The Dearest Friend

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The best of friends I have in heaven

Author: Benjamin Schmolck; Translator: J. H. Horstmann (1908)
Tune: [Der beste Freund ist in dem Himmel]
Published in 8 hymnals

Representative Text

1 The best of friends I have in heaven,
The loyal friends on earth are few;
Where hearts to things of earth are given,
Friends cannot be sincere and true;
But firmly I can e’er depend
On Jesus as my dearest friend.

2 The world bestows its greatest favors
On those who can and will repay;
Whenever fortune’s friendship wavers,
Its favors too will pass away;
With Jesus such is not the end,
He always is the dearest friend.

3 He is the friend above all others,
Whose heart and soul is wholly mine;
Whose love is stronger than a brother’s,
And stands beyond the end of time;
Then praise with me unto the end
My Saviour as the dearest friend.

Source: Elmhurst Hymnal: and orders of worship for the Sunday school, young people's meetings and church services #127

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Author: Benjamin Schmolck

Schmolck, Benjamin, son of Martin Schmolck, or Schmolcke, Lutheran pastor at Brauchitschdorf (now Chrόstnik) near Liegnitz in Silesia (now Poland) was born at Brauchitschdorf, Dec. 21, 1672. He entered the Gymnasium at Lauban in 1688, and spent five years there. After his return home he preached for his father a sermon which so struck the patron of the living that he made Benjamin an allowance for three years to enable him to study theology. He matriculated, at Michaelmas, 1693, at the University of Leipzig, where he came under the influence of J. Olearius, J. B. Carpzov, and others, and throughout his life retained the character of their teaching, viz. a warm and living practical Christianity, but Churchly in tone and not Pietistic. In th… Go to person page >

Translator: J. H. Horstmann

(no biographical information available about J. H. Horstmann.) Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	The best of friends I have in heaven
Title:	The Dearest Friend
German Title:	Der beste Freund ist in dem Himmel
Author:	Benjamin Schmolck
Translator:	J. H. Horstmann (1908)
Language:	English
Copyright:	Public Domain