Some hymnals place this in the Ascension section or the Kingdom and Reign section. But it also finds an appropriate place in the Love of Christ for Us section, for His love made Him leave heaven and accept the crown of thorns and the death on the cross, in order that we might have life eternal. In fact, Kelly’s title was “perfect through sufferings” (Heb. 2:10). Primarily it is based on Hebrews 2:9, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Thomas Kelly (1769–1855; see SDAH 165) issued the fifth edition of Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture, 1820, in which this hymn appeared. Kelly also wrote SDAH 165, “Look, You Saints! the Sight Is Glorious,” and SDAH 222, “Hark! Ten Thousand Harps and Voices.”

ST. MAGNUS is generally attributed to Jeremiah Clark (1669–1707; see SDAH 19), whom Robert Bridges called “The Inventor of the Modern Hymn Tune.” Another tune by him in SDAH is No. 644, BISHOP. ST. MAGNUS was first printed in Henry Playford’s Divine Companion, where it was set to a metrical version of Psalm 117.

SDAH’s arrangement is by Melvin West (1930– ; see Biographies). For a different harmonization of the tune, see SDAH 19.