What is the best classic Hymn?

Which classic Hymn is the best

  • How great thou art

    Votes: 10 14.1%
  • And can it be

    Votes: 30 42.3%
  • Man of sorrows

    Votes: 3 4.2%
  • All creatures of our God and King

    Votes: 2 2.8%
  • Amazing Grace

    Votes: 26 36.6%

  • Total voters
    71
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Jon 316

Puritan Board Sophomore
So, which of these classics is the best?

I could have added many more, If you have an other then insert it in the thread ;)

1. O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.


Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!


When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.


Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!


And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.


Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
1. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!


When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"


Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940).

2,And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own
Charles Wesley

3.Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
“Full atonement!” can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die;
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in Heav’n exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Phillip Bliss

4. All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

Refrain

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

Refrain

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.

Refrain

Dear mother earth, who day by day
Unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
Let them His glory also show.

Refrain

And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!

Refrain

And thou most kind and gentle Death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.

Refrain

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!

Refrain
Francis of Assisi, cir*ca 1225

5. Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.


T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.


Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.


The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.


Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.
John Newton (1725-1807)
 
A Mighty Fortress is the best!

All of the above are great. Compare these lyrics to the 'modern' song list and you see quite a difference in theology and a higher view of the Lord.
 
I would say Amazing Grace, but Chris Tomlin's remake--Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone). Very biblical song.
 
A Mighty Fortress is the best!

All of the above are great. Compare these lyrics to the 'modern' song list and you see quite a difference in theology and a higher view of the Lord.

Agreed!

It should be noted that some well-regarded folks (e.g., R.C. Sproul and Joe Morecraft) think "And Can It Be?" to teach bad theology (specifically, a form of patripassianism).
 
I love 'Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise', and this hymn:



I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art,
My only trust and Savior of my heart,
Who pain didst undergo for my poor sake;
I pray Thee from our hearts all cares to take.


Thou art the King of mercy and of grace,
Reigning omnipotent in every place;
So come, O King, and our whole being sway;
Shine on us with the light of Thy pure day.


Thou art the life, by which alone we live,
And all our substance and our strength receive;
Sustain us by Thy faith and by Thy power,
And give us strength in every trying hour.


Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness,
No harshness hast Thou and no bitterness;
O grant to us the grace we find in Thee,
That we may dwell in perfect unity.


Our hope is in no other save in Thee;
Our faith is built upon Thy promise free;
Lord, give us peace, and make us calm and sure,
That in Thy strength we evermore endure.


-by John Calvin


There's also a beautiful Spanish hymn by Isabel Balderas, to a beautiful tune by the same: here is the first stanza (tr. by Ruben):


'Oh Lord, oft and unavailingly, have I tried my life to change,
But there is no human energy that can holiness attain.
How my life of daily sinning ever rises to offend thee:
But my weary soul has trusted in the blood of Calvary'.


Of the ones you listed, I like Amazing Grace the best.
 
Ummm, well I can't vote because my fav isn't on here.

you could pick the best of those five and also add your own to the thread with the lyrics :)

OK, I voted for Amazing Grace but here is my fav:

Not What My Hands Have Done.

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He Who saveth me, and freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.
 
I also like "Rock of Ages" -- especially this part: "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling."
 
My favorite hymn of all time is the modern hymn, "In Christ Alone."

Fantastic song.

My favorite "old school" hymn is "Rock of Ages" followed by "And Can It Be."

Of the songs you listed, I'd pick "How Great Thou Art."
 
Ummm, well I can't vote because my fav isn't on here.

you could pick the best of those five and also add your own to the thread with the lyrics :)

OK, I voted for Amazing Grace but here is my fav:

Not What My Hands Have Done.

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He Who saveth me, and freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.

I was just about to post that one! It is my favorite hymn of all time. A real jewel that too few are familiar with. :book2:
 
What? "No Shine, Jesus Shine"??? :eek:

Well, given your truncated list . . .

"And Can it Be" is my fav (in spite of the heterodox "Emptied Himself of all but love")
["A Mighty Fortress" is my wife's favorite; My daughter had "In Christ Alone" at her wedding during a time of "worship." It had us all in tears]
 
Tough choice, but out of the 5 my favorite is "And Can It Be".

