Weary of Earth

Representative Text

1 Weary of earth, and laden with my sin,
I look at heav'n and long to enter in;
but there no evil thing may find a home;
and yet I hear a voice that bids me "Come."

2 So vile I am, how dare I hope to stand
in the pure glory of that holy land?
Before the whiteness of that throne appear?
Yet there are hands stretched out to draw me near.

3 The while I fain would tread the heav'nly way,
evil is ever with me day by day;
yet on my ears the gracious tidings fall,
"Repent, confess, thou shalt be loosed from all."

4 It is the voice of Jesus that I hear;
his are the hands stretched out to draw me near,
and his the blood that can for all atone
and set me faultless there before the throne.

5 O great Absolver, grant my soul may wear
the lowliest garb of penitence and pray'r,
that in the Father's courts my glorious dress
may be the garment of thy righteousness.

6 Yea, thou wilt answer for me, righteous Lord;
thine all the merits, mine the great reward;
thine the sharp thorns, and mine the golden crown;
mine the life won, and thine the life laid down.

Source: Trinity Psalter Hymnal #506

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Author: S. J. Stone

Stone, Samuel John, a clergyman of the Church of England, the son of Rev. William Stone, was born at Whitmore, Staffordshire, April 25, 1839. He was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he was graduated B.A. in 1862. Later he took orders and served various Churches. He succeeded his father at St. Paul's, Haggerstown, in 1874. He was the author of many original hymns and translations, which were collected and published in 1886. His hymns are hopeful in spirit and skillfully constructed. He published several poetic volumes. He died November 19, 1900 --Hymn Writers of the Church, 1915 (Charles Nutter)… Go to person page >

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First Line:	Weary of earth, and laden with my sin
Title:	Weary of Earth
Author:	S. J. Stone (1866)
Meter:	10.10.10.10
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Weary of earth, and laden with my Sin. S. J. Stone. [Lent.] Written in 1866, and 1st published in the same year in his Lyra Fidelium, p. 44, in 8 stanza of 4 1. It is based on Art. 10 of the Apostles' Creed, "The Forgiveness of Sins," and was written, originally, for a parochial mission. In 1868 Mr. Stone revised it for the Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern. From H ymns Ancient & Modern it has passed into numerous collections in Great Britain and America. It is one of the most tender and plaintive of Mr. Stone's hymns. In the American Laudes Domini, 1884, it is divided into two parts, pt. i. being stanzas i.-v.; and pt. ii. stanza vi.-viii., altered to "0 Jesus Christ the righteous! live in me."

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Notes

Weary of earth, and laden with my Sin. S. J. Stone. [Lent.] Written in 1866, and 1st published in the same year in his Lyra Fidelium, p. 44, in 8 stanza of 4 1. It is based on Art. 10 of the Apostles' Creed, "The Forgiveness of Sins," and was written, originally, for a parochial mission. In 1868 Mr. Stone revised it for the Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern. From H ymns Ancient & Modern it has passed into numerous collections in Great Britain and America. It is one of the most tender and plaintive of Mr. Stone's hymns. In the American Laudes Domini, 1884, it is divided into two parts, pt. i. being stanzas i.-v.; and pt. ii. stanza vi.-viii., altered to "0 Jesus Christ the righteous! live in me."

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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Tune

LANGRAN

LANGRAN (also known as ST. AGNES) was composed by James Langran (b. London, England, 1835; d. London, 1909) and first published by Novello in a pamplet in 1861 as a setting for the hymn text "Abide with Me." Several other texts have also been set to the tune, which is one of Langran's best. Sing it…

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DALKEITH

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