In token that thou shalt not fear

In token that thou shalt not fear. Henry Alford* (1810-1871). This hymn was written in 1832, and first printed in the British Magazine in December of that year. It was based, according to Alford’s widow, on a passage from Richard Hooker’s Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (London, 1597) Book 5, section 65, on ‘The Sign of the Cross in Baptism’. The passage ends with the instruction that ‘we are... to acknowledge the good and profitable use of this ceremony [Baptism], and not to think it superfluous that Christ hath His mark applied upon that part where bashfulness appeareth, in token that they which are Christians should be at no time ashamed of His ignominy.’ The hymn was sung at the...

If you have a valid subscription to Dictionary of Hymnology, please log in to view this content. If you require a subscription, please click here.

Cite this article