I Would Not Live Alway I Ask Not to Stay
I would not live alway, I ask not to stay
I Would Not Live Alway I Ask Not to Stay is a hymn text by Augustus Toplady (1775) in C.M. meter. Found in lw 368, tlh 588. Sung to REST.
The hymn expresses Lutheran-compatible themes of acceptance of God's sovereign will and the believer's ultimate hope in heaven rather than earthly comfort. It reflects the Christian assurance that death, while natural, leads to eternal rest in God's presence—a comfort grounded in Christ's resurrection.
History & Background
Written by Augustus Toplady in 1775, this hymn reflects the author's evangelical Calvinist theology and personal piety. It gained wide circulation in 19th-century American hymnals and became particularly associated with funeral services and expressions of Christian comfort.
Hymnal Appearances
- Lutheran Worship — 368
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 588
Bulletin Note
Written by Augustus Toplady (1740–1778) in 1775. This hymn transforms the fear of death into an act of surrender and faith, reflecting Reformed theology compatible with Lutheran confidence in God's sovereign care and the resurrection.
Preaching Connection
This hymn deepens the Gospel's proclamation of resurrection hope by helping hearers release the Law's demand that we preserve ourselves, and instead receive grace that promises our true life is hidden with Christ in God.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: A pastoral text that moves through grief without rushing to resolution — Law in the honest naming of loss, Gospel in the assurance of divine presence in darkness
Background Research
TLH 588. William Augustus Muhlenberg wrote it in 1824 as a young man after "a heart-breaking disappointment in the matter of love" (Ryden). It was one of four original hymns he contributed to the Episcopal hymnbook prepared by a General Convention committee he joined around 1823. In later life he regretted its Job-like weariness of life, contrasting it with Paul's "For me to live is Christ". He tried to rewrite it in a more hopeful New Testament spirit, but the original was too well loved. A Lutheran irony: his great-grandfather was H. M. Muhlenberg, patriarch of American Lutheranism, and his grandfather F. A. Muhlenberg chaired the Pennsylvania convention that ratified the Constitution. Because his family's church worshipped in German, he grew up at Christ Episcopal Church and became an Episcopal priest. He was rector of Holy Communion, New York, founded St Luke's Hospital (superintendent for his last 20 years), and died past 80 (in 1877). Project Canterbury has the Ayres biography.
Overview
William Augustus Muhlenberg's hymn, from Job 7:16, on longing for heaven. I do not ask to stay where storm follows storm (st. 1). I am chained by sin, tempted without and corrupt within; even the joy of pardon is mixed with fear, and the cup of thanks with tears (st. 2). Welcome the tomb, for Jesus has lain there (st. 3). Who would live forever away from God and heaven (st. 4), where the saints meet their Savior and 'the smile of the Lord is the feast of the soul'? (st. 5).
Central theme: Weariness of life under sin, overcome by the tomb Jesus has hallowed and the joy of heaven
Structure
Five anapestic quatrains (11.11.11.11). Storms (1); sin within (2); the hallowed tomb (3); heaven (4-5, one question running across both stanzas).
Law & Gospel Shape
Law: 'fettered by sin'; 'Temptation without and corruption within'; 'penitent tears' (2). Gospel: 'Since Jesus hath lain there, I dread not its gloom'; 'He bids me arise'; 'The smile of the Lord' (3, 5).
Confessional Connections
Job 7:16 (TLH's text): 'I loathe my life; I would not live forever.' St. 2 is an honest picture of the Christian life: 'Temptation without and corruption within; / E'en rapture of pardon is mingled with fears' (Rom 7; Ap IV; FC VI on the old Adam remaining in the regenerate). Lutherans would add that pardon itself is certain, though feeling is mixed. St. 3: 'Since Jesus hath lain there, I dread not its gloom.' Christ's burial sanctified the graves of believers (Luther's sermons; the Apostles' Creed, 'was buried'). The longing for heaven is Paul's 'desire to depart and be with Christ' (Phil 1:23), not contempt for the gift of life (Fifth Commandment).
