The Christian — Godly Life

My gracious Lord, I own thy right

No. 627
Metre L. M.
Tune LEBANON.
Words Philip Doddridge.
Music Chester G. Allen.
Key E major
Singing key D major
Time 2/2
5 stanzas

Words

My gracious Lord, I own thy rightTo every service I can pay,And call it my supreme delightTo hear thy dictates, and obey.

What is my being but for thee,—Its sure support, its noblest end?'T is my delight thy face to see,And serve the cause of such a Friend.

I would not sigh for worldly joy,Or to increase my worldly good;Nor future days nor powers employTo spread a sounding name abroad.

'T is to my Saviour I would live,—To him who for my ransom died;Nor could all worldly honor giveSuch bliss as crowns me at his side.

His work my hoary age shall blessWhen youthful vigor is no more;And my last hour of life confessHis saving love, his glorious power.

About this hymn

As printed As printed: running head «THE CHRISTIAN—GODLY LIFE.»; hymn number «627» (large), tune name «LEBANON. L. M.» centred over the music (condensed display capitals), «CHESTER G. ALLEN.» at the right in the composer's place (capitals and small capitals). Stanza 1 is interlinear, between the staves, one verse-line pair per system: system 1 = verse lines 1–2 («1, My gra - cious Lord, I own thy right To ev - ery serv - ice I can pay,» — the stanza label prints «1,» with a comma-shaped mark), system 2 = verse lines 3–4. The italic reference line «212, 301, 316.» (= the same words may be sung to the tunes of hymns 212, 301 or 316) stands under the music; stanzas 2–5 follow as text in the left column, numbered «2» … «5» (no period; written «2.» … here as in the other deliveries of this book), lines 2 and 4 of each stanza indented, with «Philip Doddridge.» in italics after stanza 5. «'T is» is printed with a space after the apostrophe and kept so (the convention of this book's deliveries). The print sets a thin space before «?» and «;» («end ?», «good ;», «died ;», «more ;»); it is closed up here. Spelling («Saviour», «honor», «vigor»), punctuation and capitals are the print's.