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Hymns

Today in 1896 – Napoleon Vandall Born

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Napoleon Bonaparte Vandall has given us two moving gospel songs, My Home Sweet Home, and After. Jack, as he was called, served in the Marines in the First World War. Then, after trusting Christ as his Saviour at a camp meeting in 1920, he went on to become an evangelist, a radio pastor, and a gospel songwriter. He and his wife Margaret (who was instrumental in leading him to Christ) made their home in Akron, Ohio. There, one day in 1934, something happened that shattered their peaceful life.

The Vandall’s sons were outside playing. But suddenly young Ted raced up the front steps in tears, sobbing that eight-year-old Paul and been struck by a car. Jack Vandall raced to the scene. The accident was extremely serious, as the boy had been dragged some distance under the car, losing a lot of skin on the left side of his body. Examination at the hospital revealed extensive head injuries, a fractured skull and a concussion, as well as a dislocated shoulder a broken collar bone, and a broken leg. The medical team did not hold out much hope for little Paul’s survival.

Overcome with grief, the father knelt at home and began to pray. He says he felt as though the Lord came and knelt beside him in that desperate hour, saying, “Never mind, my child. Your home will be visited with trouble and sorrow, but in the afterwards to come, these things cannot be. Your real home is in heaven where all tears will be wiped away.” With that assurance Jack Vandall committed the lad to the Lord, trusting God with his life.

With tears still streaming down his face he sat down at the piano and was inspired to write the beautiful gospel song, After. It begins:

After the toil and the heat of the day,
After my troubles are past,
After my sorrows are taken away–
I shall see Jesus at last!”

He will be waiting for me–
Jesus, so kind and true;
On His beautiful throne,
He will welcome me home,
After the day is through.

After the heartaches and sighing shall cease,
After the cold winter’s blast,
After the conflict comes glorious peace–
I shall see Jesus at last!”

There is a post-script to the story. Paul did survive, finally entering his heavenly home at the age of 75. (Read about Jack Vandall’s other lovely song about heaven, My Home, Sweet Home.)

(2) Today in 1925 – Samuel Francis Died

Samuel Trevor Francis was a London merchant and artist’s son, eventually becoming a merchant himself. Francis published a number of hymns in newspapers and religious periodicals. He belonged to the Plymouth Brethren, and served the Lord as a passionate open-air preacher. The one hymn he is remembered for today is the moving O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!

Today in 1831- Mary Baker Died

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storm at sea

Mary Ann Baker lived in Chicago, and was active in the temperance movement. She wrote a number of temperance songs and hymns. Only one of the latter is in common use today. Master, the Tempest Is Raging is based on an incident in the life of Christ. The Bible says:

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

Mk. 4:35-39

Mary Baker says the song came as a result of being asked to write several that would suit some current Sunday School lessons. One of the themes was “Christ Stilling the Tempest.” She notes that the Scripture mirrored the tumult in her own life at the time, coming as a result of the death of her brother. She says:

I became wickedly rebellious at this dispensation of divine providence. I said in my heart that God did not care for me or mine. But the Master’s own voice stilled the tempest in my unsanctified heart, and brought it to the calm of a deeper faith and a more perfect trust.

Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness,
No shelter or help is nigh;
Carest Thou not that we perish?
How canst Thou lie asleep,
When each moment so madly is threatening
A grave in the angry deep?

The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will,
Peace, be still!
Whether the wrath of the storm tossed sea,
Or demons or men, or whatever it be
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean, and earth, and skies;
They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
Peace, be still! Peace, be still!
They all shall sweetly obey Thy will,
Peace, peace, be still!

(2) Data Missing – The First Noel

Because of the nature of an almanac, songs posted on this blog are usually dated, with a bit of information about the author or composer. However, there are a number of our hymns and gospel songs for which some or all of this data is missing. I wanted to include a few of them, so will fit them in here and there.