Liturgical Use (Study Notes)
Funerals; Last Sundays of the Church Year; All Saints.
Historical Notes
Muhlenberg (1796-1877), Episcopal priest and founder of St. Luke's Hospital, New York, was the great-grandson of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, patriarch of American Lutheranism. He wrote the poem in 1824 and later revised it, uneasy with its gloomier lines.
About the Tune
MALDWYN (Welsh melody, c. 1600).
Scripture References
Job 7:16 Job 14:1 Ps 90:10 Rom 7:18-24 2 Cor 7:5 Ps 116:13 Ps 6:6 Matt 28:6 Isa 26:19 1 Thess 4:16-17 Phil 1:23 Ps 36:8 Ps 16:11 Rev 22:1 Heb 12:22-24 Rev 7:9-10 Num 6:25
Stanza by Stanza
I would not want to live forever; I do not ask to stay where storm after storm rises dark over the road. The few gloomy mornings that dawn on us here are enough for life's troubles and enough for its cheer.
'I would not live forever' (Job 7:16). 'Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble' (Job 14:1). 'Their span is but toil and trouble' (Ps 90:10).
- Scripture
- Job 7:16, Job 14:1, Ps 90:10
- Imagery & language
- Not live alway; storms; lurid mornings; woes and cheer.
- Law / Gospel
- Law: life's troubles.
- Connection to previous
- Storm after storm.
I would not want to live forever, chained like this by sin, with temptation outside and corruption inside; even the joy of being pardoned is mixed with fears, and the cup of thanksgiving with tears of repentance.
'Nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh… Wretched man that I am!' (Rom 7:18, 24). 'Fighting without and fear within' (2 Cor 7:5). 'I will lift up the cup of salvation' (Ps 116:13). FC VI.
- Scripture
- Rom 7:18-24, 2 Cor 7:5, Ps 116:13, Ps 6:6
- Imagery & language
- Fettered by sin; temptation; corruption; pardon and fears; thanksgiving and tears.
- Law / Gospel
- Law: indwelling sin.
- Connection to previous
- Fettered by sin.
I would not want to live forever; no, welcome the tomb. Since Jesus has lain there, I do not dread its darkness. Let my rest there be sweet until he tells me to rise and greet him as he comes in triumph down the skies.
'Come, see the place where he lay' (Matt 28:6). 'Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise' (Isa 26:19). 'The Lord himself will descend from heaven… we will… meet the Lord in the air' (1 Thess 4:16-17).
- Scripture
- Matt 28:6, Isa 26:19, 1 Thess 4:16-17
- Imagery & language
- Welcome the tomb; Jesus lay there; sweet rest; bids me arise; triumph.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel: the grave hallowed by Christ.
- Connection to previous
- Jesus hath lain there.
Who would want to live forever away from his God, away from heaven, that blissful home, where rivers of pleasure flow over the bright plains and the noon of glory reigns forever;
'You give them drink from the river of your delights' (Ps 36:8). 'In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore' (Ps 16:11). 'The river of the water of life' (Rev 22:1). 'Night will be no more' (Rev 22:5).
- Scripture
- Phil 1:23, Ps 36:8, Ps 16:11, Rev 22:1-5
- Imagery & language
- Away from God; heaven; rivers of pleasure; noontide of glory.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel: heaven's joy.
- Connection to previous
- Who would live alway?
where saints of every age meet in harmony to greet their Savior and their brothers and sisters with delight, while songs of joy roll on without end, and the Lord's smile is the feast of the soul?
'You have come… to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus' (Heb 12:22-24). 'A great multitude… from every nation' (Rev 7:9). 'The LORD make his face to shine upon you' (Num 6:25).
- Scripture
- Heb 12:22-24, Rev 7:9-10, Num 6:25
- Imagery & language
- Saints of all ages; Savior and brethren; anthems; the smile of the Lord.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel: the beatific vision.
- Connection to previous
- Feast of the soul.
Themes
Christian hope Resignation to God's will Longing for heaven Trust in divine providence