A lovely hymn about the wonder of God’s grace comes from the pen of Philip Doddridge. (You can see and hear the full hymn on the Cyber Hymnal.) The Bible speaks of “the riches of His grace,” and “the exceeding riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7; 2:7). We enjoy eternal treasures through His unmerited favour! Doddridge wrote this hymn for use in his own church. (In passing, what a blessing it would have been to attend the churches of such men as Doddridge and Newton, and Watts, and have a frequent spiritual feast from their writings!)
How rich Thy bounty, King of kings! Thy favours, how divine! The blessings which Thy gospel brings, How splendidly they shine!
Gold is but dross, and gems but toys, Should gold and gems compare; How mean, when set against those joys Thy poorest servants share!
(2) Today in 1897 – Frances Cox Died
Frances Elizabeth Cox was a nineteenth century English hymnist, known for her translations of many German hymns. She published two volumes of them. For example, there is Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above, written in 1675 by Johann Schutz. In its original publication, it was called Hymn of Thanksgiving, and it was based on Deut. 32:3, “I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God.” It says in part:
Sing praise to God who reigns above, the God of all creation, The God of power, the God of love, the God of our salvation. With healing balm my soul is filled and every faithless murmur stilled: To God all praise and glory.
The Lord is never far away, but through all grief distressing, An ever present help and stay, our peace and joy and blessing. As with a mother’s tender hand, God gently leads the chosen band: To God all praise and glory.
Miss Clara Tear served as the pastor of Wesleyan Methodist churches in the United States. She also worked as a circuit-riding preacher, visiting small and remote communities (a most unusual ministry for a woman in those days). She married a Reverend Williams in 1895 and continued to work as an evangelist and a co-pastor with her husband until 1920. George Beverley Shea speaks of meeting her when he was a small boy.
Only a single hymn from Clara Tear Williams remains in common use. It is Satisfied, written in 1875. Mrs Williams says,
I was helping in meetings in Troy, Ohio, where Professor R. E. Hudson conducted the singing. Just before retiring one night, he asked me to write a song for a book he was preparing to publish. Before sleeping, I wrote Satisfied. In the morning, he composed the music.
All my life long I had panted For a draught from some clear spring, That I hoped would quench the burning Of the thirst I felt within.
Hallelujah! I have found Him Whom my soul so long has craved! Jesus satisfies my longings, Through His blood I now am saved.
Feeding on the husks around me, Till my strength was almost gone, Longed my soul for something better, Only still to hunger on.
(2) Today in 1871 – Charlotte Elliot Died
The English poetess and hymn writer lived to the age of 82, but she had been a virtual invalid from around the age of 30. About her condition she wrote:
My heavenly Father knows, and He alone, what it is, day after day, and hour after hour, to fight against bodily feelings of almost overpowering weakness and languor and exhaustion. To resolve, as He enables me to do, not to yield to the slothfulness, the depression, the irritability, such as a body causes me to long to indulge, but to rise every morning determined on taking this for my motto: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” [Lk. 9:23].
For about 40 years, Charlotte Elliot carried on a correspondence about the Christian life with Henri Cesar Malan, a Swiss Bible teacher, evangelist, and hymn writer.
Elliot herself wrote about 150 hymns. Several are still in use, but one is known far above all the rest. Hymn historian Robert Guy McCutchan says Just As I Am “undoubtedly ranks with the finest hymns in the English language.” The song has been fixed in the public mind through being the standard invitation hymn used for some 60 years by the Billy Graham organization.
It was actually a comment of Cesar Malan’s that led to the writing of it. Miss Elliot was visiting some friends when she first met him. She was filled with bitterness toward God because of her illness, and subject to angry outbursts. At the supper table, when she showed some temper, Henri Malan pointedly said he hoped she was a Christian. Elliot took offense at his questioning of her spiritual condition, but his words stuck in her mind.
