Life of Ages

Representative Text

1 Life of ages, richly poured,
love of God, unspent and free,
flowing in the prophet’s word
and the people’s liberty —

2 Never was to chosen race
that unstinted tide confined;
yours is every time and place,
fountain sweet of heart and mind.

3 Breathing in the thinker’s creed,
pulsing in the hero’s blood,
nerving simplest thought and deed,
freshening time with truth and good,

4 Consecrating art and song,
holy book and pilgrim way,
quelling floods of tyrant wrong,
widening freedom’s sacred sway.

5 Life of ages, richly poured,
love of God, unspent and free,
flow still in the prophet’s word
and the people’s liberty!

Source: Singing the Living Tradition #111

Author: Samuel Johnson

Johnson, Samuel, M.A, was born at Salem, Massachusetts, Oct. 10, 1822, and educated at Harvard, where he graduated in Arts in 1842, and in Theology in 1846. In 1853 he formed a Free Church in Lynn, Massachusetts, and remained its pastor to 1870. Although never directly connected with any religious denomination, he was mainly associated in the public mind with the Unitarians. He was joint editor with S. Longfellow (q. v.) of A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, Boston, 1846; the Supplement to the same, 1848; and Hymns of the Spirit, 1864. His contributions to these collections were less numerous than those by S. Longfellow, but not less meritorious. He died at North Andover, Massachusetts, Feb. 19, 1882. His hymns were thus contr… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Life of ages, richly poured
Title: Life of Ages
Author: Samuel Johnson (1864)
Meter: 7.7.7.7
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #3737
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The Cyber Hymnal #3737

Hymns of the Saints #304

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Singing the Living Tradition #111

Include 90 pre-1979 instances
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