Andrew Young was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and he graduated from the University of Edinburgh. He was headmaster of a school in that city, then taught English at Madras College, St. Andrews. In his latter years he served as superintendent of Greenside Parish Sabbath School. He is known in hymnody for one song only, There Is a Happy Land.
There is a happy land, far, far away, Where saints in glory stand, bright, bright as day. Oh, how they sweetly sing, worthy is our Saviour King, Loud let His praises ring, praise, praise for aye.
Come to that happy land, come, come away; Why will ye doubting stand, why still delay? Oh, we shall happy be, when from sin and sorrow free, Lord, we shall live with Thee, blest, blest for aye.
The singers in the following clip are marvelous. My one criticism is that nobody seems particularly “happy,” especially the violinist. Smile, folks! It’s a song of joy.
(2) Today in 1888 – Edward Hopper Died
Edward Hopper was born in New York City. He graduated from New York University in 1839, and from Union Theological Seminary in 1842. He became a Presbyterian clergyman, notably serving the Church of the Land and the Sea, in New York’s harbour area.
Hopper was also a fine poet. In 1871, one of his poems appeared anonymously in The Sailor’s Magazine. The original had six verses. But the author himself later chose three of them to serve as The Sailor’s Hymn (Jesus, Saviour, Pilot Me). It put spiritual things in terms the men he ministered to could understand.
Jesus, Saviour, pilot me Over life’s tempestuous sea; Unknown waves before me roll, Hiding rock and treacherous shoal. Chart and compass come from Thee; Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.
As a mother stills her child, Thou canst hush the ocean wild; Boisterous waves obey Thy will, When Thou sayest to them, “Be still!” Wondrous Sovereign of the sea, Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.
John Edgar Gould (1821-1875) managed a music store. He was also a composer, and a compiler of the music of others. Mr. Gould wrote the tune for Edward Hopper’s hymn. Here is a beautiful piano arrangement of it, by a master of the instrument.
Jack Wyrtzen was born in New York City. Before his conversion he conducted a dance band called The Silver Moon Serenaders. He came to Christ through the witness of a buddy in a training camp for the U.S. Cavalry. Wyrtzen began holding Saturday night youth rallies, often in Madison Square Garden. (The wonderful tenor in my father’s quartet was invited to sing at one of these, but he declined.) The rally concept was later copied and used far and wide by Youth for Christ.
Mr. Wyrtzen called his program “Word of Life,” and he went on to build other aspects of it, including a Bible institute, a ranch and resort, as well as camps and schools abroad, and a weekly youth program for local churches. He also carried on a regular radio program since the early 1940’s. He died on April 14, 1996.
In the 1960’s, Jack Wyrtzen preached a message called “Three Days in the Life of a Christian.” (Yesterday He [Christ] died for me; today He lives for me; tomorrow He’s coming for me.) His musician son, Don, set the truths in the message to music, and the result was the song, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (actually more of an extended chorus than a hymn).
Yesterday He died for me, yesterday, yesterday, Yesterday He died for me, yesterday, Yesterday He died for me, died for me– This is history.
(2) Today in 1987 – James Orr Died
James Edwin Orr was born in Belfast, Ireland. In 1939, he became an associate pastor at the People’s Church in Toronto, briefly assisting the senior pastor Oswald J. Smith (also a hymn writer). After serving as a chaplain with the U.S. Army Air Corps, during the war, he earned a PhD at Oxford in 1948. He also received honorary degrees from other institutions, and in 1967 became a professor in the School of World Missions at Fuller Theological Seminary. He wrote a number of books, and at least 6 hymns. The best known of the latter is Search Me, O God.
Irish evangelist James Orr was only 24 years of age in 1936, when he spoke at a series of meetings in New Zealand. Concerted prayer had preceded his visit, and the Lord blessed in an unusual way. Many of the saints of God were revived and renewed, and many sinners trusted Christ as Saviour. Midnight services had to be added to accommodate the huge crowds. One of the things that characterized the time of spiritual refreshing was that Christians were brought under conviction. They confessed their sins, asked forgiveness of those they had previously wronged, and recommitted their lives to the Lord. With David the psalmist they prayed,
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties [worries that indicate a lack of faith]; and see if there is any wicked way [an offense against You] in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Ps. 139:23-24
Two particular results came in the life of Dr. Orr as a result of those days of blessing. For one thing, it started him on decades of study concerning the subject of revival. And for another, he created a hymn based on the above text. As he was leaving New Zealand, four Maori girls sang the Polynesian song, “Now is the hour when we must say goodbye.” James Orr used the melody for his hymn.
