Frederick Oakeley was an English pastor who worked among the poor. He is known in hymnody for translating the carol O Come, All Ye Faithful from Latin into English in 1841. However, his original began with the cumbersome, “Ye faithful, approach ye.” Thankfully, when the hymn was published in 1852, this was changed, becoming the familiar hymn found in hymnals today.
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem! Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
About That “Metrical Index”: Perhaps your hymn book has at the back something called a Metrical Index, with lists of names followed by funny-looking numbers. What’s it for? How can we make practical use of it? My article will explain.
(2) Today in 1851 – Howard Grose Born
Howard Benjamin Grose was educated at the University of Chicago, and the University of Rochester. He was ordained as a Baptist minister, and served both as a university president (at the University of South Dakota), and as a professor of history at the University of Chicago. He also served as an editor of some Baptist publications, and wrote a number of books. In 1902 he wrote the dedication hymn, Give of Your Best to the Master.
Give of your best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth. Throw your soul’s fresh, glowing ardour Into the battle for truth. Jesus has set the example, Dauntless was He, young and brave. Give Him your loyal devotion; Give Him the best that you have.
Give of your best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth. Clad in salvation’s full armor, Join in the battle for truth.
Give of your best to the Master; Give Him first place in your heart. Give Him first place in your service; Consecrate every part. Give, and to you will be given; God His beloved Son gave. Gratefully seeking to serve Him, Give Him the best that you have.
English scholar Edwin Hatch was that happy combination of great learning and simple faith. James Moffatt said of him, “Profound as his learning was, his published sermons show that his piety was as simple and unaffected as a child’s.” Dr. Hatch was professor of classics at Trinity College in Toronto for a time, then rector of the Quebec High School. He returned to England and to Oxford University in 1867, coincidentally the year of the birth of the Dominion of Canada.
Edwin Hatch was an acknowledged master of historical research. His Brampton Lectures “On the Organization of Early Christian Churches” were influential in Europe. He wrote a concordance of the Septuagint, as well as essays on biblical Greek. He wrote a few hymns as well, but only one has remained in common us, Breathe on Me, Breath of God.
The hymn is based on John 20:22, which records how the Lord Jesus met with His disciples in the upper room after His resurrection, and “He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.” No further explanation is given. This may have been a special endowment of power in preparation for Pentecost a few days later.
It is presented as a historical incident. There is no evidence that Christ’s action was ever repeated, or that it’s something to be claimed by believers today. However, we know the indwelling Spirit of God works to produce the fruit of Christlikeness in us (II Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:22-23). And we could take Hatch’s hymn simply as a prayer for the continuing ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christians.
Breathe on me, breath of God, Fill me with life anew, That I may love what Thou dost love, And do what Thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, breath of God, Until my heart is pure, Until with Thee I will one will, To do and to endure.
(2) Today in 1847 – Henry Lyte Preached Last Sermon
Henry Francis Lyte was an esteemed and godly English pastor. He wrote many hymns, including Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven, and Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken, but the most familiar by far is the lovely Abide with Me.
Lyte suffered from asthma, and toward the end of his life contracted tuberculosis. As his condition deteriorated, he reluctantly agreed to move to the south of France, in hopes that the warmer climate would help. When he preached his last sermon, he was so weak he had to be assisted into the pulpit. In the evening of the same day he placed in the hands of a relative the text of this hymn, along with a tune he had written for it. (It is now sung to Eventide, a tune by William Henry Monk.)
Unfortunately, the change of climate did little help Henry Lyte. He died and was buried in Nice, France, less than 3 months after he left England. But his stirring prayer hymn lives on long after him.
Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour. What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless; Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness. Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
This prayer echoes the words of two disciples (possibly husband and wife) long ago. Following Christ’s resurrection, they met Him on the road to the village of Emmaus where their home was. There, “they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to stay with them” (Lk. 24:29). A poetic answer to Lyte’s plea was written by an anonymous World War One soldier. As though the Lord Jesus is speaking, it says, in part:
I will abide, though night is drawing nigh; Though cloud and darkness now obscure the sky. I know thy sorrows, see thy falling tear, Give Me thine hand, for I am ever near.
