Scripture Verse

Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 8:11

Introduction

Words: George T. Cos­ter, 1864.

Music: Han­ford (Sul­li­van) Ar­thur S. Sul­li­van, 1874 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

  • Bideford J. Daw­son Hands, in The Pri­mi­tive Me­tho­dist Hym­nal Sup­ple­ment with Tunes, ed­it­ed by George Booth (Lon­don: Pri­mi­tive Me­tho­dist Pub­lish­ing House, 1912), num­ber 76 (🔊 pdf nwc)
  • Drew Le­on­ard B. Mc­Whood, in Fel­low­ship Hymn, ed­it­ed by Cla­rence A. Bar­bour (New York: Young Men’s Chris­tian As­so­ci­ation Press, 1910), num­ber 262 (🔊 pdf nwc)

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Coster (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900)

Lyrics

From north and south and east and west,
When shall the peo­ples, long un­blest,
All find their ev­er­last­ing rest,
O Christ, in Thee?

When shall the climes of age­less snow
Be with the Gos­pel light aglow,
And all men their Re­deem­er know,
O Christ, in Thee?

When on each south­ern bal­my coast,
Shall ran­somed men, in count­less host,
Rise, heart and voice, to make sweet boast,
O Christ, in Thee?

O when in all the Ori­ent lands,
From ci­ties white, and flam­ing sands,
Shall men lift de­di­cat­ed hands,
O Christ, in Thee?

O when shall hea­then dark­ness roll
Away in light, from pole to pole,
And end­less day by ev­ery soul
Be found in Thee?

Bring, Lord, the long pre­dict­ed hour,
The ages’ dia­dem and flow­er,
When all shall find their re­fuge, tow­er,
And home in Thee!