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Hymns

Today in 1823 – Godfrey Thring Born

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Godfrey Thring grew up in an English home, severely disciplined as a child. His father wanted him to have a career in the military, but a strong-willed mother pushed him into training to serve in the Anglican Church. He did become a clergyman, and though he seemed ill-suited to the role in some ways, he discharged his duties faithfully in a succession of churches.

Thring is remembered today chiefly as an author, editor and compiler of hymns. It is said his Church of England Hymn Book set a higher literary standard than anything else available at the time. Among the dozens of hymns he produced is God of Mercy, God of Might.

O God of mercy, God of might,
In love and pity infinite,
Teach us, as ever in Thy sight,
To live our life to Thee.

And Thou who cam’st on earth to die,
That fallen man might live thereby,
O hear us, for to Thee we cry
In hope, O Lord, to Thee.

And may Thy Holy Spirit move
All those who live, to live in love,
Till Thou shalt greet in heaven above
All those who live to Thee.

Godfrey Thring also added several stanzas to Matthew Bridges hymn Crown Him with Many Crowns. Thring contributed:

Crown Him the Son of God, before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where He hath trod, crown Him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known that wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own, that all in Him may rest.

Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed o’er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.

(2) Today in 1843 – Robert McCheyne Died

More than 150 years ago, there lived in Scotland a famed preacher named Robert Murray McCheyne. Though he died prematurely at 29 years of age,  McCheyne had a powerful impact on the Church of Scotland. In his brief years of ministry, he worked as a pastor and an evangelist, produced several books, and he wrote a number of hymns. In 1839, he went to Palestine to check on the possibility of his denomination launching missionary work among the Jews. Pastor McCheyne’s several hymns were published after his death in a book with the imposing title Songs of Zion to Cheer and Guide Pilgrims on Their Way to the New Jerusalem!

One of these songs was a fine hymn called Jehovah Tsidkenu (or, I Once Was a Stranger). Tsidkenu (pronounced sid-KAY-noo) is a Hebrew word meaning righteousness. It is used in a title for the promised Messiah. The prophet Jeremiah predicts a day when the Lord would raise to David a branch (that is, one of his own family) who would reign as a King and have the title “the Lord our Righteousness [or Jehovah Tsidkenu]” (Jer. 23:5-6).

The thrust of McCheyne’s hymn is that, in his blindness, spiritual truth is meaningless to the lost sinner. Unless God awakens his conscience to view Christ and His saving work in a new way, his response will likely be “Who cares?” But by the Spirit’s prompting and transforming power, all that changes.

I once was a stranger to grace and to God,
I knew not my danger, and felt not my load;
Though friends spoke in rapture of Christ on the tree,
Jehovah Tsidkenu was nothing to me.

When free grace awoke me, by light from on high,
Then legal fears shook me, I trembled to die;
No refuge, no safety in self could I see–
Jehovah Tsidkenu my Saviour must be.

My terrors all vanished before the sweet name;
My guilty fears banished, with boldness I came
To drink at the fountain, life giving and free–
Jehovah Tsidkenu is all things to me.

Today in 1820 – Fanny Crosby Born

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Graphic Fanny Crosby Birthplace

Frances Jane Crosby was born in Putnam County, New York, and her birthplace is pictured here. She would live for 95 years, and have a wide and influential ministry for the Lord, in spite of her blindness. (She would be more likely to say “because of my blindness,” believing it had been the means of focusing her attention more on things eternal.) For some interesting information about Fanny’s death, see the second item under Today in 1894.

How can we do justice to the unparalleled output of this amazing hymn writer? It is simply impossible even to list her thousands of songs. The Cyber Hymnal currently lists 780 of them, but even that just scratches the surface.

There is the jubilant Praise Him, Praise Him:

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessèd Redeemer!
Sing, O earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honour give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long:

Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessèd Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled, and died.
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong.

And the heartfelt ‘Tis the Blessed Hour of Prayer:

’Tis the blessèd hour of prayer, when our hearts lowly bend,
And we gather to Jesus, our Saviour and Friend;
If we come to Him in faith, His protection to share,
What a balm for the weary, O how sweet to be there!

