John Nelson Darby, 'Father, Thy name our souls would bless,' written at Pau, in the south of France, 1879

025, 1881, 1903, 1932, 1951, 1962, 1973, 2001.	Darby, J. N. 18.11.1800-29.4.1882, b. Westminster. Trinity College, Dublin, 1825 C of Ireland deacon, then priest c1825- c1831, editor of 1881 LFHB, d. Sundridge House, Bournemouth, Dorset. C.M.
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Father, Thy name our souls would bless,	1Peter 1.17 And if ye call on the Father...
As children taught by grace,	1Th 4.9 ye yourselves are taught of God
Lift up our hearts in righteousness	Ps 25.1 Unto thee, Jehovah, do I lift up my soul...
And joy before Thy face.	Job 33.26 he shall see his face with joy
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Sweet is the confidence Thou giv'st,	Ps 65.5 O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth
Though high above our praise;	Ps 106:2 Who can utter the mighty acts of Jehovah? [who] can shew forth all his praise?
Our hearts resort to where Thou liv'st	Ps 84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
In heav'n's unclouded rays.	Re 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.
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There in the purpose of Thy love	Prov 8.31 my delights were with the sons of men
Our place is now prepared,	Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house there are many abodes; were it not so, I had told you: for I go to prepare you a place;
As sons with Him who is above,	Eph 2.6 hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus
Who all our sorrows shared.	Isa 53.4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:
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Absent as yet, we rest in hope,	2Cor 5.6 whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord
Treading the desert path,	Job 28:7 There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen:
Waiting for Him who takes us up	Php 3.20 we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ
Beyond the power of death.	Rev 21.4 God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying
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O Holy Father, keep us here	John 17.11 Holy Father
In that blest Name of love,	John 17.11 keep through thine own name
Walking before Thee without fear,	1John 4.18 perfect love casteth out fear
Till all be joy above.	Ps. 16.11 in thy presence is fulness of joy

C T Lambert, composer, poet, hymn/tune book editor.

386, 1932 1951 1962 1973 2001	Lambert, Charles Theodore, 1890/1-1959, local Sidcup retired around 1945 to Devon, see also 'Poems', editor of 1932 LFHB mus. Edition., see also 1965 Tunebook. 11.11.11.11. Trochaic
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Jesus, Thou art coming, coming as the King,	Lu 19:38 saying, Blessed the King that comes in the name of [the] Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
To this world of sorrow	Re 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
happiness to bring;	Isa 65:18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever [in that] which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
Evil then shall vanish,	Isa 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.
wars and strife shall cease,	Ps 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
Thou, O mighty Victor,	Isa 63:1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
art the Prince of Peace.	Isa 9.6 his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
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All Thy works shall praise Thee:	Ps 145.10 All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.
men both high and low,	Ps 150:6 Let everything that hath breath praise Jah. Hallelujah!
From the least to greatest,	Jer 31.34 they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them,
Thee as Lord shall know;	Joe 3:17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain:
All shall call Thee blessed,	Ps 72.17 his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.
all Thy Name confess;	Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus, Thou art worthy,	Re 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Sun of righteousness!	Mal 4.2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;
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Jesus, Priest enthroned,	Zech 6.13 he... shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
King of righteousness,	Heb 7.2 first being by interpretation King of righteousness,
Thou art King of Salem, Thou art King of peace;	Heb 7.2 and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
All Thy people call Thee,	Zeph 3.9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
call from near and far:	Isa 57:19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.
Come, Thou root of David, bright and Morning Star!	Rev 22.16 I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

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Come, Thou King triumphant:	Ps 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
all the earth is Thine;	Ps 89.11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
Show Thy mighty power,	Isa 64.1 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,
let Thy glory shine;	Ps 80:1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
Come, Thou King of glory, Lord of hosts in heav'n,	Ps 24:10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he [is] the King of glory. Selah.
Come, Lord Jesus, Saviour! Even so, Amen.	Rev 22.20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Charles Andrew Coates, Song of songs, from the ENT anthology of commentaries.

