3785 Two Singing Religions
Judaism and Christianity are singing religions. Atheism is songless. It has nothing to sing about. The funeral notices of Robert Ingersoll, the noted agnostic, stated, “There will be no singing.”
The psalm-singing of Christian martyrs going to their deaths in the arena alerted the Roman Empire to the fact that a new and revolutionary force was coming into being. When the pleasure-bent populace saw the Christians singing as they fearlessly entered the amphitheater where hungry lions awaited them, they were filled with awe.
Heaven is vibrant with song: “And they sing the song of Moses … and the song of the Lamb” (Rev. 15:3).
—Walter B. Knight
3786 No Singing At His Funeral
When the noted agnostic Robert Ingersoll died, the printed funeral notices said, “There will be no singing.” Look not for hymns, anthems, oratorios, carols, and spiritual songs among infidels, agnostics, or skeptics. Without God, without Christ, without redemption, without a divine revelation and without hope, what have they to sing about?
—Sunday School Banner
3787 She’d Rather Sing
A brave little girl was taken to a doctor for a minor, but painful operation. When all was ready, the kindly doctor said, “This will hurt, but you may cry or scream as much as you please.” The little girl looked up at him, smiling, and said, “I would rather sing,” which she did with her sweet, childish voice and went through her brief ordeal without sigh, groan or tear.
—The Presbyterian
3788 Next To Theology
“Music is a fair and lovely gift of God which has often wakened and moved me to the joy of preaching. … Next after theology, I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor. … My heart bubbles up and overflows in response to music, which has so often refreshed me and delivered me from dire plagues.”
—Martin Luther
3789 Earth’s Mighty Choruses
An old man wrote of his being present in Boston in 1869 at the great Peace Jubilee in commemoration of the ending of the Civil War. There was a chorus of ten thousand voices and an orchestra of one thousand pieces. Two hundred anvils had been placed on the platform for use in the Anvil Chorus.
There were huge bells. Outside, in the park, was artillery to be fired electrically in harmony with the chorus. At the head of the violin section, two hundred in number, stood the world’s greatest violinist—Ole Bull. Their bows moved up and down as if in the hand of one man.
Parepa Rose was the soloist of whose singing Dr. Talmage said, “It was never equalled on earth!” When, in the “Star- Spangled Banner,” she sang the high C with the fortissimo accompaniment of the full chorus and orchestra, the bells and cannon, it was so loud and clear that it seemed to bury the accompaniment!
The old man’s letter closed thus: “I am an old man now, but am looking forward to the music of heaven where there will be music infinitely superior to the marvelous chorus I listened to that day!”
—Selected
THE CHOIR
3790 Happiness In Alto Section
A lady choir member, 30 years in the church choir, was surprised to read an article entitled “Happiness in the Alto Section” which was about her. The writer described his conversion from her pleasantness while in the choir loft. She confessed: “I cannot help but smile when I think of the wonderful and inspiring words of the many beautiful songs we sing in church.”
—Choral Overtones
3791 My Name Is Martin Luther, Sir!
A weary choirmaster closed his organ at the end of a rehearsal. As the choristers were preparing to leave, a boy’s clear voice rang out in joyous song in the street outside the Eisleben church. “Bring that singer in! I want to speak to him,” said the choirmaster. Search was made for the singer. Presently a boy stood attentively before the choirmaster who asked, “What is your name!” “Martin Luther, sir,” replied the boy.
“Who taught you to sing?”
“No one taught me, sir. I like to sing. I often earn a few coins by singing in the streets.”
“Would you like to sing in my choir?”
“I’d be very glad for the chance, sir,” Martin answered gratefully. “Then report for rehearsal Saturday afternoon,” the choirmaster said.
In this manner Martin Luther was introduced to the Eisleben church choir and to the world of song.
—Walter B. Knight
3792 Soot On Worshippers
So much soot is clinging to the roof of 73-year-old Westminster Cathedral, the central church for Britain’s Roman Catholics, that it showers on to the choir if the music is too loud! The London cathedral is a Byzantine-style building with a 283-foot belltower, overlooking the gardens of Buckingham Palace. Cathedral authorities are appealing for $2 million for repairs.
3793 Bound For …
The Rev. Rob Yeomans of Pontesbury, England, bounced up and down trying to get more life into the choir’s rendering of “I Wonder Where I’m Bound.” The iron grid gave way under him and he vanished into the church’s central heating duct.
—Selected
3794 And Never A Break In Step
It started at the end of a Sunday morning service in an Ontario church. The choir began the recessional, singing as they marched in perfect unison up the center aisle to the back of the church.
The last young lady in the women’s section was wearing a new pair of shoes with needle heels—heels that are so slender they slip through any grating. And in the aisle was grating that covered the hot-air register.
Without a thought for her fancy heels, the young woman sang and marched. And the heel of one shoe sank right through a hole in the register grate. Instantly she realized her predicament. She knew she couldn’t hold up the whole recessional while she back-stepped to pull out her heel. She did the next best thing in the emergency. Without missing a step she slipped her foot out of her shoe and continued up the aisle. There wasn’t a break in the recessional. Everything moved like clockwork.
The first man following that young woman noted the situation and, without losing a beat, reached down and picked up her shoe.
The entire grate came with it. Startled but still singing, the man continued up the aisle bearing in his hand one grate attached to one shoe.
Never a break in the recessional. Everybody singing. Everything moving like clockwork. And then in tune and in time to the beat, the next man stepped into the open register.
—The Lutheran
3795 “Sin” In Choir
I was engaged in a series of services in a church in San Leandro, California. Looking at the church bulletin my eyes singled out the following announcement, which was all right except for the lack of one single g: “Choir rehearsal this after noon at 3:30. Everyone who wishes to sin in the choir must come to practice.”
—G. Franklin Allee
3796 Out Of Tune
Bill: “Since when did you stop singing in the choir?”
Charlie: “Since the Sunday I was absent, and everyone thought the organ had been tuned!”
—Speaker’s Sourcebook
3797 Child’s Impressions Of Choir
“What are you children playing?” asked the mother.
“Church,” chorused the crowd of youngsters.
“You know that you shouldn’t whisper in church.”
“Yes, but we’re the choir.”
3798 William Booth On Choirs
William Booth said that he found choirs infested with three devils—the quarreling devil, dressing devil, and courting devil.
3799 Epigram On Music (Choir)
• A job for any pastor:
KEEPING THE CHOIR IN HARMONY!
THE HYMN
3800 Singing In Christianity
Singing is peculiar to revealed religion. You find it but rarely in other religions. You find it but rarely in lodges, clubs, or associations. Singing was so much a part of the Hebrew faith that the hymnal (the Book of Psalms) was in the middle of the Bible. Singing is so important to Christian faith that more than 500,000 Christian hymns have been written.
