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Today in 1811 – William Hunter Born

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Born in Ireland, William Hunter’s emigrated to America with his family when he was 6 years old. In his adult years, ordained as a Methodist minister, he taught Hebrew at Allegheny College, and also edited various periodicals. Though he wrote 125 hymns, the only one still in use is The Great Physician (originally called Christ, the Physician). As written, it had 7 stanzas, but only 4 are commonly found in hymnals today. The hymn begins:

The great Physician now is near,
The sympathizing Jesus;
He speaks the drooping heart to cheer,
Oh! hear the voice of Jesus.

Sweetest note in seraph song,
Sweetest Name on mortal tongue;
Sweetest carol ever sung,
Jesus, blessèd Jesus.

The Great Physician Now Is Near on YouTube.

(2) Today in 1823 – Francis Bottome Born

Francis (Frank) Bottome emigrated from England to America in 1850 and became a pastor with the Methodist Episcopal Church. He wrote several hymns, and a couple are worthy of mention here. The more familiar of the two is The Comforter Has Come.

“The Comforter” is a title given to the Holy Spirit in the King James Version. In a time of teaching, just before He went to the cross, the Lord Jesus promised “another Comforter” to help  His followers (Jn. 14:16–“another” in the sense that Christ had done something similar while He was on earth). The word “Comforter” (parakletos in Greek) is impossible to translate with a single English word. Literally, it describes the Spirit of God as One called alongside to help. The various Bible versions give us such words as: Helper, Friend, Advocate, Counselor, and Encourager. J. B. Phillips’ paraphrase perhaps comes close to the original with “Someone to stand by you.”

The coming of the Spirit to begin His Church Age ministry was a momentous and joyful event. And that is what Frank Bottome’s hymn celebrates. It begins:

O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found,
Wherever human hearts and human woes abound;
Let ev’ry Christian tongue proclaim the joyful sound:
The Comforter has come!

The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come!
The Holy Ghost from Heav’n, the Father’s promise giv’n;
O spread the tidings ’round, wherever man is found—
The Comforter has come!

A second hymn written by Frank Bottome is less known, but worthy of note. The original opening phrase (used to begin several stanzas) was “O bliss of the purified.” This has been amended in the version below to “O joy of the justified,” which I personally prefer.

The great doctrine of justification involves God pronouncing righteous those who put their faith in Christ, since the righteousness of Christ has been credited to their heavenly account. We are “justified freely by His grace” (Rom. 3:24), and “justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law [i.e. apart from good works, human effort]” (Rom. 3:28).

To hear a rousing version of Bottome’s hymn see if you can locate a cassette or CD of A Thousand Tongues to Sing, the third All-Britain Festival of Male Voice Praise, recorded in 1978.

O joy of the justified, joy of the free!
I’m washed in the crimson tide opened for me;
In Christ, my Redeemer, rejoicing I stand,
And point to the print of the nail in His hand.

O Jesus, my Saviour, I’ll still sing of Thee,
Yes, sing of Thy precious blood poured out for me;
And when in the mansions of glory above,
I’ll praise and adore Thine unchangeable love.

Today in 1816 – Samuel Webbe Died

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Samuel Webbe has an interesting history. Raised in poverty by his mother, after his father died, he received his early education from her. As a boy, he was apprenticed to a cabinet maker, but spoke later of seven wasted years in that pursuit. Around the age of 20 he obtained employment as a music copiest, often working from 5:00 a.m. till midnight to make enough to support himself.

Music became his passion, and he determined to master the subject. He certainly became notably skilled, creating some of the finest unaccompanied vocal music ever written. Webbe was also a talented organist, and he served churches in London in that capacity for a number of years. In addition, he became interested in languages, and before his death he had gained a knowledge of Latin, French, Italian, German, Greek and Hebrew.

Samuel Webbe wrote a number of hymn tunes, including his Consolator for Come, Ye Disconsolate. (For a lovely rendition of this hymn, here is one on YouTube.)

Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish,
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

(2) Today in 1934 – Gustav Holst Died

Gustav Theodore Holst wrote the hymn tune Cranham for the carol In the Bleak Midwinter. But as a classical composer, he is best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, composed in 1921. The hymn tune Thaxted is actually the theme for the planet Jupiter taken from that piece of music. (The beautiful melody comes near the middle of Holst’s music for Jupiter.) It is used for the hymn I Vow to Thee My Country, written by English career diplomat Sir Cecil Spring-Rice.

