Name that hymn

[MotherBluestocking]

A man that looks on glass
On it may stay his eye

Teach me, my God and King, in all things Thee to see,
Words by George Herbert.

From Google : Teach me, my god and King

All the vain things that charmed me most
I sacrifice them to His blood

• as a cold hand clutches at one's masochistic adolescent heart

When I survey the wondrous cross.

'Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me'

Lovely hymn. Especially 'who sweeps a room as for thy sake'. Gah, I try to think of that when I'm doing random sweeping.

Hm ever since my housemistress at school quoted it to jjustify making me do some particularly gruelling domestic task I've always classed it with The rich man at his castle, the poor man at his gate.

nearer and nearer draws the time,
the time that shall surely be,
when the earth shall be filled
with the glory of God
as the waters cover the sea.

Can anyone explain this hymn? It has annoyed me for a long time. The sea is water. How can water "cover the sea"? Any water covering the sea would necessarily become the sea, surely?

I have to confess to Googling this but it's a quotation from Habbakuk 2: 'and the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea.' I think if one's being literal 'sea' here means 'sea bed', but the simile is also thinking about the immensity of the sea, as well as its mystery and indivisibility. The world will be pervaded by and engulfed by the knowledge of God so as to become inseparable from it just as the sea is inseparable from the water which covers it.

I was just thinking yesterday while singing it in church how the line 'search me, try me, consume all my darkness' from Shine Jesus Shine wouldn't sound out of place in an angsty emo pop song. Great line though.

timelytess - The King of Love my Shepherd is

So sea = sea bed? Now you tell me!

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend can daunt his spirit.

Well yes, but I think part of the point is also -as you point out - that the waters ARE the sea. So the world fills up with the glory of God to the extent not only that you can't tell them apart but they actually become each other. Rather a wonderful image if you think about it.

Ooh love that one, Brenda!

Me too. And the awful modern rewriting gets rid of the goblins, fiends and even the lion and destroys everything that is wonderful about the hymn.

I trace the rainbow through the rain
And feel the promise is not vain
That mourn may clearer be.

"Oh God, who lifted up my head"

Wow I don't think I've sung that since 1984 and had completely forgotten it. That line always used to choke me up.

Me too! Have occasionally had to not sing that verse, in case of tears!

I always liked:

Time, like an ever-rolling stream
Bears all its sons away
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

(O God our help in ages past - Isaac Watts)

I was cold
I was naked
Were you there?
Were you there?
I was cold
I was naked
Were you there?

Can't remember what is called ds songs it at school I'm a non believer (god or Jesus isn't mentioned in name) but always loved this hymn

When I needed a neighbour

I love that verse too, Adjustable. Though a pedant might object to the mixed metaphor!

Cigars - its "O Love that will not let me go"

The sun that bids us rest is waking
Our brethren ’neath the western sky ...

(Love this one )

I love that hymn too and that's my favourite line - closely followed by the bit about earth rolling onward into night.