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Robert Cottrill

About Robert Cottrill

http://wordwisebiblestudies.com

Posts by Robert Cottrill:

Since Jesus Came Into My Heart

Words: Rufus Henry McDaniel (b. Jan. 29, 1850; d. Feb. 13, 1940)
Music: Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (b. Aug. 18, 1856; d. Sept. 15, 1932)

Note: You can learn more details about Rufus McDaniel in the Wordwise link below. In his Hymnal Handbook, Homer Rodeheaver tells the story of what happened when this gospel song was first introduced and sung.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Written in the spring of 1914, the song was taught by Mr. Rodeheaver, and composer Charles Gabriel, to those gathered for a Billy Sunday evangelistic meeting in Philadelphia, the following year. An officer named Fowler had been assigned by the police department to attend the meetings each night, to see that they were orderly. (He became a captive audience!) God used the message of this song to convict and convert him. Not only did he put his faith in the Saviour, but during the remaining two weeks of meetings, he convinced many of his fellow officers to attend, and more than a hundred professed their faith in Christ.

This is a wonderful example of the transforming power of the gospel, and that is precisely the message of the song–that God brings about a “wonderful change” in the lives of those who are saved through personal faith in Christ. As the Apostle Paul put it:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek [or Gentile]” (Rom. 1:16).

(1) “I have light in my soul.” There is a consistent contrast in the Word of God between the spiritual darkness of the sinner, and the light of God’s salvation. Christ said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12). But “this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (Jn. 3:19).

Paul was sent out to preach the gospel “to open their eyes [by the power of the Holy Spirit], in order to turn them from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18). To Christians, he writes, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8; cf Col. 1:13).

(2) “I have ceased from my wandering and going astray” is perhaps a little optimistic. It’s a worthy goal, but there is human fallibility to contend with. McDaniel is on safer ground with, “My sins which were many are all washed away.” In Revelation 1:5 we read, “Jesus Christ…loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (cf. Eph. 1:7). “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (I Jn. 1:7).

(3) We’re “possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure.” In truth the One who died for us on the cross is “the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope” (I Tim. 1:1). Of believers it’s said that God “has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (I Pet. 1:3). And the writer speaks of “the hope [meaning the joyful certainty of future blessing] set before us. This hope we have as an anchor for the soul” (Heb. 6:18-19).

Both of the final stanzas speak of our eternal future, when we’ll go to dwell in our heavenly home (Rev. 21:1-5). Even in the valley of the shadow of death (Ps. 23:4) the Lord is with us. It’s no wonder, as the refrain says, “Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll”!

(4) There’s a light in the valley of death now for me,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And the gates of the city beyond I can see,
Since Jesus came into my heart!

(5) I shall go there to dwell in that city, I know,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And I’m happy, so happy, as onward I go,
Since Jesus came into my heart!

Questions:

  1. How has your own faith in Christ transformed your life?
  2. If there are Christians who don’t have “floods of joy,” why might that be? And how can we help them?

Links:

The Cleansing Wave

Words: Phoebe Worrell Palmer (b. Dec. 18, 1807; d. Nov. 2, 1874)
Music: Phoebe Palmer Knapp (b. March 9, 1839; d. July 10, 1908)

Note: There has sometimes been confusion in hymn books as to who wrote what, since mother (Mrs. Phoebe Palmer) and daughter (Mrs. Phoebe Knapp) both had the same first name. The mother wrote the words, and the daughter composed the tune, though Great Hymns of the Faith credits the daughter with both.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This was a family active in the nineteenth century holiness movement, and their gospel song somewhat reflects that. While I’m sure we would agree on many things, I part company with the Knapps in their assertion that one can experience the death or eradication of the sin nature in this life. The most direct statement of this teaching comes in the third stanza:

(3) I see the new creation rise;
I hear the speaking blood.
It speaks! Polluted nature dies!
Sinks ’neath the cleansing flood.