Blessèd hour of prayer, blessèd hour of prayer,
What a balm for the weary, O how sweet to be there!

’Tis the blessèd hour of prayer, when the Saviour draws near,
With a tender compassion His children to hear;
When He tells us we may cast at His feet every care,
What a balm for the weary, O how sweet to be there!

And Rescue the Perishing, which has been called the greatest missionary hymn written in America. Of the writing of it, Fanny says:

As I was addressing a large company of working men one hot August evening, the thought kept forcing itself upon my mind that some mother’s boy must be rescued that very night or perhaps not at all. So I requested that, if there was any boy present, who had wandered away from mother’s teaching, he would come to the platform at the conclusion of the service. A young man of eighteen came forward and said, “Did you mean me? I have promised my mother to meet her in heaven; but as I am now living that will be impossible.” We prayed for him; he finally arose with a new light in his eyes; and exclaimed triumphantly, “Now, I can meet mother in heaven; for I have found her God.”

A few days before, Mr. Doane had sent me the subject “Rescue the Perishing,” and while I sat there that evening the line came to me, “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying.” I could think of nothing else that night. When I arrived it my home I went to work on it at once; and before I retired the entire hymn was ready for a melody. The next day my words were written and forwarded to Mr. Doane, who wrote the beautiful and touching music as it now stands.

That was in 1869. Fully 34 years later, the man who had come to the Saviour that night introduced himself to Fanny Crosby, and said he was still going on with the Lord.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;
He will forgive if they only believe.

This quartet version of Fanny Crosby’s hymn is a bit ragged with cut-offs in spots, and the song would have benefited from some variety (a unison verse, a solo, some variation of the harmony in a stanza, etc.), but I’m sure the song was sincerely sung, and the group has possibilities.

Graphic Snow2

(2) Today in 1839 – Eden Latta Born

Eden Reeder Latta was a boyhood friend of hymn writer William Ogden. He taught school for a time in Iowa, and wrote over 1,600 songs and hymns. Among the hymns he has given us is Whiter Than the Snow.

For some years in the 1940’s, my father directed the Dayspring Male Quartet, that had its own weekly radio program out of Station CHML, in Hamilton, Ontario. Then, in the 1950’s my father was asked to train a quartet to accompany Canadian evangelist Barry Moore on a time of ministry in Europe with Youth for Christ. They sang (and recorded) Mr. Latta’s gospel song Whiter Than the Snow.

Blessèd be the fountain of blood,
To a world of sinners revealed;
Blessèd be the dear Son of God;
Only by His stripes we are healed.
Though I’ve wandered far from His fold,
Bringing to my heart pain and woe,
Wash me in the blood of the Lamb,
And I shall be whiter than snow.

Whiter than the snow,
Whiter than the snow,
Wash me in the blood of the Lamb,
And I shall be whiter than snow.

Father, I have wandered from Thee,
Often has my heart gone astray;
Crimson do my sins seem to me—
Water cannot wash them away.
Jesus, to the fountain of Thine,
Leaning on Thy promise, I go;
Cleanse me by Thy washing divine,
And I shall be whiter than snow.

In March of 1799 – Thomas Olivers Died

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We know that Thomas Olivers died in March of 1799, but historians are unsure of the precise date. (Likewise, the date of his birth remains obscure.) However, I did want to include him and his wonderful hymn.

Thomas Olivers’ parents died when he was only 4 years old. He was apprenticed in time to a shoemaker, got in with some rough companions, and led an immoral and profligate life. Today he might be described as a juvenile delinquent, and he was notorious in town. But one day he heard George Whitefield preach on Zech. 3:2, which tells us:

The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”

It is a reference to the God’s preservation of Israel, and His deliverance of the people from the Babylonian Captivity. Whitefield apparently applied it to the Lord’s desire to rescue lost sinners, brands to be plucked from the fire. Olivers heard and responded, trusting Christ as his Saviour, and his life was miraculously transformed.

