Come, Thou Fount of Ev'ry Blessing

“Tune my heart to sing thy grace.”

Well would we do to heed the example given in this excerpt. One wonders how much of our ‘Christian service’ is truly rendered from a pure heart of faith, and how much is the arm of the flesh making itself known. Oh, that we would take time to consider our motives in ministry, and ‘tune’ our hearts before a holy God!

“Many illustrations can be given of this line of “Come Thou Fount.”
“Do you wish to sing as angels sing? Ask of God an heavenly mind. A harp must be tuned before it makes good music. And when the heart is put in tune, well warmed with the love of God, singing proves delightsome service, and a heavenly feast.”
A pastor, who is now filling a Philadelphia pulpit, and has already added many jewels to the Saviour’s crown, in giving his experience to the author, says that it was the marked contrast between heart service and lip service in singing, that led to his conversion.

When a young man he was attending the dedication of a new church in a dark corner of Pennsylvania, a section at that time bitterly opposed to vital godliness, and frozen over with a dead religious formalism.

A revival had brought together a little praying band who were consecrating their new building with a “living sacrifice” of praise. The fires of persecution …had melted away all discord from the heart, so that the singing sounded forth upon the crowd of listeners with melting power. Among this group was our friend standing on a log under the trees, some distance away from the church. Hitherto he had prided himself upon his abilities as a choir-leader, but while under the sound of these heart-tuned voices he felt as if he had yet to learn the rudiment of Christian singing.
With trembling and tears he left that hallowed ground, and resolved to get his heart right before he would sing again. He at once resigned his position in the church of which he was a communicant member. And when the reason was asked, he replied that he was no longer going to mock his God with lip-service, while his heart was out of tune and far from him.”

Come, thou fount of ev’ry blessing,
Tune my heart to sing thy grace:
Streams of mercy never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise:
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of God’s unchanging love.

 

The above passage is from the "Illustrated History of Hymns and Their Authors," published in 1875, page 349.
Colossians 3:16
Melody Publications’ focus is to reawaken the melody of truth in believers' hearts and minds at home and abroad. Our prayer is that our work would aid churches and families as they sing "Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs" in praise and worship to our God.

 

 

 

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