Scripture Verse

Is not My Word like as a fire? saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29

Introduction

Words: Ben­ja­min Bed­dome (1717–1795). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Adapt­ed to Pub­lic Wor­ship (Lon­don: Bu­rton & Briggs, 1818), num­ber 689. Power of the Word.

Music: Butler, in the Sab­bath-School Psal­mo­dist (Pitts­burgh, Penn­syl­van­ia: Unit­ed Pres­by­ter­ian Board of Pub­li­ca­tion, 1872), page 23 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know the com­pos­er, or where to get a good pic­ture of him or Bed­dome (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

And is Thy Word, oh God, a fire?
Let light and heat from thence pro­ceed;
The ho­ly flame by it pro­duced
Do Thou with con­stant fu­el feed.

Is it a ham­mer? let it break
This hard un­feel­ing heart of mine,
And by its oft re­peat­ed strokes,
Prepare the way for joys di­vine.

Let not Thy faith­ful ser­vants, Lord,
Of fruit­less la­bors e’er com­plain;
Oh may this fire be ne­ver quenched,
This ham­mer ne­ver strike in vain.

Lord, send Thy truth to ev­ery land,
Let pag­ans feel its mig­hty pow­er;
And let its wide do­mi­nion spread,
Till sin and death are known no more.