3801 Pliny’s Letter To Emperor
In a letter written to the Roman Emperor Trajan by Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia about A. D. 110, Pliny described what he had learned about the Christians and their worship. “They are accustomed to meet,” he says, “on a fixed day before daylight to sing a hymn of praise to Christ as God.” The troubled governor of Bithynia had tried to explain to the Roman Emperor the reason for the spread of the Christian faith, which was being extended so rapidly that it was leaving the pagan altar deserted.
Unwittingly he had declared the secret of the power of Christianity and its spread in the world—the Christians worshipped Jesus Christ as God.
—H. Guy Moore
3802 Favorite Hymns
At Indiana State Fair of 1971, in a poll taken of persons over 60 years old, the No. 1 favorite of Hymns was “How Great Thou Art.” No. 2 favorite was “In the Garden,” then “The Old Rugged Cross,” then “Amazing Grace.”
3803 Most Popular Hymns
The Ram’s Horn some time since gave its readers an opportunity to express their preferences as to their favorite hymns. Those receiving the largest number of votes were:
No. 1. Nearer, My God, to Thee
No. 2. Jesus, Lover of My Soul
No. 3. Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me
No. 4. Just as I Am, Without One Plea
No. 5. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
No. 6. Abide With Me, Fast Falls the Eventide
No. 7. Sweet Hour of Prayer
No. 8. There Were Ninety and Nine
No. 9. How Firm a Foundation
No. 10. Saved by Grace
—Current Anecdotes
3804 More Favorite Hymns
Of the estimated 400,000 Christian hymns that have been published, fewer than 500 are in common use and only 150 of them are well-known by churchgoers. To determine their popularity in this country, a poll was made, not long ago, which disclosed that four hymns alone constituted the first choice of 20,384 of the 30,000 churchgoers questioned. And the relative popularity of these four outstanding favorites is shown by the following figures. For every 100 persons whose first choice was “Abide With Me,” the hymn that led, 75 preferred “Nearer My God to Thee,” 57 preferred “Lead, Kindly Light” and 47 preferred “Rock of Ages.”
3805 Our Hymns And Church Unity
The hymnbook has an interesting and instructive history. It is the greatest argument for church unity ever printed. Herber, the Angelican, wrote, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.” Toplady, the Calvinist, wrote, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.” Miss Adams, the Unitarian, wrote, “Nearer, My God To Thee.”
Whittier, the Quaker, wrote, “Eternal Goodness.” Faber, the Roman Catholic, wrote, “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy.” Doddridge, the Congregationalist, wrote, “O Happy Day.” John Fawcett, the Baptist, wrote, “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.”
Every great hymn is the result of a spiritual experience in the life of its author. There are 500,000 religious hymns in the world but only about 400 are favorites.
—Selected
3806 Gaiety In Christian Hymns
One of America’s greatest heritage is the Negro spiritual. Many of them are in plaintive minor modes so expressive of sorrow and suffering and of simple and bright faith in God. Gypsy Smith said, “The difference between the singing of white people and Negroes is this: white people sing the music, but the music sings the Negroes.”
John Wesley said, “Beware of singing as if you were half dead or half asleep. Lift up your voices with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, or more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sang the songs of Satan.”
William Booth was criticized for the gaiety of some of the hymns sung at his meetings. He replied, “Is the devil to have all the good tunes?”
3807 Defining An Anthem
Elder Watkins, just back from the city, was telling his wife of the church he had attended. “Did you know any of their songs?” asked she. “No,” replied the elder, “they didn’t sing anything but anthems.” “Anthems!” exclaimed his wife. “What on earth is an anthem?”
“Well,” answered the elder, “I can’t tell you just exactly, but I’d say to you, “Betsy, the cows are in the corn,” that wouldn’t be an anthem. But if I’d say, “Betsy, Betsy, Betsy, the cows, the cows, the Holstein cow, the muley cow, the Jersey cow, the spotted cow—all the cows are in, are in, the corn, corn, corn. Ah-men!” why that’d be an anthem.”
—Paul E. Holcraft
3808 Value Of A Hymn
“You gave the Lord two hundred dollars this morning,” said a servant of God to an aged brother who had never had much of this world’s goods. “What do you mean?” asked the aged Christian. “I don’t have it to give.” “I heard you singing,” replied the preacher, “I counted five hymns of praise to the Lord. The psalmist said that a song of praise would please the Lord more than an ox. A cow would be worth at least forty dollars. So you have given the Lord two hundred dollars” (Psalm 69:30–31).
—Choice Gleanings
HYMNS SUNG
3809 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Perhaps the finest of Luther’s great hymns is Ein feste Burg, “A Mighty Fortress.” Its majestic and thunderous proclamation of our faith is a singing symbol of the reformation. Inspired by Psalm 46, Luther caught up in the hymn the very essence of faith, and the fervor and flavor of patriotism which he found in the Psalm.
Long ago in the fourteenth century when Sergius the hermit was leading his countrymen, and Tartar hordes were overrunning his land, this Psalm was a source of strength and courage. Over and over, the godly hermit recited Psalm 46 and then led his revived men in a charge that drove the invaders back and brought ultimate victory. Throughout the ages men have been stirred by the realization that the Eternal God is available to them and that nothing, literally nothing, can overwhelm or destroy a man when he lives in this faith.
—Edward L. R. Elson
3810 Amazing Grace
On one occasion John Vassar, the great soulwinner, was going from house to house distributing tracts and talking with people about their souls. One woman who heard about this strange man and what he was doing said: “If he comes to my house, he will get the door slammed in his face.”
Without knowing that this woman had made such a statement, Mr. Vassar rang her doorbell the next day. When she saw that he was the man who had been described to her, she slammed the door in his face. John Vassar sat down on her doorstep and sang:
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe,
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
’Tis all that I can do.
The woman heard the earnest verse as he sang and was convicted a sinner. She opened the door and called Mr. Vassar in, who led her to Jesus Christ.
—Covenant Weekly
3811 Amazing Grace
A 200-year-old American hymn tune, with words by a former English slave trader, played by, of all things, a Scottish bagpipe band, was the runaway hit record of 1972 in Canada and Britain. “Amazing Grace,” performed by the regimental pipes and drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (a British cavalry regiment), was the number-one record in Britain and now tops charts in Canada. Sales in the United States were brisk.
More than 100,000 copies of the 45 rpm single were sold in Canada within three weeks of release, and sales of the band’s long-play album total half that. Amazing, says a distributing company official.
—Barrie Doyle
3812 Christians, Awake!
“What would you like for a Christmas present?” To any young girl such a question would evoke delighted visions of long-wished-for possessions, but to Dolly the answer to her father, John Byron, was, “Please write me a poem.” So on Christmas morning in 1749, Dolly found on her plate at breakfast a piece of paper on which was written a hymn entitled, “Christmas day, for Dolly.”