Search me, O God, And know my heart today; Try me, O Saviour, Know my thoughts, I pray. See if there be Some wicked way in me; Cleanse me from every sin And set me free.
Reginald Heber was an Anglican clergyman whom novelist William Thackeray described as “an English gentleman of the best sort; handsome, witty, competent and of high character.” In 1823, Heber served as bishop of Calcutta, where he laboured strenuously for three years in the hot Indian climate. He died in 1826, likely of sunstroke. Poet Robert Southey wrote the inscription for his monument:
He performed his humblest as well as his highest duties carefully, with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his strength.
Heber was a gifted poet, and a number of his hymns are still in use. In fact, Holy, Holy, Holy is sung regularly in many churches, and is often placed first in published hymnals. Here are a few of Heber’s songs:
Bread of the World in Mercy Given Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning By Cool Siloam’s Shady Rill From Greenland’s Icy Mountains God That Madest Earth and Heaven (stanza 1) Holy, Holy, Holy The Son of God Goes Forth to War
Holy, Holy, Holy was written for Trinity Sunday, when Reginald Heber was a vicar in England. Published posthumously in 1826, it is based on Rev. 4:8-11.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!
The Son of God Goes Forth to War was written in 1812 for St. Stephen’s Day (Dec. 26th). Stephen was the first martyr in the early church (Acts 7:51-60), and Heber commemorates not only his death, but the sacrifice of those who followed after, calling for the commitment of others with the repeated question, “Who follows in his train?”
The Son of God goes forth to war, A kingly crown to gain; His blood red banner streams afar: Who follows in His train? Who best can drink His cup of woe, Triumphant over pain, Who patient bears his cross below, He follows in His train.
That martyr first, whose eagle eye Could pierce beyond the grave; Who saw his Master in the sky, And called on Him to save. Like Him, with pardon on His tongue, In midst of mortal pain, He prayed for them that did the wrong: Who follows in his train?
Please don’t tell me young people can’t understand the old hymns, and can’t sing them with passion. Here is a small congregation made up mostly of teens and young adults. The tune used for the above hymn is not the traditional one, but the words are Heber’s, published nearly 200 years ago. Gives me goosebumps!
(2) Today in 1794 – Henry Ware Born
Henry Ware Jr. was a minister in Boston, in a church where poet Ralph Waldo Emerson briefly served as his associate. At his death he left behind four volumes of writings. A poem from his pen was published posthumously in 1846, in a volume with the imposing title, Selections of Hymns and Poetry for the Use of Infant and Juvenile Schools and Families.
Ware’s hymn Happy the Home employs the word “Happy” in the sense of fortunate, or especially favoured. The need is more urgent than ever for solid Christian families.
Happy the home when God is there, And love fills every breast; When one their wish, and one their prayer, And one their heav’nly rest.
Happy the home where Jesus’ name Is sweet to every ear; Where children early speak His fame, And parents hold Him dear.
Happy the home where prayer is heard, And praise each day does rise; Where parents love the sacred Word And all its wisdom prize.
(3) Today in 1856 – Johnson Oatman Born
Johnson Oatman Jr. was ordained through the Methodist Episcopal Church at the age of 19, though he remained a local preacher without pastoral assignment. He was involved with his father’s shipping business, and later established an insurance company in Mount Holly, New Jersey. Beginning in his mid-thirties, he wrote many poems that became the texts for gospel songs. Here are a few:
Count Your Blessings Every Bridge Is Burned Behind Me Higher Ground Holy, Holy Is What the Angels Sing He Included Me No, Not One The Last Mile of the Way
Count Your Blessings first appeared in Songs for Young People, in 1897. But it is not just a hymn for the young. Each of us would benefit from daily counting God’s blessings. It would often help to keep us from a grouchy negativism! In churches where I have served as pastor, this song was often used on Thanksgiving Sunday, before a time of testimonies.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God hath done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Here is George Beverley Shea singing this gospel song.
