Paul wrote in Philippians 2 that, as a result of Jesus’ having humbled Himself and being obedient even to death on the cross, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” What a glorious day that will be, and with so much misery and chaos and confusion and sadness in our world today, how we all long for that day to come soon! It all brings to mind that thrilling description in Revelation 4 and 5 of all 24 elders (representing the church of all the ages, from the 12 tribes of the Old Testament to the 12 apostles of the New Testament) falling down before the enthroned Son of God, worshipping this one who lives forever and ever, casting their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.”
It is the name of Jesus, a name which includes all that He is and ever has been, all that He has done, and all that He has promised to do, which is truly the central message of the Bible. That’s what must have been involved in that amazing conversation He had with the disciples from Emmaus as He sat there at the dinner table, explaining what the Bible was all about. “And He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27).
Among the hymns that celebrate the name of Jesus, none is more excellent than “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” written in 1779, just three years after America’s Revolution, by Edward Perronet (1726-1792). He was born in Sundridge, England to a family that had come from the French Huguenots of Switzerland. He seemed destined for preaching from a young age, for his father was both a minister and good friends with John and Charles Wesley. These men were highly influential to Edward, showing him how a man should live. Edward’s father served a congregation that was part of the church of England and naturally wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. But the footsteps Edward ended up following were those of the Wesley’s, and he became a Methodist minister. After a falling out with the Wesleys, he pastored an independent congregation in Canterbury.
Most famous of Edward’s ministerial experiences came when he was visiting John Wesley’s church. John insisted on Edward taking the pulpit during the visit, but Edward insisted otherwise. Edward, having grown up under the mentorship of John, thought himself far below the task. Both men stubbornly refused to accept each other’s wishes, and it came to a climax that Sunday. John took the pulpit and proclaimed, “Now, we will hear a message from Minister Edward!” Edward was taken aback, but he quickly gathered his thoughts, took the pulpit, and proclaimed, “I will now deliver the greatest sermon ever preached on earth.” Edward opened his Bible, read the Sermon on the Mount, thanked the congregation for their time, then took his seat!
It wasn’t until Edward’s later years that he began writing hymns. He wanted no credit for these works and thus chose to publish anonymously in a series of small books. Of this series, only one remains known to us:“Occasional Verses, Moral and Sacred.” What made this particular book so special was its inclusion of “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” The hymn’s popularity rose phenomenally, reaching far beyond England. Today, the hymn is sometimes called the “National Anthem of Christendom.”
With such popularity came a variety of stories with the hymn at center stage. One story tells of a woman on her death bed who kept repeating the word “Bring.” Those taking care of her kept wondering what she wanted them to bring, until she finally sang “Bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all!” and then fell over dead. Another story tells of a missionary to India by the name of E.P. Scott. He was venturing to share the gospel with a primitive Indian tribe and as he arrived on their land, he was greeted with spears held high. The spearmen closed in on Scott, and all he could think to do was get out his violin and sing. Of course, he chose “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” and when he reached the stanza “let every kindred, every tribe,” the spearmen lowered their weapons and welcomed Scott. He spent the remainder of his years ministering to those people.
The text of “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” is somewhat imitative of the ancient Latin “Te Deum Laudamus” (“We Praise Thee, O God”). This early Christian hymn has traditionally been dated to the year 387 and has been ascribed to either Ambrose of Milan or Augustine of Hippo. In various versions and translations, it is often used in worship today, including this version in most Protestant hymnals: “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name,” a version also familiar to most people who grew up in Roman Catholic churches. The ancient text follows basically the outline of the Apostles’ Creed, with clear reference to the Trinity. Here are the opening sentences.
We praise Thee, O God: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting.
To Thee all Angels cry aloud: the Heavens and all the powers therein.
To Thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy Glory.
The glorious company of the Apostles praise Thee.
The godly fellowship of the Prophets praise Thee.
The noble army of Martyrs praise Thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge Thee;
The Father of an infinite Majesty;
Thine honorable, true, and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost: the Comforter.
It’s easy to see how Perronet’s hymn incorporates elements of this classic song of praise.
One unusual aspect of “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” is the number of modifications that have been made from the original text. The hymn text dates from 1779 and 1780, and was first printed in November 1779 in the “Gospel Magazine,”a publication by “Rock of Ages” composer Augustus M. Toplady. An eight-stanza version appeared just a year later in the same magazine titled, “On the Resurrection. The Lord is King.” Significant alterations began as early as 1787 when the text was included in John Rippon’s “Selection of Hymns” with the title “The Spiritual Coronation, Canticles 3:11,”a reference to the Song of Songs: “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.” British hymnologist and literary scholar J.R. Watson notes, “By applying Solomon’s crowning to this hymn, the Old Testament reference is seen as Solomon’s prefiguring of Christ.”
