All for Jesus, all for Jesus! All my being’s ransomed pow’rs: All my thoughts and words and doings, All my days and all my hours.
Refrain 1: All for Jesus! All for Jesus! All my days and all my hours; All for Jesus! All for Jesus! All my days and all my hours.
Let my hands perform His bidding, Let my feet run in His ways; Let my eyes see Jesus only, Let my lips speak forth His praise.
Refrain 2: All for Jesus! All for Jesus! Let my lips speak forth His praise; All for Jesus! All for Jesus! Let my lips speak forth His praise.
Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus, I’ve lost sight of all beside; So enchained my spirit’s vision, Looking at the Crucified.
Refrain 3: All for Jesus! All for Jesus! Looking at the Crucified; All for Jesus! All for Jesus! Looking at the Crucified.
Oh, what wonder! How amazing! Jesus, glorious King of kings, Deigns to call me His beloved, Lets me rest beneath His wings.
Refrain 4: All for Jesus! All for Jesus! Resting now beneath His wings; All for Jesus! All for Jesus! Resting now beneath His wings.
Short Name:
Mary D. James
Full Name:
James, Mary D. (Mary Dagworthy), 1810-1883
Birth Year:
1810
Death Year:
1883
Born: August 10, 1810, Trenton, New Jersey. Died: October 4, 1883, New York City. Buried: Mercer Cemetery, Trenton, New Jersey.
When she was 13 years old, James began teaching Sunday school in the Methodist Episcopal church. She became a prominent figure in the Wesleyan Holiness movement, assisting Phoebe Palmer, and often leading meetings at Ocean Grove, New Jersey, and elsewhere. She wrote about 50 hymns, and articles by her appeared in the Guide to Holiness, the New York Christian Advocate, The Contributor, The Christian Witness, The Christian Woman, The Christian Standard, and the Ocean Grove Record. Her works include:
The Soul Winner: A Sketch of Life and Fact and Incidents in the Life and Labors of Edmund J. Yard, 1883
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Please enjoy the wonderfully complex choir work, of this beloved hymn. The many layers are indicative of the depth of the Savior’s eternal love and mercy for mankind.
Refrain
There is a balm in Gilead To make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead To heal the sin sick soul.
Some times I feel discouraged, And think my work’s in vain, But then the Holy Spirit Revives my soul again.
Refrain
If you can’t preach like Peter, If you can’t pray like Paul, Just tell the love of Jesus, And say He died for all.
Refrain
Question: “What is the balm of Gilead?”
Answer: A balm is an aromatic, medicinal substance derived from plants. Gilead was an area east of the Jordan River, well known for its spices and ointments. The “balm of Gilead” was, therefore, a high-quality ointment with healing properties. The balm was made from resin taken from a flowering plant in the Middle East, although the exact species is unknown. It was also called the “balsam of Mecca.” Myrrh is taken from a similar plant—Commiphora myrrha.The Bible uses the term “balm of Gilead” metaphorically as an example of something with healing or soothing powers.
“Balm of Gilead” has three references in the Bible. In Genesis 37:25, as Joseph’s brothers contemplated how to kill him, a caravan of Ishmaelites passed by on their way to Egypt from Gilead. In their cargo were “spices, balm, and myrrh.” Jeremiah 8 records God’s warning to Judah of what Babylon would do to them. Upon hearing the news, Jeremiah laments, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” (verse 22). His question is a poetic search for hope—a plea for healing. Then, in Jeremiah 46:11, as God describes an impending judgment on Egypt, He taunts them: “Go up to Gilead and obtain balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain have you multiplied remedies; there is no healing for you!”
These scriptural references to the balm of Gilead have inspired many literary and cultural allusions, including references in “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe and movies such as The Spitfire Grill. Notably, “There Is a Balm in Gilead” is an African-American spiritual that compares the healing balm to the saving power of Jesus—the one true treatment that never fails to heal our spiritual wounds.
Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light:
Refrain
Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.
