Glory to God, whose witness train

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Glory to God, whose witness train

Author: Nicolaus Ludwig, Graf von Zinzendorf
Published in 44 hymnals

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Representative Text

1 Glory to God, Whose witness-train,
Those heroes bold in faith,
Could smile on poverty and pain
And triumph e’en in death.

2 Scorned and reviled as was their Head,
When walking here below,
Thus in this evil world they led
A life of pain and woe.

3 God, Whom we serve, our God can save,
Can damp the scorching flame,
Can build an ark, or smooth a wave
For such as fear His Name.

4 If but His arm support us still,
Is but His joy our strength,
We shall ascend the rugged hill
And conquerors prove at length.

Source: Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #420

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Author: Nicolaus Ludwig, Graf von Zinzendorf

Zinzendorf, Count Nicolaus Ludwig, the founder of the religious community of Herrnhut and the apostle of the United Brethren, was born at Dresden May 26, 1700. It is not often that noble blood and worldly wealth are allied with true piety and missionary zeal. Such, however, was the case with Count Zinzendorf. In 1731 Zinzendorf resigned all public duties and devoted himself to missionary work. He traveled extensively on the Continent, in Great Britain, and in America, preaching "Christ, and him crucified," and organizing societies of Moravian brethren. John Wesley is said to have been under obligation to Zinzendorf for some ideas on singing, organization of classes, and Church government. Zinzendorf was the author of some two thousand hymn… Go to person page >

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First Line:	Glory to God, whose witness train
Original Language:	German
Author:	Nicolaus Ludwig, Graf von Zinzendorf
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Notes

Der Glaube bricht durch Stahl und Stein. N. L. von Zinzendorf. [Following Christ.] According to the Nachricht to the Brüder Gesang-Buch, 1778, this was written after the edict of Jan. 1, 1727, by which Zinzendorf was forbidden to hold religious meetings in Dresden. In his Deutsche Gedichte, 1735, p. 124, it is, however, dated 1726. It appeared as No. 5 in the “Andere Zugabe," c. 1730, to his 1725-8 Sammlung geist-und lieblicher Lieder (3rd edition, 1731, tfo. 1059), in 8 st, of 8 1,
In the Brüder Gesang Buch, 1778, stanzas 1,5,7, 8, altered, appear as No. 920, and thence as No. 551 in the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, edition 1863. In Knapp's edition of his Geistliche Lieder, 1845, p. 78, omitting stanzas 2-4. Translated as:—
Glory to God, Whose witness train. This appeared as a hymn in 6 stanzas based on the 1778 as No. 1062, in the Supplement of 1809 to the Moravian Hymn Book, 1801; stanza 5 being from "Sollt es gleich bisweilen scheinen" (q. v.), and was continued in later editions. In somewhat varying forms it appears in J. A. Latrobe's Collection, 1852, No. 135; and in America in the Book of Hymns, Boston, 1848; Hedge & Huntington's Collection, 1853; Dutch Reformed Hymn Book, 1869; Songs for the Sanctuary, N. Y., 1865; and Laudes Domini, 1884. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]