Today, consider the Christmas carol The First Noel. It first appeared (author unnamed) in a book called Some Ancient Christmas Carols, published in 1823. It appears to have originated in the Middle Ages, when travelling troubadours (folk singers) cared the news of the day from town to town. The community would gather, not only to be entertained by their songs, but to learn of important happenings elsewhere.

The term “noel” (or nowell) seems to mean birthday. And one can picture the troubadour shouting in the town square, “Birthday! Birthday! Birthday! Birthday!” (as we have the four-fold repetition in the song’s refrain). The people would know that the announcement of an important birth was forthcoming.

In those days, Bibles were few, and Scripture knowledge was sometimes lacking. The second stanza suggests that the shepherds saw the Christmas star which the wise men discovered in the East (Matt. 2:2). But we do not know that they did–let alone that it shone “by day and night,” or that the shepherds were led by it to Bethlehem. However, we can affirm the call to worship issued by The First Noel:

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord;
That hath made heaven and earth of naught,
And with His blood mankind hath bought.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel. 

Today in 1836 – Hans Nageli Died

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Hans (Johann) Georg Nageli was a Swiss composer and music publisher. (Nageli published the works of Beethoven and other leading composers.) He encouraged interest in male choral singing, and promoted the teaching of music in elementary schools. Hymn writer Lowell Mason said of him, “No man in modern times has done more, perhaps, to promote the cause of music education and church music.” A few of Nageli’s hymn tunes are used today, most notably the tune Dennis used with Blest Be the Tie That Binds.

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

(2) Today in 1918 – Bertram Luard-Selby Died

Bertram Luard-Selby served as an organist at Rochester Cathedral, in England. He composed mostly organ music, but also wrote three sonatas, service music, large-scale chamber music, two operas and three cantatas. He composed the hymn tune Adoration, that can be used with the hymn Alleluia, Sing to Jesus. (For more on this hymn and the author of the words, see Today in 1837.)

Alleluia! sing to Jesus! His the sceptre, His the throne.
Alleluia! His the triumph, His the victory alone.
Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion thunder like a mighty flood.
Jesus out of every nation has redeemed us by His blood.

(3) Today in 2004 – A Tsunami Struck the Far East

Hymn writer Carolyn Winfrey Gillette is also a co-pastor, with her husband, of Limestone Presbyterian Church, in Wilmington, Delaware. She had written a hymn called The Storm Came to Honduras, years ago. Then, after the tsunami disaster in the Far East, she gave permission for Peter Holden to adapt it to the later event, in hopes it would call the attention of the Christian community to the desperate need of those who had suffered great loss.

Often we are unable to answer the “Why?” question in such circumstances. But we can commit ourselves to trust in an all-wise God, and we can do what we can to help those in need.

O God, that great tsunami has stunned us one and all.
Our neighbours reel in anguish, while homes and cities fall.
O God of wind and water, who made the sea and sky,
Amid such great destruction, we mournfully ask, “Why?”

Economies are ruined, and lives in tatters lie,
Sewage is washed down river, while lonely orphans cry.
O Spirit, send Your comfort and give us faith that cares,
For when our neighbours suffer, our lives are bound with theirs.

Today in 1862 – Francis Duckworth Born

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Francis Duckworth was born in Rimington, in England. Though he took great interest in music, he had little formal training. He became the organist of a Methodist church in the early part of the twentieth century, and composed a number of hymn tunes. He has given us the beautiful tune Rimington which can be used with the hymn Ashamed of Jesus. (You can hear the tune on the Cyber Hymnal connected to another hymn, and also see a picture of Mr. Duckworth here.)

Jesus, and shall it ever be,
A mortal man, ashamed of Thee?
Ashamed of Thee, whom angels praise,
Whose glories shine through endless days?

Ashamed of Jesus! that dear Friend
On whom my hopes of heav’n depend!
No; when I blush, be this my shame,
That I no more revere His name.

