Head of the Church

Jesus, I sing Thy matchless grace

Author: Philip Doddridge
Tune: BRIDGTON
Published in 47 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Jesus, I sing thy matchless grace,
That calls a worm thy own;
Gives me among thy saints a place
To make thy glories known.

2 Allied to thee our vital head,
We act, and grow, and thrive:
Form thee divided, each is dead,
When most he seems alive.

3 Thy saints on earth, and those above,
Here join in sweet accord:
One body all in mutual love,
And thou, our common Lord.

4 O may my faith each hour derive
Thy spirit with delight;
While death and hell in vain shall strive
This bond to disunite.

5 Thou the whole body wilt present
Before thy Father's face;
Nor shall a wrinkle or a spot
Its beauteous form disgrace.

Source: A Selection of Hymns: from the best authors, intended to be an appendix to Dr. Watt's psalms and hymns. (1st Am. ed.) #CLXXII

Author: Philip Doddridge

Philip Doddridge (b. London, England, 1702; d. Lisbon, Portugal, 1751) belonged to the Non-conformist Church (not associated with the Church of England). Its members were frequently the focus of discrimination. Offered an education by a rich patron to prepare him for ordination in the Church of England, Doddridge chose instead to remain in the Non-conformist Church. For twenty years he pastored a poor parish in Northampton, where he opened an academy for training Non-conformist ministers and taught most of the subjects himself. Doddridge suffered from tuberculosis, and when Lady Huntington, one of his patrons, offered to finance a trip to Lisbon for his health, he is reputed to have said, "I can as well go to heaven from Lisbon as from Nort… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Jesus, I sing Thy matchless grace
Title: Head of the Church
Author: Philip Doddridge
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Jesus, I sing Thy matchless grace. P. Doddridge. [Jesus, the Head of the Church.] This hymn begins in the Doddridge Manuscript, "Jesus, I own Thy matchless grace." It is entitled "Christ our Head” and is undated. It was given with the first line as above in J. Orton's posthumous edition of Doddridge's Hymns, 1755, No. 290, in 5 stanzas of 4 lines, and the title changed to :Christ the Head of the Church,” and again in J. D. Humphreys's edition of the same, 1839. The 1755 text is that in common use.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 47 of 47)

A Baptist Hymn Book, Designed Especially for the Regular Baptist Church and All Lovers of Truth #d392

Page Scan

A Choice Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the use of the Baptist Church and all lovers of song #210

Page Scan

A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of Universalist Societies and Families 16ed. #261

A New and Choice Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the Use of the Regular Baptist Church. 10th ed. #d271

Page Scan

A New Selection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs #118

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns & Psalms #128

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs #H.CIV

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs #H.CIV

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors. #172

A Selection of Hymns, from the Best Authors, Designed as a Supplement to Dr. Watts' Psalms and Hymns #d310

TextPage Scan

A Selection of Hymns #CLXXII

Page Scan

Baptist Hymn Book #a127

Page Scan

Hymn and Tune Book for Use in Old School or Primitive Baptist Churches #113

Page Scan

Hymns for Christian Melody #126

Page Scan

Pocket Hymns #108

Primitive Baptist Hymn and Tune book #d208

Supplement to Watts #d217

The American Seaman's Hymn Book #d115

The Baptist Harmony #d191

The Baptist Harmony #d192

The Baptist Hymn Book, in Two Parts #d285

Page Scan

The Baptist Hymn Book #326

Page Scan

The Baptist Hymn Book #127

Page Scan

The Baptist Psalmody #199

Page Scan

The Choice #H72

The Choice #H72

Page Scan

The Cluster of Spiritual Songs, Divine Hymns and Sacred Poems #CXXX

The Good Old Songs #d285

The Good Old Songs #d283

Page Scan

The Gospel Psalmist #229

Page Scan

The Lyrica #120

Page Scan

The New Baptist Psalmist and Tune Book #217

The Old Baptist Hymn Book #d151

Page Scan

The Primitive Baptist Hymnal #96

The Primitive Hymns #d302

Page Scan

The Psalms and Hymns of Dr. Watts #890

The Service of Song for Baptist Churches #d414

The Service of Song for Baptist Churches #d265

The Southern Psalmist #d405

The Southern Psalmist. New ed. #d424

The Vestry Hymn and Tune Book #d218

Suggestions or corrections? Contact us