Soon after, John Wainwright the organist of Manchester Parish Church wrote a tune for it. On the following Christmas morning, Byron and Dolly were awakened by the sound of singing below their windows. It was Wainwright with his choir singing Dolly’s hymn, “Christians, Awake.”
CHRISTIANS, AWAKE
Christians, awake, salute the happy morn,
Where-on the Saviour of the world was born;
Rise to adore the mystery of love,
Which hosts of angels chanted from above;
With them the joyful tiding first begun
Of God incarnate and the Virgin’s Son.
—Selected
3813 The Fairest Of Ten Thousand
The soloist was singing in a high-pitched voice, well beyond her vocal range.
She came to the phrase: “He is the fairest of ten thousand,” and her voice broke as she came to the “ten.”
Undaunted, she tried again, but met with no greater success the second time.
“Give me my note again,” she requested of the pianist, and made a frantic third attempt.
“Lady,” someone in the audience called, “I don’t think you’re gonna make it. Don’t you think you’d better start over again and try for one thousand this time?”
3814 God Understands
A young grocery chain executive parked his car on the edge of a treacherous two-hundred-foot cliff at the edge of the Pacific Ocean some twenty-five miles south of San Francisco. Devil’s Slide, it was called, and to Bill Mansdoerfer it seemed an appropriate place to plan suicide.
The next morning alone in his home, burdened with sin and guilt, the desire to take his life gripped him again. In the midst of writing a suicide note, on impulse, he went to the hi-fi and turned it on. It was turned to KEAR.
What happened next has been described by doubters as a mere coincidence but to Bill Mansdoerfer it is looked upon as a miracle, a divine appointment. From the radio he heard:
God understands your heartache,
He knows the bitter pain;
O, trust Him in the darkness
You cannot trust in vain.
God understands your sorrow,
He sees the falling tear,
And whisper, “I am with thee,”
Then falter not nor fear.
The song was being sung by Flo Price and it was written by Dr. Oswald J. Smith.
Comments Bill, “If that had been a preacher, I would have turned him off, but that song … it broke me.”
Bill telephoned KEAR’s Station Manager. Without any preliminaries, he blurted out, “Thank God, your station is on the air. You just saved my life.”
That broadcast and phone call resulted in more than that. During the next six months, the station kept in touch with Bill, and finally offered him a job as Public Relations Director. Today he not only is the Station Manager of KEAR, but as Director of Communications and Operations, he is a vital part of the six-station family radio network.
—People’s Magazine
3815 The Hallelujah Chorus
One day a young Indian named Bill Hayes came to George Walker, the missionary on the Pima reservation, in Arizona and said: “Mr. Walker, our choir would like to learn to sing the Hallelujah Chorus.”
Mr. Walker gasped.
“But did you ever hear the Hallelujah Chorus? It’s big music, Bill.”
“No, we never heard it, but we understand it’s pretty good.”
“Good? Bill it’s tremendous! But it’s very hard to learn, and it’s the sort of thing you wouldn’t want to spoil by singing it poorly.”
Bill just stood there, and finally said: “Well, we could at least try, couldn’t we?”
The choir members worked hard at odd jobs until they had accumulated thirty-five dollars for the musical scores. The books came, and that same night the choir assembled for their first practice. In fact, the whole village assembled to see the project launched.
Bill studied the music for a while and then started “dinging” with one finger on the scarred old piano. What Bill lacked in technique and experience, he made up in infinite patience and determination.
He picked out the soprano part with his one finger and turned to the soprano section. “You sing that much.” They sang it over several times. Then the same for the altos, and the tenors, and the bases. Over and over again, then, “Now, everybody sing that much.” They worked at it for months. The old piano groaned under the one-fingered musician. The choir laboured under the 115-degree Arizona heat. They sang a measure at a time, repeated endlessly.
Mr. Walker said that wherever you went during those months you could hear snatches being sung by youngsters and grown-ups alike. Children played ball while singing, “Haa-le-lu-yuh.” The farmer, irrigating his beans, sang “For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!”
Finally, Bill was at last ready to do a full rehearsal with full accompaniment. They still had never heard the chorus played by an accomplished musician, and had never heard it sung. Bill came to Mr. Walker:
“Could you get us a musician to play the piano for us so we could hear all the parts? We want to see if we can do it with all the parts just right.”
Mr. Walker recruited a music teacher from the state university. They were all waiting when the missionary and his friend arrived. All of the villagers were present on this night of nights.
The pianist cringed as she tested the old piano; it was tuned one whole note lower than standard pitch. The choir rose in unison putting their music books behind them, stared resolutely at their director.
“King of Kings … and Lord of Lords …
And He shall reign for ever and ever … ”
They finished, and a sigh of relief swept over the entire assemblage. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Both the accompanist and George Walker were too choked up even to speak.
After driving a quarter of a mile, Walker got his voice.
“Tell me, how did they do?” Another quarter of a mile and the accompanist revived—”Oh! Mr. Walker—it was perfect—perfect.” Another pause and she said—”How I wish Handel could have heard those Indians sing!”
—Prairie Overcomer
3816 The Holy City
Thirty men, red-eyed and disheveled lined up before a judge of the San Francisco police court. It was the regular morning company of “Drunks and disorderlies.” Some were old and hardened, others hung their heads in shame. Just as the momentary disorder attending the bringing-in of the prisoners quieted down, a strange thing happened. A strong, clear voice from below began singing:
“Last night I lay a sleeping
There came a dream so fair.”
Last night! It had been for them all a nightmare or a drunken stupor. The song was such a contrast to the horrible fact that no one could fail of a sudden shock at the thought the song suggested.
“I stood in old Jerusalem,
Beside the Temple there,”
The song went on. The judge had paused. He made a quiet inquiry. A former member of a famous opera company known all over the country, was awaiting trial for forgery. It was he who was singing in his cell.
Meantime the song went on, and every man in the line showed emotion. One or two dropped on their knees; one boy at the end of the line, after a desperate effort at self-control, leaned against the wall, buried his face against his folded arms, and sobbed, “Oh mother, mother!”
The sobs, cutting to the very heart of the men who heard, and the song, still welling its way through the courtroom, blended in the hush.
At length one man protested, “Judge,” said he, “have we got to submit to this? We’re here to take our punishment, but this—” He, too began to sob.
It was impossible to proceed with the business of the court, yet the judge gave no order to stop the song. The police sergeant, after an effort to keep the men in line, stepped back and waited with the rest. The song moved on to its climax:
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem!
Sing for the night is o’er!
Hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna for evermore!
In an ecstasy of melody the last words rang out, and then there was silence.
The judge looked into the faces of the men before him. There was not one who was not touched by the song; not one in whom some better impulse was not stirred. He did not call the cases singly- -a kind word of advice, and he dismissed them all. No man was fined or sentenced to the workhouse that morning. The song had done more good than punishment could possibly have accomplished.
