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Today in 1872 – Edith Cherry Born

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English poetess, Edith Gilling Cherry was stricken with polio in infancy, and for the rest of her brief life she walked with the aid of crutches. (Miss Cherry died at the age of 25.) Most of her poems were written before she was 15 years old. She was a deeply spiritual young woman, ever conscious of her spiritual failings.

Edith Cherry gave the glory to God for her rich and insightful poetry. When she lay dying, after suffering a stroke, she said, “It all seems so small, all I have tried to do, so small to Him.” Her mother answered, “There are your songs, dear, they will carry on your work.” But Edith quickly replied, “Ah, but they were not mine at all, they were just given to me all ready, and all I had to do was write them down.”

Miss Cherry’s beautiful hymn, We Rest on Thee, was sung on January 8th, 1956, by the five missionaries about to make contact with the Auca Indians of Ecuador. Shortly afterward, they were all martyred. Elisabeth Elliot, wife of Jim Elliot, one of the five, drew the title for her book, Through Gates of Splendour, from a line of Edith Cherry’s hymn. This great hymn should be used more often that it has been. The tune is Finlandia, by Jean Sibelius. 

We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!
We go not forth alone against the foe;
Strong in Thy strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,
We rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go.

Yes, in Thy name, O Captain of salvation!
In Thy dear name, all other names above;
Jesus our Righteousness, our sure Foundation,
Our Prince of glory and our King of love.

We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!
Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise;
When passing through the gates of pearly splendour,
Victors, we rest with Thee, through endless days.

Here a couple of clips featuring this hymn. In the first, it is being sung as a congregational hymn–reverently, and prayerfully.  On the video clip that follows, the singing is not great. But you can turn down the sound and get the inspiring story of the martyred missionaries to the Aucas in pictures with captions.

(2) Today in 1965 – Harold Loes Died

Born Harold Loes, the American gospel song writer took the middle name Dixon in honour of A. C. Dixon, the pastor of Moody Church at the time. Harry Dixon Loes studied at Moody Bible Institute, and after extensive training in music he served a number of churches with a ministry of music. From 1939 until his retirement he was a member of the music faculty of Moody Bible Institute. He wrote the lyrics for 1,500 gospel songs, and composed 3,000 tunes.

One day in 1915, Paul Rader preached a sermon in Moody Church, in Chicago. His theme was, “All that I want is in Jesus.” In the congregation was young Harry Dixon Loes, then a senior at Moody Bible Institute, where he would eventually teach. Inspired by Dr. Rader’s message, Harry Loes wrote the words and music for a song he called All Things in Jesus. It was first sung by the church’s youth group.

Friends all around me are trying to find
What the heart yearns for, by sin undermined;
I have the secret, I know where ’tis found:
Only true pleasures in Jesus abound.

All that I want is in Jesus.
He satisfies, joy He supplies;
Life would be worthless without Him;
All things in Jesus I find.

Some carry burdens whose weight has for years
Crushed them with sorrow and blinded with tears.
Yet One stands ready to help them just now,
If they will humbly in penitence bow.

Today in 1865 – Lewis Jones Born

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Lewis Edgar Jones graduated from Moody Bible Institute, in Chicago, in the same class as famed evangelist Billy Sunday. Jones became actively involved in the YMCA, holding various positions in that organization over the years. His hymn writing (of both words and music) was a sideline, but he produced quite a few songs that were published, writing under a variety of pen names, such as Lewis Edgar, Edgar Lewis, Mary Slater, and more. The song for which he is best known today is There Is Power in the Blood.

One of the criteria I would look for in choosing a new hymn book for congregational use would be its inclusion of some hymns about the blood of Christ. There are many of them. For example:

Are You Washed in the Blood?
Blessed Be the Fountain of Blood
Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness
Not All the Blood of Beasts
Nothing but the Blood
Saved by the Blood of the Crucified One
There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood
When I See the Blood

And, of course, there are many others that deal with the subject but do not have the word in the title (e.g. And Can It Be? and When I Survey the Wondrous Cross).

There has been a modern trend in some circles to remove references to the shed blood of Christ from our hymnody, and even from translations of the Word of God. It is considered to be in poor taste, and offensive to the tender sensibilities of modern worshipers. (I even heard one man argue that Jesus could have paid for our sins if He were strangled rather than crucified!) This is heretical folly. The Bible is very clear about it:

The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.