(2) Today in 1864 – William Martin Born

William Clark Martin was a Baptist pastor who served several churches in the United States. He has left us some gospel songs that remain in common use: My Anchor Holds, Still Sweeter Every Day, and The Name of Jesus Is So Sweet.

The name of Jesus is so sweet,
I love its music to repeat;
It makes my joys full and complete,
The precious name of Jesus!

“Jesus,” O how sweet the name!
“Jesus,” every day the same;
“Jesus,” let all saints proclaim
Its worthy praise forever!

(3) Today in 1918 – Wilbur Chapman Died

John Wilbur Chapman was a Presbyterian pastor, and one of the founders of the Winona Lake Bible Conference. In his later years he became an itinerant evangelist, with a fruitful ministry in many parts of the world. Chapman wrote eight books, and several hymn texts. The two best-known are both excellent: One Day, and Our Great Saviour.

One Day, first published in 1911, carries us through the life of Christ, all the way from His incarnation to His coming return.

One day when heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men, my example is He!

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever;
One day He’s coming–O glorious day!

Our Great Saviour (also commonly known as Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners) extols many of the virtues of the Son of God, and blessings we receive from His hand. The song makes use of a truly great hymn tune, Hyfrydol, written by Roland Pritchard. (It is used with a number of hymns, as the video clip below illustrates.)

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Saviour, makes me whole.

Hallelujah! what a Saviour!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Jesus! what a Strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him.
Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my Strength, my victory wins.

Today in 1816 – Angels from the Realms published

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James Montgomery wrote about 400 hymns. Quite a few of them are still found in our hymnals today. Among them are the following:

According to Thy Gracious Word
Angels from the Realms of Glory
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed
In the Hour of Trial
The Lord Is My Shepherd
Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire
Stand Up and Bless the Lord
We Bid Thee Welcome in the Name

Montgomery wrote Angels from the Realms of Glory–considered his finest hymn–for publication in the Christmas Eve edition of the Sheffield Iris, the newspaper of which he was the editor.

Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.

Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

I invite you to listen to two outstanding versions of this carol. Both make use of the tune Gloria, to which we sing Angels We Have Heard on High, rather than the tune Regent Square traditionally used with Angels from the Realms of Glory. (For me, Gloria becomes a bit too repetitious. I prefer Regent Square.) The video clip below features a cascade of beautiful sound by the King’s College Choir. But you owe it to yourself to listen to the magnificent Mormon Tabernacle Choir rending, here, complete with bells, and the stunning voice of Sissel Kyrkjebo, Norway’s wonderful gift to the world of music. (A voice of great range and crystal clarity, right to the final high B flat.)

Annie Johnson Flint

(2) Today in 1866 – Annie Flint Born

Annie Johnson Flint was one of America’s greatest devotional poets. The daughter of Eldon Johnson, she lost both her parents at the age of 6, and was adopted by a childless couple named Flint. She trained as a teacher, and was also a skilled pianist with hopes of a future career on the concert stage. Then came the sudden and severe onset of crippling arthritis. In a short time, not only were her fingers painfully bent and swollen, but she found it difficult to walk. The disease left her bedridden for the rest of her life.

But when God closes one door, He will open another. While still a small child, she had trusted Christ as her Saviour, and over the years her spiritual insight seemed to grow deeper and deeper. Prevented from a musical expression of her artistic gifts, Miss Flint began writing poetry. When she could no longer grip a pen, she used a typewriter, punching the keys with her knuckles. Before her death in 1932, Miss Flint had produced books of verse that have been a blessing to many ever since.

Several of her poems have become gospel songs. And given the severe trials she experienced, they are moving testimonies to the grace of God. I encourage you to check out the full text of both of the following in the Cyber Hymnal. They are rich with spiritual meaning. From 1919 comes God Hath Not Promised.

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labour, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

An undated poem, He Giveth More, has also been set to music. Here is the second stanza and the refrain:

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

(3) Today in 1949 – William Poole Died

William Charles Poole put his faith in Christ at the age of 11, and became a Methodist clergyman in the United States in the early part of the twentieth century. With the encouragement of hymn writer Charles Gabriel, he wrote many hymn texts. Among those in common use today are Sunrise Tomorrow, and  Just When I Need Him Most.

