JESUS CHRIST >> GLORY & PRAISE
SDAH 242
Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts!
Thou fount of life! Thou light of men!
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again.
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Hymn Spotlight: Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts
Another translation of Bernard of Clairvaux’s poetic meditation, this version by Ray Palmer speaks of Christ’s presence as our deepest joy and truest rest. Herbert Oakeley’s ABENDS provides a serene and reflective setting. Drink deeply of Christ’s love—He alone can satisfy.
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Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153; see SDAH 156) is credited with a hymn of about 48 stanzas entitled, ”Jesu, dulcis memoria” (Jesus, Sweet Memory), known as the “Jubilee Rhythm of the Name of Jesus” (see SDAH 241). Several translations of this hymn have been made from the original Latin, this one being by Ray Palmer in 1858 in his Sabbath Day Hymn Book. Bernard of Clairvaux also wrote the originals of SDAH 156, “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” and SDAH 241, “Jesus the Very Thought of Thee.” Palmer also wrote SDAH 517, “My Faith Looks Up to Thee.
Ray Palmer was born at Little Compton, Rhode Island, on November 12, 1808. He went to Boston and worked as a clerk in dry goods store and joined the Congregational Church. He spent 3 years at Phillip Academy in Andover before going to Yale University, where he graduated in 1830. After studying for the ministry, he was ordained in 1835, being appointed to the Central Congregational Church in Bath, Maine. In 1850 he was transferred to the First Congregational Church in Albany, New York, and in 1865 was appointed secretary of the American Congregational Union in New York City. He retired in 1878 to Newark, New Jersey, where he died on March 29, 1887. He wrote several books on religious topics and doctrine, including Hymns and Sacred Pieces, 1865; Hymns of My Holy Hours, 1868; and Poetical Works, 1876.
ABENDS (At Evening) was composed in 1874 by Herbert Stanley Oakeley within a short space of half an hour; nit is so named because it was composed specially for the evening hymn “Sun of My Soul” (SDAH 502). Oakeley felt that the tune in use, HURSELEY, was inappropriate because it very closely resembled a popular German drinking song. Each one of the four parts of ABENDS is interesting, carrying a melody of its own, a somewhat rare occurrence in four-part hymnody. Oakeley was born in Ealing, Middlesex, on July 22,1830. He was professor of music at Edinburgh University from 1865-1891, and was knighted in 1876 for his outstanding services to church music. He died in Eastbourne, Sussex, on October 26, 1903.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Stanza:
1 – Psalm 36:9
2 – Isaiah 40:8 – ?
Romans 10:13
Matthew 7:7
3 – John 6:51
John 4:14
Psalm 55:6
Text
1
Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts!
Thou fount of life! Thou light of men!
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again.
2
Thy truth unchanged has ever stood;
Thou savest those that on Thee call;
To them that seek Thee Thou art good,
To them that find Thee, all in all.
3
We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread,
And long to feast upon Thee still;
We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead,
And thirst our souls from Thee to fill!
4
Our restless spirits yearn for Thee,
Where-e’er our changeful lot is cast;
Glad, when Thy gracious smile we see,
Blest, when our faith can hold Thee fast.
5
O Jesus, ever with us stay;
Make all our moments calm and bright;
Chase the dark night of sin away,
Shed o’er the world Thy holy light!
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Ps 36:9 (b) Isa 40:8; Rom 10:13; Matt 7:7 (c) John 6:51; John 4:14; Ps 55:6
Author
Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)
Translator
Ray Palmer (1808-1887)
Hymn Tune
ABENDS
Metrical Number
L.M.
Composer
Herbert S. Oakley (1830-1903)
Year Composed
1874
