a hymn album dedicated to the glory of God in loving memory of David Hassell Wallis
Dan Beauchamp: Vocalist
Tommy Sacran: Producer
Dewey Cooksey: Engineer
© 2006 Tommy Sacran | All rights reserved.
Our sole purpose in the creation of this album being the glory of God and the encouragement of His people, we have desired from the beginning to be able to make it available free of charge. When the album originally released in 2006, that meant requesting donations to help with the printing and distribution of CDs. While we will always be thankful for those who donated for these initial expenses, we are thankful today to be able to provide this hymn album free of charge through online listening platforms.
The Songs
The following section, The Songs, was written by Dan Beauchamp in March 2006 …
Music is a mysterious creation of God. When the music of a song unites with the message of that song, reiterating the lyrics in its own profound language, it has a powerful ability to move the soul – to communicate to the heart. Often when words fail, it is music itself that can still reach through to touch us in some way. Hymns are singular as an example of this ability because their message is of eternal import.
We have taken hymns from three different books, as one of our goals for this album was to use all of the original lyrics for each song as well as the original harmonies. There is a razor sharp poignancy in both the lyrics and music of these hymns that will cut like the finest scalpel through layers of superficiality, sorrow and discouragement alike to arrest your soul – and enrich it.
It is our fervent prayer that these rich songs may bless you to draw close to the Lord as you find rest in the confident assurance of His grace, mercy, and love.
About the Album
The following section, About the Album, was written by Tommy Sacran in March 2006 …
In 2003, I began having the idea of producing a hymn album. I had many hymn albums of my own and would mainly listen to them while driving. My house was about half an hour away from my work and college campus: this gave me plenty of time to listen to sermon tapes and hymn albums.
When the Lord called me out of darkness and into His marvelous light (the summer of 2002), He called me out from pursuing an ungodly path in the music industry. I was a mass communications major and pursuing a degree in the recording industry so I could work with independent punk rock bands. I was also in a small punk rock band at the time and dreamed of my band “making it.” However, I was fixed on working with these ungodly bands even if my own band didn’t make it. I saw nothing else in life that I desired following after other than my addiction to this ungodly music scene. I identified myself with this type of music and followed hard after it. All along, I did as those seven women we read of in Isaiah 4:1 taking hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. I pretended to be a Christian, but I wore my own garments and did not follow Christ.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved me, even when I was dead in sins, hath quickened me together with Christ, (by grace I am saved;) and hath raised me up, and made me sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward me through Christ Jesus. For by grace I am saved through faith; and that not of myself: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest I should boast. For I am his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that I should walk in them. (Ephesians 2)
After God called me out of darkness, I realized that I could no longer continue to listen to the music in which I was so addicted. God’s seed was now in me, and I could only but turn from this sinful music scene (1 John 3:3-9) and follow Christ. That year, I got rid of my cds, quit my band, and changed my college major.
I replaced my in-the-car music with sermon tapes and hymn albums. I would listen to a hymn album over and over before switching over to a different one. The Lord used hymn albums in my life as a great blessing in replacing my old music. I became more familiar with different hymns, and the Lord also used these hymn albums to prepare me for when my church called on me to lead singing.
After awhile, I became convinced that Primitive Baptists had not recorded enough hymn albums. I searched in and ordered from the Baptist Bible Hour’s catalog and bought what was available at Harmony Hill Singing School (TX).
I began feeling pressed to produce a hymn album. Ideas began coming to me, and I began working on a list of hymns that I would want on a hymn album. All the while, I realized that this was only an idea without an open door for it to become a work.
I had close to 50 hymn titles written down for the album. I then considered each hymn and how it would relate to the album. One by one and with much prayer, I cut the number of hymns in half. I now had close to 25 hymns written down on a piece of paper – arranged in order of how I’d want them to be on a hymn album. I also had the hymn album titled, “The Child of Grace”
I had met Dan Beauchamp at Camp Moriah the summer of 2002. Dan was a student at MTSU, and he lived in Murfreesboro, TN. Dan and I became close friends, and I would go to Murfreesboro to visit him on a weekly basis. His apartment in Murfreesboro was only 30 minutes away from my house in Smithville. I would go to spend an evening with him and end up staying the night. His couch was always available for me to sleep on, and the Lord greatly blessed our friendship.
