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Hymn Almanac May

Today in 1680 – Joachim Neander Died

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Mr. Neander was a school principal and lay preacher. He enjoyed wandering the valley near his home, exploring its many waterfalls and caves. Early in the 19th century, one cave was named Neander’s Cave. (There’s a local tradition that he actually lived in it for some months.) And the surrounding valley came to be called Neander Valley. In 1856 the bones of an ancient man were found there and he was dubbed the Neanderthal Man. Joachim Neander thus holds the distinction of being the only hymn writer to have a fossil named after him! He died at the age of 30 of tuberculosis.

Though he wrote about 60 hymns, few remain in use today. One that does is Catherine Winkworth’s English translation of Neander’s hymn, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, reflecting the Bible’s command, “Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent [unequalled, surpassing] greatness” (Ps. 150:2). The hymn says, in part:

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who, when darkness of sin is abounding,
Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,
Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night,
Saints with His mercy surrounding.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.

(2) Just a Closer Walk with Thee (Data Missing)

The Israelites were commanded, “You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast [keep close] to Him” (Deut. 13:4). As those words suggest, there is a link between closeness to God and adhering to the precepts of His Word. In a psalm we read, “I cling to Your testimonies [referring to God’s laws]” (Ps. 119:31). King David wrote of God, “My soul follows close behind You” (Ps. 63:8). It is a poetic picture of faith and obedience, and of intimate fellowship.

A longing for that kind of relationship should infuse the heart of each child of God. If we truly love Him, we should want to walk with Him in ever closer friendship and fellowship. That desire is expressed in an old Spiritual whose exact origins have been lost in the mists of time. Just a Closer Walk With Thee was possibly a slave song in the southern States in pre-Civil War days. It continued to be used in black churches into the twentieth century, and was sung by southern gospel quartets in the 1940s. Around 1956 Elvis Presley made a recording of the number, achieving record sales with it. Soon dozens of secular artists were adding it to their repertoire.

Usually, when a song receives such wide acceptance, it is because there is little to it–no doctrinal depth or strong biblical teaching that would limit its appeal. This song is no exception. There is nothing here about salvation through faith in Christ, or other important teaching. But that does not mean it is without value. The lyrics, though simple, can reflect a sincere and heartfelt love for the Lord.

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

It seemed appropriate to have a black gospel singer present this song, and here is one of the very best. Clara Ward was a gifted singer and arranger of gospel music in the 1940s and 50s. Her style influenced many who came after her. She died of a stroke at the age of 49, in 1973. Here is Clara Ward’s powerful but straightforward rendition of Just a Closer Walk.

Today in 1819 – From Greenland’s Icy Mountains written

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Well known cleric and hymn writer Bishop Reginald Heber was visiting his father-in-law Dean Shipley. There was to be a service on a missionary theme in Shipley’s church, and on Saturday the Dean asked Heber if he would write a suitable hymn for it. Seating himself at the side of the room, away from the general conversation, the author went to work.

The Lord Jesus says we are to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mk. 16:15). And it was that commission that fueled the efforts of Reginald Heber. He had a great passion for foreign missions, as his later ministry in India shows. After a few minutes the Dean asked what he had written, and Heber read the first three stanzas of From Greenland’s Icy Mountains that begins:

From Greenland’s icy mountains, from India’s coral strand;
Where Afric’s sunny fountains roll down their golden sand:
From many an ancient river, from many a palmy plain,
They call us to deliver their land from error’s chain.

“There, there, that will do very well,” responded Dean Shipley. (He disliked long hymns.) But his son-in-law objected, “No, no, the sense is not complete.” He went to work again and added another stanza. The whole project was finished in 20 minutes. Here is the inspiring final stanza we would have missed if not for Reginald Heber’s insistence.

Waft, waft, ye winds, His story, and you, ye waters, roll
Till, like a sea of glory, it spreads from pole to pole:
Till o’er our ransomed nature the Lamb for sinners slain,
Redeemer, King, Creator, in bliss returns to reign.

For more about Reginald Heber and his great hymns, see Today in 1783 (the date of his birth).

(2) Today in 1838 – Charles Fry Born

A bricklayer by trade–as were his father and grandfather before him–Charles William Fry was also a gifted musician. He and his family accompanied William Booth in his evangelistic work, and Fry became known as the first bandmaster of the Salvation Army. He soon discovered that the construction business, run by him and his three sons, began to suffer from his absences for ministry engagements. After a time of prayer, and consultation with General Booth, Fry closed the business and the family went into full-time gospel ministry.

