God's Time Now

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Choose I must, and soon must choose

Author: Joseph Cook
Tune: [Choose I must, and soon must choose]
Published in 7 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Choose I must, and soon must choose
Holiness, or heaven lose;
While what heaven loves I hate,
Shut for me in heaven’s gate.

2 Endless sin means endless woe;
Into endless sin I go,
If my soul, from reason rent,
Takes from sin its final bent.

3 As the stream its channel grooves,
And within that channel moves,
So doth habit’s deepest tide
Groove its bed, and there abide.

4 Light obeyed increaseth light,
Light resisted bringeth night;
Who shall give me will to choose,
If the love of light I lose?

5 Speed, my soul; this instant yield;
Let the Light its sceptre wield;
While thy God prolongeth grace,
Hate thee toward His holy face.

Source: Gospel Hymns No. 5 #137

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Author: Joseph Cook

Cook, Joseph Simpson. (Durham County, England, December 4, 1859--May 27, 1933, Toronto, Canada). Methodist. Wesleyan Theological College (Montreal) certificate, 1885; B.D., 1893; Illinois Wesleyan University, M.A., 1892; S.T.D., 1903. Pastorates in Ontario at Bayfield (1881-1882); Bluevale (1885-1887); Hensall (1888-1890); Ripley (1891-1893); Granton (1894-1896); Walkerville (1896-1898); Wallaceburg (1899-1902); Clinton (1903-1904); Ridgetown (1905-1908); Toronto (1909-1913, 1919-1925); Meaford (1914-1916); and Gravenhurst (1917-1918). He contributed articles and verse to many church-connected magazines. His best-known hymn, "Gentle Mary laid her child Lowly in a manger" won a 1919 contest of the Methodist weekly Christian Guardian. --Hu… Go to person page >

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First Line:	Choose I must, and soon must choose
Title:	God's Time Now
Author:	Joseph Cook
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain

2 Corinthians 6:2
(hymns)

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Notes

Although this hymn is attributed to Joseph Cook (1859-1933), it was published before he was born. It appears in 1843 in the book "First Truths; or Lessons and hymns for Christian children" (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge) and was probably published in an earlier source. Joseph Cook quoted this text in his last speech to Parliament, which is probably where confusion originated.

Dianne Shapiro

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