PART IV

ENGLISH HYMNODY

Ken's Immortal Evening Hymn

Glory to Thee, my God, this night,

For all the blessings of the light:

Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,

Beneath Thine own almighty wings.

Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,

The ill that I this day have done:

That, with the world, myself, and Thee,

I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

Teach me to live, that I may dread

The grave as little as my bed;

To die, that this vile body may

Rise glorious at the judgment day.

O then shall I in endless day,

When sleep and death have passed away,

With all Thy saints and angels sing

In endless praise to Thee, my King.

Thomas Ken, 1695.

THE DAWN OF HYMNODY IN ENGLAND

Owing to the strong prejudice in the Reformed Church to hymns of "human

composure," the development of hymnody in England, as well as other

countries where Calvin's teachings were accepted, was slow. Crude

paraphrases of the Psalms, based on the Genevan Psalter, appeared from

the hands of various versifiers and were used generally in the churches

of England and Scotland. It was not until 1637, more than a century after

Luther had published his first hymn-books, that England's first

hymn-writer was born. He was Bishop Thomas Ken.

This first sweet singer in the early dawn of English hymnody holds the

distinction of having written the most famous doxology of the Christian

Church. It is the so-called "long meter" doxology:

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

His sublime evening hymn, "Glory to Thee, my God, this night," is ranked

as one of the four masterpieces of English praise. His beautiful morning

hymn, "Awake, my soul, and with the sun," is scarcely less deserving of

high distinction. As originally written, both hymns closed with the

famous doxology given above.

Bishop Ken looms as a heroic figure during turbulent times in English

history. Left an orphan in early childhood, he was brought up by his

brother-in-law, the famous fisherman, Izaak Walton. Ken's name has been

found cut in one of the stone pillars at Winchester, where he went to

school as a boy.

When, in 1679, the wife of William of Orange, the niece of the English

monarch, asked Charles II, king of England, to send an English chaplain

to the royal court at The Hague, Ken was selected for the position.

However, he was so outspoken in denouncing the corrupt lives of those in

authority in the Dutch capitol that he was compelled to leave the

following year. Charles thereupon appointed him one of his own chaplains.

Ken continued to reveal the same spirit of boldness, however, rebuking

the sins of the dissolute English monarch. On one occasion, when Charles

asked the courageous pastor to give up his own dwelling temporarily in

order that Nell Gwynne, a notorious character, might be housed, Ken

answered promptly: "Not for the King's kingdom."

Instead of punishing the bold and faithful minister, Charles so admired

his courage that he appointed him bishop of Bath and Wells.

Charles always referred to Ken as "the good little man" and, when it was

chapel time, he would usually say: "I must go in and hear Ken tell me of

my faults."

When Charles died, and the papist James II came to the throne, Ken,

together with six other bishops, was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Although he was acquitted, he was later removed from his bishopric by

William III.

The last years of his life were spent in a quiet retreat, and he died in

1711 at the age of seventy-four years. He had requested that "six of the

poorest men in the parish" should carry him to his grave, and this was

done. It was also at his request that he was buried under the east window

of the chancel of Frome church, the service being held at sunrise. As his

body was lowered into its last resting-place, and the first light of dawn

came through the chancel window, his friends sang his immortal morning

hymn:

Awake, my soul, and with the sun

Thy daily stage of duty run.

Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise

To pay thy morning sacrifice.

Wake and lift up thyself, my heart,

And with the angels bear thy part,

Who all night long unwearied sing

High praise to the eternal King.

All praise to Thee, who safe hast kept,

And hast refreshed me while I slept:

Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake,

I may of endless life partake.

It is said that after Bishop Ken had written this hymn, he sang it to his

own accompaniment on the lute every morning as a part of his private

devotion. Although he wrote many other hymns, only this one and his

evening hymn have survived. The two hymns were published in a devotional

book prepared for the students of Winchester College. In this work Bishop

Ken urged the students to sing the hymns devoutly in their rooms every

morning and evening.

The historian Macaulay paid Ken a beautiful tribute when he said that he

came as near to the ideal of Christian perfection "as human weakness

permits."

It was during the life-time of Bishop Ken that Joseph Addison, the famous

essayist, was publishing the "Spectator." Addison was not only the

leading literary light of his time, but a devout Christian as well. From

time to time he appended a poem to the charming essays which appeared in

the "Spectator," and it is from this source that we have received five

hymns of rare beauty. They are the so-called "Creation" hymn, "The

spacious firmament on high," which Haydn included in his celebrated

oratorio; the Traveler's hymn, beginning with the line, "How are Thy

servants blest, O Lord"; and three other hymns, almost equally

well-known: "The Lord my pasture shall prepare," "When rising from the

bed of death," and "When all Thy mercies, O my God." The latter contains

one of the most striking expressions in all the realm of hymnody:

Through all eternity to Thee

A joyful song I'll raise:

But oh, eternity's too short

To utter all Thy praise!

In the essay introducing this hymn, Addison writes: "If gratitude is due

from man to man, how much more from man to his Maker. The Supreme Being

does not only confer upon us those bounties which proceed immediately

from His hand, but even those benefits which are conveyed to us by

others. Any blessing which we enjoy, by what means soever derived, is the

gift of Him who is the great Author of Good and the Father of Mercies."

The Traveler's hymn, "How are Thy servants blessed, O Lord," was written

after Addison's return from a perilous voyage on the Mediterranean.

In addition to his literary pursuits, Addison also occupied several

important positions of state with the English government. He died on June

17, 1719, at the age of forty-seven. When he was breathing his last, he

called for the Earl of Warwick and exclaimed: "See in what peace a

Christian can die!"

The hymns of Addison and Bishop Ken may be regarded as the heralds of a

new day in the worship of the Reformed Church. While Addison was still

writing his essays and verses for the "Spectator," Isaac Watts, peer of

all English hymnists, was already tuning his lyre of many strings.

Psalmody was beginning to yield to hymnody.

The Pearl of English Hymnody

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ, my God;

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down!

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown!

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a tribute far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isaac Watts, 1707.

ISAAC WATTS, FATHER OF ENGLISH HYMNODY

By universal consent the title, "Father of English Hymnody," is bestowed

upon Isaac Watts. English hymns had been written before the time of

Watts, notably the beautiful classics of Ken and Addison; but it remained

for the genius of Watts to break the iron rule of psalmody in the

Reformed Church which had continued uninterrupted since the days of

Calvin.

Watts was born in Southampton, England, July 17, 1674. His father was a

"dissenter," and twice was imprisoned for his religious views. This was

during the time when Isaac was still a baby, and the mother often carried

the future poet in her arms when she went to visit her husband in prison.

When Isaac grew up, a wealthy man offered to give him a university

education if he would consent to become a minister in the Established

Church. This he refused to do, but prepared instead for the Independent

ministry.

Early in life young Watts had revealed signs of poetic genius. As a boy

of seven years he had amused his parents with his rhymes. As he grew

older he became impatient with the wretched paraphrases of the Psalms

then in use in the Reformed churches. These views were shared generally

by those who possessed a discriminating taste in poetry. "Scandalous

doggerel" was the term applied by Samuel Wesley, father of the famous

Wesley brothers, to the versified Psalms of Sternhold and Hopkins, who

had published the most popular psalm-book of the day.

When young Watts ventured to voice his displeasure over the psalm-singing

in his father's church in Southampton, one of the church officers

retorted: "Give us something better, young man." Although he was only

eighteen years old at the time, he accepted the challenge and wrote his

first hymn, which was sung at the following Sunday evening services. The

first stanza seems prophetic of his future career:

Behold the glories of the Lamb

Amidst His Father's throne;

Prepare new honors for His Name,

And songs before unknown.

The hymn met with such favorable reception that the youthful poet was

encouraged to write others, and within the next two years he produced

nearly all of the 210 hymns that constituted his famous collection,

"Hymns and Spiritual Songs," published in 1707. This was the first real

hymn-book in the English language.

Twelve years later he published his "Psalms of David," a metrical version

of the Psalter, but, as he himself stated, rendered "in the language of

the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and worship."

Indeed, the Psalms were given such a distinctively Christian flavor that

their Old Testament origin is often overlooked. Witness, for example, the

opening lines of his rendition of the Seventy-second Psalm:

Jesus shall reign where'er the sun

Does his successive journeys run.

In addition to being a preacher and a poet, Watts was an ardent student

of theology and philosophy, and wrote several notable books. Always frail

in health from childhood, his intense studies finally resulted in

completely shattering his constitution, and he was compelled to give up

his parish.

During this period of physical distress, the stricken poet was invited to

become a guest for a week in the home of Sir Thomas Abney, an intimate

friend and admirer. The friendship continued to grow, and inasmuch as

Watts did not improve in health, he was urged to remain. He finally so

endeared himself to the Abney family that they refused to let him go, and

he who had come to spend a week remained for the rest of his

life--thirty-six years!

The great hymnist died on November 25, 1748, and was buried at Bunhill

Fields, London, near the graves of John Bunyan and Daniel Defoe. A

monument to his memory was placed in Westminster Abbey, the highest honor

that can be bestowed upon an Englishman.

