Go, Ye Messengers of Heaven
327

Text: John Taylor (1808–1887; LDS)
Music: F. Christensen; arranged
Tune name: TRANSPORT

When a missionary has served faithfully as a preacher of the gospel, many prayers of gratitude will be offered on his behalf, and many a thankful new convert will call down the blessings of heaven upon him. This hymn sings of the glory that will come to both missionary and new member as the result of missionary service.

John Taylor, one of the great missionaries in the early days of the Church, wrote this hymn to reflect the missionary fervor he shared with his companions in the British Isles. Because of the labors of such legendary missionaries as Wilford Woodruff and John Taylor, thousands of British men and women were baptized members of the Church; the reference in the third verse to “when your thousands all are gathered” is not at all an exaggeration of the missionary success of that time.

This hymn was included in the 1927 hymnal and then was dropped from the 1950 hymnal. It is included once again in the 1985 hymnal, this time in an arrangement for men’s choir. The only change in the text is that the word nations in verse four was originally heathen.

This hymn is similar in message and language to “Go, Ye Messengers of Glory” (no. 262), which also was written by John Taylor. See the discussion of that hymn for additional information about his missionary activities.