When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near, When my life is almost gone, Hear my cry, hear my call, Hold my hand lest I fall:
Refrain
When the darkness appears And the night draws near, And the day is past and gone, At the river I stand, Guide my feet, hold my hand:
Refrain
Words: Thomas A. Dorsey, 1932. Dorsey wrote this song in Chicago, Illinois, after his wife Nettie died while giving birth to a child (who also died shortly thereafter). Dorsey sang the song for his friend, Gospel singer Theodore Frye, and Frye’s choir sang it the next Sunday at the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
Jesus! what a Friend for sinners! Jesus! Lover of my soul; Friends may fail me, foes assail me, He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Refrain
Hallelujah! what a Savior! Hallelujah! what a Friend! Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end.
Jesus! what a Strength in weakness! Let me hide myself in Him. Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing, He, my Strength, my victory wins.
Refrain
Jesus! what a Help in sorrow! While the billows over me roll, Even when my heart is breaking, He, my Comfort, helps my soul.
Refrain
Jesus! what a Guide and Keeper! While the tempest still is high, Storms about me, night overtakes me, He, my Pilot, hears my cry.
Refrain
Jesus! I do now receive Him, [or Jesus! I do now adore Him,] More than all in Him I find. He hath granted me forgiveness, I am His, and He is mine.
Refrain
John Wilbur Chapman (June 17, 1859, Richmond, Indiana – December 25, 1918, New York, New York) was a Presbyterian evangelist in the late 19th Century, generally traveling with gospel singer Charles Alexander. His parents were Alexander H. and Lorinda (McWhinney) Chapman.
Chapman grew up attending Quaker Day School and Methodist Sunday School. At age 17, he made a public declaration of his Christian faith and joined the Richmond Presbyterian Church. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Lake Forest College and his seminary degree from Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. He completed his ordination into the ministry 13 April 1881, while still attending Lane. He was later awarded a Doctorate in Divinity from the College of Wooster and an LL.D. from Heidelberg University.
In May 1882, Chapman married Irene Steddon. In April 1886, she bore him a daughter, Bertha Irene Chapman. Irene Steddon Chapman died in May 1886. Chapman remarried on November 4, 1888 to Agnes Pruyn Strain; they had four children: Robert (who died in infancy), John Wilbur, Jr., Alexander Hamilton, and Agnes Pruyn. His second wife died on June 25, 1907 and Chapman married a third and final time on August 30, 1910 to Mabel Cornelia Moulton.
Chapman took on several pastorates before shifting to the evangelistic circuit. He began preaching with the legendary D. L. Moody in 1893, as well as leading many evangelistic events of his own. Among Chapman’s disciples on the evangelistic circuit was Billy Sunday.
In 1905, John H. Converse, a wealthy Presbyterian philanthropist, offered to underwrite Chapman’s expenses if he would re-enter the evangelistic field full-time. Converse also set up a trust fund so as to finance Chapman’s crusades posthumously. Chapman accepted the offer and in 1907, joined forces with popular gospel singer Charles McCallon Alexander to launch the “Chapman-Alexander Simultaneous Campaign.”
The duo assembled an impressive team of evangelists and song leaders and took to the streets. The first joint campaign was held in Philadelphia from March 12 to April 19, 1908. They partitioned the city into 42 sections covered by 21 evangelist-musicians teams. They spent three weeks on each half of the city, resulting in approximately 8000 conversions. It was at a similar Chapman-Alexander event in North Carolina that the legendary King James Only proponent, David Otis Fuller, committed to the Christian faith.
In 1909, Chapman demanded that any field evangelist who doubted the inerrancy of Scripture be removed from ministry. Chapman’s biography reports, “The first Chapman-Alexander worldwide campaign left Vancouver, British Columbia on March 26, 1909, and returned on November 26, 1909.
My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine! Now hear me while I pray, take all my guilt away, O let me from this day be wholly Thine!
May Thy rich grace impart Strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspire! As Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee, Pure warm, and changeless be, a living fire!
While life’s dark maze I tread, And griefs around me spread, be Thou my Guide; Bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away, Nor let me ever stray from Thee aside.