To Isaac Watts we are indebted for some of our most sublime hymns. "When

I survey the wondrous cross" has been named by Matthew Arnold as the

finest hymn in the English language, and most critics concur in the

judgment. Certainly it is one of the most beautiful. John Julian, the

noted hymnologist, declares that it must be classified with the four

hymns that stand at the head of all English hymns.

Other hymns of Watts continue to hold their grip on the Christian Church

after the passing of two centuries. No Christmas service seems complete

without singing his beautiful paraphrase of the ninety-eighth Psalm, "Joy

to the world, the Lord is come!" Another hymn, "O God, our help in ages

past," based on the ninetieth Psalm, is indispensable at New Year's time.

Then there is the majestic hymn of worship, "Before Jehovah's awful

throne," as well as the appealing Lenten hymn, "Alas, and did my Saviour

bleed?" And who has not been stirred by the challenge in "Am I a soldier

of the cross?" Other hymns by Watts include such favorites as "There is a

land of pure delight," "Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove," "O that the

Lord would guide my ways," "My dear Redeemer and my Lord," "How beauteous

are their feet," "Come, sound His praise abroad," "My soul, repeat His

praise," "O bless the Lord, my soul," "Lord of the worlds above," "Lord,

we confess our numerous faults," "In vain we seek for peace with God,"

"Not all the blood of beasts," "So let our lips and lives express," "The

Lord my Shepherd is," and "When I can read my title clear."

Although Watts never married, he deeply loved little children, and he is

the author of some of the most famous nursery rhymes in the English

language. The profound genius that produced "O God, our help in ages in

past" also understood how to appeal to the childish mind by means of such

happy little jingles as, "How doth the little busy bee" and "Let dogs

delight to bark and bite," as well as by the exquisite cradle-song:

Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber;

Holy angels guard thy bed;

Heavenly blessings without number

Gently falling on thy head.

Sleep, my babe, thy food and raiment,

House and home, thy friends provide;

All without thy care or payment,

All thy wants are well supplied.

How much better thou'rt attended

Than the Son of God could be,

When from heaven He descended,

And became a child like thee.

Soft and easy is thy cradle,

Coarse and hard thy Saviour lay,

When His birthplace was a stable,

And His softest bed the hay.

Seeking the Heavenly Prize

Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve,

And press with vigor on;

A heavenly race demands thy zeal,

And an immortal crown.

A cloud of witnesses around

Hold thee in full survey:

Forget the steps already trod,

And onward urge thy way.

'Tis God's all-animating voice

That calls thee from on high;

'Tis His own hand presents the prize

To thine aspiring eye:

That prize with peerless glories bright

Which shall new luster boast,

When victors' wreaths and monarchs' gems

Shall blend in common dust.

Blest Saviour, introduced by Thee,

Have I my race begun;

And, crowned with victory, at Thy feet

I'll lay my honors down.

Philip Doddridge (1702-1751).

DODDRIDGE: PREACHER, TEACHER AND HYMNIST

Philip Doddridge was one of England's gifted evangelical preachers. Like

the Wesley brothers, he came from a large family. While there were

nineteen children in the Wesley family, Philip Doddridge was the last of

twenty children.

The religious background of the Doddridge family was significant.

Although his father was an oil merchant in London, his grandfather had

been one of the Independent ministers under the Commonwealth who were

ejected in 1662. Both of his parents were pious people, and Philip, who

was born June 26, 1702, was brought up in a religious atmosphere.

He was such a delicate child that his life was despaired of almost from

birth. His parents died while he was yet quite young, but kind friends

cared for the orphan boy and sent him to school.

Because he revealed such unusual gifts as a student, the Duchess of

Bedford offered to give him a university training on condition that he

would become a minister of the Church of England. This, however, Philip

declined to do, and he entered a nonconformist seminary instead.

At the age of twenty-one years he was ordained as pastor of the

Independent congregation at Kibworth, England. Six years later he began

his real life work at Northampton, where he served as the head of a

theological training school and preached in the local congregation.

To this school came young men from all parts of the British Isles and

even from the continent. Most of them prepared to become ministers in the

Independent Church. Doddridge himself was practically the whole faculty.

Among his subjects were Hebrew, Greek, Algebra, Philosophy, Trigonometry,

Logic, and theological branches.

As a hymn-writer Doddridge ranks among the foremost in England. He was a

friend and admirer of Isaac Watts, whose hymns at this time had set all

England singing. In some respects his lyrics resemble those of Watts.

Although they do not possess the strength and majesty found in the

latter's hymns, they have more personal warmth and tenderness. Witness,

for instance, the children's hymn:

See Israel's gentle Shepherd stand

With all-engaging charms;

Hark! how He calls the tender lambs,

And folds them in His arms.

Note also the spiritual joy that is reflected in the hymn so often used

at confirmation:

O happy day, that stays my choice

On Thee, my Saviour and my God!

Well may this glowing heart rejoice,

And tell its raptures all abroad.

Something of Doddridge's own confiding trust in God is expressed in the

beautiful lines:

Shine on our souls, eternal God!

With rays of beauty shine;

O let Thy favor crown our days,

And all their round be Thine.

Did we not raise our hands to Thee,

Our hands might toil in vain;

Small joy success itself could give,

If Thou Thy love restrain.

Other noted hymns by Doddridge include such gems as "Hark, the glad

sound, the Saviour comes," "Great God, we sing that mighty hand," "O

Fount of good, to own Thy love," and "Father of all, Thy care we bless."

Doddridge wrote about four hundred hymns. Most of them were composed for

use in his own congregation in connection with his sermons. None of them

was published during his life-time, but manuscript copies were widely

circulated among the Independent congregations in England. The fact that

about one-third of his hymns are still in common use on both sides of the

Atlantic bears witness of their unusual merit.

Though Doddridge struggled under the burden of feeble health, his life

was filled with arduous duties. When he was only forty-eight years old it

became apparent that he had fallen a victim to tubercular infection. He

was advised to leave England for Lisbon, Portugal. Lacking funds for the

voyage, friends in all parts of England came to his aid. The journey was

undertaken, but on October 26, 1751, he died at Lisbon.

A Hymn of the Ages

Jesus, Lover of my soul,

Let me to Thy bosom fly,

While the nearer waters roll,

While the tempest still is high!

Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,

Till the storm of life is past;

Safe into the haven guide:

O receive my soul at last!

Other refuge have I none;

Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;

Leave, ah, leave me not alone,

Still support and comfort me!

All my trust in Thee is stayed,

All my help from Thee I bring:

Cover my defenseless head

With the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want;

More than all in Thee I find.

Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,

Heal the sick, and lead the blind.

Just and holy is Thy name,

I am all unrighteousness;

False and full of sin I am,

Thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found,

Grace to cover all my sin;

Let the healing streams abound,

Make and keep me pure within.

Thou of life the Fountain art,

Freely let me take of Thee:

Spring Thou up within my heart,

Rise to all eternity.

Charles Wesley, 1740.

WESLEY, THE SWEET BARD OF METHODISM

Every great religious movement has witnessed an outburst of song. This

was particularly true of the Lutheran Reformation in Germany and other

lands and of the Methodist revival in England. John and Charles Wesley,

like Martin Luther, understood something of the value of sacred song in

impressing religious truths upon the hearts and minds of men. While John

Wesley was undoubtedly a preacher of marvelous spiritual power, the real

secret of the success of the Wesleyan movement more likely must be sought

in the sublime hymns written by his brother Charles.

With Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley holds the foremost place in the realm of

English hymnody. No less than 6,500 hymns are said to have been written

by this "sweet bard of Methodism." Naturally they are not all of the

highest order, but it is surprising how many of them rise to real poetic

excellence. Of the 770 hymns in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 623 are from the

pen of Charles Wesley!

Wesley did not write hymns merely as a duty, nor yet as a pastime. His

soul seemed filled with music and poetry, and when his genius became

touched by the divine spark of Christ's Spirit, it burst into full flame.

It has been said of Franz Schubert that "he had to write music." The same

was true of Charles Wesley. When his soul was full of song, he had to

give expression to it by writing his immortal hymns. The inspiration came

to him under all sorts of conditions. Some of his hymns were written on

horseback, others in a stage-coach or on the deck of a vessel. Even as he

was lying on his deathbed, at the age of eighty years, he dictated his

last hymn to his faithful and devoted wife. It begins with the words, "In

age and feebleness extreme."

Charles Wesley was the next to the youngest of nineteen children born to

Rev. Samuel Wesley and his remarkable wife Susannah. The father, who was

a clergyman in the Church of England, possessed more than ordinary

literary gifts. He is the author of at least one hymn that has survived

the passing of time, "Behold, the Saviour of mankind." The mother

presided over the rectory at Epworth, where both of the distinguished

sons were born, and also looked after the education of the younger

children of the large family. Concerning this very unusual mother and the

spiritual influence she exerted over her children, volumes have been

written.

Poverty and other tribulations descended upon the Epworth rectory like

the afflictions of Job. The crowning disaster came in 1709, when the

Wesley home was completely destroyed by fire. John, who was only six

years old at the time, was left behind in the confusion and when the

entire house was aflame he was seen to appear at a second-story window.

The agonized father fell upon his knees and implored God to save his

child. Immediately a neighbor mounted the shoulders of another man and

managed to seize the boy just as the roof fell in. Thus was spared the

child who was destined to become the leader of one of the greatest

spiritual movements in the Christian Church.