 \\The song of songs, which is Solomon’s\\ The Song of songs is a book
for the heart. It is a choice part of holy scripture, and has ever
appealed to the affections of those who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
Its voice was probably never more needed than it is to-day, for
nearly all the influences of modern life continue to hinder the
development of such emotions as find expression in this book, and to
chill them even after they have been awakened. Our Lord’s words are
true of the present time: "because lawlessness shall prevail, the
love of the many shall grow cold." \\#Mt 24.12\\. May God be
graciously pleased to use it to stimulate holy affections in the
hearts of His saints.

This book does not bring before us the first movements of the work of
God in the soul. The first exercises of a creature who has sinned
against God are in the conscience. Conviction of sin and repentance
must have their place; the answer to Job’s question, "How can man be
just with God?" must be found. The forgiveness of sins and
justification in Christ are great necessities. But these primary
questions are not raised in this book; they are supposed to have been
raised and settled in a divine way. And the very way in which these
moral questions have been settled for those who believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ has given us the knowledge of God as moving according to
His own nature, that is in love.

"God commends His love to us, in that we being still sinners, Christ
has died for us." There was an immense depth of need on our part, but
on God’s part a movement of love in that Christ, His beloved Son, has
died for us. In the light of this we make the wondrous discovery that
God is love, and, that being so, He can only be satisfied with love
on the part of His loved creature. God is known to us as set forth in
a blessed man, His beloved Son, who in love has gone into death for
us, and who is now, as risen and exalted, the King of glory. A Divine
Person is brought before us in this book as The King, as the true
Solomon who is, typically, the King of glory. But the Spirit of God,
who has brought out His glory in many and varied ways throughout the
Holy Scriptures, engages our hearts with Him in this incomparable
book as a Lover. He is seen here as manifesting His love to those who
appreciate it, and to whom it is more precious than all else. He is
God’s anointed, all divine and kingly rights are His, but He is
known here as a personal Lover, and as having come into Manhood to be
appreciated and responded to in ardent affection.

The inspired title of this book, The Song of Songs, indicates its
surpassing excellence, in contrast with the "vanity of vanities"
which could alone be experienced "under the sun." Solomon’s songs
were "a thousand and five"; he was conversant with every subject of
song, as he was with all trees and living creatures
(\\#1Kings 4.32-34\\), but this song has been selected as of greater
value than all the others. No subject could be greater or sweeter
than the love of Christ, and those responsive movements which it
awakens in the hearts of those that know it.

To have the personal enjoyment of the love of Christ transcends all
other joys. The principle of selection marks the whole of Scripture;
not everything that saints, or servants, or even the Son of God, said
or did, has been recorded, but all that was adequate to make known
the mind and heart of God. And this song has been selected by the
Spirit of God as of supreme worth because it delineates in a
figurative way the affections that are in the heart of Christ towards
His own, and the affections which have place in their hearts towards
Him.

The love of Christ is a precious reality. The Spirit would never
allow us to lose sight of His greatness and majesty—He is the King,
the supreme One, in this book—but He would impress our hearts with a
sweet and tender sense of His love. He was once here in humiliation
and suffering and death for us, and now He has gone on high as the
exalted and glorified One; He is "the Lord of glory" \\#James 2.1\\;
but He loves each one of us with a real and personal love. We can ask
with confidence, "who shall separate us from the love of Christ!
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
danger, or sword?… but in all these we more than conquer through Him
that has loved us" (\\#Rom 8.35-37\\). God would put the assurance of
that in our hearts by His Spirit. Then Paul could say "For the love
of the Christ constrains us, having judged this; that one died for
all, that they who live should no longer live to themselves, but to
him who died for them and has been raised" (\\#2Cor 5.14,15\\), as
held in the embrace of the love of Christ we arrive at the judgment
that it is due to Him that we should live to Him, not only in
service, but in affection. This is not a matter of mere sentiment,
but of sober and considered judgment; it is a well weighed and
deliberate conviction. And we should approach the "Song of songs" in
the light of this. The theme of the "Song" is such a consciousness of
the love of Christ that the heart lives to Him. We shall find,
indeed, that there are deviations from that blessed state, which have
to of the heart, as presented in the first section of the book, is one
of full and glowing response to His known love, and of restfulness
and rapture in that love.

Charles Andrew Coates, Outline of the Song of songs, pages 1-4