John Wesley later recognized how gifted the young man was, and engaged him as a Methodist evangelist. He preached the gospel boldly, in spite of some violent opposition, traveling over 100,000 miles on horseback, in England and Ireland, during 25 years of fruitful ministry.

Thomas Olivers also wrote a number of hymns, though only one remains in common use. Critics have judged it to be one of the finest in the English language, and it has an unusual background. Mr. Olivers was visiting in the home of hymn writer John Bakewell around 1770, when he attended a service at a synagogue in London, and heard a Jewish cantor named Meyer Lyon (also called Leoni) sing the Yigdal, a Hebrew doxology. (It is quite possible that Jesus Himself sang this melody.) Olivers was so impressed with it he decided to use it for a hymn that expressed Christian truth, also emphasizing its connection with Judaism. He called the result A Hymn to the God of Abraham.

The song is loaded with Bible references and allusions. It is worth reading through all 12 stanzas of this great hymn (see The God of Abraham Praise in the Cyber Hymnal). Below are three of Olivers’ stanzas. Note the remarkable statement in the third, “He calls a worm His friend”! It is an expression the Lord also uses of the nation of Israel:

“Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you,” says the Lord and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. (Isa. 41:4)

Though believers today may balk at calling themselves “worms,” it aptly describes lost sinners as both weak and despised. (Olivers no doubt remembered his early years, and he knew what he was!) There is nothing worthy in any of us by which we merit salvation. Nor have we the power to save ourselves. It is all by what the hymn writer calls God’s “all sufficient grace.”

The God of Abraham praise, who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of everlasting days, and God of love;
Jehovah, great I AM! by earth and heav’n confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name forever blessed.

The God of Abraham praise, at whose supreme command
From earth I rise–and seek the joys at His right hand;
I all on earth forsake, its wisdom, fame, and power;
And Him my only portion make, my Shield and Tower.

The God of Abraham praise, whose all sufficient grace
Shall guide me all my happy days, in all my ways.
He calls a worm His friend, He calls Himself my God!
And He shall save me to the end, through Jesus’ blood.

(2) James Proctor (Data Missing)

James Proctor is another individual for whom we have no definite dates, though we know he lived in the latter part of the nineteenth century. And Jim was an atheist for most of his life. Though he had early Christian training–had even attended Sunday school–he turned his back on it all in his teen years. Reading many books written by atheists and agnostics convinced him that religion was not for him. He became the president of the Free Thinkers Society, in Manchester, England, and continued to speak out against Christ and the gospel.

Mr. Procter even wrote some lines of poetry, mocking Christianity. They reveal his troubled heart, along with his continuing refusal to consider Christ as the answer. The poem begins:

I’ve tried in vain a thousand ways
My fears to quell, my hopes to raise.
But what I need, the Bible says,
Is ever, only Jesus.

But it was written sarcastically. He didn’t believe that, and sneered at the weak-minded fools who did–until something happened.

Jim Procter took seriously ill. He was sure he was going to die, and the thought of facing eternity filled him with agonizing dread. As with many before him, that terrible foreboding finally drove him to the cross. He asked his sister to send for a minister of the gospel. The pastor came to his bedside and faithfully presented the gospel, with the result that the sick man trusted Christ as his Saviour. A short time later, he began a slow recovery.

One day, his sister was sitting by his bedside, and he asked her to open the drawer of his bureau and take out a piece of paper–the poem just described. Jim told her he wanted to finish it, to dictate two more verses for her to write down. With great excitement her brother expressed his newfound faith with these words:

He died, He lives, He reigns, He pleads;
There’s love in all His words and deeds–
There’s all a guilty sinner needs
Forevermore in Jesus.

Though some should sneer, and some should blame,
I’ll go with all my guilt and shame;
I’ll go to Him because His name,
Above all names, is Jesus.