This is rooted in the teaching that a “second work of grace” is available that destroys the sin nature completely so the person is perfectly holy and free from sin. But this flies in the face of Christian experience and the teaching of the Word of God. “If we say that we have no sin [i.e. no sinful nature], we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (I Jn. 1:8). As Weymouth puts it: “If we claim to be already free from sin, we lead ourselves astray.”

As to our legal standing in Christ, the Christian is perfectly holy, since the righteousness of Christ has been credited to our heavenly account, just as surely as our sins were charged to Christ’s account and paid for at the cross (II Cor. 5:21). But the believers’ state–how we live out our Christian lives in daily experience–is another matter entirely. While our standing (or position in Christ) is constant, our state (or condition in life) is dependant on the consistency of our walk in faith and obedience toward God. In the latter case, there is always the potential for stumbling into sin.

“If we say that we have not sinned [i.e. committed sinful acts], we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (I Jn. 1:10). “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Gal. 5:17).

The Christian is not called to plead (or tarry) for what theologians call “crisis sanctification,” which eradicates the sin nature. Rather, we are called to walk in the Spirit, with faith and obedience toward the Word of God. And when we sin, as we can sometimes do, we are to confess it and turn from it (I Jn. 1:9).

Fortunately, the remainder of this hymn focuses mainly on the basic salvation experience–for which, of course, there’s ample biblical support. A couple of hymnals I have on my desk as I write simply omit the third stanza as being out of the mainstream. The rest celebrates the joyful triumph in knowing sins forgiven, through the cleansing tide of the blood of Christ. In the use of that imagery it resembles William Booth’s Boundless Salvation. The present hymn says in part:

(1) Oh, now I see the cleansing wave!
The fountain deep and wide;
Jesus, my Lord, mighty to save,
Points to His wounded side.

The cleansing stream I see! I see!
I plunge, and oh, it cleanseth me!
Oh, praise the Lord! It cleanseth me!
It cleanseth me—yes, cleanseth me.

(4) Amazing grace! ’tis heav’n below
To feel the blood applied,
And Jesus, only Jesus know,
My Jesus crucified.

Questions:

  1. What do you see as the dangers of perfectionism (or the eradication theory)?
  2. What are the important ingredients to maintaining a holy walk day by day?

Links:

In the Garden

Words: Charles Austin Miles (b. Jan. 7, 1868; d. March 10, 1946)
Music: Charles Austin Miles

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This 1912 offering is a song that has definitely received mixed reviews over the years. It has been scorned as a mere sentimental ballad. Carlton Young, in his Companion to the United Methodist Hymnal (p. 432) says it is “often denounced as erotic and egocentric”! Yet it seems to be a favourite of many, and is often requested.

I’ve had it asked for at various times when a funeral service is being planned, and I always think, “What a lost opportunity!” There are so many great hymns that can comfort the sorrowing, or present the gospel of grace to needy sinners. Why opt for this shallow song? If you wonder what the options are for a memorial service, you can check out about thirty-five of them in the article Funeral Hymns.

Hymn writer, organist and sacred music editor Don Hustad tells of being at a dinner party where a woman complained that the church wasn’t singing the old favourites any more, “such as In the Garden.” Mr. Hustad says, “I couldn’t resist the temptation. ‘What garden?’ I asked.”

“What difference does it make ‘what garden’” she snapped, rather crossly.

But, as Don Hustad points out: “If the hymn is just a childhood favourite with pleasant phrases about gardens and birds and roses, it cannot be really meaningful in a vital worship experience today” (Crusade Hymn Stories, p. 49).

It helps a little when we learn that Austin Miles was thinking of the time when Mary Magdalene went to visit the tomb of Jesus on Easter morning (Jn. 20:1-18). And when He spoke her name (vs. 16), she knew who he was. As I say, it helps to know that–but only a little.

