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Hymns

Today in 1869 – Grant Tullar Born

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Grant Colfax Tullar was named after American president Ulysses S. Grant, and was given the middle name Colfax after Schuyler Colfax, the vice president at the time. His mother died when he was two, and he was raised by relatives who were anything by supportive. As a child, he worked in a woolen mill, and sold shoes as a teen-ager. At the age of 19 Tullar put his faith in Christ and, though he had only a couple of years of formal schooling, he eventually entered the ministry.

Tullar was a pastor for a short time, but soon turned his attention to evangelism and a music ministry. He served as a song leader, also writing many gospel songs, either supplying the tunes for the work of others, or writing the texts himself. At the age of 27 he became the co-founder of the successful Tullar-Meredith Publishing Company, which produced many hymnals and gospel song books.

The hymn for which Mr. Tullar is best known today has an interesting origin. In 1898, he agreed to help a local pastor conduct evangelistic meetings. On a particular afternoon, he, along with the pastor and his wife, spent some hours visiting the sick. They returned to the manse to have a quick supper before the evening meeting. To save time, his hostess simply placed a number of leftovers on the table, inviting all to make a meal of them.

Knowing Tullar’s fondness for a particular kind of jam, and seeing there was only a little left, the couple passed the container on to him. “So this is all for me?” he said. And as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he was struck with a sudden inspiration. Excusing himself, he walked to the piano and improvised a pretty tune, while singing,

All for me the Saviour suffered,
All for me He bled and died…

The pastor expressed his delight with the song, asking to use it at the evening meeting. But the composer said it needed more work.

Then with the next morning’s mail, an envelope arrived for the musician. In it was a letter from Carrie Breck, along with some poems she had written. She wanted to know if he could provide music to go with any of them. As Grant Tullar started to read the first poem, he realized immediately it fit the tune he had written the night before. And it was a perfect fit. The hymn resulting from a nearly empty jam jar, and a letter from a stranger,  is Face to Face, about the joy of the saints in one day meeting the Saviour.

Face to face with Christ, my Saviour,
Face to face–what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him,
Jesus Christ who died for me?

Face to face I shall behold Him,
Far beyond the starry sky;
Face to face in all His glory,
I shall see Him by and by!

Only faintly now I see Him,
With the darkling veil between,
But a blessèd day is coming,
When His glory shall be seen.

(2) He Who Safely Keepeth (Data Missing)

In the Living Hymns hymnal, the text of this song is credited to Lyman Cuyler. There is no data available on him, because, as far as I know, he never existed! This is one of the dozens of pen names used by well-known hymn writer Fanny Crosby. Alfred Smith has supplied a singable tune. You can find the full hymn with the tune in Living Hymns (#431).

This encouraging song is based upon the words of Psalm 121:3, “He who keeps you will not slumber.” Other watchmen may grow careless and fall asleep, but the Lord never will. He keeps His eyes on His children and is attentive to their cries.

He, who safely keepeth,
Slumbers not, nor sleepeth;
Though by all the world forsaken,
Wherefore should I fear?
That which He hath spoken
Never can be broken,
Who shall harm the trusting heart
When He is near?

He will keep me ever,
Where no pow’r can sever
From my heart, the love that hides me
In His secret place.
There in faith abiding,
All to Him confiding,
Through His Spirit I am sealed
An heir of grace.

Today in 1893 – William Booth-Clibborn Born

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William Emmanuel Booth-Clibborn was the grandson of William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. He served the Lord as an evangelist but also produced several gospel songs. Down from His Glory is likely more of a solo selection than a congregational number, but it speaks effectively of the Saviour’s willing condescension.

The Bible tells us “Christ Jesus…being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men….[He] humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:5-8).

Because He is Himself God (Jn. 1:1), the second Person of the Trinity, it was not “robbery” for Him to claim the prerogatives of deity, not an invasion into something that did not belong to Him, not a thing to be clutched and held onto illegally, the way a thief might snatch a purse. He had a full right to the glory and honour that had been His from all eternity. But He willingly set these things aside to come to save us.