When they met again, three weeks later, she told him she wanted to know how she could be saved. She said she was ready to become a Christian, but supposed she would first have to make herself worthy of coming to Christ. But Mr. Malan replied, “You must come just as you are, a sinner, to the Lamb of God, with your fightings, fears, hates, quick temper and pride, and He will give you His great love in their place.”
Charlotte Elliot trusted Christ as her Saviour that day, coming to Him just as she was. It was out of that new understanding of grace that she wrote her famous hymn shortly after. The original was headed by the text, Jn. 6:37, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” Though it has a major application to sinners seeking the Saviour, much of it applies to Christians as well. We too are to come to Him in our need, without pretense, just as we are.
Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidst me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot, To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt, Fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Another hymn from Charlotte Elliot’s pen is Thy Will Be Done (not to be confused with Jennie Hussey’s song of the same name). Miss Elliot’s song appears in Ira Sankey’s Sacred Songs and Solos (#718), set to a tune by James McGranahan. It says in part:
My God, my Father, while I stray Far from my home, on life’s rough way, O teach me from my heart to say, “Thy will be done.”
What though in lonely grief I sigh For friends beloved, no longer nigh, Submissive still would I reply, “Thy will be done.”
Renew my will from day to day: Blend it with Thine; and take away All that now makes it hard to say, “Thy will be done.”
James Martin Gray was born in New York City in 1851, and he put his faith in Christ as Saviour at the age of 22. In 1879 he became rector of the First Reformed Episcopal Church, in Boston, where he served for 14 years. He taught at the summer sessions of Moody Bible Institute, and in 1904 became dean of the Institute, and later served as its president. He was a man of vision, and the school grew under his able administration. He helped to make it an effective missionary training institution. (My own father was a music major at Moody, in Dr. Gray’s time.)
A conservative theologian, Gray was one of the seven editors of the popular Scofield Reference Bible. He was a fine scholar and an excellent Bible teacher, but his interests moved far beyond mere academics. He promoted the Sunday School, and took an interest in civic affairs and patriot causes. He backed efforts at social betterment, and was a supporter of Prohibition.
James Gray wrote a number of gospel songs, several of which are still in use. Nor Silver Nor Gold, What Did He Do? and Only a Sinner are examples. The latter song emphasizes that salvation is totally God’s gift, to be received by faith. As Eph. 2:8-9 clearly explains, it cannot be earned by any efforts on our part. It is not our good works, or our church rituals, or our family connections that save us. It is Christ. Through simple faith in Him, our sins are forgiven, and we receive the gift of eternal life (Jn. 3:16; 14:6; Acts 16:30-31; Eph. 1:7).
Naught have I gotten but what I received; Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed; Boasting excluded, pride I abase; I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!
Only a sinner, saved by grace! Only a sinner, saved by grace! This is my story, to God be the glory– I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!
Once I was foolish, and sin ruled my heart, Causing my footsteps from God to depart; Jesus hath found me, happy my case; I now am a sinner, saved by grace!
(2) Remember Me, O Mighty One! (Data Missing)
This little song appears in a number of hymn books, including Ira Sankey’s Sacred Songs and Solos (#555). I can recall singing it with a male choir, back in the early 1960s. The second stanza recalls the experience of Peter (Matt. 14:22-33). In the above volume, the tune is attributed to Johanna Kinkel (1810-1858), a gifted German composer. It is possible she originated the original German text of the hymn too–though Sankey designates it as Anonymous.
Many great saints in Bible times, as they faced painful or dangerous circumstances, or a crisis situation, called upon the Lord in their extremity to remember them–that is, to give attention to their need, and show them mercy. It would make an interesting Bible study to examine the circumstances of each of the following, and consider what lessons can be learned there. Among those who prayed this prayer are: Samson (Jud. 16:28); Hannah (I Sam. 1:11); Nehemiah (Neh. 13:14, 23, 31); Job (Job 14:13); David (Ps. 25:7); Jeremiah (Jer. 15:15), and, of course, the dying thief on the cross (Lk. 23:42).
