Chief
Chief of Sinners.
Composer: Robert Robinson
1 Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me ever to adore thee,
may I still Thy goodness see;
While the hope of endless glory,
fills my heart with joy and love!
2 Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.
3 O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.
Story behind the song
British Baptist hymn writer Robert Robinson's hymn "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" reflects his own spiritual journey, particularly his early struggles and eventual conversion under the influence of George Whitefield. Robinson went on to become a prominent preacher and scholar in the Baptist church, and the hymn remains popular despite the omission of a significant stanza in some hymnals. The hymn also includes biblical allusions, such as the reference to "Ebenezer" in stanza two. The tune NETTLETON is commonly used with this hymn.