—Author Unknown
3817 I Need Thee Every Hour
A great man once said that his greatest moment of joy was on a crowded street of a big city, when a little child looked up into his face, put her hands into his big hand, and said: “Take me across the street to the other side.”
It was an honor to take that trusting child to the other side! Are there streets in life ahead for you to cross? Is there some difficulty you must meet and need a stronger arm to take you across? Put your hand in the hand of Christ. To simply trust Him is to bring delight to both you and Christ.
3818 I’d Rather Have Jesus
When King George VI and the queen visited Washington, D. C., a state dinner was given in their honor. Chief Whitefeather, an Indian, began the program by singing the British anthem. After the applause the chief sang, to the surprise of those present, the hymn whose opening words are, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold!”
Later in the evening, the chief sat near the king and queen. Tactfully he asked the queen, “Do you believe in Jesus? “ The queen replied graciously, “He is the Possessor of my heart, and of my husband’s also!” The king, smiling, added, “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold!”
3819 Jesus, Lover Of My Soul
“The Last Hymn,” by Marianne Farningham, tells of the people in a little Welch community coming from the church at sunset and seeing a storm raging out on the ocean. Then to their horrified gaze they see a large ship falling and rising on the billows, drawn toward the rocky coast. As they watch, unable to rescue, the ship strikes the rocks and breaks in the middle. Half of it soon goes down; they see only one figure left clinging on a spar, moving closer to the land but impossible to be reached.
Someone asks the preacher to take the trumpet and call something of comfort. He thinks quickly—what to say? then calls, “Look to Jesus! Can you hear?” “Ay, ay, sir!” And as they listen they hear him singing, “Jesus, lover of my soul.” When he comes to “Leave, ah, leave me not … ” he drops into the sea. As the people walk soberly home, they say to one another that he went to be with Jesus in the singing of the hymn.
3820 Just As I Am
It is said that Sir Henry Norman, an Indian government official, once was converted to Christ by a remark made by Lord Rastock, while conducting a Gospel service. After he had given a Gospel address, he announced the well-known hymn, “Just As I Am.” He added, “Those who can sing the hymn truthfully, let them sing it heartily; but those who cannot sing it truthfully, ought not to sing it at all, for it is better not to sing than to tell a lie.”
Sir Henry was soundly converted and became a true and firm believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. He filled many high government posts, and eventually became a Field Marshall. He died in 1904, a triumphant Christian.
—Christian Victory
3821 The Messiah
When Jenny Lind was coming to this country for her first concert tour she expressed to the captain of the vessel a desire to behold a sunrise at sea. Accordingly, one cloudless morning, he had her called at early dawn.
Silent and motionless she stood by his side upon the deck watching every change of shade and tint in the sky and their reflection upon the waking waters until the first golden rays shot up from the horizon. As the sun leaped up from the waves she burst into rapturous song, her deeply religious feeling expressed in the noble music of Handel.
She was unconscious of the presence of the captain and a few sailors who stood near. In the ecstacy of her emotion she lifted her voice to an unseen Hearer, to whose majesty and glory she paid her tribute. Little wonder that Captain West in describing the scene exclaimed: “No one will ever hear “I know that My Redeemer Liveth” sung as I heard it that morning.”
3822 Oh, Rest In The Lord
Years ago the English steamer Stella was wrecked on a rocky coast. Twelve women put into a lifeboat, but the boisterous sea immediately carried it away. Having no oars, they were at the mercy of the winds and the waves, and they spent a fearful night being tossed about by the raging tempest.
They probably would have lost hope if it had not been for the spiritual stamina of one of the ladies, Margaret Williams, who was well-known for her work in sacred oratorios. Calmly she prayed aloud for Divine protection. Then, urging her companions to put their trust in the Lord, she encouraged them by singing hymns of comfort.
Throughout the dark hours her voice rang out across the water. Early the next morning a small craft came searching for survivors. The man at the helm would have missed the women in the fog if he had not heard Miss Williams singing the selection from Elijah. “Oh, rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him!” Steering in the direction of her strong voice, he soon spotted the drifting lifeboat. While many others were lost that night, these trusting few were rescued.
—Henry G. Bosch
3823 Rock Of Ages
One of the “Jubilee Singers,” a student of Fisk University, was on board a steamer that took fire. He had the presence of mind to fix life-preservers on himself and wife. But in the agony of despair, when all on board were trying to save themselves, someone took from his wife her life-preserver, so that she found herself helpless amid waters. But she clung to her husband, placing her hands firmly on his shoulders as he swam on. After a little while her strength was exhausted. “I can hold on no longer,” was her cry. “Try a little longer,” was her husband’s agonized entreaty; and then he added, “Let us sing “Rock of Ages.””
Immediately they both began faintly to sing; and their strains fell upon the ears of many around them, while they were thus seeking to comfort each other. One after another of the nearly-exhausted swimmers was noticed raising his head above the waves and joining in the prayer:
“Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee.”
Strength seemed to come with the song; and they were able to hold out a little longer, still faintly singing. A boat was seen approaching, and they did get strength enough to keep themselves afloat till the crew lifted them on board. And thus Toplady’s hymn helped to save more than one from death by the sea, as it has often helped to save souls ready to perish.
3824 Saviour Like A Shepherd Lead Us
One Christmas Eve, Ira D. Sankey was traveling by steamboat up the Delaware River. Asked to sing, Mr. Sankey sang the “Shepherd Song.” After the song was ended, a man with a rough, weather-beaten face came up to Mr. Sankey and said: “Did you ever serve in the Union Army?” “Yes,” answered Mr. Sankey, “in the spring of 1860.” “Can you remember if you were doing picket duty on a bright, moonlit night in 1862?” “Yes,” answered Mr. Sankey, very much surprised.
“So did I,” said the stranger, “but I was serving in the Confederate army. When I saw you standing at your post I said to myself: “That fellow will never get away from here alive.” I raised my musket and took aim. I was standing in the shadow completely concealed, while the full light of the moon was falling upon you.
“At that instant, just as a moment ago, you raised your eyes to heaven and began to sing. Music, especially song, has always had a wonderful power over me, and I took my finger off the trigger. “Let him sing his song to the end,” I said to myself. “I can shoot him afterwards. He’s my victim at all events, and my bullet cannot miss him.” But the song you sang then was the song you sang just now. I heard the words perfectly:
We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
Be the guardian of our way.
“Those words stirred up many memories in my heart. I began to think of my childhood and my God-fearing mother. She had many, many times sung that song to me. But she died all too soon, otherwise much in my life would no doubt have been different.
“When you had finished your song it was impossible for me to take aim at you again. I thought: “The Lord who is able to save that man from certain death must surely be great and mighty” and my arm of its own accord dropped limp at my side.”