In truth, most would not consider this to be a true hymn. Nowhere in the two stanzas is God even mentioned. The second stanza makes a vague reference to the kingdom of God, or perhaps heaven, as “another country,” and the last line quotes from Prov. 3:17, “Her ways are pleasantness [or gentleness], and all her paths are peace.” But this text is speaking of godly wisdom (cf. vs. 13), not heaven. The vow of loyalty to one’s country is appropriate for the military, and it is used at Remembrance Day services.

What has called particular attention to the song is its use on two newsworthy occasions. Princess Diana asked that it be sung at her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, saying it was her favourite. It certainly suited that event, if we think of it as a pledge of loyalty to Britain by a young woman about to enter public life. It was also used on the sad occasion of Diana’s funeral in Westminster Abbey in 1997 (see the video clip below). It begins:

I vow to thee, my country–all earthly things above–
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays on the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago—
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.

Today in 1768 – Joseph Hart Died

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Joseph Hart was raised in a Christian home, but as a young man he abandoned his early training and became an atheist, or at least an agnostic. Or so he said. For a number of years he ran with the godless crowd and his life descended into debauchery. When he was confronted with the preaching of John Wesley, he dismissed it as fanatical nonsense. He then published his criticism of Wesley’s message under the title The Unreasonableness of Religion, thinking that settled the matter. But God had other ideas.

Hart’s immoral behaviour made him absolutely miserable. He felt what he was doing was wrong, but he seemed to have no power to change. He tried to reform several times, and failed. Then, in his hopeless state, he examined once again the gospel he had previously spurned. What had seemed so “unreasonable” began to make good sense. According to the Word of God his only hope was a work of God in his life. So, like the young man in the parable of the Prodigal Son he came back to those values he had been taught many years before.

At the age of 45 Joseph Hart was wonderfully converted, later entering the Christian ministry. His clear, simple preaching attracted large crowds, and when he died more than 20,000 people attended his funeral. At the risk of making a bad pun, could we not say that the man experienced a change of Hart? And the Christ he once rejected now began to move his pen to loving praise. He wrote a book entitled Hymns Composed on Various Subjects, with the Author’s Experience. In it a powerful hymn of invitation was first published, a song called, Come, and Welcome, to Jesus Christ. We know it now by the opening phrase, Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Wretched.

Many modern hymnals are loathe to retain the word “wretched,” preferring “poor and needy.” They seem convinced that the average person is not familiar with the original word, or will somehow be insulted by it. But Hart knew what he was talking about. “Wretched” is what he was–and what many sinners are. It means utterly miserable and deeply distressed. When the hymn is sung to the rousing Welsh tune Bryn Calfaria (Calvary Hill), there is a triple emphasis in the fifth line of each verse, impressing the truth upon us. (You can hear the tune on the Cyber Hymnal.)

Come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, joined with power:
He is able, He is able, He is able,
He is willing, doubt no more;
He is willing, doubt no more.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all:
Not the righteous, not the righteous, not the righteous,
Sinners Jesus came to call;
Sinners Jesus came to call.

Here is a very nice rendering of the hymn by a small choir. It uses the hymn tune Restoration, and includes a refrain by an unknown author that expresses a response to the Lord’s invitation (“I will arise and go to Jesus…”).

(2) Today in 1865 -Emily Wilson Born

American Emily Divine married John G. Wilson, a Methodist clergyman. She and her husband frequently attended the camp meetings at Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Her husband also served as District Superintendent of the Philadelphia Conference of the Methodist Church, as well as ministering at a church in Philadelphia. Mrs. Wilson has given us the tune for Eliza Hewitt’s gospel song When We All Get to Heaven. She also wrote words and music for the beautiful song, I Will Pilot Thee.

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessèd
He’ll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Today in 1738 – And Can It Be? written

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Charles Wesley wrote And Can It Be? a few days after his conversion (on May 20th). He says in his journal that he had difficulty completing the text “because of Satan creating doubts about it,” causing him to feel he displeased God in writing it. But Wesley recognized this to be a “device of the enemy to keep God from receiving the glory due Him.”

We can be glad he persevered. The song is a great declaration of faith in the finished work of Christ. The fourth stanza (the second one included below) is sublime poetry describing the conversion experience. (For more about Wesley, and a stirring congregational rendition of this hymn, see Today in 1788.)

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Saviour’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

But a word should be added about a statement in  Charles Wesley’s third stanza, which begins:

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race.

