GOSPEL >> Consecration
SDAH 328
Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
and all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for everyone,
and there’s a cross for me.
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For Worship Leaders
Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.
Hymn Spotlight: Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone
This well-known hymn is a revision of a 17th-century text by Thomas Shepherd, originally titled “For Universal Obedience.” Though only five stanzas long in its earliest form, the hymn has gone through various adaptations—some attributed to G.N. Allen and others to Charles Beecher. Its message centers on the Christian’s call to share in the sufferings of Christ, echoing Jesus’ own words: “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross” (Matt. 16:24). The tune MAITLAND, written in 1844 by George Nelson Allen, uses the pentatonic scale, lending a reflective and meditative character. It’s worth noting that “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” shares a nearly identical melody, further anchoring this tune in the hearts of many. This hymn challenges believers not only to consider Christ’s sacrifice but also to commit to faithful discipleship—shouldering our crosses with the assurance of an eternal crown.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
This hymn is an extensive modification of one written by Thomas Shepherd and printed in Penitential Cries, 1693. Born March 9, 1665, England, Shepherd was a minister of the Church of England and followed his father into the Congregational Church in 1698, ministering in Northampton and in Essex. In Bocking, Essex, he served for almost 40 years and died January 29, 1739. The full poem is entitled “For Universal Obedience,” and consist of five stanzas. It has since been considerably altered. Alterations have been attributed to G. N. Allen, who wrote the tune, and to Charles Beecher (1815-1900), a Congregational minister of Litchfield, Connecticut, and brother of the Famous Henry Ward Beecher.
MAITLAND was composed in 1844 by George Nelson Allen especially for these words and was printed in Oberlin Social and Sabbath School Hymn Book, 1844. With the exception of the passing note of C, the second note in lines 1 and 3, the melody is written in the pentatonic (five-note) scale. The melody of “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” is almost exactly the same as this. Allen was born on September 7, 1812, at Mansfield, Ohio. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1838 and stayed on as a faculty member, teaching music and geology. He instituted the choral and instrumental programs of music education that finally developed into the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He retired in 1865 and died 12 years later in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 9, 1877.
The tune is named CROSS AND CROWN in Beecher’s Collection, 1855.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
and all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for everyone,
and there’s a cross for me.
2
The consecrated cross I’ll bear
till He shall set me free;
and then go home my crown to wear,
for there’s a crown for me.
3
Upon the crystal pavement, down
at Jesus’ pierced feet,
with joy I’ll cast my golden crown,
and His dear name repeat.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Matt 16:24 (b) Rev 2:10 (c) Rev 4:10
Author
Thomas Shepherd (1665-1739) and others
Year Published
1693
Hymn Tune
MAITLAND
Metrical Number
C.M.
Composer
George N. Allen (1812-1877)
Year Composed
1844
