Soldier of the Cross, A

DESCRIPTION: "I am a soldier of the cros, A follower of the lamb, I shall not fear to own his cause Nor blush to speak his name." "Sure I must fight if I would reigh, Increase my courage, Lord...."
AUTHOR: Words: Isaac Watts
EARLIEST DATE: 1724 (Watts's "Serrmons," according to John Julian, editor, _A Dictionary of Hymnology_, 1892)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad soldier
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Chappell-FolkSongsOfRoanokeAndTheAlbermarle 86, "A Soldier of the Cross" (1 text, 1 tune)
Morris-FolksongsOfFlorida, #90, "The Indian's Hymn" (1 text, 1 tune, with an unusual chorus, partly of tones without words, added)
Barton-OldPlantationHymns, p. 9, "Soldier of the Cross"; p. 29, "Crowned Him Lord of All" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Roud #5028
RECORDINGS:
William Jennings leading Asbury-Town Neck United Methodist Church Singing and Praying Band, "Am I a Soldier of the Cross" (on USPrayingBands01)
NOTES [201 words]: According to John Julian, editor, A Dictionary of Hymnology, 1892; second edition 1907 (I use the 1957 Dover edition in two volumes), p. 55, this is said to have been written to accompany a sermon on 1 Corinthians 16:13.
William Reynolds, Companion to Baptist Hymnal, Broadman Press, 1976, p. 164, reports that the tune Arlington "is adapted from the minuet in the overture to Thomas A. Arne's Artaxerxes, an opera produced in London in 1762. Ralph Harrison made the hymn tune adaptation" which was published in Harrison's 1784 Sacred Harmony. The "Arlington" melody has been used for several other hymns, but this is the only popular one. - RBW
The verse of Barton-OldPlantationHymns "Crowned Him Lord of All" is "Soldier of the Cross." The chorus is similar to the chorus of a number of hymns. Examples, from F. E. Belden, Christ in Song (Washington: Review and Herald Publishing Assn,1908 ("Digitized by Internet Archive")): #257 "Crown Him"; #258 "Crown Him Lord of All"; #259 "The Power of Jesus' Name." - BS
[See especially in this index "All Hail the Power of Jesus's Name." - RBW]
The USPrayingBands01 track is lined out as a "Dr Watts" hymn. Lining out begins after the first chorus. - BS
Last updated in version 6.7
File: ChFRA086

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