1 Here I can firmly rest;
I dare to boast of this,
That God the highest and the Best,
My Friend and Father is.
2 From dangerous snares He saves:
Where'er He bids me go
He checks the storms and calms the waves,
Nor lets aught work me woe.
3 At cost of all I have,
At cost of life and limb,
I cling to God, who yet shall save:
I will not turn from Him.
4 The world may fail and flee;
Thou, God, my Father art!
Not fire, nor sword, nor plague, from Thee
My trusting soul shall part.
5 No joys that angels know;
No throne or wide-spread fame,
No love or loss, no fear or woe,
No grief of heart or shame--
6 Man cannot aught conceive,
Of pleasure or of harm,
That e'er shall tempt my soul to leave
Her refuge in Thine arm.
Source: Church Book: for the use of Evangelical Lutheran congregations #425
Paul Gerhardt (b. Gräfenheinichen, Saxony, Germany, 1607; d. Lubben, Germany, 1676), famous author of Lutheran evangelical hymns, studied theology and hymnody at the University of Wittenberg and then was a tutor in Berlin, where he became friends with Johann Crüger. He served the Lutheran parish of Mittenwalde near Berlin (1651-1657) and the great St. Nicholas' Church in Berlin (1657-1666). Friederich William, the Calvinist elector, had issued an edict that forbade the various Protestant groups to fight each other. Although Gerhardt did not want strife between the churches, he refused to comply with the edict because he thought it opposed the Lutheran "Formula of Concord," which condemned some Calvinist doctrines. Consequently, he was r… Go to person page >
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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