Scripture Verse

If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. Matthew 16:24

Introduction

portrait
William Gardiner
(1770–1853)
British Museum
License button

Words: Charles W. Ev­er­est, Vi­sions of Death, and Oth­er Po­ems 1833.

Music: Ger­ma­ny, Sac­red Me­lo­dies, by Will­iam Gar­di­ner, 1815 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

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

Lyrics

Take up thy cross, the Sav­ior said,
If thou wouldst My dis­ci­ple be;
Deny thy­self, the world for­sake,
And hum­bly fol­low af­ter Me.

Take up thy cross, let not its weight
Fill thy weak spir­it with alarm;
His strength shall bear thy spir­it up,
And brace thy heart and nerve thine arm.

Take up thy cross, nor heed the shame,
Nor let thy fool­ish pride re­bel;
Thy Lord for thee the cross en­dured,
And saved thy soul from death and hell.

Take up thy cross then in His strength,
And calm­ly sin’s wild del­uge brave,
’Twill guide thee to a bet­ter home,
It points to glo­ry o’er the grave.

Take up thy cross and fol­low Christ,
Nor think til death to lay it down;
For on­ly those who bear the cross
May hope to wear the glo­ri­ous crown.

To Thee, great Lord, the One in Three,
All praise for­ev­er­more as­cend:
O grant us in our home to see
The hea­ven­ly life that knows no end.

illustration
Domine, Quo Vadis?
Annibale Carracci (1560–1609)