When ends life’s transient dream, When death’s cold sullen stream over me roll; Blest Savior, then in love, fear and distrust remove; O bear me safe above, a ransomed soul!
Ray Palmer wrote these lyrics upon receiving a vision of Christ shortly after his graduation from Yale University, while working as a tutor at a New York school. However, he kept them to himself until meeting Lowell Mason on a street in Boston, Massachusetts. When Mason asked him to write something for a new hymnal, Palmer dug out his old notes and produced these lyrics, written two years earlier. After taking the lyrics home and reading them, Mason composed this tune. Several days later he saw Palmer again and said:
You may live many years and do many good things, but I think you will be best known to posterity as the author of My Faith Looks Up to Thee.
An interesting story connected with this hymn:
Mrs. Layyah Barakat, a native of Syria, was educated in Beirut and then taught for a time in Egypt. Driven out in 1882 by the insurrection of Arabi Pasha, she, with her husband and child, came to America by way of Malta and Marseilles. Her history is a strange illustration of God’s providential care, as they were without any direction or friends in Philadelphia when they landed. But the Lord took them into His own keeping, and brought them to those who had known of her in Syria. While in this country she frequently addressed large audiences, to whom her deep earnestness and broken but piquant English proved unusually attractive. Among other incidents she related that she had been permitted to see the conversion of her whole family, who were Maronites of Mount Lebanon. Her mother, sixty-two years of age, had been taught ‘My Faith Looks Up to Thee’ in Arabic. They would sit on the house roof and repeat it together; and when the news came back to Syria that the daughter was safe in America, the mother could send her no better proof of her faith and love than in the beautiful words of this hymn, assuring her that her faith still looked up to Christ.
In Whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him.
“The words for these stanzas were born out of my own soul with very little effort. I recall that 1 wrote the verses with tender emotion. . . . When writing the last line, “O bear me safe above, a ransomed soul!” the thought that the whole work of redemption and salvation was involved in those words. . . brought me to a degree of emotion that brought abundant tears.”
This beautiful song of praise, is characterized as “plain-song,” which was developed during the earliest centuries of the church age. It shows influence from both the ancient singing of the Jewish synagogue, and the Greek modal style. The heartfelt worship of the only begotten Son of God is the theme.
1. Of the Father’s love begotten Ere the worlds began to be, He is Alpha and Omega, He the Source, the Ending He, Of the things that are, that have been, And that future years shall see Evermore and evermore.
2. Oh, that birth forever blessed When the Virgin, full of grace, By the Holy Ghost conceiving, Bare the Savior of our race, And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer, First revealed His sacred face Evermore and evermore.
3. O ye heights of heaven, adore Him; Angel hosts, His praises sing; Powers, dominions, bow before Him And extol our God and King. Let no tongue on earth be silent, Every voice in concert ring Evermore and evermore.
4. This is He whom Heaven-taught singers Sang of old with one accord; Whom the Scriptures of the prophets Promised in their faithful word. Now He shines, the Long-expected; Let creation praise its Lord Evermore and evermore.
5. Christ, to Thee, with God the Father, And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving And unending praises be, Honor, glory, and dominion, And eternal victory Evermore and evermore.
“Of the Father’s Love Begotten” by Aurelius C. Prudentius, 413, cento Translated by John. M. Neale, 1818-1866 and Henry W. Baker, 1821-1977
Revelation 1:7-8
7 Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
In times like these, we need a Savior In times like these, we need an anchor Be very sure, be very sure Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the one This Rock is Jesus, The only One Be very sure, be very sure Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock
In times like these oh be not idle In times like these we need the bible Be very sure, be very sure Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock
That Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the one That Rock is Jesus, The only One Be very sure, oh you’ve gotta be sure That your anchor holds, and it grips the Solid Rock Your anchor it holds, and it grips the Solid Rock
In times like these, I have a Savior In times like these, I have an anchor I’m very sure, I’m very sure My anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock
That Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the one That Rock is Jesus, The only One Be very sure, oh you’ve gotta be sure That your anchor it holds, and it grips the Solid Rock
Author: Ruth Caye Jones
Born: 1902, Wilmerding, Pennsylvania. Died: August 18, 1972, Erie, Pennsylvania. A self taught pianist and organist, Ruth married Bert Jones, and together they worked in the evangelism field. In 1948, they founded a radio ministry in Erie, Pennsylvania, broadcasting a weekly family devotional program from their home called “A Visit with the Jones.” http://www.hymnary.org/text/in_times_like_these_you_need_a_savior
Psalm 95:1-3
95 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
Is there a heart bent o’erbound by sorrow? Is there a life weighed down by care? Come to the cross, each burden bearing; All your anxiety—leave it there.