While John and Charles were students at Oxford University, they became

dissatisfied with the spiritual conditions existing among the students.

Soon they formed an organization devoted to spiritual exercises. Because

of their strict rules and precise methods, they were nicknamed "the

Methodists," a name that afterwards became attached to their reform

movement.

The hymns of Charles Wesley are so numerous that only a few of the more

outstanding can be mentioned here. "Hark! the herald angels sing," "Love

divine, all love excelling" and "Jesus, Lover of my soul" form a

triumvirate of hymns never surpassed by a single author. Add to these

such hymns as "A charge to keep I have," "Arise, my soul, arise,"

"Christ, whose glory fills the sky," "Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,"

"Soldiers of Christ, arise," "Hail the day that sees Him rise," and

"Suffering Son of Man, be near me," and it will readily be understood why

the name of Charles Wesley is graven in such large letters in the hymnody

of the Christian Church.

"Jesus, Lover of my soul" is generally recognized as the finest hymn of

Wesley. This is all the more remarkable since it was one of the earliest

written by him. It was first published in 1740 in a collection of 139

hymns known as "Hymns and Sacred Poems, by John and Charles Wesley." This

was at the beginning of the Wesleyan movement, which soon began to spread

like fire all over England.

There are several stories extant as to the origin of the hymn. The most

trustworthy of these tells how the author was deeply perplexed by

spiritual difficulties one day, when he noticed through his open study

window a little song bird pursued by a hungry hawk. Presently the bird

fluttered exhausted through the window and straight into the arms of

Wesley, where it found a safe refuge. Pondering on this unusual incident,

the thought came to Wesley that, in like manner, the soul of man must

flee to Christ in doubts and fears. Then he took up his pen and wrote:

Jesus, Lover of my soul,

Let me to Thy bosom fly.

The reference to the "tempest" and the "storm of life" may have been

prompted by the memory of an earlier experience, when he and his brother

John were on their way to the colony of Georgia on a missionary journey.

It was in the year 1735 the brothers formed a friendship with a band of

Moravians who were sailing on the same ship for America. During the

crossing a terrible tempest was encountered and for a while it was feared

the ship would sink. While all of the other passengers were filled with

terror, the Wesleys were impressed by the calmness and courage of the

Moravians, who sang hymns in the midst of the raging storm.

Seeking for a reason for their spiritual fortitude, the brothers found

that the Moravians seemed to possess a positive certainty of salvation

through faith in Jesus Christ. The Wesleys also made the sad discovery

that they themselves did not really possess this assurance, but had been

trying to work out their salvation by methods of their own. John Wesley

later made the confession that he and his brother had gone to Georgia to

convert the people there, whereas they themselves had need to be

converted!

Upon their return to London the brothers fell in with other Moravians,

and through them they became familiar with Luther's teachings. Charles

came to a saving faith in Christ during a severe illness, and a week

later his brother had a similar spiritual experience. It was on May 24,

1738, that John Wesley attended a meeting in Aldersgate Street, where

some one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. Then

for the first time light dawned on his soul, and he found peace with God

through Christ.

Soon afterwards John Wesley left for Halle, Germany, the seat of the

Pietist movement, in order to become more familiar with the teachings of

Luther and the evangelical methods of the Pietists. At Halle he also

became deeply imbued with missionary zeal. Upon his return to England he

launched, with John Whitefield, the greatest spiritual movement his

country had ever known. Revivals flamed everywhere. No buildings were

large enough to house the crowds that gathered to hear the evangelists,

and, because the English clergy were hostile to the movement, most of the

meetings were held in the open air.

Charles at first aided in preaching, but eventually devoted his time

mainly to hymns. It is estimated that John Wesley held no less than forty

thousand preaching services, and traveled nearly a quarter of a million

miles. It was he who said, "The world is my parish." John wrote some

original hymns, but his translations of German hymns are more important.

We are indebted to him for the English versions of Paul Gerhardt's

"Commit thou all thy griefs," Tersteegen's "Thou hidden love of God whose

height," Freylinghausen's "O Jesus, Source of calm repose," Zinzendorf's

"Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness," and Scheffler's "Thee will I love,

My Strength, my Tower."

Charles Wesley died March 29, 1788, after fifty years of service to the

Church. The day before he was taken ill, he preached in City Road chapel,

London. The hymn before the sermon was Watts' "I'll praise my Maker,

while I've breath." The following evening, although very sick, he amazed

his friends by singing the entire hymn with a strong voice. On the night

of his death he tried several times to repeat the hymn, but could only

say, "I'll praise--I'll praise--," and with the praise of his Maker on

his lips, he went home to God. John Wesley survived his brother three

years, entering his eternal rest on March 2, 1791. The text of his last

sermon was, "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found."

Whether Charles Wesley or Isaac Watts should be accorded first place

among English hymnists has been a subject of much dispute. The fact is

that each occupies a unique position, and the one complements the other.

While Watts dwells on the awful majesty and glory of God in sublime

phrases, Wesley touches the very hem of Christ's garment in loving

adoration and praise. Dr. Breed compares the two in the following

striking manner:

"Watts is more reverential; Wesley more loving. Watts is stronger; Wesley

sweeter. Watts appeals profoundly to the intellect; Wesley takes hold of

the heart. Watts will continue to sing for the Pauls and Peters of the

Church; Wesley for the Thomases and the Johns. Where both are so great it

would be idle to attempt to settle their priority. Let us only be

grateful that God in His gracious providence has given both to the Church

to voice the praises of various classes."

Henry Ward Beecher uttered one of the most beautiful of all tributes to

"Jesus, Lover of my soul" when he said: "I would rather have written that

hymn of Wesley's than to have the fame of all the kings that ever sat on

the earth. It is more glorious. It has more power in it. I would rather

be the author of that hymn than to hold the wealth of the richest man in

New York. He will die. He _is_ dead, and does not know it.... But that

hymn will go singing until the last trump brings forth the angel band;

and then, I think, it will mount up on some lip to the very presence of

God."

George Duffield, author of "Stand up, stand up for Jesus," called

Wesley's lyric "the hymn of the ages."

No one will ever know how much help and consolation it has brought to

souls in affliction. Allan Sutherland tells of the following pathetic

incident:

"On an intensely warm day, as I stood on the corner of a sun-baked street

in Philadelphia, waiting for a car to take me to the cool retreats of

Fairmount Park, I heard a low, quavering voice singing, with

inexpressible sweetness, 'Jesus, Lover of my soul.' Looking up to an open

window whence the sound came, I saw on the sill a half-withered plant--a

pathetic oasis of green in a desert of brick and mortar--and resting

tenderly and caressingly upon it was an emaciated hand. I could not see

the person to whom the voice and hand belonged, but that was

unnecessary--the story was all too clearly revealed: I knew that within

that close, uncomfortable room a human soul was struggling with the great

problem of life and death, and was slowly but surely reaching its

solution; I knew that in spite of her lowly surroundings her life was

going out serenely and triumphantly. I shall never forget the grave,

pathetic pleading in the frail young voice as these words were borne to

me on the oppressive air:

Other refuge have I none;

Hangs my helpless soul on Thee;

Leave, ah, leave me not alone,

Still support and comfort me!"

Another Hymn of the Ages

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee:

Let the water and the blood

From Thy riven side which flowed

Be of sin the perfect cure,

Save me, Lord, and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands

Can fulfil Thy Law's demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone;

Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress;

Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the Fountain fly:

Wash me, Saviour, or I die!

When I draw this fleeting breath,

When my eyelids close in death,

When I soar to worlds unknown,

See Thee on Thy judgment throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

August Toplady, 1776.

A GREAT HYMN THAT GREW OUT OF A QUARREL

Although Isaac Watts' beautiful hymn, "When I survey the wondrous cross,"

is regarded by most critics as the finest hymn in the English language,

Toplady's "Rock of Ages" holds the distinction of being the most popular.

Perhaps no hymn ever written has so gripped the hearts of Christians of

all communions as this noble hymn.

A British magazine once invited its readers to submit a list of the

hundred English hymns that stood highest in their esteem. A total of

3,500 persons responded, and "Rock of Ages" was named first by 3,215.

We have tried the same experiment with a group of Bible students, and

"Rock of Ages" easily headed the list.

Augustus Montague Toplady, the writer of this hymn, was born on November

4, 1740, at Farnham, England. His father, a major in the English army,

was killed the following year at the siege of Carthagena. The widowed

mother later removed to Ireland, where her son was educated at Trinity

College, Dublin. It was during this period of his life that Augustus,

then sixteen years of age, chanced to attend an evangelistic service held

in a barn. The preacher was an unlettered layman, but his message so

gripped the heart of the lad that he determined then and there to give

his heart to God. Of this experience Toplady afterward wrote:

"Strange that I who had so long sat under the means of grace in England

should be brought right unto God in an obscure part of Ireland, amidst a

handful of people met together in a barn, and by the ministry of one who

could hardly spell his own name. Surely it was the Lord's doing and is

marvelous."

Toplady was ordained at the age of twenty-two as a minister of the Church

of England. He was frail of body, and after some years he was stricken

with consumption. It was while fighting the ravages of this disease that

he wrote his famous hymn, two years before his death.

