Scripture Verse

I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Revelation 1:18

Introduction

portrait
Philip Doddridge (1702–1751)

Words: Phi­lip Dodd­ridge (1702–1751). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Found­ed on Va­ri­ous Texts in the Ho­ly Scrip­tures, by Job Or­ton (Shrop­shire, Eng­land: Jo­shua Ed­dowes & John Cot­ton, 1755), num­ber 351: The keys of death and the un­seen world in Christ’s hand.

Music: Church Tri­um­phant James W. El­li­ott, 1874 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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

Lyrics

Hail to the Prince of life and peace,
Who holds the keys of death and hell!
The spa­cious world un­seen is His,
And so­ve­reign pow­er be­comes Him well.

In shame and tor­ment once He died,
But now He lives for ev­er­more;
Bow down, ye saints, around His seat;
And all ye an­gel bands, adore.

So live for ev­er, glo­ri­ous Lord,
To crush Thy foes, and guard Thy friends;
While all Thy chos­en tribes re­joice,
That Thy do­min­ion ne­ver ends.

Worthy Thy hands to hold the keys,
Guided by wis­dom, and by love;
Worthy to rule o’er mor­tal life,
O’er worlds be­low and worlds above.

When death Thy ser­vants shall in­vade,
When pow­ers of hell Thy church an­noy,
Controlled by Thee, their rage shall help
The cause they la­bored to de­stroy.

For ever reign, vic­to­ri­ous King:
Wide through the earth Thy name be known;
And call my long­ing soul to sing
Sublimer an­thems near Thy throne.