Refrain
All your anxiety, all your care, Bring to the mercy seat, leave it there, Never a burden He cannot bear, Never a friend like Jesus!
No other friend so swift to help you, No other friend so quick to hear, No other place to leave your burden, No other one to hear your prayer.
Refrain
Come then at once; delay no longer! Heed His entreaty kind and sweet, You need not fear a disappointment; You shall find peace at the mercy seat.
Words & Music: Edward H. Joy, 1920, alt. (MIDI, score). Joy, a Salvation Army musician, introduced the song to the Thornton Heath Corps, and later used it throughout Canada. It was published in The Musical Salvationist in 1929.
Joy joined the Salvation Army (SA) in Canterbury, then played in the band at Folkestone, and became an SA officer in 1894. He went on serve the SA Corps at Tunstall, then the SA International headquarters in 1917, where he was Under Secretary in the Foreign Office. After 1919, he served as Immigration Secretary in western Canada, and in 1932 became editor-in-chief of The War Cry in South Africa. He rose to the rank of SA colonel, and retired in 1938.
The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell; The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin.
Refrain
O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure The saints’ and angels’ song.
When years of time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall, When men, who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call, God’s love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong; Redeeming grace to Adam’s race— The saints’ and angels’ song.
Refrain
Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made, Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade, To write the love of God above, Would drain the ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.
Refrain
Words: Frederick M. Lehman; he wrote this song in 1917 in Pasadena, California, and it was published in Songs That Are Different, Volume 2, 1919. The lyrics are based on the Jewish poem Haddamut, written in Aramaic in 1050 by Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai, a cantor in Worms, Germany; they have been translated into at least 18 languages.
One day, during short intervals of inattention to our work, we picked up a scrap of paper and, seated upon an empty lemon box pushed against the wall, with a stub pencil, added the (first) two stanzas and chorus of the song…Since the lines (3rd stanza from the Jewish poem) had been found penciled on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum after he had been carried to his grave, the general opinion was that this inmate had written the epic in moments of sanity.
Frederick M. Lehman, “History of the Song, The Love of God,” 1948
Music: Frederick Lehman; arranged by his daughter, Claudia L. Mays
Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand, The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land; A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way, From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.
O safe and happy shelter, O refuge tried and sweet, O trysting place where Heaven’s love and Heaven’s justice meet! As to the holy patriarch that wondrous dream was given, So seems my Savior’s cross to me, a ladder up to heaven.
There lies beneath its shadow but on the further side The darkness of an awful grave that gapes both deep and wide And there between us stands the cross two arms outstretched to save A watchman set to guard the way from that eternal grave.
Upon that cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me; And from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess; The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.
I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place; I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face; Content to let the world go by to know no gain or loss, My sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.
Clephane, Elizabeth Cecilia, third daughter of Andrew Clephane, Sheriff of Fife, was born at Edinburgh, June 18, 1830, and died at Bridgend House, near Melrose, Feb. 19, 1869. Her hymns appeared, almost all for the first time, in the Family Treasury, under the general title of Breathings on the Border. In publishing the first of these in the Treasury, the late Rev. W. Arnot, of Edinburgh, then editor, thus introduced them:—
“These lines express the experiences, the hopes, and the longings of a young Christian lately released. Written on the very edge of this life, with the better land fully, in the view of faith, they seem to us footsteps printed on the sands of Time, where these sands touch the ocean of Eternity. These footprints of one whom the Good Shepherd led through the wilderness into rest, may, with God’s blessing, contribute to comfort and direct succeeding pilgrims.”
