Scripture Verse

We must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth He devise means, that His banished be not expelled from Him. 2 Samuel 14:14

Introduction

portrait
John B. Dykes (1823–1876)

Words: Ben­ja­min Bed­dome (1717–1795). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Adapt­ed to Pub­lic Wor­ship (Lon­don: Bu­rton & Briggs, 1818), num­ber 778. Death In­e­vi­ta­ble.

Music: St. Ag­nes John B. Dykes, in Hymn­al for Use in the Eng­lish Church, by John Grey, 1866 (🔊 pdf nwc).

One of his best hymns Mr. Bed­dome wrote af­ter re­cov­er­ing from a se­vere ill­ness. He had first writ­ten a hymn of gra­ti­tude for his res­to­ra­tion to health. On fur­ther re­flec­tion He wrote these lines.

Burrage, p. 51.

Lyrics

If I must die—O let me die,
Trusting in Je­sus’ blood;
That blood which hath atone­ment made,
And re­con­ciles to God.

If I must die— then let me die
In peace with all man­kind,
And change these fleet­ing joys be­low
For plea­sures more re­fined.

If I must die—as die I must,
Let some kind se­raph come,
And bear me on his friend­ly wing
To my ce­les­ti­al home!

Of Ca­naan’s land from Pis­gah’s top,
May I but have a view;
Though Jor­dan should o’er­flow its banks,
I’ll bold­ly ven­ture through.