Mr. Procter’s sister attended an R. A. Torrey evangelistic meeting in Manchester, in November of 1903. There she gave the text of her brother’s poem to the evangelist’s associate, hymn writer Robert Harkness (1880-1961), explaining the remarkable circumstances that led to its creation. He thanked her, and soon after wrote some music to go with it, calling the little song, In Jesus. This is surely the only hymn written from two completely different points of view, a testimony from an atheist, who later became a Christian.

Today in 1819 – Joseph Webster Born

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Joseph Philbrick Webster was born in Manchester, New York. He studied music under Lowell Mason, and was skilled in playing the flute, violin and piano. In addition to giving music lessons, Webster directed a quartet, and wrote over a thousand secular ballads and hymns. The most popular of the former was Lorena, for which Webster wrote the tune. A song about a lost love, it was popular during the Civil War.

The years creep slowly by, Lorena,
The snow is on the grass again.

During the latter years of his life, Joseph Webster lived in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Of his hymns and gospel songs, the only one that is still in use is Sweet By and By, for which Webster again wrote a tune for Sanford Bennett’s text.

There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way
To prepare us a dwelling place there.

In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.

Here is a rendering of the Bennett/Webster song, sung as a congregational hymn, without accompaniment. Just lovely! Wouldn’t you be delighted to have parts-singing like this in your church? (If you do, God is greatly blessing you!)

(2) Today in 1836 – Edgar Stites Born

Edgar Page Stites was a direct descendant of John Howland, who came to America on the Mayflower. He served in the Civil War, and then became a pilot on the Delaware River. He was licensed to preach by the Methodist denomination and for a time served as a missionary in Dakota. Mr. Stites was the cousin of hymn writer Eliza Hewitt, and he wrote a number of hymns himself, including Trusting Jesus, and Beulah Land.

The word “Beulah” is Hebrew for married, and it is found in Isa. 62:4, which says:

You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah [beloved of the Lord], and your land Beulah; For the LORD delights in you, And your land shall be married.

The text refers prophetically to the special relationship the nation of Israel will have with Jehovah God in Christ’s coming Kingdom, and the tender affection He has for her. In the New Testament, the comparison of the marriage relationship to that between Christ and His church (II Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25) provides a similar assurance. For Edgar Stites, the image of Israel’s place of blessing paralleled the joy of his own fellowship with the Lord.

I’ve reached the land of corn and wine,
And all its riches freely mine;
Here shines undimmed one blissful day,
For all my night has passed away.

O Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land,
As on thy highest mount I stand,
I look away across the sea,
Where mansions are prepared for me,
And view the shining glory shore,
My heav’n, my home forever more!

My Saviour comes and walks with me,
And sweet communion here have we;
He gently leads me by His hand,
For this is heaven’s border land.

Today in 1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach Born

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Graphic J S Bach

A sincere Christian, Johann Sebastian Bach declared his life’s purpose to be the creation of “well-regulated church music to the glory of God.” And he went further, saying that, in his view, “Music’s only purpose should be for the glory of God and the recreation of the human spirit.” (Worth thinking about!)

Bach is recognized today as one of the greatest, and most prolific, composers who ever lived. When all of his musical scores were collected, the result filled 60 volumes! The works included chorales, cantatas, masses, oratorios, passions, concerti, and solo pieces for almost every musical instrument. Composer Richard Wagner praised his productivity as “the most stupendous miracle in all music.”

Given all this, it may be a shock to learn that Bach died in relative obscurity in 1750. Only ten of his compositions had been published during his lifetime, and he was buried in an unmarked grave. It would take generations of musicians, who latter poured over his manuscripts, to give him the high place that is his due.

Bach came from a musical family. More than 50 musicians bearing that last name are recognized now. But Johann Sebastian Bach far outstripped them all. Early on, he developed into a fine singer, and demonstrated ability to play the violin and other instruments. But in his own time he was known chiefly as a master of the organ. Once, when praised for his wonderful organ playing, he turned aside the compliment with humour, saying, “There is nothing very wonderful about it. You have only to hit the right notes at the right moment and the instrument does the rest!”