A little while, and then it will be light; Thy faith shall be exchanged for perfect sight; No fears to vex thee, nothing to molest, For thou shalt be with Me in perfect rest.
Sometimes called Gregory the Great, this man expanded the influence of the papal see, and his rule marked the beginning of the era of the Roman Church which would last for about a thousand years, until the Reformation. (This period also roughly corresponds to what we know as the Middle Ages.) An able administrator, Gregory was the first bishop of Rome to assume broad political powers. He involved himself in politics, appointing heads of cities, negotiating treaties, mustering troops when he felt they were needed.
In his Dialogues, Gregory wrote about the early saints, telling fantastic tales about their miraculous powers–accounts that went far beyond Scripture. He promoted the veneration of body parts, clothing, and other relics of these departed individuals. He taught that the Lord’s Supper is not simply a memorial ceremony, but that it actually repeats and carries on the work of Calvary. He believed in purgatory, and taught that masses should be said for the aid of the dead.
Gregory is credited with originating or popularizing the form of church music now called Gregorian Chants (or plainsong chants), though he did not write all of them himself. These simple songs, with their long drawn-out phrases, still evoke a sense of calm reverence. They contrast markedly with the secular music of the time. Not all of them would be acceptable doctrinally to Bible-believing Christians, but many would. For example, there is:
Christus factus est pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis.
Christ became obedient for us unto death, even to the death, death on the cross.
Apart from the unbiblical doctrines he espoused, the most harmful thing Gregory did was to take singing away from the congregation, turning it over to the clergy and trained singers. He made no provision for gathered believers to participate in this way, and they became mere spectators of the music. It took the Reformation to restore this important element of worship and fellowship to the people.
On the musical side of things, the hymn tune Hamburg (often used with When I Survey the Wondrous Cross) was adapted by Lowell Mason from a Gregorian Chant. And Gregory’s words for a chant called Rex Christe, factor omnium, were translated from Latin by Ray Palmer in 1858, and turned into a congregational hymn that begins:
O Christ, our King, Creator, Lord, Saviour of all who trust Thy Word, To them who seek Thee ever near, Now to our praises bend Thine ear.
Praise the Lord for the gift of song! And praise the Lord we can unite in song as a fellowship of believers. “Sing praise to the Lord, You saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name” (Ps. 30:4). “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints” (Ps. 149:1). “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Col. 3:16).
(2) Caedmon’s Hymn (Data Missing)
Suppose we were to look for the very first hymn in the English language. For a formal expression of praise, we can go no further back than the work of a shepherd named Caedmon, in Northumbria (England).
Ruins of Whitby Abbey
Caedmon lived around the end of the 7th century. (The generally accepted date of his death is AD 680.) His poetry, written in Old English is unreadable today, except by scholars. But the words of Caedmon’s Hymn deserve recognition, all the same, because this is the first example of English literature of any kind for which we know the author.
Until quite late in life, Caedmon showed no musical ability. Sometimes, this became an embarrassment. At times of feasting, a harp would be passed around the company of those gathered, with each person invited to play and sing a song. When his turn approached, Caedmon would make a hasty exit, embarrassed and humiliated because he had nothing to offer.
But on one such evening, he went to the stable (for which he was responsible), where he lay down and fell asleep. It is reported–whether fact or fancy–that he dreamed that night of an angelic visitor who asked him to sing. “What must I sing?” Caedmon asked, in his dream. “Sing about the beginning of created things,” was the response.
When he awoke, it is said the shepherd found himself able to compose a hymn praising the God of creation. It was to be the first of many offerings from his pen. The Abbess Hilda, of nearby Whitby Abbey, recognized his gifts, and invited him to join the community as a lay-brother. He spent the remainder of his life there, writing poems about events in biblical history. Today, a monument near the ruins of the abbey praises him as “The Father of English Sacred Song.” Caedmon’s Hymn begins:
Nu sculon herigean heofonrices weard, Meotodes meahte and his modgeþanc.
Strange though it may seem, that is an early form of the English language! (English has changed enormously over 13 centuries!) If you would like to hear how the original sounded, you can hear the hymn read here. And below is a rough updating of the text.
