Holy Fortitude

Representative Text

1 Am I a soldier of the cross,
a foll'wer of the Lamb,
and shall I fear to own His cause,
or blush to speak His name?

2 Must I be carried to the skies
on flow'ry beds of ease,
while others fought to win the prize,
and sailed thro' bloody seas?

3 Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
to help me on to God?

4 Sure I must fight, if I would reign;
increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
supported by Thy word.

5 The saints in all this glorious war
shall conquer, though they die;
they see the triumph from afar
by faith's discerning eye.

6 When that illustrious day shall rise,
and all Thine armies shine
in robes of vict'ry thro' the skies,
the glory shall be Thine.

Source: Psalms and Hymns to the Living God #366

Author: Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was the son of a schoolmaster, and was born in Southampton, July 17, 1674. He is said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. At the age of sixteen, he went to London to study in the Academy of the Rev. Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. In 1698, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church, Berry St., London. In 1702, he became pastor. In 1712, he accepted an invitation to visit Sir Thomas Abney, at his residence of Abney Park, and at Sir Thomas' pressing request, made it his home for the remainder of his life. It was a residence most favourable for his health, and for the prosecution of his literary… Go to person page >

Notes

Am I a soldier of the Cross? I. Watts. [Holy Fortitude.] Appended to his Sermons, published in 1721-24, in 3 vols., vol. iii., and intended to accompany a sermon on 1 Cor. xvi. 13. It is in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, and entitled "Holy Fortitude." In Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book, No. 671, st. v. and vi. are omitted, but the rest are unaltered. Original full text in all editions of Watts's Works. In the New Congregational Hymn Book, No. 623, it is given in an abbreviated and slightly altered form as — "Are we the soldiers of the Cross?" This is also found in Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory, 1872, and other collections. It dates as early as the Leeds Hymn Book, 1853. The American use of this hymn is extensive.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
================
Am I a soldier of the Cross? p. 55, ii. In some annotations of this hymn we have found it stated that it is a portion of "Do I believe what Jesus saith?" that the hymn in its full form appeared in Watts's Hymns & Sacred Songs, 1709; and that the portion beginning "Am I a soldier of the Cross?" subsequently appeared in his Sermons, 1721-24. The facts are (1) both hymns appeared in the Sermons, &c, 1721-24, “Do I believe, &c," for Ser. 30, and "Am I a soldier, &c." for Ser. 31; and (2) the two were united as one hymn, and included in the Hymns and Sacred Songs, Bk. i., No. 37, Pt. ii. sometime in the present century. We find it in T. Nelson's edition of Watts, 1844, and others, but in no edition before 1800.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

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Instances

Instances (1501 - 1600 of 1938)
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The Gospel Way #217

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The Great Redemption #104

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The Greatest Hymns #217

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The Guiding Star for Sunday Schools #86

The Ham-Ramsay Revival Hymns, a Collection of High Class Gospel Music #d16

The Happy Singer #d8

The Harmonia Sacra. 14th ed. #d9

The Harmonic Chimes for Revivals, Praise Meetings, Church Worship ... #d6

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The Harp #640

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The Harp of Glory #211

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The Harp #9

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The Harp. 2nd ed. #a640

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The Hartford Selection of Hymns from the Most Approved Authors #LXXXIII

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The Hartford Selection of Hymns #LXXXIII

The Haverford School Hymnal #d8

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The Haverford School Hymnal #247

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The Heart and Voice #128a

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The Heavenly Choir #119a

The Heavenly Echoes #d6

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The Helper in Sacred Song #59

The Herald #226

The Highway Hymnal #d14

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The Highway Hymnal (Revised edition) #37

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The Highway Hymnal #37

The Hill School Hymnal and Service Book #d6

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The Hymn Book of the African Methodist Episcopal Church #628

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The Hymn Book of the Free Methodist Church #553

The Hymnal #325

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The Hymnal #479b

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The Hymnal #481

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The Hymnal and Order of Service #454

Text

The Hymnal and Order of Service #454

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The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration #482

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The Hymnal of Praise #305a

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The Hymnal of Praise #305b

The Hymnal of the Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod. Text ed. #d26

The Hymnal of the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America #265

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The Hymnal of The Evangelical United Brethren Church #260

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The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America 1940 #550

The Hymnal of the Reformed Church in the United States #d28

The Hymnal, a Collection of Gospel Songs and Hymns #d13

The Hymnal #295

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The Hymnal #488

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The Hymnal #497

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The Hymnal #481

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The Hymnal #508

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The Hymnal #471

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The Hymnbook #353

The Hymns for the Use of Evangelical Lutheran Congregations #d26

The Hymns of "Happy Voices" (without music) #d6

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The Jewel #116

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The Jewel #148

The Joyful News Song Book; a Collection of Hymns for Evangelistic Services #d5

The Joyful News Song Book; a Collection of Hymns for Evangelistic Services. Enlarged ed. #d4

The Joyful News Song Book; a Collection of Hymns for Evangelistic Services. Enlarged ed. #d9

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The Jubilee Harp #161

The Jubilee Songster #d9

The Junior Hymnal and Suggested Orders of Worship #d15

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The Junior Hymnal, Containing Sunday School and Luther League Liturgy and Hymns for the Sunday School #242

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The Junior Song and Service Book #95

The King in His Beauty #d7

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The King of Glory #117

The King's Message in Song #d7

The King's Praise ... a General Purpose Song Book #d11

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The Lecture-Room Hymn-Book #H380

The Lesser Hymnal #d8

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The Lexington Collection #132

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The Little Minstrel #23

The Liturgical Harp #4

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The Liturgy and Hymns of the American Province of the Unitas Fratrum #331

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The Lord's Songs #XVI

The Luther League Hymn Book #d8

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The Lutheran Hymnal #445

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The Lutheran Hymnary #490

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The Lyrica #285

The Majestic Hymnal, number two #19

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The Manual of Praise for Sabbath and Social Worship #409

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The Melodeon #39

The Mennonite Hymnal #348

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The Methodist Hymnal (Text only edition) #393

The Methodist Hymnal #d20

The Methodist Hymnal #284

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The Methodist Hymnal #393

The Methodist Pocket Hymn Book. 35th ed. #d12

The Methodist Pocket Hymn Book. Rev. #d13

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The Methodist Pocket Hymn-book, revised and improved #CCVII

The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal #d9

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The Methodist Sunday School Hymnal #204

The Millennial Harp #d16

The Millennial Harp #d10

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The Modern Hymnal #82

The More Perfect Gospel Hymnal, a Revision of the Cross and Resurrection in Song #d8

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The Most Popular Hymns #35a

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The Musical Repository. #52

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