Just when I need Him, Jesus is near,
Just when I falter, just when I fear;
Ready to help me, ready to cheer,
Just when I need Him most.

Just when I need Him most,
Just when I need Him most,
Jesus is near to comfort and cheer,
Just when I need Him most.

Just when I need Him, Jesus is true,
Never forsaking all the way through;
Giving for burdens pleasures anew,
Just when I need Him most.

Today in 1873 – From Glory to Glory written

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Frances Ridley Havergal did not spend many years on this earth, dying at the age of 43. But God gifted her in unusual ways, and her many hymns continue to bless. Having a brilliant mind, Frances was reading by the age of 4, and began writing poetry when she was 7. She mastered Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and memorized the Psalms, the book of Isaiah, and most of the New Testament.

From Glory Unto Glory is one of her lesser-known creations, another of her several New Year’s hymns. It is based on II Cor. 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” The original poem has 20 stanzas. Here are a few of them.

“From glory unto glory!” Be this our joyous song,
As on the King’s own highway we bravely march along!
“From glory unto glory!” O word of stirring cheer,
As dawns the solemn brightness of one more glad new year.

“From glory unto glory!” What mighty blessings crown
The lives for which our Lord hath laid His own so freely down!
Omnipotence to keep us, omniscience, too, to guide,
Jehovah’s blessèd presence within us to abide!

The fullness of His blessing encompasseth our way;
The fullness of His promise crowns every brightening day;
The fullness of His glory is beaming from above,
While more and more we realize the fullness of His love.

“In full and glad surrender we give ourselves to Thee,
Thine utterly, and only, and evermore to be!
O Son of God, who lov’st us, we will be Thine alone,
Our being and possessions, shall henceforth be Thine own!”

Now onward, ever onward, “from strength to strength” we go,
While “grace for grace” abundant shall from His fullness flow,
To glory’s full fruition, from glory’s foretaste here,
Until His very presence crown happiest new year.

(2) Today in 1915 – William Doane Died

William Howard Doane was president of the J. A. Fay Woodworking Machinery Company. A successful businessman, he bequeathed large sums of money to various causes. As a Christian layman, he served as a Sunday School superintendent, and a church choir director, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He called music his “avocation,” but he certainly worked hard at it, producing over 2,000 hymn tunes.

Mr. Doane was a friend of Fanny Crosby’s, and frequently collaborated with her. A few examples of the many songs they created together are:

Draw Me Nearer
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
Moments of Prayer
Rescue the Perishing
To the Work
Safe in the Arms of Jesus

To the Work is a challenge to Christian service.

To the work! To the work! We are servants of God;
Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;
With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,
Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.

Toiling on, toiling on, toiling on, toiling on,
Let us hope and trust, let us watch and pray,
And labour till the Master comes.

The circumstances of the writing of the last hymn listed above are unusual. One day in April of 1868 William Doane paid Fanny a call. With hardly a “How’d you do?” Doane said, “I have exactly forty minutes before my train leaves for Cincinnati. Here’s a melody. Can you write words for it?” The hymn became Safe in the Arms of Jesus.

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast,
There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.
Hark! ’tis the voice of angels, borne in a song to me.
Over the fields of glory, over the jasper sea.

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast
There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.

(3) More from Fanny Crosby

If you’re looking for a good gospel song that fits the theme of New Year’s, Fanny has provided us with one. The tune used is that of the familiar Scottish Auld Lang Syne, but the words a biblical and inspiring. You can see the whole hymn on the Cyber Hymnal.

 How sweet the hour of praise and prayer,
When our devotions blend,
And on the wings of faith divine
Our songs of joy ascend!
’Tis then we hear in tones more clear
The gracious promise giv’n,
That, though we part from friends on earth,
We all shall meet in heav’n.

