1. I shall not bear the cross thro’ yon city
When the burdens of life are laid down.
When I knock on the portals of Heaven
I will trade the old cross for a crown.
Refrain
Yes, I’ll trade the old cross for a crown,
When the burdens of life are laid down.
When the pearl gates for me shall swing open,
I will trade the old cross for a crown.
2. Tho’ the cross oftentimes has been heavy,
And oft fortune on me seems to frown,
But how happy I’ll be over yonder
When I trade the old cross for a crown. [Refrain]
3. Oft, my bark has been tossed on life’s billows,
And each wave tries my vessel to drown.
But no storm cloud can harm me forever
When I trade the old cross for a crown. [Refrain]
4. Ev’ry cross that I bear for my Savior
Will at last, when He calls, be laid down,
And my sorrows will all be forgotten
When I trade the old cross for a crown. [Refrain]
Source: The Cyber Hymnal #3185
Johnson Oatman, Jr., son of Johnson and Rachel Ann Oatman, was born near Medford, N. J., April 21, 1856. His father was an excellent singer, and it always delighted the son to sit by his side and hear him sing the songs of the church.
Outside of the usual time spent in the public schools, Mr. Oatman received his education at Herbert's Academy, Princetown, N. J., and the New Jersey Collegiate Institute, Bordentown, N. J. At the age of nineteen he joined the M.E. Church, and a few years later he was granted a license to preach the Gospel, and still later he was regularly ordained by Bishop Merrill. However, Mr. Oatman only serves as a local preacher.
For many years he was engaged with his father in the mercantile business at Lumberton… Go to person page >
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