# Just wanted to share this wonderful hymn



## JennyG (Oct 29, 2010)

I could sing it all day long. It's by a 19th Century writer, Henry Alford, who also wrote _Come, ye thankful people, come_.
_Ten thousand times ten thousand_ has a very fine tune, managing to combine the majestic and the lyrical, thrilling and deeply touching at the same time, written for it by the English composer Geoffrey Shaw. 
The internet has lots of references to the words (some PC'd versions best ignored), but I can't find that tune (_Gresham_) anywhere - it must have slipped into oblivion, which is a terrible shame as words and music are near perfect together. 
The tune's copyright on my old hymnary is dated 1915, when the hymn must have had an especial resonance. 


1 Ten thousand times ten thousand
In sparkling raiment bright,
The armies of the ransomed saints
Throng up the steeps of light:
'Tis finished, all is finished,
Their fight with death and sin:
Fling open wide the golden gates,
And let the victors in.

2 What rush of alleluias
Fills all the earth and sky!
What ringing of a thousand harps
Bespeaks the triumph nigh!
O day, for which creation
And all its tribes were made!
O joy, for all its former woes
A thousand fold repaid!

3 O then what raptured greetings
On Canaan's happy shore;
What knitting severed friendships up,
Where partings are no more!
Then eyes with joy shall sparkle,
That brimmed with tears of late;
Orphans no longer fatherless,
Nor widows desolate.

4 Bring near Thy great salvation,
Thou Lamb for sinners slain;
Fill up the roll of Thine elect,
Then take Thy power and reign:
Appear, Desire of nations,
Thine exiles long for home;
Show in the heavens Thy promised sign;
Thou Prince and Saviour, come.

..Just wanted to share it, if you've read this far thankyou for your time


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## Elizabeth (Oct 29, 2010)

What a wonderful hymn!

I found Gresham in one of hubby's stacks of hymnals: The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA(1940). 

Can't wait to have him sing and play this one for me, when he gets home! Thanks for sharing it.


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## Tripel (Oct 29, 2010)

I don't know the original tune very well, as we have maybe only sung it a handful of times out of our hymnal. But we used to sing it all the time when I was in high school with the church youth group. We used a modern tune by Christopher Miner. It's an excellent hymn.


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## JonathanHunt (Oct 29, 2010)

We sing it regularly to the tune _Alford_. As found here: Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand

I especially love the line 'Thine exiles long for home'


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## 21st Century Calvinist (Oct 29, 2010)

A beautiful hymn that has meant a lot to me over the past few months. We sing it from time to time at church to a contemporary tune from Indelible Grace. http://www.igracemusic.com/hymnbook/demos/TenThousandTimes.mp3 Or the full version is on Grooveshark - Listen to Free Music Online - Internet Radio - Free MP3 Streaming


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## JennyG (Oct 30, 2010)

JonathanHunt said:


> We sing it regularly to the tune _Alford_. As found here: Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand
> 
> I especially love the line 'Thine exiles long for home'


me too, though I also love the bit in verse 2:
_O day for which Creation
And all its tribes were made..._

I do know _Alford_, and it's a good 'un too. Judging from the title, it was probably also written specially for the hymn, and Dykes writes a mean tune...he must have been the Stuart Townend of his day 
Still in my estimation nothing could beat Gresham. It so echoes Alford's thinking, it's even got the verses harmonised differently to reflect the different verses

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21st Century Calvinist said:


> A beautiful hymn that has meant a lot to me over the past few months. We sing it from time to time at church to a contemporary tune from Indelible Grace. http://www.igracemusic.com/hymnbook/demos/TenThousandTimes.mp3 Or the full version is on Grooveshark - Listen to Free Music Online - Internet Radio - Free MP3 Streaming


 
our internet connection has been down overnight but I finally managed to listen to that one..
To me it hasn't the power or the depth of _Gresham_, but of course that isn't going to stop anyone getting the fullest from those amazing words./ They mean a lot to me too


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