Moravian
Hymn #307. Translated by Charles Wesley.
Anna Schindler was born on April 9, 1713, at Kunewald, near Fulnek, Moravia. In 1725 she moved to Herrnhut where in 1730 she helped to form a society of “the unmarried sisters.” But on July 13, 1737, she became the wife of L. J.Dober, then the General Elder of the Moravian Church, though made Bishop of Herrnhut in 1742, three years after his wife’s decease. She assisted him in his labors for converting the Jews to Christ at Amsterdam. She went to be with Christ on December 12, 1739, at the early age of 26 at Marienborn, in Hess-Darmstadt. She was said to have been “a faithful and gifted servant of Christ” and the author of many hymns, full of personal devotion to her Lord and of deep trust in Him.
Her hymn (307) was translated from German into English by Charles Wesley and it appears in the Methodist Hymnal of 1878, the first stanza being—
“Dust and ashes though we be,
Full of sin and misery,
Thine we are, Thou Son of God;
Take the purchase of Thy blood.”
This same stanza is rendered in the Little Flock as follows:
“Poor and feeble though we be,
Savior, we belong to Thee!
Thine we are, Thou Son of God,
Thine, the purchase of Thy blood.”
So her short life was spent for her Lord nearly 250 years ago, and should be an encouragement to us now.