Jesu, Lord of life and glory

Jesu, Lord of life and glory, Bend from heaven Thy gracious ear

Author: James John Cummins (1839)
Published in 79 hymnals

Full Text

1 Jesu, Lord of life and glory,
Bend from heaven Thy gracious ear;
While our waiting souls adore Thee,
Friend of helpless sinners, hear:
By Thy mercy,
Oh, deliver us, good Lord.

2 From the depths of nature's blindness,
From the hardening power of sin,
From all malice and unkindness,
From the pride that lurks within,
By Thy mercy,
Oh, deliver us, good Lord.

3 When temptation sorely presses,
In the day of Satan's power,
In our times of deep distresses,
In each dark and trying hour,
By Thy mercy,
Oh, deliver us, good Lord.

4 When the world around is smiling,
In the time of wealth and ease,
Earthly joys our hearts beguiling,
In the day of health and peace,
By Thy mercy,
Oh, deliver us, good Lord.

5 In the weary hours of sickness,
In the times of grief and pain,
When we feel our mortal weakness,
When all human help is vain,
By Thy mercy,
Oh, deliver us, good Lord.

6 In the solemn hour of dying,
In the awful judgment day,
May our souls, on Thee relying,
Find Thee still our hope and stay:
By Thy mercy,
Oh, deliver us, good Lord.

Amen.

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

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Author: James John Cummins

Cummins, James John, son of a merchant in Cork, Ireland, was born in Cork, May 5, 1795. In 1834 he removed to London, and was for many years a Director of the Union Bank of Australia. He died at Wildecroft, Buckland, Surrey, Nov. 23, 1867. He devoted much time to the study of Hebrew and Theology. He prepared for the use of his children in their preparation for Confirmation, Seals of the Covenant Opened in the Sacraments. This work, including several hymns and poems, was published in 1839. The hymns and other poetical pieces were also published in 1839 as Poetical Meditations and Hymns by the Author of The Seals of the Covenant Opened. In 1849 this work was republished with additions as Hymns, Meditations, and other Poems. The title on the c… Go to person page >

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Text Information

First Line: Jesu, Lord of life and glory, Bend from heaven Thy gracious ear
Title: Jesu, Lord of life and glory
Author: James John Cummins (1839)
Meter: 8.7.8.7.4.7
Language: English
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Notes

Jesus, Lord of life and glory, Bend from, &c. J. J. Cummins. [Lent.] A sweet and musical Litany, which appeared in his Poetical Meditations and Hymns, 1839, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines, with the refrain, "By Thy mercy, 0 deliver us, Good Lord." In 1819, it was reprinted in his Hymns, Meditations, and Other Poems, London, Royston & Brown, pp. 26-27. It is in common use as:—
(1) Orig. text. stanzas i., iii.-vii., with "our Hope," for "our Rock," in Hymns Ancient & Modern 1868 and 1875.
(2) "Jesu, Lord of life and glory." As in Hymns Ancient & Modern, with change to Jesu only in the Hymnary, 1872.
(3) “Jesus, Lord, we kneel before Thee." In the Salisbury Hymn Book, 1857, No. 74, with the alteration of the first line, the omission of stanza v. and the addition of stanza vii. The same text was repeated in Kennedy, 1863, the Anglican Hymn Book, 1808, and in the 1869 Appendixto the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Psalms & Hymns.
(4) The same first line, but composed of stanzas i., iii., iv., vi., and vii., in Chope's Hymnal, 1864, and Thring's Collection, 1882.
(5) The same text as Salisbury Hymn Book, with “Jesu" for "Jesus," in The Parish Hymn Book, 1863 and 1875, Sarum, 1868, &c.
The sub-title of the Hymns, &c, of 1849, and by which the book is generally known, is Lyra Evangelica. Original text therein.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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