John Rippon (1751-1836) was an English Baptist minister. At the age of 17, he attended Bristol Baptist College. After the death of John Gill, he assumed Gill’s pastorate, the Baptist meeting-house in Carter Lane, Southwark. He began there in 1773 at the age of 20 and served until his death, a period of 63 years. He became one of the most popular and influential dissenting ministers of his day. During these times, the church experienced great growth and became one of the largest congregations in the country. The congregation moved to New Park Street from Carter Lane in 1833. The New Park Street Chapel could seat 1,200 people. Rippon’s church was later pastored by Charles Spurgeon before moving to the 1861 Metropolitan Tabernacle, which seated 6,000.
In 1787 Rippon published an important hymnal, “A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors, Intended to Be an Appendix to Dr. Watts’ Psalms and Hymns,” commonly known as “Rippon’s Selection,” which was very successful, and was reprinted 27 times in over 200,000 copies. Many hymns originally published in Rippon’s “Selection” are preserved in the “Sacred Harp.” He was considered the foremost authority on the hymns of Isaac Watts. Rippon’s “Selection” of hymns was used by the congregation until 1866 when Spurgeon produced an update called “Our Own Hymn Book,” which borrowed much from both Rippon and Watts. Like his predecessor, John Gill, Rippon looked for a large scale conversion of the Jews at the end of the age.
Among the most notable changes made by Rippon to Perronet’s hymn was the final stanza. Perronet had originally written:
Let every tribe and every tongue That bound creation’s call,
Now shout in universal song The crowned Lord of all.
Rippon’s much-improved version took hold in the early 19th century and remains the preferred text today.
O that with yonder sacred throng We at His feet may fall,
We’ll join the everlasting song, And crown Him Lord of all.
In stanza 1, we picture heaven’s throne room at the moment, perhaps, of His ascension, when He entered to take His seat on the throne. A vast host of angels fall down, prostrating themselves before His majesty. And we, the singers, join in the scene by calling for “the royal diadem” to be placed on His head, crowning Him “Lord of all.”
All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all.
In stanza 2, we address the martyrs whose souls have been under the altar for ages, calling to the Lord, “How long before You avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:9-10). They recognize who this Lamb of God is, “the stem of Jesse’s rod” prophesied in Isaiah 11. We call on them to join with the angels in placing that crown on His head, extolling Him as “Lord of all.”
Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God, Who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, And crown Him Lord of all.
In stanza 3, we move to the next series of stanzas, which call on all the “seed of Israel’s chosen race” (remember that Paul wrote that we who believe in Christ are Abraham’s seed in Galatians 6:16), every believer from every age who have been “ransomed from the fall,” to add their voices to this coronation festival. We praise the one “who saves you by His grace.”
Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race, Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, And crown Him Lord of all.
In stanza 4, we identify the grace of God that has worked on our behalf, by identifying all who have been redeemed as “sinners, whose love can ne’er forget” the treasonous condition of our souls, and also “the wormwood and the gall,” which refers to the bitterness and pains He suffered as He took our guilt on Himself. Our response will be to take our crowns, our “trophies,” and spread them at His feet (Revelation 4:10).
Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget, The wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at His feet, And crown Him Lord of all.
In stanza 5, we extend that call to “every kindred, every tribe,” just as has already been noted how Paul wrote in Philippians 2 about every knee that will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Indeed, it must include every person “on this terrestrial ball” we call earth. This must include not only those believers who bow in joyful praise, but also those unbelievers that will bow in resentful subjection. All will ascribe honor to Him, either joyfully or grudgingly.
Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe, On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown Him Lord of all.
In stanza 6, we follow the splendid revision of John Rippon, placing ourselves at the center of this exalted moment. Surrounded by that “yonder sacred throng” described in Revelation 4 and 5, we fall at His feet now as well as on that future day in heaven’s glory. Falling “at His feet,” “we’ll join the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all.”
O that with yonder sacred throng, We at His feet may fall,
We’ll join the everlasting song, And crown Him Lord of all.
The popularity of this late-18th-century hymn may be attested by the fact it appears in hymnals with as many as three different tunes: CORONATION, DIADEM and MILES’ LANE. Each tune reflects a different cultural and denominational context in which this text is sung.
