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Thou art, O God, a Spirit pure

Author: John Needham, d. c. 1786 Appears in 46 hymnals

Meter: 8.8.8.8 Appears in 22 hymnals Composer and/or Arranger: Robert Guy McCutchan Tune Key: D Flat Major Incipit: 53211 35117 65331 Used With Text: Thou Art, O God! A Spirit Pure

Instances

Published text-tune combinations (hymns) from specific hymnals

Thou Art, O God! A Spirit Pure

Author: John Needham Hymnal: The Cyber Hymnal #9507 Meter: 8.8.8.8 Lyrics: 1 Thou art, O God! a Spirit pure, Invisible to mortal eyes; Th’immortal, and th’eternal King, The great, the good, the only wise. 2 Whilst nature changes, and her works Corrupt, decay, dissolve and die, Thy essence pure no change shall see, Secure of immortality. 3 Thou great invisible! what hand Can draw Thy image spotless fair? To what in Heaven, to what on earth Can men th’immortal King compare? 4 Let stupid heathens frame their gods Of gold and silver, wood and stone; Ours is the God that made the heavens, Jehovah He, and God alone. 5 My soul, Thy purest homage pay, In truth and spirit Him adore; More shall this please than sacrifice, Than outward forms delight Him more. Languages: English Tune Title: DEPAUW

Thou art, O God! a spirit pure

Hymnal: Hymns, Selected and Original #14 (1828) Meter: 8.8.8.8 Lyrics: 1 Thou art, O God! a spirit pure, Invisible to mortal eyes; Th'immortal, and the eternal King, The great, the good, the only wise. 2 Whilst nature changes, and her works Corrupt, decay, dissolve, and die, Thy essence pure no change shall see, Secure of immortality. 3 Thou great Invisible! what hand Can draw thy image spotless fair! To what in heaven, to what on earth, Can men th'immortal King compare! 4 Let stupid heathens frame their gods Of gold, and silver, wood and stone; Ours is the God that made the heavens; Jehovah he, and God alone. 5 My soul, thy purest homage pay, In truth and spirit him adore: More shall this please than sacrifice, Than outward forms delight him more. Topics: The Spirituality of God; Being and Perfections of God Scripture: John 4:24

Thou art, O God! a Spirit pure

Author: Rippon's Col. Hymnal: The Voice of Praise #43 (1873) Meter: 8.8.8.8 Lyrics: 1 Thou art, O God! a Spirit pure, Invisible to mortal eyes; The immortal, and the eternal King, The great, the good, the only wise. 2 Whilst nature changes, and her works Corrupt, decay, dissolve, and die, Thy essence pure no change shall see, Secure of immortality. 3 Thou great Invisible! what hand Can draw thy image spotless fair? To what in heaven, to what on earth, Can men the immortal King compare? 4 Let stupid heathens frame their gods Of gold and silver, wood and stone; Ours is the God that made the heaven; Jehovah he, and God alone. 5 My soul, the purest homage pay, In truth and spirit him adore; More shall this please than sacrifice, Than outward forms delights him more. Topics: Attributes of God Spirituality; The Same Scripture: Psalm 107:43

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People

Authors, composers, editors, etc.

Anonymous

Author of "Thou art, O God, a Spirit pure" in A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of Universalist Societies and Families 16ed. In some hymnals, the editors noted that a hymn's author is unknown to them, and so this artificial "person" entry is used to reflect that fact. Obviously, the hymns attributed to "Author Unknown" "Unknown" or "Anonymous" could have been written by many people over a span of many centuries.

John Needham

? - 1786 Author of "Thou Art, O God! A Spirit Pure" in The Cyber Hymnal Needham, John, was the son of John Needham, Baptist Minister, of Hitchin, Herts, but the date of his birth is unknown. He would doubtless be educated by his father, who was a tutor and in repute as a learned man. In 1750 Needham became co-pastor with John Beddome at the Baptist meetinghouse in the Pithay, Bristol; but, two years later, Beddome having retired through age, a violent controversy arose in the Church with regard to a continuance of the plan of co-pastorship. As the result, Needham and a number of his friends removed to a Baptist meetinghouse in Callowhill Street, where a Mr. Foot was pastor. For a time the two societies used the same builing at different hours, but in 1755 they were united, with Mr. Needham and Mr. Foot as co-pastors. It is known that up to 1774 this arrangement continued, and it is also known that in 1787, both Mr. Needham and Mr. Foot having died, the Callowhill Street Church became extinct, but which of the two pastors was the survivor is not known. The date of Needham's death is unknown. It was probably circa 1786. In 1768 he published Hymns Devotional and Moral on various Subjects, collected chiefly from the Holy Scriptures, &c, Bristol, S. Farley, 1768. These hymns are 263 in all, and whilst none of them possess great excellence, yet several are of a pleasing and useful character. During the past 120 years several have appeared in Nonconformist hymnbooks, and specially in those of the Baptists. Of these the following are still in common use:— 1. Ashamed of Christ! my soul disdains. Not ashamed of Christ. 2. Awake, my tongue, thy tribute bring. The Divine Perfections. 3. Glory to God, Who reigns above. Jesus, the Messiah. 4. Great author of the immortal mind. Imitation of God's Moral Perfections. From "flow matchless, Lord, Thy glories are." 5. Happy the man whose cautious steps. Christian Moderation. 6. Holy and reverend is the Name. Reverence in Worship. 7. Kind are the words that Jesus speaks. Christ the Strengthener. 8. Lord,ere [Now Lord] the heavenly seed is sown. Parable of the Sower. 9. Methinks the last great day is come. The Judgment. 10. Rise, O my soul, pursue the path. The Example of the Saints. 11. See how the little toiling ant. Youth for Christ. 12. Thou art, O God, a Spirit pure. God a Spirit. 13. To praise the ever bounteous Lord. Harvest. 14. When some kind shepherd from his fold. The Lost Sheep. From this “O how divine, how sweet the joy," in Hatfield's Church Hymn Book, New York, 1872, is taken. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Robert G. McCutchan

1877 - 1958 Person Name: Robert Guy McCutchan Composer of "DEPAUW" in The Cyber Hymnal A noted hymnologist, McCutchan studied at Park College, Parkville, Missouri, and Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa (BM 1904). He went on to teach voice at Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas, and founded the conservatory of music there in 1910. After further study in Germany and France, in 1911 he became dean of music at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, serving there 26 years. He helped compile the Methodist Hymnal in 1936. His works include: Better Music in Our Churches, 1925 Music in Worship, 1927 American Junior and Church School Hymnal, 1928 The Deluge of New Hymnals (reprint from M.T.N.A. Proceedings, 1933) American Church Music Composers of the Early Nineteenth Century, Church History, September 1933 The Congregation’s Part in the Office of Music Worship (Northwestern University, 1934) Our Hymnody (New York: The Methodist Book Concern, 1937) Aldersgate, 1738-1938, 1938 Hymns in the Lives of Men (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 1943) Hymns of the American Frontier, 1950 Hymn Tune Names: Their Sources and Significance, 1957 Sources: Erickson, pp. 341-42 Hughes, p. 478 Hustad, pp. 284-85 McCutchan, p. 33 --http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/c/c/mccutchan_rg.htm, 03 July 2014.