Dozens of hymn tunes have been adapted from Bach’s compositions, or he himself arranged and harmonized the music of others to serve that purpose. (The Cyber Hymnal lists 30 tunes.) To make use of the text of Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring at the end of one of his cantatas, Bach arranged a tune by Johann Schop, creating a sublime piece of music. It seems to echo the prophecy of the martyred Tribulation saints in heaven:

They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Rev. 7:16-17).

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.

The following video provides a beautiful rendition of this soaring hymn–though the recording is clipped a little too tightly at the beginning and end.

Bach’s last work, dictated from his deathbed, seems a fitting conclusion to his life. It is entitled Before Thy Throne I Come.

(2) Today in 1748 – John Newton Converted

The process by which the great pastor and hymn writer John Newton came to Christ took several days, beginning with a fearful conviction of sin on March 10th. Still later came the dawning of his understanding that the slave trade in which he had been involved was wrong.

There are many gems in Newton’s 280 hymns that are unknown and unused today. (For a thought-provoking hymn on the Christian life, see I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow. And consider the testimony song How Lost Was My Condition:

How lost was my condition
Till Jesus made me whole!
There is but one Physician
Can cure a sin-sick soul.
Next door to death He found me,
And snatched me from the grave;
To tell to all around me
His wondrous power to save.

A dying, risen Jesus,
Seen by the eyes of faith,
At once from danger frees us,
And saves the soul from death.
Come then to this Physician,
His help He’ll freely give;
He makes no hard condition,
‘Tis only look and live.

(3) Today in 1894 – Lance Latham Born

Lance Brenton Latham was a musical prodigy. He started taking piano lessons at the age of 3, and was soon able to play anything in the hymn book from memory, when his mother called out the page number! As a gospel musician, he gave many piano concerts. (I heard him myself, in his old age.)  As well as the lasting contribution he made to children’s ministry as the founding father of the Awana Youth Association, Mr. Latham has given us the music for Blessed Calvary.

I look at the cross upon Calvary,
And oh, what a wonder divine,
To think of the wealth it holds for me—
The riches of heaven are mine.

Blessèd Calvary! Precious Calvary!
’Neath thy shadow I’ll ever abide.
Blessèd Calvary! Precious Calvary!
’Twas there Jesus suffered and died.

Today in 1861 – Charles Tillman Born

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Among other things, Charles Davis Tillman was an evangelist, a gospel composer and soloist, and a music publisher. He was the first to publish the song Old Time Religion, after he heard African Americans singing it at a camp meeting in South Carolina. The refrain for the song has gone through some changes since the earliest version, which was:

Oh! This old-time religion,
This old-time religion,
This old-time religion,
It’s good enough for me.

This became in Tillman’s hands, “‘Tis the old-time religion,” and later still the refrain became the rather demanding (and rude?), “Gimme that ol’ time religion.” In the song, this refrain in each case is followed by simple stanzas such as:

It was good for our mothers…

Makes me love everybody…

It will take us all to heaven…

Though it says little, the repetitious song is important because it marks an early blending of traditional spirituals with gospel music that eventually became the genre Southern Gospel.

The following version of the song requires a bit of explanation. It comes from a scene in the award-winning motion picture, Sergeant York, the true story of the amazing exploits of World War I hero, Alvin York. (All the more incredible given that Mr. York was a pacifist and didn’t want to fight!) This remarkable man (played in the film by Gary Cooper) was a drunkard and a hell-raiser in the hills of Tennessee, until the Lord got hold of his life. I believe he was genuinely converted, and later in life he did a lot of good with the notoriety he’d gained. The film is well worth seeing.

Charles Tillman also wrote the music for Life’s Railway to Heaven. Another hymn for which he wrote the melody, Ready, is still found in a number of books. (Some credit the text to Mr. Tillman himself, others to A. C. Palmer, but it seems the author is uncertain. The letters S.E.L. or Sel. found in some books don’t signify a person’s name, but stand for “Selected”–another way of indicating Anonymous, or Author Unknown.)

Ready to suffer grief or pain,
Ready to stand the test,
Ready to stay at home and send
Others if He sees best.

