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 someday for a crown.

From Galatians 6:14:  “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to Me and I to the world.”

George Bennard (1873-1958) was an American pastor and hymn composer.  The chosen lyrics were written in 1912 and became part of the popular hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross.”