Higher Ground, written in 1898, is a fine song of aspiration. It speaks of a desire not to become mired in an average hum-drum Christian life, not to just “get by,” but to be a dynamic Christian, living in joy and victory.
I’m pressing on the upward way, New heights I’m gaining every day; Still praying as I’m onward bound, “Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
Lord, lift me up and let me stand, By faith, on heaven’s table land, A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
Earastus Johnson was born in a logging camp about 60 miles from Bangor, Maine. He was the third of 13 children. At the age of 17, he became a school teacher in Maine, and at 26 he joined some of his brothers in the California Gold Rush. Later, he worked in the oil business.
In 1871, during a YMCA convention that Johnson attended as a delegate, a telegram informed John Wanamaker, the president of the convention, that his bank had failed and he had lost an enormous amount of money. Through the years 1869 to 1871, there was a severe financial depression and a general panic. Many banks failed, and depositors lost their savings. Erastus Johnson wrote the hymn The Rock That Is Higher Than I to encourage those present, and it went on to be much used. (The song should not be confused with William Cushing’s Hiding in Thee, which begins, “O safe to the Rock that is higher than I”).
Oh! sometimes the shadows are deep, And rough seems the path to the goal, And sorrows, sometimes how they sweep Like tempests down over the soul.
O then to the Rock let me fly To the Rock that is higher than I O then to the Rock let me fly To the Rock that is higher than I!
Oh! sometimes how long seems the day, And sometimes how weary my feet! But toiling in life’s dusty way, The Rock’s blessèd shadow, how sweet!
(2) Today in 1911 – Moses Cross Died
Moses Smith Cross was the son of a Methodist Episcopalian clergyman named Aaron Cross. He became a member of the faculty of the University of the Pacific, in Stockton, California, eventually serving as its president and vice-president. He was also a linguist and musician. Mr. Cross wrote the tune Waratah, which is used with Frank North’s lesser known hymn Jesus, the Calm That Fills My Breast.
Jesus, the calm that fills my breast, No other heart than Thine can give; This peace unstirred, this joy of rest, None but Thy loved ones can receive.
My weary soul has found a charm That turns to blessedness my woe; Within the shelter of Thine arm, I rest secure from storm and foe.
O Christ, through changeful years my Guide My Comforter in sorrow’s night, My Friend, when friendless—still abide, My Lord, my Counselor, my Light.
(3) Jacob’s Ladder (Data Missing)
We have no accurate data on the authorship or date of the traditional spiritual We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, but it deserves a place in our hymnody. The song takes its inspiration from an incident in the life of Jacob in the Old Testament. Fleeing from his brother Esau, out in the lonely wilderness, Jacob lay down to sleep, with a stone for his pillow (Gen. 28:11). And there the Lord gave him a strange dream.
Behold, a ladder was set up on the earth and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it”.
Gen. 28:12
The dream represents the fact that earth and heaven are connected, and that God is concerned about what is happening on earth. Specifically, in this case, that He was concerned about what happened to Jacob and his descendants (the nation of Israel). In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus seems to take this symbolism and apply it to Himself (Jn. 1:51), indicating that He is the Bridge that connects earth and heaven, that He is the One by which we can enter the heavenly kingdom (cf. Jn. 10:9; 14:6).
In the time of their slavery, the blacks in the American South were exposed to some of the teachings of Scripture. They identified strongly with the nation of Israel in bondage in Egypt, and with how the Lord was concerned about His people calling Moses to lead them out to freedom. It is from that perspective that this song was written and sung more than a century and a half ago.
John Hart Stockton was born of Presbyterian parents, but was converted to Christ at a Methodist camp meeting in New Jersey. He was ordained by the Methodist Episcopal Church and became active in evangelism, though ill health interrupted this ministry a couple of times. Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey greatly appreciated his assistance in their ministry. After Stockton wrote the invitation hymn Only Trust Him, Sankey used it on occasion as a solo number, changing the words of the refrain to “I will trust Him,” or “I do trust Him.”
Come, every soul by sin oppressed; There’s mercy with the Lord, And He will surely give you rest By trusting in His Word.
Only trust Him, only trust Him, Only trust Him now; He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now.
For Jesus shed His precious blood Rich blessings to bestow; Plunge now into the crimson flood That washes white as snow.