We all shall meet in heav’n at last,
We all shall meet in heav’n;
Through faith in Jesus’ precious blood,
We all shall meet in heav’n.

Today in 1899 – Dwight Moody Died

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Though he was not a hymn writer himself, evangelist Dwight Lymon Moody promoted the writing of hymns by others, including his music director Ira Sankey, James McGranahan, Philip Bliss, and more. He not only gave them personal encouragement and exhortations to pursue this ministry, he also increased the awareness of their music by using it in his meetings. (This also occurred through the later evangelistic campaigns of Billy Sunday and Billy Graham.)

As to its technicalities, Moody was notoriously ignorant of music. In one of his meetings, the choir was presenting a number in which the first few lines were sung by the men, in unison. “What’s wrong?” Moody whispered, “don’t the girls know the song?” But his lack of understanding of the theoretical aspect of music was more than made up for by his sensitivity to the kind of ministry great hymns and gospel songs could have.

Sankey's organ
Sankey’s organ

The song The Ninety and Nine was first presented in one of Moody’s evangelistic meetings in Scotland. His music director Ira Sankey had clipped the poem by Elizabeth Clephane from the newspaper and tucked it in his pocket, thinking he might be able to make use of it sometime.

Later that same day, Dwight Moody preached a sermon on Christ as the Good Shepherd, basing his thoughts on the parable in Lk. 15:3-7. As he finished, he turned to Sankey and asked if he could sing something appropriate to close the service. Sensing the prompting of the Lord, Ira Sankey took the clipping from his pocket, sat it on the organ (the small reed organ pictured here), and improvised a tune on the spot–the tune it has to this day! At the end of the song, many expressed a desire to trust in Christ for salvation.

But that is not the only remarkable incident connected with the song. Back in America once again, the team was invited to hold services in a little New England village church. But when it became clear that the numbers were too great for the small sanctuary, the meeting was moved outside. The steps of the church were used as a platform, and the crowd gathered around. Mr. Sankey sat at the reed organ, with his back to the church door.

At one point in the service, Moody asked his friend to sing The Ninety and Nine. He did so, with the wall of the building forming a natural sounding board for his powerful voice. Two miles away, across the Connecticut River, a man was sitting on his doorstep, enjoying the beauty of the still summer evening. But his reverie was interrupted by the words of Sankey’s penetrating gospel message, clearly heard. The Spirit of God convicted him, and he realized he himself was a lost sheep. The man subsequently put his faith in Christ, and became a faithful member of the church across the river.

And all through the mountains, thunder riven
And up from the rocky steep,
There arose a glad cry to the gate of heaven,
“Rejoice! I have found My sheep!”
And the angels echoed around the throne,
“Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!
Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!”

Moody also made frequent use of Will Thompson’s hymn of invitation, Softly and Tenderly. And on his deathbed, he asked to see Thompson. Taking his visitor’s hand, Moody said, “Will, I would rather have written ‘Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling’ than anything I have been able to do in my whole life.”

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

Finally, Moody and Sankey took Fanny Crosby’s great gospel song To God Be the Glory to the British Isles and it became popular there, even though it remained virtually unknown in America.

To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

Today in 1849 – Shepherd of Tender Youth published

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Titus Flavius Clemens

The hymn Shepherd of Tender Youth (sometimes rendered Shepherd of Eager Youth) was written by Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens) around the year AD 200. That is only about a century after the death of the Apostle John, making it the earliest post-apostolic Christian hymn we know of that is still in common use. The English paraphrase of the original Greek hymn, by Henry Dexter, was published in The Congregationalist on this date in 1849.

Clement is thought to have been born in Athens around the year 170. Before his conversion to Christ he was a pagan philosopher. Afterward, he became head of the Catechetical School in Alexandria, and wrote ten books. The hymn we know him by he called simply a Hymn of the Saviour Christ. It is found in an appendix to his book, The Tutor.