William Fry’s song of testimony, The Lily of the Valley, was published in 1881. That phrase is taken from the Song of Solomon 2:1, where it is actually spoken by the woman betrothed to King Solomon. She says,  “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” Traditionally, both poetic phrases  have been borrowed to describe the Lord Jesus, and His beauty of character. The song begins:

I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay;
He tells me every care on Him to roll.

He’s the Lily of the Valley,
The Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

Today in 1936 – Percy Dearmer Died

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Mr. Dearmer was an English clergyman who served as a Red Cross chaplain in Serbia during World War One, also working with the Y.M.C.A. in France. In the latter years of his life he was Canon of Westminster Abbey. He was also a noted authority on hymn history, writing or translating many of them himself.

Though Percy Dearmer’s hymn To the Name That Is Salvation mentions God the Father and the Holy Spirit in the last stanza, it seems best to see the words as an invitation to praise the Lord Jesus Christ in particular.

Before Christ was born, an angelic message was sent to Joseph: “She [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you can call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). The name Jesus means the Lord [is] salvation. In the words of Dearmer’s hymn, Jesus is “the name that is salvation.”

John the Baptist announced Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). And the Bible says that “through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified [declared righteous before God]” (Acts. 13:38-39). The call of the gospel is “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

To the name that is salvation,
Praise and homage let us pay;
Life of every generation,
Law that all the stars obey;
Love and light by whose creation
All that is stands fast today.

(2) Jesus Is the Sweetest Name I Know written (Data Missing)

In 1924 P. W. Philpott was serving as pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago. One night he was awakened from sleep by a call to come and help a young woman staying at a hotel in the city. He arrived to find her in the company of two family members. The woman, whose name was Lela Long (1896-1951), was gravely ill, and in great distress. Dr. Philpott prayed for her physical needs, and had the privilege of leading her to faith in Christ. Late the next day, he phoned the hotel to see how she was doing, only to learn that the three had checked out. He wondered what had become of them, but had no way of getting in touch. It remained an unfinished story.

But the story of Lela Long has a wonderful conclusion. Several years went by, after the events described above. By that time, Peter Philpott was serving as pastor of a large church in Los Angeles. And at the close of one service, who should come up to him but the three people he had met in Chicago, five or six years previously. They had seen his picture in a church advertisement and had come to meet him.

An emergency had necessitated their rapid departure from Chicago, and they apologized for not getting in touch. The young woman thanked him for pointing her to the Saviour, saying that her life was wonderfully changed, and that she was now using her musical talent to serve the Lord. She handed Pastor Philpott a copy of her song Jesus Is the Sweetest Name I Know, written in 1924, shortly after her conversion. She said, “I have written this especially for you, in remembrance of the day that you introduced me to the most wonderful Person I have ever known.”

Dr. Philpott was one of the founders of the Associated Gospel Churches of Canada, with which I served for a number of years. I had the privilege of hearing him speak when he was in his nineties. We presently know nothing more about the author, Lela B. Long, but her hymn has been an inspiration to many. (You can hear the melody on the Cyber Hymnal.)

There have been names that I have loved to hear,
But never has there been a name so dear
To this heart of mine, as the name divine,
The precious, precious name of Jesus.

Jesus is the sweetest name I know,
And He’s just the same as His lovely name,
And that’s the reason why I love Him so;
Oh, Jesus is the sweetest name I know.

And some day I shall see Him face to face
To thank and praise Him for His wondrous grace,
Which He gave to me, when He made me free,
The blessèd Son of God called Jesus.

Today in 1819 – Frederic Huntington Born

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Frederic Dan Huntington served as a Unitarian clergyman in Boston, then becoming Professor of Christian Morals and University Preacher at Harvard, in 1855. In 1859 he joined the Episcopalians and became Bishop of Central New York in 1869. He died in 1904.

Huntington’s simple hymn, There’ll Be No Sorrow There, is a reminder of some of the blessings awaiting the believer in the heavenly kingdom.

There’ll be no night in heav’n,
In that blest world above;
No anxious toil, no weary hours;
For labour there is love.

There’ll be no sorrow there,
There’ll be no sorrow there,
In heav’n above, where all is love,
There’ll be no sorrow there.

There’ll be no grief in heav’n,
For life is one glad day,
And tears are those of former things
Which all have passed way.

