Thou, the Christ for ever one

Representative Text

1. Thou, the Christ forever one,
Mary’s child and Israel’s God,
Daniel’s prince and David’s son,
Jacob’s star and Jesse’s rod,
Thou of whom of the prophets spake,
Thou in whom their words came true,
Hear the pleading prayer we make,
Hear the Gentile for the Jew!

2. Knowing what the Spirit saith,
Sure of Thee, our Christ divine,
Lo, we stand, by right of faith,
Heirs of Abraham’s chartered line;
Can we then his sons forget,
Branches severed from their tree,
Exiles from their homes, and yet
Kinsmen, Lord, in flesh to Thee?

3. Though the blood betrayed and spilt,
On the race entailed a doom,
Let its virtue cleanse the guilt,
Melt the hardness, chase the gloom;
Lift the veil from off their heart,
Make them Israelites indeed,
Meet once more for lot and part
With Thy household’s genuine seed.

4. Thou that didst Thy dews outpour,
Crowning alien grafts with fruit,
Soon the native growths restore,
Making glad the parent root:
Ah! but let not pride ensnare
Souls that need to mourn their sin;
Still the boughs adopted spare,
And the outcasts—graft them in!

5. Speed the day of union sweet
When with us in faith allied,
Israel’s heart shall turn to greet
Thee, whom Israel crucified;
Thee, in all Thy truth and grace,
Owned at last as Salem’s king,
While her children find their place,
Gathered safe beneath Thy wing.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #6948

Author: William Bright

Bright, William, D.D., born at Doncaster, Dec. 14, 1824, and educated at University College, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. (first class in Lit. Hum.) in 1846, M.A. in 1849. In 1847 he was Johnson's Theological Scholar: and in 1848 he also obtained the Ellerton Theological Essay prize. He was elected Fellow in 1847, and subsequently became Tutor of his College. Taking Holy Orders in 1848, he was for some time Tutor at Trinity College, Glenalmond; but in 1859 he returned to Oxford, and in 1868 became Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Canon of Christ Church. His publications include:— (1) Ancient Collects, selected from various Rituals, 1857, 2nd ed., 1862; (2) History of the Church from the Edict of Milan to the Council of… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Thou, the Christ for ever one
Author: William Bright
Language: English

Tune

ABERYSTWYTH (Parry)

Joseph Parry (b. Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Wales, 1841; d. Penarth, Glamorganshire, 1903) was born into a poor but musical family. Although he showed musical gifts at an early age, he was sent to work in the puddling furnaces of a steel mill at the age of nine. His family immigrated to a Welsh…

Go to tune page >


CULFORD


Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #6948
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (1 - 4 of 4)
Page Scan

A Missionary Hymn Book #137

Page Scan

Hymns Ancient and Modern (Standard ed.) #591

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Edition #534

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #6948

Exclude 3 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us