Adventist Pioneer Library

The Church — Dedication

We rear not a temple, like Judah's of old

  • No. 1127
  • Metre 11s.
  • Tune Portugese Hymn
  • Words Henry Ware.
  • 4 stanzas
  • Words only in the original

Words

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1

We rear not a temple, like Judah's of old,Whose portals were marble, whose vaultings were gold;No incense is lighted, no victims are slain,No monarch kneels praying to hallow the fane.

2

More simple and lowly the walls that we raise,And humbler the pomp of procession and praise,Where the heart is the altar whence incense shall roll,And Messiah the King who shall plead for the soul.

3

O Father, come in! but not in the cloudWhich filled the bright courts where thy chosen ones bowed;But come in that Spirit of glory and graceWhich beams on the soul and illumines the race.

4

O come in the power of thy life-giving word,And reveal to each heart its Redeemer and Lord,Till faith bring the peace to the penitent given,And love fill the air with the fragrance of heaven.

About this hymn

As printed Words only. As printed: hymn number «1127» (large) at the foot of the left column of p. 383, below hymn 1126; then in italics and brackets «[Portugese Hymn, No. 783.]» (sing to the tune PORTUGUESE HYMN, hymn 783; «Portugese» is the print's spelling), then «11s.» in bold at the right (= elevens: 11.11.11.11). Stanza 1 begins at the foot of the left column (its first two lines) and continues at the top of the right column; stanzas 2–4 follow in the right column, numbered «2», «3», «4» without periods (written «2.» … here, as in the other deliveries of this book). «Henry Ware.» in italics at the end. The first word «WE» is set in capitals and small capitals. The long lines overrun the column: the turnovers «ings were gold;», «fane.», «raise,», «praise,», «cense shall roll,», «for the soul.», «chosen ones bowed;», «the race.», «word,», «and Lord,», «given,», «heaven.» are set deeper on the next line; each verse is written here as one line, and the words broken by the line end («vault-/ings», «in-/cense») are joined. The print sets a thin space before «;» and «!» («gold ;», «come in !», «bowed ;»); it is closed up here. The printer's curly apostrophe is written straight («Judah's»). Spelling, punctuation and capitals are the print's.

Source
The Seventh-day Adventist Hymn and Tune Book (Battle Creek: Review & Herald, 1886/1888)
Where
The Church — Dedication · No. 1127 · printed page 383
Checked
lyrics verified (fork reading; parent check pending) · 2026-10-02