Sweet the Time

Representative Text

1. Sweet the time, exceeding sweet!
When the saints together meet
When the Saviour is the theme,
When they join to sing of him.

2. Sing we then eternal love,
Such as did the Father move
He beheld the world undone,
Loved the world the gave his Son.

3. Sing the Son's amazing love;
How he left the realms above,
Took our nature and our place,
Lived and died to save our race.

4. Sweet the time, exceeding sweet,
When the saints in heav'n shall meet
Jesus still will be the theme,
They shall always sing of him.



Source: Christ in Song: for all religious services nearly one thousand best gospel hymns, new and old with responsive scripture readings (Rev. and Enl.) #749

Author: George Burder

Burder, George, born in London, June 5, 1752, and trained as an engraver. At the age of 24 he commenced preaching with the Calvinist Methodists, but subsequently joined the Congregationalists,and was pastor sucessively at Lancaster, Coventry, and Fetter Lane, London. He was one of the active founders of the Religious Tract, the London Missionary, and the British and Foreign Bible Societies, and some time editor of the Evangelical Magazine. He died May 29, 1832. His works include Village Sermons, 1704; Sea Sermons, 1821; Cottage Sermons, 1826, and others. He is known to hymnology by his Collection of Hymns from various Authors, intended as a Supplement to Dr. Watts, &c, 1784. (Preface dated Nov. 20, 1784.) It had attained to the 25th edition… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Sweet the time, exceeding sweet
Title: Sweet the Time
Author: George Burder
Source: Burder's Collection
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Sweet the time, exceeding sweet. G. Burder. [Christian Fellowship.] Published in the Gospel Magazine, April, 1779, p. 220, in 5 stanzas of 4 lines, headed "An Hymn for Christian Company," and signed "A. R." In 1784 it was given, unaltered, in G. Burder's Collection of Hymns, as No. 66, and in the Index it is signed "G. Burder." In Cotterill's Selection 1810, No. 46, it is altered to "Great the joy, the union sweet." This form is in extensive use. In the 8th edition of his Selection Cotterill altered it again to "Great the joy when Christians meet." This, also, is well known. In one or two collections it is also altered to "Gladsome 'tis when Christians meet."

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

INNOCENTS (Parish Choir)


HENDON (Malan)

HENDON was composed by Henri A. Cesar Malan (b. Geneva, Switzerland, 1787; d. Vandoeuvres, Switzerland, 1864) and included in a series of his own hymn texts and tunes that he began to publish in France in 1823, and which ultimately became his great hymnal Chants de Sion (1841). HENDON is thought to…

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SOLITUDE (Downes)


Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #10484
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Instances

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Hymns of the Saints #4

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The Cyber Hymnal #10484

The Dulcimer Hymn Book #47

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