There’s not much substance to this song! And though it may give some hint of the emotional response of Mary to the Lord’s resurrection, it is not particularly factual. I’m not so sure the dew was still on the roses (whatever roses those were). Mary had already been to the tomb once (vs. 1). Then she went to tell Peter about what she saw (vs. 2), and he came, with John, and had a look (John 20:3-10). Only then do we see Mary at the tomb alone. So, considerable time had passed.

And did the birds really “hush their singing” at the sound of Jesus’ voice? I would think that, if anything, they would carol all the more joyfully. But nothing is said in Scripture either way. Nor is there much “walking and talking” with Jesus, to judge by the account. Immediately after Mary recognizes Him, the Lord says:

Do not cling to Me [don’t hold on to Me], for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God’

John 20:17

At which Mary heads off to do as she’s been commanded (vs. 18). And what (or whose?) is “the voice of woe” that Miles refers to? According to the dictionary, “woe” is grievous distress, wretched melancholy, or lamentation. Where do you see that in the passage? Austin Miles states: “I wrote, as quickly as the words could be formed, the poem exactly as it has since appeared.” Perhaps he should have given the matter a little more thought!

A personal opinion: This weak gospel song is definitely at the low end of what I’d tolerate for use in services I plan. And on the rare occasions when I’ve used it, I’ve taken time to explain what it’s about, and relate it to the passage in John’s Gospel.

If we are to be “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Col. 3:16), and we’re to “sing with the understanding” (I Cor. 14:15), we need to select songs that speak biblically and clearly. “For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?” (I Cor. 14:8).

(1) I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

(3) I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

Questions:

  1. What other hymns and gospel songs are you reluctant to use (even though they seem to be favourites of some) because they are shallow and virtually meaningless, if not in error?
  2. Why do you think people latch onto such songs? Is it because of a pleasing tune? Or maybe warm fuzzy sentiments?

Links:

Caedmon’s Hymn

Words: Caedmon (b. date unknown; d. circa 680)
Music: (unknown)

The purpose of this blog is not only to open up the Bible and learn from God’s Word, but also to discuss the background and meaning of the traditional hymns and gospel songs of the church, ones found in commonly used hymn books of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. That being so, it is slightly out of character to include a hymn that is not found in any of our modern hymnals and which is not, to my knowledge, even sung today. However, Caedmon’s Hymn is worthy of being an exception because of its historical importance.

The story of how a humble cowherd became a prolific hymn writer is recorded by the Venerable Bede in his Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, completed in AD 731. He provides us with the only extant record of Caedmon’s life. To read a bit more of what we know about him, see the link below.

Though it neither looks nor sounds at all like modern English, this hymn is considered by scholars to be the first hymn in the English language for which we know the author. (In fact, it’s the first example of Anglo-Saxon poetry of any kind that has survived.) It was written some time after AD 657. The copy above is from AD 737, and thus comes to us from less than a century after the original was created.

In John Parker’s beautiful volume about English hymns, Abide with Me (New Leaf Press, 2009), he includes a chapter about Caedmon called “Hymns of a Shy Shepherd.” There are pictures in colour of the ruins of Whitby Abbey, where Caedmon lived and worked for the latter part of his life. On the accompanying CD you can hear this hymn recited in both its original version, and a modern translation.

Caedmon’s Hymn praises God for His creative work. The form in which the hymn was written does not lend itself easily to a modern metrical version, but there have been a number of translations made. The one below is by Albert S. Cook.

Now must we hymn the Master of heaven,
The might of the Maker, the deeds of the Father,
The thought of His heart. He, Lord everlasting,
Established of old the source of all wonders:
Creator all-holy, He hung the bright heaven,
A roof high upreared, o’er the children of men;
The King of mankind then created for mortals
The world in its beauty, the earth spread beneath them,
He, Lord everlasting, omnipotent God.

