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Guest Blog: George Rawson (a hymn)
Oct. 1st, 2010 08:34 pmQuick reminder: still a few hours left to enter this contest to win a copy of Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh!
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It's been awhile since we've done a guest blog here. (It's been awhile since we've had a regularly updated blog here. But be patient with me, dear readers, I'm still learning to be a writer-mother or a mother-writer; it will take some time.) This is actually courtesy of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
holmes_iv, since he's the one who gave me the sheet music a few weeks ago. He attended a Congregational church service at which they sand the hymn "We Limit Not the Truth of God," which was written by George Rawson in around 1835, but is based off of an address by spiritual leader John Robinson to the pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony. Robinson died in England, before the pilgrims set sail, but his words were recalled by governor Edward Winslow as the Mayflower set sail in 1646. He said: "...if God should reveal anything to us by any other instrument of his, to be as ready to receive it, as ever we were to receive any truth by his Ministry. For he was very confident the Lord had more truth and light yet to break forth out of his holy Word."
The idea here, of course, is that faith is emerging, that the understanding of God, religion, and spirituality can change as more is learned -- or revealed. New information should not be rejected because it is new, it should be considered, probably prayerfully. It seems like a wonderfully modern sentiment, but dates back all the way to the 1600s.
The following is Rawson's hymn adaptation of the teaching.
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We limit not the truth of God to our poor reach of mind,
by notions of our day and sect, crude, partial and confined.
No let a new and better hope within our hearts be stirred:
The Lord hat yet more light and truth to break forth from The Word.
Darkling those faithful pilgrims went the first steps of the way;
'twas but the dawning yet to grow into the perfect day.
And grow it shall, our glorious sun more fervid rays afford:
The Lord hat yet more light and truth to break forth from The Word.
The valleys passed ascending still, our souls would higher climb,
and look down from supernal heights on all the bygone time.
Upward we press, the air is clear, and the sphere music heard:
The Lord hat yet more light and truth to break forth from The Word.
O God, we pray that thou wild send us increase from above,
enlarge, expand all Christian souls to comprehend thy love,
and make us to go on, to know with nobler powers conferred:
The Lord hat yet more light and truth to break forth from The Word.
--
It's been awhile since we've done a guest blog here. (It's been awhile since we've had a regularly updated blog here. But be patient with me, dear readers, I'm still learning to be a writer-mother or a mother-writer; it will take some time.) This is actually courtesy of
holmes_iv, since he's the one who gave me the sheet music a few weeks ago. He attended a Congregational church service at which they sand the hymn "We Limit Not the Truth of God," which was written by George Rawson in around 1835, but is based off of an address by spiritual leader John Robinson to the pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony. Robinson died in England, before the pilgrims set sail, but his words were recalled by governor Edward Winslow as the Mayflower set sail in 1646. He said: "...if God should reveal anything to us by any other instrument of his, to be as ready to receive it, as ever we were to receive any truth by his Ministry. For he was very confident the Lord had more truth and light yet to break forth out of his holy Word."The idea here, of course, is that faith is emerging, that the understanding of God, religion, and spirituality can change as more is learned -- or revealed. New information should not be rejected because it is new, it should be considered, probably prayerfully. It seems like a wonderfully modern sentiment, but dates back all the way to the 1600s.
The following is Rawson's hymn adaptation of the teaching.
--
We limit not the truth of God to our poor reach of mind,
by notions of our day and sect, crude, partial and confined.
No let a new and better hope within our hearts be stirred:
The Lord hat yet more light and truth to break forth from The Word.
Darkling those faithful pilgrims went the first steps of the way;
'twas but the dawning yet to grow into the perfect day.
And grow it shall, our glorious sun more fervid rays afford:
The Lord hat yet more light and truth to break forth from The Word.
The valleys passed ascending still, our souls would higher climb,
and look down from supernal heights on all the bygone time.
Upward we press, the air is clear, and the sphere music heard:
The Lord hat yet more light and truth to break forth from The Word.
O God, we pray that thou wild send us increase from above,
enlarge, expand all Christian souls to comprehend thy love,
and make us to go on, to know with nobler powers conferred:
The Lord hat yet more light and truth to break forth from The Word.