Lev. 17:11

As gory and terrible a place as Calvary is, it also becomes for the believer a place of wonder and worship. Peter speaks of “the precious blood of Christ” (I Pet. 1:19), and Isaac Watts glories in the cross with these words from a little used stanza of When I Survey the Wondrous Cross:

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree.

“Till He comes” (I Cor. 11:26), we are to call to mind at His Table what Christ did for us on the cross. And part of that God-given ordinance is to remember that the New Covenant was sealed and ratified by the blood of Christ (vs. 25). We rightfully celebrate the saving power of the blood of our wonderful Saviour.

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

There is power, power, wonder working power
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is power, power, wonder working power
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide;
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

(2) Today in 1874 – Jennie Hussey Born

Jennie Evelyn Hussey (1874-1958) grew up on a farm in New Hampshire, tilled by four generations of her Quaker ancestors. In spite of a life that had a large share of difficulties and pain, she maintained a cheerful attitude. Jennie began writing in her teens, producing such varied material as patterns for crocheting and needlework, articles about flowers, stories for children, and 150 hymns. The one hymn for which she is known today is Lead Me to Calvary.

King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.

Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.

May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.

Today in 1710 – William Boyce Born

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London born William Boyce was the son of a cabinet maker. He was a singer in the choir at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and studied organ under the organist there. Boyce became a distinguished organist, choral conductor, and composer, who received a Doctor of Music degree from Oxford. In 1736 he became an organist and composer at the Chapel Royal. He compiled the monumental three-volume Cathedral Music, assembling the best church music of the previous two centuries.

William Boyce began to lose his hearing as a young man, and was completely deaf at the age of 60. He retired from performing at that point, but continued to compose. He was a godly man, and a friend of hymn writer Charles Wesley. At Boyce’s death, Wesley wrote:

Father of harmony, farewell!
Farewell for a few fleeting years!
Translated from the mournful vale,
Jehovah’s flaming ministers
Have borne thee to thy place above,
Where all is harmony and love.

William Boyce composed the hymn tune Chapel Royal, which is used with Thomas Kelly’s resurrection hymn, Come, See the Place Where Jesus Lay.

Come, see the place where Jesus lay,
And hear angelic watchers say,
“He lives, who once was slain:
Why seek the living midst the dead?
Remember how the Saviour said
That He would rise again.”

O joyful sound! O glorious hour,
When by His own almighty power
He rose and left the grave!
Now let our songs His triumph tell,
Who burst the bands of death and hell,
And ever lives to save.

(2) Today in 1820 – Samuel Holyoke Died

Samuel Holyoke came from a distinguished American family. He grandfather was a missionary to the Natick Indians. His uncle was the president of Harvard, and his father served a Congregational church as pastor for nearly 50 years. Samuel graduated from Harvard, and then taught singing throughout New England. He wrote a number of secular and religious tunes, and for the funeral of President George Washington he composed two tunes for hymns by Isaac Watts. His tune Hingam is used for Watts’s Life Is the Time to Serve the Lord.

Life is the time to serve the Lord,
The time to ensure the great reward;
And while the lamp holds out to burn,
The vilest sinner may return.

Life is the hour that God has given
To ’scape from hell and fly to heav’n;
The day of grace, and mortals may
Secure the blessings of the day.

(3) Data Missing – I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

Another selection for which we have little information is this song of testimony and commitment. It appeared in America in the 1960’s, and was frequently used in Billy Graham’s evangelistic meetings. We do know it came from India. Some hymnals attribute it to an Indian Prince, though I’ve been unable to substantiate that. It was sung by new converts to Christianity in the Garo tribe in northeastern India, in what was called the state of Assam. Christian missionaries have had a long history there.

Hymnologist William J. Reynolds says he discovered the song in 1958, in a small undated collection of songs published in Australia. He arranged the tune, and give it the name Assam. The song was first published in America a year later. (I found a copyright date of 1949 in one book, but if Mr. Reynolds is correct, this may be an error.)

More important than the exact origins of this song is its simple, but powerful message. For many, it has been no small thing to say “I have decided to follow Jesus.” In some cultures, to make a public profession of faith in Christ takes significant courage. The individual may be disowned by family, and shunned by friends. He or she may lose employment and even be physically abused and imprisoned. This is a song for those who have counted the cost, and have the conviction that following Christ is worth daring all!

I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
I have decided to follow Jesus,
No turning back, no turning back!

