How can we stand against God our Creator;
Or who can endure the strong arm of His rage?
The weight of His anger rests heavy upon us
Crushing us under the guilt of sin’s wage.
How holy the standard He has established;
The measure that no man can hope to achieve.
For all men have sinned; come short of His glory
And on his own merits can gain no reprieve.
Oh! Hear the desperate cry of Your people.
A call for Your mercy to spare us, we pray.
We all do require the atonement of Jesus
Our High Priest in Heaven- your pity display.
Mankind denies his origin.
He mocks Your Holy Name.
The evidence of Your design
Seems but an “empty claim.”
The actions, thoughts, and words of man
Are selfish, vile, and cruel.
No place for truth; no absolutes;
He’s pleased to be a fool.
The path embarked on by their sort
Seems right and paved with ease.
Its destination overlooked
While their own flesh they please.
That path, however, leads to death,
And all must face that day.
Their gods destroyed, Your wrath unleashed,
Your glory on display.
Have mercy, Lord! Our only hope
Is found in Christ, the Way.
Forgive our sins; direct our steps-
That we your truth obey.
For those who might be interested, I have resumed some duties at Sharper Iron, the Christian Fundamentalist blog & forum I helped launch in early 2005. I am serving as editor of the Filings column, which is currently visible on the left column of the front page as well as the Foundry. You can also see it on the far right column of my blog irrelevant. I generally compile links to content of interest to Fundamentalists primarily, but others may also find it to be of value. If you appreciated my earlier efforts there or at the now defunct CurrentChristian, check it out. If you use an RSS reader, here is the Filings-only feed. If you use iGoogle, you can also install it as a gadget with this link.
I have prepared this hymn, inspired by 1 Samuel 4, to be sung by our congregation here in Marshall. It draws its theme from the birth of Ichabod in verse 21. Some of you may also find it to be useful. It is provided here in 7.6.7.6 D.
- God’s glory has departed
His law I have despised.
The path that He has charted
I’ve twisted and revised.
My vain imagination,
My pleasure and my pride,
My lust’s infatuation,
Has thrust God’s law aside. - My heart is prone to wander!
Its passions rule the day.
Your grace I often squander;
I follow my own way.
The truth I’ve contradicted
Your will changed for my own.
Your chast’ning now inflicted
I reap what I have sown. - The guilt of my transgression
Rests heavy on my heart.
I come with my confession—
Your mercy, Lord, impart!
Forgive me, O my Savior
And cleanse me from my sin.
I hate my wrong behavior-
The reprobate I’ve been. - My sorrow now expressing;
Your joy I long to see.
I yearn to have Your blessing
Restored, O Lord, to me.
I cannot earn Your favor.
I stand in need of grace.
My substitute and Savior
Must advocate my case.
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We will be singing it to the tune PASSION CHORALE (“O Sacred Head Now Wounded”). One might also find AURELIA (“The Church’s One Foundation”) appropriate.
I have prepared this hymn, inspired by 1 Samuel 3:10, to be sung by our congregation here in Marshall. It draws its theme from the hymn “Speak, O Lord, Thy Servant Heareth” by Anna Sophia of Hessen-Darmstadt, translated by George A. Rygh. Some of you may also find it to be useful. It is provided here in 7.7.7.7 D.
- Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears
Truth intended for my ears.
To Your words I gladly yield;
In them is Your will revealed.
Death my soul would overpow’r.
May Your Word of life this hour
Fill my soul with fervency
That my love may purer be.- Sinners who are hardened, Lord,
Learn of judgment by Your Word—
But when they their sins confessed
Find forgiveness and are blessed.
I rejoice since I received
Grace to hear and then believe!
May my love and fear increase
Since with You I now have peace.- Lord, Your Word is my soul’s bread;
By its Truth I have been fed.
Let its waters o’er me roll;
Quench the dryness in my soul.
Light my path; reveal the way
Through death’s darkness into day.