Now we must praise the Keeper of heaven’s kingdom, The power of the Creator, and His intention, The work of the Father of glory, How for each of the wonders The eternal Lord established a beginning. He first shaped for the sons of men Heaven as a roof, the holy Maker; Then the inhabited world mankind’s Guardian, The eternal Lord, made afterwards, Solid ground for men, the All-powerful created.
Though difficult to translate smoothly, this hymn expresses a number of key biblical truths. It recognizes the existence of God, His eternality, and His role as Creator (cf. Ps. 90:2; Heb. 11:3). It lauds His power, and owns His sovereign lordship (cf. Dan. 4:34-35). It recognizes His wisdom, and His gracious provision for the human family (cf. Ps. 145:9; Matt. 5:45).
Charles Davis Tillman worked as a house painter, and as the travelling salesman for a music company in the United States. He also sang on a travelling peddler’s wagon advertising “Wizard Oil,” a quack medicine that claimed it could cure rheumatism.
A picture sent to me by a boyhood friend now living in Arizona. Lorne is waving from the caboose–though difficult to see.
In addition, early on, Tillman helped his father in evangelistic work, beginning his own career as a singing evangelist at the age of 26. He eventually formed his own music company and published 20 gospel song collections. He was the first to publish the spiritual Gimme That Old Time Religion, after hearing a black congregation singing it at a camp meeting in South Carolina.
Charles Tillman also wrote the tune for the song for which he is best known now, Life’s Railway to Heaven. Some suggest a Mormon poet named Eliza Roxcy Snow Young had a part in it. She did write a poem called Truth Reflects Upon Our Senses which uses the same refrain as the present gospel song. But that is all we know.
The song uses the analogy of a journey by rail to tell how the Lord can help believers through the dangers and difficulties of life. It has long been a favourite of railroaders, and Bev Shea and others have made recordings of it. The song is still found in some collections of gospel songs.
Life is like a mountain railroad, with an engineer that’s brave; We must make the run successful, from the cradle to the grave; Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels; never falter, never quail; Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.
Blessèd Saviour, Thou wilt guide us, Till we reach that blissful shore; Where the angels wait to join us In Thy praise forevermore.
You will roll up grades of trial; you will cross the bridge of strife; See that Christ is your Conductor on this lightning train of life; Always mindful of obstruction, do your duty, never fail; Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.
This is one of those songs with a vague theology that can satisfy evangelical believers because of what can be read into it. But it has also been recorded by many Country artists (Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis) who, as far as I know, have made no claim to being Christian. They see it simply as a “religious” number to include among other songs in an album because it will “sell.” Having said that, I believe the singer below is sincere.
(2) In Thee, Lord, Have I Put My Trust (Data Missing)
In contrast with the previous song, this very old hymn (1533) comes across like a biblical psalm, rich in devotional meaning. (See the Cyber Hymnal for the full text and the tune–which has an unusual metre.)
The hymn was written by Adam Reissener, the German original being entitled In dich hab ich gehoffet, Herr. Catherine Winkworth has given us the English translation. We know little of Reissener. He was born in 1496, and died about 1575, so he lived through the early years of the Protestant Reformation in Germany. He wrote over 40 hymns.
In Thee, Lord, have I put my trust, Leave me not helpless in the dust, Let not my hope be brought to shame, But still sustain, Through want and pain, My faith that Thou art aye the same.
Incline a gracious ear to me, And hear the prayers I raise to Thee, Show forth Thy power and haste to save! For woes and fear Surround me here, Oh swiftly send the help I crave!
Thy Word hath said, Thou art my Rock, The Stronghold that can fear no shock, My help, my safety, and my life, Howe’er distress And dangers press, What then shall daunt me in the strife?
3) Today in 1887 Jessie Seymour Irvine Died
Jessie’s father was a pastor in the Scottish parish of Donottar. He later moved with his family to the village of Crimond in the northeast of Scotland, where Pastor Irvine served a church for thirty years. According to her sister, Jessie created, in 1871, a beautiful hymn tune fitting the 23rd Psalm. However, knowing no music theory, she passed it on to a tobacco merchant and musician named David Grant to harmonize. The result is the tune Crimond, named after the town. Some books have given Grant the credit for writing the melody, but most hymnals now identify Jessie Irvine (1836-1887) as the composer. The text of Psalm 23 used with it comes from the Scottish Psalter of 1650.