Ready to go, ready to stay,
Ready my place to fill,
Ready for service, lowly or great,
Ready to do His will.

Ready to speak, ready to warn,
Ready o’er souls to yearn,
Ready in life, ready in death,
Ready for His return.

(2) Today in 1870 – May Moody Born

Moment by Moment organ

May Whittle Moody was the daughter of evangelist and gospel song writer Daniel Whittle, and the wife of evangelist Dwight L. Moody’s son William. She attended the Royal Academy of Music, in London, and later assisted both her father and D. L. Moody in their evangelistic work. She also worked as a gospel song book editor, with Charles Alexander.

May wrote the tune for her father’s song, Moment by Moment. The music was composed on the little organ pictured here. I photographed it myself on a visit to Moody Bible Institute some years ago. (That’s Mrs. Moody’s picture on the wall above the organ.)

Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.

Today in 1710 – Thomas Ken Died

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Thomas Ken was a clergyman in the Anglican Church, serving briefly as chaplain of the royal court and of the British fleet. He became a bishop in 1685, and was one of several imprisoned in the Tower of London for refusing to sign a Declaration of Indulgence that Charles II hoped would restore Catholicism to England. Ken was later acquitted. The year of his death is disputed. Historian John Julian lists it as either 1710 or 1711.

In 1674, Thomas Ken published a Manual of Prayers for the students of Winchester College, a boys’ school he himself had attended. In the manual, among other selections, were the author’s beautiful Morning Hymn and Evening Hymn. During Ken’s time, the Church of England used only the Psalms for congregational singing. For that reason, he stipulated the hymns in his manual were strictly for use in private devotions. It is ironic, therefore, that both hymns end with what we now know as the Doxology, which has likely been sung more times, by more congregations in Christendom, than any other hymn!

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Thomas Ken’s Morning Hymn says, in part:

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise,
To pay thy morning sacrifice.

Direct, control, suggest, this day,
All I design, or do, or say,
That all my powers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite.

And his Evening Hymn fittingly ends the day with:

All praise to Thee, my God, this night,
For all the blessings of the light!
Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,
Beneath Thine own almighty wings.

Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,
The ill that I this day have done,
That with the world, myself, and Thee,
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

(2) Today in 1935 – May Stephens Died

May Agnew Stephens was born in Kingston, Ontario, in 1865. She joined the Salvation Army and served in New York, helping to edit their War Cry magazine, and training staff in their Candidates Department. Around 1897, she began serving as a pianist and song leader at Albert Simpson’s Gospel Tabernacle. In 1902, she married Harold Stephens, who later became the pastor of Parkdale Alliance Tabernacle in Toronto. For about 20 years, she and her husband were traveling evangelists in Canada, the United States, and Britain.

In 1903, Mrs. Stephens produced one of her several gospel songs, called Never Thirst Again, (or sometimes, What! Never Thirst Again? using the first line of the refrain). It takes its inspiration from the words of the Lord Jesus to the Samaritan woman who came to get water at Jacob’s well, in Sychar (Jn. 4:5-6). (A Greek Orthodox Monastery has been built over it now. Jacob’s well is seen in the photograph. It is about 125 feet deep, and still produces water.)

Jesus said:

“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but 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. 4:13-14)

There flows from Calvary a stream
For every sinner’s pain,
And he that drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never thirst again.

What! never thirst again?
No, never thirst again;
What! never thirst again?
No, never thirst again,
For he that drinketh, Jesus said,
Shall never, never thirst again.

Earth’s fountains fair but mock our souls,
Like desert phantoms lure,
And they that drink, the fainter grow,
The keener thirst endure.

Today in 1805 – George Bethune Born

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George Washington Bethune was a Dutch Reformed pastor in the United States. When he was 45, he was offered the post of chancellor of New York University, and then the provostship of the University of Pennsylvania, both of which he turned down, declaring that he had been “called to the ministry.” He wrote a number of books, and quite a few hymns, but only There Is No Name So Sweet on Earth remains in use.

