Church Hymnal 64
How Gentle God's Commands
Words: Philip DoddridgeMusic: Hans Georg NägeliTune: DennisS.M.
1How gentle God's commands,
How kind His precepts are!
Come, cast your burdens on the Lord
And trust His constant care.
2Beneath His watchful eye
His saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears all nature up
Shall guard His children well.
3Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your heavenly Father's throne
And sweet refreshment find.
4His goodness stands approved,
Down to the present day;
I'll drop my burden at His feet
And bear a song away.
- Words
- Philip Doddridge
- Music
- Hans Georg Nägeli
- Tune
- Dennis
- Also sung to
- Federal Street (Christ in Song #335)
- Meter
- S.M.
- Scripture
- Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Peter 5:7
Public Domain
The verse
- Meter
- 6.6.8.6 · as printed
- Foot
- iambic (da-DUM) · 73% of beats fit
- Rhyme
- ABCB
Could also be sung to Laudes Domini, Boylston, St. Thomas, Dove, Radea · same meter and stresses; not printed with these words, so try it first.
Scan every line
/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary · * a word sung short, as “heav’n”
Verse 1
Verse 2
Verse 3
Verse 4
Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.