CHRISTIAN LIFE >> our love for god
SDAH 459
As the bridegroom to His chosen,
As the king to His realm,
As the keep unto the castle,
As the pilot to the helm,
So, Lord, art Thou to me.
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For Worship Leaders
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Hymn Spotlight: As the Bridegroom to His Chosen
This poetic text traces back to medieval mystic John Tauler (c. 1300–1361), a renowned German preacher whose sermons deeply influenced later Christian leaders, including John and Charles Wesley. The English translation is by Emma Frances Bevan (1827–1909), whose gift for rendering German devotional poetry brought Tauler’s imagery to a new audience. Here, Christ is likened to treasures and joys of earthly life, but with greater, eternal worth. In 1969, composer Peter Cutts wrote the tender and expressive tune BRIDEGROOM in just 30 minutes, perfectly matching the text’s intimate devotion. The hymn calls believers to see Jesus not only as Lord and Savior, but as the Beloved—our joy, strength, and treasure forever.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
John Tauler was one of the most celebrated of the medieval mystics, and, according to Julian, one of the most famous of all German preachers. Born about 1300 at Strasbourg, he studied at the local Dominican convent for eight years, then he went to Cologne for four years of practical theology. In 1339 he was at Basel, Switzerland, in close association with a man named Heinrich and the so-called “Friends of God.” After 1346 the remainder of his life and work was at Cologne and Strasbourg. A book of his sermons was printed in Leipzig, 1498, which later was read and appreciated by John and Charles Wesley in the Holy Club at Oxford. A book of hymns attributed to Tauler was printed at Cologne, 1543, titled Werke (Works). He died at Strasbourg on June 16, 1361.
Emma Frances Bevan’s father was Philip N. Shuttleworth, warden of New College, Oxford, at the time of her birth on September 25, 1827. The wife of a Lombard Street banker, she studied the German mystics and excelled at translating their hymns from the German into English. This one appeared in Songs of Eternal Life, 1858. The very next year she published another volume of hymns, Songs of Praise for Christian Pilgrims. The first time “As the bridegroom to his chosen” appeared in a hymnal was in the English School Worship, 1926, but the tune used there did not “catch on.” Bevan died at Cannes, France, on February 13, 1909.
Erik Routley (see SDAH 13) considered this text for a new hymnal he was compiling, and asked his friend, Peter Cutts (1937-; see Biographies) to compose one. Sitting down at the piano, Cutts did so in about 30 minutes. The result is the charming BRIDEGROOM, which seems to fit so perfectly the spirit of this poem that compares Christ to a whole spectrum of things of earthly value. The hymn with this new tune was first used in the supplement 100 Hymns for Today printed in 1969 by Hymns Ancient and Modern. Cutts is considered the leading musician in the United Reformed Church in England, and one of the most gifted contemporary composers of hymn tunes.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
As the bridegroom to His chosen,
As the king to His realm,
As the keep unto the castle,
As the pilot to the helm,
So, Lord, art Thou to me.
2
As the fountain in the garden,
As the candle in the dark,
As the treasure in the coffer,
As the manna in the ark,
So, Lord, art Thou to me.
3
As the ruby in the setting,
As the honey in the comb,
As the light within the lantern,
As the father in the home,
So, Lord, art Thou to me.
4
As the sunshine in the heavens,
As the image in the glass,
As the fruits up in the fig tree,
As the dew upon the grass,
So, Lord, art Thou to me.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Rev 21:2
Author
from John Tauler (1300-1361)
Translator
Emma F. Bevan, 1858 (1827-1909)
Performance Suggestions
Unison
Copyright
Music copyright 1969 by Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Hymn Tune
BRIDEGROOM
Metrical Number
8.7.8.7.6.
Composer
Peter Cutts (1937-)
Year Composed
1969
