We haven't had one of these for a while. We sang this fine hymn by John Fawcett last Sunday. I liked the final verse in particular.
1. How precious is the Book Divine,
By inspiration given!
Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine
To guide our souls to heaven.
2. It's light, descending from above
Our gloomy world to cheer,
Displays a Saviour's boundless love
And brings his glories near.
3. It shows to man his wandering ways
And where his feet have trod,
And brings to view the matchless grace
Of a forgiving God.
4. O'er all the straight and narrow way
Its radiant beams are cast;
A light whose never weary ray
Grows brightest at the last.
5. It sweetly cheers our drooping hearts
In this dark vale of tears,
Life, light, and joy it still imparts
And quells our rising fears.
6. This lamp through all the tedious night
Of life shall guide our way
Till we behold the clearer light
Of an eternal day.
By inspiration given!
Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine
To guide our souls to heaven.
2. It's light, descending from above
Our gloomy world to cheer,
Displays a Saviour's boundless love
And brings his glories near.
3. It shows to man his wandering ways
And where his feet have trod,
And brings to view the matchless grace
Of a forgiving God.
4. O'er all the straight and narrow way
Its radiant beams are cast;
A light whose never weary ray
Grows brightest at the last.
5. It sweetly cheers our drooping hearts
In this dark vale of tears,
Life, light, and joy it still imparts
And quells our rising fears.
6. This lamp through all the tedious night
Of life shall guide our way
Till we behold the clearer light
Of an eternal day.
4 comments:
Boy, don't you sing some weird stuff!
Is it Biblical? While the Bible presents the Christian life as hard, and an exile, and urges us to long for home - does it invite us to describe life (God's gift, during which he gives us all things richly to enjoy) as 'all the tedious night'?
Hope to see you at Banner - and join you in singing some weird stuff!
Its "weirdness" is part of its strength. That "tedious night" has stayed with me all week and got you thinking too - in a way modern bland offerings rarely do.
Your question reminds me of somone who asked me about the line 'heaven above is softer blue, etc' whether it was objectively true. I said "it's poetry".
This life is a tedious night compared with heaven to come and the Bible gets me through.
CU@BoT.
"Heaven above is softer blue" is poetry, but it's true poetry - Scripture authorises the idea that the poetry is trying to express. I'm not sure that the same is true of 'tedious night'! It didn't make me think; it made me groan.
Ah, well - see you in Leicester, God willing
I enjoyed reading your blog, pastor. Today is the 260th anniversary of John Fawcett's birth, which is why your reference to his great hymn caught my eye.
If you enjoy reading about the background of our hymns and gospel songs, I invite you to check out my daily blog on the subject, Wordwise Hymns. (Or--small commercial here--take a look at my book, Discovering the Songs of Christmas.
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