—Religious Digest
3825 Silent Night
In the Austrian village of Hallein on Christmas Eve 1818, the organist, Franz Gruber, composed a hymn called “Song of Heaven” and played and sang it in church the following night. A man from a nearby town happened to hear the song and, being impressed, memorized the words and music which he later taught to a traveling quartet.
By 1854, the piece had become so famous that a search was made for its unknown composer and Gruber was found. He then learned that his song had been “memorized,” sung for 36 years and had become the most-beloved Christmas hymn of all-time under another name—Silent Night.
At that late date, the fact meant little to Franz Gruber, who was then 67, and he remained an obscure and impoverished organist until his death in 1863.
—Selected
3826 Take My Life And Let It Be
Frances Havergal wrote her famous hymn, “Take My Life” in 1874. It was not until 1878 that the lines were put into print. When she read the second stanza:
“Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold,”
she was suddenly convicted of her failure to do just that. She had an amazing collection of exquisite jewelry, most of which came by gift or inheritance. Immediately, she packed the jewels, and sent them to her church missionary society. Then, just to be sure, she included a check to cover the monetary value of the jewels she had chosen to keep! “I don’t think I need to tell you I have never packed a box with such pleasure!” she exclaimed.
—Christian Index
3827 There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood
When a large religious service was being conducted at the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco, many people quickly became aware that the minister delivering the main address was not thoroughly orthodox. Although a gifted speaker, he began to direct most of his eloquence against the power of the blood of Christ.
Ruth E. Marsden relates that when his fluent oratory ended, a timid, elderly lady stood up in the midst of the crowd and softly began to sing a great hymn by William Cowper as a touching rebuttal to the modernist’s remarks. A hush fell over the assembly as they heard those faint but familiar words: “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.”
Before she could begin the second stanza, approximately a hundred people rose to join her. By the time she reached the third verse, nearly a thousand Christians all over the audience were singing that blessed song of faith. The triumphant, thrilling strains rang out loud and clear: “Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power, till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more.” Many were deeply moved as that humble believer stood up for her Lord and with the light of Heaven upon her face.
3828 Singing On The Mountain
“Singing on the Mountain” is a great tradition in western North Carolina. Hundreds of families annually set aside an early summer Sunday for a trek to Grandfather Mountain, where in song and sermon they echo the Gospel message across the laurel-crowned Blue Ridge heights. It is a dawn-to-dusk songfest
“Singing on the Mountain” began as a Bible class outing 36 years ago.
—Christianity Today
3829 A Drunkard Sung To Sleep
A loud-voiced, drunken man, followed by his wife and small son, swaggered aboard a railroad train that was soon steaming across the lowlands of Scotland. Across the aisle sat a Christian temperance worker who felt led to sing an old hymn with the hope that the drunkard would be quieted and perhaps go to sleep. Soon he was snoring vociferously. After a nap of some hours, he awakened somewhat sobered. As the temperance lecturer left the train, the fellow held out his hand, bade him good-bye, and actually thanked him for his singing.
Fifteen years passed and the temperance worker was again touring Scotland. After a particularly successful meeting, a well-dressed man and wife came forward and inquired of the speaker if he remembered them. He shook his head. “Why, I’m the man who was drunk that day on the train,” confessed the stranger, “and you sang me to sleep. But I never could get away from those hymns, and it wasn’t long before I was led to Christ. Our son Joseph, who was also with us that day, is now in school preparing for the ministry.”
This Joseph was, in years to come, to be the great Dr. Joseph Parker, who was for a long time pastor in one of London’s largest churches.
—American Holiness Journal
3830 No Priests …
A few years ago the Roman Catholic leaders in the Dominican Republic became so fearful of a successful Protestant work in that country that they circulated the following leaflet against the Protestants:
A religion which has:
No priest, no Holy Mass or Communion,
No Jesus in the Tabernacle, no Crucifix,
No blessed Virgin, no Mother, no Rosary,
No Saints and no statues of them,
No baptism for your babies,
No visible forgiveness for sinners,
No last Sacraments for your dying,
No prayers for your beloved dead,
No purgatory to ready for heaven,
No blessing in life or in death,
Not a candle, flower, or bell,
But only preaching and singing—only a Bible and a songbook.
Such a religion is not, cannot be, the religion of Christ.
—L. E. Maxwell
3831 How Spurgeon Memorized Hymns
“During one of many holidays at Salmbourne, I had a varied experience which I am not likely to forget. My dear grandfather was very fond of Dr. Watt’s hymns, and my grandmother, wishing to get me to learn them, promised me a penny for each one that I should say to her perfectly. I found it an easy and pleasant method of earning money, and learned them so fast that grandmother said she must reduce the price to a half-penny each, afterwards to a farthing, if she did not mean to be quite ruined by her extravagance. There is no telling how low the amount per hymn might have sunk, but grandfather said that he was getting overrun with rats, and offered me a shilling a dozen for all I could kill.
I found, at the time, that the occupation of rat-catching paid me better than learning hymns, but I know which employment has been more permanently profitable to me. No matter on what topic I am preaching, I can, even now, in the middle of my sermon, quote some verse of a hymn in harmony with the subject; the hymns have remained with me, while those old rats for years have passed away, and the shillings I earned by killing them have been spent long ago.
—Charles Spurgeon
HYMNS WRITTEN
3832 Abide With Me
This beloved hymn of comfort and trust was written by a pastor who was sickly and unwell most of the time. He pastored a seashore church in England among the rough sailors and uncultured villagers. And this made outsiders often wonder. But they loved him and he loved the work.
However, health finally left him and the doctor advised him to retreat to sunny southern Europe, and he prepared to sail,
The last Sunday before leaving, although he had no strength to stand up and preach, yet he forced himself and preached among his weeping people. That evening, by the light of the evening sun, he wrote these words:
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!
He sailed, but died abroad within that year.
3833 Amazing Grace
John Newton wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace.” As he thought upon the words: “By the grace of God I am what I am,” he said, “I am not what I ought to be. How imperfect and deficient I am! I am not what I wish to be. Though I am not what I ought to be, I can truly say that I am not what I once was—a slave to sin and Satan. I can heartily say with Paul: “By the grace of God I am what I am”!”
3834 From Greenland’s Icy Mountains
“Write something for us to sing at the service tomorrow morning,” Dr. Shepley, vicar of Wrexham, said to his son-in-law, Reginald Heber, in 1819.
Dr. Shepley was to preach next day in behalf of foreign missions, and he was chatting over the subject of his discourse with a few friends. Heber, already known as a writer of verse, withdrew to another part of the room, and soon returned with the first three stanzas of “From Greenland’s Icy Mountains,” just as we sing them now, except that in the seventh line of the second verse he wrote “savage,” which he afterward changed to “heathen.”
Dr. Shepley was satisfied, but Heber was not until he added the triumphant fourth stanza, beginning: “Waft, waft, ye winds his story.” In 1823 Heber went as a missionary to India, where he died after three years of patient and loving service.
