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Words and music by George Bennard
On a hill far away stood an old rugged
cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.
Galatians 6:14
George Bennard was born in Youngstown, Ohio. He wanted to become an evangelist,
but when his father died, he became responsible for the support of his mother
and sisters. After he married, he and his wife worked for the Salvation Army. He
later served as an evangelist in America and Canada. He spent the last years of
his life in Reed City, Michigan. After his death, the city erected a cross near
his home as a memorial, and later established "The Old Rugged Cross Historical
Museum" in his honor.
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