The hymn first appeared in the March issue of the _Gospel Magazine_, of

which Toplady was editor, in the year 1776. It was appended to a curious

article in which the author attempted to show by mathematical computation

how dreadful is the sum total of sins committed by a man during a

lifetime, and how impossible it is for a sinner to redeem himself from

this debt of guilt. But Christ, who is the sinner's refuge, has paid the

entire debt. It was this glorious thought that inspired him to sing:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

For some years John Wesley, the great founder of Methodism, and Toplady

had been engaged in a theological dispute. Toplady was a confirmed

Calvinist and was intolerant of Wesley's Arminian views. Both men were

intemperate in their language and hurled unseemly and sometimes bitter

invectives at each other. Wesley characterized Toplady as a

"chimney-sweep" and "a lively coxcomb." Toplady retorted by calling

Wesley "Pope John" and declaring that his forehead was "petrified" and

"impervious to a blush." There are reasons for believing that the article

in the _Gospel Magazine_ by Toplady to which we have alluded was for the

purpose of refuting Wesley's teachings, and that "Rock of Ages" was

written at the conclusion of the article as an effective way of clinching

the argument.

In our day, when we find "Rock of Ages" on one page of our hymnals and

Charles Wesley's "Jesus, Lover of my soul," on the next, it is hard to

understand the uncharitable spirit that existed between these servants of

Christ. Perhaps, had they really understood each other, they were more in

accord than they suspected.

Nevertheless, God is able to use the most imperfect of human instruments

for His praise, and surely "Rock of Ages" has been the means of bringing

multitudes to God through Christ. Its strength lies undoubtedly in the

clear and simple manner in which it sets forth the glorious truth that we

are saved by grace alone, through the merits of Christ. Even a child can

understand the meaning of the words,

Nothing in my hand I bring,

Simply to Thy cross I cling.

Or these,

Not the labors of my hands

Can fulfil Thy Law's demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone;

Thou must save, and Thou alone.

In this comforting and triumphant faith Toplady himself passed into glory

in his thirty-eighth year. A few hours before his death he exclaimed: "My

heart beats every day stronger and stronger for glory. Sickness is no

affliction, pain no curse, death itself no dissolution." His last words

were: "My prayers are all converted into praises."

During his illness some friends had expressed the hope that he might soon

be restored. Toplady shook his head.

"No mortal man can live," he said, "after the glories which God has

manifested to my soul."

At another time he told how he "enjoyed a heaven already in his soul,"

and that his spiritual experiences were so exalted that he could ask for

nothing except a continuation of them.

Before his death Toplady had requested that he be buried beneath the

gallery over against the pulpit of Totenham Court Chapel. Strangely

enough, this building was intimately associated with the early history of

Methodism. It was built by Whitefield, and here also Wesley preached

Whitefield's funeral sermon. Perhaps it was Toplady's way of expressing

the hope that all the bitterness and rancor attending his controversy

with Wesley might be buried with him.

"Rock of Ages" has been translated into almost every known language, and

to all peoples it seems to bring the same wondrous appeal. An old Chinese

woman was trying to do something of "merit" in the eyes of her heathen

gods by digging a well twenty-five feet deep and fifteen in diameter. She

was converted to Christianity, and when she was eighty years old, she

held out the crippled hands with which she had labored all her life and

sang: "Nothing in my hands I bring."

A missionary to India once sought the aid of a Hindu to translate the

hymn into one of the numerous dialects of India. The result was not so

happy. The opening words were:

Very old stone, split for my benefit,

Let me get under one of your fragments.

This is a fair example of the difference between poetry and prose. The

translator was faithful to the idea, but how common-place and unfortunate

are his expressions when compared with the language of the original!

The Coronation Hymn

All hail the power of Jesus' Name!

Let angels prostrate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown Him Lord of all.

Ye seed of Israel's chosen race,

Ye ransomed from the fall,

Hail Him, who saves you by His grace,

And crown Him Lord of all.

Hail Him, ye heirs of David's line,

Whom David Lord did call;

The Lord incarnate, Man divine,

And crown Him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne'er forget

The wormwood and the gall;

Go, spread your trophies at His feet,

And crown Him Lord of all.

Let every kindred, every tribe,

On this terrestrial ball

To Him all majesty ascribe,

And crown Him Lord of all.

O that with yonder sacred throng

We at His feet may fall!

We'll join the everlasting song,

And crown Him Lord of all.

Edward Perronet, 1779.

THE BIRD OF A SINGLE SONG

Some men gain fame through a long life of work and achievement; others

through a single notable deed. The latter is true in a very remarkable

sense of Edward Perronet, author of the Church's great coronation hymn,

"All hail the power of Jesus' Name."

"Perronet, bird of a single song, but O how sweet!" is the charming

tribute of Bishop Fess in referring to this inspired hymn and its author.

Although Perronet was a man of more than ordinary ability, his name

probably would have been lost to posterity had he not written the

coronation hymn. An associate of the Wesleys for many years, Perronet

also wrote three volumes of sacred poems, some of unusual merit. All of

them, however, have been practically forgotten except his one immortal

hymn. So long as there are Christians on earth, it will continue to be

sung, and after that--in heaven!

Perronet came from a distinguished line of French Protestants who had

found refuge in England during times of religious persecution in their

homeland. His father, Rev. Vincent Perronet, was vicar of Shoreham. Both

father and son, though ardent supporters of the Established Church,

became intensely interested in the great evangelical revival under

Whitefield and the Wesleys. At one time young Perronet traveled with John

Wesley. Much opposition had been stirred up against the Wesleyan

movement, and in some places the preachers were threatened by mobs.

Concerning these experiences, Wesley makes the following notation in his

diary:

"From Rockdale we went to Bolton, and soon found that the Rockdale lions

were lambs in comparison with those of Bolton. Edward Perronet was thrown

down and rolled in mud and mire. Stones were hurled and windows broken."

On another occasion it is recorded that Wesley wanted to hear Perronet

preach. The author of our hymn, however, seems to have been somewhat

reluctant about preaching in the presence of the great reformer. Wesley,

nevertheless, without consulting Perronet, announced in church that the

young man would occupy the pulpit on the following morning. Perronet said

nothing, but on the morrow he mounted the pulpit and explained that he

had not consented to preach. "However," he added, "I shall deliver the

best sermon that has ever been preached on earth," whereupon he read the

Sermon on the Mount from beginning to end, adding not a word of comment!

"All hail the power of Jesus' Name" has been translated into almost every

language where Christianity is known, and wherever it is sung it seems to

grip human hearts. One of the most remarkable stories of the power of

this hymn is related by Rev. E. P. Scott, a missionary to India. Having

learned of a distant savage tribe in the interior to whom the gospel had

not yet been preached, this missionary, despite the warnings of his

friends, packed his baggage and, taking his violin, set out on his

perilous venture. After traveling several days, he suddenly came upon a

large party of the savages who surrounded him and pointed their spears at

him.

Believing death to be near, the missionary nevertheless took out his

violin and with a prayer to God began to sing "All hail the power of

Jesus' Name!" He closed his eyes as he sang, expecting every moment to be

pierced through with the threatening spears. When he reached the stanza,

"Let every kindred, every tribe," he opened his eyes. What was his

surprise to see every spear lowered, and many of the savages moved to

tears!

He remained for two years and a half, preaching the story of redemption

and leading many of the natives to Jesus. When he was about to return to

America on furlough, they pleaded, "O missionary, come back to us again!"

He did so, and finally passed away in the midst of these people who had

learned to love the man who had brought them the gospel of Christ.

It is interesting to know that, while the people of both England and

America prize this hymn very highly, they sing it to different melodies.

The tune used in America is called "Coronation" and was composed by a

carpenter of Charlestown, Mass., by the name of Oliver Holden. This man

was very fond of music and spent his spare time in playing a little organ

on which he composed his tunes. The organ may still be seen in Boston.

Thus an English minister and an American carpenter have united in giving

the world an immortal hymn.

Perronet died January 2, 1792. His last words were:

"Glory to God in the height of His divinity!

Glory to God in the depth of His humanity!

Glory to God in His all-sufficiency!

Into His hands I commend my spirit."

Two other hymn-writers who, like Perronet, were associated with the

Wesleyan movement may be mentioned in this connection. They were John

Cennick and William Williams. Like Perronet, too, each was the author of

one great hymn, and through that hymn their names have been preserved to

posterity.

Cennick, who was of Bohemian ancestry, first met John Wesley in 1739. Of

that meeting Wesley has the following notation in his diary: "On Friday,

March 1739, I came to Reading, where I found a young man who had in some

measure known the powers of the world to come. I spent the evening with

him and a few of his serious friends, and it pleased God much to

strengthen and comfort them."

For a while Cennick assisted Wesley as a lay preacher, but in 1741 he

forsook the Methodist movement on account of Wesley's "free grace"

doctrines and organized a society of his own along Calvinistic lines.

Later he joined himself to John Whitefield as an evangelist, but finally

he went over to the Moravians, in which communion he labored abundantly

until his death in 1755 at the early age of thirty-seven years.