—W. J. Hart
3835 God Will Take Care Of You
This was written on a Sunday afternoon by a pastor’s wife. She was very ill and in bed, but her husband had to go to a meeting. He was reluctant to leave her. She said, “Don’t worry, God will Take care of you.”
While her husband was away, she thought of the wonderful truths in her own words, and wrote this poem. Her husband returned and later composed it to music.
3836 He Hideth My Soul
This hymn is unique in that it was a poem written to fit the tune. Kirkpatrick brought the music to Fanny Crosby, asking her to write a poem to fit his music. She, the blind musician who wrote 8000 music, did!
3837 How Great Thou Art
A young minister’s two-mile walk in the rain provided the inspiration for “How Great Thou Art,” a more recent addition to the collection of age-old hymns.
The Reverend Carl Boberg of Monsteras, on the southeast coast of Sweden, was 25-years-old when he wrote the lyrics of this song after treking through a thunderstorm from a church meeting two miles away.
One cannot sing this majestic hymn of praise and adoration without realizing anew the omnipotence of the Creator who did it all.
3838 I Am So Glad That Jesus Loves Me
Dr. P. P. Bliss, the evangelistic singer and composer, said that he wrote the sacred song, “I am So Glad that Jesus Loves Me,” when he was a young man. Growing older, however, he realized more deeply how insignificant is our love toward God compared to His love for us. Hence, in his later years, he wrote that appealing hymn, which children so love to sing—and which is good for grownups too:
I am so glad that our Father in heaven
Tells of His love in the Book He has given;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see,
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.
—Sunday School Times
3839 I Gave My Life For Thee
Frances Ridley Havergal wrote one of her most famous poems while she was in Dusseldorf, Germany. She had gone to Germany to do some specialized study. While there, she saw a copy of Sternburg’s great painting: “The CRUCIFIXION.” The title above the picture was, “All this I did for thee; what has thou done for Me?”
Inspired by the probing question, she wrote her famous poem, “I Gave My Life for Thee.” But she was not happy with the poem and threw it into the fire, but a draft blew the paper out of the fire and onto the hearth. Feeling that this might have been Providential, Miss Havergal took the slightly-scorched paper, folded it, and sent it to her father in England.
He composed a tune to match the words and had it published. However, the tune we now use with this superb poem was written years later by P. P. Bliss, an associate of D. L. Moody. The tune he wrote is now the one we use with this great song: “I gave my life for thee, what hast thou done for Me?”
3840 I Love To Tell The Story
A young girl who devoted her life to Sunday school work fell seriously ill at age 30. During her convalescence, she wrote a long poem which contains the words of this hymn. Also from this long poem is taken another hymn, “Tell Me the Old, Old Story?”
3841 I Must Tell Jesus
Elisha Hoffman was born in Pennsylvania and spent his life as pastor there. Once while visiting one who had been through deep trial, she cried: “Oh, what shall I do? I don’t know what to do!” Then her face brightened and she said, “I must tell Jesus!”
On his way home, the words of the woman came to the pastor’s mind, and that night he wrote this comforting song.
3842 I Would Be True
From Princeton University there graduated in 1905 a young man by the name of Howard Walter. Because of his sunny smile he was wanted where there was fun; because of his keen mind he was sought for when counsel was needed; because of his consecration to Christ, he was a blessing to all. Through college and seminary he went and then chose the foreign field as his life service. He went to India and entered into work among the students of the great educational center of the Punjab, Lahore.
One Christmas, out of his own heart and life he wrote his mother a poem. And she, recognizing the beauty of the message, sent it to Harper’s Magazine. It was his Christmas greeting to her. In 1919, when the influenza was raging in India, he was one of the victims; but he still lives in this beautiful Christmas poem dedicated to his mother. His influence is still felt in India. The verse has been set to music by Joseph Yates Peek.
“I would be true, for there are those who trust me;
I would be pure, for there are those who care,
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;
I would be brave, for there is much to dare.
I would be friend to all the foe, the friendless;
I would be giving, and forget the gift;
I would be humble, for I know my weakness;
I would look up, and laugh, and love and lift.”
3843 I’d Rather Have Jesus
Forty years ago Bev Shea was attending the Bible School in Ottawa (Ontario) where I was teaching. He loved to sing. After more training in New York City he was given an audition at one of the radio stations and was offered a contract. He asked that he might sing Gospel songs. He was told that he might use one occa sionally, but he would have to use the songs on the Hit Parade. What would he do? His mother was praying.
On Saturday night she placed a poem on the piano. In the morning he composed a tune for it. One verse was: “I’d rather have Jesus than silver and gold: I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame; I’d rather be true to His holy Name!” Bev turned down the contract. A short time later he was offered a position with a Chicago radio station where he might use the Gospel songs he loved. While there he met Billy Graham. The rest of the story is well-known.
—R. Barclay Warren
3844 In The Cross Of Christ I Glory
All who have heard the sacred hymn, “In the Cross of Christ I Glory,” love it; and it adds to its beauty to learn about how it was written. Sir John Bowring, the noted naturalist, linguist, statesman, financier, was the author. This gifted man was at one time the governor of Hong Kong. It was he who invented the florin, a two-shilling piece greatly used in England. He could write in thirteen different languages and dialects. His education was of the right sort, for it led him to a deeper worship of the Crucified One.
One time when he was in the Orient, he was gazing at a tract of land which had been devastated by an earthquake. He noticed the tower of a church standing among the ruins, and on the top of the tower a cross. The sight of this prompted him to write the great hymn.
—Our Youth
3845 Jesus, Lover Of My Soul
Charles Wesley was conducting one of his many open-air meetings, this one near Killyleagh, Ireland. During the course of his preaching, a number of persons who took exception to his views assaulted him. Unable to withstand the mob, Wesley fled for his life.
He took refuge in a farmhouse nearby. Jane Moore, a kind-hearted wife of a farmer, hid the panting evangelist in the milkhouse. She was barely in time, because at that moment some of Wesley’s assailants rushed up.
Mrs. Moore tried to divert their attention by preparing refreshments. Fearful that they might search the premises and discover the harried evangelist, she went to the milkhouse on the pretext of getting a cold drink for her visitors.
“Quickly,” she bade him, “get through the rear window, and hide under the hedge.” He clambered through the window and found a little brook flowing beside the hedge, forming a pool with overhanging branches that afforded a pleasant and safe retreat.
While waiting for the vindictive Irishmen to give up the search and leave, Wesley pulled a pencil and paper from his pocket and wrote out the immortal hymn, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.”
Dr. George Duffield, author of “Stand up for Jesus,” another of our famous songs, once said of Wesley’s hymn, “If there is anything in Christian experience of joy and sorrow, of affliction and prosperity, of life and death—that hymn truly is the hymn of the ages.”
