CHRISTIAN LIFE >> HOPE & COMFORT
SDAH 477
Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish.
come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.
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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: Come, Ye Disconsolate
Written in 1816 by Irish poet Thomas Moore, this hymn speaks tenderly to the sorrowing, pointing them to Christ as the source of comfort and hope. In 1831, American composer Thomas Hastings adapted the text, replacing references to “shrine” with “mercy seat” and adding his own third stanza, giving the hymn its familiar invitation to seek God’s presence in prayer. The tune, CONSOLATOR, is a German melody harmonized in 1792 by Samuel Webbe, a Roman Catholic musician known for his sacred compositions in London chapels. Its gentle, flowing lines perfectly match the hymn’s compassionate appeal: no matter the grief, guilt, or need, the mercy seat of Christ is always open.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
The words of this hymn were written by Thomas Moore (1779-1852; see SDAH 58) in 1816 to fit a German air that appealed to him, and they give comfort to sorrowing ones. The original words of the second line of the first stanza were “Come, at the shrine of God, fervently kneel” but they were changed in 1831 by Thomas Hastings (1784-1872; see SDAH 300) to the present version, which employs “mercy seat” instead. The word shrine connotes Roman Catholic associations and forms of worship, with which Moore was familiar. Hastings also substituted his own third stanza for Moore’s original.
The tune CONSOLATOR, in contradistinction to SDAH 498, CONSOLATION, is a German melody harmonized in 1792 by Samuel Webbe, who was born in London in 1740. At the age of 11 he was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker, but was more interested in the study of modern languages. In order to support himself, he worked as a copier of music, and this influenced him to take up a musical career. He had music lessons from the organist at the chapel of the Bavarian Embassy in 1776. He was also organist at the chapels of the Portuguese and Sardinian embassies in London. A Roman Catholic, he composed a considerable amount of music for the services in these chapels, as well as catches and glees. He edited An Essay on the Church Plain Chant, 1782, a collection for use in the Roman Catholic chapels in London, and with his son prepared A Collection of Motets and Antiphones, 1792. He died in London, on May 25, 1816.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish.
come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.
2
Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
“Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot cure.”
3
Here see the bread of life; waters flowing
forth from the throne of God, pure from above.
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing
earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Matt 11:28 (b) John 14:18 (c) John 6:48; Rev 22:1
Author
Thomas Moore (1779-1852)
St. 3, Thomas Hastings (1784-1872)
Year Published
1816 / 1831
Hymn Tune
CONSOLATOR
Metrical Number
11.10.11.10.
Tune Source
Samuel Webbe, 1792 (1740-1816)