CORONATION is a tune composed by American Oliver Holden (1765-1844) in 1792 and was first published in Boston in 1793. Born in Massachusetts, he served in the Revolutionary War and was a carpenter after the war, rebuilding the city of Charlestown, Massachusetts and becoming a prominent figure there. Not only did he found his own church and serve as minister in Charlestown, he also was a town official and Massachusetts representative in the state government. By 1783, Holden had received a few months of musical training and then began his own singing school later that year. He is most famous for his “Coronation” hymn, deemed the oldest American hymn that is still popular today.
A stately tune in duple meter, it has the character of a coronation march. Holden was a multi-faceted individual, known for being a carpenter, real estate tycoon, musician and music store owner, tune book compiler, and preacher. His tune has been nearly inseparable from Perronet’s hymn. From 1793 to 1820, it was printed in 81 collections, always with “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” Holden’s tombstone at the Phipps Street Burying Ground, Charlestown, Massachusetts, includes the description “Composer of the tune Coronation” and the first stanza of the hymn text. The harmonization most often found in hymnals is the work of Lowell Mason.
DIADEM was composed by James Ellor (1819-1899) in 1838 at the age of 19 for the anniversary of a Wesleyan Sunday School in his hometown of Droylsden, Manchester, England. This tune, in triple rhythm, has the feel of a stately minuet and suggests an anthem to be sung by a choir, especially with the independent parts of the refrain. It is indeed thrilling to hear congregations or church musicians sing this version in four parts. Ellor started his young career as a hat maker, but he belonged to a family of skilled musicians, and he himself was regarded as a prodigy at a young age.
At the Droylsden church at the time, there was no organ in the church and few hymn books containing tunes. Violins, a double bass, and whatever other instruments they could get, together with the voices, made up the choir. They had very little printed music, and each choirmaster tried his hand at composing. To save time and labor, each singer received his part only. No value seems to have been placed upon these compositions, and the most popular of them spread from church to church. The Methodist itinerant preacher also would take the best of these tunes with him on his travels. And so DIADEM spread, sometimes copied from the part-books, and sometimes by ear.
Ellor’s time as a choirmaster was brief, said to have ended in a quarrel over a fiddle, and his career as a hatmaker gave way to the burgeoning business of railway construction. Ellor’s last church anniversary service was in 1843. The previous year, he had married Sarah Harrison, and by the mid 1840s had moved to Glossop, Derbyshire, where the census of 1851 records his occupation as a porter on the railway. After the death of his wife in 1861, Ellor and his children emigrated to the United States with his parents and his five siblings. After living for a short time in Yonkers, New York, the family settled permanently in Watsessing, Bloomfield, New Jersey. Sadly, Ellor does not appear to have been active in church music after his stint in Droylsden.
The tune originally paired with this text, MILES’ LANE, was written by William Shrubsole (1760-1806). It is less favored, in light of the other more buoyant tune options. This hymn’s first appearance with music has endured as one of its most successful settings. Perronet’s first stanza was printed with an unnamed tune by an uncredited writer in the November 1779 hymn supplement to “The Gospel Magazine.” The tune was later determined to be by Shrubsole, who at the time was a nineteen-year-old chorister at Canterbury Cathedral. This tune is better known in England than in the United States. It became so enormously popular that it was printed in 204 collections in the 41-year span between 1779 and 1820, usually with “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” but also sometimes with “Give Thanks to God, the Sov’reign Lord,” a paraphrase of Psalm 136 by Isaac Watts, and a variety of other texts.
For many decades, this tune was the exclusive preserve of dissenters and Methodists. The striking refrain, with threefold repetition of words, is characteristic of the fervent singing then practiced by those groups. Musically, the spectacular contrast between the prostration of the angels and the crowning of Jesus results in a range of a twelfth. The history of the tune name is usually attached to the old Miles’ Lane in London, near the London Bridge. The street was originally named after St. Michael’s Church, with Miles’ Lane being merely a shortened and corrupted form of its original name, St. Michael’s Lane. The church was demolished in 1831 to make way for a new London Bridge. Some sources indicate Edward Perronet and William Shrubsole were good friends, to the extent that Perronet made Shrubsole executor of his will and left property to him. Shrubsole’s tombstone at Bunhill Fields, London, includes an engraved portion of MILES LANE.
Here is a link to the congregation singing several of the stanzas with organ, choir, and orchestra at John McArthur’s Grace Community Church in California.