In 1921, Booth-Clibborn created his hymn. The tune was adapted from that of the Italian song, O Sole Mio, recorded in 1916 by famous by opera star Enrico Caruso. (It is surely put to more wonderful and lasting use by Mr. Booth-Clibborn’s lyrics.)

Down from His glory, ever living story,
My God and Saviour came, and Jesus was His Name.
Born in a manger, to His own a stranger,
A Man of sorrows, tears and agony.

O how I love Him! How I adore Him!
My breath, my sunshine, my all in all.
The great Creator became my Saviour,
And all God’s fullness dwelleth in Him.

What condescension, bringing us redemption;
That in the dead of night, not one faint hope in sight,
God, gracious, tender, laid aside His splendour,
Stooping to woo, to win, to save my soul.

 (2) O for a Heart of Calm Repose (Data Missing)

Here is a lovely little hymn the authorship of which is unknown. There is a settling sense of peace in this hymn that mirrors its theme. You can hear the tune played on the Cyber Hymnal.

Some might question the practice of praying to the Holy Spirit, as we do with the text of O for a Heart of Calm Repose. It is true that the basic pattern for prayer is that we are to pray to God the Father, on the authority (in the name of) the Lord Jesus, by the enabling of the Spirit (Eph. 2:18; cf. Matt. 6:9; Rom. 8:26-27).

That should surely be our customary practice. However, nothing is said against praying to the Spirit of God at times, and we know He is fully God, just as the other Persons of the Trinity are.

O for a heart of calm repose
Amid the world’s loud roar,
A life that like a river flows
Along a peaceful shore!

Come, Holy Spirit! still my heart
With gentleness divine;
Indwelling peace Thou canst impart;
O make the blessing mine.

Above these scenes of storm and strife
There spreads a region fair;
Give me to live that higher life,
And breathe that heavenly air.

Come, Holy Spirit! breathe that peace
That victory make me win;
Then shall my soul her conflict cease,
And find a heaven within.

Today in 1858 – Maltbie Babcock Born

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Maltbie Davenport Babcock belonged to a socially prominent family in Syracuse, New York. After graduating from university there, he took seminary training and became a Presbyterian pastor in Lockport. Later, serving a church in Baltimore, he became so popular with the students at Johns Hopkins University that the school set aside a room for his use, where he could meet with them. In his own college days, Babcock was involved in both music and athletics (baseball and swimming). Even as a pastor he tried to stay fit. Sadly, Pastor Babcock died of a bacterial infection at the age of 43, while on a trip to the Holy Land.

Babcock had definite gifts as a poet. Consider these beautiful and insightful lines:

Back of the loaf is the snowy flour,
And back of the flour the mill;
And back of the mill is the wheat and the shower,
And the sun and the Father’s will.

In Lockport, when heading out for his daily jogs, he used to say, “I’m going out to see my Father’s world.” It was that phrase that the pastor turned into a poem. From its 16 stanzas, 3 have been used for the familiar hymn, This Is My Father’s World.

Graphic Nature Scene

Deceptively simple, the hymn is carefully structured and beautifully written. The second stanza makes use of a figure of speech with the tongue-twister name onomatopoeia–which refers to using words that produce the sound being described. We can hear the hissing whisper of grass in the wind, with the repeated “s” in the line, “In the rustling grass I hear Him pass.”

The concluding stanza turns our attention from nature to the imperfections of the moral world, and to God’s final triumph over evil.

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and heav’n be one.

(2) Risen! (Data Missing)

Here is a little resurrection hymn, first published in 1903. To hear William H. Doane’s tune for Risen! check the Cyber Hymnal.

See, the seal is rudely broken!
Lo! the stone is rolled away!
Kept is every sign and token,
He is risen, angels say.

Lo, the tomb is standing open
And the Marys weeping near,
Angel tones within are spoken,
He is risen, do not fear!

Hark! the joyful tidings ringeth!
Christ hath triumphed o’er the grave!
Joy to all His followers bringeth,
Christ hath risen!—lives to save!