1. Nearer, still nearer, close to Thy heart, Draw me, my Savior—so precious Thou art! Fold me, oh, fold me close to Thy breast. Shelter me safe in that Haven of Rest; Shelter me safe in that Haven of Rest.
2. Nearer, still nearer, nothing I bring, Naught as an offering to Jesus, my king; Only my sinful, now contrite heart. Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart. Grant me the cleansing Thy blood doth impart.
3. Nearer, still nearer, Lord, to be Thine! Sin, with its follies, I gladly resign, All of its pleasures, pomp and its pride, Give me but Jesus, my Lord, crucified. Give me but Jesus, my Lord, crucified.
4. Nearer, still nearer, while life shall last. Till safe in glory my anchor is cast; Through endless ages ever to be Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee; Nearer, my Savior, still nearer to Thee!
Lelia N. Morris. Usage Mrs. C. H. Morris. Born: April 15, 1862, Pennsville, Ohio. Died: July 23, 1929, Auburn, New York (at her daughter’s home). Buried: McConnelsville, Ohio. Leila Naylor Morris(1862-1929) As a child, Leila lived in Malta and McConnelsville, Ohio. In 1881, she married Charles H. Morris. Leila was active in the Methodist church, camp meetings, and song writing, authoring more than 1,000 Gospel songs. When her eyes began to fail in 1913, her son built a 28-foot blackboard with oversized staff lines, so she could continue composing. –hymntime.com/tch
“I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” by Horatius Bonar, 1808-1899
1. I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest; Lay down, thou weary one, lay down, Thy head upon My breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, Weary and worn and sad; I found in Him a resting-place, And He has made me glad.
2. I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give The living water; thirsty one, Stoop down and drink and live.” I came to Jesus, and I drank Of that life-giving stream. My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, And now I live in Him.
3. I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s Light. Look unto Me; thy morn shall rise And all thy day be bright.” I looked to Jesus, and I found In Him my Star, my Sun; And in that Light of Life I’ll walk Till traveling days are done.
Words: Horatius Bonar, Hymns Original and Selected 1846.
Music: Vox Dilecti John B. Dykes, 1868 The key change halfway through accents the positive message of the last two lines, I came to Jesus…
The last time that Henry Ward Beecher was in his pulpit—6th March, 1887—he remained for some time at the close of the evening service listening to the choir practising, and was evidently moved by their rendering of this hymn. While sitting and listening he noticed two street arabs coming into the church to enjoy the music also. He came down, and speaking to them tenderly he drew them to his heart and kissed them. Whether this touch of humanity was due to the hymn or simply the response of his deeply emotional nature in seeing two unfortunates before him, with all their undeveloped possibilities, we cannot say, but of this we are sure, that the last grand utterance that he heard in his church was this hymn: I Heard the Voice, etc., for, a few hours afterwards the shadows of the long night fell upon his ethereal spirit; the silver cord that bound him with the outer world was loosed, and though the soul still lingered over the mortal frame which she had filled with abundant life for seventy-four years, as if loath to depart, the eyes, the senses were all but sealed, and the lips on which listening thousands had hung for half a century were silent. It was fitting that he who took such an active part in the emancipation of the slave should close his life under the inspiration of this tender hymn, and take those two street arabs to his heart as representing the humanity he loved so well!
Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For sinners such as I? [originally, For such a worm as I?]
Refrain
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!
Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine— And bathed in its own blood— While the firm mark of wrath divine, His Soul in anguish stood.
Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe: Here, Lord, I give my self away ’Tis all that I can do.
Words: Isaac Watts, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707;
[***Note from sage – you may not be familiar with this rendition – but it was the one that Fanny Crosby was referring to in 1880. The music sung in churches today was not written until 1885 when the well known refrain was added]
Hudson, Ralph E. Hudson, Songs of Peace, Love and Joy (Alliance, Ohio: 1885) It is with this tune that the hymn is known as At the Cross.
