When My Love to God Grows Weak

When my love to God [Christ] grows weak

Author: John Reynell Wreford (1837)
Published in 74 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 When my love to Christ grows weak,
When for deeper faith I seek,
Then in thought I go to thee,
Garden of Gethsemane.

2 When my love for man grows weak,
When for stronger faith I seek,
Hill of Calvary, I go
To the scenes of fear and woe.

3 There behold His agony,
Suffered on the bitter tree;
See His anguish, see His faith,
Love triumphant still in death.

4 Then to life I turn again,
Learning all the worth of pain,
Learning all the might that lies
In a full self-sacrifice.

Source: Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #120

Author: John Reynell Wreford

Wreford, John Reynell, an English Unitarian minister, was born December 12, 1800, at Barnstaple; educated at Manchester College, and in 1826 became pastor of a Church in Birmingham. In 1831, on account of the failure of his voice, he withdrew from the active work of the ministry and, in conjunction with Rev. Hugh Hutton, established a school at Edgbaston. He wrote a History of Presbyterian Nonconformity in Birmingham, 1832, and Lays of Loyalty, 1837. He contributed fifty-five hymns to Rev. J. R. Beard's Collection, 1837. His most popular and valuable hymn is the one given in this book. The last years of his life were spent in retirement at Bristol, where he died in 1891. —Hymn Writers of the Church by Charles Nutter… Go to person page >

Notes

When my love to Christ [God] grows cold [weak]. J. B. Wreford. [Passiontide.] Contributed to J. K. Beard's Unitarian Collection of Hymns, 1837, No. 140, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed "Christ's Agony and Crucifixion." In the American Unitarian Book of Hymns, 1848, No. 144, it was given in a rewritten form of 5 stanzas. The alterations were made by S. Longfellow, one of the editors. This text has passed into several hymn-books in Great Britain, as in Thring's Collection, 1882 with a doxology. Horder's Congregational Hymns, 1884, &c.; and as "When my love to God grows weak," in Martineau's Hymns, &c, 1873.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

SONG 13

Orlando Gibbons (PHH 167) composed SONG 13 in soprano and bass parts. Used as a setting for a text from the Song of Songs, the tune was published in George Withers' Hymnes and Songs of the Church (1623) as hymn number 13 (hence the tune name). As in other hymnals, the melody is presented in a simpli…

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ALBERTSON


NOTTINGHAM (Mozart)


Timeline

Media

The Book of Common Praise: being the hymn book of The Church of England in Canada (revised 1938) #122
The Cyber Hymnal #7377
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  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (1 - 74 of 74)
Text

A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #144

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A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion. (10th ed.) #144

A Church of England Hymn Book #455

Australian Hymn Book #270

Christian Hymns III #d449

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Christian Hymns #327

Christian Hymns #266

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Christian Song #139

Church Gospel Songs and Hymns #265

Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #249

Church Hymnal, Fourth Edition #117

Church Hymnal, Third Edition #128

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Garnered Sheaves #174

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Gathered Jewels #27

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Good-Will Songs #107

Great Songs of the Church #d419

Great Songs of the Church (Revised) #219

Great Songs of the Church #534

Happy Day #d142

Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home and Services for Congregational Worship. Rev. ed. #d803

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Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home. (Rev. ed.) #362

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Hymn and Tune Book, for the Church and the Home #390

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Hymnal Amore Dei #88

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Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #120

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Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #227

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Hymnal, Amore Dei #88

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Hymnal, Amore Dei. Rev. ed. #a88

Hymns and Psalms #183

Hymns for the Celebration of Life #d277

Hymns of the Christian Life #d478

Hymns of the Christian Life #d473

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Hymns of the Christian Life #151

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Hymns of the Church Universal #116

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Hymns of the Kingdom of God #56

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Hymns of the Kingdom of God #56

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Hymns of the Kingdom of God #64

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Hymns of the Spirit #645

Hymns of the Spirit for Use in the Free Churches of America #189

Jubilate Deo #309

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National Hymn and Tune Book #127

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Notes of Victory for Sunday Schools #28

Pilgrim Hymnal #162

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Pilgrim Songs (Number Two) #91

Praise for the Lord (Expanded Edition) #752

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Sacred Selections for the Church #297

Sacred Songs for Church and Home #d552

Singing the Faith #289

Songs of Praise #d337

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Songs of Praise #87

Songs of praise #134

Songs of Praise for Sunday Schools, Church Societies and the Home #d342

Songs Of The Church #634

The Australian Hymn Book with Catholic Supplement #270

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The Book of Common Praise #122

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The Congregational Mission Hymnal #28

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The Cyber Hymnal #7377

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The Evangelical Hymnal #109

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The Evangelical Hymnal. Text edition #109

The Evangelists' Songs of Praise No. 2 #35

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The Golden Hymn Book #230

The Gospel Hymnal #d693

The Hill School Hymnal and Service Book #d285

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The Hymnal of Praise #161

The Majestic Hymnal, number two #390

The Methodist Hymn-Book with Tunes #178

The New Alphabetical Hymnal #d479

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The New Baptist Praise Book #118

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The New Baptist Praise Book #118

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The Pilgrim Hymnal #120

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The Pilgrim Hymnal #136

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Tried and True #174

Unity Hymns and Chorals. Rev and enl. with Service Elements #d323

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Worship Song #114

Exclude 66 pre-1979 instances
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