Today in 1941 – Anna Hoppe Died

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With only an eighth grade education, Anna Bernardine Dorothy Hoppe left school to face the working world. She got a job as a secretary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but that was not to be where she made her most lasting mark. Anna had been writing poetry since childhood, and by her mid-twenties her verses had taken on a marked devotional flavour. Today, several of her poems have been published in hymnals of the Lutheran church, set to traditional melodies.

The author said of her work, “Many of my hymns have been written on my way to and from church, and to and from work. I utilize my lunch hours for typing the hymns.” Anna also did some translation of German hymns. For example, she gave us this seventeenth-century hymn by Paul Gerhardt.

O world, see here suspended
His loving arms extended,
Thy Saviour on the cross!
The Prince of life is willing,
All righteousness fulfilling,
To suffer anguish, scorn and loss.

Graphic Manger Scene

The lovely carol, Precious Child, So Sweetly Sleeping is one of Anna Hoppe’s own songs. I tried to find a more familiar tune that could be used with it, but could discover none that exactly fit. Though the stanzas are one beat short in the fifth line, the hymn might be sung, with a slight adjustment, to Regent Square, the tune commonly used for Angels from the Realms of Glory. (You can see the entire hymn and hear the original tune on the Cyber Hymnal.)

Precious Child, so sweetly sleeping
In a virgin’s fond embrace;
Heav’nly hosts their watch are keeping
O’er Thy humble dwelling place;
Blest Messiah, newborn King,
Let my heart its tribute bring.

Promised Saviour, I adore Thee,
Son of David, Son of God!
What can mortals bring before Thee?
All is Thine on earthly sod.
Take my heart and let it be
Filled with love, dear Child, to Thee.

(2) More from Isaac Watts – Before Jehovah’s Awful Throne

In our day, the word “awful” has been given a negative connotation. It has come to mean revolting, or disgusting (as in, “Wasn’t that an awful dress Christine was wearing!). But its original meaning was awe-inspiring, and that is what Dr. Watts meant when he published his great hymn (the original version in 1706). It is based on Psalm 100.

To avoid misunderstanding, the first line is sometimes sung today as, “Before Jehovah’s awesome throne.” That is the version sung in Westminster Abbey below, in a service at the beginning of the Gulf War.

Before Jehovah’s awful throne,
Ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
Know that the Lord is God alone;
He can create, and He destroy.

His sovereign power, without our aid,
Made us of clay, and formed us men;
And when like wandering sheep we strayed,
He brought us to His fold again.

We’ll crowd Thy gates with thankful songs,
High as the heav’ns our voices raise;
And earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
Shall fill Thy courts with sounding praise.

Wide as the world is Thy command,
Vast as eternity Thy love;
Firm as a rock Thy truth must stand,
When rolling years shall cease to move.

Today in 1779 – Francis Scott Key Born

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Graphic American Flag

The name Francis Scott Key is well known to most Americans. He is the author of that country’s national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. Key’s father was an army officer who fought with distinction in the Revolutionary War. The son studied law and served three terms as district attorney for the District of Columbia.

But there was another side to the man. Francis Key was a committed Christian. He was a Sunday School teacher, and a writer of devotional verse. In 1823, he became a member of a committee charged with preparing a new hymnal for the Protestant Episcopal Church. In addition to the anthem mentioned above, Key also authored a couple of hymns that are still in use: Lord, with Glowing Heart I’d Praise Thee, and Before the Lord We Bow.

The latter (sung to the tune Darwall), is actually a strongly-worded national hymn, written for the July 4th celebration in 1832.

Before the Lord we bow, the God who reigns above,
And rules the world below, boundless in power and love.
Our thanks we bring in joy and praise,
Our hearts we raise to heav’n’s high King.

The nation Thou hast blessed may well Thy love declare,
From foes and fears at rest, protected by Thy care.
For this fair land, for this bright day,
Our thanks we pay, gifts of Thy hand.

Because it is nonspecific with regard to the details, the hymn could be used by other countries besides the United States. It says in its final stanzas:

Earth, hear thy Maker’s voice, thy great Redeemer own;
Believe, obey, rejoice, and worship Him alone.
Cast down thy pride, thy sin deplore,
And bow before the Crucified.