The world behind me, the cross before me…
No turning back!

Though none go with me, still I will follow…
No turning back!

I try to include a variety of musical presentations on Wordwise Hymns. Here is something different again, a demonstration of an electric piano, using the hymn tune Assam. If you are into the latest in electronic gear, you’ll likely understand what Mr. Youngblood is talking about. If not, just enjoy the music, and experience what can be done with this instrument.

Today in 1874 – David Evans Born

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Welshman David Evans attended University College in Cardiff, Wales, and received a Doctor of Music Degree from Oxford. He played the organ in a Presbyterian church in London, and was a professor of music at University College. Evans was also a choral conductor, and served as a judge at the National Eisteddfod, the largest festival of competitive music and poetry in Europe, eight days of performances entirely in the Welsh language. Evans arranged a traditional Spanish melody and it became the hymn tune Madrid, used with the song, Come, Christians, Join to Sing.

Come, Christians, join to sing
Alleluia! Amen!
Loud praise to Christ our King;
Alleluia! Amen!
Let all, with heart and voice,
Before His throne rejoice;
Praise is His gracious choice.
Alleluia! Amen!

Praise yet our Christ again,
Alleluia! Amen!
Life shall not end the strain;
Alleluia! Amen!
On heaven’s blissful shore,
His goodness we’ll adore,
Singing forevermore,
“Alleluia! Amen!”

(2) Today in 1910 Harriet Buell Died

Harriett Eugenia Peck Buell pondered what it meant to belong to the family of God as she walked home from church on a Sunday morning. By the time she reached home, she had formed her thoughts into some lines of verse. She wrote them out and sent them to a Christian magazine.

Miss Buell often did that. But unknown to her, in this case, a musician named John Sumner spotted her poem and wrote a tune for it. A few months later, when attending a church other than her own, Hattie Buell was startled to hear a soloist sing her poem! It has since become a hymn entitled A Child of the King.

My Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, He has riches untold.

I’m a child of the King,
A child of the King:
With Jesus my Saviour,
I’m a child of the King.

I once was an outcast stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, an alien by birth,
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

Today in 1837 – Dwight Moody Born

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Graphic Dwight Moody

Mr. Moody was not a musician. Far from it. One evidence of his lack of musical ability came to gospel song writer George Stebbins in an unusual way. At one of Moody’s meetings, Stebbins was accompanying the congregational singing on a reed organ. But he was bothered by a strange, rasping sound during the singing. He worried that there was something wrong with the organ. During an interlude when there was no singing, he listened carefully to the sound coming from the instrument, but it seemed fine. Stebbins says:

I was not long in doubt, however, for I soon heard the voice of Mr. Moody, singing away as heartily as you please, with no more idea of tune or time than a child. I then learned for the first time that he was one of the unfortunates who have no sense of pitch or harmony, and hence are unable to recognize one tune from another or to sing in unison or harmony with others.

But in spite of this handicap, Dwight Moody had a great appreciation for the value of music in his ministry, and keen insight into what would serve best in that area. He usually asked his musicians to lead in 45 minutes to an hour of singing at his meetings, before he got up to preach–and it was not unusual for him to hold four meetings in a single day! Moody’s stamina was legendary, but this schedule frequently taxed the endurance of his singers!

Along with his music director and soloist, Ira Sankey, the evangelist did a great deal to popularize the singing of gospel songs on both sides of the Atlantic. A number of songs were introduced in his meetings, such as The Ninety and Nine. To God Be the Glory, by Fanny Crosby, remained virtually unknown until Moody and Sankey started using it in Britain. Many years later, the Billy Graham team brought the song back to America. (For more of the story, see the second item under Today in 1847.)

(2) Today in 1867 – John Fearis Born

John Sylvester Fearis had a great love for music. He took organ lessons, and was soon playing for Sunday School and church. Later, he became the director of the church choir, and taught singing classes in the towns around. Fearis wrote his first hymn at the age of 16, and went on to become an editor of choral music with the Lorenz Publishing Company.

Mr. Fearis wrote the tune of Jesse Pounds’s gospel song, Beautiful Isle of Somewhere. The author of the text sounds a little vague about the location of heaven, but it was not her intention to pin that down. She wanted to focus more on the hope of the Christian for deliverance from the trials of this life. Nevertheless, because the song is non-specific in doctrine, it is not surprising that it has been recorded by many secular artists. Here is a well rendered version by British entertainer Sir Harry Secombe.