(2) Today in 1860 – William Rowlands Born
William Penfro Rowlands was a school teacher in Wales. He became the Precentor (song leader or choir conductor) at Bethania Chapel, and also served at the Morriston Tabernacle Congregational Church. For many years (1892-1927) he conducted the Morriston United Choral Society.
Rowlands has given us one of the church’s great hymn tunes, Blaenwern, which is, unfortunately, not well known in North America. It is most often used with Wesley’s Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, but try it with What a Friend We Have In Jesus. Here, from a choral festival in Wales, is a video clip of the tune used with Love Divine (with one stanza appropriately sung in Welsh). The conductor is very energetic, but when you see the size of the huge crowd you’ll understand why he wanted to make his movements so broad and precise.
(2) Today in 2004 – Richard Blanchard Died
Richard E. Blanchard Sr. was born in Chung-king (now Chong-quing), China, to Methodist missionary parents. He grew up in Indiana and North Carolina. He served as a pastor for many years in the Methodist denomination, retiring in 1988. It is Blanchard who gave us words and music of Fill My Cup, Lord, a popular gospel song in the 1960’s.
Like the woman at the well I was seeking For things that could not satisfy; And then I heard my Saviour speaking: “Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”
Fill my cup, Lord–I lift it up, Lord! Come and quench this thirsting of my soul; Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more– Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!
Isaiah G. Martin was born in Missouri. He tried teaching school for awhile, but then became an actor and singer in vaudeville and the theatre. He later put his faith in Christ through the ministry of Peter Bilhorn, and began serving the Lord as a singing evangelist. His song The Eastern Gate was based on a frequent comment of Dr. Phineas Bresee, founder of the Nazarene denomination: “We Nazarenes have an understanding that we are to have a meeting one of these days, just inside the Eastern gate [i.e. of the heavenly city].”
I will meet you in the morning, Just inside the Eastern Gate. Then be ready, faithful pilgrim, Lest with you it be too late.
I will meet you, I will meet you Just inside the Eastern Gate over there. I will meet you, I will meet you, I will meet you in the morning over there.
O the joys of that glad meeting With the saints who for us wait! What a blessèd, happy meeting Just inside the Eastern Gate!
(2) Today in 1882 – George Schuler Born
George Stark Schuler was born in New York City. He received training in music at the Chicago Musical College, the Cosmopolitan School of Music, and at Moody Bible Institute. He became a member of the Moody faculty, and served there for 40 years. After retiring from Moody, he joined the editorial staff of the Rodeheaver Publishing Company, writing many choral anthems and gospel songs, as well as editing song books, and collections of music for piano and organ. He also wrote several books on the technical aspects of church music.
In 1924, Ira Wilson’s gospel song Make Me a Blessing was published, with Schuler providing the tune.
Out in the highways and byways of life, Many are weary and sad; Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife, Making the sorrowing glad.
Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, Out of my life may Jesus shine; Make me a blessing, O Saviour, I pray, Make me a blessing to someone today.
The photo montage of animal pictures on this video clip seems a little incongruous, but the piano arrangement of Mr. Schuler’s song is fine.
Martin Luther was the great theologian and hymn writer of the Protestant Reformation. He had opposed the errors of the Church of Rome for a number of years, and now was summoned before the Diet of Worms (Vorms) and commanded to renounce his views. Pope Leo X had condemned him the year before, and now Johann von Eck presented Luther with a table filled with copies of his writings and demanded to know whether he still believed what was taught in them. The next day Luther gave his now famous declaration:
Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures, or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.
(2) Today in 1879 – Nathaniel Carlson Born
Nathaniel Carlson was educated at the Free Church Bible School, in Chicago Illinois, and at Northwest Bible College, in Iowa. He served as a pastor in the Evangelical Free Church, and was the author of many hymns and translations. Around 1935, he produced He the Pearly Gates Will Open, an English translation of Frederick Blom’s Swedish hymn. It reminds us that our only hope of heaven is through faith in the finished work of Christ. He is the one who is able to open heaven’s gate to us.
Love divine, so great and wondrous, Deep and mighty, pure, sublime! Coming from the heart of Jesus, Just the same through tests of time.
He the pearly gates will open, So that I may enter in; For He purchased my redemption And forgave me all my sin.