To Cennick we are indebted for the majestic hymn on the theme of Christ's

second coming, "Lo! He comes, with clouds descending." James King, in his

"Anglican Hymnology," gives this hymn third place among the hymns of the

Anglican Church, it being excelled in his estimation only by Bishop Ken's

"All praise to Thee, my God, this night" and Wesley's "Hark! the herald

angels sing." Cennick has also bequeathed to the Church the lovely hymn,

"Children of the heavenly King." Though he wrote and published many more

hymns, they are mostly of an inferior order.

Williams, a Welshman by birth, has also left a hymn that has gone singing

down through the centuries. It is the rugged and stirring hymn that sets

forth in such striking imagery the experiences of the Israelites in the

wilderness, "Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah."

Williams, who earned the title of the "Watts of Wales," wrote the hymn

originally in Welsh. Of him it has been said that "He did for Wales what

Wesley and Watts did for England, or what Luther did for Germany." His

first hymn-book, "Hallelujah," was published in 1744, when he was only

twenty-seven years old.

The Welsh hymnist originally intended to enter the medical profession,

but, after passing through a spiritual crisis, he was ordained as a

deacon in the Church of England. Because of his free methods of

evangelism, he was denied full ordination, and later identified himself

with the Wesleyan revival. Like Cennick and Perronet, however, he soon

forsook the Wesleys, and now we find him a Calvinistic Methodist, having

adopted Wales as his parish. He was a powerful preacher and an unusual

singer, and for forty-five years he carried on a blessed work until, on

January 11, 1791, he passed through "the swelling current" and was landed

"safe on Canaan's side."

In Praise of the Word of God

Father of Mercies, in Thy Word

What endless glory shines!

Forever be Thy Name adored

For these celestial lines.

Here the Redeemer's welcome voice

Spreads heavenly peace around;

And life and everlasting joys

Attend the blissful sound.

O may these heavenly pages be

My ever dear delight;

And still new beauties may I see,

And still increasing light.

Divine Instructor, gracious Lord,

Be Thou forever near;

Teach me to love Thy sacred Word,

And view my Saviour there.

Anne Steele, 1760.

ENGLAND'S FIRST WOMAN HYMNIST

While Isaac Watts was working on his immortal version of "Psalms of

David," a baby girl was born to a Baptist minister at Broughton, fifteen

miles away. The baby was Anne Steele, destined to become England's first

woman hymn-writer. This was in 1716.

Her father, who was a merchant as well as a minister, served the church

at Broughton for sixty years, the greater part without pay. The mother

died when Anne was only a babe of three years. From childhood the future

hymnist was delicate in health, and in 1735 she suffered a hip injury

which made her practically an invalid for life.

The hardest blow, however, came in 1737, when her lover, Robert Elscourt,

was drowned on the day before he and Anne were to have been married. The

grief-stricken young woman with heroic faith nevertheless rose above her

afflictions and found solace in sacred song. It is believed that her

first hymn, a poem of beautiful resignation, was written at this time:

Father, whate'er of earthly bliss

Thy sovereign will denies,

Accepted at Thy throne, let this

My humble prayer arise:

Give me a calm and thankful heart,

From every murmur free;

The blessings of Thy grace impart,

And make me live to Thee.

Let the sweet hope that Thou art mine

My life and death attend,

Thy presence through my journey shine,

And crown my journey's end.

That the Lord heard her prayer may be attested by the fact that she

became the greatest hymn-writer the Baptist Church has produced.

Throughout her life she remained unmarried, living with her father and

writing noble hymns. In 1760 her first poems appeared in print under the

pen name of "Theodosia." Her father at this time makes the following

notation in his diary: "This day Nanny sent part of her composition to

London to be printed. I entreat a gracious God, who enabled and stirred

her up to such a work, to direct it and bless it for the good of many. I

pray God to make it useful, and keep her humble." The book proved

immensely popular, and the author devoted the profits from its sale to

charity.

Miss Steele is the author of 144 hymns and 34 paraphrases of the Psalms.

That many of them breathe a spirit of melancholy sadness is not to be

wondered at, when we consider the circumstances under which they were

written. Although they do not rise to great poetic heights, their

language is so artless and simple they seem to sing their way into the

heart of the worshiper. When Trinity Episcopal Church of Boston, in 1808,

printed its own hymn-book of 151 hymns, fifty-nine of them, or more than

one-third, were selected from Miss Steele's compositions. The fact that

so many of them are still found in the hymnals of today is another

testimony of their worth.

Among the more famous hymns from her pen are: "Father of Mercies, in Thy

Word," "How helpless guilty nature lies," "Dear Refuge of my weary soul,"

"O Thou whose tender mercy hears," "Thou only Sovereign of my heart," and

"Thou lovely source of true delight."

England's pioneer woman hymnist fell asleep in November, 1788, her last

words being, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." Her epitaph reads:

Silent the lyre, and dumb the tuneful tongue,

That sung on earth her great Redeemer's praise;

But now in heaven she joins the angelic song,

In more harmonious, more exalted lays.

The decades during which Miss Steele lived and wrought were remarkable

for the number of hymn-writers of her own communion who flourished in

England. In addition to Miss Steele, the Baptist Church produced such

hymnists as Samuel Medley, Samuel Stennett and John Fawcett. Benjamin

Beddome also was a prolific writer of this period, but his hymns are not

of a high order.

Medley lived a dissipated life in the navy until he was severely wounded

in battle in 1759. The reading of a sermon led to his conversion, and he

later became pastor of a Baptist congregation in Liverpool. His most

famous hymns are "O could I speak the matchless worth" and "Awake, my

soul, to joyful lays." Stennett in 1757 succeeded his father as pastor of

a Baptist church in London, where he gained fame as a preacher. His best

hymns are "Majestic sweetness sits enthroned" and "'Tis finished, so the

Saviour cried." Fawcett was minister of an humble Baptist congregation in

Wainsgate when, in 1772, he received a call to a large London church. He

preached his farewell sermon and had loaded his household goods on

wagons, when the tears of his parishioners constrained him to remain. A

few days later he wrote the tender lyric, "Blest be the tie that binds."

Among his other hymns are "How precious is the Book divine" and "Lord,

dismiss us with Thy blessing."

The Name above All Names

How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds

In a believer's ear!

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,

And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,

And calms the troubled breast;

'Tis Manna to the hungry soul,

And to the weary Rest.

Dear Name! the Rock on which I build,

My Shield and Hiding-place;

My never-failing Treasury, filled

With boundless stores of grace.

By Thee my prayers acceptance gain,

Although with sin defiled:

Satan accuses me in vain,

And I am owned a child.

Weak is the effort of my heart,

And cold my warmest thought;

But when I see Thee as Thou art,

I'll praise Thee as I ought.

Till then I would Thy love proclaim

With every fleeting breath;

And may the music of Thy Name

Refresh my soul in death.

John Newton, 1779.

A SLAVE-TRADER WHO WROTE CHRISTIAN LYRICS

In one of England's famous old churches there is a tablet marking the

last resting-place of one of its rectors, and on the tablet this epitaph:

"John Newton, _clerk, once an Infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers

in Africa, was, by the rich Mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Faith he had

long labored to destroy_."

This inscription, written by Newton himself before his death, tells the

strange story of the life of the man who wrote "How sweet the Name of

Jesus sounds," and scores of other beautiful hymns.

Newton was born in London, July 24, 1725. His father was a sea captain.

His mother, a deeply pious woman, though frail in health, found her

greatest joy in teaching her boy Scripture passages and hymns. When he

was only four years old he was able to read the Catechism.

The faithful mother often expressed the hope to her son that he might

become a minister. However, when the lad was only seven years of age, the

mother died, and he was left to shift largely for himself. On his 11th

birthday he joined his father at sea, and made five voyages to the

Mediterranean. Through the influence of evil companions and the reading

of infidel literature, he began to live a godless and abandoned life.

Being pressed into the navy when a war seemed imminent, young Newton

deserted. He was captured, however, and flogged at the mast, after which

he was degraded.

At this point his life teems with reckless adventures and strange

escapes. Falling into the hands of an unscrupulous slave-dealer in

Africa, he himself was reduced practically to the abject condition of a

slave. In his misery he gave himself up to nameless sins. The memory of

his mother, however, and the religious truths which she had implanted in

his soul as a child gave his conscience no peace.

The reading of "The Imitation of Christ," by Thomas a Kempis, also

exerted a profound influence over him, and a terrifying experience in a

storm at sea, together with his deliverance from a malignant fever in

Africa, served to bring the prodigal as a penitent to the throne of

mercy.

After six years as the captain of a slaveship, during which time Newton

passed through many severe struggles in trying to find peace with God

through the observance of a strict moral life, he met on his last voyage

a pious captain who helped to bring him to a truer and deeper faith in

Christ.

For nine years at Liverpool he was closely associated with Whitefield and

the Wesleys, studying the Scriptures in Hebrew and Greek, and

occasionally preaching at religious gatherings of the dissenters. In 1764

he was ordained as curate of Olney, where he formed the famous friendship

with the poet William Cowper that gave to the world so many beautiful

hymns.

It was at Newton's suggestion that the two undertook to write a

hymn-book. The famous collection known as "The Olney Hymns," was the

result of this endeavor. Of the 349 hymns in this book, Cowper is

credited with sixty-six, while Newton wrote the remainder. "How sweet the

Name of Jesus sounds" appeared for the first time in this collection. It

is a hymn of surpassing tenderness, and ranks among the finest in the

English language.