John Fearis also wrote a tune for Fanny Crosby’s beautiful Trinitarian hymn, Be Thou Exalted–though personally, I prefer Al Smith’s tune for the latter, found in his hymnal, Living Hymns.

Be Thou exalted, forever and ever,
God of eternity, Ancient of Days!
Wondrous in majesty, perfect in wisdom,
Glorious in holiness, fearful in praise.

Be Thou exalted by seraphs and angels,
Be Thou exalted with harp and with song;
Saints in their anthems of rapture adore Thee,
Martyrs the loud hallelujahs prolong.

Be Thou exalted, O Son of the Highest!
Gracious Redeemer, our Saviour and King!
One with the Father, co-equal in glory,
Here at Thy footstool our homage we bring.

Today in 856 – Rhabanus Maurus Died

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Rhabanus Maurus was educated in France, and became the director of the Benedictine school at Fulda, Germany. He was ordained in 814 and went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He served as abbot at Fulda for 20 years, and was later appointed archbishop of Mainz.

Many hymns are credited to Rhabanus Maurus, including Come, Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire. This English version by John Cosin comes from the Latin hymn Veni Creator Spiritus (Come, Creator Spirit), attributed to Maurus. Bishop Cosin produced it for the coronation of Charles I in 1625, at which he officiated. The hymn is strongly Trinitarian, and the “sevenfold gifts” mentioned are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They come from Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah (with piety, or holiness, added to the list).

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

Isa. 11:2

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire;
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost Thy sev’nfold gifts impart.

Praise to Thy eternal merit,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And Thee, of both, to be but One;
That through the ages all along
This, this may be our endless song.

Graphic Cross2

(2) Today in 1873 George Bennard Born

The crucifixion of Christ was not an ignominious defeat, but an eternal and infinite victory. Jesus’ cry, “It is finished!” (Jn. 19:30), was not one of baffled disappointment, but an announcement that His mission was complete. He had said, “The Son of Man [came] to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). Now it was done. The debt of sin had been paid. What looked like a shameful end would become a glorious new beginning for all who would trust in Him.

Those ideas led to the creation of one of the most popular hymns ever written. The author is George Bennard (1873-1958). George was only sixteen years old when his father died, leaving him to be the “man of the house” for his mother and four sisters. That seemed to instill in him a sense of responsibility, and a marked dependability in whatever he put his hand to. Later, George Bennard entered the Christian ministry. He wrote many hymns, but he is known for one in particular.

As with many of our hymns, this one was given birth during a time of great trial in the author’s life. He does not reveal what it was, but says he gave himself to prayer, and out of his hours of meditation his attention turned in a special way to the cross of Christ. It was a place of “suffering and shame,” an object “despised by the world.” Yet he says:

“I saw the Christ of the cross as if I were seeing John 3:16 leave the printed page, take form and act out the meaning of redemption. The more I contemplated these truths the more convinced I became that the cross was far more than just a religious symbol, but rather the very heart of the gospel.”

In the glow of that truth George Bennard penned The Old Rugged Cross in 1913.

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

(3) Today in 1874 – Take My Life and Let It Be written

English hymn writer Frances Ridley Havergal went to visit some friends for a few days in 1874, and she says:

There were ten persons in the house; some unconverted and long prayed-for, some converted but not rejoicing Christians. I prayed ‘Lord, give me all in this house’ [meaning give me an opportunity to minister to each one here]. He just did! Before I left the house, everyone had got a blessing. The last night of my visit I was too happy to sleep.

Frances passed the night reaffirming her own dedication to the Lord. Also, during those hours, the Lord gave her the words of the hymn Take My Life and Let It Be.

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

(4) Today in ? – Warren Cornell Died

Warren D. Cornell was a Methodist Episcopal pastor in the United States. In 1880 he married Jennie Roberts, and the couple had five children, a boy and four girls. [NOTE: This article originally had Cornell’s date of death as 1901. Later evidence suggests that the one who died in 1901 was Pastor Cornell’s son (also named Warren). The father died in the 1920’s or 30’s. The rest of the article seems to be correct.]

