The year was 1839 when several hymn texts of James J. Cummins were published in multiple collections in the south of England where Cummins lived. We don’t know much about Cummins. This is likely his most noteworthy hymn text. “Jesus, Lord of Life and Glory” is sometimes titled “Jesus, Lord, we kneel before Thee.” This hymn is a moving one for several reasons.
First, this hymn is built on one of the nine Gregorian chant tones. I must admit that it wasn’t until recently that it donned on me which one it was. I was sitting in my office at school before the school day started. The upper school is divided into four houses; each house meets before school begins to pray and sing a hymn. One of these houses meets directly above my office on the second floor of the building. I often can hear the muddled sounds of their singing passing through the floor and walls when they sing. One particular morning, I heard them singing a hymn, but it struck me more that I was also hearing a particular psalm tone.
The Tonus Peregrinus, or ninth psalm tone, is unique from the other eight in that it seems to wander. To put it another way, the psalm tone starts in a major or “bright” color but terminates in a minor or “dark” tone color, as it were. For this reason, it has even garnered the nickname “The Pilgrim Tone.” It is often associated with Psalm 114 and Luther’s German setting of the Magnificat (Mary’s Song).
Here is the tone in chant notation and with an audio recording sample for you:
Notice how the first half of the chant starts on the note A reciting tone. Then the second half starts on note G. It’s a unique tone, and as we will see, the hymn uses the tone almost an exact copy. The tune would appear in Bristol’s Tune Book in 1876 and would eventually be given the name ST. AUSTIN.
The second moving thing about this hymn is how these six stanzas, as found in the 1961 Trinity Hymnal, cover everything from pride and malice to times of prosperity and the “solemn hour of dying.” The meter of the stanzas are in 8.7 8.7 with a 4.7 refrain.
Hymn Lyrics
Jesus, Lord of life and glory, Bend from heav'n thy gracious ear; While our waiting souls adore thee, Friend of helpless sinners, hear: REFRAIN: By thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord. From the depth of nature's blindness, From the hard'ning pow'r of sin, From all malice and unkindness, From the pride that lurks within, REFRAIN: By thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord. When temptation sorely presses, In the day of Satan's pow'r, In our times of deep distresses, In each dark and trying hour, REFRAIN: By thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord. When the world around is smiling, In the time of wealth and ease, Earthly joys our hearts beguiling, In the day of health and peace, REFRAIN: By thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord. In our weary hours of sickness, In our times of grief and pain, When we feel our mortal weakness, When the creature's help is vain, REFRAIN: By thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord In the solemn hour of dying, In the awful judgment day, May our souls, on thee relying, Find thee still our Rock and Stay: REFRAIN: By thy mercy, O deliver us, good Lord
Here is the PDF of the hymn and a recording of the hymn for you to download, play, and sing through.
Also, here is one more audio clip where I play the Tonus Peregrinus psalm tone followed immediately by one stanza of this hymn on the piano. Take a listen:
You can definitely hear the shape of the tone appear twice before the refrain completes each stanza. The rhythm is different, and there are harmonizations present, but the chant melody is very much present. This hymn has a weighty tune and text that I commend to you if you have not been exposed to it. Print it off and sing/play through it. It is enriching and edifying.