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My God, I Love Thee, Not Because

Representative Text

1 My God, I love Thee, not because
I hope for heav'n thereby,
nor yet for fear that, loving not,
I might forever die.
But for that Thou didst all mankind
upon the cross embrace;
for us didst bear the nails and spear,
and manifold disgrace;

2 And griefs and torments numberless,
and sweat of agony,
e'en death itself, and all for man,
who was Thine enemy.
Then why, most loving Jesus Christ,
should I not love Thee well?
Not for the sake of winning heav'n,
nor any fear of hell;

3 Not with the hope of gaining aught,
nor seeking a reward,
but as Thyself hast loved me,
O ever-loving Lord!
E'en so I love Thee, and will love,
and in Thy praise will sing,
solely because Thou art my God,
and my eternal King!

Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #336

Author (attributed to): St. Francis Xavier

St. Francis Xavier, the great missionary saint of the Roman Catholic Church, was the son of Don John Giasso and Donna Maria d'Azpilqueta y Xavier; he was born at the castle Xavier, near Pampeluna, Spain, on April 7, 1506, and is known to history by his mother's name. At the age of eighteen he entered the University of Paris, where in due course he graduated, and then devoted himself to teaching. It was here that he became acquainted with Ignatius Loyola the founder of the Jesuits, who was then planning the colossal work which he afterwards accomplished. Xavier became one of the first nine of Loyola's converts, and the most enthusiastic of the little band. The date of the formation of the Order of the Jesuits is given as Aug. 15, 1534, and t… Go to person page >

Translator: Edward Caswall

Edward Caswall was born in 1814, at Yately, in Hampshire, where his father was a clergyman. In 1832, he went to Brasenose College, Oxford, and in 1836, took a second-class in classics. His humorous work, "The Art of Pluck," was published in 1835; it is still selling at Oxford, having passed through many editions. In 1838, he was ordained Deacon, and in 1839, Priest. He became perpetural Curate of Stratford-sub-Castle in 1840. In 1841, he resigned his incumbency and visited Ireland. In 1847, he joined the Church of Rome. In 1850, he was admitted into the Congregation of the Oratory at Birmingham, where he has since remained. He has published several works in prose and poetry. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: My God, I love Thee, not because
Title: My God, I Love Thee, Not Because
Latin Title: O Deus, ego amo Te
Translator: Edward Caswall (1849)
Author (attributed to): St. Francis Xavier
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

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The Cyber Hymnal #4414
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Instances

Instances (1 - 31 of 31)
Text

Ancient and Modern #730a

Text

Ancient and Modern #730b

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #517a

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #517b

Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #229

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Common Praise #524a

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Common Praise #524b

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Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #458a

TextPage Scan

Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #458b

TextPage Scan

CPWI Hymnal #138

Great Songs of the Church (Revised) #451

Hymnal #605

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #65

Hymns and Psalms #171a

Hymns and Psalms #171b

Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #479

Hymns Old and New #344

TextPage Scan

Hymns to the Living God #234

TextPage Scan

Moravian Book of Worship #602

TextPage Scan

Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #336

The Baptist Hymnal #333

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #4414

TextPage Scan

The Hymnal 1982 #682

The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #513a

The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #513b

TextPage Scan

The New English Hymnal #73a

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The New English Hymnal #73b

TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

The United Methodist Hymnal #470

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The United Methodist Hymnal #470b

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The United Methodist Hymnal Music Supplement II #197

The United Methodist Hymnal Music Supplement II #198

Include 176 pre-1979 instances
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