“Emptied Himself” is a literal rendering of the original Greek text of Phil. 2:7, which says in the NKJV that Christ “made Himself of no reputation.” The Amplified Bible says He “stripped Himself [of all privilege and rightful dignity].” We must not suppose that the verse is telling us Christ ceased to be fully God when He became Man. “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9)

What He left behind for a time was the eternal honour and privilege fully due to Him. Also, the radiance of His eternal glory was veiled, except for those moments on the Mount of Transfiguration. As Man, He willingly submitted Himself to the will of the Father, even though it included the scornful abuse of sinners, and death on the cross. But He never stopped being what He is, God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity. Wesley’s phrase seems to imply more, and that is wrong. Majesty Hymns alters the line to: “Humbled Himself and came in love.” (Much better.)

(2) Today in 1831 – William Perkins Born

William Oscar Perkins was the brother of Henry Perkins (who gave us the tune for the gospel song Blessed Be the Fountain of Blood). William studied music in Boston, and in several European cities. Settling in Boston he founded a music academy and published a number of hymnals and many gospel songbooks. He composed the tune for the gospel song Did You Think to Pray? (For something about the author of the words, and a quartet version of this hymn, see the second item under Today in 1621.)

Ere you left your room this morning,
Did you think to pray?
In the name of Christ our Saviour,
Did you sue for loving favour,
As a shield today?

O how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day;
So when life seems dark and dreary,
Don’t forget to pray.

(3) Today in 1848 – George Hugg Born

George Crawford Hugg began his music career at an amazingly young age. When he was 12 he became the choirmaster at a Presbyterian church in New Jersey, and later served other churches in this capacity. At the age of 14 he published his first song, called Walk in the Light. He was a prolific composer giving us 18 volumes of Sunday School and revival songs, and hundreds of other works, as well as tunes for many gospel songs (Every Bridge Is Burned Behind Me, and No, Not One are two of these.)

There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!
None else could heal all our soul’s diseases,
No, not one! No, not one!

Jesus knows all about our struggles,
He will guide till the day is done;
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!

Today in 1724 – Henriette Von Hayn Born

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lamb

Born in Germany, Henriette Luise Von Hayn was the daughter of Georg Heinrich von Hayn, master of the hounds to the Duke of Nassau. In 1746, she was formally received into the Moravian community at Herrnhaag. After the dissolution of that community, she went to Grosshennersdorf, and after that, in 1751, to Herrnhut. There she taught at the Girls’ School. After 1766 she cared for the invalid sisters of the community. Von Hayn is considered a gifted hymn writer, though little of her work remains in use today.

The title of I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb perhaps makes it sound as though it is a children’s song. But the text, based on the 23rd Psalm, seems intended as the author’s own tender expression of humility and personal need.

I am Jesus’ little lamb,
Ever glad at heart I am;
For my Shepherd gently guides me,
Knows my need, and well provides me,
Loves me every day the same,
Even calls me by my name.

Day by day, at home, away,
Jesus is my Staff and Stay.
When I hunger, Jesus feeds me,
Into pleasant pastures leads me;
When I thirst, He bids me go
Where the quiet waters flow.

Who so happy as I am,
Even now the Shepherd’s lamb?
And when my short life is ended,
By His angel host attended,
He shall fold me to His breast,
There within His arms to rest.

William Newell

(2) Today in 1868 – William Newell Born

Dr. William Newell was an exceptionally fine Bible teacher and author in the latter part of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century. I have made use of his commentaries on Romans, Hebrews, and Revelation many times. (In the 1950’s I had the privilege of hearing his son Philip speak–also a Bible teacher and author.)

One day in 1895, on his way to teach a class at Moody Bible Institute, Newell was meditating on the sufferings of Christ. On a sudden inspiration, he stepped into an empty classroom, and jotted down some simple lines of poetry on that theme. Then, continuing on his way down the corridor, he came upon Daniel Towner, the Institute’s Director of Music. He passed the new poem to the other man, suggesting maybe he could provide a tune for it. By the conclusion of Dr. Newell’s lecture, the work had been done, and the two men sang the hymn, At Calvary, for the first time. (For more on Daniel Towner, see the second item under Today in 1830.)

Newell’s hymn poem proclaims the gospel in simplicity. It reminds us that in his sin-darkened state the sinner neither knows or cares about the meaning of the cross (I Cor. 2:14). Illumination, and conviction of sin, and the ability to reach out to Christ come from the Spirit of God, working through the Word of God (I Cor. 2:9-10; II Tim. 3:14-15). It is only then we begin to realize something of “the mighty gulf,” the monstrous chasm, that separates the sinner from a holy God.