Some of my other favorites:
All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name (the diadem version)
Arise, My Soul, Arise
Holy, Holy, Holy
Wonderful Grace of Jesus
Master the Tempest is Raging
What a Day That Will Be
Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed?
 
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Morecraft specifically criticizes the "Emptied Himself of all but love" line; both Sproul and Morecraft are critical of "That Thou my God wouldst die for me" because it confuses the distinctions in the Godhead. Only the Son died on the cross. Hence, the vague patripassianism.

I'm not quite as picky. But I do wish the line was "That Thou My Lord would die for me."
 
Morecraft specifically criticizes the "Emptied Himself of all but love" line; both Sproul and Morecraft are critical of "That Thou my God wouldst die for me" because it confuses the distinctions in the Godhead. Only the Son died on the cross. Hence, the vague patripassianism.

I'm not quite as picky. But I do wish the line was "That Thou My Lord would die for me."

I actually always liked the line in some worship song, "Amazing love, how can it be / That you my king would die for me?" Not sure about the rest of the song.
 
Ok... not big on hymns but this one... this is my fav....

Come Thou Fount
Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.

2. Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

3. O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.


The last verse is my fav
 
Jessica, we are singing that hymn tomorrow! It is fitting, as I am preaching on 1 Samuel 7, the Ebenezer passage.
 
It was hard to choose a favorite out of those! I actually voted for And Can It Be since I figured Amazing Grace is pretty much the most well-known hymn in the world. We have a number of people in our church plant who are new to some of our hymns, and our pastor said we'll be singing And Can It Be often over the next few weeks so people can learn it. But it has been one of my favorites for a long time.

Another hymn I love is "I Know Whom I Have Believed"

Trinity Hymnal

-----Added 3/7/2009 at 09:04:06 EST-----

Jessica, we are singing that hymn tomorrow! It is fitting, as I am preaching on 1 Samuel 7, the Ebenezer passage.

Tim...you're a moderator now!!! That's great! Congrats on that honor!:up:
 
Come Thou Fount

What Wondrous Love Is This?

O Sacred Head Now Wounded

O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus:
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

Ah, Holy Jesus
Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
’Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For man’s atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.

For me, kind Jesus, was Thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life’s oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,
For my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee,
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.
 
Morecraft specifically criticizes the "Emptied Himself of all but love" line; both Sproul and Morecraft are critical of "That Thou my God wouldst die for me" because it confuses the distinctions in the Godhead. Only the Son died on the cross. Hence, the vague patripassianism.

Christ sacrifice on the cross was God's supreme demonstration of his love for sinners, so I don't think "emptied Himself of all but love" is a bad poetic description.

As for the second critique: Jesus died on the cross. Jesus is my God. Ergo, my God died on the cross for me. How is this not correct?
 
Tim... YEAY!!!! think of me... I love that song and sing it often in the shower or after the kids are in bed or when there is no one around... (I have made kids cry before with my singing so I try and only do it alone or when I am drowned out by the whole congragation at church LOL)... So rock out that sermon!!!!

Alex... you get mad props for the day you said ERGO... I love that phrase. two thumbs up
 
As for the second critique: Jesus died on the cross. Jesus is my God. Ergo, my God died on the cross for me. How is this not correct?

They would argue that "God" did not die on the cross because the divine did not cease to exist, nor where the Father and the Spirit dispatched as was the Son. I have heard, in person, both men call that line "heresy."

Understand that I am not saying I necessary agree (at least to that extent) with them. I am just saying that some godly folks find some of the lyrics in that hymn suspect, which harms it as a "great hymn." OTOH, it is probably the most beautiful of tunes of all the hymns mentioned.
 
Ummm, well I can't vote because my fav isn't on here.

you could pick the best of those five and also add your own to the thread with the lyrics :)

OK, I voted for Amazing Grace but here is my fav:

Not What My Hands Have Done.

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He Who saveth me, and freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.

I was about to mention that one!:)
 
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