Log in to make the most of Hymnary.org collections.
![]() | How precious is the book divineAuthor: John Fawcett (1782)Published in 574 hymnals | |
1 How precious is the Book Divine,
By inspiration giv'n!
Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine
To guide our souls to heav'n,
To guide our souls to heav'n.
2 It's light, descending from above
Our gloomy world to cheer,
Displays a Savior's boundless love
And brings His glories near,
And brings His glories near.
3 It shows to us our wand'ring ways
And where his feet have trod,
And brings to view the matchless grace
Of a forgiving God,
Of a forgiving God.
4 O'er all the straight and narrow way
Its radiant beams are cast;
A light whose never weary ray
Grows brightest at the last,
Grows brightest at the last.
5 It sweetly cheers our drooping hearts
In this dark vale of tears,
Life, light, and joy it still imparts
And quells our rising fears,
And quells our rising fears.
6 This lamp through all the tedious night
Of life shall guide our way
Till we behold the clearer light
Of an eternal day,
Of an eternal day.
Fawcett, John, D.D., was born Jan. 6, 1739 or 1740, at Lidget Green, near Bradford, Yorks. Converted at the age of sixteen under the ministry of G. Whitefield, he at first joined the Methodists, but three years later united with the Baptist Church at Bradford. Having begun to preach he was, in 1765, ordained Baptist minister at Wainsgate, near Hebden Bridge, Yorks. In 1772 he was invited to London, to succeed the celebrated Dr. J. Gill, as pastor of Carter's Lane; the invitation had been formally accepted, the farewell sermon at Wainsgate had been preached and the wagons loaded with his goods for removal, when the love and tears of his attached people prevailed and he decided to remain. In 1777 a new chapel was built for him at Hebden Brid… Go to person page >| First Line: | How precious is the book divine |
| Title: | How Precious Is the Book Divine |
| Author: | John Fawcett (1782) |
| Meter: | 8.6.8.6 |
| Language: | English |
How precious is the book divine. J. Fawcett. [Holy Scriptures.] Published in his Hymns, &c, 1782, No. 41, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and based upon the words, "Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Its use is extensive, especially in America, but usually in an abbreviated form. In the New Congregational Hymn Book, 1859, No. 466, stanza iii. is by another hand. Original text in Lyra Britannica, 1867, p. 226.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
| Instances (3) | First Line | Text Title | Refrain First Line | Authors | Composers | Meter | Scripture | Tune Title | Tune Key | Incipit | Languages | Publication Date | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Worship: a Lutheran hymnal #284 | How precius is theBbook divine | How Precious Is the Book Divine | John Fawcett, 1740-1817 | Johann J. Walder, 1750-1817 | 8.6.8.6 | WALDER | G Major | 1993 | |||||||||
| Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #232 | How precious is the Book Divine | How Precious Is the Book Divine | J. Fawcett, 1740-1817 | G. F. Handel, 1685-1759 | 8.6.8.8.6 | SIROĆ | C Major | English | 1996 | ||||||||
| Trinity Hymnal #143 | How precious is the book divine | How Precious Is the Book Divine | John Fawcett | William Gardiner | 8.6.8.6 | Psalm 119:105 | BELMONT | G Major | English | 1990 |