Other notable hymns, by Newton are: "Come, my soul, thy suit prepare,"

"Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat," "While with ceaseless course the

sun," "One there is above all others," "For a season called to part,"

"Safely through another week," "On what has now been sown," "May the

grace of Christ our Saviour," "Though troubles assail us, and dangers

affright," "Day of judgment, day of wonders," and "Glorious things of

thee are spoken."

Newton's life came to a close in London in 1807, after he had served for

twenty-eight years as rector of St. Mary Woolnoth. Among his converts

were numbered Claudius Buchanan, missionary to the East Indies, and

Thomas Scott, the Bible commentator. In 1805, when his eyesight began to

fail and he could no longer read his text, his friends advised him to

cease preaching. His answer was: "What! shall the old African blasphemer

stop while he can speak?"

When he was nearly eighty years old it was necessary for a helper to

stand in the pulpit to help him read his manuscript sermons. One Sunday

Newton had twice read the words, "Jesus Christ is precious." "You have

already said that twice," whispered his helper; "go on." "John," said

Newton, turning to his assistant in the pulpit, "I said that twice, and I

am going to say it again." Then the rafters rang as the old preacher

shouted, "_Jesus Christ is precious_!" Newton's whole life may be said to

be summed up in the words of one of his appealing hymns:

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found--

Was blind, but now I see.

A Hymn on God's Providence

God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform:

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never-failing skill,

He treasures up His bright designs,

And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take:

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning Providence

He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour.

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan His works in vain.

God is His own interpreter,

And He will make it plain.

William Cowper, 1774.

AN AFFLICTED POET WHO GLORIFIED GOD

Paul once wrote to the Corinthians: "God chose the weak things of the

world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong."

In a very special sense this truth was exemplified in the life of the

poet William Cowper. If God ever made use of a frail instrument through

which to glorify Himself, He did it in this man. Feeble in health from

childhood, with a sensitive, high-strung mind that ever was on the point

of breaking, he still worked and wrought in such a way that his sad and

feverish life certainly was not lived in vain.

Cowper was born at Great Berkhamstead, England, in 1731. His father was

an English clergyman. His mother died when the child was only six years

old. Even as a youth, he was distressed by frequent mental attacks. He

once wrote pathetically: "The meshes of that fine network, the brain, are

composed of such mere spinner's threads in me that when a long thought

finds its way into them it buzzes, and twangs, and bustles about at such

a rate as seems to threaten the whole contexture."

In the previous sketch we related how the famous friendship between the

poet and John Newton led to the joint publication of "The Olney Hymns."

Newton's idea in suggesting this project was not merely "to perpetuate

the remembrance of an intimate and endeared friendship," as he states in

the preface of the noted collection, but also to occupy Cowper's mind,

which already had given signs of approaching madness.

In 1773, two years after the two friends had begun "The Olney Hymns,"

Cowper passed through a mental crisis that almost ended in tragedy.

Obsessed with the idea that it was the divine will that he should offer

up his life by drowning himself in the Ouse river, the afflicted poet

ordered a post chaise, and instructed the driver to proceed to a certain

spot near Olney, where he planned to leap into the river. When he reached

the place, Cowper was diverted from his purpose when he found a man

seated at the exact place where he had intended to end his life.

Returning home, he is said to have thrown himself on his knife, but the

blade broke. His next attempt was to hang himself, but the rope parted.

After his recovery from this dreadful experience, he was so impressed by

the realization of God's overruling providence that he was led to write

the hymn, "God moves in a mysterious way." It is regarded by many critics

as the finest hymn ever written on the theme of God's providence. James

T. Fields declares that to be the author of such a hymn is an achievement

that "angels themselves might envy."

That God had a purpose in sparing the life of the sorely tried man is

made clear when we learn that Cowper lived for twenty-seven years after

passing through this crisis. Although he continued to experience some

distressing periods, it was during these years that he wrote some of his

most beautiful hymns. Among these are "O for a closer walk with God,"

"Sometimes a light surprises," "Jesus, where'er Thy people meet," "In

holy contemplation," and "There is a fountain filled with blood."

The latter hymn has often been criticized because of its strong

figurative language. The expression, "a fountain filled with blood," has

proved so offensive to modern taste that many hymn-books have omitted

this touching hymn. Dr. Ray Palmer, writer of "My faith looks up to

Thee," opposed these views vigorously. He once wrote:

"Such criticism seems to us superficial. It takes the words as if they

were intended to be a literal prosaic statement. It forgets that what

they express is not only poetry, but the poetry of intense and

impassioned feeling, which naturally embodies itself in the boldest

metaphors. The inner sense of the soul, when its deepest affections are

moved, infallibly takes these metaphors in their true significance, while

a cold critic of the letter misses that significance entirely. He merely

demonstrates his own lack of the spiritual sympathies of which, for

fervent Christian hearts, the hymn referred to is an admirable

expression."

Certainly it is a hymn that has spread blessings in its path, and

countless are the stories of how it has broken down the resistance of

hardened human hearts. One of these tells how a Belfast minister once

visited a mill where two hundred girls were employed, many of them from

his own congregation. One girl, when she saw her pastor entering, began

to sing "There is a fountain filled with blood." Other girls took up the

lines, and soon the glorious song was ringing above the noise of all the

looms. The manager, who was an unbeliever, was so moved that he seized

his hat and ran from the building. Later he confessed to the minister, "I

never was so hard put to it in all my life. It nearly broke me down."

Cowper also wrote a number of secular poems that achieved great fame.

"The Task," has been called "one of the wisest books ever written, and

one of the most charming." Another poem, "John Gilpin," is a very happy

and mirthful narrative.

Although Cowper's mother died in his early childhood, he never forgot

her. When he was fifty-six years old, a cousin sent him a miniature of

his mother. In acknowledging the gift, he wrote: "I had rather possess my

mother's picture than the richest jewel in the British crown; for I loved

her with an affection that her death, fifty years since, has not in the

least abated."

Cowper died in 1800. Three years before his death, he lost his lifelong

comforter and friend, Mrs. Morley Unwin, who had cared for him with the

solicitude of a mother. The sorrow was almost too great for his feeble

nature, and he again sank into deepest gloom. At times he thought God had

forsaken him. Only at intervals was he able to resume his literary work.

His last poem was "The Castaway," written March 20, 1799. Through all his

spiritual and mental depression, however, he was ever submissive to the

will of God. But the time of release for this chastened child of God was

at hand.

Bishop Moule tells the story of his departure thus: "About half an hour

before his death, his face, which had been wearing a sad and hopeless

expression, suddenly lighted up with a look of wonder and inexpressible

delight. It was as if he saw his Saviour, and as if he realized the

blessed fact, 'I am not shut out of Heaven after all!' This look of holy

surprise and of joyful adoration remained until he had passed away, and

even as he lay in his coffin the expression was still there. One who saw

him after death wrote that 'with the composure and calmness of the face,

there mingled also a holy surprise.'"

Mrs. Browning, in her poem entitled "Cowper's Grave," concludes with

these lines:

"O poets, from a maniac's tongue was poured the deathless singing!

O Christians, at your cross of hope a hopeless hand was clinging!

O men, this man in brotherhood your weary paths beguiling,

Groaned inly while he taught you peace, and died while you were

smiling."

It is a noble tribute to the deathless work of an afflicted man, and

reminds us that Cowper is still singing his wondrous theme of "redeeming

love," although his

"poor lisping, stammering tongue

Lies silent in the grave."

A Hymn of Gracious Invitation

Come ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish;

Come to the mercy-seat, fervently kneel:

Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;

Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,

Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!

Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,

"Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot cure."

Here see the Bread of Life; see waters flowing

Forth from the throne of God, pure from above,

Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing

Earth has no sorrow but Heaven can remove.

Thomas Moore (1179-1852).

AN IRISH POET AND HIS HYMNS

There are probably few Protestants who, when they have sung "Come, ye

disconsolate, where'er ye languish," have been conscious of the fact that

it was written by a Roman Catholic. There is indeed no place where the

"communion of saints" becomes so apparent as in the hymn-books of

Christendom. The authors of our great hymns have come from practically

every Christian communion, proving that in every church group there are

souls who are living in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Thomas Moore, the author of the hymn mentioned above, is probably better

known for his ballads and other poems than for his hymns. Lovers of

English lyric poetry will always remember him as the writer of "The last

rose of summer," "Believe me, if all those endearing young charms," "The

harp that once through Tara's halls," "Oft in the stilly night," and a

number of other ballads that have lived through the years and have made

the name of Thomas Moore famous.

Moore, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, May 28, 1779, was a man of

curious make-up. True to his Celtic nature, he possessed a fiery temper

that often brought him into embarrassing situations.

Jeffrey, the famous critic, once aroused Moore's ire by saying unkind

things about his poetry. Moore resented this and promptly challenged

Jeffrey to a duel. The authorities interfered before any blood was shed.

It was then discovered that one of the pistols contained no bullet,

whereupon the two men became fast friends.

Moore was one of the few men who ever made a financial success of the

business of writing poetry. For "Lalla Rookh" he received $15,000 before

a single copy had been sold.

