Boundless Mercy (Drooping Souls, No Longer Grieve)

DESCRIPTION: "Drooping souls, no longer grieve; Heaven is propitious. If in Christ you can believe, you will find him precious." "From his hands, his feed, his side Flows the healing balsam." "Boundless mercy, how it flows; Now I hope I feel it."
AUTHOR: Thomas Hastings?
EARLIEST DATE: 1838 (Knoxville Harmony)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 528, "Drooping Souls, No Longer Grieve" (1 text)
Chappell-FolkSongsOfRoanokeAndTheAlbermarle 95, "The Mourner's Comfort" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Roud #11820
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Zion's Sons and Daughters"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Mourner's Comfort
NOTES [120 words]: John Julian, editor, A Dictionary of Hymnology, 1892; second edition 1907 (I use the 1957 Dover edition in two volumes), p. 494, reports that the song "Drooping Souls, No Longer Mourn" first appeared in "Spiritual Songs" in 1831. This particular song is not explicitly attributed to Thomas Hastings (born 1784), but is "in his style," so he is the likeliest author. Is it the same song? I'd say so; it begins
Drooping souls! no longer mourn,
Jesus still is precious;
If to him you now return,
Heaven will be propitious;
Jesus now is passing by,
Calling wanderers near him;
Drooping souls! you need not die,
Go to him, and hear him!"
Nonetheless the song has clearly undergone a lot of modification over the years. - RBW
Last updated in version 3.7
File: Br3528

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