Sunday's Hymn

When All Thy Mercies, O My God

When all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I’m lost
In wonder, love and praise.

Thy Providence my life sustained,
And all my wants redressed,
While in the silent womb I lay,
And hung upon the breast.

To all my weak complaints and cries
Thy mercy lent an ear,
Ere yet my feeble thoughts had learned
To form themselves in prayer.

Unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From Whom those comforts flowed.

When in the slippery paths of youth
With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm unseen conveyed me safe,
And led me up to man.

Through hidden dangers, toils, and deaths,
It gently cleared my way;
And through the pleasing snares of vice,
More to be feared than they.

O how shall words with equal warmth
The gratitude declare,
That glows within my ravished heart?
But thou canst read it there.

Thy bounteous hand with worldly bliss
Hath made my cup run o’er;
And, in a kind and faithful Friend,
Hath doubled all my store.

Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ;
Nor is the last a cheerful heart
That tastes those gifts with joy.

When worn with sickness, oft hast Thou
With health renewed my face;
And, when in sins and sorrows sunk,
Revived my soul with grace.

Through every period of my life
Thy goodness I’ll pursue
And after death, in distant worlds,
The glorious theme renew.

When nature fails, and day and night
Divide Thy works no more,
My ever grateful heart, O Lord,
Thy mercy shall adore.

Through all eternity to Thee
A joyful song I’ll raise;
For, oh, eternity’s too short
To utter all Thy praise!

—Joseph Addison

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• When I Survey the Wondrous Cross at threegirldad (Go say hello and welcome. This is his first post.)
• And Can It Be That I Should Gain? at Whatever Is Good
• When This Passing World Is Done at Field Stone Cottage
• Sometimes by Step at Hiraeth
• Lord’s Day 32, 2010 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Hear Aflame — August 8, 2010 at The Upward Call
• Need of Jesus from The Valley of Vision at Lisa writes…
• Update: Predestination and the Free Offer (Your Weekly Dose of Spurgeon) at Pyromaniacs

Have you posted a hymn (or sermon, sermon notes, prayer, etc.) today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by contacting me using the contact form linked above, and I’ll add your post to the list.

My Place 11

Andrew and Jenny, July 24, 2010
Photo by Dave Hobus

I’ve been promised a more professional portrait or two from the wedding ceremony, but I can’t wait until then to post a picture of it. This one was taken by a friend and will be published in the church newspaper.

Don’t they look happy?

Reading Biographies: Spurgeon

I’m reading Arnold Dallimore’s Spurgeon along with Tim Challies and others. This week, we read chapters 9-11 of  this biography of Charles Spurgeon. Chapter 9 was about the building of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, chapter 10 about the pastor’s college established by Spurgeon, and chapter 11 was about several other of Spurgeon’s ministry projects.

As you can tell by the short decriptions, these chapters were about projects Spurgeon took on as part of his ministry. He was a very, very busy man.

In addition to the duties of his ministry at the Tabernacle, with more than 3,500 members and various organizations. Spurgeon constantly accepted invitations to preach at other churches. Almost every day except Sunday he hastened off to some other church in London. Often he traveled, either by carriage or train, to more distant places.

How could anyone keep up with that sort of schedule?

But all of his undertakings flourished, and for a while, Sprugeon had the stamina to accomplish this all fairly easily. In his early thirties, however, he began to have chronic health problems that lasted for the rest of his life. I’m not sure his poor health was a direct result of his many reponsibilities and heavy schedule, but perhaps it was.

One more thing: Did you know that there were no offerings taken during the services at the Metropolitan Tabernacle? The main source of income was through the sale of seats. I admit I did a double-take when I read this:

People who wished to attend regularly paid for a seat on a three-months’ basis and were admitted by ticket. Others remained outside till five minutes before the beginning of the service, at which time the restriction was removed and the crowd rushed in and filled the rest of the building.

I’m not sure what to make of that. I know it wouldn’t go over well at my church. And if one of the bigger name preachers today started charging for seats in his church, can you imagine the criticism? But the Tabernacle was always full to overflowing and there were countless conversions. The practice of charging for seats didn’t seem to hinder the work of the church.