Robert Robinson Grave

Hymn History: Come Thou Fount & Author: Robert Robinson

“For disentangling a subject from confusion, for the power of development, for genuine simplification, for invention — what writer ever surpassed Robinson of Cambridge?”
(Edwin Hatfield)

The Origin of the Hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”

Among the hymns that have stood the test of centuries, few express the tender gratitude and humble faith of the Christian heart as beautifully as “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Written in 1758 by Robert Robinson, an English pastor and preacher, this hymn has endured as one of the most beloved songs of worship in the Christian church. Its rich theology, poetic beauty, and personal tone reflect both the spiritual awakening of its author and his lifelong struggle between faith and wandering.

The Life of Robert Robinson

Robert Robinson was born on September 27, 1735, in Swaffham, Norfolk, England. His father died when he was only eight years old, leaving his mother to raise him under difficult circumstances. Determined that her son receive an education, she sent him to London as a young teenager to learn the trade of a barber.

In London, Robinson fell into a life of worldly amusements and questionable company. Yet in the midst of his youthful recklessness, God was at work. In 1752, when he was just seventeen, Robinson and some of his friends attended a revival meeting led by George Whitefield, the famous evangelist of the Great Awakening.

Whitefield’s sermon that day was based on Matthew 3:7—“O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” The words struck Robinson deeply. Though he did not immediately convert, that experience began a process of conviction that would ultimately lead to his conversion to Christ three years later.

Conversion and Calling

By 1755, at the age of twenty, Robert Robinson had turned from his wayward life and committed himself fully to Christ. Soon after, he felt called to the ministry and began preaching within the Methodist movement before later joining the Baptist church. He became known as a learned and earnest preacher, and eventually served as pastor of St. Andrew’s Street Baptist Church in Cambridge for over three decades.

It was shortly after his conversion, while still a young man, that Robinson wrote “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” The hymn reflects both the joy of salvation and the awareness of human frailty that marked his early Christian experience.

The Writing of the Hymn

Written in 1758, the hymn was first published in A Collection of Hymns Used by the Church of Christ in Angel Alley, Bishopsgate. Robinson, still in his early twenties, composed the words as a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s redeeming grace and as a confession of the believer’s constant need for divine help.

The opening lines set the tone of humble adoration:

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.

Here, Robinson uses the imagery of music—asking God to “tune” his heart—as a metaphor for spiritual harmony and devotion. His language suggests both awe and intimacy, capturing the believer’s sense of wonder at the unending mercy of God.

The second stanza contains the famous phrase “Here I raise mine Ebenezer,” drawn from 1 Samuel 7:12, where the prophet Samuel sets up a stone to commemorate God’s help in delivering Israel from the Philistines. “Ebenezer” means “stone of help,” and in this hymn it becomes a symbol of remembrance—acknowledging that every victory and blessing in the Christian life comes through God’s grace.

The final verse turns introspective, expressing both gratitude and the awareness of human weakness:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

These lines have resonated with believers for centuries because they speak to a universal truth—the tension between our love for God and our tendency to drift away from Him. Robinson’s words are at once deeply personal and profoundly theological.

The Tune and Early Use

The tune most often associated with “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” is called “Nettleton.” It was composed around 1813 by John Wyeth, a music editor and printer from Pennsylvania, and first appeared in his collection Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second. The pairing of Robinson’s heartfelt lyrics with Wyeth’s bright and flowing melody gave the hymn its enduring charm.

The melody’s folk-like quality made it especially beloved in America, where it became a staple of 19th-century revivals, camp meetings, and later hymnals. Over time, the hymn crossed denominational lines, being sung by Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and others alike.

The Man Behind the Words

Robert Robinson continued to preach faithfully for many years, though his later life was marked by spiritual struggle. Some accounts suggest that he wrestled with doubt and drifted from the strong faith he had once professed. One popular story—though possibly apocryphal—tells of a woman who, unaware of his identity, began humming “Come, Thou Fount” while riding in a coach with him. When she asked his opinion of the hymn, Robinson reportedly replied, “Madam, I am the poor man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds to enjoy the feelings I had then.”

Whether true or not, the story reflects the honesty of Robinson’s hymn—a heart aware of its need for continual grace. He died in 1790 at the age of fifty-four, leaving behind a legacy of preaching, scholarship, and one of the most enduring hymns in the English language.

A Hymn for Every Generation

More than two and a half centuries after it was written, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” continues to move congregations with its blend of gratitude, confession, and praise. Its melody is timeless, and its message remains ever relevant: that every blessing flows from the unfailing grace of God, and that even the wandering heart can be sealed by His redeeming love.