In ourselves, we are incapable of bridging that great divide. But God has done it for us, in grace. “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly….[And] God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6, 8).

Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary.

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!

There is a problem with Daniel Towner’s tune for this hymn. It is very singable. But it doesn’t entirely suit the subject, certainly not of the first two stanzas. That hippety-hop of the repeated dotted eighth and sixteenth notes is not appropriate, in my view, for solemn confessions such as, “Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my Lord was crucified,” and the second stanza about trembling before God’s broken law.

And because of the bouncy rhythm, the hymn is usually sung too quickly. (I even saw a couple of video clips on YouTube on which the opening lines were sung with beaming smiles!) The mood should be subdued and reverent–though not solemn and depressed, since the singer has found the answer to his great need. But thoughtful and earnest.

Today in 1867 – Frederick Blom Born

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Note: My story below of Fred Blom’s life is taken from numerous sources. However, it’s also been challenged by some. As happens occasionally, there are conflicting details of how a hymn came to be written. Often, both contain factual elements, but it may not be easy to combine the two.

Don Hustad, in his Dictionary-Handbook to Hymns for the Living Church, has two divergent accounts about Blom and his song, and says he’s been unable to reconcile them. The two notes below by Mats Ahlgren, a reader of my blog, have some details I haven’t seen elsewhere. I encourage you to check them out as well.

Fred Blom

We must not set pastors on a pedestal as some kind of plaster saints who have achieved near perfection. Frederick Arvid Blom certainly had not. Born in Sweden, he immigrated to America in the 1890s and began serving as an officer in the Salvation Army in the city of Chicago. Later, he pastored a Mission Covenant Church. But his life took a radical downward turn around 1915.

Blom became spiritually backslidden and resigned from the ministry. He says, “I became embittered with myself, [and] the world.” He drifted into a life of drunkenness and sin, and eventually was involved in illegal activities. When he was caught, he was convicted and sent to prison. But the Lord kept His hand on His wayward child. There, surrounded by locked gates and iron bars, he cried out to God, and sought forgiveness for his sins.

With his sentence fully served, Blom was released. When the prison gates clanged shut behind him, he felt the delivering power of God in a special way. It brought to his mind some gates of another kind. He rejoiced that not only was he no longer locked away as a prisoner, but he was assured of a welcome one day at the pearly gates of the heavenly city. With that thought in mind Frederick Blom wrote a hymn he called Because of the Blood. We know it by the opening phrase of the chorus.

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.

Like a dove when hunted, frightened,
As a wounded fawn was I;
Brokenhearted, yet He healed me,
He will heed the sinner’s cry.

(2) Today in 1922 – Doris Akers Born

One of ten children, Doris Mae Akers was a gifted composer. Her family moved to Missouri when Doris was 5 years old. There as a musical prodigy and a self-taught musician, Doe (as she was known to her family) wrote her first gospel song at the age of 10. From her teen years, Doris Akers sang and played with various musical groups. She wrote over 300 gospel songs.

Akers received many awards, including back-to-back “Gospel Music Composer of the Year” in both 1960 and 1961. In 1992, she was honoured by the Smithsonian Institution as “the foremost black gospel songwriter in the United States.”  Doris Akers died in 1995. She was posthumously inducted to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

Among many songs she wrote, is the popular 1963 gospel song There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit. It came to her one Sunday morning as she was about to lead the choir she directed into a church service. They had a brief time of prayer, but Doris Akers did not feel they had prayed enough. They began to pray again, and the fervour and blessing of that prayer meeting was such that nobody wanted to leave. Finally, Miss Akers told them, “We have to go…But there is such a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place.” Later she translated those words into a song.

There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,
And I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord.
There are sweet expressions on each face,
And I know they feel the presence of the Lord.

Today in 1726 – Nicholas Brady Died

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Nicholas Brady was born in Ireland. He attended Christ Church, Oxford, and Trinity College, and became an Anglican clergyman. He served in Ireland and later in London. As well as pastoring a church in the city, Brady became chaplain to King William II and Queen Anne. He is best known in hymn history for his collaboration with Nahum Tate (who gave us the carol While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night). The two men produced A New Version of the Psalms of David in 1696. This fresh paraphrase of the psalms went through several editions.