One evening, a friend of Dan invited us over for a Bible study. Dan’s friend lived in the same area of apartments, but we had to walk over to a different building. After the Bible study (which was over 1 Corinthians 1), Dan and I were outside walking back to his apartment building. For the first time, I told him about my idea; and the Lord began that night to open the door for this work.
After telling Dan about the album, I asked him if he would consider singing on the hymn album. He expressed to me that he would love to sing on the album, and I hit him with another question, “Would you consider singing all four harmony parts?”
At the time, I had a 4-track tape recorder. I told him about this 4-track recorder, and he told me that he was willing to sing all four harmony parts. We were set to start recording the spring of 2004.
I was getting ready to buy a bunch of tapes for the recording. I went with Dan to Radnor Primitive Baptist Church one Wednesday evening, and I decided that I would ask Dewey Cooksey for some recording tips. I knew that Dewey worked in the recording industry, and I was sure that he could give me some good tips.
I told Dewey about the album, and he gave me some very good tips. During our conversation, I began to feel pressed to ask Dewey if he would consider helping us with this hymn album. I wasn’t sure how to ask, and I wasn’t sure how available Dewey was for this work. I knew he was a busy man.
So he had given me some good tips, and our conversation was all but over. I then asked him, “Dewey, would you consider helping us with this album?” I expected him to tell me that he was too busy, but Dewey said that he would help! and thanked me for asking! He quickly told me that I needed to consider not recording with tapes. He mentioned that David Box would probably let us borrow his 4-track mini-disc recorder. We asked David that night, and he said that he would let us borrow his recorder.
We were all very excited about getting started with this recording. However, Dewey learned about getting some new recording equipment for his computer so we could record directly to his computer. He also learned that his friend was going to let us borrow a very expensive and high quality microphone. It started taking some time for Dewey’s computer programs and equipment to come in and set up.
I began getting somewhat impatient and asking if we could just go ahead with the 4-track mini-disc recorder. Dewey told me and Dan that we just needed to give him some more time. He told us that we had no idea the difference that recording directly to computer was going to make.
The fall of 2004, my best friend was killed in a car accident. David Hassell Wallis died at the age of 20. The Lord blessed me to meet Dave the summer of 2002 at Camp Moriah. He quickly became my best friend. He lived in Ripley, MS, and we were constantly making plans for me to go down there or for him to come up here to spend a weekend or a week. The Lord clearly used Dave in my life to help convict me of neglecting prayer and to encourage me in following Christ. Christ is a friend above all others, but David Hassell Wallis was the best and closest friend that Christ had ever given to me. To lose Dave was more than a shock, and I can’t put into words the deep grief and sadness of such a loss.
For the remainder of that year, I was under constant attack from our adversary and struggled with thoughts of wanting to give up on the race I had been called to run (Hebrews 12:1). I struggled with the desire to live, and I just felt like falling down when walking.
Truly, when my race is over, I will sing with Moses unto God, “Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.” God gives strength to the weak, and Christ leads His own (Isaiah 43:2). God did not allow me to quit the race: for the love of Christ constraineth me (2 Corinthians 5:14).
Dewey had the recording equipment and was ready to start recording around March of 2005. The three of us were very excited with how the recordings were sounding, but our recording sessions were very spaced out in time. Dan graduated college that semester and was now living back in Memphis, TN. All of the recording was done at Radnor Primitive Baptist Church in Nashville, TN.
All three of us were hours away from one another, and the distance and our work schedules didn’t allow us to come together often to work on the hymn album. Between recording sessions, I struggled with feeling pressed to drop and add a few hymns during different seasons of the recording. Through much prayer, I decided on dropping down to 18 hymns.