The one hymn for which Pastor Cornell is known is Wonderful Peace. It was written at a Methodist camp meeting near West Bend, Wisconsin. And, in truth, credit for the words of the song must also be given to the composer of the tune, George Cooper. Warren Cornell was sitting in the meeting tent, meditating on the peace of God. He took a piece of paper and jotted down some ideas that came to him regarding the subject. But when he got up to leave the tent, he was unaware that his notes fell to the floor. They were discovered later by Mr. Cooper, who fleshed out the poetry of the words, and added a tune.

Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.

Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!

What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll!

Today in 1809 – Felix Mendelssohn Born

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Graphic Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was a masterful German composer, pianist, and conductor, born of wealthy and prominent Jewish parents who had become Lutherans. He began to compose music at the age of ten, and completed many of his greatest works before the age of 20. He made ten trips to England where he performed or conducted his compositions. Queen Victoria and her husband were great admirers of his music.

In 1837 Mendelssohn married the daughter of a Protestant pastor, and the couple had five children. Both Mendelssohn and his wife Cecile were sincere Christians. The truths of Scripture were the foundation of their lives. Felix died prematurely at the age of 38.

Felix Mendelssohn’s music is still popular, and he wrote a great variety of it. His masterpiece is the oratorio Elijah, considered by some to rank next to Handel’s Messiah. It is certainly the greatest oratorio of the nineteenth century. If you have never heard it, in performance or on a recording, it is well worth the effort to seek it out.

As with a number of classical composers, though Mendelssohn was not a hymn writer, his music is used with several hymns. The tune Consolation, by Mendelssoh, is commonly used for the hymn Still, Still with Thee.

Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh,
When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee;
Fairer than morning, lovelier than daylight,
Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee.

(2) Today in 1832 – William Doane Born

William Howard Doane was a successful Christian businessman, the president of the J. A. Fay Woodworking Machinery Company. In a way, gospel music was a sideline, but it is the one for which he will be remembered, long after the company he headed has been forgotten. Mr. Doane composed over 2,000 hymn tunes, and he was a frequent collaborator with Fanny Crosby. In 1875, Dennison University conveyed on him the degree of Doctor of Music.

To show how productive the association with Fanny Crosby became, among Fanny’s songs for which he supplied the music are the following:

Draw Me Nearer
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross
Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour
Rescue the Perishing
Safe in the Arms of Jesus
Saviour, More Than Life to Me
Though Your Sins Be as Scarlet
‘Tis the Blessed Hour of Prayer
To God Be the Glory
Will Jesus Find Us Watching?

Here is one example of the Crosby-Doane collaboration, Saviour, More Than Life to Me. In this particular case, William Doane wrote the tune first, in 1875, then asked Fanny to supply some lyrics.

Saviour, more than life to me,
I am clinging, clinging, close to Thee;
Let Thy precious blood applied,
Keep me ever, ever near Thy side.

Every day, every hour,
Let me feel Thy cleansing power;
May Thy tender love to me
Bind me closer, closer, Lord to Thee.

Let me love Thee more and more,
Till this fleeting, fleeting life is o’er;
Till my soul is lost in love,
In a brighter, brighter world above.

Though I am not Pentecostal in doctrine, I appreciate the holy fervour of these brothers and sisters in Christ. Listen to this informal and unaccompanied rendering of the above hymn and you may never feel the same again when you sing it. If we will encourage our congregations to learn to sing parts, this is what fellowship in song can be like [link no longer available].

Today in 1892 – Wendell Loveless Born

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Wendell Phillips Loveless was an officer in the Marines during the First World War. Afterward, he toured the United States for six years with a group of entertainers, gaining experience in voice, piano playing, drama and more. He trusted Christ as Saviour as a result of reading and studying the Bible at home. For many years afterward he served as the director of WMBI, the radio station of Moody Bible Institute, in Chicago.

Mr. Loveless also pastored a number of churches, and wrote many gospel songs and choruses. He often provided tunes for texts written by other authors. For instance, he did this for Trust in the Lord, by Thomas Chisholm, and for Precious Hiding Place, by Avis Christiansen.

I was straying when Christ found me
In the night so dark and cold;
Tenderly His arm went round me,
And He bore me to His fold.

Precious hiding place,
Precious hiding place,
In the shelter of His love;
Not a doubt or fear,
Since my Lord is near,
And I’m sheltered in His love.

With His nail-scarred hand He brought me
To the shelter of His love;
Of His grace and will He taught me,
And of heav’nly rest above.

Mr. Loveless also gave us the little chorus, All Because of Calvary.