Moore's hymns, thirty-two in number, first appeared in his volume of

"Sacred Songs," published in 1816. Most of these hymns were written to

popular airs of various nations. They have attained greater popularity in

America than in Great Britain. One of the most famous of his hymns is

"Sound the loud timbrel o'er Egypt's dark sea."

Like most men of poetic bent, Moore was a poor financier and business

man. At one time he accepted a government position in the revenue service

at Bermuda. He did not enjoy his tasks, and so he placed his duties in

the hands of a deputy, while he went on a tour of America. The deputy,

however, absconded with the proceeds of a ship's cargo, whereupon Moore

found himself liable for the loss of $30,000.

"Come, ye disconsolate" was so changed by Thomas Hastings, the great

American hymnist, that it almost became a new hymn. The second line of

the first stanza, as Moore originally wrote it, was:

Come, at the shrine of God fervently kneel.

The second line of the second stanza was also changed by Dr. Hastings,

the original version by Moore being:

Hope, when all others die, fadeless and pure.

The third line of the second stanza was greatly improved by the American

critic. Moore's line read:

Here speaks the Comforter, in God's name saying.

But the greatest change was made in the third stanza. This was

practically rewritten by Dr. Hastings. Moore's third stanza departs very

radically and abruptly from true hymn style. It originally read:

Come, ask the infidel what boon he brings us,

What charm for aching hearts he can reveal,

Sweet is that heavenly promise Hope sings us--

Earth has no sorrow that God cannot heal.

The last three years of Moore's life were very unhappy. A nervous

affliction rendered him practically helpless. His death occurred on

February 26, 1852, at the age of seventy-three years.

A Beautiful Lyric on Prayer

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,

Uttered or unexpressed;

The motion of a hidden fire

That trembles in the breast.

Prayer is the simplest form of speech

That infant lips can try;

Prayer the sublimest strains that reach

The majesty on high.

Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice,

Returning from his ways;

While angels in their songs rejoice

And cry, "Behold, he prays!"

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,

The Christian's native air;

His watchword at the gates of death;

He enters heaven with prayer.

O Thou, by whom we come to God,

The Life, the Truth, the Way,

The paths of prayer Thyself hast trod:

Lord, teach us how to pray!

James Montgomery, 1818

THE HYMN LEGACY OF AN ENGLISH EDITOR

Shortly before James Montgomery died, a friend asked him, "Which of your

poems will live?" He answered, "None, sir; nothing, except perhaps a few

of my hymns."

Montgomery was right. Although he wrote a number of pretentious poems,

they have been forgotten. But his hymns live on. A perusal of almost any

evangelical hymn-book will probably reveal more hymns by this gifted and

consecrated man than by any other author, excepting only Isaac Watts and

Charles Wesley.

What a rich legacy was bequeathed to the Christian Church by the man who

wrote "Hail to the Lord's Anointed," "Prayer is the soul's sincere

desire," "Angels, from the realms of glory," "In the hour of trial," "Who

are these in bright array?" "According to Thy gracious Word," "Come to

Calvary's holy mountain," "Forever with the Lord," "The Lord is my

shepherd, no want shall I know," "Jerusalem, my happy home," and "Go to

dark Gethsemane!" Montgomery wrote about four hundred hymns in all, and

nearly one-fourth of these are still in common use.

Montgomery began writing hymns as a little boy. He was born at Irvine,

Ayrshire, Scotland, November 4, 1771. His father was a Moravian minister,

and it had been determined that the son James should also be trained for

the same calling. Accordingly he was sent to the Moravian seminary at

Fulneck, Yorkshire, England. The parents, however, were sent to the West

Indies as missionaries, and their death there made it necessary for James

to discontinue his schooling.

For a while he worked as a clerk in a store, but this was entirely

distasteful to one who possessed the literary gifts of Montgomery. At the

age of nineteen we find him in London with a few of his poems in

manuscript form, trying to find a publisher who would print them. In this

he was unsuccessful, and two years later we follow him to Sheffield,

where he became associated with Robert Gales, editor of the Sheffield

Register.

Gales was a radical, and, because he displeased the authorities by some

of his articles, he found it convenient in 1794 to leave England for

America. Montgomery, then only twenty-three years old, took over the

publication of the paper and changed its name to the Sheffield Iris.

Montgomery, however, proved as indiscreet as Gales had been, and during

the first two years of his editorship he was twice imprisoned by the

government, the first time for publishing a poem in commemoration of "The

Fall of Bastille," and the second time for his account of a riot at

Sheffield.

In 1797 he published a volume of poems called "Prison Amusements," so

named from the fact that some of them had been written during his

imprisonment. In later years the British government granted him a pension

of $1,000 per year in recognition of his achievements and perhaps by way

of making amends for the indignity offered him by his two imprisonments.

In Montgomery's hymns we may hear for the first time the missionary note

in English hymnody, reflecting the newly-awakened zeal for the

evangelization of the world which had gripped the English people. The

Baptist Missionary Society had been organized in 1792; Carey had gone to

India as its great apostle; and in 1799 the English Church Missionary

Society had been formed.

In the fervor aroused for foreign missions in England we may discern a

continuation of the impulses which went forth from the Pietistic movement

at Halle, Germany, nearly a century earlier, when Bartholomew Ziegenbalg

and Henry Pluetschau were sent from that cradle of the modern missionary

movement as the first missionaries to India. We may also see something of

the influences emanating from the great Moravian missionary center at

Herrnhut. John Wesley visited both these places before he began his great

revival in England, and became deeply imbued with zeal for missions.

Moravian contact with England had resulted in the formation of many

Moravian societies, and it was one of these that had sent Montgomery's

parents as missionaries to the West Indies. It was not without reason,

therefore, that Montgomery became the first English hymnist to sound the

missionary trumpet. He could never forget that his parents had given

their lives in bringing the gospel to the wretched blacks of the West

Indies. His father's grave was at Barbadoes and his mother was sleeping

on the island of Tobago. And for the same reason, Montgomery was a bitter

opponent of slavery.

The first missionary note is heard in Montgomery's great Advent hymn,

"Hail to the Lord's Anointed," written in 1821. One of the stanzas not

usually found in hymn-books reads:

Kings shall fall down before Him,

And gold and incense bring;

All nations shall adore Him,

His praise all people sing;

For He shall have dominion

O'er river, sea, and shore,

Far as the eagle's pinion

Or dove's light wing can soar.

Two other missionary hymns are "Lift up your heads, ye gates of brass"

and "Hark! the song of jubilee." The latter sweeps along in triumphant

measures:

He shall reign from pole to pole,

With illimitable sway;

He shall reign, when like a scroll

Yonder heavens have passed away;

Then the end: beneath His rod

Man's last enemy shall fall:

Hallelujah! Christ in God,

God in Christ, is all in all!

Although "Jerusalem, my happy home!" ranks highest among the hymns of

Montgomery, judged by the standard of popular favor, his hymn on prayer

and "Forever with the Lord" have aroused the most enthusiasm on the part

of literary critics. Julian says of the latter that "it is full of lyric

fire and deep feeling," and Dr. Theodore Cuyler declares that it contains

four lines that are as fine as anything in hymnody. This beautiful verse

reads:

Here, in the body pent,

Absent from Thee I roam,

Yet nightly pitch my moving tent

A day's march nearer home.

Montgomery's last words were words of prayer. After his usual evening

devotion on April 30, 1854, he went to sleep, a sleep from which he never

woke on earth. And so was fulfilled in his own experience the beautiful

thought contained in his glorious hymn on prayer:

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,

The Christian's native air,

His watchword at the gates of death--

He enters heaven with prayer.

A Sublime Hymn of Adoration

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee:

Holy, Holy, Holy! merciful and mighty;

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, Holy, Holy! all the saints adore Thee,

Casting down their golden crowns upon the glassy sea;

Cherubim and Seraphim falling down before Thee,

Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, Holy, Holy! though the darkness hide Thee,

Though the eyes of sinful man Thy glory may not see,

Only Thou art holy: there is none beside Thee,

Perfect in power, in love, in purity.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea:

Holy, Holy, Holy! merciful and mighty;

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Reginald Heber, 1826.

HEBER, MISSIONARY BISHOP AND HYMNIST

In the glorious hymns of Reginald Heber, missionary bishop to India, we

find not only the noblest expression of the missionary fervor which in

his day was stirring the Church, but also the purest poetry in English

hymnody. Christians of all ages will gratefully remember the name of the

man who wrote the most stirring of all missionary hymns, "From

Greenland's icy mountains," as well as that sublime hymn of adoration,

"Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!"

The latter was regarded by Alfred Tennyson as the world's greatest hymn.

Born April 21, 1783, at Malpas, Cheshire, England, Heber was educated at

Oxford, where he formed the friendship of Sir Walter Scott. His gift for

writing poetry revealed itself in this period of his life, when he won a

prize for a remarkable poem on Palestine. It is said that Heber, who was

only seventeen years old at the time, read the poem to Scott at the

breakfast table, and that the latter suggested one of the most striking

lines.

Following the award of the prize, for which young Heber had been

earnestly striving, his parents found him on his knees in grateful

prayer.

