"Soldiers of Christ, Arise" is an 18th-century English

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

. The words were written by

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English Anglican cleric and a principal leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include "And Can It ...

(1707–1788),The Cyber Hymnal: ''Soldiers of Christ, Arise''
Retrieved 2014-01-14. and the first line ("Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armour on") refers to the armour of God in

Ephesians The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Traditionally believed to have been written by the Apostle Paul around AD 62 during his imprisonment in Rome, the Epistle to the Ephesians closely resembles Colossians ...

6:10–18.

History

Wesley initially wrote the hymn as a poem titled "The Whole Armour of God, Ephesians VI" in 1747 and was used to defend against criticism of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

within Great Britain. During their evangelical careers, both Charles Wesley and his brother

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

received physical abuse because of them. As a result, this hymn was written and also became known as "The Christian's bugle blast" because of the military references and the apparent call to arms when it was set to music. The hymn was published as "Soldiers of Christ, Arise" in 1749 in "Hymns and Sacred Poems" with 16 verses of 8 lines. In 1780, it was published as a hymn in John Wesley's "A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists" with 12 verses. Since 1847, the hymn is usually only performed with 3 verses; the most recent British Methodist hymn book, "Singing the Faith", some of the additional verses are included as a separate hymn with the first line "Pray without ceasing, pray"; this was common practice in 19th century hymnals In the hymn, the words "adamant and gold" are used. This is speculated to be Wesley making reference to

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

's poem,

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...

where it says "Satan, with vast and haughty strides advanced, Came towering, armed in adamant and gold." This suggests that Wesley intended for the hymn to be for Christians to use Satan's ways against him.

Usage

Wesley wrote a unique piece of music entitled "Soldiers of Christ" for the hymn to be set to. However the hymn has been set to other tunes as well. One of several tunes for the hymn is by William P. Merrill (1867–1954). However, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

the main alternative piece of music that is used for the hymn is "''Diademata''" by George Job Elvey. This music has become more associated with "Soldiers of Christ, Arise" than the original "Soldiers of Christ" music, or any other single tune. The hymn is played using ''Diademata'' after first being published in the

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

hymnal, ''Hymns Ancient and Modern'', It is also played with ''Diademata'' in the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

hymnal and the hymn appeared in the Manchester Hymnal. In British Methodism, however, the hymn is usually sung to a tune named "From Strength to Strength", composed by Edward Woodall Naylor; this is the tune set in all official British Methodist hymn books since at least 1933. In the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

hymnal, "Soldiers of Christ, Arise" is the only hymn included that was originally in John Wesley's ''A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists''. It is one of only a few Methodist hymns that overtly referred to battles or the notion of Christians as soldiers.

Hymn

:Soldiers of Christ, Arise, and put your armour on, :Strong in the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son. :Strong in the Lord of hosts, and in His Mighty Power, :Who in the strength of Jesus is more than conqueror. :Send then in His great might, with all His strength endued, :But take, to arm you for the fight, the panoply of God; :That, having all things done, and all your conflicts passed, :Ye may o'ercome through Christ alone and stand entire at last. :Stand then against your foes, in close and firm array; :Legions of wily fiends oppose throughout the evil day. :But meet the sons of night, and mock their vain design, :Armed in the arms of heavenly light, of righteousness divine. :Leave no unguarded place, no weakness of the soul, :Take every virtue, every grace, and fortify the whole; :Indissolubly joined, to battle all proceed; :But arm yourselves with all the mind that was in Christ, your head. (bar verses)

References

External links

* {{Wikisource-inline, Soldiers of Christ, Arise English Christian hymns Hymns by Charles Wesley Methodism 18th-century hymns Hymns in The New English Hymnal

History

Usage

Hymn

See also

References

External links