CHRISTIAN LIFE >> FAITH & TRUST
SDAH 533
O, for a faith that will not shrink,
Though pressed by many a foe,
That will not tremble on the brink of poverty,
Of poverty or woe; Of poverty or woe;
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For Worship Leaders
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Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
William Hiley Bathurst (1796-1877; see SDAH 264) wrote this hymn, which appears in his Psalms and Hymns, 1831. It was entitled “The Power of Faith” and was based on the request of the disciples to the Lord, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). Originally there were six stanzas.
NORTHFIELD was composed in the town of that name in Massachu- setts, by Jeremiah Ingalls (1764-1828; see SDAH 236). He had stopped in a tavern and ordered his dinner, and wondered how long he would have to wait for it. This started a train of thought that led to his recalling the hymn by Isaac Watts (1674-1748) that begins, “Lo, what a glorious sight appears” (see SDAH 446).
The last stanza reads:
How long, dear Savior, oh, how long
Shall this bright hour delay?
Fly swifter round, ye wheels of time! And bring the welcome day.
The phrase “How long?” led Ingalls to compose this tune in Common Meter. The original was a fuguing tune, which can be found in Hymns and Tunes, 1886. It was arranged in regular four-part harmony by Harold Hannum, editor of Church Hymnal, 1941. Ingalls also preserved the tune I LOVE THEE, in his Christian Harmony, 1805.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
O, for a faith that will not shrink,
Though pressed by many a foe,
That will not tremble on the brink of poverty,
Of poverty or woe; Of poverty or woe;
2
That will not murmur or complain
Beneath the chastening rod,
But in the hour of grief or pain, of grief or pain
Can lean upon its God; Can lean upon its God.
3
A faith that shines more bright and clear
When tempests rage without;
That when in danger knows no fear, knows of no fear,
In darkness feels no doubt; In darkness feels no doubt.
4
That bears unmoved the world’s dread frown,
Nor heeds its scornful smile;
That sin’s wild ocean cannot drown, no, cannot drown,
Nor its soft arts beguile; Nor its soft arts beguile.
5
Lord, give me such a faith as this,
And then, whate’er may come
I’ll taste, e’en here the hallowed bliss, the hallowed bliss
Of an eternal home; Of an eternal home.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(b) Heb 12:11
Author
William H. Bathurst (1796-1877)
Year Published
1831
Hymn Tune
NORTHFIELD
Metrical Number
C.M.
Composer
Jeremiah Ingalls (1764-1828)