Shepherd of tender youth, guiding in love and truth
Through devious ways; Christ our triumphant King,
We come Thy name to sing, and here our children bring
To join Thy praise.

Thou art our holy Lord, O all subduing Word,
Healer of strife. Thou didst Thyself abase
That from sin’s deep disgrace Thou mightest save our race
And give us life.

(2) Today in 1807 – John Newton Died

John Newton spent his early life as a profane sailor and a slave trader. Even his fellow crew members, a blaspheming lot themselves, shuddered to hear some of the terrible oaths that came from his mouth. But the Lord got hold of his life, and he was dramatically saved. He studied Greek and Hebrew and eventually entered the ministry, becoming the pastor of the little church in Olney, England. For the rest of his life, he marvelled at the amazing grace of God, making it the subject of his most famous hymn, Amazing Grace–though he wrote at least 280 others. (For more about Newton and his hymns, see Today in 1725.)

Newton wrote the inscription for a memorial plaque found in the last church he served. It is his testimony:

JOHN NEWTON, Clerk
Once an infidel and libertine
A servant of slaves in Africa,
Was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour
JESUS CHRIST,
restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach
the Gospel which he had long laboured to destroy.
He ministered,
Near sixteen years in Olney, in Bucks,
And twenty-eight years in this Church.

When he was in his eighties, someone suggested it was time Newton retired. The pastor retorted, “What! Shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak?” Preaching one of his last messages, the pastor directed attention to his text. It was First Peter, Chapter 2, verse 7, “To you who believe, He is precious.” “Jesus Christ is precious,” said the old preacher with deep feeling. And there was a lengthening pause. And he said again, “Jesus Christ is precious.” “You’ve already said that twice,” whispered his assistant. “Go on!” “I said it twice, and I’m going to say it again,” replied Newton. And with that he shouted at the top of his voice, “JESUS CHRIST IS PRECIOUS!”

What would be your request if the Lord said to you, as He did to Solomon, “Ask! What shall I give you?” (I Kgs. 3:5)? John Newton considered that text, and out of his meditation produced the hymn, Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare–with the word “suit” being used in the sense of a petition made in court (i.e. a lawsuit).

Come, my soul, thy suit prepare:
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He Himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not say thee nay.

Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much.

Another of Newton’s creations is the beautiful prayer hymn Great Shepherd of Thy Chosen Flock.

Great Shepherd of Thy chosen flock,
Thy people’s Shield, their shadowing Rock,
Once more we meet to hear Thy voice,
Once more before Thee to rejoice.

Now may Thy Spirit, by the Word,
Refresh each wearied heart, O Lord,
Wearied of earth’s vain strife and woe,
And longing more Thyself to know.

Thine is the heart our griefs to feel,
And Thine the love each wound to heal;
Home Thou art gone for us to care,
Returning soon to take us there.

Today in 1930 – Harold Green Died

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Englishman Harold Green was a pastor’s son. He served with the South Africa General Mission in Pondoland, a region on the eastern coast of South Africa. In 1920, when another missionary, Emily May Grimes Crawford wrote a hymn called The Quiet Hour, Green provided the tune for it. As far as I know, it is the only music we have from him.

The Quiet Hour (also known as Speak, Lord, in the Stillness) is a fitting hymn to use before the Bible message in a worship service. It also relates to our need to have a daily time in God’s Word and in prayer. It is important to draw aside from the busy bustle and noise of our routine to commune with God and listen to Him speak to our hearts through the Scriptures.

Bible reading idea

The hymn recalls Eli’s instructions to the boy Samuel: “If He [God] calls you…you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears’” (I Sam. 3:9). And David’s testimony: “Truly my soul silently waits for God” (Ps. 62:1). And the promise of the Lord Jesus to His disciples: “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life [i.e. they are spiritually life-giving]” (Jn. 6:63).

