she hesitated, then quietly rose and said, 'There is one hymn I have written which has never been published. I call it my soul's poem. Sometimes when I am troubled, I repeat it to myself, for it brings comfort to my heart.' She then recited while many wept:

Someday the silver cord will break,
and I no more as now shall sing;
but oh, the joy when I shall wake
within the palace of the King!
And I shall see Him face to face,
and tell the story--saved by grace!

At the age of 95 Fanny Crosby passed on and on grave in Bridgeport, Conn., there is a simple little headstone with the name "Aunt Fanny," and these words:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine... Brother Glen

[ November 03, 2001: Message edited by: tyndale1946 ]

 

Just As I Am, Without One Plea
Words: Charolotte Elliott
Tune:WOODWORTH, L.M. , Wm. Bradbury

Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thy love unknown
hath broken every barrier down;
now, to be thine, yea thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

This hymn was written in 1834 by Miss Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871). She was the grand-daughter of Rev. Henry Venn, one of the Clapham Sect who supported William Wilberforce. In her youth she wrote humorous poems, but following a grave illness in 1821 she lived for her last fifty years as an invalid in Westfield Lodge, Brighton. It has been said that "more than half a century of suffering went into the making of Miss Elliott's hymns". Over two hundred hymns bear her name. This hymn first appeared in leaflet form in 1835, and then in The Invalid's Hymn Book (1841). In Hours of Sorrow Cheered and Comforted (1849) it is prefaced by a quotation from John 6:37.

Her brother Rev. H V Elliott, and other members of her family were invited to a bazaar to raise money to build a college in Brighton for the daughters of poor clergymen, but she was unwell and could not go. Instead she wrote this hymn as a confession of faith in the face of her disability. The opening phrase of each verse draws on words addressed to her twelve years earlier by the evangelist Dr. César Malan of Geneva, with whom she corresponded for forty years. She had claimed to be unworthy to come to Christ, but he told her to "come to Him just as you are". There were originally six verses with a seventh added by her later in the same year, although the original verse two is now omitted. Biblical references include John 1:29 (the last line of every verse), 2 Corinthians 7:5 (verse 2 line 3), Luke 4:18 (verse 3 lines 1-2), Ephesians 2:14 (verse 5 line 2) and Ephesians 3:18 (verse 6 line 2).

Tune - Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is the best-known of the tunes associated with this hymn. It was written by Arthur Henry Brown (1830-1926), a supporter of the Oxford Movement and a pioneer in the restoration of plainchant and Gregorian music in Anglican worship. It was originally written for another of Elliott's hymns, "O holy Saviour, Friend unseen". This music and "Just as I am" were first associated in the English Hymnal (1906). Brown remained an organist until his death at 95.

Brother Glen

 

Amazing Grace
Hymn Story
by Kenneth W. Osbeck

In a small cemetery of a parish churchyard in Olney, England, stands a granite tombstone with the following inscription: "John Newton, clerk, one an infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed o preach the Faith he had long labored to destroy." This fitting testimonial, written by Newton himself prior to his death, describes aptly the unusual and colorful life of this man, one of the great evangelical preachers of the eighteenth century.

John Newton's mother, a Godly woman, died when he was not quite seven years of age. When his father remarried and after several brief years of formal education away from home; John left school and joined his father's ship, at the age of eleven, to begin life as a seaman. His early years were one continuous round of rebellion and debauchery. After serving on several ships as well as working for a period of time on the islands and mainland of the West African coast collecting slaves or sale to visiting traders, Newton eventually became a captain of his own slave ship. Needless to say, the capturing, selling and transporting of black slaves to the plantations in the West Indies and America was a cruel and vicious way of life.

On March 10, 1748, while returning to England from Africa during a particularly stormy voyage when it appeared that all would be lost, Newton began reading Thomas a Kempis's book, Imitation of Christ. Kempis was a Dutch monk, 1380-1471, who belonged to an order called the Brethren of the Common Life. This book is still printed today as a religious classic. The message of the book and the frightening experience at sea were used by the Holy Spirit to sow the seeds of Newton's eventual conversion and personal acceptance of Christ as his Savior.

