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Fill Thou My Life

Representative Text

1 Fill thou my life, O Lord my God,
in ev'ry part with praise,
that my whole being may proclaim
thy being and thy ways.
Not for the lip of praise alone,
nor e'en the praising heart,
I ask, but for a life made up
of praise in ev'ry part:

2 Praise in the common words I speak,
life's common looks and tones,
in fellowship enjoyed at home
with my beloved ones,
enduring wrong, reproach, or loss
with sweet and steadfast will,
forgiving freely those who hate,
returning good for ill.

3 So shall each fear, each fret, each care
be turned into a song,
and ev'ry winding of the way
the echo shall prolong.
So shall no part of day or night
from sacredness be free,
but all my life, in ev'ry step,
be fellowship with thee.


Source: Trinity Psalter Hymnal #534

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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

Related Texts

First Line: Fill Thou my life, O Lord, my God
Title: Fill Thou My Life
Author: Horatius Bonar (1866)
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain
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Notes

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Ps. 34:1, Ps. 71:8

Horatius Bonar (PHH 260), famous Scottish evangelical preacher and poet, wrote this text in twelve, four-line stanzas. Entitled "Life's Praise," the text was published in the third series of Bonar's Hymns of Faith and Hope (1866). Like most other hymnals the Psalter Hymnal includes only half of the original text with minor alterations (the most obvious being the change from "intercourse" to "fellowship" in st. 2, which is more in accord today with Bonar's meaning).

The text's theme is the consecration of all life as a doxology to God–the equivalent in hymn form of the neo-Calvinist concept that all of life is religion. Echoing an emphasis of the Old Testament prophets (see Ps. 50 or Isa. 1), this text affirms that "lip service" or an orthodox heart is not enough; we must live our Christianity in every aspect of our lives each day. That sanctity of life includes the intimate setting of family life and, by extension, the entire family of God, the church (st. 2). Such a holy lifestyle is possible only in communion with God, in "fellowship with thee."

Liturgical Use:
Because the whole of Christian life should be a true doxology to the Lord, many occasions of worship.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1987

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Tune

RICHMOND (Haweis)

RICHMOND (also known as CHESTERFIELD) is a florid tune originally written by Thomas Haweis (PHH 270) and published in his collection Carmina Christo (1792). Samuel Webbe, Jr., adapted and shortened the tune and published it in his Collection of Psalm Tunes (1808). It was reprinted in 1853 in Webbe's…

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ELLACOMBE

Published in a chapel hymnal for the Duke of Würtemberg (Gesangbuch der Herzogl, 1784), ELLACOMBE (the name of a village in Devonshire, England) was first set to the words "Ave Maria, klarer und lichter Morgenstern." During the first half of the nineteenth century various German hymnals altered the…

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ST. FULBERT


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The Cyber Hymnal #1530
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Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #547
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Instances

Instances (1 - 31 of 31)
Text

Ancient and Modern #632

Ancient and Modern #632

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #182

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #182

Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #349

Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #349
Text

Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #183

Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #183
TextPage Scan

Common Praise #424

Common Praise #424
TextPage Scan

Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #171

Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #171
Page Scan

Complete Mission Praise #146a

Complete Mission Praise #146a
Page Scan

Complete Mission Praise #146b

Complete Mission Praise #146b
TextPage Scan

CPWI Hymnal #367

CPWI Hymnal #367

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #200

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #200

Hymns and Psalms #792a

Hymns and Psalms #792a

Hymns and Psalms #792b

Hymns and Psalms #792b
Text

Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #541

Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #541
Text

Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #183

Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #183

Hymns Old and New #129

Hymns Old and New #129
TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan

Lift Up Your Hearts #356

Lift Up Your Hearts #356

Living Hymns #42

Living Hymns #42
Text InfoTune InfoTextScoreAudioPage Scan

Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #547

Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #547
Text

Rejoice in the Lord #147

Rejoice in the Lord #147

Sing Glory #665

Sing Glory #665

Singing the Faith #73a

Singing the Faith #73a

Singing the Faith #73b

Singing the Faith #73b
Audio

Small Church Music #54

Small Church Music #54

Songs of Fellowship #108

Songs of Fellowship #108
Text

The Book of Praise #653

The Book of Praise #653
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #1530

The Cyber Hymnal #1530
TextPage Scan

The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #537

The Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook #537
Text

The Song Book of the Salvation Army #7

The Song Book of the Salvation Army #7
Text

Together in Song #596

Together in Song #596
TextPage Scan

Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #589

Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #589
TextPage Scan

Trinity Psalter Hymnal #534

Trinity Psalter Hymnal #534
Include 62 pre-1979 instances
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