This simple but biblical hymn predates the time of Isaac Watts, sometimes called the “Father of English Hymnody,” by a thousand years! But it stands alone. The above song of praise is the only one that we have from that early time. However, Bede recorded how Caedmon went on to write songs on many other biblical subjects. He says:

[Caedmon] sang first about the creation of the world and about the origin of mankind and all of the history of Genesis–that is the first book of Moses, and afterwards about the exodus of the Israeli people from the land of Egypt and their entry into the promised land; and about many other stories of the holy writ of the books of the canon; and about Christ’s incarnation, and about his suffering and about his ascension into the heavens; and about the coming of the Holy Ghost, and of the lore of the apostles; and after about the day of impending judgment, and about the terror of the torturing punishment, and about the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom, he wrought many songs. And so also many others he made about divine mercy and judgment. In all of them he eagerly sought to pull men away from love of sin and criminal deeds, and to love and to zealously awake to (the doing) of good deeds.

Bede

The stream that began here widened to become a flood, from Watts, Wesley and many more. But the twin purposes of worship and instruction that Caedmon espoused have remained. We need to know more of God and His Word, and we need a means to express to one another what we believe, “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Col. 3:16). Thank the Lord for all whom He has gifted to provide sacred songs for the church.

Questions:

  1. Simple though it is, what are some important truths expressed in Caedmon’s Hymn?
  2. Can you suggest a number of reasons why believers should praise the Lord?

Links:

Amazing Grace

Words: John Newton (July 24, 1725; d. Dec. 21, 1807)
Music: New Britain, by an unknown composer

Note: John Newton’s original version of the hymn, as printed in Olney Hymns, in 1779, contained six stanzas ((1) through (6)). (7) does not appear to have been from Newton’s pen, it was added much later, and the author is unknown. However, it does make a fitting conclusion to this wonderful song.

The tune has had five different names over the years, including New Britain, McIntosh, St. Mary’s, Gallaher, and (later) Amazing Grace. Its earliest publication seems to have been in an 1829 book called Columbian Harmony, but the tune was first wedded to Newton’s text in Southern Harmony, published in 1835. In 1900, Edwin Excell (1851-1921) arranged the tune as we know it today.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

What can be said of this great hymn that hasn’t been said before–many times over? Much of it is autobiographical, reflecting the author’s own experience. After a narrow escape from a terrible storm at sea, John Newton began to think of his past life. He had not only rejected Christ and the gospel, but had blasphemed the Lord’s name over and over, with terrible oaths. The depths of his depravity horrified him. Was there any hope for such a vile sinner? He says:

“I began to pray. I could not utter the prayer of faith. I could not draw near to a reconciled God and call Him Father. My prayer was like the cry of the ravens, which yet the Lord does not disdain to hear. I now began to think of Jesus whom I had so often offended. I recollected the particulars of His life and death, a death for sins not His own, but for those who, in their distress, should put their trust in Him….In perusing the New Testament, I was struck with several passages, particularly the prodigal [i.e. Christ’s parable of the prodigal son, Lk. 15:11-32]–a case that had never been so clearly exemplified as by myself. And then the goodness of the father in receiving, nay, in running to meet such a son, and this intended only to illustrate the Lord’s goodness to returning sinners, this gained upon [impressed] me.”

John Newton

The grace of God, and “the God of all grace” (I Pet. 5:10), is the central theme of this hymn. “Grace” is a word found some 137 in our English Bibles, from “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8), to “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Rev. 22:21). It represents the unearned and unmerited favour and blessing of God. And it is “amazing” for that very reason. Not only is it undeserved. But those who receive were fully deserving of just the opposite, wrath and divine judgment.

As Newton pondered the wreckage of his past life, he saw in his wretchedness a man whom God treated with grace that he in no way merited and had no hope of earning. God’s free gift overwhelmed him, and did so for the rest of his life. He would readily say with Paul, “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace” (Acts 20:32). The devout passion of his hymn reveals this. The words he chose strike an emotional chord, as well as delivering important truth. There we find amazing, sweet, and precious grace, poured out upon a wretch, who is lost, and blind.

