Lead on, O King Eternal

Representative Text

1 Lead on, O King eternal,
the day of march has come;
henceforth in fields of conquest
your tents will be our home.
Through days of preparation
your grace has made us strong;
and now, O King eternal,
we lift our battle song.

2 Lead on, O King eternal,
till sin's fierce war shall cease,
and holiness shall whisper
the sweet amen of peace.
For not with swords' loud clashing
or roll of stirring drums
with deeds of love and mercy
the heavenly kingdom comes.

3 Lead on, O King eternal;
we follow, not with fears,
for gladness breaks like morning
where'er your face appears.
Your cross is lifted o'er us,
we journey in its light;
the crown awaits the conquest;
lead on, O God of might.

Psalter Hymnal, (Gray)

Author: Ernest W. Shurtleff

Before studying at Andover, Ernest W. Shurtleff (Boston, MA, 1862; d. Paris, France, 1917) attended Harvard University. He served Congregational churches in Ventura, California; Old Plymouth, Massachusetts; and Minneapolis, Minnesota, before moving to Europe. In 1905 he established the American Church in Frankfurt, and in 1906 he moved to Paris, where he was involved in student ministry at the Academy Vitti. During World War I he and his wife were active in refugee relief work in Paris. Shurtleff wrote a number of books, including Poems (1883), Easter Gleams (1885), Song of Hope (1886), and Song on the Waters (1913). Bert Polman… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Lead on, O King Eternal, The day of march has come
Title: Lead on, O King Eternal
Author: Ernest W. Shurtleff (1887)
Meter: 7.6.7.6 D
Language: English
Notes: Spanish translation: See "Ven Tú ¡oh Rey eterno!" by Ángel Archilla
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Eph. 6:10
st. 2 = Luke 4:18-19, Isa.61:1-2
st. 3 = 2 Tim. 4:7-8

With the encouragement of his fellow graduating classmates, Ernest W. Shurtleff (Boston, MA, 1862; d. Paris, France, 1917) wrote this text in 1887 for Andover Theological Seminary's commencement ceremonies. Winning immediate acclaim, the text was published in Shurtleff's Hymns of the Faith that same year. Since that publication it has appeared in many American hymnals.

Graduation is one milestone on our life's journey, a road sign that points to the future as much as it marks the end of formal education. Consequently, "Lead On, O King Eternal" is a battle call to go forward in Christian service. Initially laced with war imagery, the text moves on to biblical imagery-"deeds of love and mercy"-and concludes with a note of eschatological hope. This message is as urgent today as it was a hundred years ago.

Before studying at Andover, Shurtleff attended Harvard University. He served Congregational churches in Ventura, California; Old Plymouth, Massachusetts; and Minneapolis, Minnesota, before moving to Europe. In 1905 he established the American Church in Frankfurt, and in 1906 he moved to Paris, where he was involved in student ministry at the Academy Vitti. During World War I he and his wife were active in refugee relief work in Paris. Shurtleff wrote a number of books, including Poems (1883), Easter Gleams (1885), Song of Hope (1886), and Song on the Waters (1913).

Liturgical Use:
A fine recessional hymn; appropriate many other times of worship, including ordination/ commissioning, church education graduations, and occasions that mark the beginning of a church program.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

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.”…

Go to tune page >


Timeline

Media

You have access to this FlexScore.
Download:
Are parts of this score outside of your desired range? Try transposing this FlexScore.
General Settings
Stanza Selection
Voice Selection
Text size:
Music size:
Transpose (Half Steps):
Capo:
Contacting server...
Contacting server...
Questions? Check out the FAQ

A separate copy of this score must be purchased for each choir member. If this score will be projected or included in a bulletin, usage must be reported to a licensing agent (e.g. CCLI, OneLicense, etc).

This is a preview of your FlexScore.
Baptist Hymnal 1991 #621
  • Full Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
The Cyber Hymnal #3617
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #555
  • Full Score (XML)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (XML)
  • Bulletin Score (XML)
The United Methodist Hymnal #580
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Full Score (PDF)
Worship and Rejoice #508

Instances

Instances (1 - 51 of 51)

A Teaching Hymnal #138

Text

African American Heritage Hymnal #477

TextPage Scan

African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #177

Ambassador Hymnal #451

TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Baptist Hymnal 1991 #621

Text

Baptist Hymnal 2008 #659

TextPage Scan

Celebrating Grace Hymnal #63

TextPage Scan

Chalice Hymnal #632

Church Hymnal, Mennonite #598

TextPage Scan

CPWI Hymnal #423

TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Evangelical Lutheran Worship #805

Text InfoTextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Glory to God #269

Great Songs of the Church (Revised) #259

TextPage Scan

Hymns for a Pilgrim People #451

TextPage Scan

Hymns of Faith #459

Hymns of the Christian Life #451

Hymns of the Saints #374

TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Lift Up Your Hearts #328

TextPage Scan

Moravian Book of Worship #753

Text

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism #404

Praise for the Lord (Expanded Edition) #386

Praise! Our Songs and Hymns #460

Text InfoTune InfoTextScoreFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #555

Rejoice Hymns #140

Text

Rejoice in the Lord #423

TextPage Scan

Renew! Songs and Hymns for Blended Worship #298

TextPage Scan

Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #619

TextPage Scan

Sing Joyfully #513

TextPage Scan

The A.M.E. Zion Hymnal #228

The Big-Note Hymn Book #30

Text

The Book of Praise #742

The Book of Praise #743

TextPage Scan

The Celebration Hymnal #724

The Christian Life Hymnal #451

Page Scan

The Covenant Hymnal #429

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #3617

TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

The Hymnal 1982 #555

TextPage Scan

The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration #483

The New Century Hymnal #573

TextPage Scan

The New National Baptist Hymnal (21st Century Edition) #415

TextPage Scan

The Presbyterian Hymnal #447

TextPage Scan

The Presbyterian Hymnal #448

TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

The United Methodist Hymnal #580

TextPage Scan

The Worshiping Church #747

Text

Total Praise #481

TextPage Scan

Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #580

TextPage Scan

Trinity Psalter Hymnal #544

Welsh and English Hymns and Anthems #83b

TextScoreAudioPage Scan

Worship and Rejoice #508

TextPage Scan

Worship and Service Hymnal #414

Worship His Majesty #599

Include 340 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us