May I take a moment to encourage you to have some kind of daily Bible reading and prayer plan for the coming year. We each need that time with the Lord for spiritual nourishment. The little diagram here suggests four specific things you can look for in your reading. It also places Christ at the centre of the Bible’s message–which He is (Lk. 24:27; Jn. 5:39).  

Speak, Lord, in the stillness
While I wait on Thee;
Hushed my heart to listen,
In expectancy.

For the words Thou speakest,
“They are life” indeed;
Living Bread from heaven,
Now my spirit feed!

(2) Today in 1941  – Henry Ostrom Died

Born in Canada, Henry Ostrom was a Methodist pastor who also served on the extension staff of Moody Bible Institute. He wrote several books, and a number of hymns as well. Moody president, James M. Gray, said of him that he “has been accorded a place in the confidence and affection of Christians of all denominations in the United States.”

A humble man, Dr. Ostrom used the pen name George Walker Whitcomb. It enabled him to ask for the singing of a hymn he had written without calling undue attention to himself. When he preached, he often reminded his listeners of the need to get the gospel out, because of the soon return of Christ. Most who heard him say, “This may be the crowning day,” were unaware that he had written the stirring gospel song on that theme called Is It the Crowning Day?

Jesus may come today
Glad day, glad day!
And I would see my Friend;
Dangers and troubles would end
If Jesus should come today.

Glad day, glad day!
Is it the crowning day?
I’ll live for today, nor anxious be;
Jesus, my Lord I soon shall see.
Glad day, glad day!
Is it the crowning day?

Faithful I’ll be today,
Glad day, glad day!
And I will freely tell
Why I should love Him so well,
For He is my all today.

Today in 1808 – Horatius Bonar Born

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Horatius Bonar was a Scottish pastor, and a renowned evangelical preacher. He also had a major part in organizing the Free Church of Scotland. Bonar, known as “the prince of Scottish hymn writers,” also produced some 600 hymns. (For more, see the second item under Today in 1865.)  Examples of his work:

Go, Labour On
I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say
I Lay My Sins on Jesus
No, Not Despairingly
Not What These Hands Have Done
Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face

The last of these, a Communion hymn, was written at the request of Horatius Bonar’s brother John, the pastor of St. Andrews’ Free Church, Greenock, Scotland. Once each year, Horatius went to visit, and assisted his brother at the Lord’s Supper. It was for such a service in October of 1855 that Horatius Bonar supplied this beautiful hymn. The original had 10 stanzas, but here is a sampling. (You are permitted a “Wow!” when you get to the end!)

Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen;
Here grasp with firmer hand eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon Thee lean.

This is the hour of banquet and of song;
This is the heavenly table spread for me;
Here let me feast, and feasting, still prolong
The hallowed hour of fellowship with Thee.

Here would I feed upon the bread of God,
Here drink with Thee the royal wine of heaven;
Here would I lay aside each earthly load,
Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.

Mine is the sin, but Thine the righteousness:
Mine is the guilt, but Thine the cleansing blood;
Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace;
Thy Blood, Thy righteousness, O Lord my God!

Feast after feast thus comes and passes by;
Yet, passing, points to the glad feast above,
Giving sweet foretaste of the festal joy,
The Lamb’s great bridal feast of bliss and love.

Here is a beautiful choral arrangement of this hymn–by a very fine church choir.

(2) Today in 1860 – Frank Graeff Born

Frank Ellsworth Graeff was a Methodist pastor who served several churches in the area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Widely known and beloved, he was called the “Sunshine Minister” because of his encouraging optimism and simple faith. He also wrote 200 hymn texts and a book of fiction called The Minister’s Twins.

In spite of Graeff’s sunny disposition, he faced many hardships in his life. It was while enduring a particularly severe trial that he penned the words of the only song of his that remains in common use, Does Jesus Care? Each stanza raises the question in connection with some trial. Then, the refrain provides the resounding answer of faith.

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress
And the way grows weary and long?

Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Saviour cares.

Does Jesus care when my way is dark
With a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades,
Does He care enough to be near?

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