Love divine so great and wondrous! All my sins He then forgave! I will sing His praise forever, For His blood, His pow’r to save.
(3) Lonesome Valley (Data Missing)
Though we know little about the origin of this traditional spiritual, it carries an important and powerful message. There are some burdens that can be shared, but there are others that we must take personal responsibility for on our own. That is the explanation for a seeming contradiction between Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens,” and Galatians 6:5, “Each one shall bear his own load.”
By way of a practical example, a husband may be able to help and encourage his pregnant wife, but she is the one carrying that little life, and she alone is the one who will give birth. Another example that is particularly relevant to the history of the song is the misery and abuse suffered by African Americans because of slavery and racial prejudice. We may be able to sympathize to some extent, but that is a tragedy that was unique to them.
When we suffer opposition for the cause of righteousness, we know that the Lord Jesus faced a similar thing (Jn. 15:18-20). However, when the Lord bore the weight of the world’s sin upon Himself on the cross, that is an aspect of His suffering that was unique. He did something no other person was able to do. In that sense, the pathway to Calvary was a lonely one.
Likewise it’s true that there are burdens each of us bear that no one else can fully appreciate or understand. No one except the Lord Himself, who during his life faced the same kinds of struggles we do (Heb. 4:15-16). Because He did, He is able to help and encourage us in our lonely walk (cf. II Tim. 4:16-18).
Jesus walked this lonesome valley. He had to walk it by Himself; O, nobody else could walk it for Him, He had to walk it by Himself.
We must walk this lonesome valley, We have to walk it by ourselves; O, nobody else can walk it for us, We have to walk it by ourselves.
You must go and stand your trial, You have to stand it by yourself, O, nobody else can stand it for you, You have to stand it by yourself.
Carl Gotthelf Glaser was born in Germany, where he received musical training, first from his father, then from others. He became a teacher of voice, violin and piano. Glaser also composed choral music and was a well known conductor. His hymn tune Azmon is used with O for a Thousand Tongues.
O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise, The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God, Assist me to proclaim, To spread through all the earth abroad The honours of Thy name.
(2) Today in 1905 – Ada Gibbs Died
Little is know of Ada Rose Gibbs. She was apparently part of the Keswick Convention moment. She married William James Gibbs around 1898, in London. He was at one time superintendent of the Methodist Central Hall, in Bromley, Kent. Mrs. Gibbs composed the tune that is used for the hymn Channels Only.
How I praise Thee, precious Saviour, That Thy love laid hold of me; Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me That I might Thy channel be.
Channels only, blessèd Master, But with all Thy wondrous power Flowing through us, Thou canst use us Every day and every hour.
(3) Today in 1796 – Joseph Swain Died
Englishman Joseph Swain (1761-1796) was apprenticed to be an engraver when he was young. He later moved to London, where he put his faith in Christ, and was baptized by Pastor John Rippon. The latter is known in hymn history for his book Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors (which included How Firm a Foundation). Joseph Swain himself went on to become a Baptist clergyman, and a hymn writer. Some historians state that he died on this date at the young age of 35. Others place the date of his death two days earlier.
The most familiar of his songs is the beautiful O Thou in Whose Presence, which borrows the poetry of the Song of Solomon to describe his love for the Lord. The original has eighteen stanzas. Here is a sampling.
O Thou in whose presence my soul takes delight, On whom in affliction I call, My comfort by day, and my song in the night, My hope, my salvation, my all.
O, why should I wander an alien from Thee, And cry in the desert for bread? Thy foes will rejoice when my sorrows they see, And smile at the tears I have shed.
His lips as a fountain of righteousness flow, That waters the garden of grace, From which their salvation the Gentiles shall know, And bask in the smiles of His face.
Love sits on His eye-lids, and scatters delight Through all the bright mansions on high; Their faces the cherubim veil in His sight, And tremble with fullness of joy.
He looks, and ten thousands of angels rejoice, And myriads wait for His word; He speaks, and eternity, filled with His voice, Re-echoes the praise of her Lord.
Dear Shepherd, I hear and will follow Thy call; I know the sweet sound of Thy voice. Restore and defend me, for Thou art my All, And in Thee I will ever rejoice.