There’ll be no sin in heav’n;
Behold that blessèd throng,
All holy in their spotless robes,
All holy in their song.

(2) Today in 1835 – Annie Hawks Born

Mrs. Hawks’s pastor for many years was another hymn writer, Robert Lowry, who encouraged her gift for writing poetry. She eventually wrote 400 hymns, mostly for Sunday Schools. Only one of them has remained in use, I Need Thee Every Hour–and isn’t that true of us all. We do need the Lord all the time. How blessed we are to have the promise of the Lord Jesus, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

Of her song Annie Sherwood Hawks said:

I remember well the morning…when in the midst of the daily cares of my home…I was so filled with a sense of nearness of the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him either in joy or pain, these words, ‘I need Thee every hour,” were ushered into my mind….It was not until long years after, when [a] shadow fell over my way–the shadow of a great loss–that I understood something of the comforting words I had been permitted to write.

Her hymn begins:

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Saviour,
I come to Thee.

To learn about the first time this hymn was sung, see the second item under Today in 1850. And to read the story of how this song inspired the writing of another, see Today in 1901.

Today in 1676 – Paul Gerhardt Died

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Gerhardt wrote many hymns. Two of them were translated into English by John Wesley: Give to the Winds Thy Fears, and Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me. The latter is best sung to the tune St. Catherine (commonly used for Faith of Our Fathers). It is one of those songs that just overflows with passionate adoration of the Lord. (For more about Paul Gerhardt and this hymn, see Today in 1607.)

Jesus, Thy boundless love to me
No thought can reach, no tongue declare;
Unite my thankful heart with Thee
And reign without a rival there.
To Thee alone, dear Lord, I live;
Myself to Thee, dear Lord, I give.

(2) Today in 1821 – Henry Baker Born

Sir Henry Williams Baker was an Anglican clergyman who organized and led a group of 40 contributors in the creation of a historically famous hymnal, Hymns, Ancient and Modern (1861). It sold 60 million copies. Baker’s readiness to edit and alter the hymns of others caused one person to say sarcastically that the book should have been called “Hymns Asked for and Mutilated”! But the passing years have shown that in most cases Baker’s judgment was solid.

The Bible tells us many times to praise the Lord. Psalm 106 begins and ends with this. “Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!” (vs. 1)  And, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Praise the Lord!” (vs. 48). The Hebrew word for praise (halal) is interesting. It means to boast. When used of God it includes the elements of thankfulness, satisfaction, and joy. We are very prone to boast about ourselves and our accomplishments. But the One who truly deserves our “boasting” is the Lord (cf. II Cor. 10:17).

Henry Baker also wrote what I believe is one of the greatest hymns of praise in the English language. Find a hymn book that includes all 8 stanzas of O Praise Ye the Lord (or check it out on the Cyber Hymnal). Possibly you could have your church sing it on Thanksgiving Sunday (using the stirring tune Laudate Dominum).

O praise ye the Lord! praise Him in the height;
Rejoice in His Word, ye angels of light;
Ye heavens, adore Him by whom ye were made,
And worship before Him in brightness arrayed.

On his deathbed on February 12, 1877, Henry Baker quoted the words of another of his hymns,  his paraphrase of the 23rd Psalm, The King of Love My Shepherd Is. He said:

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

(3) Today in 1927 – Ralph Carmichael Born

[Note: some sources give Carmichael’s birth date as May 28.]

Mr. Carmichael wrote a number of popular gospel songs in the ’60s and ’70s: Is Your Burden Heavy? The Saviour Is Waiting; In the Stars His Handiwork I See; and Because the Lord Is My Shepherd, the latter being a paraphrase of Psalm 23. It begins:

Because the Lord is my shepherd,
I have everything that I need;
He lets me rest in meadows green
And leads me beside the quiet stream.

The New 23rd sung by The Horizons.

Today in 1811 – William Hunter Born

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Born in Ireland, William Hunter’s emigrated to America with his family when he was 6 years old. In his adult years, ordained as a Methodist minister, he taught Hebrew at Allegheny College, and also edited various periodicals. Though he wrote 125 hymns, the only one still in use is The Great Physician (originally called Christ, the Physician). As written, it had 7 stanzas, but only 4 are commonly found in hymnals today. The hymn begins:

The great Physician now is near,
The sympathizing Jesus;
He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,
Oh! hear the voice of Jesus.

Sweetest note in seraph song,
Sweetest Name on mortal tongue;
Sweetest carol ever sung,
Jesus, blessèd Jesus.