For sixteen years Heber served in the obscure parish of Hodnet as a

minister of the Church of England. It was during this period that all of

his hymns were written. He was also engaged in other literary activities

that brought him some fame. All this while, however, he nourished a

secret longing to go to India. It is said that he would work out

imaginary journeys on the map, while he hoped that some day he might

become bishop of Calcutta.

His missionary fervor at this time is also reflected in the famous hymn,

"From Greenland's icy mountains," written in 1819. The allusions to

"India's coral strand" and "Ceylon's isle" are an indication of the

longings that were running through his mind.

His earnest prayer was answered in 1822, when at the age of forty years

he was called to the episcopate as bishop of Calcutta. After three years

of arduous work in India, the life of the gifted bishop was cut short.

During this period he ordained the first native pastor of the Episcopal

Church--Christian David.

A man of rare refinement and noble Christian personality, Heber was

greatly beloved by all who knew him. "One of the best of English

gentlemen," was the tribute accorded him by Thackeray. It was not until

after his death, however, that he leaped into fame through his hymns.

The story of how "From Greenland's icy mountains" was written reveals

something of the poetic genius of Heber. It seems that he was visiting

with his father-in-law, Dr. Shipley, vicar and dean of Wrexham, on the

Saturday before Whitsunday, 1819. The dean, who was planning to preach a

missionary sermon the following morning, asked young Heber to write a

missionary hymn that could be sung at the service. The latter immediately

withdrew from the circle of friends to another part of the room. After a

while the dean asked, "What have you written?" Heber replied by reading

the first three stanzas of the hymn. The dean expressed satisfaction, but

the poet replied, "No, no, the sense is not complete." And so he added

the fourth verse--"Waft, waft, ye winds, His story"--and the greatest

missionary hymn of the ages had been born.

The story of the tune to which the hymn is sung is equally interesting. A

Christian woman in Savannah, Georgia, had come into possession of a copy

of Heber's words. The meter was unusual, and she was unable to find music

to fit the words. Learning of a young bank clerk who was said to be

gifted as a composer, she sent the poem to him. Within a half hour it was

returned to her with the beautiful tune, "Missionary Hymn," to which it

is now universally sung. The young bank clerk was none other than Lowell

Mason, who afterwards achieved fame as one of America's greatest

hymn-tune composers. The marvel is that both words and music were written

almost in a moment--by real inspiration, it would seem.

Bishop Heber's hymns are characterized chiefly by their lyrical quality.

They are unusually rich in imagery. This may be seen particularly in his

beautiful Epiphany hymn, "Brightest and best of the sons of the morning."

In some respects the hymns of Heber resemble the later lyrics of Henry

Francis Lyte, writer of "Abide with me, fast falls the eventide." They

ring, however, with a much more joyous note than the hymns of Lyte, in

which are always heard strains of sadness.

We have already referred to Tennyson's estimate of Heber's hymn to the

Holy Trinity. It should be observed that this great hymn is one of pure

adoration. There is nothing of the element of confession, petition or

thanksgiving in it, but only worship. Its exalted language is Scriptural

throughout, indeed it is the Word of the Most High. It is doubtful if

there is a nobler hymn of its kind in all the realm of hymnody. The tune

to which it is always sung, "Nicaea," was written by the great English

composer, Rev. John B. Dykes, and is comparable to the hymn itself in

majesty.

Other fine hymns by Heber include "The Son of God goes forth to war,"

"God that madest earth and heaven," "O Thou, whose infant feet were

found," "When through the torn sail," "Bread of the world in mercy

broken," and "By cool Siloam's shady rill."

Altogether Heber wrote fifty-seven hymns, all of which were published in

a single collection after his death. It is said that every one of them is

still in use, a rare tribute to the genius of this consecrated writer.

Heber's life was closely paralleled in many respects by another great

hymn-writer who lived in the same period. His name was Sir Robert Grant.

He was born two years later than the gifted missionary bishop and, like

Heber, died in India. Although he did not enter the service of the Church

but engaged in secular pursuits, he was a deeply spiritual man and his

hymns bear testimony of an earnest, confiding faith in Christ. Between

his hymns and those of Heber there is a striking similarity. The language

is chaste and exalted. The rhythm is faultless. The lines are chiseled as

perfectly as a cameo. The imagery is almost startling in its grandeur.

Take, for example, a stanza from his magnificent hymn, "O worship the

King":

O tell of His might, and sing of His grace,

Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space;

His chariots of wrath the deep thunder-clouds form,

And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

There is something beautifully tender in that other hymn of Grant's in

which he reveals childlike trust in Christ:

When gathering clouds around I view,

And days are dark, and friends are few,

On Him I lean, who, not in vain,

Experienced every human pain;

He sees my wants, allays my fears,

And counts and treasures up my tears.

Nor would we forget his other famous hymn, "Saviour, when in dust to

Thee," based on the Litany. When we learn that the man who wrote these

hymns was never engaged in religious pursuits, but that his whole life

was crowded with arduous tasks and great responsibilities in filling high

government positions, we have reason to marvel.

Sir Robert Grant was born in the county of Inverness, Scotland, in 1785.

His father was a member of Parliament and a director of the East India

Company. The son also was trained for political life, and, after

graduating from Cambridge University in 1806, he began the practice of

law. In 1826 he was elected to Parliament, five years later became privy

counselor, and in 1834 he was named governor of Bombay. He died at

Dapoorie, in western India, in 1838.

While a member of Parliament, Sir Robert introduced a bill to remove the

restrictions imposed upon the Jews. The historian Macaulay made his

maiden speech in Parliament in support of this measure.

Brief mention should also be made here of another of Bishop Heber's

contemporaries who gained undying fame by a great hymn. He was John

Marriott, a minister of the Church of England, whose missionary hymn,

"Thou, whose almighty word," is ranked among the finest in the English

language. Marriott was born in 1780, three years before Heber's birth,

and he died in 1825, a year before the death of the famous missionary

bishop.

A Hymn That Wins Souls

Just as I am, without one plea

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, though tossed about

With many a conflict, many a doubt,

Fightings and fears, within, without,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;

Sight, riches, healing of the mind,

Yea, all I need, in Thee I find,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,

Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,

Because Thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am; Thy love unknown

Hath broken every barrier down;

Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Charlotte Elliott, 1836.

AN INVALID WHO BLESSED THE WORLD

"Just as I am" will doubtlessly be sung to the end of time, and as often

as Christians sing it they will praise God and bless the memory of the

woman who wrote it--Charlotte Elliott.

This hymn will have a greater value, too, when we know something of the

pain and effort that it cost the writer to produce it. Miss Elliott was

one of those afflicted souls who scarcely know what surcease from

suffering is. Though she lived to be eighty-two years old, she was never

well, and often endured seasons of great physical distress. She could

well understand the sacrifice made by one who

Strikes the strings

With fingers that ache and bleed.

Of her own afflictions she once wrote: "He knows, and He alone, what it

is, day after day, hour after hour, to fight against bodily feelings of

almost overpowering weakness, languor and exhaustion, to resolve not to

yield to slothfulness, depression and instability, such as the body

causes me to long to indulge, but to rise every morning determined to

take for my motto: 'If a man will come after Me, let him deny himself,

take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'"

But God seemed to have had a purpose in placing a heavy cross upon her.

Her very afflictions made her think of other sufferers like herself and

made her the better fitted for the work that He had prepared for her--the

ministry of comfort and consolation. How beautifully she resigned herself

to the will of God may be seen in her words: "God sees, God guides, God

guards me. His grace surrounds me, and His voice continually bids me to

be happy and holy in His service, just where I am."

"Just as I am" was written in 1836, and appeared for the first time in

the second edition of "The Invalid's Hymn Book," which was published that

year and to which Miss Elliott had contributed 115 pieces.

The great American evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, once said that this hymn

had probably touched more hearts and brought more souls to Christ than

any other ever written. Miss Elliott's own brother, who was a minister in

the Church of England, himself wrote:

"In the course of a long ministry, I hope to have been permitted to see

some fruit of my labors; but I feel far more has been done by a single

hymn of my sister's."

It is said that after the death of Miss Elliott, more than a thousand

letters were found among her papers, in which the writers expressed their

gratitude to her for the help the hymn had brought them.

The secret power of this marvelous hymn must be found in its true

evangelical spirit. It sets forth in very simple but gripping words the

all-important truth that we are not saved through any merit or worthiness

in ourselves, but by the sovereign grace of God through faith in Jesus

Christ. It also pictures the utter helplessness and wretchedness of the

human soul, and its inability to rise above its own sins; but very

lovingly it invites the soul to come to Him "whose blood can cleanse each

spot."

The hymn was born out of the author's personal spiritual experiences.

Though a daughter of the Church, brought up in a pious home, it seems

that Miss Elliott had never found true peace with God. Like so many other

seeking souls in all ages, she felt that men must do something themselves

to win salvation, instead of coming to Christ as helpless sinners and

finding complete redemption in Him.

When Dr. Caesar Malan, the noted Swiss preacher of Geneva, came to visit

the Elliott home in Brighton, England, in 1822, he soon discovered the

cause of her spiritual perplexity, and became a real evangelical guide

and counsellor. "You have nothing of merit to bring to God," he told her.

"You must come just as you are, a sinner, to the Lamb of God that taketh

away the sin of the world."