Grace! 'Tis a Charming Sound

Representative Text

1 Grace! 'tis a charming sound
Harmonious to my ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.

2 Grace first contrived the way
To save rebellious man;
And all the steps that grace display
Which drew the wondrous plan.

3 Grace taught my wandering feet
To tread the heavenly road;
And new supplies each hour I meet,
While pressing on to God.

4 Grace all the works shall crown,
Through everlasting days;
It lays in heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.

Source: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #214

Author: Philip Doddridge

Philip Doddridge (b. London, England, 1702; d. Lisbon, Portugal, 1751) belonged to the Non-conformist Church (not associated with the Church of England). Its members were frequently the focus of discrimination. Offered an education by a rich patron to prepare him for ordination in the Church of England, Doddridge chose instead to remain in the Non-conformist Church. For twenty years he pastored a poor parish in Northampton, where he opened an academy for training Non-conformist ministers and taught most of the subjects himself. Doddridge suffered from tuberculosis, and when Lady Huntington, one of his patrons, offered to finance a trip to Lisbon for his health, he is reputed to have said, "I can as well go to heaven from Lisbon as from Nort… Go to person page >

Text Information

Notes

Grace, 'tis a charming sound. P. Doddridge. [Salvation by Grace.] First published in his (posthumous) Hymns, &c, by J. Orton, in 1755, in 4 stanzas of 4 lines, as follows:—

"cclxxxvi. Salvation by Grace. Eph. ii. 5.
1. Grace! 'tis a charming Sound,
Harmonious to my Ear!
Heav'n with the Echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
2. Grace first contriv'd a Way
To save rebellious Man,
And all the Steps that Grace display,
Which drew the wond'rous Plan.
3. Grace taught my wand'ring Feet
To tread the heav'nly Road,
And new Supplies each Hour I meet,
While pressing on to God.
4. Grace all the Work shall crown
Thro' everlasting Days;
It lays in Heav'n the topmost Stone,
And well deserves the Praise."

This text was repeated in J. D. Humphreys's edition of the Hymns, &c., 1839, with the change in stanza i., line 2, of "my ear," to "mine ear."
In his Psalms & Hymns, 1776, A. M. Toplady gave a cento as No. 134 which was thus composed:—
i. Doddridge, stanza i., with line2, "the ear" for "my ear."
ii. Doddridge, stanza ii.
iii. Toplady:—

" Twas grace that wrote my name
In Thy eternal book;
'Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took."

iv. Doddridge, stanza iii., with, in line 1, "forc'd" for “taught."
v. Toplady:—

"Grace taught my soul to pray,
And made my eyes o'erflow.
'Twas grace which kept me to this day,
And will not let me go."

vi. Doddridge, stanza iv.
vii. Toplady:—

"O let Thy grace inspire
My soul with strength divine!
May all my powers to Thee aspire,
And all my days be Thine."

From the original, or from this cento, all modern versions of the hymn are derived, and their construction can be determined by collation with the texts as given above. The use of the hymn in various forms is very extensive in all English-speaking countries. It is sometimes given as "Grace! 'tis a joyful sound," as in Harland's Church Psalter & Hymnal, No. 282. Doddridge's text, slightly altered, is rendered into Latin as “Gratia, quain dulcis vox nostris auribus ilia!" in R. Bingham's Hymnologia Christiana Latina, 1871.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

SILVER STREET

Although this tune is widely attributed to Isaac Smith and was published in Smiths Collection of Psalm Tunes, London, ca. 1780, Smith does not claim to be the composer. The tune also appeared in other books of similar or earlier date. Southern Harmony, 1835 attributes the tune to J. Street. - From T…

Go to tune page >


[Grace! 'tis a charming sound] (Sankey)


Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 100 of 815)

A Baptist Hymn Book, Designed Especially for the Regular Baptist Church and All Lovers of Truth #d246

A Book of Worship for the Use of the Evangelical Lutheran Church ... of the Church of the Redeemer, Richmond, Virginia #d40

Page Scan

A Choice Selection of Evangelical Hymns, from various authors #188

Page Scan

A Choice Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the use of the Baptist Church and all lovers of song #181

Page Scan

A Choice Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs #LXV

A Choice Selection of Hymns. 6th ed. #d85

Page Scan

A Choice Selection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the use of Christians #204

A Collection of Choral Hymns for the ... Hanson Place Methodist Episcopal Congregation #d53

Text

A Collection of Evangelical Hymns #LIX

A Collection of Evergreen Hymns, for All the People. New ed. #d44

Page Scan

A Collection of Hymns and a Liturgy for the Use of Evangelical Lutheran Churches #60