When storms around are sweeping, When lone my watch I’m keeping, ‘Mid fires of evil falling, ‘Mid tempters’ voices calling, Remember me, O Mighty One! Remember me, O Mighty One!
When walking on life’s ocean, Control its raging motion; When from its dangers shrinking, When in its dread deeps sinking, Remember me, O Mighty One! Remember me, O Mighty One!
When weight of sin oppresses, When dark despair distresses, All through the life that’s mortal, And when I pass death’s portal, Remember me, O Mighty One! Remember me, O Mighty One!
Sounds like the quartet in the following clip sang together in years gone by, and have reunited for this occasion. They have a sweet blend singing Remember Me. (And you get a bonus: a verse of the old barbershop number Sweet Adeline!)
Walter Chalmers Smith was born in Scotland and was educated in Edinburgh. He became a clergyman in the Scottish Church, and eventually identified himself with the Free Church of Scotland. He pastored several churches, and eventually was appointed moderator of the Free Church in 1893. He wrote a number of hymns, but only one is in common use today.
Smith wrote a majestic hymn of worship based on I Tim. 1:17, “To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.” The hymn, called Immortal, Invisible, says in part:
Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight; All praise we would render–O help us to see ‘Tis only the splendour of light hideth Thee!
(2) Today in 1921 – William Kirkpatrick Died
American musician William James Kirkpatrick was a prolific composer of gospel song tunes. A couple of hymn books I pulled off the shelf contain 16 of his tunes, combined with the words of more than a dozen authors, including Fanny Crosby, Eliza Hewitt, and Thomas Chisholm. (The Cyber Hymnal currently lists 237 of his melodies.)
From 1890 comes his collaboration with Fanny Crosby in the lovely He Hideth My Soul.
A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord, A wonderful Saviour to me; He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, Where rivers of pleasure I see.
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock That shadows a dry, thirsty land; He hideth my life with the depths of His love, And covers me there with His hand, And covers me there with His hand.
A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord, He taketh my burden away; He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved, He giveth me strength as my day.
With numberless blessings each moment He crowns, And filled with His fullness divine, I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God For such a Redeemer as mine!
When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise To meet Him in clouds of the sky, His perfect salvation, His wonderful love I’ll shout with the millions on high.
William Kirkpatrick also supplied the tune for Fanny Crosby’s Meet Me There. It was a brief comment by Mr. Kirkpatrick as he was leaving Fanny’s home that inspired the song. She said, “Oh dear, it’s nothing but meeting and parting in this world, isn’t it?” To which Kirkpatrick replied, “Well, I will not say, as [hymn writer Philip] Bliss did, ‘Meet me at the fountain,’ but I will say, ‘Where the tree of life is blooming, meet me there.’” That comment led to the writing of:
On the happy, golden shore, where the faithful part no more, When the storms of life are over, meet me there; Where the night dissolves away into pure and perfect day, I am going home to stay—meet me there.
Meet me there, meet me there, Where the tree of life is blooming, Meet me there; When the storms of life are o’er, On the happy golden shore, Where the faithful part no more, Meet me there.
Where the harps of angels ring, and the blest forever sing, In the palace of the King, meet me there; Where in sweet communion blend heart with heart and friend with friend, In a world that ne’er shall end, meet me there.
(3) Today in 2006 – John Peterson Died
John Willard Peterson was one of the outstanding gospel music composers of the latter part of the twentieth century. He put his faith in Christ at the age of 12, and displayed a gift for making music early on. (He wrote his first song while still in high school.) In the Second World War, he served in the American Army Air Corps, flying the Himalayan supply route to China (“over the Hump”). In the army, he got the nickname “Deacon” for his habit of unashamedly having his morning devotions wherever he was. After the war, he attended Moody Bible Institute and the American Conservatory of Music.
Mr. Peterson either composed the music, or wrote words and music, for well over 1,000 songs, such as: It Took a Miracle, Springs of Living Water, Heaven Came Down, Jesus Is Coming Again and Surely Goodness and Mercy. In addition, he wrote 35 cantatas and musicals. Approximately 10 million copies of these have been published and sold. He was admitted to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1986.
