Scripture Verse

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Matthew 28:19

Introduction

portrait
Catherine Winkworth
(1827–1878)

Words: Jo­hann J. Ram­bach, Er­bau­lich­es Hand­büch­lein für Kin­dern (Gies­sen, Ger­ma­ny: 1734) (Ich bin ge­tauft auf dein­en Nam­en). Trans­lated from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ca­the­rine Wink­worth, Cho­rale Book for Eng­land, 1863, alt.

Music: O dass ich tau­send Kor­ne­li­us H. Dret­zel, Des ev­an­gel­isch­en Zi­ons mu­si­cal­ische Har­mo­nie (Nur­em­berg, Ger­ma­ny: 1731) (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Dret­zel (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Baptized in­to Thy name most ho­ly,
O Fa­ther, Son, and Ho­ly Ghost,
I claim a place, though weak and low­ly,
Among Thy seed, Thy chos­en host.
Buried with Christ and dead to sin,
Thy Spir­it now shall live with­in.

My lov­ing Fa­ther, Thou dost take me
To be hence­forth Thy child and heir;
My faith­ful Sav­ior, Thou dost make me
The fruit of all Thy sor­rows share;
Thou, Ho­ly Ghost, wilt com­fort me
When dark­est clouds around I see.

And I have vowed to fear and love Thee
And to ob­ey Thee, Lord, alone;
Because the Ho­ly Ghost did move me,
I dared to pledge my­self Thine own,
Renouncing sin to keep the faith
And war with ev­il un­to death.

My faith­ful God, Thou fail­est ne­ver,
Thy cov’nant sure­ly will abide;
Oh, cast me not away for­ev­er
Should I trans­gress it on my side!
Tho’ I have oft my soul de­filed,
Do Thou for­give, re­store, Thy child.

Yea, all I am and love most dear­ly
I of­fer now, O Lord, to Thee.
Oh, let me make my vows sin­cere­ly
And help me Thine own child to be!
Let naught with­in me, naught I own,
Serve any will but Thine alone.

And ne­ver let my pur­pose fal­ter,
O Fa­ther, Son, and Ho­ly Ghost,
But keep me faith­ful to Thine al­tar
Till Thou shalt call me from my post.
So un­to Thee I live or die
And praise Thee ev­er­more on high.

illustration
The Baptism
Alfred L. V. Jacomin (1842–1913)