All my sins are gone,
All because of Calvary;
Life is filled with song,
All because of Calvary;
Christ my Saviour lives,
Lives from sin to set me free;
Some day He’s coming,
O wondrous, blessèd day,
All, yes, all because of Calvary.

(2) Today in 1906 Jemima Luke Died

Jemima Thompson Luke’s father, Thomas Thompson, was known as “a friend of every good cause.” He founded the British and Foreign Sailors’ Society, and was superintendent of a local Sunday School. One day the children there asked to sing a particular song. They did so, and Mr. Thompson inquired where the lovely hymn came from. He was astonished to learn it had been written by his own daughter, Jemima.

Jemima Thompson began writing early on, and was first published in the Juvenile Magazine when she was only 13 years old. At the age of 20, she married Congregational clergyman Samuel Luke, and became editor of The Missionary Repository. Mrs. Luke did not consider herself a poet, and she has given us only one song. (But whatever she may have thought of her poetic gifts, this is excellent work!) Most of it was written during a trip she made by stage coach. She says:

On the back of an old envelope I wrote in pencil the first two of the verses now so well known, in order to teach the tune to the village school supported by my stepmother, and which it was my province to visit. The third verse [which eventually became a later stanza] was added afterward to make it a missionary hymn.

I think, when I read that sweet story of old,
When Jesus was here among men,
How He called little children as lambs to His fold,
I should like to have been with them then.

I wish that His hands had been placed on my head,
That His arms had been thrown around me,
And that I might have seen His kind look when He said,
“Let the little ones come unto Me.”

Yet still to His foot stool in prayer I may go;
And ask for a share in His love;
And if I thus earnestly seek Him below,
I shall see Him and hear Him above.

But thousands and thousands who wander and fall,
Never heard of that heavenly home;
I wish they could know there is room for them all,
And that Jesus has bid them to come.

Today in 1862 – Battle Hymn of the Republic published

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This patriotic song, that became the battle cry of the Union in the American Civil War, first appeared in the February edition of The Atlantic Monthly, in 1862. The composer of the tune is unknown. It had been used for many different lyrics previously, including the abolitionist song that begins, “John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave.” It was to give a more uplifting text to the fine tune that Julia Ward Howe wrote her Battle Hymn.

Graphic Bev Shea

(2) Today in 1909 – Bev Shea Born

Though he has been associated with American evangelist Billy Graham for about 60 years, George Beverly Shea was born in Winchester, Ontario, Canada. He had a rich baritone voice, enhanced by careful training. (Early on, his vocal coach was renowned operatic baritone John Charles Thomas.)

Mr. Shea’s style is plain and unaffected, uncluttered by vocal tricks or fancy arrangements. His diction is crisp and clear–you can understand every word. He looks his audience squarely in the eye and delivers a message, using music. A modest and godly man, to many of us he sets the standard. He defined what it meant to minister in song, rather than simply perform. When this post was originally written (in 2010), Bev had celebrated his 100th birthday, was in good health, and was still singing.

The Wonder of It All is a song for which Bev Shea wrote both words and music. It celebrates the love of God for us as an incredible thing above all others.

There’s the wonder of sunset at evening,
The wonder as sunrise I see;
But the wonder of wonders that thrills my soul
Is the wonder that God loves me.

O the wonder of it all, the wonder of it all–
Just to think that God loves me!
The wonder of it all, the wonder of it all–
Just to think that God loves me!

The song most often associated with Bev Shea is his testimony song, I’d Rather Have Jesus. He wrote the tune to accompany a poem by Rhea Millar. Listen to this incomparable minister of the gospel below.

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand.

Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin’s dread sway.
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

 

Today in 1784 – Bernard Barton Born

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lantern

America had its “Quaker Poet” in John Greenleaf Whittier, and Bernard Barton was given the same title in England. Barton went into a corn and coal business with his brother. But he abandoned that enterprise in great sorrow, when his wife died after only one year of marriage. He obtained work as a tutor for awhile, and then got a job as a bank teller, work he continued for 40 years. A man of regular habits, it was said that when he returned home for lunch each day, housewives along the road as he passed knew it was time to put the potatoes on to boil!

Bernard Barton was a prolific poet, writing 10 volumes of devotional verse. He was also a friend of many literary figures of the day, including Charles Lamb, Lord Byron, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Southey. Edward Fitzgerald (who translated The Rubdiydt of Omar Khayyam) married Barton’s daughter.