A year later, we have finally finished recording. All the way up until the last recording session, I made changes on the list of hymns. I’m not sure how many “final products” I came up with, but I feel satisfied with the hymns that are now on the album.
My prayer is that God will bless this work. I pray that this work will bring glory to His name and encouragement to His children. I’m not sure how the Lord will use this hymn album. But I pray that it will be a blessing to your soul in this “low ground of sin and sorrow.” It’s a joy to know that this world is not our home. Time is quickly rushing us into eternity, and I pray that we will spend our days on this side of glory rejoicing in the riches of Christ. May the God of all grace richly bless you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
The Lyrics
Forgive the Song
Forgive the song that falls so low,
Beneath the gratitude I owe.
It means Thy praise however poor,
An angel’s song can do no more.Great God, and wilt Thou condescend
To be my Father and my Friend.
I, a poor child, and Thou, so high.
The Lord of earth, and air and sky.
The Child of Grace
How happy’s ev’ry child of grace,
That feels his sins forgiv’n!
This earth, he cries, is not my place,
I seek a place in heav’n:A country far from mortal sight;
Yet oh! by faith I see
The land of rest, the saints’ delight,
A heav’n prepared for me.A stranger in this world below,
I only sojourn here,
Nor can its happiness or woe
Provoke my hope or fear;Its evils in a moment end,
Its joys as soon are past;
But oh! the bliss to which I tend,
Eternally shall last.To that Jerusalem above,
With singing I’d repair,
While in this vale, in hope and love,
My longing heart is there.There my exalted Saviour stands,
My merciful High Priest,
And will extend His wounded hands,
To take me to His breast.What is there here to court my stay,
Or keep me back from home,
When angels beckon me away,
And Jesus bids me come?Shall I regret to leave my friends
Here in this world confined?
To Christ, the Lord, my soul ascends;
Farewell to all behind!O, what a blessed hope is ours,
Whlie here on earth we stay!
We more than taste the heav’nly pow’rs,
And antedate that day.We feel the resurrection near,
Our life in Christ concealed;
And with His glorious presence here
Our longing hearts are filled.When He shall more of heav’n bestow,
And bid my soul remove,
And let me trembling spirit go
To meet the God I love,With rapturous awe on Him I’ll gaze,
Who died to set me free,
And sing and shout redeeming grace
In vast eternity!
Give Me the Wings of Faith
Give me the wings of faith to rise
Within the vale, and see
The saints above – how great their joys!
How bright their glories be,
How bright their glories be!Once they were mourning here below,
And wet their couch with tears;
They wrestled hard, as we do now,
With sins, and doubts, and fears,
With sins, and doubts, and fears.I asked them whence their vict’ry came;
They, with united breath,
Ascribed their conquest to the Lamb,
Their triumph to His death,
Their triumph to His death.They marked the footsteps that he trod;
His zeal inspired their breast,
And foll’wing their incarnate God,
Possess the promised rest,
Possess the promised rest.Our glorious Leader claims our praise
For His own pattern giv’n,
While the long cloud of witnesses
Shows the same path to heav’n,
Shows the same path to heav’n.
Our Father Cares
Here our heav’nly Father knows
All we need before we ask;
Here our heav’nly Father knows, and He cares;
Here our heav’nly Father sees
Every sparrow when it falls;
Here our heav’nly Father sees, and He cares.See the lilies, how they grow,
And the beauty they display;
He is watching over them, for He cares;
When He waters with the dew,
Lilies raise their heads anew;
He will do the same for you, for He cares.When we find ourselves in need,
Then we to the Father plead,
For He is our Friend indeed, and He cares.
He’ll be watching over us
When we’re sleeping in the dust,
And He’ll come again for us, for He cares.
Buy the Truth and Sell It Not
The worth of truth no tongue can tell,
‘Twill do to buy but not to sell;
A large estate that soul has got,
Who buys the truth and sells it not.Truth, like a diamond, shines most fair;
More worth than pearls and rubies are;
More rich than gold or silver coin:
O may it always on us shine!‘Tis truth that binds, and truth makes free,
And sets the soul at liberty
From sin and Satan’s heavy chain,
And then within the heart doth reign.A freedom they enjoy indeed,
That doth all freedom else exceed;
Freedom from guilt, freedom from woe,
And never more shall bondage know.O happy they, who in their youth
Are brought to know and love the truth!