With your truth-sword I prevail
For Your Word will never fail.- Source of Truth, now hear my plea,
Let Your words take root in me.
Scatter them on my heart’s ground;
Let the Spirit’s fruit abound.
May they in my life remain
‘Til the heav’nly prize is gained;
When, in glory, by Your grace
I adore You face to face.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
I have also made it available to be printed in PDF, set to ST. GEORGE’S, WINDSOR.
I have written an adaptation of Hannah’s prayer from 1 Samuel 2:1-10. I plan to introduce it as a hymn to be sung by our congregation here in Marshall. Some of you may also find it to be useful. It is provided here in Common Meter Doubled (8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6).
My Heart Rejoices In My God
- My heart rejoices in my God
The Lord Who strengthens me.
In Him I triumph and rejoice
O’er all my enemies.
There is none holy like the Lord,
No other can compare,
All other gods of wood and stone
Prove empty, weak, and bare.- Before His face subdue your pride,
And every scheme you’ve wrought;
For our God sees and knows the heart,
Discerns each plan and thought.
The weapons of the strong give way,
Each arrow, bow, and sword;
The weak have found their confidence
In their Almighty Lord.- The hungry have been satisfied,
The childless womb revived;
While those who once enjoyed success,
Know want where once they thrived.
The times of birth, of life and death
Are in the Father’s hands,
Prosperity and poverty
Conform to His commands.- He raises up the poor and low,
Supports them in their need;
He gives a seat of honor to
Those who for mercy plead.
His faithful ones will be secure
As He will guard their care;
The wicked ones will be cut off,
He will not hear their prayer.- God’s enemies will be destroyed—
The end of all their schemes.
His kingdom soon will be fulfilled,
His Son will reign supreme.
His judgment will set all aright,
Restore the earth again;
The God who has supplied our need
Will rule on earth with men.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
I have also made it available to be printed in PDF, set to ELLACOMBE.
“I’m going to play ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republicans‘!”
Here in Marshall, we have been introduced to a new hymn each month. In January, we will be learning “One There Is, Above All Others” by John Newton. I have set the lyrics (from Olney Hymns) to the tune UNSER HERRSCHER by Joachim Neander. These lyrics are quite powerful. I especially appreciate the acknowledgment of Jesus’ faithfulness in spite of our tendency as Christians to wander from what we know to be right.
The PDF copy I have prepared leaves out one of his verses (which is quite good, nonetheless!), and makes some very minor alterations in language. Here are Newton’s original lyrics:
One there is, above all others,
Well deserves the name of friend;
His is love beyond a brother’s,
Costly, free, and knows no end:
They who once his kindness prove,
Find it everlasting love!Which of all our friends to save us,
Could or would have shed their blood?
But our JESUS died to have us
Reconciled, in him to God:
This was boundless love indeed!
JESUS is a friend in need.Men, when raised to lofty stations,
Often know their friends no more;
Slight and scorn their poor relations
Though they valued them before.
But our Savior always owns
Those whom he redeemed with groans.When he lived on earth abased,
Friend of sinners was his name;
Now, above all glory raised,
He rejoices in the same:
Still he calls them brethren, friends,
And to all their wants attends.Could we bear from one another,
What he daily bears from us?
Yet this glorious Friend and Brother,
Loves us though we treat him thus:
Though for good we render ill,
He accounts us brethren still.O for grace our hearts to soften!
Teach us, Lord, at length to love;
We, alas! forget too often,
What a Friend we have above:
But when home our souls are brought,
We will love thee as we ought.
As many of my readers know, I have tended to be a staunch defender of labels that define in the context of American Evangelical Christianity. I willingly identify myself (and congregations I am involved with) with terms such as “Baptist,” “Fundamentalist,” “Separatist,” and so on. For that matter, I have also tended to invest myself in organizations that have brought like-minded individuals (at least to some degree) together. With that being said, I am beginning to wonder if the time hasn’t come for some new kind of identifying label. And no, I am not now intending to eagerly embrace the term “Libruhl Compromiser.” read more…