Quite a number of Bernard Barton’s poems were turned into hymns, among them Walk in the Light, and Lamp of Our Feet. The latter reminds us of the great blessing God has given us in the Scriptures. It is, among other things, “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105).

Lamp of our feet whereby we trace
Our path when wont to stray;
Stream from the fount of heav’nly grace,
Brook by the traveler’s way.

Bread of our souls whereon we feed,
True manna from on high;
Our guide and chart wherein we read
Of realms beyond the sky.

Pillar of fire, through watches dark,
Or radiant cloud by day;
When waves would break our tossing bark,
Our anchor and our stay.

Word of the ever living God,
Will of His glorious Son;
Without Thee, how could earth be trod
Or heav’n itself be won?

Yet to unfold thy hidden worth,
Thy mysteries to reveal,
That Spirit which first gave thee forth,
Thy volume must unseal.

Lord, grant us all aright to learn
The wisdom it imparts
And to its heavenly teaching turn
With simple, childlike hearts.

Charles Spurgeon

(2) Today in 1834 – Charles Spurgeon Born

There is no question that Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a remarkable man. Converted on January 6th, 1850, he preached his first sermon the same year, at the age of sixteen. Two years later, he became a pastor, moving on at the age of twenty to a life-long ministry in London. Soon he was preaching to audiences of ten thousand people (in the days before electronic amplification).

By the time he was twenty-two Spurgeon was the most popular preacher of his day. His sermons, still available, contained strong doses of Bible doctrine, combined with sound biblical scholarship. Yet they were anything but dry. Hearers sensed his good humour, his heart for God, and his love for the people. Many consider him to be the greatest English-speaking preacher of all time.

And Spurgeon’s preaching was only part of the contribution made by this outstanding man. He established orphanages that housed 500 children, and founded a college for training pastors (seeing about 900 graduate from it before his death). He operated 21 city missions providing the poor with food, clothing and free education. He authored 135 books and edited 28 others–many of these are still in print. His sermons were published, selling 25,000 copies each week, and eventually being translated into 40 languages.

All of this and more occupied his 18-hour work days until the time of his death at the age of 58. At his passing 100,000 filed past his coffin to pay their respects, and the two-mile funeral procession through the streets of London rivalled that of royalty. Spurgeon penned a number of hymns, including the lovely Communion hymn, Amidst Us Our Beloved Stands.

Amidst us our Belovèd stands,
And bids us view His piercèd hands;
Points to the wounded feet and side,
Blest emblems of the Crucified.

What food luxurious loads the board,
When at His table sits the Lord!
The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,
When Jesus deigns the guests to meet!

(3) Today in 1932 – Annie Barker Died

Annie Herbert Barker was a school teacher, and she also wrote a number of songs. She and her husband were pioneer settlers in Montana. They moved to San Rafael, California in 1888, where she lived the remainder of her life.

Mrs. Barker has given us one gospel song, When the Mists Have Rolled Away, which is still found in some books. The idea of the song is that things that puzzle us here will be made clear in heaven. There is an allusion to the words of the Apostle Paul, “Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (I Cor. 13:12).

Many years ago, I stood with my own father on the summit of one of the Adirondack Mountains. The early morning mist was still settled in the valley below, and my father was inspired to sing Annie Barker’s song. But a more remarkable incident relates to the author herself.

In January of 1932, the hymn was used on a Christian radio program beamed out from Los Angeles. And before the soloist sang he said, “We wish to dedicate this song to its author, wherever she may be.” At the time, Annie Barker was the resident of a seniors home, penniless, alone and forgotten. Providentially, she heard the words of the singer, and the rendition of her song. Then, she asked one of the attendants to help her into bed. A few moments later, she passed into eternity, ushered into the presence of the Lord, where the mists of time were swept away.

When the mists have rolled in splendour
From the beauty of the hills,
And the sunlight falls in gladness
On the rivers and the rills,
We recall our Father’s promise
In the rainbow of the spray:
We shall know each other better
When the mists have rolled away.

We shall know, as we are known,
Never more to walk alone,
In the dawning of the morning
Of that bright and happy day,
We shall know each other better,
When the mists have rolled away.

We shall come with joy and gladness,
We shall gather round the throne.
Face to face with those that love us
We shall know as we are known.
And the song of our redemption
Shall resound through endless day
When the shadows have departed
And the mists have rolled away.

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