And when in power He comes, O may our native land,
From all its rending tombs, send forth a glorious band;
A countless throng, ever to sing
To heav’n’s high King salvation’s song.

(2) Eternal Monarch, King Most High (Data Missing)

The need to recognize the rule of God, not only as a nation, but individually–particularly as it relates to the ascended Lord Jesus Christ–is reflected in this hymn of unknown authoriship. Eternal Monarch, King Most High was translated from Latin by John Mason Neale. You can hear the tune paired with it on the Cyber Hymnal.

Eternal Monarch, King most high,
Whose blood hath brought redemption nigh,
By whom the death of Death was wrought,
And conquering grace’s battle fought.

Ascending to the throne of might,
And seated at the Father’s right,
All power in heav’n is Jesu’s own,
That here His manhood had not known.

Be Thou our joy and strong defense,
Who art our future recompense;
So shall the light that springs from Thee
Be ours through all eternity.

O risen Christ, ascended Lord,
All praise to Thee let earth accord,
Who art, while endless ages run,
With Father and with Spirit One.

Today in 1865 – Margaret Harris Born

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Mrs. Harris and her husband were gospel musicians and evangelists in the United States with the holiness movement, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Margaret Jenkins Harris was also acclaimed as an effective speaker. Two gospel hymns she wrote are still in use. One is He Took My Sins Away.

I came to Jesus, weary, worn, and sad.
He took my sins away, He took my sins away.
And now His love has made my heart so glad,
He took my sins away.

He took my sins away, He took my sins away,
And keeps me singing every day!
I’m so glad He took my sins away,
He took my sins away.

The other of Margaret Harris’s songs that I’ve heard sung recently is I Will Praise Him.

When I saw the cleansing fountain
Open wide for all my sin,
I obeyed the Spirit’s wooing,
When He said, “Wilt thou be clean?”

I will praise Him! I will praise Him!
Praise the Lamb for sinners slain;
Give Him glory, all ye people,
For His blood can wash away each stain.

(2) Today in 1889 – Horatius Bonar Died

Horatius Bonar, a pastor in Scotland, was a powerful preacher, as well as being the noted author of about 600 hymns. He was a man of great physical energy, with a powerful voice. It was not unusual for him to preach three times in his church, and once more in the open air, all in one day. He seemed to some to be always preaching. Others said he was always visiting, others that he was always writing, and still others that he was always praying. Known as the Prince of Scottish Hymn Writers, he kept a notebook in which he jotted down bits of verse as they occurred to him, often as he was travelling by railroad. His hymns include:

Go Labour on; Spend and Be Spent
Hallelujah for the Cross!
Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face
I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say
I Lay My Sins on Jesus (a hymn for children)
No Blood, No Altar, Now
No, Not Despairingly
Not What These Hands Have Done

But there is a sad peculiarity about the hymns of this good man. Beautiful, and spiritually enriching though they are, they were never sung in his own church! In the Free Church of Scotland at the time, only the Psalms were sung. Once when someone tried to introduce one of the pastor’s songs in a service, two of the elders rose up angrily and stormed out of the meeting. Yet such a closed door did not deter Bonar from writing songs that proved to be a blessing in many other churches and denominations.

A hymn published in 1846 he called The Voice from Galilee. We know it today as I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say. The first stanza is based on the promise of the Lord Jesus, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). The song celebrates the sufficiency of Christ to meet our deepest needs.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon My breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting place, and He has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one, stoop down, and drink, and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.

Several tunes are used for this hymn. John Dykes’s Vox Dilecti is common, with its dramatic shift from a minor to a major key suiting a turning point in the text. The tune for the secular ballad Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes also works well. Here is another rendition of this beautiful hymn, by a Mennonite choir, using yet another tune.

Another beautiful but lesser-known of Bonar’s hymns is Fill Thou My Life. I encourage you to check out the complete hymn on the Cyber Hymnal. It’s wonderful.

Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God,
In every part with praise,
That my whole being may proclaim
Thy being and Thy ways.
Not for the lip of praise alone,
Nor e’en the praising heart
I ask, but for a life made up
Of praise in every part!