For the next several years he continued as a slave ship captain, trying to justify his work by seeking to improve conditions as much as possible, even holding public worship services for his hardened crew of thirty each Sunday. Eventually, however, he felt convicted of the inhuman aspects of this work, and became a strong and effective crusader against slavery. Newton returned to England, established a home with his youthful sweetheart, Mary Calett, whom he had married on February 12, 1750, and became a clerk at the Port of Liverpool for the next nine years. During this period he felt the call of God increasingly to preach the gospel and began to study diligently for the ministry. He was greatly aided and influenced by the evangelist George Whitefield as well as the Wesleys, but he decided to stay within the established Anglican Church rather than to join forces with these Dissenters. At the age of thirty-nine, John Newton was ordained by the Anglican Church and began his first pastorate at the little village of Olney, near Cambridge, England. His work for the next fifteen years (1764-1779) was a most fruitful and influential ministry.

Especially effective was the use of the story of his early life and conversion experience, which he told often. In addition to preaching for the stated services in his own church, Newton would hold services regularly in any large building he could secure in the surrounding area. This was an unheard of practice for an Anglican clergyman of that day. Wherever he preached, large crowds gathered to hear the "Old Converted Sea Captain."

Another of Newton's extremist practices at the Olney Church was the singing of hymns that expressed the simple, heartfelt faith of his preaching rather than the staid singing of the Psalms from the Sternhold and Hopkins Psalter, which was practiced in other Anglican churches. When Newton couldn't find enough available hymns for this purpose, he began writing his own. To assist him in this endeavor, he enlisted the aid of his friend and neighbor, William Cowper, a well-known writer of classic literature of this period. In 1779 their combined efforts produced the famous Olney Hymns hymnal, one of the most important single contributions made to the field of evangelical hymnody. In this ambitious collection of 349 hymns, sixty-seven were written by Cowper with the remainder by Newton. The purpose of the hymnal, according to Newton's Preface, was "a desire to promote the faith and comfort of sincere Christians."

After concluding his ministry at Olney, Newton spent the remaining twenty-eight years of his life as pastor of the influential St. Mary Woolnoth Church in London. Among his converts there was Claudius Buchanan, who became a missionary to the East Indies, and Thomas Scott, the Bible commentator. By this time Newton had also establish a strong relationship with William Wilberforce and other political leaders engaged in the crusade for the abolition of the slave trade. It is interesting to note that the year of Newton's death, 1807, was the same year that the British Parliament finally abolished slavery throughout all of its domain.

In 1790 Newton's wife, beloved companion for forty years, died of cancer. Mary had been a wife of true devotion and encouragement, but now John faced the next seventeen long years without her. In 1893 John and Mary's remains were re-interred in the Olney Church graveyard, where the massive granite monument can still be viewed.

Until the time of his death at the age of eighty-two, John Newton never ceased to marvel at God's mercy and grace that had so dramatically changed his life. This was the dominant theme of his preaching and writing. Shortly before his death a spokesman for the church suggested that he consider retirement because of failing health, eyesight and memory. Newton replied, "What, shall the old Africa blasphemer stop while he can still speak?" On another occasion before his death he is quoted as proclaiming with a loud voice during a message, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two thing: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!"

Amazing Grace!


(1) Amazing grace! How sweet the sound-

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind but now I see.



(2) 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved:

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed!



(3) The Lord has promised good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures.



(4) Through many dangers, toils, and snares,

I have already come;

'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.



(4) When we've been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We've no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we'd first begun.

