The Christian — Meditation and Prayer

What a Friend we have in Jesus

No. 535
Metre 8s & 7s. D.
Tune CONVERSE.
Words Horatius Bonar.
Music C. C. Converse.
Key F major
Time 4/4
3 stanzas

Words

What a Friend we have in Jesus,All our sins and griefs to bear!What a privilege to carryEvery thing to God in prayer!O what peace we often forfeit,O what needless pain we bear,All because we do not carryEvery thing to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?Is there trouble anywhere?We should never be discouraged;Take it to the Lord in prayer.Can we find a friend so faithful,Who will all our sorrows share?Jesus knows our every weakness;Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,Cumbered with a load of care?Precious Saviour, still our refuge!Take it to the Lord in prayer;Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?Take it to the Lord in prayer;In his arms he 'll take and shield thee;Thou wilt find a solace there.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: running head «THE CHRISTIAN—MEDITATION AND PRAYER.»; hymn number «535» (large), tune name «CONVERSE. 8s & 7s. D.» centred over the music (the «D.» in a smaller size), «C. C. CONVERSE.» at the right (capitals and small capitals); «By permission.» set vertically in the right margin beside the second system. Stanza 1 is interlinear, one line per system, with «1.» before «What»: system 1 = verse lines 1–3, system 2 = verse lines 4–6; verse line 7 is printed in italics as a second line under the end of system 1, preceded by «D. S.—», and verse line 8 in italics as a second line under the start of system 2; they are sung there after the «D. S.» at the end of system 2 (the music returns to the segno over «What a priv-i-lege» and ends at «Fine.» after «prayer!»). Stanza 1 below is assembled in the order sung. «Every thing» is printed as two words in both interlinear lines; «priv-i-lege» prints its «i» without a dot and the roman «car-ry» its «y» without the descender (damaged sorts). There is no reference line (the hymn has its own tune). Stanzas 2–3 follow as text in two columns, numbered «2», «3» (numbered «2.», «3.» here like stanza 1), with «Horatius Bonar.» in italics after stanza 3. Lines 2, 4, 6, 8 of each stanza are indented in the print. The print sets a thin space before «?», «!» and «;» («temptations ?», «discouraged ;», «refuge !», «prayer ;», «thee ?»); it is closed up here. «he 'll» is set with a space before the apostrophe and is kept so. Spelling («Saviour», «Cumbered»), punctuation and capitals are the print's.