Today in 1842 – Maxwell Cornelius Born

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The years of Mr. Cornelius’s life were dotted with difficulties. He learned the trade of bricklaying and became a building contractor in Pittsburgh. Then, an injury on the job site led to the amputation of his leg, and he saw the need to change his occupation. He went to college and became a minister of the gospel, but was forced to leave his first church in Pennsylvania due to his wife’s severe and protracted illness.

He moved to California and built a large new church there, but many who had promised to fund the project failed in business, and he was left to cover much of the cost himself. Maxwell Newton Cornelius did so, but shortly afterward his wife died. He conducted the memorial service himself, quoting the lines of what is likely the only hymn from his pen, Sometime We’ll Understand.

The song provides a wonderful statement of faith in God that looks beyond the trials of today and rests in God’s wisdom. Even when we cannot explain why something has happened we can trust in the goodness of God (Rom. 8:28). What is so often a mystery here, God’s purpose in our trials, will be made clear one day.

Not now, but in the coming years,
It may be in the better land,
We’ll read the meaning of our tears,
And there, some time, we’ll understand.

Then trust in God through all the days;
Fear not, for He doth hold thy hand;
Though dark thy way, still sing and praise,
Some time, some time we’ll understand.

God knows the way, He holds the key,
He guides us with unerring hand;
Some time with tearless eyes we’ll see;
Yes, there, up there, we’ll understand.

(2) More from Oswald Smith – Then Jesus Came

Evangelist and creationist Dr. Harry Rimmer was preaching on John chapter 11. He pictured the sorrow that darkened the home, and the sadness of Mary and Martha, when their brother Lazarus died. Suddenly, he paused, and shouted triumphantly, “Then Jesus came!”

Sitting in the audience that evening was gospel musician Homer Rodeheaver. The phrase struck him as a great theme for a song. Shortly after, he was visiting with pastor and hymn writer Oswald Smith. It was May of 1939. The musician said, “I want a hymn depicting the change that took place in the lives of men and women when Jesus came. Dr. Smith provided the text, and Rodeheaver set it to music.

One sat alone beside the highway begging,
His eyes were blind, the light he could not see;
He clutched his rags and shivered in the shadows,
Then Jesus came and bade his darkness flee.

When Jesus comes, the tempter’s pow’r is broken;
When Jesus comes, the tears are wiped away.
He takes the gloom and fills the life with glory,
For all is changed when Jesus comes to stay.

The song became an oft-repeated solo of George Beverly Shea’s. If you can find it on YouTube, you may be impressed, as I have been, with not only his technical mastery of singing technique but his ability to present a message in song in a sincere and unaffected way. Missing are the frequent theatrical grimaces and the posturing that are the bad habit of many contemporary gospel singers.

Today in 1866 – Thomas Chisholm Born

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Thomas Obediah Chisholm was born in Kentucky, and educated in a country schoolhouse–where he himself became the teacher at the age of 16! For a while, he worked as a reporter and the associate editor of a newspaper in Louisville. Then, after becoming a Christian, Chisholm became a pastor, but ill health soon forced his resignation. For most of his adult life he worked as an insurance salesman. He died on February 29th of 1960 (a leap year).

A humble man, Tom Chisholm sometimes described himself as “just an old shoe,” but he blessed the Christian community again and again with his writing–over 1200 poems and hymns in all. Among the best known of the latter are:

Great Is Thy Faithfulness
He Was Wounded for Our Transgressions
Living for Jesus
O to Be Like Thee
Trust in the Lord

Great Is Thy Faithfulness was written in 1923, and it soon became the unofficial school hymn of Moody Bible Institute, in Chicago. The theme is based on the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lam. 3:22-23).

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Chisholm’s hymn Trust in the Lord is loosely based on Prov. 3:5-6. It says,

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
This is God’s gracious command;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
So shall you dwell in the land.

Trust in the Lord, O troubled soul,
Rest in the arms of His care;
Whatever your lot, it mattereth not,
For nothing can trouble you there;
Trust in the Lord, O troubled soul,
Nothing can trouble you there.

