San Francisco Central Seventh-day Adventist Church

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184 Jesus Paid It All

Author: Mrs. Elvina M Hall, 1865 (1820-1889)
Composer: John T. Grape (1835-1915)

Elvina Mabel Hall was a member of the choir of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Baltimore. While she was sitting in the choir during a rather long prayer, in the spring of 1865, she jotted down the verses of this hymn on the flyleaf of the hymnbook. After the service she gave it to the minister who kept them until he could find a suitable tune.

The tune, sometimes called ALL TO CHRIST, was composed by John Grape, the organist and choir director of the same church in Baltimore. He was a coal merchant who was interested in a music as a hobby, and played and composed in his spare time. He wrote this tune for William Bradbury's words, "Jesus Paid It All," but his friends and choir members thought it was too "commonplace." However, the minister coupled Mrs. Hall's words with Mr. Grape's tune, and it was well received as a gospel song. It was first published in 1868.

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Refrain
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Refrain
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Since nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

Refrain
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus’ feet.

Refrain
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.