Joseph Swain’s hymn How Sweet, How Heavenly Is the Sight is much less known. But it has a message for every local church. The author revels in the blessing of Christian fellowship, and the expression of Christlike love in the community of believers. The Bible says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity” (Ps. 133:1). Yet so many times there are conflicts and petty rivalries in our churches that are most unchristian. The Apostle Paul had to deal sternly with the church at Corinth over this issue (I Cor. 3:1-3).
How sweet, how heavenly is the sight, When those that love the Lord In one another’s peace delight, And so fulfil His Word!
When each can feel his brother’s sigh And with him bear a part! When sorrow flows from eye to eye, And joy from heart to heart!
When, free from envy, scorn, and pride, Our wishes all above, Each can his brother’s failings hide, And show a brother’s love!
When love, in one delightful stream, Through every bosom flows, When union sweet, and dear esteem, In every action glows.
Lelia Naylor lived in Ohio. With her mother and sister she opened a millinery shop, working there for many years. She married Charles H. Morris, and the couple was active in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and at holiness camp meetings. Lelia was encouraged to write hymns by H. L. Gilmour (who wrote the gospel song The Haven of Rest). She went on to write over 1,000 of them, in addition to many tunes. (This, in spite of being blind, later in life.) A few examples of her songs:
Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart Nearer, Still Nearer Sweet Will of God Sweeter as the Years Go By The Fight Is On ‘Tis Marvelous and Wonderful What If It Were Today?
It is impossible to quote from all of these, but in 1898 Mrs. Morris gave us the lovely Nearer, Still Nearer.
Nearer, still nearer, close to Thy heart, Draw me, my Saviour– so precious Thou art! Fold me, oh, fold me close to Thy breast. Shelter me safe in that “Haven of Rest”; Shelter me safe in that “Haven of Rest.”
Nearer, still nearer, nothing I bring, Naught as an offering to Jesus, my King; Only my sinful, now contrite heart. Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart. Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.
Published the same year was the hymn of invitation Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart. The refrain of the song came to Mrs. Morris in an unusual way.
Lelia Morris was attending a camp meeting in Maryland one Sunday morning. After a powerful message was presented on the need for repentance and faith in Christ, an “altar call” was given. One who came forward was a woman of obvious wealth and refinement.
As the woman knelt and prayed, Mrs. Morris saw that she was in some distress. Moving to her side, she put her arm around the weeping seeker. It soon became clear that she supposed there was something she had to do for God to earn salvation, rather than simply receiving it as a free gift in Christ.
Mrs. Morris said earnestly and gently, “Just now, your doubtings give o’er.” And the song leader who joined them added, “Just now, reject Him no more.” And the evangelist himself coming alongside said, Just now, throw open the door,” to which Mrs. Morris added, “Let Jesus come into your heart.” With that, the woman did so, receiving Christ as her Saviour (cf. Jn. 1:12-13). And strange as it may seem, Mrs. Morris was inspired to turn that three-way exchange into the refrain of the hymn, written later.
If you are tired of the load of your sin, Let Jesus come into your heart; If you desire a new life to begin, Let Jesus come into your heart.
Just now, your doubtings give o’er; Just now, reject Him no more; Just now, throw open the door; Let Jesus come into your heart.
If it’s for purity now that you sigh, Let Jesus come into your heart; Fountains for cleansing are flowing nearby, Let Jesus come into your heart.
(2) Today in 1870 – Emma Willard Died
Emma C. Hart was the daughter of a Unitarian clergyman, one of his 17 children! She married Dr. John Willard, and became an Episcopalian.
Emma Willard was a champion of women’s education, and she founded the first women’s school of higher education, a school that became Troy Female Seminary. During an ocean voyage in 1839, she wrote the song of assurance Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep.
Rocked in the cradle of the deep, I lay me down in peace to sleep; Secure I rest upon the wave, For Thou, O Lord, hast power to save. I know Thou wilt not slight my call, For Thou dost mark the sparrow’s fall.
And calm and peaceful is my sleep, Rocked in the cradle of the deep.
Perhaps it is the word “deep” that attracted bass soloists to this old song. Here is a recording from nearly a century ago of Wilfred Glenn singing it. And yes, he has a deep voice!
Englishman William Clayton converted to Mormonism in 1837, moving to America in 1840. He became the private secretary of the cult’s founder, Joseph Smith, later heading to Utah with Mormon leader Brigham Young. Once settled there, he played second violin in the Salt Lake City orchestra.