For none but those whom truth makes free
Can e’er enjoy true liberty.Truth like a girdle let us wear,
And always keep it clean and fair;
And never let it once be told,
That truth by us was ever sold.When Satan comes to tempt our minds,
We’ll meet him with these blessed lines –
Since Christ the Lord has won the field,
We are determined not to yield.The worth of truth no tongue can tell,
‘Twill do to buy but not to sell;
A large estate that soul has got,
Who buys the truth and sells it not.
Grace, ‘Tis a Charming Sound
Grace, ’tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear!
Heav’n with the echo shall resound,
And all the saints shall hear.Grace first contrived the way
To save rebellious man;
And all the steps of grace display
Which drew the wondrous plan.Grace first inscribed my name
In God’s eternal book;
‘Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took.Grace led my roving feet
To tread the heav’nly road,
And new supplies each hour I meet,
While pressing on to God.Grace taught my soul to pray,
And made mine eyes o’er flow;
‘Twas grace that kept me to this day,
And will not let me go.Grace all the work shall crown
Thru everlasting days;
It lays in heav’n the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.
Am I a Soldier of the Cross?
Am I a soldier of the cross,
A foll’wer of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His name?Must I be carried to the skies
On flow’ry beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed thru bloody seas?Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord!
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy word.Thy saints in all this glorious war
Shall conquer, tho’ they die;
They see the triumph from afar,
By faith it is brought nigh.When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all Thine armies shine
In roes of vict’ry thru the skies,
The glory shall be Thine.
Dripping from the Cross
Guilty, nail-pierced holy vein –
Jesus bore the loss;
There was blood with holy pain,
Dripping from the cross.Jesus, Thou hast loved us so,
Tho’ we be so gross;
Saved us by the living flow,
Dripping from the cross.Sick and faint my soul did seem,
Poisoned by sin’s dross;
But relief came by the stream,
Dripping from the cross.Tho’tless that for sin I owe,
Counted not my loss;
Grateful now to view the flow,
Dripping from the cross.Wordly pleasures once my dream,
Tempted by their gloss;
Till I saw the scarlet stream,
Dripping from the cross.All because He loved us so,
He sustained the crimson flow;
Keep my heart fixed on Thy woe,
Dripping from the cross.
Weeping Saviour
Did Christ o’er sinners weep,
And shall our cheeks be dry?
Let floods of penitential grief
Burst forth from ev’ry eye.The Son of God in tears,
Angels with wonder see:
Be thou astonished, O my soul;
He shed those tears for thee.He wept that we might weep;
Each sin demands a tear:
In heav’n alone no sin is found,
And there’s no weeping there.
Behold the Lamb of God
Behold! behold the Lamb of God!
On the cross, on the cross!
He sheds for you His precious blood,
On the cross, on the cross!Oh, hear His all-important cry,
“Eli lama sabachthani;”
Draw near and see your Saviour die,
On the cross, on the cross!Behold His arms extended wide,
On the cross, on the cross!
Behold His bleeding hands and side,
On the cross, on the cross!The sun withholds his rays of light,
The heavens are clothed in shades of night,
While Jesus doth with devils fight,
On the cross, on the cross!Come, brethren, see Him lifted up,
On the cross, on the cross!
For you He drinks the bitter cup,
On the cross, on the cross!The rocks do rend, the mountains quake,
While Jesus doth atonement make,
While Jesus suffers for our sake,
On the cross, on the cross!And now the mighty deed is done,
On the cross, on the cross!
