Come, brethren, ye who love the Lord

No. 1178, “Come, brethren, ye who love the Lord,” is one of two hymns in a section of hymns on “Washing the Saints’ Feet” in Gilbert Beebe’s Baptist Hymn Book. Though Beebe himself did not hold feet washing, he apparently included two hymns for his brethren who did. (Some of his thoughts on the subject may be found HERE.)

Gilbert Beebe was born in 1800 in Norwich, Connecticut. For many years he was one of the American Baptist ministers of the Old School or Primitive Faith and Order. a printer and editor, (founded) and was, for 35 years, He was pastor of the New Vernon Primitive Baptist Church in New Vernon, New York for 35 years, and founding editor of The Signs of the Times periodical (1832). He married Phebe Ann Cunningham in 1823.

In 1858 Gilbert Beebe published The Baptist Hymn Book: Comprising a Large and Choice Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, adapted to the Faith and Order of the Old School, or Primitive Baptists.

Beebe died in 1881. He and his wife are buried at the New Vernon Cemetery in Sullivan County, New York.

The author of the hymn itself is unknown. Beebe lists the hymn as “Altered,” indicating it may have been published previously, or if published here for the first time it was altered from the original by someone.

1. Come, brethren, ye who love the Lord, 
And walk according to his word; 
Let true humility abound, 
And in his footsteps too be found.

 
2. When your dear Lord was here below. 
He bowed to let his people know 
How they should bow his saints to greet. 
By washing one another’s feet. 

3. As in our Lord and Master, we 
A meek, but clear, example see; 
We ought to follow, as ’tis meet, 
And also wash each other’s feet.

 
4. No servants should aspire to be 
Above what in their Lord they see; 
Enough, if we like him may greet, 
And stoop and wash each other’s feet. 

5. If stronger brethren can’t accord 
In this, a precept of our Lord, 
We’ll not contend, but kindly greet— 
Give us our herbs, give them their meat. 

6. While to the letter we conform— 
Regardless of contempt and scorn; 
May we in spirit also meet,
And wash and cleanse each other’s feet.

 
7. As through this wilderness we roam 
And onward march toward heav’n our home, 
No not the filth of sin or earth
Defile our feet, or shame our birth.

8. Our feet with gospel grace well shod, 
Dress’d in the armor of our God,
In all our walks let us be seen,
With hearts, and hands, and feet all clean.

After writing the comments above, I discovered that a similar hymn of four stanzas appeared in The Primitive Hymns, Spiritual Songs, and Sacred Poems by Benjamin Lloyd. The first line begins “Come, brethren, we who love the Lord,” and there is some affinity between the two hymns.

1. Come, brethren, we who love the Lord, 

Never depart from Jesus’ word; 

Let true humility abound, 

And in his footsteps too be found.

2. Remember when Christ was below,

What condescension he did show;

He did his dear disciples greet,

And condescend to wash their feet.

3. If I your Lord and Master be,

And you my blest example see,

You should each other kindly greet,

And ought to wash each other’s feet.

4. And we who do this duty see,

With others we'll not disagree;

In lowest stoop we will them greet,

We’ll eat our herbs, and they their meat.