Page Scan

A Collection of Hymns and a Liturgy #60

TextPage Scan

A Collection of Hymns and A Liturgy #60

TextPage Scan

A Collection of Hymns and Prayers, for Public and Private Worship #109

Page Scan

A Collection of Hymns and Sacred Songs #478

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social and Domestic Worship #d272

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social and Domestic Worship #d273

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social, and Domestic Worship #d272

Page Scan

A Collection of Hymns for Public, Social, and Domestic Worship #194

Page Scan

A Collection of Hymns for the use of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in America #288

A Collection of Hymns from Various Authors. New ed. #d117

Page Scan

A Collection of Hymns, for the use of the United Brethren in Christ #678

Page Scan

A Collection of Hymns #233

Page Scan

A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of Universalist Societies and Families 16ed. #329

Page Scan

A Collection of Psalms and Hymns, for Social and Private Worship #182

Page Scan

A Collection of Psalms and Hymns #612

A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #d97

Page Scan

A Collection of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs #104

Page Scan

A Collection of Sacred Song #67(H23)

Page Scan

A Collection of Sacred Song #67(H23)

Page Scan

A Collection of Spiritual Hymns #97

Page Scan

A Manual of Devotion and Hymns for the House of Refuge, City of New York #186

Page Scan

A Manual of Devotion for Soldiers and Sailors #22

A New and Beautiful Collection of Select Hymns and Spiritual Songs #d103

A New and Choice Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the Use of the Regular Baptist Church. 10th ed. #d173

A New Book of Hymns for the Use of the Methodist Episcopal and Other Churches #d78

A New Selection of Psalms and Hymns from the Most Approved Authors, Adapted to Public and Private Worship. 2nd ed. #d164

Page Scan

A New Selection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs #54

Page Scan

A Pastor's Selection of Hymns and Tunes #270

Page Scan

A Selection of Favorite Conference Hymns with Historical Sketches of Church History #34

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns & Psalms #84

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns and Psalms for Social and Private Worship (6th ed.) #127

A Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs from the Best Authors #d70

A Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Designed for the Use of the Pious #d44

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs #H.XLIII

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs #H.XLIII

Text

A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #201

A Selection of Hymns for the Use of Church of England Sunday Schools, Bible Classes ... New ed. #d87

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns for the use of social religious meetings, and for private devotions 2d ed. #6

A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors, intended to be an Appendix to Dr. Watts' Psalms & Hymns. 2nd Baltimore ed. #aCXI

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors. #111b

Page Scan

A Selection of Hymns, from the Best Authors #83

A Selection of Hymns, from the Best Authors, Designed as a Supplement to Dr. Watts' Psalms and Hymns #d191

A Selection of Hymns, from Various Authors #d118

TextPage Scan

A Selection of Hymns #CXI

A Selection of Hymns....3d ed #d82

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for ... Diocese of Nova Scotia. 3rd ed. #d108

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of the Diocese of Nova Scotia. 3rd ed. #d107

Page Scan

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #160

TextPage Scan

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #CLX

Page Scan

A Selection of Psalms and Hymns #160

Page Scan

A Selection of Spiritual Songs #690

A. M. E. C. Hymnal #423

A.M.E. Hymnal #d116

TextPage Scan

African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal #214

Page Scan

African Methodist Episcopal hymn and tune book #152

Page Scan

Alexander's Male Choir #88

American Sunday School Hymn Book. 2nd ed. #a225

Page Scan

American Sunday School Hymn Book. New ed. #aa225

Page Scan

Baptist Chorals #246

Page Scan

Baptist Hymn Book #a164

Baptist Songs with Music #d58

Book of Common Praise #d164

Book of Hymns for the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Wisconsin and Other States #d76

Book of Hymns for the joint Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and other states #d76

TextPage Scan

Book of Worship (Rev. ed.) #94

TextPage Scan

Book of Worship with Hymns and Tunes #126

Page Scan

Book of Worship #94

Calvary Selection of Spiritual Songs with Music for the Church and the Choir #d275

Cân a Mawl #170b

Page Scan

Carmina Sacra #143

Page Scan

Carmina Sanctorum, a selection of hymns and songs of praise with tunes #352

Page Scan

Carmina Sanctorum #352

Carols of Truth #d46

Chapel Hymns #d177

Page Scan

Choice Hymns of the Faith #83

Page Scan

Choice Hymns #125

Page Scan

Choral Echoes from the Church of God in All Ages #52

Page Scan

Christian Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #323

Page Scan

Christian Hymns #247

Pages

Exclude 797 pre-1979 instances
Suggestions or corrections? Contact us