SING without ceasing, sing
The Saviour’s present grace;
How all things shine
In light divine
For those who’ve seen His face.
SING without ceasing, sing
The Saviour’s present grace;
How all things shine
In light divine
For those who’ve seen His face.
He’s gone within the veil,
For us that place He’s won;
In Him we stand,
A heavenly band,
Where He Himself is gone.
There all’s unsullied light;
My heart lets in its rays,
And heavenly light
Makes all things bright,
Seen in that blissful gaze.
Such here on earth I am,
Though I in weakness roam;
My place on high,
God’s Self so nigh,
His presence is my home.
My heart is filled with bliss –
Heaven’s own eternal joys;
My soul at rest,
Of peace possessed,
That world its strength employs.
Thus, in divine delight
Of love so richly known,
God’s works below
With beauty glow;
His hand, His grace, I own.
And stayed by joy divine,
As hireling fills his day,
Through scenes of strife
And desert life
I tread in peace my way.
“All is a vain show around us; but that which is inside abides. When the heart gets hold of this fact, it becomes like one taken into the house to work for the day; performs the duties well, but passes through, instead of living in the circumstances . . . . The Lord keep us going on in simplicity, fulfilling as a hireling our day, till Christ shall come, and then shall every man have praise of God.”
J.N.D.
That way is upward still,
Where life and glory are;
My rest’s above,
In perfect love
The glory I shall share –
For ever with the Lord,
For ever like Him then –
And see His face
In that blest place,
My Father’s house in heaven.
John Nelson Darby (1800-82)
Written 1856
Most of the above are in Hymns for the Little Flock 1962 and 1973 – No 12
S.M. (6.6.8.6)
What will it be when all the strife is over,
And all Thy saints, now scattered far and wide,
Shall be without one shade of variation,
All like Thee, Lord, united by Thy side!
1 What will it be when all life’s toil is finished,
And we have entered our eternal rest;
When past for ever is the night of weeping,
And with Thee, Lord, we are for ever blest!
2 What will it be when all the strife is over,
And all Thy saints, now scattered far and wide,
Shall be without one shade of variation,
All like Thee, Lord, united by Thy side!
3 What will it be when sorrow’s day is ended,
And pain and grief for ever pass away;
When with Thee, Lord, we share the bright forever,
In perfect peace throughout the perfect day!
4 What will it be? – In blest anticipation
E’en now our hearts outpour in praise to Thee;
But when we see Thee face to face in glory,
Then purer, sweeter, shall our praises be.
Lord, in past and distant ages,
Long before the ken of man,
Ere creation’s words were spoken,
Or the heav’ns and earth began,
Thou wast there in all Thy glory –
Blessed Lord, we bow the knee –
Dwelling then in love unbounded:
Homage now we render Thee.
What that love no thought can fathom;
Nor can human lips define
Those relationships eternal,
All inscrutable, divine!
But, in time, Thou wouldst in manhood
Here the Name of God declare,
In a wondrous, blest relation
Which Thou couldst with others share.
All His will Thou hast accomplished,
All the work He gave Thee, done;
One in thought, in plan and purpose,
He the Father, Thou the Son.
But on resurrection’s morning,
To Thine own Thou didst declare
That Thy Father was their Father,
And His love they now might share.
Christ is the Saviour of sinners,
Christ is the Saviour for me;
Long I was chained in sin’s darkness,
Now by His grace I am free.
Saviour of sinners,
Saviour of sinners like me,
Giving Himself as a ransom –
This is the Saviour for me.
Christ is the Saviour of sinners, Christ is the Saviour for me; Long I was chained in sin’s darkness, Now by His grace I am free. Chorus.
Saviour of sinners, Saviour of sinners like me, Giving Himself as a ransom – This is the Saviour for me. Now I can say I am pardoned, Happy and justified, free, Saved by my blessed Redeemer – This is the Saviour for me. Just as I was He received me, Seeking from judgment to flee; Now there is no condemnation – This is the Saviour for me. Loved with a love that’s unchanging, Blessed with all blessings so free, How shall I tell out His praises! This is the Saviour for me. Soon shall the glory be dawning, Then, when His face I shall see, Sing, O my soul, in thy gladness, This is the Saviour for me!
A couple of Lord’s Days ago, my wife and I were at the house of Christian friends. Their grandchildren were there, and we sang a few children’s hymns. Of course, one was that perennial favourite, ‘Jesus loves me, this I know’. When they sang those words: ‘If I love Him when I die, He will take me home on high’, I thought ‘Wow! Are we teaching our children THAT?
Of course I would not be so narrow minded to stop children singing that hymn. If at a tender age, our young children can speak of Jesus’ love – that’s good. If they believe it from their hearts – that’s better. Nor do I expect them to be judicious as to the words. It’s taken me many years to think about them. Indeed, the thoughts knowing the Lord’s love, of believing the Bible, and trusting Him for everything, are good.
I note the verse containing these words was not in the original poem by Anna Warner. I am not sure whether they were in hymn lyrics by William Bradbury, there appears to be many versions. So it is clear that many have been concerned as to the implied doctrine in this and other children’s favourites, and have sought to modify the words.
Of course we know that our salvation is not conditional on our loving Him at the moment of death. The Lord’s work is a completed work: by accepting the Lord Jesus as my Saviour – He having died for my sins, I am saved for both time and eternity.
But I look back to my childhood in the 1950’s, and think: ‘Did I see Christianity – and more specifically the Christian meetings I attended, as a sphere of love and grace, or as a religion where I outwardly tried to keep to a level of conduct, making me believe that I was a better Christian than others? At the same time did I have a knowledge of the Lord Jesus as my Saviour? Was I saved?’ The answers to these were clear to me now. I thought myself better; I did not know if I was saved or not (and I was worried about that), and I saw Christianity as a series of rules protecting me from a world which was going to be judged. My attitude was not one of repentance. I could talk about having a personal link with the Lord, but I don’t think I really had one. No doubt I had attended many good preachings, but the message did not sink in. Of course God was gracious. But I am sure I was well into my 20’s before I really had peace, the assurance of salvation and of the indwelling Spirit of God. I don’t think my experience was untypical.
Here is a challenge for Christian parents, and those with influence in local gatherings. Do we really ensure that our young people understand the gospel of God’s grace. Of course a young person has to learn things by experience. But what are they getting from what they hear – and sing?
Some hymns do convey the true gospel message, for example, one that is a favourite amongst children in the company we meet with is:
Christ is the Saviour of sinners, Christ is the Saviour for me; Long I was chained in sin’s darkness, Now by His grace I am free. Chorus.
Saviour of sinners, Saviour of sinners like me, Giving Himself as a ransom – This is the Saviour for me. Now I can say I am pardoned, Happy and justified, free, Saved by my blessed Redeemer – This is the Saviour for me. Just as I was He received me, Seeking from judgment to flee; Now there is no condemnation – This is the Saviour for me. Loved with a love that’s unchanging, Blessed with all blessings so free, How shall I tell out His praises! This is the Saviour for me. Soon shall the glory be dawning, Then, when His face I shall see, Sing, O my soul, in thy gladness, This is the Saviour for me!
