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.

Go to tune page >


Timeline

Instances

Instances (701 - 800 of 800)

The Sacred Lyre #d58

Page Scan

The Sacred Lyre #323

The Sacred Minstrel #d77

Page Scan

The Saint's Harp #72

The Sanctus #d200

The School Hymn Book #d58

Page Scan

The School Hymnary #189

The School Psalter #d220

The Service of Song for Baptist Churches #d757

The Service of Praise #d258

The Service of Song for Baptist Churches #d477

TextPage Scan

The Seventh-Day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book #837

Page Scan

The Silver Trumpet #194

Page Scan

The Singing Book for Boys' and Girls' Meetings #111

Page Scan

The Social and Sabbath School Hymn-Book. (5th ed.) #237

The Social Harp #d257

The Social Harp. Rev. #d312

Page Scan

The Social Psalmist #216

The South Western Psalmist #d335

TextAudioPage Scan

The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion (New ed. thoroughly rev. and much enl.) #47

TextAudioPage Scan

The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion (New ed. thoroughly rev. and much enl.) #72b

The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion. New ed. #72b

The Southern Psalmist #d699

The Southern Psalmist. New ed. #d732

Page Scan

The Spirit of Praise #157

Page Scan

The Springfield Collection of Hymns for Sacred Worship #257

Page Scan

The Standard Church Hymnal #266

The Student Hymnary #d298

Page Scan

The Students' Hymnal #132

Page Scan

The Sunday School Chant and Tune Book #74

Page Scan

The Sunday School Service and Tune Book #112

The Tabernacle #d257

The Tabernacle Chorus #d143

Page Scan

The Tabernacle Chorus (Trinity ed.) #146

The Temple Harp #d271

Page Scan

The Tribute of Praise and Methodist Protestant Hymn Book #517

Page Scan

The Tribute of Praise #517

Page Scan

The Tribute of Praise #517

The Union Harp and Revival Chorister. Rev ed. #d303

The Union Hymnal #d23

The Union Singing Book #d96

Page Scan

The Union Singing Book #52

The Universalist Hymn Book #d379

Page Scan

The Universalist Hymn-Book #172

The Vestry Harp #d156

The Vestry Hymn and Tune Book #d400

The Vestry Hymn Book #d381

Page Scan

The Vestry Singing Book #94

The Victory #d316

Page Scan

The Virginia Selection of Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs #445

Page Scan

The Voice of melody #114

Page Scan

The Voice of melody #155

The Voice of Praise #d218

TextPage Scan

The Voice of Praise #958

Page Scan

The Voice of Thanksgiving No. 2 #333

Page Scan

The Voice of Thanksgiving No. 3 #333

Page Scan

The Voice of Thanksgiving No. 4 #181

Page Scan

The Wesleyan Methodist Hymnal #632

The Western Harp #d166

Page Scan

The Westminster Hymnal for congregational and social use and for the Sunday School #243

Page Scan

The Woman's Hymnal #79

Page Scan

The Wreath of Gems #3

The Young Churchman's Hymnal (Diocese of Western New York) #d43

The Young Churchman's Hymnal. 5th ed. #d42

Page Scan

The Zion Songster #280

Page Scan

The Zion Songster #280

Page Scan

Triumphant Songs No.2 #326

Page Scan

Triumphant Songs No.3 #146

Page Scan

Triumphant Songs Nos. 3 and 4 Combined #146

Triune Hymnal #d136

Union Hymns. Rev. #d324

Union Hymns. Rev. #d333

Union Prayer Meeting Hymns #d184

Union Prayer Meeting Hymns #d184

Unitarian Service Book, and Hymns for Church and Home. Abridged ed. #d367

Unity Hymns and Chorals. Rev and enl. with Service Elements #d245

Universalist Hymn Book #d454

University Hymn Book for use in the Chapel of Harvard University #d204

Page Scan

University Hymns #134

Page Scan

University Hymns #265

Page Scan

Victory Songs #190

Village Hymns #277

Page Scan

Village hymns for social worship, selected and original #277

Page Scan

Village hymns for social worship, selected and original #277

Page Scan

Village Hymns for Social Worship, Selected and Original #277

Virginia Selection of Psalms #d363

Page Scan

Waters' Choral Harp #142

Page Scan

Worship and Song #258

Page Scan

Worship and Song Edition B #ad208

Worship in Song #d263

Page Scan

Worship in Song #536

Page Scan

Young Singer's Friend #a5

Page Scan

Zion's Songster #119

Pages

Exclude 795 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us