The Excellency of Scripture

Representative Text

1 Father of mercies, in Thy word,
What endless glory shines!
Forever be Thy name adored
For these celestial lines.

2 Here may the wretched sons of want
Exhaustless riches find:
Riches above what earth can grant
And lasting as the mind.

3 Here the fair tree of knowledge grows,
And yields a free repast;
Sublimer sweets than nature knows
Invites the longing taste.

4 Here the Redeemer's welcome voice
Spreads heavenly peace around;
And life and everlasting joys
Attend the blissful sound.

5 O may these heavenly pages be
My ever dear delight.
And still new beauties may I see,
And still increasing light.

6 Divine Instructor, gracious Lord,
Be Thou forever near:
Teach me to love Thy sacred word
And view my Savior there.

Amen.

Source: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #202

Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

Notes

Father of mercies, in Thy word. Anne Steele. [Holy Scripture.] First published in her Poems on Subjects chiefly Devotional, 1760, vol. i. p. 58, in 12 stanzas of 4 lines, repeated in the enlarged edition, 1780, and in Sedgwick's reprint of her Hymns, 1863, p. 36. In 1769, Ash & Evans gave a selection of 6 stanzas in their Bristol Baptist Collection, No. 79, and from this arrangement mainly the well-known hymn is taken. It is in extensive use in Great Britain and America, and is one of the most popular of Miss Steele's hymns.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

BEATITUDO

Composed by John B. Dykes (PHH 147), BEATITUDO was published in the revised edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern (1875), where it was set to Isaac Watts' "How Bright Those Glorious Spirits Shine." Originally a word coined by Cicero, BEATITUDO means "the condition of blessedness." Like many of Dykes's…

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RICHMOND (Haweis)

RICHMOND (also known as CHESTERFIELD) is a florid tune originally written by Thomas Haweis (PHH 270) and published in his collection Carmina Christo (1792). Samuel Webbe, Jr., adapted and shortened the tune and published it in his Collection of Psalm Tunes (1808). It was reprinted in 1853 in Webbe's…

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Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #1485
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (1 - 100 of 748)

A Baptist Hymn Book, Designed Especially for the Regular Baptist Church and All Lovers of Truth #d200

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A Choice Selection of Evangelical Hymns, from various authors #285

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A Choice Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs #LXIII

A Choice Selection of Hymns. 2nd ed. #d64

A Choice Selection of Hymns. 6th ed. #d76

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A Choice Selection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the use of Christians #647

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A Church Hymn Book #123

A Collection of Hymns Adapted to the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church #d138

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A Collection of Hymns and a Liturgy for the Use of Evangelical Lutheran Churches #204

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A Collection of Hymns and a Liturgy #204

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A Collection of Hymns and A Liturgy #204

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A Collection of Hymns and Prayers, for Public and Private Worship #208

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A Collection of Hymns and Sacred Songs #57

A Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Generally Used at Camp and Prayer Meetings #d58

A Collection of Hymns for Public and Private Worship approved by the Presbytery of Charleston #d52

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social and Domestic Worship #d205

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social and Domestic Worship #d207

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social, and Domestic Worship #d206

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A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social, and Domestic Worship #775

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A Collection of Hymns for the use of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in America #677

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A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church #535

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A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church #535

A Collection of Hymns for the use of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. with a Supplement #d146

A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the United Brethren in Christ #d93

A Collection of Hymns for the use of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America #d133

A Collection of Hymns from Various Authors. New ed. #d99

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A Collection of Hymns, for the Christian Church and Home #150

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A Collection of Hymns, for the Use of the People Called Methodists, with a Supplement #746

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A Collection of Hymns, for the use of the United Brethren in Christ #51

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A Collection of Hymns, for the use of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America. #487

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A Collection of Hymns #535

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A Collection of Hymns #174

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship #193

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship (10th ed.) #193

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship (6th ed.) #193

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship. (3rd ed.) #193

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship. (45th ed.) #193

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship. 16th ed. #193

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Publick Worship #XLV

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Publick Worship (2nd ed.) #XLV

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Social and Private Worship #CCIII

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Sanctuary #231

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of Universalist Societies and Families 16ed. #188

A Collection of Psalms and Hymns Suited to the Various Occasions of Public Worship #d93

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns, for Social and Private Worship #26

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns #193

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns #96

A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #d80

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A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #96

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A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #96

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A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #198

A Compilation of Genuine Church Music. 4th ed. #d76

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A Liturgy and Hymns for Church Sunday Schools #17

A Liturgy for the New Church #d19

A Liturgy for the New Church. 3rd ed. #d19

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A Manual of Devotion and Hymns for the House of Refuge, City of New York #15

A New Book of Hymns for the Use of the Methodist Episcopal and Other Churches #d65

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A New Selection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs #22

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A Pastor's Selection of Hymns and Tunes #233

A Prayer Meeting and Revival Hymn Book . 27th ed. #d133

A Prayer Meeting and Revival Hymn Book. 5th ed. #d90

A Selection of Hymns ... Supplement to the Methodist Pocket Hymn Book. 1st ed #d55

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A Selection of Hymns & Psalms #39

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A Selection of Hymns and Psalms for Social and Private Worship (6th ed.) #147

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A Selection of Hymns and Psalms, for Social and Private Worship. (11th ed.) #147

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A Selection of Hymns and Psalms #143

A Selection of Hymns for the Use of Church of England Sunday Schools, Bible Classes ... New ed. #d71

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A Selection of Hymns for the use of social religious meetings, and for private devotions 2d ed. #181

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A Selection of Hymns for Worship (2nd ed.) #76

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A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors. #46

A Selection of Hymns from Various Authors, Supplementary for the Use of Christians. 2nd ed. #d31

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A Selection of Hymns, from the Best Authors #74

A Selection of Hymns, from Various Authors #d98

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A Selection of Hymns #XLVI

A Selection of Hymns....3d ed #d72

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #d11

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for Every Sunday ... Diocese of Quebec #d26

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns, for the use of Sunday Schools #8

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #28

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #XXVIII

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #28

Pages

Exclude 736 pre-1979 instances
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