This has to be my favorite song and the Alma Mater for the Primitive Baptist. The words reach to my very soul and the story behind it make it OH SO SWEETER. I believe this hymn has been sung more than any other in the history of the baptist brethren through the ages... Brother Glen

[ November 03, 2001: Message edited by: tyndale1946 ]

 

How Great Thou Art
Hymn Story
Kenneth W. Osbeck

This is a fine twentieth century hymn of praise that has become a favorite with God's people during the last three decades. Its popularity is due in large part to its wide use by favorite gospel singers, notable George Beverly Shea. Although introduced to American audiences when Mr. James Caldwell sang "How Great Thou Art" at Stony Brook Bible Conference on Long Island in 1951, it was not until Cliff Barrows and Bev Shea of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Team used it during the famed London Crusade in Harringay Arena that "How Great Thou Art" started to become universally well-known.

The original Swedish text was a poem entitled "O Store Gud," written by a Swedish pastor, the Reverend Carl Booberg, in 1886. In addition to being one of the leading evangelical preachers of his day, Boberg was also the successful editor of the periodical Sanningsvittnet. His inspiration for this text is said to have come from a visit to a beautiful country estate on the southeast coast of Sweden. He was suddenly caught in a midday thunderstorm with awe-inspiring moments of flashing violence, followed by a clear brilliant sun. Soon afterwards he heard the calm, sweet songs of the birds in nearby trees. The experience prompted the pastor to fall to his knees in humble adoration of his mighty God. He penned his exaltation in a nine-stanza poem beginning with the Swedish words "O Store Gud, nar jag den varld beskader."

Several years later Boberg was attending a meeting in the Province of Varmland and was surprised to hear the congregation sing his poem to the tune of an old Swedish melody.

The subsequent history of this hymn is most interesting. It is thought that soon after Boberg's version, the text was translated into German by Manfred von Glehn and entitled "Wie gross bist Du." Later in 1925 the Reverend E. Gustav Johnson of North Park College, Chicago, Illinois, made the first literal English translation from the Swedish text. This translation is quite different from the text that we know today but may still be found in some hymnals. Johnson's literal translation of the Swedish text is entitled "O Mighty God, When I Behold the Wonder." In 1927 I. S. Prokhanoff came upon the German version and translated it into the Russian language.

In 1933 the Reverend S. K. Hine and his wife, English missionaries, were ministering to the people of the Ukraine. It was there they learned the Russian translation of "O Store Gud" from a congregation of Ukrainians. They remember singing it as a duet in dark, unevangelized places and the telling effect it had on the unsaved. The thought of writing original English lyrics to this song did not then occur to them -- that was to await their crossing into Sub-Carpathian Russia, where the mountain scenery was to play its part. The thoughts of the first three verses in English were born, line upon line, amid unforgettable experiences in the Carpathian mountains. (The fourth verse was written later in England.) Thus, inspired partially by the Russian words, partially by the awesome wonder at the sight of "all the works thy hand hath made," the thoughts of the first two verses sprang into life in English. As Reverend Hine and his wife continued their evangelizing in the Carpathian mountains and distribution of gospels in village after village, verse three came into being.

When war broke out in 1939, it was necessary for Reverent Hine and his wife to return to Britain; now armed with these three verses, the writer continued his gospel campaigns during the "Blitz years." The fourth verse did not come until after the war.

The tune for this hymn is an arrangement made of an old Swedish folk melody. It is typically characteristic of many other tunes, i.e., "Day by Day" with its lilting, warm, singable simplicity. With his original English lyrics and his arrangement of the Swedish folk melody, Mr. Stuart K. Hine published what we know today as the hymn "How Great Thou Art." Assignments of copyrights and publication rights to an American publishing firm in 1954 helped spread the popularity of this hymn. In April of 1974 the Christian Herald magazine, in a pole presented to its readers, named "How Great Thou Art" the No. 1 hymn in America.

How Great Thou Art

(1) O Lord my God! when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed:



CHORUS:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!



(2) And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin:



(3) When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow in humble adoration,

And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

... I'm speechless... Brother Glen

[ November 03, 2001: Message edited by: tyndale1946 ]

 

Hymn Title: NEARER, MY GOD, TO THEE

Hymn Author: Sarah F. Adams, 1805-1848

Hymn Composer: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872

Hymn Tune: Bethany

Hymn Meter: 64.64.6664

Scripture Reference: Genesis 28:10-22

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Text: Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. James 4:8

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"Nearer, My God, to Thee" is generally considered by students of hymnology to be the finest hymn ever written by any woman hymnwriter. Sarah Flower Adams was born at Harlow, England, on February 22, 1805. She died at the early age of forty-three. In this brief lifetime, however, Sarah Adams lived a full and productive life. She was active for a time on the stage, playing the part of Lady MacBeth in London. She was also widely known for her many literary accomplishments, though her delicate health was always a handicap for her many ambitions. In 1834 she married a prominent inventor and civil engineer, John Brydges Adams, and, until Sarah's death fourteen years later, this distinguished couple continued to make their home in London. Sarah's talent, beauty, charm and exalted character always made a deep impression upon all who knew her.

Sarah's sister, Eliza, was also a talented lady. Being an accomplished musician, she wrote the music for many of Sarah's hymn texts. One day their Unitarian pastor, the Rev. Wm. Johnson Fox, asked these two exceptional sisters if they would aid him in the preparation of a new hymnal he was compiling for the congregation. The two sisters soon became busily involved and committed to this project. Together, they contributed thirteen texts and sixty-two new tunes.

The text for this hymn is based on the dream that Jacob had in the desert when he was fleeing as a fugitive from his home and his brother Esau. Upon awakening from his dream and seeing the ascending and descending angels, Jacob called the place "Bethel" - "The House of God." One day the two sisters were busily involved with their pastor in completing the final details for the new hymnal soon to be published. The pastor remarked that he wished he could find a hymn to conclude a sermon he was preparing on the account of Jacob and Esau as recorded in Genesis 28:10-22. Sister Eliza interrupted enthusiastically, "Sarah, now there's an excellent idea for a new hymn for our hymnal. Why don't you write your own hymn about Jacob's dream?" "Splendid!" replied the pleased pastor. Later that day, after spending much time in studying the Genesis account, absorbing the atmosphere and feeling the dramatic movement of this Old Testament narrative, Sarah began to write. Soon she had versified the complete Biblical story in these five stanzas still in use today.

The hymn has sometimes been criticized since there is no reference to the person or work of Christ throughout the text. During most of Sarah Adam's life she attended the Unitarian Church. This association no doubt accounts for the lack of evnagelical fervor in her text. Interestingly enough, however, the hymn is found in nearly every published hymnal and has won its way into the hearts of believers around the world with its many translations into other languages. There is evidence from some of her last writings that shortly before the close of her life, Sarah Adams had a conversion experience and became associated with a congregation of Baptist believers in London. "Nearer, my God, to Thee" was one of the hymns included in that new hymnal published in 1841. It was known as Hymns and Anthems and was geared especially for Fox's Unitarian Congregation in London. The hymn was introduced in America three years later in 1844. But it did not gain real popularity for twelve years until it was wedded with the present tune, "Bethany," composed especially for the text by Lowell Mason, often known as the father of American church and school music. Other hymns by Lowell Mason include "From Greenland's Icy Mountains" (No. 25), "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" (No. 100), "A Charge to Keep I Have" (101 More Hymn Stories, No. 1), "Joy to the World!" (ibid., No. 52), "My Faith Looks Up to Thee" (ibid., No. 60), and "O Day of Rest and Gladness" (ibid., No. 66). Many very interesting incidents have been associated with the use of this hymn. In 1871 three eminent theologians, Professors Hitchcock, Smith and Park, were traveling in Palestine when they heard the strains of this hymn being sung. Drawing near, they saw, to their amazement, fifty Syrian students standing under some trees in a circle, singing in the Arabic language "Nearer, My God, to Thee." Professor Hitchcock, speaking afterward of the event, said that the singing of that Christian hymn by those Syrian youths moved him to tears and affected him more than any singing he had ever heard before.

During the Johnstown City Flood of May 21, 1889, a railroad train rushed into the swirling waters. One car was turned on end, and in it was imprisoned, beyond the hope of rescue, a woman on her way to be a missionary in the far East. The young lady spoke calmly to the awestricken multitude gazing helplessly at the tragedy. Then she prayed and finally sang the hymn "Nearer, my God to Thee," in which she was joined by the sorrowing, sympathizing throng. As she sang, she was ushered into the presence of the God she loved and desired to serve.

