BEDDOME'S "FATHER OF MERCIES"
Among the two main vehicles of teaching that have shaped Evangelical theology have been the Scriptures obviously and then the hymns that they have sung. This is why great care must be taken in choosing what a congregation will sing. What it sings sinks deep into the soul and informs the theological perspective of the singer.
For example, read the following hymn by Benjamin Beddome (1717-1795), which was entitled “Prayer for Ministers” when it was first published [Hymns adapted to Public Worship, or Family Devotion (London, 1818), #700], and consider what it conveys about the nature of pastoral ministry.
Beddome is one of my favourite hymn-writers. Yes, his hymns are not as consistently good as those of Watts or Wesley or Cowper. But they are solid in their Bible teaching, usually pursuing one main idea. Many of his hymns were written to accompany a specific sermon, thus the single-eyed focus of his hymns.
1 Father of mercies, bow thine ear,
Attentive to our earnest prayer;
We plead for those who plead for thee,
Successful pleaders may they be!
2 How great their work, how vast their charge,
Do thou their anxious souls enlarge;
Their best acquirements are our gain,
We share the blessings they obtain.
3 Clothe thou with energy divine
Their words, and let those words be thine;
To them thy sacred truth reveal,
Suppress their fear, enflame their zeal.
4 Teach them aright to sow the seed,
Teach them thy chosen flock to feed
Teach them immortal souls to gain,
Nor let them labour, Lord, in vain.
5 Let thronging multitudes around,
Hear from their lips the joyful sound;
In humble strains thy grace adore,
And feel thy new-creating power.
6 Let sinners break their massy chains,
Distressed souls forget their pains,
And light thro’ distant realms be spread,
Till Zion rears her drooping head.
For example, read the following hymn by Benjamin Beddome (1717-1795), which was entitled “Prayer for Ministers” when it was first published [Hymns adapted to Public Worship, or Family Devotion (London, 1818), #700], and consider what it conveys about the nature of pastoral ministry.
Beddome is one of my favourite hymn-writers. Yes, his hymns are not as consistently good as those of Watts or Wesley or Cowper. But they are solid in their Bible teaching, usually pursuing one main idea. Many of his hymns were written to accompany a specific sermon, thus the single-eyed focus of his hymns.
1 Father of mercies, bow thine ear,
Attentive to our earnest prayer;
We plead for those who plead for thee,
Successful pleaders may they be!
2 How great their work, how vast their charge,
Do thou their anxious souls enlarge;
Their best acquirements are our gain,
We share the blessings they obtain.
3 Clothe thou with energy divine
Their words, and let those words be thine;
To them thy sacred truth reveal,
Suppress their fear, enflame their zeal.
4 Teach them aright to sow the seed,
Teach them thy chosen flock to feed
Teach them immortal souls to gain,
Nor let them labour, Lord, in vain.
5 Let thronging multitudes around,
Hear from their lips the joyful sound;
In humble strains thy grace adore,
And feel thy new-creating power.
6 Let sinners break their massy chains,
Distressed souls forget their pains,
And light thro’ distant realms be spread,
Till Zion rears her drooping head.
This is wonderful, Michael.
I've always loved these words from Beddome:
God, in the Gospel of His Son
God, in the Gospel of His Son,
Makes His eternal counsels known;
Where love in all its glory shines,
And truth is drawn in fairest lines.
Here sinners of a humble frame
May taste His grace, and learn His Name;
May read, in characters of blood,
The wisdom, power, and grace of God.
Posted by
Paul |
7:46 p.m.
Yes, that's excellent too! Thanks for the comment Paul.
Posted by
Michael A G Haykin |
8:53 p.m.
Michael
when are you coming to the UK?
Crawford
Posted by
C G |
3:21 a.m.
If only more congregations would pray in such a way for their pastor...what power would be displayed in the preached Word!
It seems to be so easy to forget (ignore?) the power of small-church, small-town biblical preaching in our culture of seeker sensitive mega-church madness. This song reminds me of the words of the Apostle Paul, "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power..." Indeed...our preaching is never in vain but to the glory of God!
Thank you, Michael, for blessing us with so many 'gems' from our heros of the Church.
Posted by
Anonymous |
1:19 p.m.
Amen, Warren.
Crawford, we are in the UK from June 27 to July 8. I am in the Cambridge area from most of the time. Over in Gloucestershire from July 4-5 or so. In Oxford July 1 for a conference at Regent's Park.
Posted by
Michael A G Haykin |
3:33 p.m.