There are more than a dozen personal references in the hymn (I, me, my), bringing this centuries old hymn closer in form to the modern gospel song, with its focus on experience. However, there is nothing shallow here. It would be rare for a superficial contemporary offering to put words such as wretch, lost and blind in the singer’s mouth. Nor would it be willing to grapple with the paradox of grace teaching our hearts to fear (2).

(1) 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.

(2) ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Stanzas (4), (5) and (6) are lesser known, since they are not included in many modern hymnals. But they are worthy of note. “His Word my hope secures,” and “the earth shall soon dissolve like snow” are especially notable lines.

(4) The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

(6) The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

Questions:

  1. In what way does grace awaken fear, before it relieves it”
  2. What are some of the riches of God’s grace (Eph. 1:7; 2:7) that He gives to us in salvation?

Links:

Jesus, Lover of My Soul

Words: Charles Wesley (b. Dec. 18, 1707; d. Mar. 29, 1788)
Music: Martyn, by Simeon Butler Marsh (b. June 1, 1798; d. July 14, 1875)

Note: There are a number of inspiring stories as to how this hymn came to be written. (The Cyber Hymnal (see link below) has an interesting one.) I know of at least three that are possible, but the fact is we simply can’t be sure which, if any, is correct.

Martyn is a simple tune for this hymn. More dramatic and powerful by far is Aberystwyth, by Welsh composer Joseph Parry (1841-1903). Aberystwyth is a city in the north of Wales, where Mr. Parry was a professor of music. A great tune befitting a great hymn. (And, if you use Parry’s majestic tune, be careful not to sing it too quickly.)

Wesley called his song, “In Time of Prayer and Temptation.” It now takes its title from the opening line. And it’s a true hymn, in the technical sense–a song addressed to God and extolling Him. Over the years, editors tinkered with his phrasing, thinking they knew better. But it later years publishers returned to the original, realizing that later emendations did not improve Wesley’s masterpiece.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The phrase, “O Lord, Thou lover of souls,” from an apocryphal book, Wisdom of Solomon 11:26, may have suggested the first line. Others think a line from Thomas a Kempis’s Imitation of Christ may have been the inspiration, where the Lord is called a “zealous Lover of faithful souls.” But there is ample inspired Scripture as well to assure us of the Saviour’s love. “The Son of God…loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20; cf. Rom. 8:37; Eph. 5:2, 25). It is love that sent Him to the cross to die in our place (Jn. 10:11; 15:13). And that love is ongoing, expressed in the tender care of the Shepherd for His sheep, day by day.

(1) 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.

This magnificent hymn justly holds a place among a handful of the greatest hymns in the English language. Edwin Long, in his Illustrated History of Hymns and Their Authors, devotes twenty pages to his opinion about the song’s origin, and to many stories of how it has been a blessing over the years. Whatever the story behind it, it depicts an individual with fervent faith who seeks the Lord in a desperate situation. The third stanza (3) is rarely used, but its “Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall” is a graphic picture of urgent need.

(3) Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall—Lo! on Thee I cast my care;
Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand, dying, and behold, I live.

The sufficiency of the Lord Jesus to meet the author’s needs is confessed. He is “all I want,” and “more than all in Thee I find” (4). Yet see how Wesley recognizes the element of grace in all of the Lord’s provision. We are unworthy of all that He has done and is doing for us. He is just and holy, “I am all unrighteousness; He is full of grace and truth, while “false and full of sin I am.”

(4) 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.

The emotional power of “Leave, ah! leave me not alone” is unquestionable. “My helpless soul,” and “my defenceless head” likewise depict the petitioner’s crisis situation. T. L Cuyler wrote: “The one central, all-prevailing idea of this matchless hymn is the soul’s yearning for its Saviour. The figures of speech vary, but not the thought.”

(2) 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 on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenceless head with the shadow of Thy wing.

Questions:

  1. What particular expressions of need in the hymn do you identify with?
  2. What descriptions of the Lord in the hymn are a special blessing and encouragement to you?