The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by.
American preacher, Edward Payson Hammond, was converted to Christ through the singing of Isaac Watts’s hymn, Alas, and Did My Saviour Bleed? He became an evangelist who ministered not only in America, but in Scotland, and on the European Continent, as well as in Egypt, and Palestine. He was especially interested in children, and became known as the Children’s Evangelist.
Mr. Hammond reports that in a meeting at Utica, New York, he explained how the Lord Jesus loves us, and how He gave Himself to die for our sins. He says, “I noticed a bright-looking girl bursting into tears.” After the meeting, he was privileged to lead her to faith in the Saviour. The day after, he received a note from her hand which said:
I think I have found the dear Jesus, and I do not see how I could have rejected him so long. I think I can sing with the rest of those who have found him, Jesus is mine [i.e. Fanny Crosby’s Blessed assurance, Jesus Is Mine]. The first time I came to the meetings I cried, but now I feel like singing all the time.
It was that last statement that inspired Edward Hammond to write the song Praise Him all the Time (sometimes called Singing All the Time). It was a favourite of Charles Spurgeon’s.
I feel like singing all the time, My tears are wiped away; For Jesus is a friend of mine, I’ll serve Him every day.
I’ll praise Him, praise Him, Praise Him all the time! Praise Him, praise Him, I’ll praise Him all the time!
When on the cross my Lord I saw, Nailed there by sins of mine; Fast fell the burning tears; but now, I’m singing all the time.
The wondrous story of the Lamb, Tell with that voice of thine, Till others, with the glad new song Go singing all the time.
(2) Today in 1925 – John Moore Born
Some experiences in our lives stand out as especially memorable. That happens to hymn writers too. And they are able to bless us all by describing what they experienced or learned in a hymn that many can enjoy.
In 1952, a young pastor visited a critically ill sailor in a Glasgow hospital. After chatting with him a few minutes, the pastor, whose name was John Moore, reached in his bag for a tract he might leave with him. What came to hand was a little summary of John Bunyan’s classic story, The Pilgrim’s Progress.
On the front was a picture of Pilgrim coming to the cross with an enormous sack tied to his back. Pastor Moore explained how the weight of sin rolled off Pilgrim’s back at the cross. “And do you feel that kind of burden on your heart today?” asked the visitor. The young man nodded, with tears running down his cheeks. The pastor prayed with him, and was privileged to lead him to faith in Christ that day.
Back home, John M. Moore (1925- ) could not get the thrill of the experience out of his mind. “His burden is lifted!” he said to himself. And taking a piece of paper, he began to write the words and music for a song which, he reports, just seemed to flow from his pen.
Days are filled with sorrow and care, Hearts are lonely and drear; Burdens are lifted at Calvary– Jesus is very near.
Cast your care on Jesus today, Leave your worry and fear; Burdens are lifted at Calvary– Jesus is very near.
The choir in the following clip sits down to sing–which was new to me. And the gentleman who sings one verse as a solo forgets his words, much to the amusement of a woman near him. Nevertheless, it’s an adequate rendering of Pastor Moore’s hymn.
After traveling back and forth across the Atlantic a number of times on speaking tours, Pastor Moore emigrated to Canada, where he served as a Baptist pastor in the Toronto area. He continued writing hymns, including Why Did They Nail Him to Calvary’s Tree?
Anna Bartlett Warner was the poet in the family. Though Anna did write stories too, her sister Susan was recognized as a popular novelist of the day. Their father, Henry Warner, was a wealthy lawyer in New York City, but he lost most of his fortune in the 1837 depression. With that, the family moved to their summer home (Good Craig), on Constitution Island in the Hudson River.
There, the women, both sincere Christians, began holding Bible studies for the cadets at West Point Military Academy nearby. Their home is now a historical site. In part, it was financial necessity that motivated the two sisters to write, though both used their gifts to produce spiritual and morally edifying material, so that their creations became a ministry as well.
