Scripture Verse

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:13

Introduction

Words: Ben­ja­min Beddome, in the Bris­tol Bap­tist Col­lection of Ash and Ev­ans, 1769.

Music: Boyl­ston Lo­well Ma­son, The Choir, or Un­ion Col­lec­tion of Church Mu­sic (Bo­ston, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Car­ter, Hen­dee, 1832) (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Lowell Mason
1792–1872

Commentary

This hymn of Rev. Ben­ja­min Bed­dome sounds like a prel­ude to the grand ral­ly of the Chris­tian Church­es a ge­ne­ra­tion lat­er for unit­ed ad­vance into for­eign fields. It was an af­ter-ser­mon hymn— like so ma­ny of Watts and Dodd­ridge—and spoke a good man’s long­ing to see all sects stand shoul­der to shoul­der in a com­mon cru­sade.

Brown, p. 169

Lyrics

Let party names no more
The Christian world o’erspread;
Gentile and Jew, and bond and free,
Are one in Christ, their head.

Among the saints on earth,
Let mutual love be found,
Heirs of the same inheritance
With mutual blessings crowned.

Let bitterness and wrath
Be banished far away:
Those should in strictest friendship dwell
Who the same Lord obey.

Thus will the church below
Resemble that above,
Where streams of pleasure ever flow,
And every heart is love.