Ye Servants Of God
Ye Servants of God
Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim,
And publish abroad His wonderful name;
The name all-victorious of Jesus extol;
His kingdom is glorious and rules over all.
God ruleth on high, almighty to save;
And still He is nigh, His presence we have;
The great congregation His triumph shall sing,
Ascribing salvation to Jesus, our King.
“Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!”
Let all cry aloud and honor the Son:
The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
Fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb.
Then let us adore and give Him His right,
All glory and power, all wisdom and might,
All honor and blessing, with angels above,
And thanks never ceasing, and infinite love.
IN 1744 England was at war with France, and the British were expecting an invasion to dethrone George II and restore the House of Stuart to the throne. People suspected the Methodists of friendship with France and perhaps plotting to overthrow the king. Wesleyan meetings were broken up by mobs, and at times John and Charles Wesley themselves were arrested.
In the middle of the turmoil, the Wesleys published a collection of hymns to encourage their followers. The title was Hymns for Times of Trouble and Persecution. This hymn, “Ye Servants of God,” was published under the heading “To Be Sung in a Tumult.” The stanzas we have in our hymnals today do not suggest any turmoil, but one that was omitted reads “Men, devils engage, the billows arise and horribly rage, and threaten the skies; their fury shall never our steadfastness shock, the weakest believer is built on a rock.”
I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, . . . standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. . . . And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
Revelation 7:9-10
From the book
