The Grand Old Story

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Come and hear the grand old story

Author: Horatius Bonar
Published in 22 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Come and hear the grand old story,
Story of the ages past;
All earth's annals far surpassing
Story that shall ever last.

Refrain:
Noblest, truest,
Oldest, newest,
Fairest, rarest,
Saddest, gladdest,
That the world has ever known.

2 Christ, the Father's Son Eternal,
Once was born a Son of man;
He Who never knew beginning
Here on earth a life began. [Refrain]

3 Here in David's lowly city,
Tenant of the manger-bed,
Child of everlasting ages,
Marty's Infant lays His head. [Refrain]

Source: Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church #531

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Author: Horatius Bonar

Horatius Bonar was born at Edinburgh, in 1808. His education was obtained at the High School, and the University of his native city. He was ordained to the ministry, in 1837, and since then has been pastor at Kelso. In 1843, he joined the Free Church of Scotland. His reputation as a religious writer was first gained on the publication of the "Kelso Tracts," of which he was the author. He has also written many other prose works, some of which have had a very large circulation. Nor is he less favorably known as a religious poet and hymn-writer. The three series of "Hymns of Faith and Hope," have passed through several editions. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872… Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	Come and hear the grand old story
Title:	The Grand Old Story
Author:	Horatius Bonar
Language:	English
Refrain First Line:	Noblest, truest, oldest, newest
Notes:	Spanish translation: "Escuchad la dulce historia" by William George Arbaugh
Copyright:	Public Domain

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Notes

Come, and hear the grand old story. H. Bonar. [Life of Christ.] This is the first of 9 lines which introduce a hymn of 17 stanzas of 4 lines. beginning, "Christ the Father's Son Eternal," first published in his Hymns of Faith and Hope, 2nd series, 1861. The hymn, in an abbreviated form, is given in N. Hall's Christ Church Hymnal, 1876, and others.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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