Gott rufet noch, sollt ich nicht endlich hören. G. Tersteegen. [Advent .] A beautiful hymn on God's gracious call to turn to Him; and what our answer should be. Founded on Psalm xcv. 7. First published in the 2nd edition, 1735, of his Geistliches Blumengärtlein, Book iii., No. 52, in 8 stanzas of 4 lines, entitled, "Today if ye will hear His voice." Included as No. 629 in the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, edition 1863. Translated as:—
God calling yet!—and shall I never hearken! A good translation by Mrs. Findlater, omitting stanzas vii., viii., in the 2nd Ser., 1855, of the Hymns from the Land of Luther. p. 58 (1884, p. 116); and repeated as No. 553 in Holy Song, 1869. In America it has been somewhat widely used in the form given to it in the Andover Sabbath Hymn Book, 1858, No. 556. Here the translation of stanza v. was omitted and the rest reduced to L.M., beginning, "God calling yet!—shall I not hear." The text of 1858 has been adopted in full in the Dutch Reformed Hymns of the Church , 1869 ; Baptist Hymn Book, 1871; Presbyterian Hymns, 1874; Hymns & Songs of Praise, N. Y., 1874; Methodist Episcopal Collection, 1878; and others. Omitting stanza iv. it appears in Hatfield's Church Hymn Book, 1872; Oberlin Manual, 1880; Church Praise Book, 1882, &c. In the Pennsylvania Lutheran Church Book, 1868, the full text of 1858 is included, with the addition of a recast of stanza v. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Tersteegen, Gerhard, a pious and useful mystic of the eighteenth century, was born at Mörs, Germany, November 25, 1697. He was carefully educated in his childhood, and then apprenticed (1715) to his older brother, a shopkeeper. He was religiously inclined from his youth, and upon coming of age he secured a humble cottage near Mühlheim, where he led a life of seclusion and self-denial for many years. At about thirty years of age he began to exhort and preach in private and public gatherings. His influence became very great, such was his reputation for piety and his success in talking, preaching, and writing concerning spiritual religion. He wrote one hundred and eleven hymns, most of which appeared in his Spiritual Flower Garden (1731). He… Go to person page >
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