The hymn title, It Took a Miracle, was adapted for use with his autobiography, The Miracle Goes On, which was also made into a film about his life.
It took a miracle to put the stars in place, It took a miracle to hang the world in space; But when He saved my soul, Cleansed and made me whole, It took a miracle of love and grace.
In a fine little hymn, All Things Work Out for Good, published in 1961, Peterson explores the meaning of a familiar text, Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” It is an encouraging thing to know that we will not depart this life until we have fulfilled God’s sovereign purpose.
All things work out for good, we know– Such is God’s great design; He orders all our steps below For purposes divine.
So now the future holds no fear, God guards the work begun; And mortals are immortal here Until their work is done.
Clarence Alphonsus Walworth graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York. His early intention was to become a lawyer, but in the end he chose the Roman Catholic priesthood instead. He is known in hymnody only for his translation of the hymn Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.
The original of this hymn is attributed to hymnologist and compiler Ignaz Franz, and dates from 1774, with Walworth’s translation coming nearly two centuries later. It is a great Trinitarian hymn of praise, which says in part:
Holy God, we praise Thy name; Lord of all, we bow before Thee! All on earth Thy sceptre claim, All in heaven above adore Thee; Infinite Thy vast domain, Everlasting is Thy reign.
Hark! the loud celestial hymn Angel choirs above are raising, Cherubim and seraphim, In unceasing chorus praising; Fill the heavens with sweet accord: Holy, holy, holy, Lord.
Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee; While in essence only One, Undivided God we claim Thee; And adoring bend the knee, While we sing our praise to Thee.
(2) Today in 1954 – John Arkwright Died
John Stanhope Arkwright published an Armistice Day hymn in 1919, at the end of the First World War. (This date, November 11th, has since been set aside to honour the military. It is called Remembrance Day in Canada, and Veteran’s Day in the United States.) Arkwright was a barrister, a member of Parliament, and the Chief Steward of the city of Hereford in England. He was knighted in 1934. His hymn appeared in a book of poems he entitled The Supreme Sacrifice and Other Poems in Time of War, and it is called O Valiant Hearts.
O valiant hearts who to your glory came Through dust of conflict and through battle flame; Tranquil you lie, your knightly virtue proved, Your memory hallowed in the land you loved.
Proudly you gathered, rank on rank, to war As who had heard God’s message from afar; All you had hoped for, all you had, you gave, To save mankind—yourselves you scorned to save.
Splendid you passed, the great surrender made; Into the light that nevermore shall fade; Deep your contentment in that blest abode, Who wait the last clear trumpet call of God.
Long years ago, as earth lay dark and still, Rose a loud cry upon a lonely hill, While in the frailty of our human clay, Christ, our Redeemer, passed the self same way.
Still stands His cross from that dread hour to this, Like some bright star above the dark abyss; Still, through the veil, the Victor’s pitying eyes Look down to bless our lesser Calvaries.
These were His servants, in His steps they trod, Following through death the martyred Son of God: Victor, He rose; victorious too shall rise They who have drunk His cup of sacrifice.
O risen Lord, O Shepherd of our dead, Whose cross has bought them and whose staff has led, In glorious hope their proud and sorrowing land Commits her children to Thy gracious hand.
It is beyond the scope of this blog to discuss when a war is just, and when it is not. Sufficient to say here that it is fitting to honour, as this selection does, those who willingly laid their lives on the line to defend principles they believed in. Having said that, it is far too bold to draw a parallel between all such human conflicts and the work of Christ on Calvary, as the hymn tries to do (let alone its erroneous implication that all soldiers go to heaven when they die!). However, I appreciate the sentiment, focusing as it does on the principle of self-sacrifice. The words on the following video are sometimes difficult to pick up, so I have included the entire text above.
