Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God’s own field, fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day all offenses purge away,
Giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store in His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified, in Thy garner to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels come, raise the glorious harvest home.
BIBLE REFERENCE:

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.   Matthew 13:24-30

Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.   Matthew 13:36-43

And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.   Mark 4:26-29

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph
in the works of thy hands.  
Psalm 92:1-4

Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. Psalm 147:1

I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.   Psalm 145:1-3
Henry Alford - Lyrics
1810-1871
Born: October 7, 1810, Bloomsbury, Middlesex, England.
Died: January 12, 1871, Canterbury, Kent, England.
Buried: St. Martin’s, Canterbury, Kent, England.
George Job Elvey - Composer
1816-1893
Born: March 27, 1816, Canterbury, England.
Died: December 9, 1893, Windlesham, Surrey, England.
Buried: St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, England.
HYMN HISTORY:

“Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” is considered to be one of the most choice Thanksgiving hymns in all of hymnody.  It was written or the English harvest festivals, a movable feast varying with the harvest time in the various villages.  Its author, Henry “Dean” Alford, is generally regarded as one of the most gifted, Christian
leaders of the nineteenth century, distinguishing himself as a theologian, scholar, writer, poet, artist, and musician.

Henry Alford was born in Bloomsbury, October 7, 1810.  His father, as well as his ancestors in several previous generations, were respected clergymen in the Anglican Church, and early in life, young Alford decided to follow their examples.  At the age of sixteen, he wrote in the fly-leaf of his Bible these words which characterized his life: “I do this day, in the presence of God and my own soul, renew my covenant with God, and solemnly determine henceforth to become His, and to do His work as far as in me lies.”

At Trinity College, Cambridge, Alford distinguished himself as a student and writer, and, upon graduation in 1832, be began his public ministry in London.  He rose rapidly from one position to another, until he was named Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, the ”mother-church” of all England, at the age of forty-seven, where he remained, until his death in 1871.  Even in this prestigious position, Alford maintained strong relations with evangelicals and other non-conformist groups and did all he could to resist the high church movement within the Anglican Church.   It was as a Greek scholar that he attained his greatest distinction.  His four-volume edition of the Greek Testament, on which he labored for twenty years, became the standard critical commentary of the later nineteenth century.  As a member of the new Testament Revision Committee, he made a notable contribution to biblical knowledge on both sides of the Atlantic.

Hymnology was one of Henry Alford’s major interests, and he translated and composed numerous hymns, which he published in hi Psalms and Hymns (1844), The Year of Praise (1867), and Poetical Works (1852 and 1868).  Of these many works, only “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” is still in general use in most evangelical hymanls.

The hymn first appeared in Alford’s Psalms and Hymns, in 1844.  It was originally titled “After Harvest” and was accompanied by the text “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6).  The hymn originally contained seven stanzas, but only four have remained in common usage.

The first stanza of this thanksgiving hymn is an invitation and a exhortation to give thanks to God in the earthly temple–His Church–for the heavenly care and provision of our earthly needs.  The following two stanzas are an interesting commentary on the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares as recorded in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.   The final stanza is a prayer for the Lord’s return–”the final harvest home”– the culminating event that Henry Alford sees as the ultimate demonstration of God’s goodness in His eternal purpose of man’s Redemption.

It is said that at the end of a hard day’s work, as well as after every meal, it was customary practice for “Dean” Alford to stand to his feet and give thanks to God for the blessings just relieved or enjoyed during the day.  This spirit of perpetual gratitude is clearly evidenced throughout this hymn.

Because of Alford’s strenuous efforts and unlimited activities in the Christian ministry, he suffered a physical breakdown in 1870, and died on January 12, 1871.  His passing was mourned throughout the entire Christian world.  During his lifetime one of the “Dean’s” unfulfilled, cherished dreams was to visit the Holy Land.  Although this dream was never realized, it was said of him that is eyes were fixed upon the Heavenly Jerusalem toward which he journeyed.  On his tombstone the following appropriate inscription is found: “The Inn of a Pilgrim Traveling to Jerusalem.”

The composer of this tune, “St. George’s, Windsor”, was George J. Elvey, who served as the organist for forty-seven years at the historic, royal chapel at Windsor Castle in England.  He originally composed the music for James Montgomery’s text “Hark! the Song of Jubilee,” published in E. H. Throne’s Selection of Psalms and Hymn Tunes in 1858.  In 1861, this tune first appeared wedded to Henry Alford’s text in the well-known Anglican Church hymnal, Hymns Ancient and Modern.  It has found a place in nearly every published hymnal to the present time.

George Elvey was knighted by Queen Victoria, in 1871, for his many years of faithful service to the royal family as well as for his various musical publications, including several oratorios, anthems, and collections of service music.  Elvey is also the composer of the familiar hymn tune “Diademata,” generally used with such hymn texts as “Crown Him With Many Crowns” and “Soldiers of Chris Arise.”
101 More Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck
“The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful and cheerful heart.” - Plutarch.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This Hymn “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” gives Myra and myself an opportunity to personally say thank you to those who have written us with words of encouragement and also to those who have given  financially. Many of you tell us how much this Ministry means to you and the different ways in which your are blessed by it. We give God all the glory. For those who have not yet written we encourage you to do so. You're email's are so uplifting to us.  As a couple we covet your prayers foremost and also your financial support which enables us to continue to spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For those who have not yet written we encourage you to do so. You're email's are so uplifting to us.  As a couple we covet your prayers foremost.  Also your financial support is important, as it enables us to continue to spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and to make A Hymn and its History possible. A gift of any amount does make a difference.
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