In 1860, Susan began work on a new book entitled Say and Seal. In it, a Sunday School teacher she called John Linden goes to visit one of his students named Johnnie Fax. The boy is dying–an all too common reality in those days. But Mr. Linden tries to encourage him, reminding him of the love of the Saviour. At that point, Susan wanted the teacher to sing a song they had learned in Sunday School. But what could he sing? She turned to her sister Anna for help. In response, Anna Warner penned the words of a now well-known hymn.
Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
The stanza that begins, “Jesus loves me, loves me still, / Though I’m very weak and ill” (sometimes omitted by our hymnals) was specifically intended to relate to the story of the sick little boy, but it continues to bless. And the hymn should not be relegated to use with children only. Christ’s love is needed by us all.
I had a friend years ago named Marion Newby (now with the Lord) who was a marvellous singer. She often used Anna Warner’s song as a solo number. On one hot summer day, she was singing Jesus Loves Me in a church service. All the windows were open to capture any breath of air. During her solo a man walked by the church in deep despair. He was planning to commit suicide, but was arrested by the message that the Lord Jesus loved him still. That truth turned him back from his plan, saving his life.
We must not miss the importance of that last clause–that the Bible tells us so. Where is faith to rest? It rests on the abiding truth of the Word of God. “The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you” (I Pet. 1:24-25). That is our anchor.
Anna wrote another hymn, published in 1852, that is well worth mentioning. Based on a phrase from the Gospels (Jn. 12:21, KJV), it speaks of our tendency to cling to earthly things, when God has something far better for us. What will restore a proper perspective is to see Christ again, with the eyes of faith.
We would see Jesus; for the shadows lengthen Across this little landscape of our life; We would see Jesus, our weak faith to strengthen For the last weariness, the final strife.
We would see Jesus; yet the spirit lingers Round the dear objects it has loved so long, And earth from earth can scarce unclasp its fingers; Our love to Thee makes not this love less strong.
We would see Jesus: sense is all too binding, And heaven appears too dim, too far away; We would see Thee, Thyself our hearts reminding What Thou hast suffered, our great debt to pay.
We would see Jesus: this is all we’re needing; Strength, joy, and willingness come with the sight; We would see Jesus, dying, risen, pleading; Then welcome day, and farewell mortal night.
(2) Today in 1861 – Jessie Pounds Born
Jessie Brown suffered from poor health as a child, and she was educated at home. At the age of 15 she began submitting articles to newspapers and magazines. In 1896 she married a pastor named John Pounds. Over her lifetime she authored 9 books, and wrote over 400 gospel songs, as well as cantatas and operettas.
Among the songs of Jessie Pounds that are still in use are:
Anywhere with Jesus Beautiful Isle of Somewhere I Know That My Redeemer Liveth The Touch of His Hand on Mine The Way of the Cross Leads Home
I Know That My Redeemer Liveth is from an Easter cantata the author published in 1893. It is based on the words of Job in Job 19:25-26, “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (KJV).
I know that my Redeemer liveth, And on the earth again shall stand; I know eternal life He giveth, That grace and power are in His hand.
I know, I know, that Jesus liveth, And on the earth again shall stand; I know, I know, that life He giveth, That grace and power are in His hand.
(3) Today in 1923 – Benjamin Ramsey Died
Benjamin Mansell Ramsey was for many years a well-known teacher near Bournemouth, England. He wrote choral music, and music for the piano, as well as hymns and carols. He retired in 1916. In the last year of his life he was in poor health, but at the age of 74 he organized and conducted a choir in the village of Chichester.
His fine hymn, Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord, echoes the words of the psalmist, “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth” (Ps. 86:11).
Teach me Thy way, O Lord, teach me Thy way! Thy guiding grace afford, teach me Thy way! Help me to walk aright, more by faith, less by sight; Lead me with heav’nly light, teach me Thy way!
Long as my life shall last, teach me Thy way! Where’er my lot be cast, teach me Thy way! Until the race is run, until the journey’s done, Until the crown is won, teach me Thy way!
