The Old Rugged Cross Words and Music by Rev George Bennard, 1912 Lyrics listed in Public Domain
On a hill far away Stood an old rugged cross, The emblem of suffering and shame How I love that old cross Where the dearest and best For a world of lost sinners was slain
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown
O that old rugged cross, So despised by the world, Has a wondrous attraction for me; For the dear Lamb of God Left His glory above To bear it to dark Calvary.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown.
Then He'll call me some day To my home far away, Where His glory forever I'll share.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, Till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown.
I will cling to the old rugged cross, And exchange it some day for a crown.
On this day, June 7, 1913, according to his own account, George Bennard introduced the new hymn in a revival meeting he was conducting in Pokagon, Michigan. "The Old Rugged Cross," soon became one of the top ten most popular hymns of the twentieth century.
"The Old Rugged Cross," one of the world's best loved hymns, was composed in Albion, Michigan in 1912 by the Reverend George Bennard (1873-1958). The son of an Ohio coal miner, Bennard was a lifelong servant of God, chiefly in the Methodist ministry. He wrote the words and music of over three hundred other hymns. None achieved the fame of "The Old Rugged Cross," the moving summation of his faith. ~Source: hymnologyarchive.com
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