The Better Portion

Representative Text

1 Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings, thy better portion trace;
Rise from transitory things toward heaven, thy native place;
Sun, and moon, and stars decay; time shall soon this earth remove;
Rise, my soul, and haste away to seats prepared above.

2 Rivers to the ocean run, nor stay in all their course;
Fire ascending seeks the sun; both speed them to their source;
So a soul that’s born of God, longs to view His glorious face,
Forward tends to His abode to rest in His embrace.

3 Cease, ye pilgrims, cease to mourn; press onward to the prize;
Soon our Savior will return, triumphant in the skies;
Yet a season, and you know happy entrance will be given,
All our sorrows left below, and earth exchanged for heaven.

Source: Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #630

Author: Robert Seagrave

Robert Seagrave was born at Twyford, Leicestershire, in 1693. He studied at Clare Hall, Cambridge, graduating in 1718. In 1739, he was appointed Sunday Evening Lecturer at Lorimer's Hall, London. He afterwards preached in the Tabernacle, in connection with the Calvinistic Methodists. The date of his death is unknown. He published some treatises on doctrinal subjects, and on the duties of the ministry. In 1742, he published "Hymns for Christian Worship." His hymns have been published by Sedgwick (1860). --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872.… Go to person page >

Notes

Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings. R. Seagrave. [Heaven desired.] Appeared in his Hymns for Christian Worship, &c, 1742, in 4 stanzas of 8 1ines, and entitled "The Pilgrim's Song"; and again in D. Sedgwick's reprint of Seagrave's Hymns, 1860. In 1753 Seagrave's intimate friend, G. Whitefield, included it, with the omission of st. iii., as No. 2 of Pt. ii. of his Hymns for Social Worship. This was repeated in most of the older collections, and is the form of the hymn usually given in modern hymnals. The use of this hymn is extensive in Great Britain and America. Original text in Lyra Britannica, 1867.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

AMSTERDAM (Foundery Collection)

Variation of Hille's SERVICE. For more tune info, see "Hymn Tune Index" (http://hymntune.library.illinois.edu) 1648a-d. Note how attributions to James Nares don't appear until after 1820.

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Timeline

Instances

Instances (101 - 200 of 801)
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Book of Worship #188

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Book of Worship #407

Boston Sunday School Hymn Book. 5th ed. #d100

Calvary Selection of Spiritual Songs with Music for the Church and the Choir #d754

Cantica Laudis #d246

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Carmina Sacra #226a

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Carmina Sanctorum, a selection of hymns and songs of praise with tunes #409

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Carmina Sanctorum #409

Chapel and Family Hymn Book #d113

Chapel Hymns #d463

Chapel Hymns and Services #d107

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Chautauqua Hymnal and Liturgy #31

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Choice Hymns #156

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Choral Echoes from the Church of God in All Ages #147

Choral Harp for Sunday Schools #d120

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Christ in Song #682

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Christian Chorals #295

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Christian Hymns for Public and Private Worship #79

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Christian Hymns #240

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Christian Melodies #183

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Christian Melodies #183

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Christian Praise #560

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Christian Praise #408

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Christian Praise #408

Christian Psalms and Hymns to Aid in Public and Private Devotion #d765

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Christian Songs #254

Christian Worship and Praise #d367

Christian Worship #573

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Christian's Duty, exhibited in a series of hymns #246

Church and University Hymns #d169

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Church Book #452

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Church Book #452

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Church Choral-Book #467

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Church Chorals and Choir Studies #187

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Church Harmonies #542

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Church Hymnal #437

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Church Hymns and Tunes #492

Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs #d884

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Church Melodies #133

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Church music #CCLIII

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Church Pastorals, hymns and tunes for public and social worship #844

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Church Psalmist #328

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Church Psalmist #328

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Church Psalmist #328

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Church Psalmody #569

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College Hymnal #267

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Common Praise #491

Compilation of Hymns for the Use of the Churches of the Christian Union #d593

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David's Harp #197

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Devotional Melodies #118

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Devotional Melodies #201

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Dew Drops of Sacred Song #121c

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Doctor Watts's Imitation of the Psalms of David #LXX

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Doctor Watts's Imitation of the Psalms of David #LXX

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Doctor Watts's Imitation of the Psalms of David #H.LXX

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Dupuy's Hymns and Spiritual Songs (Rev. corr. and enl.) #S153

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Dyer's Psalmist #316

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Evangelical Hymns #305

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Evangelical Hymns #135

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Evangelical Musick #222a

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Every Sabbath #151b

Everybody's Hymn Book for Church and Home #d253

Familiar Hymns, Alphabetically Arranged. #d212

Family Hymns #d203

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Favorite Hymns #XXVI

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Fellowship Hymns #298

Folk Hymns of America #2

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Free Methodist Hymnal #632

Fruits and Flowers #d116

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Gathered Jewels No. 2 #141

Gems for the Prayer Meeting #d53

General Baptist Hymn Book #d399

Gleanings of Praise #d158

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Gloria Deo #479

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Glorious Things in Sacred Song #83

Golden Grain #d91

Gospel Gems #d126

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Gospel Hymn and Tune Book #453

Gospel Hymns #d456

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Gospel Melodies #82

Harmonia Ecclesiae #d205

Harmonia Sacra, being a Compilation of Church Music. 10th ed #d268

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Helps for Worship #40

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High School Hymnal #53

Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home and Services for Congregational Worship. Rev. ed. #d605

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Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home. (Rev. ed.) #184

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Hymn and Tune Book for Use in Old School or Primitive Baptist Churches #594

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Hymn and Tune Book of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (Round Note Ed.) #455

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Hymn and Tune Book, for the Church and the Home #127

Pages

Exclude 796 pre-1979 instances
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