Majestic sweetness sits enthroned

Little did I know there are moments I was captivated by other things but there is still this feeling of vain and emptiness. I was reminded by the line that ‘Fairer is He than all the fair’. It declares that the Lord’s beauty surpasses that of anyone else. Lord, may I be more captivated and filled by Your beauty.

This is one of the finest hymns found in evangelical hymnals. The dominant theme of this text is the adoration of the person of Christ and the work He did on our behalf. The original hymn had nine stanzas and was titled “The Chief Among Ten Thousand” or “The Excellencies of Christ. ”

Samuel Stennett was born in Exeter, England, in 1727. His father, Dr. Joseph Stennett, was a well-known Baptist pastor of the Little Wild Street Church in London. In 1748 Samuel became an assistant to his father and ten years later succeed him as the pastor of that church. For the next thirty-seven years, Stennett served as its pastor where he became a prominent preacher of his day. It is said that he was well acquainted with King George III who was one of his best admirers. In 1793 he was awarded the Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen in recognition for his many accomplishments. Samuel Stennett died in London on August 24, 1795. He served the Lord faithfully in his lifetime.

Dr. Stennett authored many books on theological subjects and wrote thirty-nine hymns. Most of these hymns were contributed to Rippon’s famous Baptist collection. This one became Stennett’s best known hymn which is still used today.

This hymn’s popularity was heightened by the tune composed for it in 1837 by the talented American musician Thomas Hastings. Hastings is credited with being one of the most influential church musicians of the nineteenth century in raising the standards of sacred music. Even though he suffered with an eye affliction, he composed over 1, 000 hymn tunes as well as more than 600 hymn texts. Some of these hymns include “ From Every Stormy Wind That Blows” and “Rock of Ages. ”

Lord if I a thousand hearts to give, they should all be Thine!

There are 2 additional stanzas between following stanza 1 above:

To Christ, the Lord, let every tongue
Its noblest tribute bring
When He’s the subject of the song,
Who can refuse to sing?
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Survey the beauties of His face,
And on His glories dwell;
Think of the wonders of His grace,
And all His triumphs tell,
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The following 2 stanzas follow the hymnal.net stanza #2
He saw me plunged in deep distress
And flew to my relief;
For me He bore the shameful cross
And carried all my grief,
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His hand a thousand blessings pours
Upon my guilty head:
His presence gilds my darkest hours,
And guards my sleeping bed,
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Line #1 of hymnal.net stanza #4 originally says:
To Heav’n, the place of His abode,

It was such a blessing to sing along with words for my morning devotion. This is one of my most beloved hymns. Thank you so much for your ministry. May god bless your heart and grant you all your heart's desire for His glory.