Come, Thou Almighty King

Words:6.6.4.6.6.6.4 • George Whitefield’s Collection of Hymns for Social Worship (1757)
Music:ITALIAN HYMN (or MOSCOW, or TRINITY) • Felice de Giardini (1769), with historical influences

Words

1.

Come, Thou almighty King,
Help us Thy name to sing;
  Help us to praise!
Father all-glorious,
O’er all victorious!
Come, and reign over us,
  Ancient of Days!

2.

Jesus our Lord, arise,
Scatter our enemies,
  And make them fall!
Let Thine almighty aid
Our sure defense be made;
Our souls on thee be stayed;
  Lord, hear our call!

3.

Come, Thou incarnate Word,
Gird on Thy mighty sword;
  Our prayer attend!
Come, and Thy people bless,
And give Thy word success;
Spirit of holiness,
  On us descend!

4.

Come, holy Comforter,
Thy sacred witness bear,
  In this glad hour!
Thou who almighty art,
Now rule in every heart,
And ne’er from us depart,
  Spirit of pow’r!

5.

To the great One in Three
Eternal praises be
  Hence, evermore!
His sov’reign majesty
May we in glory see,
And to eternity
  Love and adore!

Compared to Hymnals

The most notable difference between our version and the version which likely appears in your hymnal is that we include all five original verses.

Originally titled A Hymn to the Trinity, here is an excerpt from the oldest available publication, the 1760 printing of George Whitefield’s A Collection of Hymns for Social Worship:

Original lyrics from the 1760 printing of George Whitefield’s “A Collection of Hymns for Social Worship”

We use the same words, making adjustments only for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

  No. Words Music
Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs 101 Lacks vss 2, 4;
Alters vs 5
Smooths voice leading in measure 1;
Uses dotted rhythm in measure 5;
Uses unison in measure 12
Songs for Worship and Praise 63 Lacks vs 2;
Alters vs 5
Uses unison in measure 12
Songs of Faith and Praise 19 Lacks vss 2, 4;
Slightly alters vs 5
Uses dotted rhythm in measure 5
Praise for the Lord 100 Lacks vss 2, 4;
Alters vs 5
Smooths voice leading in measure 1;
Uses dotted rhythm in measure 5
Hymns for Worship (Revised) 45 Lacks vss 2, 4;
Alters vs 5
Uses dotted rhythm in measure 5
Songs of the Church 67 Lacks vss 2, 4;
Alters vs 5
Uses dotted rhythm in measure 5
Sacred Selections n/a
Christian Hymns No. 2 n/a
Great Songs of the Church No. 2 361 Lacks vss 2, 4;
Alters vs 5
Uses dotted rhythm in measure 5

Sources

References

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Through [Jesus] let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.
— Hebrews 13:15