There's but a small beginning made

Representative Text

1 There’s but a small beginning made;
The earth is still o’ercast with shade.
Break forth, Thou Sun of righteousness,
With healing beams the nations bless.

2 Whene’er we to mankind proclaim
Thy dying love and precious Name,
Support Thy servants’ weakness, Lord,
By Thy blest Spirit, grace and word.

3 Lord of the harvest, laborers send
Who willing are their live to spend
In scorching heat and chilling cold
To bring the heathen to Thy fold.

4 When all our labor here is o’er,
And when our light shall burn no more,
When our endeavors have an end,
Then let our souls to Thee ascend.

Source: Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #260

Author: Matthaeus Stach

Stach, Matthaus, b. March 4, 1711, at Mankendorf, Moravia. 1733 Moravian missionary in Greenland. 1771 Moravian minister in Pennsylvania, d. Dec. 21, 1787. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)  Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: There's but a small beginning made
Author: Matthaeus Stach
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

OLD HUNDREDTH

This tune is likely the work of the composer named here, but has also been attributed to others as shown in the instances list below. According to the Handbook to the Baptist Hymnal (1992), Old 100th first appeared in the Genevan Psalter, and "the first half of the tune contains phrases which may ha…

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Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 5 of 5)
Page Scan

Offices of Worship and Hymns #283

Page Scan

The Liturgy and Hymns of the American Province of the Unitas Fratrum #709

Page Scan

Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #358

Tune InfoText

Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church #260

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