Of Hymns and Hymnbook Oversights

Why do some hymns disappear? From what I've noticed, it tends to be because they have lousy tunes that put one to sleep rather than aid one's worship of God. So what's the story with "Let All Things Now Living"?


"Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the creator Triumphantly raise.
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who guideth us on to the end of our days.
His banner is o'er us, his light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night.
Till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished
As forward we travel from light into light.

His law He enforces: the stars in their courses,
The sun in His orbit, obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim Him divine,
We too should be voicing, our love and rejoicing,
With glad adoration a song let us raise,
‘Til all things now living unite in thanksgiving
To God in the highest, hosanna and praise"

I mean, in my opinion, the music is great, the lyrics are great. Yet I can only find it in one of our 4-5 hymnals. And when searching for an mp3 with lyrics on it on Amazon, the best I could find was one by Michael Card. What's up with that?

And we should seriously sing Before the Throne of God Above more. I had heard it sung at Together For the Gospel's 2008 conference for the first time (I wasn't there, sadly, but I got a cd (in a manner of speaking) of the singing time). My initial thought was that it was a more contemporary piece, but I come to find out it was written back in the mid 19th century. The tune was, admittedly, updated from Sweet Hour of Prayer's tune to a new one used in more contemporary circles. But I like the new tune and and it would feel odd to use Sweet Hour of Prayer's tune for another song, anyway.

"Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God."

They rarely produce such elegance in lyrics these days. I just recently got a copy of Philip Webb doing a version of it. That lifts my soul up. I wish we had either or both of these in our hymnbook.

Finally - this is almost an afterthought, actually, as I remembered this song as I was writing this post - I can't skip Robert Murray M'Cheyne's piece, When This Passing World is Done. I think it suffers a great deal from using the same tune as Rock of Ages. It could really use a new tune, in my opinion. The second verse is one of the great verses in all hymnody.

"When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ on high,
Looking o'er life's history;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,
Not till then, how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,
Not till then, how much I owe.

E'en on earth, as through a glass
Darkly, let Thy glory pass;
Make forgiveness feel so sweet;
Make Thy Spirit's help so meet:
E'en on earth, Lord, make me know
Something of how much I owe."