1
O Holy Father, who in tender love
Didst give Thine only Son for us to die,
The while He pleads at Thy right hand above,
We in one Spirit now with faith draw nigh;
And, as we eat this bread and drink this wine,
Plead His once offered sacrifice Divine.
Didst give Thine only Son for us to die,
The while He pleads at Thy right hand above,
We in one Spirit now with faith draw nigh;
And, as we eat this bread and drink this wine,
Plead His once offered sacrifice Divine.
2
We are not worthy to be called Thy sons,
Nor gather up the fragments of Thy feast;
Yet look on us, Thy sorrowing contrite ones,
On us in Him our Advocate and Priest,
Whose robe is fringed with mercy’s golden bells,
Whose breastplate fathomless compassion tells.
Nor gather up the fragments of Thy feast;
Yet look on us, Thy sorrowing contrite ones,
On us in Him our Advocate and Priest,
Whose robe is fringed with mercy’s golden bells,
Whose breastplate fathomless compassion tells.
3
Oh, hear us, for Thou always hearest Him;
Behold us sprinkled with His precious blood;
And from between the shadowing cherubim
Shine forth, and grant us by this heav’nly food
Foretastes of coming glory, and meanwhile
A Father’s blessing and a Father’s smile.
Behold us sprinkled with His precious blood;
And from between the shadowing cherubim
Shine forth, and grant us by this heav’nly food
Foretastes of coming glory, and meanwhile
A Father’s blessing and a Father’s smile.
4
And, Father, ere we leave Thy mercy-throne,
Bound by these sacred pledges, yet most free,
We give our hearts, and not our hearts alone,
But all we are and all we have to Thee;
Glad free-will offerings all our pilgrim days,
Hereafter an eternity of praise.
Bound by these sacred pledges, yet most free,
We give our hearts, and not our hearts alone,
But all we are and all we have to Thee;
Glad free-will offerings all our pilgrim days,
Hereafter an eternity of praise.
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Storrs, Connecticut, United States
Edward Henry Bickersteth Jr. was born January 25, 1825, Islington, England and died May 16, 1906, Paddington, London, England. He was buried in Watton at Stone, Hartfordshire, England.
Edward was the son of Edward Bickersteth, rector of Whatton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire. He was married twice: in February 1848 to his cousin Rosa Bignold of Norwich; she died in 1873, having borne him six sons and ten daughters; in 1876 to his cousin Ellen Susana, daughter of Robert Bickersteth of Liverpool, who survived him without children.
He was an honor graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge. He served as vicar of Christ Church Hampstead; Dean of Glouchester; and Bishop of Exeter (1885-1900). He edited three hymnals and wrote at least 30 hymns of his own.
Following the footsteps of his father, Bickersteth undertook a number of extended overseas mission tours in support of the work of the Church Mission Society and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. In 1880 he traveled to India and the Middle East. In 1891 he traveled to Japan on a visit to the mission churches of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, reuniting with his eldest son Edward, then serving as the first Bishop of South Tokyo. Arriving at Yokohama on September 23, 1891, the travel journals of his daughter, Mary Jane Bickersteth include detailed descriptions of the Anglican church’s mission work in Japan as well as visits to many Japanese sites and the experience of surviving the strong Mino-Owari earthquake at Osaka on October 28, 1891.
Bickersteth edited hymnals and was an accomplished poet. Beginning with a volume of poems in 1849, he published extensively. His Hymnal Companion called forth from Dr. Julian, editor of A Dictionary of Hymnology, had these high words of praise: “Of its kind and from its theological standpoint, as an evangelical hymn book, it is in poetic grace, literary excellence, and lyric beauty, the finest collection in the Anglican Church, ” and the author’s contribution to this volume are pronounced “very beautiful and of much value. ”
Yesterday, Today and Forever: A Poem in Twelve Book was published in 1875.
Berlin, Germany
Father, We give our hearts, and not our hearts alone,
But all we are and all we have to Thee;
Glad free-will offerings all our pilgrim days,
Hereafter an eternity of praise.
London, Basildon
O Lord Jesus! Continuously delivering love joy glory into our hearts ,we open up for you to come in