Links:

In the Cross of Christ I Glory

Words: John Bowring (b. Oct. 17, 1792; d. Nov. 23, 1872)
Music: Rathbun, by Ithamar Conkey (b. May 5, 1815; May 30, 1867)

Note: Sir John Bowring was a remarkably gifted man. Before he was sixteen, he’d mastered French, Spanish, Italian, Portugeuse, German and Dutch, going on to add many more languages over the years. He served the British government in China, and was an advocate of prison reform. Though nominally a Unitarian, he is considered a devoted evangelical believer. His tombstone contains, as his testimony, the opening line of this hymn: “In the cross of Christ I glory.”

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The hymn was inspired by the words of Paul in Galatians 6:14, “God forbid that I should boast [or glory] except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” There is a story, mentioned by the Cyber Hymnal (see link below), that Bowring wrote this hymn after seeing a ruined cathedral on the shore of China, at Macao, an old Portugeuse trading post. Only the front wall of the church remained, topped by a cross. However, the hymn was published in 1825, and the author didn’t get to China until 1849. Either he heard this story from someone else, or it was another church that John Bowring saw.

Even so, the cross “towering o’er the wrecks of time” is a powerful image. It proclaims that when the works of men are gone the power of the cross will remain. I’m reminded of Shelley’s poem about an ancient ruler named Ozymandias. The boastful  inscription at the base contrasted sharply with the fallen, shattered image, which bore testimony to the fleeting nature of human glory and fame.

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Powerful men and women have come and gone from the stage of human history, nations have risen and disappeared, but the cross, and what God accomplished through it, will endure forever. Our worship of the Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenly city will recall His death for lost sinners. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain” (Rev. 5:12).

Rather than focusing particularly on the eternal saving value of the cross, Bowring’s hymn shows how it dominates all of our lives. For the believer, the cross remains of central significance. From the cross, and because of the cross, flow all the abundant blessings of God’s grace. It is “sublime,” to use the author’s final word in the opening stanza. He means the cross impresses us with its grandeur and power, and inspires a sense of awe.

(1) In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.

Whether in difficult times, or sunny days, the cross has its effect. In trying times, when hopes are shaken and fears trouble us, the cross remains a constant source of peace and joy. And in brighter days, it simply “adds more lustre to the day.”

(2) When the woes of life o’ertake me,
Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me,
Lo! it glows with peace and joy.

(3) When the sun of bliss is beaming
Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming
Adds more lustre to the day.

The cross is the supreme evidence of the love of God (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8). In the words of the Apostle John:

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I Jn. 4:9-10).

Questions:

  1. What does the cross mean in your life today?
  2. Did you ever ask someone who was wearing a cross what it means to them? (What happened when you did?)

Links:

Look and Live

Words: William Augustine Ogden (b. Oct. 10, 1841; d. Oct. 14, 1897)
Music: William Augustine Ogden

Note: It is sometimes supposed that because our gospel songs are often simple in their teaching, and make use of a repeated refrain to emphasize the main theme, that they must have been written by those who have little understanding of music. Of course this is occasionally the case. However, many of the prominent gospel song writers of the nineteenth century were gifted and well-trained musicians.

William Ogden is a case in point. He studied under a number of excellent musicians, including Dr. Lowell Mason and B. F. Baker–the latter being president of the old Boston Music School. Under Mr. Baker, one of the most prominent teachers of his day, he studied voice, counterpoint, fugue, and complex harmony. Ogden taught music classes in the United States and Canada, and eventually became Superintendent of Music in the public schools of Toledo, Ohio. He wrote and published many songs, and a couple of cantatas, as well as two comic operas.

The gospel songs written by Ogden and others were generally kept simple for a reason. Without photo copiers and video projectors and other modern aids, they needed to teach their songs quickly, so people could go home singing the truths being taught. This purpose precisely suited the work of the Sunday School. Indeed the common term for gospel songs in that era was “Sunday School songs.” Mr. Ogden published the present song in 1887, in Triumphant Songs for Sunday Schools and Gospel Meetings.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Simple though it is, this song presents several important truths, and there is a logical flow to the message stanza by stanza.

