To Thine eternal arms, O God

Representative Text

1 To Thine eternal arms, O God,
Take us, Thine erring children, in;
From dangerous paths too boldly trod,
From wandering thoughts and dreams of sin.

2 Those arms were round our childhood's ways,
A guard through helpless years to be;
O leave not our maturer days!
We still are helpless without Thee.

We trusted hope and pride and strength;
Our strength proved false, our pride was vain,
Our dreams have faded all at length —
We come to Thee, O Lord, again!

A guide to trembling steps yet be!
Give us of Thine eternal powers!
So shall our paths all lead to Thee,
And life still smile, like childhood’s hours.

Amen.

Source: The Hymnal #90

Author: Thomas W. Higginson

Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, M.A., was born at Cambridge, U.S.A., Dec. 22, 1823, and educated at Harvard. From 1847 to 1850 he was Pastor of an Unitarian Church at Newburyport, and from 1852 to 1858 at Worcester. In 1858 he retired from the Ministry, and devoted himself to literature. During the Rebellion he was colonel of the first negro regiment raised in South Carolina. In addition to being for some time a leading contributor to the Atlantic Monthly, he published Outdoor Papers, 1863; Malbone, 1869; and other works. During his residence at the Harvard Divinity School he contributed the following hymns to Longfellow and Johnson's Book of Hymns, 1846:— 1. No human eyes Thy face may see. God known through love. 2. The land our fathe… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: To Thine eternal arms, O God
Author: Thomas W. Higginson (1847)
Source: Book of Hymns
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

FEDERAL STREET

Henry Kemble Oliver (b. Beverly, MA, 1800; d. Salem, MA, 1885) composed FEDERAL STREET in 1832, possibly as an imitation of earlier psalm tunes in long meter. He took it to a music class taught by Lowell Mason (who may have contributed to the harmony); Mason (PHH 96) published it in his Boston Acade…

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MELCOMBE (Webbe)

Also known as: ST. PHILIPS BENEDICTION GRANTON NAZARETH MELCOMBE was first used as an anonymous chant tune (with figured bass) in the Roman Catholic Mass and was published in 1782 in An Essay on the Church Plain Chant. It was first ascribed to Samuel Webbe (the elder; b. London, England, 1740; d.…

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SYMPATHY (Basford)


Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #6949
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)

Instances

Instances (1 - 42 of 42)
Text

A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.) #205

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A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion. (10th ed.) #205

A. M. E. C. Hymnal #439

A.M.E. Hymnal #d406

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Church Harmonies #671

Devotional Melodies, Adapted to Social Worship #d100

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Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and the Home. (Rev. ed.) #85

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Hymn Book for Christian Worship #375

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Hymn Book for Christian Worship. 8th ed. #a375

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Hymnal Amore Dei #91

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Hymnal, Amore Dei #91

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Hymnal, Amore Dei. Rev. ed. #a91

Hymns of the Christian Life #d450

Hymns of the Christian Life #d445

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Hymns of the Christian Life #245

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Hymns of the Church Universal #424

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Hymns of the Spirit #35

Lyra Sacra Americana #d213

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National Hymn and Tune Book #8

Prayers and Hymns for the Church and the Home #d749

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Services for Congregational Worship. The New Hymn and Tune Book #246

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Singers and Songs of the Liberal Faith #510

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Songs for the Chapel #90a

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Songs for the Chapel #90b

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Songs of the Christian Life #79a

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Songs of the Christian Life #79b

Songs of the Unity #d221

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The Council Hymnal #39

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The Cyber Hymnal #6949

The Gospel Hymnal #d654

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The Gospel Psalmist #311

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The Hymnal #90

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The Pilgrim Hymnal #216

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The Pilgrim Hymnal #306

The Plymouth Hymnal #d562

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The Treasury of American Sacred Song with Notes Explanatory and Biographical #161

Unitarian Service Book, and Hymns for Church and Home. Abridged ed. #d463

University Hymn Book for use in the Chapel of Harvard University #d257

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Worship Song #274

Exclude 41 pre-1979 instances
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