(2) Today in 1957 – William Runyan Died

William Marion Runyan was a pastor and evangelist, with an outstanding musical gift. (He served as a church organist at the age of 12!) Among his work on other songs, Runyan supplied the tune for Chisholm’s Great Is Thy Faithfulness, and for God Hath Not Promised, a poem of Annie Johnson Flint’s. He also wrote words and music for some hymns, such as Lord, I Have Shut the Door, a great prayer hymn that emphasizes the need for personal fellowship with God.

Lord, I have shut the door, speak now the word
Which in the din and throng could not be heard;
Hushed now my inner heart, whisper Thy will,
While I have come apart, while all is still.

Today in 1750 – Johann Sebastian Bach Died

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Bach is universally considered one of the greatest composers who ever lived. Some say he ranks above all the rest. Certainly, he was the greatest composer of church music, and an ardent Christian himself. He was the most gifted organist of his day, and composed a great deal of music for the organ, as well as many orchestral works. Also, his sacred music includes the unparalleled St. Matthew Passion, and over 200 cantatas.

Bach said, “Music’s only purpose should be for the glory of God and the recreation of the human spirit.” That is worth pondering. It parallels the two-dimensional description the Lord Jesus gave of “the great commandment:” love God, and love others (Matt. 22:35-40). How much music in the world today would be cast aside if we would ask, Does this truly glorify God? And is it wholesome and edifying to me and others?

The great composer sensed his need of God in his work, and relied upon divine enablement. Bach said, “Where there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence.” As he took up a blank manuscript sheet to begin writing music notation, he frequently put “J.J.” at the top of the page, standing for Jesu Juva, “Help me, Jesus.” And at the bottom of the manuscript he would add “S.D.G.” representing Soli Deo Gloria, “To God alone the glory.”

Some tunes for hymns were taken from Bach’s works. For example, the tune Green Fields is used for John Newton’s How Tedious and Tasteless the Hours. Or the tunes were arrangements of the music of others, harmonized by Bach for use with a hymn. The most familiar example of the latter is the tune Passion Chorale, used with the hymn O Sacred Head Now Wounded.

Bach wrote the music for Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring to accompany the original German text by Martin Janus. (And incidentally, the last line of the first stanza is not speaking of actual death. It is describing poetically the flight of worshipers around the throne of God. The thought is that they rise and fall, like the glittering waters of a fountain, in their ceaseless circling of the throne.)

Jesu, joy of man’s desiring,
Holy wisdom, love most bright;
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned,
With the fire of life impassioned,
Striving still to truth unknown,
Soaring, dying round Thy throne.

Through the way where hope is guiding,
Hark, what peaceful music rings;
Where the flock, in Thee confiding,
Drink of joy from deathless springs.
Theirs is beauty’s fairest pleasure;
Theirs is wisdom’s holiest treasure.
Thou dost ever lead Thine own
In the love of joys unknown.

Bach was troubled with cataracts in his latter years, and two surgeries failed to restore his sight. His latter days were spent in almost total blindness. But he continued to compose to the end. At the age of 65, on his deathbed, he dictated his last piece of music, a chorale entitled, Before Thy Throne I Now Appear.

(2) Today in 1857 – Ballington Booth Born

Ballington Booth was the son of Salvation Army founder William Booth. He headed up the Salvation Army, first in Australia (1885-1887), then in America (1887-1896). In the latter years, he broke with his father’s organization and founded the Volunteers of America. The only hymn of his in wide use today is The Cross Is Not Greater, using the cross as a symbol of the believer’s suffering and sacrifice for the cause of Christ (cf. Matt. 16:24).

The cross that He gave may be heavy,
But it ne’er outweighs His grace;
The storm that I feared may surround me,
But it ne’er excludes His face.

The cross is not greater than His grace,
The storm cannot hide His blessèd face;
I am satisfied to know
That with Jesus here below,
I can conquer every foe.