Theodulph was born into the Italian nobility, but chose a life of religious service. In 781, Charlemagne appointed him Bishop of Orleans, France. Theodulf was a theologian, and an able administrator. He deplored the ignorance of many of the clergy, and sought to educate them. But his work came to an abrupt end when he was accused of complicity in a conspiracy with King Bernard of Italy. Theodulph was deposed, exiled and imprisoned. There, for several years, his faith apparently sustained him. He may have died in prison, though some records suggest he was exonerated and released, but died before he could be reinstated.
Theodulph was also a skilled poet, producing six volumes of verse. (He even wrote many letters in poetic form!) The one hymn for which he is known today is the Palm Sunday hymn, All Glory, Laud and Honour, written about a year before he died. It says:
All glory, laud and honour, To Thee, Redeemer, King, To whom the lips of children Made sweet hosannas ring. Thou art the King of Israel, Thou David’s royal Son, Who in the Lord’s name comest, The King and blessèd One.
The company of angels Are praising Thee on high, And mortal men and all things Created make reply. The people of the Hebrews With palms before Thee went; Our prayer and praise and anthems Before Thee we present.
Strong Words About Music: Over the years, many statements have been made about music that are worth thinking about–even when we may have some reservations about them. Check out some “strong words about music.”
(2) Today in 1857 – Christian Burke Born
Christian Caroline Anna Burke was an English poetess who lived in London. In 1903 she wrote a poem she called A Mother’s Prayer. The next year it became the hymn Lord of Life and King of Glory. If you are looking for a meaningful hymn to use with a Mother’s Day service, you might consider this one.
Lord of life and King of glory, Who didst deign a child to be, Cradled on a mother’s bosom, Throned upon a mother’s knee: For the children Thou hast given We must answer unto Thee!
Grant us, then, pure hearts and patient, That in all we do or say Little souls our deeds may copy, And be never led astray; Little feet our steps may follow In a safe and narrow way.
Mary Susanne Edgar was a Canadian poet and hymn writer, and a member of the Anglican Church. She received her education at Havergal College and the University of Toronto, and graduated from the training institute of the Y.W.C.A. in New York City. The great love of her life was camping. A list of some of her writings reflects this: Once There Was a Camper, Wood-Fire and Candle-Light, and Under Open Skies. In 1922, Mary Edgar established Glen Bernard Camp for Girls in Northern Ontario. It has become a leader in environmental education
Though she wrote a number of hymn poems, only a couple are in common use. And Edgar’s life-long affection for the outdoors is evidenced even here. One is her national hymn, O God of All the Many Lands. It begins:
O God of all the many lands, We lift our hearts to Thee, For this fair land our Canada, A country wide and free; For mountain heights and northern lights, For prayer, lake and sea, For lavishness in all the gifts That find their source in Thee.
At the beginning of earth’s history we read, “God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). And the psalmist declares, “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions” (Ps. 104:24). We can draw many parallels and spiritual lessons from nature. Mary Edgar understood that. In her hymn God, Who Touchest Earth with Beauty, a nature theme again comes to the fore. It says, in part:
God who touchest earth with beauty, Make my heart anew; With Thy Spirit recreate me Pure, and strong and true.
Like the birds that soar while singing, Give my heart a song; May the music of thanksgiving Echo clear and strong.
(2) Life at Best Is Very Brief (Data Missing)
This gospel song is found in Ira Sankey’s Sacred Songs and Solos hymnal (#437). The tune, by William Kirkpatrick, is the same one used for Fanny Crosby’s Meet Me There. (You can hear the tune on the Cyber Hymnal.)
To some, the message of Life at Best Is Very Brief may seem a bit morbid. But it is intended as a warning to sinners to respond to the gospel of grace before it is too late. There is a notion that it is wrong to “scare people into heaven” by telling them about coming judgment. But the Lord Jesus certainly did not hesitate to warn of judgment to come (Matt. 13:40-43; 25:41; Jn. 3:17-18; cf. II Thess 1:7-10).