The Great Physician Now Is Near on YouTube.

(2) Today in 1823 – Francis Bottome Born

Francis (Frank) Bottome emigrated from England to America in 1850 and became a pastor with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He wrote several hymns, and a couple are worthy of mention here. The more familiar of the two is The Comforter Has Come.

“The Comforter” is a title given to the Holy Spirit in the King James Version. In a time of teaching, just before He went to the cross, the Lord Jesus promised “another Comforter” to help  His followers (Jn. 14:16–“another” in the sense that Christ had done something similar while He was on earth). The word “Comforter” (parakletos in Greek) is impossible to translate with a single English word. Literally, it describes the Spirit of God as One called alongside to help. The various Bible versions give us such words as: Helper, Friend, Advocate, Counselor, and Encourager. J. B. Phillips’ paraphrase perhaps comes close to the original with “Someone to stand by you.”

The coming of the Spirit to begin His Church Age ministry was a momentous and joyful event. And that is what Frank Bottome’s hymn celebrates. It begins:

O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound;
Let ev’ry Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!

The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from Heav’n, the Father’s promise giv’n;
O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found—
The Comforter has come!

A second hymn written by Frank Bottome is less known, but worthy of note. The original opening phrase (used to begin several stanzas) was “O bliss of the purified.” This has been amended in the version below to “O joy of the justified,” which I personally prefer.

The great doctrine of justification involves God pronouncing righteous those who put their faith in Christ, since the righteousness of Christ has been credited to their heavenly account. We are “justified freely by His grace” (Rom. 3:24), and “justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law [i.e. apart from good works, human effort]” (Rom. 3:28).

To hear a rousing version of Bottome’s hymn see if you can locate a cassette or CD of A Thousand Tongues to Sing, the third All-Britain Festival of Male Voice Praise, recorded in 1978.

O joy of the justified, joy of the free!
I’m washed in the crimson tide opened for me;
In Christ, my Redeemer, rejoicing I stand,
And point to the print of the nail in His hand.

O Jesus, my Saviour, I’ll still sing of Thee,
Yes, sing of Thy precious blood poured out for me;
And when in the mansions of glory above,
I’ll praise and adore Thine unchangeable love.

Today in 1816 – Samuel Webbe Died

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Samuel Webbe has an interesting history. Raised in poverty by his mother, after his father died, he received his early education from her. As a boy, he was apprenticed to a cabinet maker, but spoke later of seven wasted years in that pursuit. Around the age of 20 he obtained employment as a music copiest, often working from 5:00 a.m. till midnight to make enough to support himself.

Music became his passion, and he determined to master the subject. He certainly became notably skilled, creating some of the finest unaccompanied vocal music ever written. Webbe was also a talented organist, and he served churches in London in that capacity for a number of years. In addition, he became interested in languages, and before his death he had gained a knowledge of Latin, French, Italian, German, Greek and Hebrew.

Samuel Webbe wrote a number of hymn tunes, including his Consolator for Come, Ye Disconsolate. (For a lovely rendition of this hymn, here is one on YouTube.)

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.

(2) Today in 1934 – Gustav Holst Died

Gustav Theodore Holst wrote the hymn tune Cranham for the carol In the Bleak Midwinter. But as a classical composer, he is best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, composed in 1921. The hymn tune Thaxted is actually the theme for the planet Jupiter taken from that piece of music. (The beautiful melody comes near the middle of Holst’s music for Jupiter.) It is used for the hymn I Vow to Thee My Country, written by English career diplomat Sir Cecil Spring-Rice.

In truth, most would not consider this to be a true hymn. Nowhere in the two stanzas is God even mentioned. The second stanza makes a vague reference to the kingdom of God, or perhaps heaven, as “another country,” and the last line quotes from Prov. 3:17, “Her ways are pleasantness [or gentleness], and all her paths are peace.” But this text is speaking of godly wisdom (cf. vs. 13), not heaven. The vow of loyalty to one’s country is appropriate for the military, and it is used at Remembrance Day services.

What has called particular attention to the song is its use on two newsworthy occasions. Princess Diana asked that it be sung at her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, saying it was her favourite. It certainly suited that event, if we think of it as a pledge of loyalty to Britain by a young woman about to enter public life. It was also used on the sad occasion of Diana’s funeral in Westminster Abbey in 1997 (see the video clip below). It begins:

I vow to thee, my country–all earthly things above–
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays on the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago—
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.

