Souls of Men!

Representative Text

1 Souls of men! why will ye scatter
Like a crowd of frightened sheep?
Foolish hearts! why will ye wander
From a love so true and deep?

2 Was there ever kindest shepherd
Half so gentle, half so sweet,
As the Saviour who would have us
Come and gather round his feet?

3 There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in his justice
Which is more than liberty.

4 There is welcome for the sinner,
And more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Saviour;
There is healing in his blood.

5 But we make his love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we lose the tender shepherd
In the judge upon the throne.

6 For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of man’s mind;
And the heart of the eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.


Source: The Song Book of the Salvation Army #265

Author: Frederick William Faber

Raised in the Church of England, Frederick W. Faber (b. Calverly, Yorkshire, England, 1814; d. Kensington, London, England, 1863) came from a Huguenot and strict Calvinistic family background. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, and ordained in the Church of England in 1839. Influenced by the teaching of John Henry Newman, Faber followed Newman into the Roman Catholic Church in 1845 and served under Newman's supervision in the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. Because he believed that Roman Catholics should sing hymns like those written by John Newton, Charles Wesley, and William Cowpe, Faber wrote 150 hymns himself. One of his best known, "Faith of Our Fathers," originally had these words in its third stanza: "Faith of Our Fathers! Mary'… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Souls of men, why will ye scatter
Title: Souls of Men!
Author: Frederick William Faber
Meter: 8.7.8.7
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Souls of men, why will ye scatter? F. W. Faber. [Invitation: The Divine Call.] This is given from his Hymns, 1862. It really appeared in his Oratory Hymns, 1854, in 8 stanzas of 4 lines, with the heading "Come to Jesus." It is found in its full form in some collections; and the following centos therefrom are also in common use:—(1) "There's a wideness in God's mercy;" and (2) "Was there ever kindest Shepherd?" These are in several collections.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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Media

The Cyber Hymnal #6253
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Instances

Instances (1 - 100 of 129)

Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #443a

Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #443b

The Australian Hymn Book with Catholic Supplement #72a

The Australian Hymn Book with Catholic Supplement #72b

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A Missionary Hymn Book #211a

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A Missionary Hymn Book #211b

Carmina for Social Worship #d226

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Christ in Song #440

Christian Praise #d312

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Complete Mission Praise #607

Diocesan Hymnal #d129

E. A. C. C. Hymnal #10

Everybody's Hymn Book for Church and Home #d275

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Gloria #107

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Gospel Hymns No. 5 #70

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Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6 #336

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Gospel Hymns Nos. 5 and 6 Combined #70

Hymnal of the Evangelical Church. Word ed. #d668

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Hymns for Missions with Tunes (Words only) #58

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Hymns of Consecration and Faith #514

Hymns of Hope and Courage #d68

Hymns of the Christian Life #d371

Hymns of the Christian Life #d369

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Hymns of the Christian Life #79

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Hymns of the Church, Ancient and Modern #298

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Hymns of the Kingdom of God #23

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Hymns of the Kingdom of God #23

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Hymns of the Kingdom of God #35a

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Hymns of the Kingdom of God #35b

Hymns of the Spirit for Use in the Free Churches of America #556

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Hymns of Worship and Service #51

Hymns #d133

Hymns #85

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In Excelsis for School and Chapel #57a

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In Excelsis for School and Chapel #57b

In Excelsis for School and Chapel. l7th ed. #d228

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In Excelsis #163

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In Excelsis #a163

Text

Revival Hymns and Choruses #274

Rosche's Junior Church Choir No.2 #d20

Sacred Songs for Church and Home #d436

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Songs of Victory #443

St. Francis Hymnal and Choir Manual #d313

The American Hymnal #d523

The Association Hymnal #d93

The Ave Maria Hymnal. 2nd rev. ed. #d156

The Book of Common Praise #799a

The Book of Common Praise #799b

The Book of Common Praise #799c

The Book of Common Praise #799d

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The Book of Common Praise #775

The Book of Praise #397a

The Book of Praise #397b

The Chapel Hymnal #d221

The Chapel Hymnal #d210

The Church Hymnal #d373

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The Church Hymnary #165

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #6253

The Hill School Hymnal and Service Book #d224

The Home and School Hymnal #103a

The Home and School Hymnal #103b

The Hymnal for Schools #d155

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The Hymnal of Praise #207

The Hymnary for use in Baptist churches #468a

The Hymnary for use in Baptist churches #468b

Tune Info

The Hymnary of the United Church of Canada #468a

Tune Info

The Hymnary of the United Church of Canada #468b

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The Junior Hymnal #127

The Methodist Hymn-Book with Tunes #318a

The Methodist Hymn-Book with Tunes #318b

The Mission Hymnal #d135

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The Mission Hymnal #53

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The Mission Hymnal. (Enlarged Edition) #53

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The New Baptist Praise Book #185

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The New Baptist Praise Book #185

The Plymouth Hymnal #d473

The Song Book of the Salvation Army #d729

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The Song Companion to the Scriptures #467a

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The Song Companion to the Scriptures #467b

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The Song Companion to the Scriptures #467c

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The University Hymn Book #136

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The Y.M.C.A. Hymnal #144

Australian Hymn Book #72

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Catholic Church Hymnal with Music #177

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Chautauqua Hymnal and Liturgy #38

Church Hymnal, Fourth Edition #670

Church Hymnal, Third Edition #711

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Church Hymns and Tunes #268

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Hymn Tunes #155

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Hymnal Amore Dei #94

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Hymnal, Amore Dei #94

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Hymnal, Amore Dei. Rev. ed. #a94

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Hymns Ancient and Modern (Standard ed.) #634

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Edition #611

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #251

Hymns Ancient and Modern, Revised #364

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Hymns and Tunes for Schools #48

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Hymns of the Centuries (Chapel Edition) #122

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Hymns of the Centuries #107

Pages

Exclude 123 pre-1979 instances
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