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Bethlehem

Representative Text

1 In Bethlehem was Jesus born,
The Son of God Supreme;
And wise men from the eastward came,
Whose eyes His star had seen.
When Herod sent them on their way,
Afar to Bethlehem,
A light to guide their steps aright,
That star preceded them.

2 And as their longing eyes beheld
Its clear and gentle rays,
How swelled their hearts with untold joy!
How warmed their lips with praise!
If we so seek to find the way
To loving Jesus’ feet,
Faith’s guiding star, with gentle light,
Our longing eyes shall greet.

3 And we may bear our gifts of gold,
And myrrh, and frankincense,
The off’rings of a contrite heart,
That sinning, yet repents.
And He who pities sinful man
Those gifts of love shall bear,
And place them near the Father’s throne,
To be our witness there.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #13076

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Author: Sanford Fillmore Bennett

Sanford Fillmore Bennett was born in Eden, New York, 21 June 1836. He and his parents moved to Plainfield, Illinois when he was two years old. He worked on the farm and attended district school during the winter. He was a voracious reader. At sixteen he entered Waukegon Academy. Two years later he began teaching at Wauconda. In 1858 he entered the University of Michigan, Afterward he had charge of the schools in Richmond, Illinois. Two years later he resigned and became Associate Editor of the Independent at Elkhorn, Wisconsin. In 1864 he enlisted in the Wisconsin Volunteers and served as Second Lieutenant. After the war he returned to Elkhorn and opened a drug store and began the study of medicine. He graduated from Rush Medical College in… Go to person page >

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Text Information

First Line: In Bethlehem was Jesus born
Title: Bethlehem
Author: Sanford Fillmore Bennett
Meter: 7.6.7.6 D
Source: The Signet Ring by Joseph P. Webster (Chicago: Lyon & Healy, 1868)
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain
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Tune

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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Media

The Cyber Hymnal #13076
  • PDF (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer Score (NWC)
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Instances

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The Cyber Hymnal #13076

The Cyber Hymnal #13076
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