George Frederick Root was born with a talent for making music. At the age of 13, he was able to play 13 different instruments. In adult life, he played the organ in a church in New York City, and taught music at a women’s institute. He also taught at the New York Institute for the Blind, where Fanny Crosby was one of his students.
Root worked with hymn writer Lowell Mason at the Academy of Music in Boston. He wrote some popular songs for the secular market (such as Rosalie, the Prairie Flower), and patriotic songs around the time of the Civil War (such as Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys Are Marching). But he is best known for his many hymns, sometimes providing words and music, other times composing tunes for the words of others.
As examples of his work, he wrote the tunes for Ring the Bells of Heaven and When He Cometh. And Root wrote words and music for Why Not Now? and Come to the Saviour. The latter is a simple invitation hymn, with a pretty tune. (See the Cyber Hymnal for the full hymn and tune, and an interesting story connected with the song.)
Come to the Saviour, make no delay; Here in His Word He has shown us the way; Here in our midst He’s standing today, Tenderly saying, “Come!”
Joyful, joyful will the meeting be, When from sin our hearts are pure and free; And we shall gather, Saviour, with Thee, In our eternal home.
Another of his songs, The Hem of His Garment is based on an incident in Matt. 9:18-26. The author uses the faith of the woman in the story to illustrate our need to reach out in faith to the Lord.
She only touched the hem of His garment As to His side she stole, Amid the crowd that gathered around Him, And straightway she was whole.
Oh, touch the hem of His garment! And thou, too, shalt be free! His saving power this very hour Shall give new life to thee!
(2) Today in 1854 – Edmond Budry Born
Edmond Louis Budry was a pastor in Switzerland. The single hymn for which he is known today to English hymn lovers was written first in French (A Toi la Gloire), and translated four decades later as Thine Be the Glory, Risen Conquering Son.
It’s reported that Pastor Budry wrote the hymn following the death of his first wife, Marie de Vayenborg. Apparently he gained comfort and strength from the assurance of the resurrection. His song is a rousing, triumphant hymn on that theme, and on the eternal triumph of Christ over death and the grave. It should be more familiar than it is. “Death is swallowed up in victory” through Christ (I Cor. 15:54, 57).
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son; Endless is the victory, Thou o’er death hast won; Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away, Kept the folded grave clothes where Thy body lay. Thine be the glory, risen conqu’ring Son, Endless is the vict’ry, Thou o’er death hast won.
(3) Today in 1914 – William Martin Died
American, William Clark Martin was a Baptist pastor and hymn writer. A number of his many gospel songs have remained in use. Among these are The Name of Jesus, Still Sweeter Every Day, and My Anchor Holds.
The latter, with its colourful imagery of a stormy sea, can certainly be sung by a mixed congregation, but its muscular resonance seems especially suited to men’s voices.
Years ago, I often sang the hymn with a male choir in the city of Toronto. We used to sing the first part of the final stanza slowly and quietly, gradually surging into full volume with “But in Christ I can be bold!” With a bit of prior instruction, a congregation can do the same, and it is most effective. The song also seems to call for a hold on the word “holds” in the middle of the last line of the refrain.
Though the angry surges roll On my tempest driven soul, I am peaceful, for I know, Wildly though the winds may blow, I’ve an anchor safe and sure, That can evermore endure.
And it holds, my anchor holds: Blow your wildest, then, O gale, On my bark so small and frail; By His grace I shall not fail, For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.
Troubles almost ’whelm the soul; Griefs like billows o’er me roll; Tempters seek to lure astray; Storms obscure the light of day: But in Christ I can be bold, I’ve an anchor that shall hold.
Oliver Wendell Holmes was the son of a Congregational clergyman. He taught anatomy and physiology at Harvard Medical School–and eventually became a dean there. His son, who was also given the names Oliver Wendell, became an American Supreme Court justice. The father was not only a medical man, but also a distinguished author. Along with other outstanding New England writers he helped found the Atlantic Monthly.
We would not likely consider Oliver Wendell Holmes an evangelical Christian. He was an admitted free thinker, though he attended church regularly. In explaining this habit, he said ambiguously, “There is a little plant called ‘reverence’ in the corner of my soul’s garden, which I love to have watered once a week.”
