The Son of God goes forth to war

Representative Text

1 The Son of God goes forth to war,
a kingly crown to gain;
His blood-red banner streams afar!
Who follows in his train?
Who best can drink His cup of woe,
triumphant over pain,
who patient bears his cross below,
he follows in His train.

2 The martyr first, whose eagle eye
could pierce beyond the grave;
who saw his Master in the sky
and called on Him to save.
Like Him, with pardon on His tongue
in midst of mortal pain,
he prayed for them that did the wrong!
Who follows in His train?

3 A glorious band, the chosen few
on whom the Spirit came,
twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,
and mocked the cross and flame.
They met the tyrant's brandished steel,
the lion's gory mane;
they bowed their necks the death to feel:
who follows in their train?

4 A noble army, men and boys,
the matron and the maid,
around the Savior's throne rejoice
in robes of light arrayed.
They climbed the steep ascent of heav'n
through peril, toil and pain;
O God, to us may grace be giv'n
to follow in their train.

Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #429

Author: Reginald Heber

Reginald Heber was born in 1783 into a wealthy, educated family. He was a bright youth, translating a Latin classic into English verse by the time he was seven, entering Oxford at 17, and winning two awards for his poetry during his time there. After his graduation he became rector of his father's church in the village of Hodnet near Shrewsbury in the west of England where he remained for 16 years. He was appointed Bishop of Calcutta in 1823 and worked tirelessly for three years until the weather and travel took its toll on his health and he died of a stroke. Most of his 57 hymns, which include "Holy, Holy, Holy," are still in use today. -- Greg Scheer, 1995… Go to person page >

Notes

The Son of God goes forth to war. Bishop R. Heber. [St. Stephen.] Published in his posthumous Hymns, &c. 1827, p. 17, in 8 stanzas of 4 lines. It is usually given in an unaltered form as in the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Church Hymns, 1871, and is often accompanied by a fine musical setting as in the same hymnal.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

ALL SAINTS NEW (Cutler)

Henry Stephen Cutler (b. Boston, MA, 1824; d. Boston, 1902) composed ALL SAINTS NEW in 1872 for Reginald Heber's (PHH 249) text "The Son of God Goes Forth to War," and the two were published together in Hymnal with Tunes, Old and New (1872). That text refers to "the glorious band" of God's people, h…

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Instances

Instances (601 - 700 of 839)
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The Coronation Hymnal #309

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The Council Hymnal #58

The Covenant Hymnal, authorized by the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant of America #d379

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The Cyber Hymnal #6224

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The Day School Hymn Book #128

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The Endeavor Hymnal #168

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The English Hymnal #202

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The English Hymnal #202

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The Evangelical Hymnal #243

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The Evangelical Hymnal #345

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The Evangelical Hymnal with Tunes #198

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The Evangelical Hymnal. Text edition #243

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The Excelsior Hymnal #204

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The Fellowship Hymn Book #53

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The Fellowship Hymn Book #53

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The Finest of the Wheat No. 3 #182

The Friends' Hymnal #d602

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The Friends' Hymnal, a Collection of Hymns and Tunes for the Public Worship of the Society #a441

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The Gospel Hymn Book #238

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The Greatest Hymns #212

The Haverford School Hymnal #d312

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The Haverford School Hymnal #167

The Highway Hymnal #d294

The Hill School Hymnal and Service Book #d251

The Home and School Hymnal #363

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The Hymnal #271a

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The Hymnal #271b

The Hymnal #326

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The Hymnal #363

The Hymnal for Schools #d175

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The Hymnal for Schools #161a

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The Hymnal for Schools #161b

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The Hymnal for Young People #215

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The Hymnal of Praise #304

The Hymnal of the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America #316

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The Hymnal of The Evangelical United Brethren Church #249

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The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America 1940 #549

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The Hymnal, Revised and Enlarged, as adopted by the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the year of our Lord 1892 #507a

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The Hymnal, Revised and Enlarged, as adopted by the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the year of our Lord 1892 #507b

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The Hymnal, Revised and Enlarged, as adopted by the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the year of our Lord 1892 #507c

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The Hymnal #444

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The Hymnal #85a

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The Hymnal #85b

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The Hymnal #85c

The Hymnal #288

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The Hymnal #354

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The Hymnal #363

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The Hymnal #507a

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The Hymnal #507b

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The Hymnal #176

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The Hymnary for use in Baptist churches #409a

The Hymnary for use in Baptist churches #409b

The Hymnary of the United Church of Canada #409a

The Hymnary of the United Church of Canada #409b

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The Hymnbook #354

The Hymns for the Use of Evangelical Lutheran Congregations #d469

The Hymns from the Children's Hymnal; with a Service, for Sunday Schools #d200

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The Institute Hymnal #148a

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The Institute Hymnal #148b

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The Junior Hymnal #80

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The Junior Hymnal, Containing Sunday School and Luther League Liturgy and Hymns for the Sunday School #245

The Junior Methodist Hymnal #d113

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The Junior Song and Service Book #111

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The King of Glory #207

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The King of Kings #200

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The King's Message #199

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The King's Praises #31

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The Kingdom of Praise #111

The Life of Christ in Song #d98

The Lighthouse in Gospel Song #d192

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The Liturgy and Hymns of the American Province of the Unitas Fratrum #340

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The Lutheran Hymnal #452

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The Lutheran Hymnary #491

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The Manual of Praise for Sabbath and Social Worship #420

The Message in Song Nos. 1 & 2 #d204

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The Message in Song #47

The Methodist Hymn-Book with Tunes #816

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The Methodist Hymnal (Text only edition) #416

The Methodist Hymnal #d474

The Methodist Hymnal #285

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The Methodist Hymnal #416

The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal #d457

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The Methodist Sunday School Hymnal #221

The Middlesex Hymn Book #d83

The Middlesex Hymn Book #d88

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The Mission Hymnal #49

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The Mission Hymnal. (Enlarged Edition) #49

The Missionary Tune Book #d82

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The Modern Hymnal #8

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The Most Popular Hymns #66

The National Baptist Hymn Book #d520

The National Baptist Hymn Book #ad520

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The National Baptist Hymnal #419

The New Alphabetical Hymnal #d400

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The New Baptist Praise Book #343

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The New Baptist Praise Book #343

Pages

Exclude 820 pre-1979 instances
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