Today in 1768 – Joseph Hart Died

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Joseph Hart was raised in a Christian home, but as a young man he abandoned his early training and became an atheist, or at least an agnostic. Or so he said. For a number of years he ran with the godless crowd and his life descended into debauchery. When he was confronted with the preaching of John Wesley, he dismissed it as fanatical nonsense. He then published his criticism of Wesley’s message under the title The Unreasonableness of Religion, thinking that settled the matter. But God had other ideas.

Hart’s immoral behaviour made him absolutely miserable. He felt what he was doing was wrong, but he seemed to have no power to change. He tried to reform several times, and failed. Then, in his hopeless state, he examined once again the gospel he had previously spurned. What had seemed so “unreasonable” began to make good sense. According to the Word of God his only hope was a work of God in his life. So, like the young man in the parable of the Prodigal Son he came back to those values he had been taught many years before.

At the age of 45 Joseph Hart was wonderfully converted, later entering the Christian ministry. His clear, simple preaching attracted large crowds, and when he died more than 20,000 people attended his funeral. At the risk of making a bad pun, could we not say that the man experienced a change of Hart? And the Christ he once rejected now began to move his pen to loving praise. He wrote a book entitled Hymns Composed on Various Subjects, with the Author’s Experience. In it a powerful hymn of invitation was first published, a song called, Come, and Welcome, to Jesus Christ. We know it now by the opening phrase, Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Wretched.

Many modern hymnals are loathe to retain the word “wretched,” preferring “poor and needy.” They seem convinced that the average person is not familiar with the original word, or will somehow be insulted by it. But Hart knew what he was talking about. “Wretched” is what he was–and what many sinners are. It means utterly miserable and deeply distressed. When the hymn is sung to the rousing Welsh tune Bryn Calfaria (Calvary Hill), there is a triple emphasis in the fifth line of each verse, impressing the truth upon us. (You can hear the tune on the Cyber Hymnal.)

Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, joined with power:
He is able, He is able, He is able,
He is willing, doubt no more;
He is willing, doubt no more.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all:
Not the righteous, not the righteous, not the righteous,
Sinners Jesus came to call;
Sinners Jesus came to call.

Here is a very nice rendering of the hymn by a small choir. It uses the hymn tune Restoration, and includes a refrain by an unknown author that expresses a response to the Lord’s invitation (“I will arise and go to Jesus…”).

(2) Today in 1865 -Emily Wilson Born

American Emily Divine married John G. Wilson, a Methodist clergyman. She and her husband frequently attended the camp meetings at Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Her husband also served as District Superintendent of the Philadelphia Conference of the Methodist Church, as well as ministering at a church in Philadelphia. Mrs. Wilson has given us the tune for Eliza Hewitt’s gospel song When We All Get to Heaven. She also wrote words and music for the beautiful song, I Will Pilot Thee.

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessèd
He’ll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Today in 1738 – And Can It Be? written

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Charles Wesley wrote And Can It Be? a few days after his conversion (on May 20th). He says in his journal that he had difficulty completing the text “because of Satan creating doubts about it,” causing him to feel he displeased God in writing it. But Wesley recognized this to be a “device of the enemy to keep God from receiving the glory due Him.”

We can be glad he persevered. The song is a great declaration of faith in the finished work of Christ. The fourth stanza (the second one included below) is sublime poetry describing the conversion experience. (For more about Wesley, and a stirring congregational rendition of this hymn, see Today in 1788.)

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Saviour’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

But a word should be added about a statement in  Charles Wesley’s third stanza, which begins:

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race.

“Emptied Himself” is a literal rendering of the original Greek text of Phil. 2:7, which says in the NKJV that Christ “made Himself of no reputation.” The Amplified Bible says He “stripped Himself [of all privilege and rightful dignity].” We must not suppose that the verse is telling us Christ ceased to be fully God when He became Man. “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9)

What He left behind for a time was the eternal honour and privilege fully due to Him. Also, the radiance of His eternal glory was veiled, except for those moments on the Mount of Transfiguration. As Man, He willingly submitted Himself to the will of the Father, even though it included the scornful abuse of sinners, and death on the cross. But He never stopped being what He is, God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity. Wesley’s phrase seems to imply more, and that is wrong. Majesty Hymns alters the line to: “Humbled Himself and came in love.” (Much better.)