Nevertheless, Holmes is credited with writing possibly the finest hymn we have about the omnipresence of God. (“‘Do I not fill heaven and earth,’ says the Lord,” Jer. 23:24.) Produced in 1848, the song says, in part:
Lord of all being, throned afar, Thy glory flames from sun and star; Centre and soul of every sphere, Yet to each loving heart how near!
Lord of all life, below, above, Whose light is truth, whose warmth is love, Before Thy ever blazing throne We ask no luster of our own.
Grant us Thy truth to make us free, And kindling hearts that burn for Thee, Till all Thy living altars claim One holy light, one heavenly flame.
(2) I Won’t Have to Cross Jordan Alone (Data Missing)
Charles E. Durham was a mail carrier in rural Texas in the early years of the twentieth century. He also wrote gospel songs. And he took paper and pencil each day on his route, in case a sudden inspiration came to him for a new hymn. He eventually wrote over a hundred of them in this way, going on to publish song books and organize gospel quartets.
Durham became friends with Virgil Stamps, a great promoter of Southern Gospel music, and in 1934 he published a song and dedicated it to Stamps. (Thomas Ramsey is also listed as contributing, at least in part, to the lyrics.) Recorded by Johnny Cash and many other gospel artists, it is called, I Won’t Have to Cross Jordan Alone.
The Jordan River in the Holy Land figures prominently in biblical history, and has become a symbol of death to what is past, and the anticipation of a new beginning. The postman’s song was his testimony of faith in Christ, and the assurance that the Lord would carry him safely through “the valley of the shadow of death” (Ps. 23:4), and on to the eternal day.
When I come to the river at the ending of day, When the last winds of sorrow have blown; There’ll be somebody waiting to show me the way, And I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.
I won’t have to cross Jordan alone, Jesus died all my sins to atone; When in the darkness I see, He’ll be waiting for me, And I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.
Here is a fine choral arrangement of Durham’s song, a medley with bits of other hymns added in. Well done.
William Hiley Bathurst was the son of a British member of parliament. He served for some years as a clergyman in the Church of England, but resigned over some differences of doctrine relating to baptism and the burial of the dead. He wrote over 200 hymns, though only one is found in most hymnals today.
O for a Faith That Will Not Shrink was published in 1831 with the heading “The Power of Faith,” and reference to Lk. 17:5, “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’” One of Bathurst’s stanzas, omitted now, speaks of a faith…
That bears unmoved the world’s dread frown, Nor heeds its scornful smile; That sin’s wild ocean cannot drown, Nor its soft arts beguile.
Those lines may not be worthy of a place in our hymnals, but they do make a point about the way in which faith is opposed, by outright hostility, and by mocking ridicule, as well as by temptations that can either come forcefully or subtly.
O, for a faith that will not shrink, Though pressed by many a foe, That will not tremble on the brink Of any earthly woe!
Lord, give me such a faith as this, And then, whate’er may come, I’ll taste, e’en here, the hallowed bliss Of an eternal home.
(2) Today in 1827 – William Hutchings Born
William Medlen Hutchings was a printer and publisher in London. He wrote the following hymn for an anniversary of St. Paul’s Chapel Sunday School. (“Salem,” in the hymn is a shortened name for Jerusalem, cf. Ps. 76:2.) The song is based on the following incident in the Gospels.
Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them. (Mk. 10:13-16)
Luke’s Gospel calls them “infants” (Lk. 18:15), so at least some of them were quite young. The Jewish Talmud says, “After the father of the child had laid his hands on the child’s head, he led him to the elders, one by one, and they also blessed him, and prayed that he might grow up famous in the Law, faithful in marriage, and abundant in good works.” It could well be with this in mind that the parents brought their children to Christ.
They sought a “touch,” but He so often “does exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). The Lord Jesus catches them up in His loving arms and brings them eye to eye with Him. It is typical of His abundant grace.
When mothers of Salem their children brought to Jesus, The stern disciples drove them back and bade them to depart: But Jesus saw them ere they fled and sweetly smiled and kindly said, “Suffer little children to come unto Me.”