It is certainly possible to be overbalanced in the other direction, to preach fiery judgment and fail to present the wonderful grace of God. But it is important to warn people that our destiny depends on what we do with Jesus (Jn. 3:36).
Life at best is very brief, Like the falling of a leaf, Like the binding of a sheaf: Be in time! Fleeting days are telling fast That the die will soon be cast, And the fatal line be passed: Be in time!
Be in time! Be in time! While the voice of Jesus calls you, Be in time! If in sin you longer wait, You may find no open gate, And your cry be just too late: Be in time!
Time is gliding swiftly by, Death and judgment draweth nigh, To the arms of Jesus fly: Be in time! Oh, I pray you count the cost, Ere the fatal line be crossed, And your soul in hell be lost: Be in time!
Sinner, heed the warning voice, Make the Lord your final choice, Then all heaven will rejoice: Be in time! Come from darkness into light; Come, let Jesus make you right; Come, and start for heav’n tonight: Be in time!
Moultrie was an Anglican pastor, educator, and scholar, who wrote many hymns, though few of these are in common use today. He also translated the ancient (4th century) Greek hymn about the incarnation of Christ, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.
Let all mortal flesh keep silence, And with fear and trembling stand; Ponder nothing earthly minded, For with blessing in His hand, Christ our God to earth descendeth, Our full homage to demand.
(2) Today in 1884 – Kitty Suffield Born
Kitty Louise Jennett, later Mrs. Fred Suffield, has given us two gospel songs that express important principles to keep in mind. How she and her husband met is an amazing story. Fred Suffield, a Canadian, was awakened one night by an urgent pounding on his door. The caller reported that a train had been stalled nearby in the blizzard conditions that winter night. The caller feared the passengers were in danger of freezing to death. Suffield went to the train and invited them all back to his house. One of them, Kitty Jennett, wrote a note to thank him for his kindness, and out of that, and some exchanged correspondence, a relationship developed.
The two were later brought to Christ at a church in Ottawa by the pastor, A. J. Shea. Kitty Suffield was instrumental in encouraging the pastor’s teen-aged son to use his voice to sing God’s praises. His name is George Beverley Shea. Kitty, a talented musician herself, and her preacher husband eventually formed a much travelled evangelistic team.
The two songs for which Kitty Suffield is best known are: Little Is Much When God Is in It, and God Is Still on the Throne. Both remind us of important truths.
In the harvest field now ripened There’s a work for all to do; Hark! the voice of God is calling To the harvest calling you.
Little is much when God is in it! Labour not for wealth or fame. There’s a crown—and you can win it, If you go in Jesus’ name.
Does the place you’re called to labour Seem too small and little known? It is great if God is in it, And He’ll not forget His own.
God Is Still on the Throne is a gospel song with four stanzas, but even if you never use the full hymn, I encourage you to learn and to sing the chorus. In the troubled times in which we live, it is a powerful statement of the presence and power of a sovereign God.
God is still on the throne, And He will remember His own; Though trials may press us and burdens distress us, He never will leave us alone; God is still on the throne, He never forsaketh His own; His promise is true, He will not forget you, God is still on the throne.
Though blinded by an eye infection at age eight, Geibel became a successful composer, conductor, and organist. His tune for George Duffield’s hymn Stand Up for Jesus (named Geibel, after the composer) is found in some hymn books. Though perhaps it is better suited to choral than to congregational use, it is a dramatic marching melody, with a strong military feel that suits the text of the hymn. Here’s a link to a rather mediocre version of the tune Geibel (for some strange reason described as a Southern Gospel rendition!). It will at least give you the melody. If you can find a good choral rendition, please let me know.
(2) Today in 1932 – Charles Gabriel Died
Charles Hutchinson Gabriel is one of the most prominent and notable gospel composers of the early twentieth century. He wrote many hymn texts, but mostly he is known as a composer of melodies for the words of others. Among the songs for which he wrote both words and music is a hymn of aspiration called More Like the Master.