There is no name so sweet on earth,
No name so sweet in heaven,
The name, before His wondrous birth
To Christ the Saviour given.

We love to sing of Christ our King,
And hail Him, blessèd Jesus;
For there’s no word ear ever heard
So dear, so sweet as “Jesus.”

So now, upon His Father’s throne,
Almighty to release us
From sin and pain, He gladly reigns,
The Prince and Saviour, Jesus.

(2) Today in 1819 – John Bakewell Died

We know that preacher and hymn writer John Bakewell trusted Christ as his Saviour at the age of 19, but of his earlier life little is recorded. When he moved to London, he became a friend of John and Charles Wesley, and of Augustus Toplady (author of Rock of Ages). John Wesley dined in his home on Bakewell’s wedding day, and was given a tour of the house. Wesley’s stern evaluation, “Fine enough, in all conscience, for a Methodist!” John Bakewell was licenced to preach by the Methodists, and proclaimed the Word of God for about 70 years, dying at the advanced age of 98.

Only one of Mr. Bakewell’s several hymns remains in common use, Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus. The hymn was later revised by Augustus Toplady to bring it into conformity with Calvinist doctrine. What we have now is the combined work of Bakewell, Toplady and a man named Martin Madan.

Hail, Thou once despisèd Jesus! Hail, Thou Galilean King!
Thou didst suffer to release us; Thou didst free salvation bring.
Hail, Thou universal Saviour, who hast borne our sin and shame!
By Thy merits we find favour; life is given through Thy name.

Jesus, hail! enthroned in glory, there forever to abide;
All the heavenly hosts adore Thee, seated at Thy Father’s side.
There for sinners Thou art pleading; there Thou dost our place prepare;
Thou for saints art interceding till in glory they appear.

(3) Today in 1831 – Robert Walmsley Born

Englishman Robert Walmsley was a jeweler by profession, but he also wrote some hymns. As a Christian layman he was connected for 28 years with the Manchester Sunday School Union, and many of his hymns were written for the annual Whitsuntide Festival (Whitsunday recognizes Pentecost and the birth of the church). The one hymn that remains of Walmsley’s is Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love.

Come, let us sing of a wonderful love,
Tender and true, tender and true,
Out of the heart of the Father above,
Streaming to me and to you:
Wonderful love, wonderful love,
Dwells in the heart of the Father above.

Jesus the Saviour this gospel to tell
Joyfully came, joyfully came,
Came with the helpless and hopeless to dwell,
Sharing their sorrow and shame:
Seeking the lost, seeking the lost,
Saving, redeeming at measureless cost.

Today in 1842 – Hannah Burlingham Born

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Hannah Kilham Burlingham was raised in a Quaker home in England, but she joined the Plymouth Brethren in her early twenties. Many of her religious poems and translations appeared in the British Herald. The Cyber Hymnal lists over 40 hymns that came from her pen, but only one has remained in current use, I’m Waiting for Thee. It is a plaintive and lovely little song set to George Root’s tune Jewels (also used with the children’s hymn When He Cometh).

I’m waiting for Thee, Lord,
Thy beauty to see, Lord;
I’m waiting for Thee—
For Thy coming again.
Thou’rt gone over there, Lord,
A place to prepare, Lord,
Thy home I shall share
At Thy coming again.

’Mid danger and fear, Lord,
I’m oft weary here, Lord,
The day must be near of
Thy coming again.
’Tis all sunshine there, Lord,
No sighing nor care, Lord,
But glory so fair
At Thy coming again.

(2) Today in 1864 – Something for Thee published

American Baptist pastor Sylvanus Dryden Phelps (1816-1895) served churches in Connecticut and Rhode Island. He wrote several hymns, but only one, Something for Thee (also known as Saviour, Thy Dying Love) is still in use. Robert Lowry wrote the tune for this hymn, and he said concerning the text:

It is worth living 70 years, even if nothing comes of it but one such hymn….Happy is the man who can produce one song which the world will keep singing after the author shall have passed away. May the tuneful harp preserve its strings for many a long year yet, and the last note reach us only when it is time for the singer to take his place in the heavenly choir.