(1). There’s “a message from the Lord…recorded in His Word”–which means it’s an authentic and important message. The Bible is God’s inspired infallible Word. Something like 3,800 times, the writers specifically tell us they’re delivering a message from the Lord. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (II Tim. 3:16). “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (II Pet. 1:21).

Refrain. “Look and live!” The promise is drawn from an incident in the book of Numbers. On one occasion, when the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, their camp was infested with poisonous snakes. The Lord told Moses to erect a bronze replica of the snake, and promised that all who looked upon it would live (Num. 21:8). The Lord Jesus applied that to Himself and to having faith in His Calvary work (Jn. 3:14-15).

(2). It’s “a message full of love.” The offer of forgiveness and of eternal salvation to lost mankind demonstrates God’s great love for us. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [gave Him to die on a cross], that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16). “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Now, “the love of Christ compels us,” as His ambassadors, to share the message of the gospel with others (II Cor. 5:14, 20).

(3). “Life is offered unto you.” The Bible teaches us that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23), and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Spiritually speaking, each of us comes into this world stillborn, “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son….These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (I Jn. 5:11, 13).

(4). “I will tell you how I came.” Personal testimony is of little worth without God’s Word behind it. But when the two are put together the effect can be powerful indeed. Three times, in the book of Acts, we are told of Paul’s conversion. Once in narrative form, by the author, Luke (Acts 9:1-16), and twice on occasions when Paul bore witness to what the Lord had done for him, once before a hostile mob (Acts 22:1-16), and then before Agrippa (Acts 26:1-23). Twenty times in the book of Acts we read of the “witness” of the apostles (cf. Acts 1:8; cf. I Pet. 3:15).

(1) I’ve a message from the Lord, Hallelujah!
The message unto you I’ll give;
’Tis recorded in His Word, Hallelujah!
It is only that you “look and live.”

Look and live, my brother, live,
Look to Jesus now and live;
’Tis recorded in His Word, Hallelujah!
It is only that you look and live.

Questions:

  1. Clearly, we can’t look at Christ now in a physical way, as the disciples did. What does it mean to “look,” as the word is used in the song?
  2. What are some of the qualities of the “life” God offers us through faith in Christ?

Links:

A Child of the King

Words: Harriet Eugenia Peck Buell (b. Nov. 2, 1834; d. Feb. 6, 1910)
Music: John Bunnell Sumner (b. March 25, 1838; d. May 10, 1918)

Note: The Cyber Hymnal link below tells how John Sumner came to select Mrs. Buell’s poem to create a new gospel song. It also has a wonderful and touching account of how the song was used of God to bring a man to the Saviour.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Like another more recent gospel song, Ira Stanphill’s Mansion Over the Hilltop, published in 1949, Harriet Buell’s 1877 song deals with the material grandeur of heaven, and the riches that await us there. But unlike the former, which is almost unrelentingly materialistic, Harriet Buell’s also brings in the spiritual dimension of our salvation.

It is true that the Lord is preparing “many mansions” (or dwelling places) for the saints in the heavenly city (Jn. 14:2). (Incidentally, I wondered at Mrs. Buell’s second line in (4), “They’re building a palace for me over there.” Since Christ says, “I [singular] go to prepare a place for you,” it might have been better to write “He’s building a palace…”)

But what of the kingship of the Almighty. That God rules as King over all is a truth attested to in many Scriptures. For example:

“The LORD is King forever and ever” (Ps. 10:16).
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen” (I Tim. 1:17).
“Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!” (Rev. 15:3).

And if God rules as King over the saints, being children of God (I Jn. 3:1) is to be children of the King. It follows, then, that we are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17), with all the wealth and privileges pertaining to that.

