O thou, before whose gracious throne

O thou, before whose gracious throne

Author: John Kent
Published in 103 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Oh Thou, before whose gracious throne
We bow our suppliant spirits down,
Thou knowest the anxious cares we feel,
And all our trembling lips would tell.

2 Avert Thy swift descending stroke,
Nor smite the shepherd of the flock,
Lest o'er the barren waste we stray,
To prowling wolves an easy prey.

3 Restore him, sinking to the grave,
Stretch out Thine arm, make haste to save;
Back to our hope and wishes give,
And bid our friend and father live.

4 Yet, if our supplications fail,
And prayers and tears can naught prevail,
Condemned on this dark desert coast
To mourn our much-loved leader lost;

5 Be Thou his strength, be Thou his stay,
Support him through the untried way;
Comfort his soul, surround his bed,
And guide him through the dreary shade.

6 Around him may Thy angels wait,
Decked with their robes of heavenly state,
To teach his happy soul to rise,
And waft him to his native skies.

Source: The Book of Worship #152

Author: John Kent

Kent, John, was born at Bideford, Devonshire, Dec. 1766, and died Nov. 15, 1843. As a working shipwright his opportunities for acquiring the education and polish necessary for the production of refined verse were naturally limited. His hymns are strongly worded, very earnest and simple, and intensely Calvinistic. A few were published in Samuel Reece's Collection, 1799. The first edition of his Collection of Original Gospel Hymns, was published in 1803, and the 10th edition, with "The Author's Experience," in verse, 264 hymns, 15 longer pieces, and a Life by his Son in 1861. The Calvinistic teaching so prominent in his hymns has restricted their use to a limited number of collections. The greatest use made of them in modern hymnbooks has bee… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: O thou, before whose gracious throne
Author: John Kent
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

O Thou, before Whose gracious throne. [During the dangerous illness of a Minister.] The earliest date to which we have traced this hymn is the 4th edition of the Bristol Baptist Collection of Ash & Evans, 1781, where it is given in 9 stanzas of 4 lines, and is unsigned. In the 8th edition, 1801, it is signed "J— K— .” It was included in full in Rippon's Baptist Selection 1787, No. 413, but without signature. In Dobell's Selection, 1806, No. 592, it is signed "K. —Evans’s Collection" In later editions it is "K." only. This uncertainty of authorship was increased by D. Sedgwick's guesses at the meaning of “K." In one of his books annotated in manuscript we find him giving it to "John Kentish," in another to "George Keith" and so on, but in each case confessing that it was a guess only. In the Primitive Methodist Hymnal 1887, it is given to "F. Kirkham," a signature which is evidently wrong. We must subscribe it "J. K. in Ash & Evans, 1781." In modern collections the text is usually in an abbreviated form.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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Instances

Instances (1 - 100 of 103)
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A Collection of Hymns and a Liturgy for the Use of Evangelical Lutheran Churches #432

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A Collection of Hymns and a Liturgy #432

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A Collection of Hymns and A Liturgy #432

A Collection of Hymns for the use of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America #d388

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A Collection of Hymns, for the use of the United Brethren in Christ #381

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A Collection of Hymns, for the use of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America. #669

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Social and Private Worship #CCLXXXVI

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns, for Social and Private Worship #475

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns, for Social and Private Worship (Rev. ed. with supplement) #475

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A Collection of Psalms and Hymns #644

A Selection of Hymns #d216

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A Selection of Hymns and Psalms for Social and Private Worship (2nd ed. Enl. and Imp.) #346

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A Selection of Hymns and Psalms for Social and Private Worship (6th ed.) #359

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A Selection of Hymns and Psalms, for Social and Private Worship. (11th ed.) #359

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A Selection of Hymns and Psalms #346

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A Selection of Hymns for the use of social religious meetings, and for private devotions 2d ed. #54

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A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors. #413

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A Selection of Hymns #CDXIII

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A Selection of Hymns #196

A Selection of Hymns....3d ed #d179

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A Selection of Psalms and Hymns, Embracing all the Varieties of Subjects #H122

American Sunday School Hymn Book. 2nd ed. #a397

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American Sunday School Hymn Book. New ed. #aa397

Chapel Hymns #d419

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Christian Hymns for Public and Private Worship #868

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Christian Hymns #404

Christian Psalms and Hymns to Aid in Public and Private Devotion #d693

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Church Choral-Book #122

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Hymns additional to the Hymns in the Prayer Book #258

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Hymns for Christian Melody #816

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Hymns for Family Worship, with Prayers for Every Day in the Week (2nd ed.) #137

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Hymns for Sunday Schools #292

Hymns for Sunday Schools, Selected from Various Authoors #d163

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Hymns of Worship #312

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Hymns, Selected and Original, for Public and Private Worship #575

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Hymns, Selected and Original #575

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Hymns #575

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Hymns #575

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Hymns #575

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Hymns #575

Psalms and Hymns Adapted to Social, Private and Public Worship #d631

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Psalms and Hymns, Adapted to Public Worship #419

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Psalms and Hymns, for Christian Use and Worship #H567

Psalms and Hymns, for Social and Private Worship #d335

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Psalms and Hymns #548

Sacred poetry #d369

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Sacred Poetry #aH.CCIV

Sacred Poetry #d367

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Sacred Poetry #H.CCIV

Select Hymns #d329

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Select Hymns, The Third Part of Christian Psalmody. 3rd ed. #aa147

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Select Hymns #454

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Select Hymns #147

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Selection of Hymns for the Sunday School Union of the Methodist Episcopal Church #215

Supplement to Watts #d318

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The American Sunday-School Hymn-Book #397

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The Baptist Harp #492

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The Book of Worship #152

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The Christian Harmonist #30

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The Christian Hymn-Book (Corr. and Enl., 3rd. ed.) #249

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The Christian Psalmist; or, Watts' Psalms and Hymns #408

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The New Hymn Book, Designed for Universalist Societies #532

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The New Hymn Book, Designed for Universalist Societies #532

The Providence Selection of Hymns, Supplementary to Dr. Watts. #d186

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The Psalmody #801

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The Psalms and Hymns of Dr. Watts #1131

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The Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs of the Rev. Isaac Watts, D. D. #D147

The Sabbath School Lyre #d115

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The Sabbath School Lyre #96

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The Saint's Harp #209

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The Springfield Collection of Hymns for Sacred Worship #498

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The Vestry Singing Book #113a

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The Virginia Selection of Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs #618

Union Hymns. Rev. #d286

Union Hymns. Rev. #d291

Village Hymns #295

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Village hymns for social worship, selected and original #295

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