Phelps was 46 at the time, and Lowry was 36, so the latter seems to be making a general reference to the Bible’s “three-score and ten” (Ps. 90:10), and the productivity of one’s lifetime. Whether or not we would go to Mr. Lowry’s heights of praise, it is a fine hymn.

Saviour, Thy dying love Thou gavest me.
Nor should I aught withhold, dear Lord, from Thee.
In love my soul would bow, my heart fulfil its vow,
Some offering bring Thee now, something for Thee.

Give me a faithful heart, likeness to Thee.
That each departing day henceforth may see
Some work of love begun, some deed of kindness done,
Some wanderer sought and won, something for Thee.

Today in 1621 – Georg Neumark Born

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Georg Newmark was a German poet who, through many hardships, attained an education and in 1652 was appointed court poet, librarian and registrar to the Duke of Weimar. He produced 34 hymns, many written during times of great suffering. That gives a special poignancy and spiritual meaning to his hymn, If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee.

If thou but suffer God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He’ll give thee strength, whate’er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trust in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the rock that naught can move.

Nor think amid the fiery trial
That God hath cast thee off unheard,
That he whose hopes meet no denial
Must surely be of God preferred.
Time passes and much change doth bring
And set a bound to everything.

Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,
Perform thy duties faithfully,
And trust His Word: though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed. 

(2) Today in 1820 – Mary Kidder Born

We must be certain that, when we are called to stand before the Lord, our names will be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev. 20:15; 21:27). That issue concerned Mary Kidder years ago. Born Mary Ann Pepper, it is said she was blinded in her teens, but slowly recovered her sight. And she lived most of her life in New York City. We know little more about her, except that she had a gift for writing poetry. Mrs. Kidder penned  about a thousand hymns, but only one or two remain in common use. In a song published in 1878, she asks, Is My Name Written There? meaning in the Book of Life. Good question!

Lord, I care not for riches, neither silver nor gold;
I would make sure of heaven, I would enter the fold.
In the book of Thy kingdom, with its pages so fair,
Tell me, Jesus, my Saviour, is my name written there?

Is my name written there,
On the page white and fair?
In the book of Thy kingdom,
Is my name written there?

Lord, my sins they are many, like the sands of the sea,
But Thy blood, O my Saviour, is sufficient for me;
For Thy promise is written, in bright letters that glow,
“Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them like snow.”

Another of Mrs. Kidder’s songs has the title Did You Think to Pray? Another good question! Perceptive and convicting, it says:

Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Saviour,
Did you sue for loving favor,
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.

Here is a quartet practice by four young men (it being a rehearsal accounts for a bit of kibitzing). Work on the song is still in process, but overall I think they’re doing well with a nice arrangement of Don’t Forget to Pray.

(3) Today in 1867 – Benjamin Hanby Died

Benjamin Russell Hanby was the son of a United Brethren clergyman. And though he only lived for 34 years, his was a full life. He served as the principal of an academy, and as a pastor, and worked with a music publisher writing both Sunday School songs and some popular secular music too. One of the latter, My Darling Nellie Gray (for which Hanby’s sister wrote the tune), tells the sad story of a black man’s sweetheart being carted off in chains to be a slave.

Benjamin Hanby’s hymn, Who Is He in Yonder Stall? was published in 1866. Though the opening stanza refers to the Christmas story and the song is sometimes sung as a carol, it is one whose subject extends through the all the earthly life of Christ and on into eternity.

Who is He in yonder stall
At Whose feet the shepherds fall?
Who is He in deep distress,
Fasting in the wilderness?

’Tis the Lord! O wondrous story!
’Tis the Lord! the King of glory!
At His feet we humbly fall,
Crown Him! crown Him, Lord of all!

Lo! at midnight, who is He
Prays in dark Gethsemane?
Who is He on yonder tree
Dies in grief and agony?

Who is He that from the grave
Comes to heal and help and save?
Who is He that from His throne
Rules through all the world alone?

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