Archive for the ‘Thomas Hornblower Gill’ Tag
Above: River in Mountains Spring
Image in the Public Domain
Hymn Source = Hymns of the Spirit for Use in the Free Churches of America (1937), American Unitarian Association and Universalist Church of America
Text (1867) by Thomas Hornblower Gill (1819-1906)
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The glory of the spring how sweet!
The newborn life how glad!
What joy the happy earth to greet
In new, bright raiment clad!
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Divine Renewer, thee I bless;
I greet thy going forth;
I thee love in the loveliness
Of thy renewed earth.
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But O these wonders of thy grace,
These nobler works of thine,
These marvels sweeter far to trace,
These new births more divine,–
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These sinful souls thou hallowest,
These hearts thou makest new,
These mourning souls by thee made blest,
These faithless hearts made true!
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Creator Spirit, work in me
These wonders sweet of thine!
Divine Renewer, graciously
Renew this heart of mine!
Above: Lightbulb in Darkness
Image in the Public Domain
Hymn Sources = Hymns of the Spirit for Use in the Free Churches of America (1937), American Unitarian Association and Universalist Church of America, and Hymn and Tune Book for the Church and Home (Revised Edition) (1883), American Unitarian Association
Text (1860) by Thomas Hornblower Gill (1819-1906)
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Spirit of Truth, who makest bright
All souls that long for heav’nly light,
Appear, and on our darkness shine;
Descent, and be our Guide divine.
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Spirit of Power, whose might doth dwell
Full in the souls that love thee well,
Unto these fainting hearts draw near,
And be our daily Quickener.
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O tender Spirit, who dost mourn
Whene’er from thee thy people turn,
Give me each day to grieve thee less;
Enjoy my fuller faithfulness.
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Spirit of Joy, who makest glad
Each broken heart by sin made sad,
Pour on these mourning souls thy cheer;
Give us to bless our Comforter;
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Till thou shalt make us meet to bear
The sweetness of heaven’s holy air,
The light wherein no darkness is,
Th’eternal, overflowing bliss!
Above: Christ the King, by Jan van Eyck
Image in the Public Domain
Hymn Source = Hymns of the Spirit for Use in the Free Churches (1937), American Unitarian Association and Universalist Church of America
Text (1846) by Thomas Hornblower Gill (1819-1906)
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Our God, our God, thou shinest here,
Thine own this latter day;
To us thy radiant steps appear,
Here goes thy glorious way!
To us thy radiant steps appear,
Here goes thy glorious way!
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We shine not only with the light
Thou sheddest down of yore;
On us thou streamest strong and bright,
Thy comings are not o’er.
On us thou streamest strong and bright,
Thy comings are not o’er.
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The fathers had not all of thee,
New births are in thy grace;
All open to our souls shall be
Thy glory’s hiding-place.
All open to our souls shall be
Thy glory’s hiding-place.
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Thou comest near; thou standest by;
Our work begins to shine;
Thou dwellest with us mightily,–
On come the years divine!
Thou dwellest with us mightily,–
On come the years divine!
Above: White Mountains Scenic
Image in the Public Domain
Hymn Source = Hymns of the Spirit for Use in the Free Churches of America (1937), American Unitarian Association and Universalist Church of America
Text (1869) by Thomas Hornblower Gill (1819-1906)
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Lord God, by whom all change is wrought,
By whom new things to birth are brought,
In whom no change is known,
Whate’er thou dost, whate’er thou art,
Thy people still in thee have part,
Still, still, thou art our own.
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Spirit who makest all things new,
Thou leadest onward; we pursue
The heav’nly march sublime;
‘Neath thy renewing fire we glow,
And still from strength to strength we go,
From height to height we climb.
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Darkness and dread we leave behind;
New light, new glory, still we find,
New realms divine possess,
New births of grace raptures bring;
Triumphant the new song we sing,
The great Renewer bless.
Above: Landscape Summer Lake
Image in the Public Domain
Hymn Source = Hymns of the Spirit for Use in the Free Churches of America (1937), American Unitarian Association and Unitarian Church of America
Text (1852) by Thomas Hornblower Gill (1819-1906)
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I walk amidst thy beauty forth,
My joy thy praise declares;
I bless thee with thy blooming earth,
I drink thy vernal airs.
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Those old eternal hills of thine,
What mighty cheer they breathe!
What fulness of delight divine
Thy solemn stars bequeath!
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Each wonder of thy hand still makes
My gladness fresh and strong;
The glory of my God still wakes
The glory of my song.
