O Happy They Who Know the Lord

Representative Text

1 How happy they who know the Lord,
With whom he deigns to dwell!
He feeds and cheers them by his word,
His arm supports them well.

2 Wandeirng in sin, our souls he found,
And bid us seek his face;
Gave us to hear the gospel sound,
And taste the gospel grace.

3 His presence sweetens all their cares,
And makes their burdens light;
A word from him dispels their fears,
And breaks the gloom of night.

4 Lord we expect to suffer here,
Nor would be dare repine;,
But give us still, to find thee near,
And own us, still for thine.

5 Let us enjoy and highly prize
These tokens of thy love:
Till thou shalt bid our spirits rise,
To worship thee above.

The Hartford Selection of Hymns from the most approved authors, 1799

Author: John Newton

John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumul­tuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O [How] happy they who know the Lord
Title: O Happy They Who Know the Lord
Author: John Newton
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

CORONATION (Holden)

Like MILES LANE (470), CORONATION was written for this text. Oliver Holden (b. Shirley, MA, 1765; d. Charlestown, MA, 1844) composed the tune in four parts with a duet in the third phrase. The tune, whose title comes from the theme of Perronet's text, was published in Holden's Union Harmony (1793).…

Go to tune page >


BALERMA (Barthélemon)


Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #8313
  • PDF (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer Score (NWC)

Instances

Instances (1 - 1 of 1)
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #8313

Include 74 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us