Quaint though the 300-year-old poetry may sound to our ears, it was a vast improvement over what came before. To give you some idea of their work, here is the beginning of Psalm 139 and what Brady and Tate did with it.

O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. (Ps. 139:1-6, KJV)

Thou, Lord, by strictest search hast known
My rising up and lying down;
My secret thoughts are known to Thee,
Known long before conceived by me.

Thine eye my bed and path surveys,
My public haunts and private ways,
Thou know’st what ’tis my lips would vent,
My yet unuttered word’s intent.

Surrounded by Thy power I stand,
On every side I find Thy hand;
O skill, for human reach too high!
Too dazzling bright for mortal eye!

(2) Today in 1738 – Charles Wesley Converted

British hymn writer Charles Wesley produced around 6,500 hymns. He has been called the poet laureate of Methodism. Five years younger than his famous brother John, he accompanied the latter in his evangelistic work. But after 1756 he did little travelling, preferring a more localized ministry that permitted him to care for his wife and family. (For more about Charles Wesley, see Today in 1707.)

It is impossible to treat many of Wesley’s great hymns in a short post, but here are a couple. First, there is O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, written in 1739 to commemorate the first anniversary of Charles Wesley’s conversion. A stanza of the hymn no longer used shows that this was first meant as a personal testimony:

On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.

Think of how Wesley’s prayer has been answered as his hymns have “spread through all the earth abroad” the honours of the Lord’s name!

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.

Another great hymn by Charles Wesley is the dramatic Arise, My Soul, Arise.

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

(3) Today in 1837 – When This Passing World Is Done published

The hymn was one of several written by the great Scottish preacher and evangelist Robert Murray McCheyne (whose songs were published posthumously). Educated at Edinburgh University, McCheyne was ordained as the minister of St. Peter’s Established Church in Dundee, Scotland. In 1839, he went to Palestine to consider what might be done to establish an evangelistic ministry among the Jews. He died at the age of 30.

I Once Was a Stranger (Jehovah Tsidkenu) was one of Robert McCheyne’s hymns, as was When This Passing World Is Done.

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o’er life’s finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then—how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne,
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart,
Then Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then—how much I owe.

Today in 1856 – Mary Brown Born

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Mary Haughton Brown was born in Canada. She later taught school in Connecticut for many years, as well as working in the Sunday School. She died in the influenza pandemic of 1918. She has given us the opening stanza of one gospel song. (Charles Edward Prior added two more.) Originally called Go, Stand and Speak (after the words of Acts 5:20), we know it now as I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go.

Carrie Esther Parker Rounsefell wrote the tune. A tiny woman who lived in Boston, she travelled around in evangelistic work, accompanying her singing on a zither or autoharp. One day she was given the words of this song, and she immediately improvised the tune that is still used.

If you check the various rendings of the song on YouTube, you will see that words and tune are almost always claimed as a “Mormon hymn,” but it is nothing of the kind. Mr. Prior was a Baptist, and the song has long been found in Christian hymnals.

It may not be on the mountain’s height, or over the stormy sea;
It may not be at the battle’s front my Lord will have need of me;
But if by a still, small voice He calls to paths I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Yours,
I’ll go where You want me to go.

I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be.

Perhaps today there are loving words which Jesus would have me speak;
There may be now, in the paths of sin, some wand’rer whom I should seek.
O Saviour, if You will be my Guide, though dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo the message sweet,
I’ll say what You want me to say.

(2) Today in 1895 – Albert Malotte Born

Albert Hay Malotte was an American composer, pianist, organist and educator. He served in the Second World War, was an amateur pilot, and even boxed with Jack Dempsey. Malotte’s musical career was focused mainly in Hollywood, where he produced a variety of music. He composed a number of film scores, as well as uncredited music for cartoons produced by the Disney Studios. A Presbyterian layman, he also wrote sacred music, including settings for the Beatitudes and the Twenty-third Psalm and a produced number of cantatas.

Albert Hay Malotte is best known for his setting of The Lord’s Prayer. The song has been widely used at weddings and other special occasions, and has been recorded by many artists. It also appears in a number of hymnals. It was written in the 1930s especially for the great baritone John Charles Thomas. Thomas died in 1960, but if you want to hear the original version of the prayer I encourage you to order the CD John Charles Thomas–Prima Voce.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil;
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power,
And the glory forever. Amen.

