Original Title: A Living and Dying Prayer for the Holiest Believer in the World.

Lyrics: Augustus Toplady

Music: TOPLADY by Thomas Hastings.

Theme:

George Grant on Augustus Toplady and his most famous hymn.

I wrote here about Mr. Toplady and his antipathy for the Wesleys, and what Augustus saw as their heretical Arminian theology. Of the eight survey responders that had Rock of Ages on their top ten list, six also had at least one hymn by Charles Wesley. It seems that the two hymn writers are predestined to dueling, or reconciling, hymns throughout Christian history.

The lyrics for Rock of Ages first appeared in the British publication, A Gospel Magazine, in 1776. The hymn text served as the ending salvo in an article that was written to refute the Wesleyan teachings on free will and to affirm the Calvinist teachings of predestination and total depravity.

1. Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.

2. Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law’s commands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.

3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.

4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee.

As I have said before, and am not ashamed to repeat, I am a proud Arminocalvinist or Calvinoarminian. I can sit on that fence with the best of them, and God Himself will, in His mercy, rescue me as I come to Him in faith. And I’ll be singing a medley of Rock of Ages, A Debtor to Mercy Alone, Arise My Soul Arise, and O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.