The City of God

Representative Text

1 City of God, how broad and far
outspread thy walls sublime!
The true thy chartered freemen are
of every age and clime:

2 One holy church, one army strong,
one steadfast, high intent;
one working band, one harvest-song,
one King omnipotent.

3 How purely hath thy speech come down
from man's primaeval youth!
How grandly hath thine empire grown
of freedom, love, and truth!

4 How gleam thy watch-fires through the night
with never-fainting ray!
How rise thy towers, serene and bright,
to meet the dawning day!

5 In vain the surge's angry shock,
in vain the drifting sands:
unharmed upon the eternal Rock
the eternal city stands.

Source: Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #613

Author: Samuel Johnson

Johnson, Samuel, M.A, was born at Salem, Massachusetts, Oct. 10, 1822, and educated at Harvard, where he graduated in Arts in 1842, and in Theology in 1846. In 1853 he formed a Free Church in Lynn, Massachusetts, and remained its pastor to 1870. Although never directly connected with any religious denomination, he was mainly associated in the public mind with the Unitarians. He was joint editor with S. Longfellow (q. v.) of A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, Boston, 1846; the Supplement to the same, 1848; and Hymns of the Spirit, 1864. His contributions to these collections were less numerous than those by S. Longfellow, but not less meritorious. He died at North Andover, Massachusetts, Feb. 19, 1882. His hymns were thus contr… Go to person page >

Text Information

Tune

RICHMOND (Haweis)

RICHMOND (also known as CHESTERFIELD) is a florid tune originally written by Thomas Haweis (PHH 270) and published in his collection Carmina Christo (1792). Samuel Webbe, Jr., adapted and shortened the tune and published it in his Collection of Psalm Tunes (1808). It was reprinted in 1853 in Webbe's…

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NOX PRAECESSIT


MIRFIELD


Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #878
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  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
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Instances

Instances (1 - 13 of 13)
Text

Ancient and Modern #613

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #111

Church Hymnal, Mennonite #342

TextPage Scan

Common Praise #400

TextPage Scan

Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #106

Complete Mission Praise #814

TextPage Scan

CPWI Hymnal #302

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #173

Hymns and Psalms #809

Hymns Old and New #85

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #878

TextPage Scan

The Irish Presbyterian Hymbook #142

TextPage Scan

The New English Hymnal #346

Include 152 pre-1979 instances
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