What a Perfect Friend

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When the heart is burdened with a weight of fear

Author: James Rowe
Tune: [When the heart is burdened]
Published in 1 hymnal

Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 When the heart is burdened with a weight of fear,
When the path is dreary and the foe is near,
And the weary spirit sighs for love and cheer,
What a perfect friend is Jesus.

Refrain:
What a perfect friend is Jesus!
What a perfect friend is Jesus!
When no earthly friend
Comfort sweet will lend,
What a perfect friend is Jesus!

2 When a storm is sweeping o’er the troubled soul,
Making dim and distant seem the blessed goal;
When our boat is drifting near some dang’rous shoal,
What a perfect friend is Jesus. [Refrain]

3 When we sink in sorrow and companions flee,
When the world is laughing at our misery,
Then we hear his whisper and his face we see;
What a perfect friend is Jesus. [Refrain]

4 When our cares and sorrows to this Friend we bear,
With what love he draws us to his bosom fair;
Oh, what rest and comfort always meet us there;
What a perfect friend is Jesus. [Refrain]

Source: United Praise: for use in Sunday Schools, Young People's Societies and other Church Services #56

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Author: James Rowe

Pseudonym: James S. Apple. James Rowe was born in England in 1865. He served four years in the Government Survey Office, Dublin Ireland as a young man. He came to America in 1890 where he worked for ten years for the New York Central & Hudson R.R. Co., then served for twelve years as superintendent of the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society. He began writing songs and hymns about 1896 and was a prolific writer of gospel verse with more than 9,000 published hymns, poems, recitations, and other works. Dianne Shapiro, from "The Singers and Their Songs: sketches of living gospel hymn writers" by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (Chicago: The Rodeheaver Company, 1916) Go to person page >

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Text Information

Text Information

First Line:	When the heart is burdened with a weight of fear
Title:	What a Perfect Friend
Author:	James Rowe
Language:	English
Refrain First Line:	What a perfect friend is Jesus
Copyright:	Public Domain