The battle’s fought, the victory’s won,
On the cross, on the cross!To heaven He turns His languid eyes,
“‘Tis finished,” now the Conqueror cries,
Then bows His sacred head and dies,
On the cross, on the cross!Where’er I go I’ll tell the story
Of the cross, of the cross;
Of nothing else my soul shall glory,
Save the cross, save the cross!Yea, this my constant theme shall be,
Through time and in eternity,
That Jesus tasted death for me,
On the cross, on the cross!Let every mourner rise and cling
To the cross, to the cross;
Let every Christian come and sing
‘Round the cross, ’round the cross!There let the preacher take his stand,
And, with the Bible in his hand,
Declare the triumphs through the land,
Of the cross, of the cross!
Hosanna
He’s gone! the spotless soul is gone,
Triumphant to his place above;
The prison walls are broken down,
The angels speed his swift remove;And, shouting, on their wings he flies,
And goes to rest in paradise.
Hosanna! Hosanna!
Hosanna to the Lamb of God!Saved by the merit of his Lord,
Glory and praise to Christ he gives;
He now enjoys the full reward,
The joys of heav’n he now receives;The life he lived while here below
Is proof that he’s at rest, we know.
Hosanna! Hosanna!
Hosanna to the Lamb of God!Glory, Glory, let us sing
Grateful honors to our King!
Hosanna! Hosanna!
Hosanna to the Lamb of God!
Thorny Desert
Dark and thorny is the desert
Thru which pilgrims make their way,
But beyond this vale of sorrows
Lie the fields of endless day;Fiends, loud howling thru the desert,
Make them tremble as they go;
And the fiery darts of Satan
Often bring their courage low.O young soldiers, are you weary
Of the troubles on the way?
Does your strength begin to fail you,
And your vigor to decay?Jesus, Jesus will go with you;
He will lead you to His throne;
He who dyed His garments for you
And the winepress trod alone.He whose thunder shakes creation;
He who bids the planets roll;
He who rides upon the tempest,
And whose sceptre sways the whole;‘Round Him are ten thousand angels,
Ready to obey command;
They are always hov’ring ’round you,
Till you reach that heav’nly land.There, on flowery hills of pleasure,
In the fields of endless rest,
Love, and joy, and peace shall ever
Reign in triumph in your breast.Who can paint the scenes of glory,
Where the ransomed dwell on high?
Where the golden harps forever
Sound redemption thru the sky?Millions there of flaming seraphs
Fly across the heav’nly plain;
There they sing immortal praises:
Glory, glory is their strain!But methinks a sweeter concert
Makes the heav’nly arches ring;
And a song is heard in Zion,
Which the angels cannot sing.See the heav’nly host in rapture
Gaze upon the shining band,
Wond’ring at their costly garments
And the laurels in their hand!There upon the golden pavement,
See the ransomed march along,
While the splendid courts of glory
Sweetly echo to their song!Oh! their crowns, how bright they sparkle,
Such as monarchs never wear;
They are gone to heav’nly pastures:
Jesus is their Shepherd there.Hail, ye happy, happy spirits!
Welcome to the blissful plain!
Glory, honor, and salvation;
Reign, sweet Shepherd, ever reign.
Thru Every Age, Eternal God
Thru ev’ry age, eternal God,
Thou art our rest, our safe abode;
High was Thy throne ere heav’n was made,
Or earth Thy humble footstool laid.Long hadst Thou reigned e’er time began,
Or dust was fashioned into man;
And long Thy kingdom shall endure
When earth and time shall be no more.But man, weak man, is born to die,
Made up of guilt and vanity;
The dreadful sentence, Lord, is just,
“Return, ye sinners, to your dust.”Death, like an ever-flowing stream,
Sweeps us away – our life’s a dream –
An empty tale – a morning flower,
Cut down and withered in an hour.Teach us, O Lord, how frail is man,
And kindly lengthen out our span,
Till cleansed by grace we all may be
Prepared to die and dwell with Thee.
Resurrection Scene
How long shall death, the tyrant, reign,
And triumph o’er the just?
How long the blood of martyrs slain,
Lie mingled with the dust?Lo, I behold the scattered shades,
The dawn of heav’n appears;
The bright, immortal morning spreads
Its blushes round the spheres.I see the Lord of glory come,
And flaming guards around;
The skies divide to make Him room,
The trumpet shakes the ground.I hear the voice, “Ye dead arise!”
