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In vain my fancy strives to paint On the death of a believer
John Newton printed it in 1779 in Olney Hymns, Book II, no. 72.
WRITTEN BY
John Newton 1725–1807
PRINTED
1779 Olney Hymns · no. 72
METRE
Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 8 stanzas
WRITTEN ON
A subject no verse printed above it
The hymn, and the Scripture in it
All 8 stanzas as Newton printed them, with the verses their lines echo beside them. Point at a line to join it to its verse; click to read the passage.
SHARED WORDSthe verse shares the line's wording ECHOproposed by an AI model, confirmed by a separate check Not the author's own notes
AMONG THE SCRIPTURES
The stanzas at the centre; around them, every book its heading and its echoes come from, Old Testament on the left and New on the right. Choose a stanza or a book.
a line echoes this verse its heading or an echo comes from here
STANZA I
In vain my fancy strives to paint
The moment after death
The glories that surround the saint,
When yielding up its breath.
No line of this stanza quotes a verse closely; it is the hymn's own confession.
Its place in the book
Book II of the hymn book, “On occasional subjects”, holds these hymns in this order: 100 hymns. This is number 72. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.
NO. 72 · JOHN NEWTON · THIS HYMN In vain my fancy strives to paint
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