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When cheer and strength my heart doth lack,
Thy gladness makes me whole;
Amidst thy summer I win back
The summer of my soul.
Image in the Public Domain
Hymn Source = The Hymnal (1895), Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
Text (1855) by Thomas Hornblower Gill (1819-1906)
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Break, new-born year, on glad eyes break,
Melodious voices move;
On, rolling time, thou canst not make
The Father cease to love.
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The parted year had winged feet;
The Saviour still doth stay:
The new year comes; but Spirit sweet,
Thou goest not away.
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Our hearts in tears may oft run o’er;
But, Lord, Thy smile still beams:
Our sins are swelling evermore,
But pardoning grace still streams.
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Lord, from this year more service win,
More glory, more delight:
O make its hours less sad with sin,
Its days with Thee more bright.
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Then we may bless its precious things
If earthly cheer should come,
Or gladsome mount on angel wings
If Thou wouldst take us home.
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O golden then the hours must be;
The year must needs be sweet;
Yes, Lord, with happy melody
Thine opening grace we greet.
©Photo. R.M.N. / R.-G. Ojda
Above: Saint John on Patmos
Image in the Public Domain
Hymn Source = The Hymnal (1895), Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
Text (November 22, 1868) by Thomas Hornblower Gill (1819-1906)
Gill worked on this text for most of St. Cecilia’s Day, 1868. He reported that November 22, 1868 was “almost the most delightful day of my life.”
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We come unto our fathers’ God:
Their Rock is our salvation;
The eternal arms, their dear abode,
We make our habitation;
We bring Thee, Lord, the praise they brought,
We seek Thee as Thy saints have sought
In every generation.
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The fire Divine their steps that led
Still goeth bright before us,
The heavenly shield, around them spread,
Is still high holden o’er us;
The grace those sinners that subdued.
The strength those weaklings that renewed,
Doth vanquish, doth restore us.
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The cleaving sins that brought them low
Are still our souls oppressing,
The tears that from their eyes did flow
Fall fast, our shame confessing;
As with Thee, Lord, prevailed their cry,
So our strong prayer ascends on high,
And bringeth down Thy blessing.
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Their joy unto their Lord we bring,
Their song to us descendeth;
The Spirit who in them did sing
To us His music lendeth:
His song in them, in us, is one;
We raise it high, we send it on,–
The song that never endeth.
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Ye saints to come, take up the strain,
The same sweet theme endeavor;
Unbroken be the golden chain!
Keep on the song for ever!
Safe in the same dear dwelling-place,
Rich with the same eternal grace,
Bless the same boundless Giver.
Above: Two Yoked Oxen, 1860
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-136943
Hymn Source = The Hymnal (1895), Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
Text (1866) by Thomas Hornblower Gill (1819-1906)
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Dear Lord and Master, mine,
Thy happy servant see;
My Conqueror, with what joy Divine
Thy captive clings to Thee!
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I love Thy yoke to wear,
To feel Thy gracious bands;
Sweetly restrained by Thy care,
And happy in Thy hands.
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No bar would I remove,
No bond would I unbind;
Within the limits of Thy love
Full liberty I find.
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I would not walk alone,
But still with Thee, my God;
At every step my blindness own,
And ask of Thee the road.
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The weakness I enjoy
That casts me on Thy breast;
The conflicts that Thy strength employ
Make me Divinely blest.
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Dear Lord and Master mine,
Still keep Thy servant true;
My Guardian and my Guide Divine,
Bring, bring Thy pilgrim through.
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My Conqueror and my King,
Still keep me in Thy train;
And with Thee Thy glad captive bring
When Thou return’st to reign.
Above: Icon of Christ Pantocrator
Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
Hymn Source = The Hymnal (1895), Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.
Text (1850) by Thomas Hornblower Gill (1819-1906)
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O mean may seem this house of clay,
Yet ’twas the Lord’s abode;
Our feet may mourn the thorny way,
Yet here Emmanuel trod.
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This fleshly robe the Lord did wear,
This watch the Lord did keep,
These burdens sore the Lord did bear,
These tears the Lord did weep.
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Our very frailty brings us near
Unto the Lord of heaven;
To every grief, to every tear,
Such glory strange is given.
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But not this fleshly robe alone
Shall link us, Lord, to Thee;
Not only in the tear and groan
Shall the dear kindred be.
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We shall be reckoned for Thine own
Because Thy heaven we share,
Because we sing around Thy throne,
And Thy bright raiment wear.
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O mighty grace, our life to live,
To make our earth Divine:
O mighty grace, Thy heaven to give,
And lift our life to Thine.
GATHERED PRAYERS 
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