William Clayton wrote the Mormon hymn Come, Come, Ye Saints, claiming he created the song during the group’s trek to Utah. But part of it was already published two years before, in a song about death and heaven. In 1966 Avis Christiansen took some of Clayton’s opening stanza and produced a fine hymn which emphasizes not the locating of the Mormon sect in the American West, but the prospect of the Christian’s home in heaven. Here is part of Mrs. Christiansen’s song:
Come, come, ye saints, no toil nor labour fear, But with joy wend your way; Though hard to you life’s journey may appear, Grace shall be as your day. God’s hand of love shall be your guide, And all your need he will provide; His pow’r shall every foe dispel, All is well, all is well!
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. There they shall sing eternal praise To Him who saved them by His grace. Through heaven’s courts the song shall swell, All is well, all is well!
(2) Today in 1902 – Edward Cottrill Born
My father was a gospel musician with many years of experience playing in a church orchestra, playing the organ, and leading choirs and other musical groups. He also composed a simple tune called Garside to go with Henry Harbaugh’s hymn, Jesus, I Live to Thee.
Back in the 1940’s Edward Cottrill’s quartet had a weekly gospel broadcast over station CHML in Hamilton, Ontario. That was the era of live radio, and the program was preceded by a crime drama. On one particular hot summer’s evening, in the drama, the police were supposed to track down an offender, finally surrounding him in a small shed. Then they were to break down the door, and one of the officers was to shout, “Look out! He’s going through the window!”
At this point the script called for the sound effects man to make the appropriate shattering noise. What was used for this was a collection of small metal plates which, when hit in just the right way, sounded like breaking glass. But, the fellow had this device in his pocket, and when he reached for it with sweaty, nervous fingers, it got stuck. The more he panicked and pulled, the stucker it got!
Meanwhile, of course, you couldn’t just have dead air time. So, the “police” were frantically ad-libbing. “Look out! [sounds of scrambling feet] He’s going through the other window…” “No, he’s coming back your way…! He’s going through the other window”
My father laughed, telling the story, saying there seemed to be more windows than you could ever imagine in that tiny shed! But finally, in desperation, somebody spotted a vase of fresh flowers on the studio piano. He grabbed it, and hurled it to the floor with all his might, shouting the appropriate line. Then, the crook was nabbed, and the program came swiftly to an end–with broken glass and water everywhere.
In those days, actors used to slip completed pages of their scripts off the top and carefully let them fall to the floor. These were now scattered about, a sodden mass. The studio looked as though some kind of hurricane had just swept through! But there was no opportunity to clean up. It was time for my father’s gospel program.
The actors in the drama moved away, and the Dayspring Quartet stepped gingerly around the microphone to sing their theme song, “Here from the world we turn, Jesus to seek…” The listening audience was unable to appreciate the unplanned irony of those words!
That lovely hymn, used each week for their opening, is called Moments of Prayer. It was written in 1876, by Fanny Crosby.
Here from the world we turn, Jesus to seek; Here may His loving voice tenderly speak! Jesus, our dearest Friend, while at Thy feet we bend, O let Thy smile descend! ’Tis Thee we seek.
Saviour, Thy work revive; here may we see Those who are dead in sin quickened by Thee; Come to our hearts tonight, make every burden light; Cheer Thou our waiting sight; we long for Thee.
(3) Today in 1912 – Nearer, My God, to Thee played
Based on the report of a Canadian passenger, it is a persistent claim, whether true or not, that Nearer My God to Thee was played and sung as the now famous Titanic sank with a loss of hundreds of lives.
Wallace Hartley, the ship’s bandleader, and a Methodist, was known to like the song, and had requested that it be played at his funeral. We do know that the band courageously played on deck as passengers were being loaded into the lifeboats. Sadly, all of the musicians went down with the ship.
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee! E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me, Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee. Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee!
In spite of what various dramatized accounts of the sinking of the great ship portray, if the hymn Nearer, My God, to Thee was played as it sank, it was not the familiar American tune Bethany that was used, but more likely the English tune Horbury. The video clip below comes from the 1958 film A Night to Remember. It get’s points for historical accuracy for using Horbury!