—E. H. Jordan
3846 Jesus Paid It All
This hymn was written by Mrs. Hall during her pastor’s lengthy prayer while she sat in the choir loft! The words were originally scribbled on the flyleaf of a hymnal.
She handed the words to her pastor, who, instead of scolding her, put it to music, using another member’s music also given to him. The pastor had noticed that the melody and the words fitted perfectly.
3847 Just As I Am
Charlotte Elliott’s brother, Rev. Elliott, was planning the building of a school for daughters of clergymen. The author was then 45 years old, ill of health, and could not help. A special program had been scheduled to help in the fund-raising.
That night she could not sleep and started doubting if she would be useful to the Lord. The next day, everyone went to the program and she was left alone.
As she thought of her weakness, she realized that since salvation was not of works, her Christian life was also to be by faith and trust, that God accepts the weakest person. And taking up her pen, she wrote this hymn of commitment.
3848 Let The Lower Lights Be Burning
Philip Paul Bliss was directing the singing for a series of services being conducted by the well-known preacher Dwight L. Moody. As he closed his message, Moody told the story of a captain who was attempting to bring his boat to the Cleveland Harbour one very dark and stormy night.
“The waves rolled like mountains,” Moody said, “and not a star was to be seen in the clouded sky.” He pictured the boat rocking on the violent waves as the captain peered through the darkness for the sight of a signal light by means of which to guide his vessel to safety. When he finally spotted a single light from the light-house, he turned to the pilot and asked, “Are you sure this is Cleveland Harbour?”
“Quite sure, sir,” the pilot replied.
“Then where are the lower lights?” the captain continued.
“Gone out, sir,” the other man answered.
“Can you make the harbour?” the captain asked anxiously.
“We must, or perish, sir,” the pilot replied.
But despite his strong heart and brave hand, in the darkness he missed the channel. With a resounding crash the boat piled up on the rocks and then settled slowly to a watery grave.
As the congregation listened intently, Moody concluded with this admonition to the Christians, “Brethren, the Master will take care of the great light-house; let us keep the lower lights burning.” That was all Bliss needed to pen one of his most popular hymns, “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning.”
3849 Moment By Moment
I heard related at a convention the other day this story of the birth of “Moment by Moment,” the song so popular at Northfield, and the one carried by Rev. Andrew Murray into South Africa with such telling results.
It was during the great World’s Fair evangelistic campaign. Mr. Moody and his workers were gathered at the close of the day, as their custom was, in the famous evangelist’s room, for a word of prayer together. The hymn, “I need Thee every hour,” had been announced.
When the singing of it ceased, Mr. Henry Varley, the English evangelist, said: “I’m not sure that I can subscribe heartily to that sentiment. I feel that I need Christ moment by moment.” The thought impressed Major D. W. Whittle, and at the close of the prayer season he went to his room, and, prompted by the Holy Spirit, he wrote and rewrote and wrote again, and at 2 o’clock in the morning the new song was in complete form.
—Current Anecdotes
3850 Nearer, My God, To Thee
Benjamin Flower was an English journalist. Some considered him too radical for his times. He was imprisoned for six months. An English girl, whom he later married, frequently visited him in prison. Their daughter was Sarah Flower. She was brilliant and had varied talents. Because of poor health, she dismissed all thoughts of a career she had long dreamed about. She began to write. In the field of writing she gained her greatest achieve ment. The hymn, “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” will immortalize her as long as time lasts. It is said to be the greatest hymn ever written by a woman.
—Power
3851 The Ninety And Nine
In 1874, Sankey and Moody held revivals in Scotland. Once on a train Sankey bought a newspaper to find news of America, but was disappointed. He threw it down, later picked it up and in a corner he saw a poem. He liked it and read it to Moody, who was absorbed in reading letters from Chicago.
The next day at noon, Moody’s topic was “The Good Shepherd.” Moody suddenly asked Sankey to sing something. “But if I sing Psalm 23, every Scotsman would join in,” he thought. Then a voice said, “Sing the hymn you found on the train.” But there was no melody to that poem!
Placing the clipping on the organ, and after a brief pause of urgent prayer, Sankey began singing. Note by note, the tune came out. At the end of the first stanza, a difficulty arose: would the tune be the same. It came out the same for the second stanza. And that hymn has come to us today—without change.
When Sankey stopped singing, a great sigh arose from the congregation, “Rejoice! for the Lord has found His sheep!”
3852 O God Our Help In Ages Past
Christianity was facing a dark future in England when Queen Anne forced through Parliament the Schism Act designed to severely limit religious freedom.
Against this black backdrop, Isaac Watts wrote the stately, reassuring hymn “O God Our Help In Ages Past.” How the words must have brought renewed courage and comfort to Christians in those days of fear and instability.
3853 O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
George Matheson, engaged to be married, learned he would soon be totally blind. His fiancee said, “I cannot marry a blind man.” He left her with his dreams shattered. He thought of taking his life, but instead took hold of himself as he wrote the moving hymn, “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.”
—James Hastings
3854 The Old Time Religion
Shortly after the Civil War in America, a Methodist minister and his wife were blessed with the birth of a son. When the boy became a teenager, he left home to make his way in the world. His fondest dream was to become a concert singer, but he never fulfilled his ambition. He took a job peddling songbooks, and later made his living by going around the coutryside in a wagon demonstrating pianos for a local firm.
At the age of 25 he began to realize that his worldly goals would not be achieved and that even their complete attainment could never satisfy his deepest longings. Convicted by the Holy Spirit of having drifted far from his early training, Charlie Tillman received Christ as his Savior and spent the rest of his life singing and working for the Lord.
One day while passing through South Carolina, he heard a group of Negro worshippers chanting a lilting tune. He quickly jotted down the simple words and melody, for they spoke to him of his own conversion experience. Few today remember Charlie Tillman, but almost everyone has heard of “The Old Time Religion.”
—Henry G. Bosch
3855 Onward Christian Soldiers
This hymn was written by a pastor. At that time, the custom in town was for the children to march from one town to another with banners. The pastor wanted the children to sing a hymn as they go. Since nothing was suitable, he wrote one himself—late the night before the march!
He wrote more than 60 books in the British Museum, but was most remembered as the author of “Onward Christian Soldiers.”
3856 Peace, Perfect Peace
One morning in 1875 Canon Gibbon of Harrogate preached from the text: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.” The Hebrew is “peace, peace” instead of “perfect peace.” Bishop Bickersteth wrote the hymn, putting each first line in the form of a question and giving the answer in each second line: “Peace, perfect peace—in this dark world of sin? The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.”