Here are those truly remarkable children, Elaine and Derek. The recording is old and worn, and is distorted particularly on the high notes, but it is worth a listen anyway.
(3) Today in 1840 – Ira Sankey Born
Ira David Sankey was one of the most prominent gospel songsters of the late nineteenth century. As a young man, he served in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He often helped the unit chaplain and led his fellow soldiers in hymn singing. After the war, he became a soloist and song leader working with Dwight L. Moody in his evangelistic campaigns on both sides of the Atlantic.
But Ira Sankey did far more than that. A composer of many tunes, and the writer of a number of song texts as well (about 1,200 in all, of words or music), he sometimes used the pen name Rian A. Dykes, an anagram using the letters of his actual name. Ira Sankey published a songbook, Sacred Songs and Solos, that became a standard for many years afterward.
At the close of the century, when he was an elderly man, blind with glaucoma, he became one of the first to make gospel recordings. I have in my library a CD entitled There’ll Be No Dark Valley which contains a number of these songs put on the old wax cylinders in 1898-1900. To his other achievements, Sankey added becoming a published author with his book, My Life and the Story of the Gospel Hymns. It contains some fascinating stories.
One of the songs on the above recording is A Shelter in the Time of Storm, for which Sankey composed the tune. In his book, he says,
I found this hymn in a small paper published in London….It was said to be a favourite song of the fishermen on the north coast of England, and they were often heard singing it as they approached their harbours in the time of storm. As the hymn was set to weird minor tune, I decided to compose one that would be more practical, one that could be more easily sung by the people.
The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide, A shelter in the time of storm; Secure whatever ill betide, A shelter in the time of storm.
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, A shelter in the time of storm.
Here is a Country version of this song. And give attention to the comments at the beginning. The singer suggests one of the reasons why our traditional hymnody still has merit, and why at least some contemporary offerings do not. Interesting!
Relatively little is known of English hymn writer Kate Barclay Wilkinson. She was the daughter of a mechanical engineer, and married in 1891. She ministered to young women in west London, and was apparently associated with the Keswick “deeper life” movement. We have only one hymn from her pen, but it’s a fine one.
May the Mind of Christ, My Saviour was written in the early twentieth century. It is based on the words of the Apostle Paul in Phil. 2:5, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” There follows a description of the way the Lord Jesus surrendered His rights and took the place of humble service, even unto death (vs. 6-8). It is a theme the Bible addresses a number of times, perhaps because the tendency of our sinful nature is to do just the opposite, to cling to what we see as our rights, and expect others to serve us!
May the mind of Christ, my Saviour, Live in me from day to day, By His love and power controlling All I do and say.
May the Word of God dwell richly In my heart from hour to hour, So that all may see I triumph Only through His power.
May the peace of God my Father Rule my life in everything, That I may be calm to comfort Sick and sorrowing.
May the love of Jesus fill me As the waters fill the sea; Him exalting, self abasing, This is victory.
(2) The Lord Is Coming (Data Missing)
Over the years, many hymns have been written about the return of Christ, and about our heavenly home. (Ira Sankey’s hymnal, Sacred Songs and Solos, has about 150 of them, out of the 1200 songs in the book.)
Many of these have been long forgotten, not being used in most churches today. That is understandable, and sometimes is an outcome of inferior quality. However, they are at least of historical interest, having blessed the people of God in years gone by.
One of these is the little second-coming hymn The Lord Is Coming. An unknown author gave us the first stanzas and the refrain in the 1840s. The last stanza was added by Mary Steward, about 40 years later. (We know nothing of her but the name.) You can see the full hymn and hear William Bradbury’s tune on the Cyber Hymnal.
The Lord is coming, let this be The herald note of jubilee; And when we meet and when we part The salutation from the heart.
The Lord is coming, let this be The herald note of jubilee, The herald note of jubilee.
The Lord is coming! sound it forth From east to west, from south to north; Speed on! speed on the tidings glad, That none who love Him may be sad.
The earth, with her ten thousand wrongs Will soon be tuned in nobler songs; Our praise shall then, in realms of light, With all His universe unite.