But how did that come to be? As the song says (3) we each began as “a sinner by choice and an alien by birth.” We were “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1), and destined for a lost eternity. But God the Son became Man, to suffer and die, taking upon Himself the just punishment for our sin ((2); cf. II Cor. 8:9).

Now, through faith in Him (Jn. 3:16), we can be cleansed and forgiven, and exalted to sonship in His forever family. And even though, in this life, we may struggle to make ends meet, we can look forward to enjoying the wealth of all heaven. Though we do not have all the riches God has promised in hand as yet, they’re already ours, reserved for us there (I Pet. 1:3-5).

(3) I once was an outcast stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, an alien by birth,
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

I’m a child of the King,
A child of the King:
With Jesus my Saviour,
I’m a child of the King.

(4) A tent or a cottage, why should I care?
They’re building a palace for me over there;
Though exiled from home, yet still may I sing:
All glory to God, I’m a child of the King.

Questions:

  1. What is the difference between how the world often measures wealth, and how God measures it?
  2. What to you is the greatest blessing or benefit to being “a child of the King”?

Links:

Satisfied

Words: Clara Tear Williams (b. Sept. 22, 1858; d. July 1, 1937)
Music: Satisfied, by Ralph Erskine Hudson (b. July 12, 1843; d. June 14, 1901)

Note: About twenty years before her marriage in 1895, young Clara Tear was asked by Ralph Hudson to provide a song for a new book he was publishing. She wrote the text of Satisfied that very evening, and he added the tune the next day.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The original version of the refrain said, “Hallelujah! I have found it– / What my soul so long has craved.” The changes made by the time the song was published in the Wesleyan Methodist Hymnal in 1910 make the application to Christ more direct and specific (though “it” and “what” ties in nicely with the theme of satisfaction).

The Cyber Hymnal uses an updated version of the opening lines: “All my life I had a longing / For a drink from some clear spring,” which I suppose is fine. Though the word “pant” is biblical (Ps. 42:1), and “draught” (the British-Canadian spelling of draft) is a common enough term. It refers to a portion of liquid to be drunk.

When he began singing in his late teens, this song was one of the first George Bevely Shea sang as a solo. He sang it in his father’s church in Ottawa. He knew Mrs. Williams personally, and says of her:

She had a regal and dignified bearing and yet she had the kindness and gentleness of Christ in her face. I enjoyed the soft, musical tones of her voice. Through her sweetness and graciousness to everyone, she became another wonderful proof to me of the reality of the Christian walk. Hers was a beautiful life exhibited not only to the whole community, but expressed also in the pages of hymnody.

George Bevely Shea (Crusade Hymn Stories, p. 75)

“‘My people shall be satisfied [abundantly filled and fulfilled] with My goodness,’ says the LORD” (Jer. 31:14). Often in the Old Testament this has to do with physical satisfaction because of having plenty of food to eat in Israel. But we can also make a spiritual application of the words. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we find a soul satisfaction that can be found nowhere else.

(1) All my life long I had panted
For a draught from some clear spring,
That I hoped would quench the burning
Of the thirst I felt within.

Hallelujah! I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings,
Through His blood I now am saved.

(3) Poor I was, and sought for riches,
Something that would satisfy,
But the dust I gathered round me
Only mocked my soul’s sad cry.

Christ declared that He came to give us abundant life (Jn. 10:10). We know that heaven will be like that (cf. Eph. 2:7), but there is an abundance for this life as well (cf. Phil. 4:19). He is the bread that feeds us spiritually, and from Him flows the spiritual refreshment we need.

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst’” (Jn. 6:35). “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jn. 4:14).

(4) Well of water, ever springing,
Bread of life so rich and free,
Untold wealth that never faileth,
My Redeemer is to me.

Questions:

  1. What are the characteristics of a Christian who is enjoying the abundant life Jesus promised?
  2. Why is it that so many Christians seem to lack the abundance of spirit that is found in Christ?

Links:

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