Go Forward, Christian Soldier

Representative Text

1 Go forward, Christian soldier,
Beneath His banner true!
The Lord Himself, thy Leader,
Shall all thy foes subdue.
His love foretells thy trials;
He knows thine hourly need;
He can with bread of heaven
Thy fainting spirit feed.

2 Go forward, Christian soldier!
Fear not the secret foe;
Far more o'er thee are watching
Than human eyes can know;
Trust only Christ, thy Captain;
Cease not to watch and pray;
Heed not the treacherous voices
That lure thy soul astray.

3 Go forward, Christian soldier!
Nor dream of peaceful rest,
Till Satan's host is vanquished
And heaven is all possessed;
Till Christ Himself shall call thee
To lay thine armor by,
And wear in endless glory
The crown of victory.

4 Go forward, Christian soldier!
Fear not the gathering night:
The Lord has been thy shelter;
The Lord will be thy light.
When morn His face revealeth,
Thy dangers all are past:
Oh, pray that faith and virtue
May keep thee to the last!

The Hymnal: revised and enlarged as adopted by the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the year of our Lord 1892

Author: Lawrence Tuttiett

Laurence Tuttiett was born at Colyton, Devon, in 1825; was educated at Christ Hospital, and at King's College, London; ordained Deacon, 1848, Priest, 1849; entered upon the living of Lea Marston, Coleshill, 1854, and subsequently was appointed Curate of S. Paul's, Knightsbridge, London. He is the author of several volumes and tracts. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872.… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Go forward, Christian soldier, Beneath His banner true
Title: Go Forward, Christian Soldier
Author: Lawrence Tuttiett (1861)
Meter: 7.6.7.6 D
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Go forward, Christian soldier. L. Tuttiett. [Confirmation.] First published in his Counsels of a Godfather, 1851, in 8 stanzas of 4 lines, and based upon Exod. xiv. 15. In 1867 it was included in the Appendix to Morrell & How's Psalms & Hymns, and from that date it has gradually increased in popularity until it has become in Great Britain and in America the most widely used of the author's hymns. Original text in the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Church Hymns, 1871.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

LANCASHIRE (Smart)

Henry T. Smart (PHH 233) composed the tune in 1835 for use at a missions festival at Blackburn, Lancashire, England. For that festival, which celebrated the three-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation in England, the tune was set to Reginald Heber's (PHH 249) “From Greenland's Icy Mountains.”…

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WEBB

George J. Webb (b. Rushmore Lodge, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, 1803; d. Orange, NJ, 1887) composed WEBB (also known as MORNING LIGHT) on a voyage from England to the United States. The tune was published in The Odeon, a collection of secular music compiled by Webb and Lowell Mason (PHH 96) i…

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FARMER (J. Farmer)

The tune FARMER is marked by dramatically ascending melodic phrases and energetic rhythms in its opening lines. Sing in harmony throughout, possibly reserving unison for the third stanza. Use solid organ accompaniment; accompany with brass if possible. Presumably, the source of FARMER is John Farmer…

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Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 4 of 4)
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The A.M.E. Zion Hymnal #440

The Christian Life Hymnal #437

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The Cyber Hymnal #1744

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The Hymnal 1982 #563

Include 176 pre-1979 instances
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