Faith Is a Living Power from Heaven

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Faith is a living power from heaven

Author: Petrus Herbertus; Translator: Catherine Winkworth (1863)
Tune: SESSIONS
Published in 74 hymnals

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	The Lord's Supper (Communion Meditations…

Representative Text

1 Faith is a living pow'r from heav'n
That grasps the promise God hath giv'n,
A trust that cannot be o’erthrown,
Fixed heartily on Christ alone.

2 Faith finds in Christ whate’er we need
To save or strengthen us indeed,
Receives the grace He sends us down,
And makes us share His cross and crown.

3 Faith in the conscience worketh peace,
And bids the mourner’s weeping cease;
By faith the children’s place we claim
And give all honor to one Name.

4 Faith feels the Spirit’s kindling breath
In love and hope that conquer death;
Faith worketh hourly joy in God
And trusts and blesses e’en the rod.

5 We thank Thee, then, O God of heav'n,
That Thou to us this faith hast giv'n
In Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who is
Our only fount and source of bliss.

6 And from His fullness grant each soul
The rightful faith’s true end and goal:
The blessedness no foes destroy,
Eternal love, and light, and joy.

Source: Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #361

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Author: Petrus Herbertus

Herbert, Petrus, seems to have been a native of or resident at Fulnek in Moravia. He was ordained priest of the Brethren's Unity in 1562, became a member of the Select Council in 1567, and was latterly Consenior of the Unity. By the Unity he was entrusted with many important missions. He was sent as a deputy to confer with Calvin: and again in 1562 to arrange with Duke Christoph of Württemberg for the education at Tübingen of young men from the Bohemian Brethren. He was also one of the deputies sent to Vienna to present the revised form of the Brethren's Confession of Faith to the Emperor Maximilian II. in 1564, and in 1566 to present their new German Hymn Book. He died at Eibenschütz in 1571 (Koch, ii. 414, Allgemeine Deutsche Biographi… Go to person page >

Translator: Catherine Winkworth

Catherine Winkworth (b. Holborn, London, England, 1827; d. Monnetier, Savoy, France, 1878) is well known for her English translations of German hymns; her translations were polished and yet remained close to the original. Educated initially by her mother, she lived with relatives in Dresden, Germany, in 1845, where she acquired her knowledge of German and interest in German hymnody. After residing near Manchester until 1862, she moved to Clifton, near Bristol. A pioneer in promoting women's rights, Winkworth put much of her energy into the encouragement of higher education for women. She translated a large number of German hymn texts from hymnals owned by a friend, Baron Bunsen. Though often altered, these translations continue to be used i… Go to person page >

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First Line:	Faith is a living power from heaven
Title:	Faith Is a Living Power from Heaven
German Title:	Der Glaub ist ein lebend'ge Kraft
Translator:	Catherine Winkworth (1863)
Author:	Petrus Herbertus
Meter:	8.8.8.8
Source:	B. Brethren
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain