The Better Portion

Representative Text

1 Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings, thy better portion trace;
Rise from transitory things toward heaven, thy native place;
Sun, and moon, and stars decay; time shall soon this earth remove;
Rise, my soul, and haste away to seats prepared above.

2 Rivers to the ocean run, nor stay in all their course;
Fire ascending seeks the sun; both speed them to their source;
So a soul that’s born of God, longs to view His glorious face,
Forward tends to His abode to rest in His embrace.

3 Cease, ye pilgrims, cease to mourn; press onward to the prize;
Soon our Savior will return, triumphant in the skies;
Yet a season, and you know happy entrance will be given,
All our sorrows left below, and earth exchanged for heaven.

Source: Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #630

Author: Robert Seagrave

Robert Seagrave was born at Twyford, Leicestershire, in 1693. He studied at Clare Hall, Cambridge, graduating in 1718. In 1739, he was appointed Sunday Evening Lecturer at Lorimer's Hall, London. He afterwards preached in the Tabernacle, in connection with the Calvinistic Methodists. The date of his death is unknown. He published some treatises on doctrinal subjects, and on the duties of the ministry. In 1742, he published "Hymns for Christian Worship." His hymns have been published by Sedgwick (1860). --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872.… Go to person page >

Notes

Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings. R. Seagrave. [Heaven desired.] Appeared in his Hymns for Christian Worship, &c, 1742, in 4 stanzas of 8 1ines, and entitled "The Pilgrim's Song"; and again in D. Sedgwick's reprint of Seagrave's Hymns, 1860. In 1753 Seagrave's intimate friend, G. Whitefield, included it, with the omission of st. iii., as No. 2 of Pt. ii. of his Hymns for Social Worship. This was repeated in most of the older collections, and is the form of the hymn usually given in modern hymnals. The use of this hymn is extensive in Great Britain and America. Original text in Lyra Britannica, 1867.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

AMSTERDAM (Foundery Collection)

Variation of Hille's SERVICE. For more tune info, see "Hymn Tune Index" (http://hymntune.library.illinois.edu) 1648a-d. Note how attributions to James Nares don't appear until after 1820.

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Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 100 of 800)
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A Book of Hymns and Tunes #148

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A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #238

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A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion. (10th ed.) #238

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A Book of Song and Service #97

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A Choice Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs #LVII

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A Choice Collection of Hymns, in which are some never before printed #LXXV

A Chord #d93

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A Collection of Hymn Tunes from the most modern and approved authors #XV

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A Collection of Hymns and a Liturgy #630

A Collection of Hymns and Psalms for the Use of Singing School and Musical Societies #d128

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social and Domestic Worship #d705

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social and Domestic Worship #d709

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social, and Domestic Worship #d709

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A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social, and Domestic Worship #556

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A Collection of Hymns for the use of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in America #935

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A Collection of Hymns, for the Christian Church and Home #140

A Collection of Hymns, Original and Select, for the Use of Small Assemblies and Private Christians #d73

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A Collection of Hymns #296

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship #431

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship (10th ed.) #431

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship (6th ed.) #431

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship. (3rd ed.) #431

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship. (45th ed.) #431

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship. 16th ed. #431

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Social and Private Worship #CCXCI

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Sanctuary #382

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of Universalist Societies and Families 16ed. #492

A Collection of Psalms and Hymns Suited to the Various Occasions of Public Worship #d272

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns #122

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns #255

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A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #255

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A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #255

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A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #176

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A Collection of Sacred Song #123(H145)

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A Collection of Sacred Song #123(H145)

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A Collection of Spiritual Hymns #747

A Compilation of Genuine Church Music. 4th ed. #d241

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A Handy Book of Old and Familiar Hymns #29

A Hymnal for Friends #123

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A Manual of Devotion and Hymns for the House of Refuge, City of New York #274

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A Manual of Worship #163

A New and Beautiful Collection of Select Hymns and Spiritual Songs #d274

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A New Selection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs #710

A New Service and Tune Book for Sunday Schools. New ed. #d107

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A Pastor's Selection of Hymns and Tunes #341

A School Service Book #d141

A Selection of Hymns #d237

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A Selection of Hymns & Psalms #236

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A Selection of Hymns and Psalms for Social and Private Worship (6th ed.) #O4

A Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs from the Best Authors #d168

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A Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs #S.XCVI[LXXVI]

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A Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs #S.XCVI

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A Selection of Hymns for Worship (2nd ed.) #26

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A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors. #301

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A Selection of Hymns, from the Best Authors #192

A Selection of Hymns, from Various Authors #d321

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A Selection of Hymns #CCCI

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A Selection of Hymns #64

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for ... Diocese of Nova Scotia. 3rd ed. #d283

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of the Diocese of Nova Scotia. 3rd ed. #d286

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns, Embracing all the Varieties of Subjects #H58

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #282

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #CCLXXXII

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #282

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A Selection of Psalms with occasional hymns (Charleston hymnal) #H.XXIV

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A Selection of Spiritual Songs #939

A Treasury of Hymns, the Best-Loved Hymns, Carols ... #d201

Additional Hymns, Designed as a Supplement to Dwight's Psalms & Hymns #d155

Advent Hymn Book #d82

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African Methodist Episcopal hymn and tune book #538

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American Psalmody #226

American Sunday School Hymn Book. 2nd ed. #a254

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American Sunday School Hymn Book. New ed. #aa254

Angelic Songs #d161

Asaph #d220

Association Hymn Book #d163

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Association Hymn Book #154

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Baptist Chorals #381

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Baptist Hymn Book #aB52

Baptist Hymnal #122

Book of Common Praise #d480

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Book of Praise for the Sunday School #93[157]

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Book of Worship (Rev. ed.) #407

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Book of Worship with Hymns and Tunes #438

Pages

Exclude 795 pre-1979 instances
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