—A. Naismith
3857 Rock Of Ages
Toplady, even when he wrote his magnificent masterpiece, the “Rock of Ages,” could not resist the temptation to give a thrust at those who, he insisted, were believers in “Perfectionism.” So he entitled his hymn, when he printed it, “A living and dying prayer of the holiest believer in the world.” This is as much as if he had said, “The most sanctified soul in the world must come down on his knees and confess, “Nothing in my hands I bring,” and “Vile I to this fountain fly.””
—Walter Baxendale
3858 Sweet By-And-By
The gifted Christian musician Joseph T. Webster was often tormented by deep feelings of depression. On one occasion, when he was in a melancholy mood, he received a visit from his close acquaintance Fillmore Bennett.
Knowing that one way to keep Webster from brooding over his problems was to interest him in writing a hymn tune, Bennett decided he’d try to pen some lyrics that would direct his friend’s thoughts heavenward. The despondent man himself unwittingly supplied the theme, for when he was asked, “What’s the matter now?” he replied, “Oh, it will be all right by and by!” “That’s true,” exclaimed Bennett, “trials do generate great glory for us in the sweet by-and-by!”
Inspired by this thought, he immediately sat down and wrote several poetic verses on the subject. When his friend read them, a new look of hope came into his eyes, and his whole attitude changed. After jotting down some musical notes, Webster took up his violin and played the melody he had composed to fit the words. Within half an hour the enduring hymn “In the Sweet By-and-By” was born.
3859 Sweet Hour Of Prayer
One day, according to Pastor Salmon, Mr. Walford recited several poems which he had composed. He could not get anyone to write them down, so Mr. Salmon did so. One poem was the four-stanza rhyme which is now known as “Sweet Hour of Prayer.”
—Robert S. Wilson
3860 Tell Mother I’ll Be There
Just before he left by special train to visit his dying mother, President McKinley sent a telegram that probably did more for the Kingdom of God than any other single act of his life. The message read, “TELL MOTHER I’LL BE THERE.”
A preacher, Rev. Chas. Fillmore, read that message, took the phrase and wrote his world-famous hymn: “Tell mother I’ll be there.”
Charles Alexander took the song with him on his evangelistic tour around the world, and wherever he sang it hearts were touched. “In the great Welsh revival,” Evan Roberts said, “this song won more souls than any other song that was sung. Many have been converted through it.”
—The Bible Friend
3861 To The Regions Beyond
This testimony appeared in an issue of Power magazine under the title “What a Song Did for Me”:
“Ten years ago, while in high school in the Philippines, I dedicated my life for full-time service. Since then: I have finished high school, college, and completed a year of seminary. Through this schooling, my original call remained clear—to minister to the overseas Chinese in the Philippines.
“But I felt that first the Lord would have me complete my seminary training in America. One Sunday, just before I went to America for this training, two girls sang a duet in our church youth group. They sang:
To the regions beyond I must go I must go;
Where the story has never been told:
To the millions that never have heard of His love,
I must tell the sweet Story of old.
“Our speaker, a missionary, then stood up and asked: ’Did you really mean what you sang? ’ As far as I was concerned, his question put me on the spot, for I had hummed and nodded approval during the song. Could I, the youth advisor, truthfully declare that I had fully meant every word of the song?
“After much thought, I renewed by His grace my earlier dedication to go to the Chinese in the Philippines.
“When I applied for my visa to the United States, the American consul asked me, “Do you intend to return here to the Philippines following your studies in the United States?”
“I told him that I did.
“Later, a friend asked, “If you were offered a comfortable pastorate with many opportunities for service in America after graduation, would you accept it?”
“I shook my head. I have already been called to the Philippines. I will not go elsewhere, unless God should lead. I thank the Lord for calling me to rededication through that song.”
3862 What A Friend
This was written by a young man for his mother who was ill. He tried to comfort and encourage her, and intended the poem just for her. No one knew about the words of this beloved hymn until a neighbor was visiting and found out.
Born in Ireland, Joseph Scriven graduated from college and was engaged to a beautiful girl. On the eve of their wedding, the girl drowned. Overwhelmed with grief, he came to Canada and devoted his life to helping the underprivileged, giving them clothes and sharing his food. If anyone could afford his service, he would not work for them.
In 1875, Sankey put up “Gospel Hymns No. 1” and included it as the last one in the collection. But later, the last hymn became one of his favorites.
3863 Story Of John Newton
John Newton who ran away to sea, and then to Africa, was sold at last to a negress. He sank so low that he lived only on crumbs from her table and on wild yams dug at night. His clothing was reduced to a single shirt which he washed in the ocean.
When he finally escaped, he went to the natives, accepting their base life. It does not seem possible for a civilized man to have sunk so low, but the power of God laid hold on him through a missionary. He became a sea captain; later became a minister. He wrote many hymns sung the world around: “Safely through Another Week,” “Come, My Soul,” “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken,” “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds,” “One There Is Above All Others.”
In the church of London of which he was the pastor, there is still an epitaph which John Newton wrote for himself. It reads: “Sacred to the memory of John Newton, once a libertine and blasphemer and slave of slaves in Africa, but renewed, purified, pardoned, and appointed to preach that Gospel which he had laboured to destroy!”
—Quiet Hour Stories
3864 “Sweet Singer Of Scotland”
The “Sweet Singer of Scotland,” Horatius Bonar, wrote his first hymn under the pressure of necessity. In his first ministerial charge, a mission church in a squalid section of Leith, Scotland, he was troubled by the lack of songs for the Sunday school. The children had no liking for the songs of the Church of Scotland—the metrical versions of the Psalms with their slow, solemn tunes. Bonar met the difficulty directly by writing new songs in simple words about Jesus, the gospel, and the Christian life.
Bonar soon began to write hymns for adults, too. His first “Go Labor On! Spend and Be Spent!” was written for the encouragement of his co-workers in the mission church, as they laboured at their seemingly unrewarding task among the poor, the wretched, and the sinful.
Bonar was always writing hymns which touched almost every facet of Christian doctrine and experience. “I try to fill my hymns with the love and light of Christ,” he said. He always carried a notebook in which to jot down ideas and verse fragments. He wrote under varied conditions and at almost any time—frequently while on railway journeys. Over a period of fifty years, he produced close to six hundred hymns, of which about one hundred are still in use.
Although Dr. Bonar was the most notable spiritual leader in Scotland after the death of Chalmers, and the nation’s greatest hymnist of all time, his hymns were not used in the worship services of the Scottish churches during his lifetime. When, late in his life, one of his hymns was introduced into the service in his church, two of the elders arose and walked out. From the beginning of the Reformation in Scotland, only the Psalms were sung as divinely inspired, while hymns were rejected as being “of human composure.” Hymns eventually triumphed, and a hymnal was published by the Scottish churches in 1898.
—Oscar T. Gillan
3865 Epigram On Hymns Stories
• The requisites of a singer—a big chest, a big mouth, 90 percent memory, 10 percent intelligence, lots of hard work, and something in the heart.
—Enrico Caruso