More like the Master I would ever be, More of His meekness, more humility; More zeal to labour, more courage to be true, More consecration for work He bids me do.
Another of Gabriel’s offerings is the hymn of testimony, He Is So Precious to Me. It illustrates for us the important work of editors who spot weaknesses in a text and offer alternatives. For this hymn, Gabriel’s original first stanza read:
I’m happy in Jesus, my Saviour, my King, And all the day long of His goodness I sing, To Him in my weakness I lovingly cling, For He is so precious to me.
The truth is there, but the more recent version is fine too:
So precious is Jesus, my Saviour, my King; His praise all the day long with rapture I sing. To Him in my weakness for strength I can cling, For He is so precious to me.
And one last example of Charles Gabriel’s work. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a cheerful old man named Ed Card was superintendent of the Sunshine Rescue Mission in St. Louis, Missouri. Ed was a radiant Christian who always seemed to be bubbling over with the joy of the Lord. His glowing smile earned him the nickname “Old Glory Face.”
During meetings at the mission, the one safety valve for all his pent-up enthusiasm was the word “Glory!” (to him meaning “Wonderful!”). He often just exploded with it, in the middle of a sermon or a prayer. As author Ken Osbeck notes, “He praised the Lord, not with many words, but with one word repeated many times!” When he prayed, he would inevitably end with thoughts of meeting his Saviour in heaven, saying, “And that will be glory for me!”
Gabriel was a good friend of Mr. Card’s, and he wrote the hymn O That Will Be Glory (or Glory for Me) in honour of the superintendent’s shining testimony. The old man had the privilege of singing Charles Gabriel’s hymn himself, just before he died. He was thrilled to think that his Christian life had been an inspiration to others.
When all my labours and trials are o’er, And I am safe on that beautiful shore, Just to be near the dear Lord I adore, Will through the ages be glory for me.
O that will be glory for me, Glory for me, glory for me, When by His grace I shall look on His face, That will be glory, be glory for me.
Savanarola was a fiery Italian priest who boldly denounced the pope and the corrupt papal court. He was executed for his actions. Though he continued to espouse Roman Catholic doctrine throughout his life, the Protestant reformers later looked to him as an example of one who took a stand against the excesses and errors of Romanism. He gave us the hymn, Jesus, Refuge of the Weary.
Jesus, refuge of the weary, Object of the spirit’s love, Fountain in life’s desert dreary, Saviour from the world above. O how oft Thine eyes, offended, Gaze upon the sinner’s fall; Yet upon the cross extended, Thou didst bear the pain of all.
Do we pass that cross unheeding, Breathing no repentant vow, Though we see Thee wounded, bleeding, See Thy thorn encircled brow? Yet Thy sinless death hath brought us Life eternal, peace, and rest; Only what Thy grace hath taught us Calms the sinner’s stormy breast.
2) Today in 1745 – Good Christian Men, Rejoice sung
Many churches have sung this Christmas carol of course. But there was one occasion when the congregational rendering of it was dramatically different. On this date, the original version (predating John Mason Neale’s English paraphrase) was sung in a Moravian church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 13 languages at once!
The young people in the video clip here do a fine job. Too bad the recording didn’t start quite soon enough, but the rest is enjoyable.
3) Today in 1833 – John Stevenson Died
Irish musician John Andrew Stevenson became a chorister, then Vicar Choral at Christ Church and St. Patrick’s cathedrals. He was also an able organist. The University of Dublin awarded him a doctoral degree in 1791, and he was knighted in 1803. Stevenson wrote the tune Vesper Hymn for the evening song Jubilate (from the Latin word jubilatus meaning to shout for joy). “Let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You” (Ps. 5:11). Though it is sometimes treated as a hymn, and I’ve included it here, there’s little in the pretty song of biblical truth.
Hark! the vesper hymn is stealing O’er the waters soft and clear; Nearer yet and nearer pealing Soft it breaks upon the ear, Jubilate! Jubilate! Jubilate! Amen! Farther now and farther stealing Soft it fades upon the ear.