(3) Today in 1894 – Jesse White Died

Jesse Tom White, a lifelong Baptist layman, was a composer and arranger of music for The Sacred Harp hymn book. He is credited with writing the tune sometimes called All Is Well which first appeared in The Sacred Harp in 1844. The Mormons adopted the melody for their signature hymn Come, Come, Ye Saints, speaking of the group’s search, under the leadership of Brigham Young, for a place to build a community of their own in America, where they could follow their beliefs.

We’ll find a place which God for us prepared
Far away, in the West,
Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;
There the saints will be blessed.

Most of the lyrics, however, could apply to a spiritual pilgrimage, and the hymn has been adapted at least a couple of times for orthodox Christian use. Avis B. Christiansen used some of the first stanza of the original, but almost entirely rewrote the rest of the song. In her lovely version, the stanza above begins:

God hath prepared a glorious home above
Round His throne, for His own,
Where they may rest forever in His love,
Toil and tears all unknown.

Today in 1741 – Francois Barthelemon Born

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Francois Hippolyte Barthelemon was a violinist, orchestra conductor, and composer. Though born in France, his mother was from a wealthy Irish family. Barthelemon served briefly in the Irish army, but left to study music. He lived in London from 1764 onward and was an associate of composer Franz Joseph Haydn. He wrote operas, symphonies, violin sonatas and one oratorio, as well as some hymn tunes.

Barthelemon was asked to write a tune for the hymn Awake, My Soul, and With the Sun and produced a tune called Morning Hymn for the purpose. It is worth a listen, though I like the tune Mainzer as well. (You can hear both on the Cyber Hymnal.)

The composer wrote the tune Autumn in 1785, used with Robert Robinson’s wonderful hymn Mighty God While Angels Bless Thee. Though many congregations know only Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing from Robinson’s pen, the latter is a marvellous hymn of worship, especially focusing on Christ in the latter stanzas.

Mighty God, while angels bless Thee,
May a mortal sing Thy name?
Lord of men as well as angels,
Thou art every creature’s theme.
Lord of every land and nation,
Ancient of eternal days.
Sounded through the wide creation
Be Thy just and endless praise.

For the grandeur of Thy nature,
Grand beyond a seraph’s thought;
For the wonders of creation,
Works with skill and kindness wrought.
For Thy providence, that governs,
Through Thine empire’s wide domain,
Wings an angel, guides a sparrow,
Blessèd be Thy gentle reign.

For Thy rich, Thy free redemption,
Bright, though veiled in darkness long,
Thought is poor, and poor expression;
Who can sing that wondrous song?
Brightness of the Father’s glory,
Shall Thy praise unuttered lie?
Break, my tongue, such guilty silence!
Sing the Lord Who came to die.

Graphic WW1 Red Cross

(2) Today in 1861 – Cyrus Nusbaum Born

Cyrus Sylvester Nusbaum was a pastor who also served the Lord with his Methodist denomination as an evangelist, and for a time he worked in an administrative role at Southwestern College in Kansas. An American army captain during the First World War, he was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to inspect the work of the Red Cross in France.

Only a single hymn is credited to Cyrus Nusbaum, His Way with Thee, for which he wrote both words and music. It was written during his early struggles in pastoral ministry. He was assigned to an extremely poor district, and he and his wife had difficulty making ends meet. He hoped and prayed that he might be appointed to a better situation, but the denominational leaders left him where he was. Pastor Nusbaum confesses:

I was very unhappy and a spirit of rebellion seemed to possess me. About midnight, I finally knelt in prayer beside my chair. After some struggle, a deep peace came stealing into my heart. I told the Lord I would be willing to let Him have His way with me, regardless of the cost. With that feeling of surrender to the will of God came the inspiration for the song.

It is a hymn encouraging surrender to the will and power of the Lord. As well as saying, “Your will be done on earth” (Matt. 6:10), we need to say, “Your will be done in me.” Romans puts it this way: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God [because of all the Lord has done for you], that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). (You can see the complete hymn on the Cyber Hymnal.)

Would you live for Jesus, and be always pure and good?
Would you walk with Him within the narrow road?
Would you have Him bear your burden, carry all your load?
Let Him have His way with thee.

His power can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
’Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.

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