Rock Of Ages

'Rock of Ages' is a popular Christian hymn by Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady. It can be sung to the hymn tunes TOPLADY by Thomas Hastings or REDHEAD 76 by Richard Redhead. The words of the hymn were written in 1763 and first published in The Gospel Magazine in 1775, with the music added in around 1830.


The Rock of Ages, Burrington Combe where the Rev. Toplady is reputed to have sheltered from a storm. According to a famous but largely unsubstantiated story, Rev. Toplady drew his inspiration from an incident in the famous gorge of Burrington Combe, a Mendip gorge close to the Cheddar Gorge. Toplady, a preacher in the nearby village of Blagdon, was travelling along the gorge when he was caught in a storm. Finding shelter in a gap in the gorge, he was struck by the title and scribbled down the initial lyrics on a playing card.

The fissure that is believed to have sheltered Toplady is now marked as the 'Rock of Ages', both on the rock itself and on some maps, and is also reflected in the name of a nearby tea shop.

Others have viewed the hymn as a criticism of the theology of John Wesley and the early Methodists, citing the line, 'Thou must save, and Thou alone'. This line was believed to refer to the Wesleyan notion that human beings may exercise free will and thus play a role in salvation, an idea which Toplady and his Calvinist colleagues rejected.

The hymn was a favourite of Prince Albert, who asked it to be played to him on his deathbed, as did Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart. It was also played at the funeral of William Ewart Gladstone.

In his book Hymns That Have Helped, W. T. Stead reported "when the London went down in the Bay of Biscay, 11 January 1866, the last thing which the last man who left the ship heard as the boat pushed off from the doomed vessel was the voices of the passengers singing 'Rock of Ages'.

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• hymn
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• christian
• traditional
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[Shinkansen91]

tvnorth - what a blessing it was to find all those old hymns you have posted. Not only did you bless me but shown such wonderful pictures of England - I am feeling particularly homesick, but I shall fly back home from Japan soon for a short visit. Thank you so much for uploading such wonderful timeless hymns to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ

[benaggreyfynn]

Beautiful hymn. Trust in God generated by Faith, which is itself a gift of God, The Father.

Thanks for posting this hymn. I love it.

Welldone and God bless †

[Gatltonian]

Augustus Toplady and Richard Redhead were both Anglicans, and this is the hymn tune to which the text is usually sung in Anglican circles. The other tune does not convey the intensity of Toplady's emotion as well, but sounds dang fine when sung at public hangings in westerns.

[graemephillips]

The passage at the start is John 14:6, not John 14:16.

[54mayford]

This is the tune I associate with the hymn, rather than the too jaunty American favourite

[johnthreesixteen316]

Yes, the Petra ( Rock) is Christ, not Peter.

[noleyplatz]

@Rhuanjl "Romanists" sing anything that expresses faith in the power of the body and blood of Jesus , the very basis of their 'doctrine' !

[0112343295]

This is a beautiful hymn and so beautifully sung, may the name of the Lord be praised.

[Nevyfling]

google Doe's Account. mindblowing.

[Rhuanjl]

Considering the reformed doctrine of the words it would be bizarre for Romanists to sing it.

[AlabamaSoldier]

I'd imagine virtually every denomination of Western Christianity has their own version of this song.