"The Church is an object of faith - the presence of a new creation in the old world of nature – the body of Christ through which as a medium and organ he reveals himself and works till the end of time. Its ministers hold a divine power from him by apostolic succession. Its sacraments are not signs merely, but goals of the grace they represent." -John Williamson Nevin
“Letter to Dr. Henry Harbaugh”, in Catholic and Reformed: Selected Theological Writings of John Williamson Nevin, ed. Charles Yrigoyen and George H. Bricker (Pittsburgh: The Pickwick Press, 1978) pp. 405-411.
A Note on the Musical Responses
Over time, certain tunes have become a part of Mercersburg’s “soundscape.” Many of them are near and dear to congregations which come from this tradition. The “Kyrie”, by an unknown composer, was borrowed from the 1917 Common Service Book with Hymnal (Lutheran). The “Gloria Patri” is from Henry W. Greatorex's Collection (1851) who was a New England Anglican organist and choirmaster; the English translation of this ancient text is attributed to Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury (1533 - 1556). The “Doxology” text (1674) is by Thomas Ken, an Anglican Minister; the tune is from the Genevan Psalter (1562). The “Seraphic Hymn” is the second most famous tune associated with Mercersburg worship; the tune appears as early as the 1878 Reformed Church Hymnal and is by Alonzo P. Howard (1838-1902), vice-president and treasurer of the Merrimac Chemical Company near Boston. The “Agnus Dei” is set to a tune from the 1528 Brunswick Order (Lutheran). “Jesus! I Live to Thee” is the musical crown jewel of Mercersburg worship; the text, written in 1850 by Henry Harbaugh, later became associated with the tune LAKE ENON, written in 1856, by Isaac B. Woodbury. It has sometimes been used as a Benediction response in place of the traditional Danish 3-fold Amen.