1
Though Christ a thousand times
In Bethlehem be born,
If He's not born in thee
Thy soul is still forlorn.
The Cross on Golgotha,
Will never save thy soul;
The Cross in thine own heart,
Alone can make thee whole.
In Bethlehem be born,
If He's not born in thee
Thy soul is still forlorn.
The Cross on Golgotha,
Will never save thy soul;
The Cross in thine own heart,
Alone can make thee whole.
O, Cross of Christ, I take thee
Into this heart of mine,
That I to my own self may die
And rise to thy life Divine.
Into this heart of mine,
That I to my own self may die
And rise to thy life Divine.
2
What e'er thou lovest, man,
That too become thou must;
God, if thou lovest God,
Dust, if thou lovest dust.
Go out, God will come in;
Die thou and let Him live;
Be not and He will be;
Wait and He'll all things give.
That too become thou must;
God, if thou lovest God,
Dust, if thou lovest dust.
Go out, God will come in;
Die thou and let Him live;
Be not and He will be;
Wait and He'll all things give.
3
To bring thee to thy God,
Love takes the shortest route;
The way which knowledge leads,
Is but a roundabout.
Drive out from thee the world,
And then thy heart shall be
Filled with the love of God,
And holy like as He.
Love takes the shortest route;
The way which knowledge leads,
Is but a roundabout.
Drive out from thee the world,
And then thy heart shall be
Filled with the love of God,
And holy like as He.
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Storrs, Connecticut, United States
A hymn, though simple in nature, may go through a process of being written, translated and polished before becoming a popular hymn by many-a-believer to sing around the globe.
The history of hymn 477 “Though Christ a Thousand Times” was written by man of German nobility, translated by someone unknown from Polish into English and more than 200 years would pass before the chorus and a tune were added by a father and daughter team.
The writer of this hymn was Johann Scheffler born December 1624 in Beslau, Silesia (now Wroclaw, Poland).
Johann was the son of Stanislaw Scheffler. His father, a member of the Polish nobility, was forced to leave his homeland because of his adherence to Lutheranism. Johann attended Elizabeth’s Gymnasium in Breslau, then enrolled as a medical student at the University of Strasburg in 1643. The following year he went to Leyden and in 1647 to Padua where he received his PhD and MD in 1648. He then returned to Salesia, where in 1649 he became private physician to Sylvius Nimrod of Wüttemberg-Oels. He resigned his post in 1652 and upon returning to Breslau, joined the Roman Catholic Church and took the name Angelus.
In 1654, he was appointed the Imperial Court Physician by Emperor Ferdinand but it was purely an honorary title and he remained in Breslau. In 1661, Scheffler joined the order of Saint Francis and was ordained priest at Neisse, Silesia (now Nysa, Poland).
In 1664 he was appointed an administrative official of his friend Sebastian Von Rostock
(Prince Bishop of Breslau) and when the Bishop died in 1671, he retired in Breslau (Monestary of St Mathias) until his death on July 9, 1677.
The original hymn is titled, ”The Soul Wherein God Dwells”.
The soul wherein God dwells—
What church could holier be?
Becomes a walking tent
Of heavenly majesty.
Through Christ a thousand times
In Bethlehem be born,
If He’s not born in thee,
thy soul is still forlorn.
O would thy heart but be
A manger for His birth,
God would once more become
A Child upon the earth.
Over two hundred years later A. B. Simpson, (1843-1919), a Canadian preacher, theologian, and the founder of Christian and Missionary Alliance, would add the chorus to the now translated version into English. His daughter Margaret Simpson composed the tune as she had for many of A. B. ’s hymns.
(Cyberhymnal. org)
New York City, NY, United States
This is my prayer this morning:
O, Cross of Christ, I take thee
Into this heart of mine,
That I to my own self may die
And rise to thy life Divine.
Vista, CA, United States
v. 1, “The cross in thine own heart alone can make thee whole”
v. 2, “Whatever thou lovest.. that too become…God, if thou lovest God”
Stuttgart, Germany
The way which knowledge leads,
Is but a roundabout!
Let us be filled with the Love of God.
Lord Jesus we open to You.
Amen.
Wow. This song is so good
Kananga, Leyte, Philippines
This is the oldest hymn in our hymnal, composed by the early church fathers in the second century AD. This would be an evidence and assurance that the highest gospel is not our invention but a recovered truth from our earliest brothers. The second stanza proves it , that it is possible for man become a Godman in life and in nature but not in the Godhead! What an economy it is!
Rancho Cordova, California, United States
What e’er thou lovest, man,
That too become thou must;
God, if thou lovest God,
Dust, if thou lovest dust.
Go out, God will come in;
Die thou and let Him live;
Be not and He will be;
Wait and He’ll all things give.
City Of Malolos, Bulacan, Philippines
Stanza 2
God, if thou lovest God.
Dust, if thou lovest dust.
Lord Jesus, keep me in the realm and atmosphere of loving You. Losing my first love is the beginning of all degradation. Lord Jesus, I love You.
Oh Lord, You alone deserves my first and best love.
Save and keep my heart from the one who eats dust. I do not want to be a food for the enemy. I am wholly for You.
Lord Jesus I love You.
Anaheim, California, United States
Just learned in the current semiannual training the this hymn was written in the third century AD. Probably the oldest hymn in our hymnal. The second stanza reveals the crucial fact that if we want to become God we need to be those who continually tell Him, "Lord Jesus, I love You". Love is the shortest way to God!
Sydney
I just keep learning this hymn today, thru the guitar chords and MIDI tunes in this hymnal portal...as I learned the tune, then I was carried on to my spirit thru its rich wordings...Oh my Lord Jesus Christ...we wounded Him, yet we as the sand particles was kept in His wound (in His death), then, He begins to secrete his life-juices, and made us pearls, as very precious materials to His building works, and we further enter the New Jerusalem! Hallelujah, we must remain in His death, so the resurrection life-juice, can engulf us to become pearls as the gates to the entrance of many peoples for His kingdom!