And lo! the graves obey;
And waking saints, with joyful eyes,
Salute th’expected day.O, may our humble spirits stand
Among them, clothed in white!
The meanest place at His right hand
Is infinite delight.How will our joy and wonder rise,
When our returning King
Shall bear us homeward thru the skies
On love’s triumphant wing!
Soar Away
I want a sober mind,
An all-sustaining eye,
To see my God above,
And to the heavens fly.I want a Godly fear,
A quick, discerning eye
That looks to Thee, my God,
And sees the tempter fly.I’d soar away above the sky,
I’d fly, and fly,
To see my God above,
I’d fly, and fly,
To see my God above.
The Saints Bound for Heaven
Our bondage, it shall end, by and by, by and by,
Our bondage, it shall end by and by;
From Egypt’s yoke set free,
Hail the glorious jubilee;
And to Canaan we’ll return, by and by, by and by,
And to Canaan we’ll return by and by.Our Deliverer shall come, by and by, by and by,
Our Deliverer shall come by and by;
And sorrows have an end,
With our three-score years and ten,
And vast glory crown the day, by and by, by and by,
And vast glory crown the day by and by.Tho’ enemies are strong, we’ll go on, we’ll go on,
Tho’ enemies are strong we’ll go on;
Tho’ our hearts melt with fear,
Lo, Sinai’s God is near;
While the fiery pillar moves we’ll go on, we’ll go on,
While the fiery pillar moves we’ll go on.Thru Marah’s bitter streams we’ll go on, we’ll go on,
Thru Marah’s bitter streams we’ll go on;
Tho’ Baca’s vale be dry,
And the land yield no supply,
To a land of corn and wine we’ll go on, we’ll go on,
To a land of corn and wine we’ll go on.And when to Jordan’s floods we are come, we are come,
And when to Jordan’s floods we are come,
Jehovah rules the tide,
And the waters He’ll divide,
And the ransomed host shall shout, “We are come, we are come,”
And the ransomed host shall shout, “We are come!”Then friends shall meet again who have loved, who have loved,
Then friends shall meet again who have loved;
Embraces shall be sweet
At the dear Redeemer’s feet,
When we meet to part no more, who have loved, who have loved,
When we meet to part no more, who have loved.Then with the happy throng we’ll rejoice, we’ll rejoice,
Then with the happy throng we’ll rejoice;
Shout, “Glory to our King!”
Till the vaults of heaven ring,
And in all eternity we’ll rejoice, we’ll rejoice,
And in all eternity we’ll rejoice.
Evening Shade
The day is past and gone,
The evening shades appear;
O may we all remember well,
The night of death is near.We lay our garments by,
Upon our beds we rest;
So death will soon disrobe us all
Of what we here possess.Lord, keep us safe this night,
Secure from all our fears;
May angels guard us while we sleep,
Till morning light appears.And when we early rise,
And view th’ unwearied sun,
May we press on to win the prize,
And after glory run.And when our days are past,
And we from time remove,
O may we in Thy bosom rest,
The bosom of Thy love.
I Would Not Live Alway
I would not live alway; I ask not to stay
Where storm after storm rises dark on the way;
The few lucid mornings that dawn on us here,
They are followed by gloom or beclouded with fear.I would not live alway,thus fettered by sin –
Temptations without and corruption within;
E’en the rapture of pardon is mingled with fears,
And the cup of thanksgiving with penitent tears.I would not live alway; no – welcome the tomb;
Since Jesus hath lain there, I dread not its gloom;
There sweet be my rest till He bid me arise,
To hail Him in triumph descending from the skies.Who, who would live alway, away from his God –
Away from yon heaven, that blissful abode,
Where rivers of pleasure flow o’er the bright plains,
and the noontide of glory eternally reigns?There saints of all ages in harmony meet,
Their Saviour and brethren transported to greet;
While anthems of rapture unceasingly roll,
And the smile of the Lord is the feast of the soul.