(2) Today in 1831 – William Perkins Born

William Oscar Perkins was the brother of Henry Perkins (who gave us the tune for the gospel song Blessed Be the Fountain of Blood). William studied music in Boston, and in several European cities. Settling in Boston he founded a music academy and published a number of hymnals and many gospel songbooks. He composed the tune for the gospel song Did You Think to Pray? (For something about the author of the words, and a quartet version of this hymn, see the second item under Today in 1621.)

Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Saviour,
Did you sue for loving favour,
As a shield today?

O how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day;
So when life seems dark and dreary,
Don’t forget to pray.

(3) Today in 1848 – George Hugg Born

George Crawford Hugg began his music career at an amazingly young age. When he was 12 he became the choirmaster at a Presbyterian church in New Jersey, and later served other churches in this capacity. At the age of 14 he published his first song, called Walk in the Light. He was a prolific composer giving us 18 volumes of Sunday School and revival songs, and hundreds of other works, as well as tunes for many gospel songs (Every Bridge Is Burned Behind Me, and No, Not One are two of these.)

There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!
None else could heal all our soul’s diseases,
No, not one! No, not one!

Jesus knows all about our struggles,
He will guide till the day is done;
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!

Today in 1724 – Henriette Von Hayn Born

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lamb

Born in Germany, Henriette Luise Von Hayn was the daughter of Georg Heinrich von Hayn, master of the hounds to the Duke of Nassau. In 1746, she was formally received into the Moravian community at Herrnhaag. After the dissolution of that community, she went to Grosshennersdorf, and after that, in 1751, to Herrnhut. There she taught at the Girls’ School. After 1766 she cared for the invalid sisters of the community. Von Hayn is considered a gifted hymn writer, though little of her work remains in use today.

The title of I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb perhaps makes it sound as though it is a children’s song. But the text, based on the 23rd Psalm, seems intended as the author’s own tender expression of humility and personal need.

I am Jesus’ little lamb,
Ever glad at heart I am;
For my Shepherd gently guides me,
Knows my need, and well provides me,
Loves me every day the same,
Even calls me by my name.

Day by day, at home, away,
Jesus is my Staff and Stay.
When I hunger, Jesus feeds me,
Into pleasant pastures leads me;
When I thirst, He bids me go
Where the quiet waters flow.

Who so happy as I am,
Even now the Shepherd’s lamb?
And when my short life is ended,
By His angel host attended,
He shall fold me to His breast,
There within His arms to rest.

William Newell

(2) Today in 1868 – William Newell Born

Dr. William Newell was an exceptionally fine Bible teacher and author in the latter part of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. I have made use of his commentaries on Romans, Hebrews, and Revelation many times. (In the 1950’s I had the privilege of hearing his son Philip speak–also a Bible teacher and author.)

One day in 1895, on his way to teach a class at Moody Bible Institute, Newell was meditating on the sufferings of Christ. On a sudden inspiration, he stepped into an empty classroom, and jotted down some simple lines of poetry on that theme. Then, continuing on his way down the corridor, he came upon Daniel Towner, the Institute’s Director of Music. He passed the new poem to the other man, suggesting maybe he could provide a tune for it. By the conclusion of Dr. Newell’s lecture, the work had been done, and the two men sang the hymn, At Calvary, for the first time. (For more on Daniel Towner, see the second item under Today in 1830.)

Newell’s hymn poem proclaims the gospel in simplicity. It reminds us that in his sin-darkened state the sinner neither knows or cares about the meaning of the cross (I Cor. 2:14). Illumination, and conviction of sin, and the ability to reach out to Christ come from the Spirit of God, working through the Word of God (I Cor. 2:9-10; II Tim. 3:14-15). It is only then we begin to realize something of “the mighty gulf,” the monstrous chasm, that separates the sinner from a holy God.

In ourselves, we are incapable of bridging that great divide. But God has done it for us, in grace. “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly….[And] God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6, 8).

Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary.

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!

There is a problem with Daniel Towner’s tune for this hymn. It is very singable. But it doesn’t entirely suit the subject, certainly not of the first two stanzas. That hippety-hop of the repeated dotted eighth and sixteenth notes is not appropriate, in my view, for solemn confessions such as, “Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my Lord was crucified,” and the second stanza about trembling before God’s broken law.

And because of the bouncy rhythm, the hymn is usually sung too quickly. (I even saw a couple of video clips on YouTube on which the opening lines were sung with beaming smiles!) The mood should be subdued and reverent–though not solemn and depressed, since the singer has found the answer to his great need. But thoughtful and earnest.

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