O love, how cheering is Thy ray

O love, how cheering is Thy ray

Author: Paul Gerhardt
Published in 13 hymnals

Representative Text

O Love, how cheering is Thy ray!
All pain before Thy presence flies;
Care, anguish, sorrow, melt away,
Where’er Thy healing beams arise:
O Father! nothing may I see,
And nought desire or seek, but Thee.

Unwearied may I this pursue,
Dauntless to this high prize aspire;
Each hour within my soul renew
This holy flame, this heavenly fire;
And day and night be all my care
To guard the sacred treasure there.

O, that I as a little child
May follow Thee, and never rest,
Till sweetly Thou hast breathed a mild
And lowly mind into my breast!
Nor ever may we parted be,
Till I become as one with Thee.

Still let Thy love point out my way;
How wondrous things that love hath wrought!
Still lead me, lest I go astray;
Direct my word, inspire my thought;
And if I fall, soon may I hear
Thy voice, and know Thy love is near.



Source: A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #233

Author: Paul Gerhardt

Paul Gerhardt (b. Gräfenheinichen, Saxony, Germany, 1607; d. Lubben, Germany, 1676), famous author of Lutheran evangelical hymns, studied theology and hymnody at the University of Wittenberg and then was a tutor in Berlin, where he became friends with Johann Crüger. He served the Lutheran parish of Mittenwalde near Berlin (1651-1657) and the great St. Nicholas' Church in Berlin (1657-1666). Friederich William, the Calvinist elector, had issued an edict that forbade the various Protestant groups to fight each other. Although Gerhardt did not want strife between the churches, he refused to comply with the edict because he thought it opposed the Lutheran "Formula of Concord," which con­demned some Calvinist doctrines. Consequently, he was r… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O love, how cheering is Thy ray
Author: Paul Gerhardt
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 13 of 13)
Text

A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #233

Page Scan

A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion. (10th ed.) #233

Harmony in Praise #d156

Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home and Services for Congregational Worship. Rev. ed. #d516

Page Scan

Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home. (Rev. ed.) #501

Page Scan

Hymn and Tune Book, for the Church and the Home #318

Page Scan

Hymns of the Church Universal #268

Page Scan

Hymns of the Spirit #402

Page Scan

National Hymn and Tune Book #75

Psalms and Hymns for Public worship, Containing All the Psalms and Hymns of Dr. Watts ... #d700

Page Scan

The Clifton Chapel Collection of "Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs" #329

The Gospel Hymnal #d451

Unitarian Service Book, and Hymns for Church and Home. Abridged ed. #d300

Suggestions or corrections? Contact us