This hymn has also been the favorite hymn of many of the world's great leaders. Our own martyred President, William McKinley, claimed this as his favorite hymn, and it is said that he was heard to whisper its words as he drew his last breath. The hymn was widely sung and played at his funeral and at memorial services held throughout our land in 1901. There is also the well-known account of the sinking of the ill-fated ship, The Titantic, as it plunged into the icy waters of the Atlantic in 1912, sending 1500 people into eternity while the ship's band played the strains of this hymn.

Despite the Unitarian affiliation of the hymn writer, one would have to conclude that this hymn has been greatly used of God to bring spiritual comfort and blessing to many of His people everywhere. It expresses so aptly the common yearning in the hearts of men to know God and to experience His nearness and victory

NEARER, MY GOD, TO THEE

Nearer, My God, to Thee

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer to Thee!

E’en Though it be a cross

That raiseth me;

Still all my song shall be,

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer to Thee!

Though like a wanderer,

The sun gone down,

Darkness be over me,

My rest a stone;

Yet in my dreams I’d be

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer to Thee!

There let the way appear

Steps unto heav’n;

All that Thou sendest me,

In mercy giv’n;

Angels to beckon me

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer to Thee!

Then with my waking thoughts,

Bright with thy praise,

Out of my stony griefs,

Bethel I'll raise;

So by my woes to be

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer to Thee!

Or, if on joyful wing,

Cleaving the sky,

Sun, moon, and stars forgot,

Upward I fly;

Still all my song shall be,

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer to Thee!

... Brother Glen

 

My error please forgive my ******ity the author was implied in the stories by Kenneth Osbeck and from his stories 101 Hymn Stories and More 101 Hymn Stories.
http://villa.lakes.com/irv/hymns/hymnfr.htm

The words were taken out of my church song book The Old School Hymnal #10 a Primitive Baptist Publication by Elder E.D. Speir Sr.

I had to get help from my daughter on how to insert the web site as I am computer ignorant, please forgive this erring brother... Brother Glen

[ November 05, 2001: Message edited by: tyndale1946 ]

[ November 05, 2001: Message edited by: tyndale1946 ]

 

I know of no other song than this, that to me speaks that a person is a baptist. We always hear this song when we see a movie about someone who is about to be baptisted. Anyway that has been my experience.

~Shall We Gather at the River?


In July 1864, Robert Lowry, a Baptist minister, was tired and began thinking of future things, especially of the gathering of the saints around God’s throne. He began to wonder why so many had written so much of the river of death and so little of the river of life.

A hymn began to take form, first as a question, “Shall we gather at the river?”

Then came the answer, “Yes, we’ll gather at the river.”

With his heart full of these thoughts, he seated himself at his parlor organ, and both the words and the music of the famous hymn came to him as if by inspiration.

Soon, the words and music to this famous hymn were completed.

There is nothing on earth more restful than the banks of a winding river. And God has placed a river in heaven, a beautiful crystal river that will make glad the hearts of all God’s children someday.



++++++++++

Shall We Gather at the River[1]

1 Shall we gather at the river,

Where bright angel feet have trod,

With its crystal tide for ever

Flowing by the throne of God?

2 On the margin of the river,

Washing up its silver spray,

We will walk and worship ever,

All the happy, golden day.

3 Ere we reach the shining river,

Lay we ev’ry burden down;

Grace our spirits will deliver,

And provide a robe and crown.

4 Soon we’ll reach the silver river,

Soon our pilgrimage will cease;

Soon our happy hearts will quiver

With the melody of peace.

5 At the smiling of the river,

Mirror of the Savior’s face,

Saints whom death will never sever

Lift their songs of saving grace.

Chorus Yes, we’ll gather at the river,

The beautiful, the beautiful river,

Gather with the saints at the river,

That flows by the throne of God.

Brother Glen