Toplady

ROCK OF AGES

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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.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

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.

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.

About the writer: Augustus Montague Toplady was born in Surrey, England in 1740. His father was an officer in the British army. His mother was a woman of great piety. He prepared for the university at Westminster School and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin. While on a visit to Ireland at the age of 16 he converted to Christianity at a service held in a barn. The preacher was an illiterate but warm-hearted layman. Concerning this experience, Toplady wrote: “Strange that I, who had so long sat under the means of grace in England, should be brought nigh unto God in an obscure part of Ireland, amidst a handful of God’s people met together in a barn and under the ministry of one who could hardly spell his name. Surely this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous.” He was ordained to the ministry in the Church of England in 1762 and in 1768 he became vicar of Broadhembury, a position he held until his death. A short time before he died he asked his physician what he thought. The reply was that his pulse showed that his heart was beating weaker every day. Toplady replied with a smile: “Why that is a good sign that my death is fast approaching; and, blessed be God, I can add that my heart beats stronger and stronger every day for glory.” He died in 1778. His volume of Psalms and Hymns for Public and Private Worship was published in 1776.

Key Verse: Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock. –Isaiah 26:4

Toplady, Augustus Montague

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Augustus Montague Toplady (1740-1778) was born in Surrey, England to an affluent family. He visited Ireland at the age of 16 and converted to Christianity at a service held in a barn – an experience he considered both ironic and providential since he had felt no spiritual yearnings at the grand cathedral his family attended. He was ordained to the ministry in the Church of England in 1762 and in 1768 he became vicar of Broadhembury, a position he held until his death. An advocate of Calvinism he came into frequent conflict with John Wesley. His volume of Psalms and Hymns for Public and Private Worship was published in 1776 and included the classic “Rock of Ages.” He attained great influence in his brief life and many of his hymns are sung to this day.