|
A Cross for Me/Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone?
See Also: Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone (Spiritual)
Shape-Note Gospel; Tune: O. A. Parris, 1935 Words: Thomas Shepherd, 1693
ARTIST: Words: Thomas Shepherd, 1693 Music: O. A. Parris in 1935
CATEGORY: Traditional Shape-Note Gospel;
DATE: 1935, O. A. Parris Thomas Shepherd, 1693
RECORDING INFO:
OTHER NAMES: "Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone?" "Cross for Me"
SOURCES: Sacred Harp
NOTES: "A Cross for Me" with by a tune by O. A. Parris in 1935, and text by Thomas Shepherd in 1693 appears in 1991 edition of the Sacred Harp as number 349.
A Cross for Me 349
Tune: O. A. Parris, 1935
Words: Thomas Shepherd, 1693
Meter: Common Meter (8,6,8,6)
Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for ev’ryone,
And there’s a cross for me.
The consecrated cross I’ll bear
Till death shall set me free;
And then go home my crown to wear,
For there’s a crown for me.
The lyrics by Thomas Shepherd have been adapted and "Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone" is well-known both as an African-American spiritual and hymn and as a hymn in
standard Protesant hymnals.
Stories Behind the Hymns By Warren Shiver
The year was 1693 and one of the first hymns of the church was born. Rev. Thomas Shepherd, minister in the Church of England wrote this hymn as a concluding exhortation for one of his sermons as was the custom of the day. The hymn was titled,"Shall Simon bear the cross alone,and other saints be free?" The church of England opposed the singing of hymns in the church by the congregation.
The psalms were chanted by a special choir. The other beliefs in the church of England were that you had to keep the sacraments of the church and also conform to the rituals of the church in order to go to Heaven. Thomas felt led of the Lord to write a hymn that all the congregation could sing. Since this conflicted with church policy he decided to leave the church of England, and become a nonconformist. This was hard for him to do because his father William Shepard was Vicar of Tilbrook,Bedfordshire. Although he was ordained an Anglican priest,he felt lead of God to leave the Anglican and one year later he became pastor, in 1694 of the Independent Castle Hill Baptist Meeting in Northampton, England. In 1700 he moved to Bocking, Essex, and preached in a barn for seven years until he could raise enough money to build a chapel for his congregation.
Rev. Shepherd’s original lines began “Shall Simon bear the cross alone, and other saints be free?” But as John Wesley would later put it, hymn ‘tinkerers” made minor changes to give us the present-day words. The “tinkerers” made only modest changes and basically the verses remain the same, as Rev. Shepherd wrote them over 250 years ago,but the title was changed to "Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone," This was a decade before Charles Wesley, the famous hymn writer was born.
Almost a hundred years older than the United States, “Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone” is to church singing what sterling is to silver. It has never grown old and just gets sweeter each time we hear it. While the song made its debut in a barn in England, our great-great grandfathers sang it as they trudged through the wilderness. It is sung today in churches, chapels, cathedrals, brush arbors, and all types of gatherings around the world.
An American composer George N. Allen wrote the tune for,"Must Jesus bear the cross Alone," about the time Abraham Lincoln was riding the circuit of Illinois as a young lawyer. George Allen was born on September 7,1812, in Mansfield, Massachusetts,he was the third of five children. His father was Otis Allen, a farmer and his mother, was Susanna a teacher. After his basis schooling he attended Western Reserve College in Hudson, Ohio. He transfer from this college to Oberlin in 1836 - 1837. He studied music in Boston under the great Lowell Mason,who pioneered music construction in public schools. In 1837 he became an instructor in Science of Music at Oberlin College at the age of twenty- five,while still a student. One year later he was appointed instructor of Sacred Music and became a full professor in 1841.He was also a student of geology, and at age thirty-five became professor of Geology and Natural History.
MUST JESUS BEAR THE CROSS ALONE?
“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24
Henry W. Beecher (1813-1887) Words: Stanza 1: Thomas Shepherd, Penitential Cries, 1693, alt. Stanza 2: apparently from a missionary collection published in Norwich, England, early 19th Century. Stanza 3: The Oberlin Social and Sabbath School Hymn Book, by George N. Allen, 1844. Stanzas 4-5: From the Plymouth Collection of Hymns and Tunes, by Henry W. Beecher (New York: AMS. Barnes and Burr, 1855).
Music: Maitland, George N. Allen, in The Oberlin Social and Sabbath Hymn Book, 1844 George N. Allen (1812-1877)
Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for everyone,
And there’s a cross for me.
How happy are the saints above,
Who once went sorrowing here!
But now they taste unmingled love,
And joy without a tear.
The consecrated cross I’ll bear
Till death shall set me free;
And then go home my crown to wear,
For there’s a crown for me.
Upon the crystal pavement down
At Jesus’ piercèd feet,
Joyful I’ll cast my golden crown
And His dear Name repeat.
O precious cross! O glorious crown!
O resurrection day!
When Christ the Lord from Heav’n comes down
And bears my soul away.
|