Today in 1864 – Cesar Malan Died

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Henri Abraham Cesar Malan was a Swiss pastor, evangelist and ardent soul-winner. He had a significant role to play in the conversion and spiritual development of Charlotte Elliot, author of the hymn Just As I Am. (For the story behind this hymn, see the second item under Today in 1858.) Malan had many gifts and skills in addition to those mentioned. He was an artist, author, mechanic, carpenter, blacksmith and printer, and he wrote more than a thousand hymns and hymn tunes.

Of his many songs, Malan wrote one with the intriguing title It Is Not Death to Die. This seeming contradiction is also found in the words of the Lord Jesus:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn. 11:25-26)

The empty tomb of Jesus proclaims to the world that He has conquered death. Through faith in Him, we will do the same.  To die as a Christian is not the end but the beginning. Death is merely a doorway to something greater that we can possibly imagine. Contemporary musician Bob Kauflin has produced a slightly modified version of Malan’s hymn. It says:

It is not death to die,
To leave this weary road
And join the saints who dwell on high,
Who’ve found their home with God.
It is not death to close
The eyes long dimmed by tears,
And wake in joy before Your throne,
Delivered from our fears

O Jesus, conquering the grave,
Your precious blood has power to save.
Those who trust in You
Will in Your mercy find
That it is not death to die.

It is not death to fling
Aside this earthly dust,
And rise with strong and noble wing
To live among the just.
It is not death to hear
The key unlock the door
That sets us free from mortal years
To praise You evermore.

candle

(2) Today in 1964 – Ina Ogdon Died

Ina Mae Duley attended college in Illinois and taught school in that state for a number of years. She wrote her first hymn in 1892 and began a long collaboration with hymn writer Charles Gabriel. In 1896, Ina married James Ogdon and the couple moved to Toledo, Ohio a few years later.

Ogdon’s most familiar song text is Brighten the Corner Where You Are (for which Charles Gabriel wrote the tune). Early in her life she had hoped to become a speaker on the Chautauqua circuit. However, her father was severely injured in an automobile accident and she was compelled to abandon the idea and care for him at home. She wrote this song to show how the Lord can used us in many different circumstances.

Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,
Do not wait to shed your light afar,
To the many duties ever near you now be true,
Brighten the corner where you are.

Brighten the corner where you are!
Brighten the corner where you are!
Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;
Brighten the corner where you are!

Brighten the Corner was written around 1912 or 1913. Here is the Criterion Quartet singing the song, on a recording made almost a century ago.

Today in 1840 – Lucy Whitmore Died

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Though born into a titled family, English author Lucy Elizabeth Georgiana Whitmore was a committed Christian who recognized her social status was not what gave her acceptance with God. In 1824, she published Family Prayers for Every Day in the Week. The book contained 14 hymns she had written. Among them was Father, Again in Jesus’ Name We Meet, expressing a deep humility before the Lord.

Father, again in Jesus’ name we meet,
And bow in penitence beneath Your feet;
Again to You our feeble voices raise,
To sue for mercy, and to sing Your praise.

O we would bless You for Your ceaseless care,
And all Your works from day to day declare;
Is not our life with hourly mercies crowned?
Does not Your arm encircle us around?

Alas, unworthy of Your boundless love,
Too oft with careless feet from You we rove;
But now, encouraged by Your voice, we come,
Returning sinners to a Father’s home.

open hands

(2) Today in 1847 – Charles Luther Born

Charles Caroll Luther was an American journalist and lay evangelist. Later, he was ordained as a Baptist clergyman. Then, other than a three-year pastorate in Connecticut, he served many more years as an evangelist. He wrote about 25 hymns, but only one is in common use today.

One day in 1877, Luther heard about a man who was dying after only being a Christian for one month. The fellow was troubled. But not at the prospect of death. What bothered him most was the wasted years of his life, and the little he’d been able to accomplish for the Lord. “I’m not afraid to die,” he said. “Jesus saves me now. But must I go empty handed?” Charles Luther’s heart was stirred by the man’s penetrating question and he wrote a gospel song about it. (The tune was composed by George Stebbins. to learn more about him, see the second item under Today in 1773.)

“Must I go, and empty handed,”
Thus my dear Redeemer meet?
Not one day of service give Him,
Lay no trophy at His feet?

“Must I go, and empty handed?”
Must I meet my Saviour so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him,
Must I empty handed go?

O the years in sinning wasted,
Could I but recall them now,
I would give them to my Saviour,
To His will I’d gladly bow.

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