Pleading His Gracious Name

John Newton wrote the hymn “The Effort.” It was published in Olney Hymns, in Three Books (London: W. Oliver, 1779), by Newton and William Cowper. It is found in six common meter stanzas as Hymn XII (Book III, pp. 324-325) in the section “Seeking, Pleading, and Hoping.”

Newton was born in 1725, and died in 1807. He was buried at St Mary Woolnoth Churchyard in London, where he ministered nearly 30 years. In 1893, the remains of he and his wife Mary were moved to the churchyard of St. Peter and Paul in Olney, the town where he and Cowper produced their famous hymn book.

In life Newton is well known as a converted former slave trader who helped influence the eventual abolishment of the slave trade in England. In hymnody, he is best known as the author of “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.”

In some sources this hymn is titled “Pleading His Gracious Name,” based on the fourth line of the fifth stanza. I know the hymn paired with the fine old hymn tune Peterborough. Peterborough has often been attributed to Ralph Harrison. However, Chris Brown, a Sacred Harp singer in England, did some extensive research on this tune and believes that that attribution is in error. He pointed out that though the first four bars of Peterborough share things in common with Harrison’s tune Salisbury, the rest of it is very different. The tune does not either of Harrison’s books (Sacred Harmony: 1784 & Sacred Harmony: 1788), according to Brown.

Both Brown and Sacred Harp researcher Karen Willard believe that Peterborough, as it appears in editions of The Sacred Harp, is a version of the tune Lavington, which first appeared in The Musical Instructor by Lewis Seymour and Thaddeus Seymour (New York, NY: Printed by John C. Totten, 1803). It was retitled Peterborough by Samuel Webbe Jr, unattributed, in A Collection of Psalm Tunes intermixed with airs, adapted as such from Haydn, Purcell, Handel, Corelli (published in Britain in 1808). Brown believes it is extremely unlikely that Webbe would not have attributed the tune to Harrison had he in fact known he wrote it. 

The tune can be heard HERE, though it is from a different book, with different words that I am discussing here.

This hymn is a wonderful plea – and a wonderful song of comfort to “burdened souls” recognizing the Lord calls burdened souls to him.

The effort—in another measure.

1. Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat,
Where Jesus answers pray’r;
There humbly fall before his feet,
For none can perish there.

2. Thy promise is my only plea,
With this I venture nigh;
Thou callest burden’d souls to thee,
And such, O Lord, am I.

3. Bow’d down beneath a load of sin,
by Satan sorely pressed,
By war without, and fears within,
I come to thee for rest.

4. Be thou my shield and hiding-place!
That, shelter’d near thy side,
I may my fierce accuser face,
And tell him “Thou hast dy’d.”

5. Oh wond’rous love! to bleed and die,
To bear the cross and shame;
That guilty sinners, such as I,
Might plead thy gracious name.

6. “Poor tempest-tosséd soul, be still,
My promised grace receive;”
’Tis Jesus speaks—I must, I will,
I can, I do believe.

The title “The effort—in another measure” indicates there is another hymn of the same type, but written in a different measure of poetry (meter). In fact, the previous hymn is titled “The effort” and is written in 10s. meter. The two are very similar. Though I prefer the common meter version, in a few places the longer version provides clarity – such as the last line of stanza four.

The effort.

1. Cheer up, my soul, there is a mercy-seat
Sprinkled with blood, where Jesus answers pray’r;
There humbly cast thyself, beneath his feet,
For never needy sinner perish’d there.

2. Lord, I come! thy promise is my plea,
Without they word I durst not venture nigh;
But thou hast called the burden’d soul to thee,
A weary burden’d soul, O Lord, am I!

3. Bow’d down beneath a heavy load of sin,
By Satan’s fierce temptations sorely pressed,
Beset without, and full of fears within,
Trembling and faint I come to thee for rest.

4. Be thou my refuge, Lord, my hiding-place,
I know no force can tear me from thy side,
Unmov’d I then may all accusers face,
And answer ev’ry charge with “Jesus dy’d.”

5. Yes, thou didst weep, and bleed, and groan, and die,
Well hast thou known what fierce temptations mean;
Such was thy love, and now, enthron’d on high,
The same compassions in thy bosom reign.

6. Lord give me faith—he hears—what grace is this!
Dry up thy tears, my soul, and cease to grieve:
He shews me what he did, and who he is,
I must, I will, I can, I do believe.