We Limit Not the Truth of God

Representative Text

1 We limit not the truth of God
to our poor reach of mind,
to notions of our day and sect,
crude, partial and confined:
no, let a new and better hope
within our hearts be stirred:
the Lord has yet more light and truth
to break forth from his word.

2 Our faithful forebears searching went
the first steps of the way;
this was the dawning, yet to grow
into this perfect day.
And grow it shall, our glorious sun
will brighter rays afford:
the Lord has yet more light and truth
to break forth from his word.

3 O Father, Son, and Spirit, send
us increase from above;
enlarge, expand all living souls
to comprehend your love;
and make us all go on to know,
with nobler powers conferred,
that you have yet more light and truth
to break forth from your word.


Source: Together in Song: Australian hymn book II #453

Author: George Rawson

Born: June 5, 1807, Leeds, England. Died: March 25, 1889, Clifton, England. Buried: Arno’s Vale Cemetery, Bristol, England. Pseudonym: A Leeds Layman. Rawson, George, was born June 5, 1807, at Leeds, in which town he practised for many years as a solicitor. In 1853 he assisted the Congregational ministers of Leeds in the compilation of Psalms, Hymns, and Passages of Scripture for Christian Worship, a volume commonly known as the Leeds Hymn-book. Mr. Rawson was a member of the Congregational body. In 1858 he also assisted Rev. Dr. Green and other Baptist ministers in the preparation of Psalms and Hymns for the use of the Baptist Denomination. A number of Mr. Rawson's own compositions first appeared in this and in the Leeds Hymn-boo… Go to person page >

Notes

We limit not the truth of God. G. Rawson. [Profound Depth of Holy Scripture.] This hymn was given in the Leeds Hymn Book, 1853, No. 409, in 5 stanzas of 8 lines, and headed with the following extract upon which it was based:—

"He charged us before God, and His blessed angels, if God should reveal anything to us by any other instrument of His, to be as ready to receive it as any truth by his ministry; for he was very confident the Lord had more light and truth yet to break forth out of His holy word." Narrative of Pastor Robinson's Address to the Pilgrim Fathers.

This note, together with the hymn, also appeared in Mr. Rawson's Hymns, Verses, and Chants, 1876.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

OLD 22nd


ELLACOMBE

Published in a chapel hymnal for the Duke of Würtemberg (Gesangbuch der Herzogl, 1784), ELLACOMBE (the name of a village in Devonshire, England) was first set to the words "Ave Maria, klarer und lichter Morgenstern." During the first half of the nineteenth century various German hymnals altered the…

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HILLS


Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #7211
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Instances

Instances (1 - 9 of 9)
Page Scan

Community of Christ Sings #69

Page Scan

Hymns for a Pilgrim People #253

Hymns of the Saints #309

Hymns of Truth & Light #1

Shaping Sanctuary #275

TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #7211

Text

The Hymnal 1982 #629

TextPage Scan

The New Century Hymnal #316

Text

Together in Song #453

Include 14 pre-1979 instances
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