Fanny Crosby wrote of this hymn:
[In] the autumn of 1850…revival meetings were being held in the Thirtieth Street Methodist Church [, New York City]. Some of us went down every evening; and, on two occasions, I sought peace at the atlar [sic], but did not find the joy I craved, until one evening, November 20, 1850, it seemed to me that the light must indeed come then or never; and so I arose and went to the altar alone. After a prayer was offered, they began to sing the grand old consecration hymn, “Alas, and did my Saviour bleed, And did my Sovereign die?” And when they reached the third line of the fourth [sic] stanza, “Here Lord, I give myself away,” my very soul was flooded with a celestial light. I sprang to my feet, shouting “hallelujah,” and then for the first time I realized that I had been trying to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other.
As earnest Christian pastor told of a young man about whom he had long felt much anxiety, as he had seemed so unconcerned about his soul, and was, in reality, a real cause of disturbance and interruption in classes for other young men. Meeting him one day, the loving pastor sought once more to influence him, urging, “We want you for Christ and his service.” There was a certain change in his manner which did not escape the eye of the prayerful watcher for souls, and—lacking time to do more—he seized the opportunity to secure the presence of his young friend at a Christian Endeavor meeting soon to be held. True to his promise he was there. When an opportunity was given for some of the young men to choose a song, it was seen that he was urging his companion to select some particular hymn. The other, yielding to his request, asked if the hymn, “Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,” might be sung; and both young men joined in the singing with evident interest and heartiness. Later in the evening it was requested that all who were definitely on the Lord’s side would confess their allegiance by standing. Whereupon the one over whom the heart of the pastor was specially yearning rose at once, and with decision.
“Tell me about your conversion,” the thankful pastor requested at the close of the meeting, when hands were clasped in glad, brotherly welcome and recognition.
“Oh, yes,” assented the other. “It was all through that hymn we have just sung. I was working on the canal at G–, and there was a meeting being held at the Mariner’s Chapel, nearby. The words floated out over the water, and from the tug where I was working I could hear them plainly enough. When they were just going to sing those lines—‘While on others Thou are calling, Do not pass me by!’ a great fear came over me, and I thought, ‘Oh, if the Lord were to pass me by, how terrible it would be!’ Then and there, on the tug, I cried out, ‘O Lord, do not pass me by.’ And”—with a bright smile—“he didn’t pass me by. I am saved.’”
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Thy way, not mine, O Lord, However dark it be; Lead me by Thine own hand, Choose out the path for me.
Smooth let it be or rough, It will be still the best; Winding or straight, it leads Right onward to Thy rest.
I dare not choose my lot; I would not, if I might; Choose Thou for me, my God, So I shall walk aright.
Take Thou my cup, and it With joy or sorrow fill, As best to Thee may seem; Choose Thou my good and ill.
Choose Thou for me my friends, My sickness or my health; Choose Thou my cares for me My poverty or wealth.
The kingdom that I seek Is Thine: so let the way That leads to it be Thine, Else I must surely stray.
Not mine, not mine the choice In things or great or small; Be Thou my Guide, my Strength My Wisdom, and my All.
Horatius Bonar
Born: December 19, 1808, Old Broughton, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Died: July 31, 1889, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Buried: Canongate churchyard.
Bonar has been called “the prince of Scottish hymn writers.” After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, he was ordained in 1838, and became pastor of the North Parish, Kelso. He joined the Free Church of Scotland after the “Disruption” of 1843, and for a while edited the church’s The Border Watch. Bonar remained in Kelso for 28 years, after which he moved to the Chalmers Memorial church in Edinburgh, where he served the rest of his life. Bonar wrote more than 600 hymns. At a memorial service following his death, his friend, Rev. E. H. Lundie, said:
His hymns were written in very varied circumstances, sometimes timed by the tinkling brook that babbled near him; sometimes attuned to the ordered tramp of the ocean, whose crested waves broke on the beach by which he wandered; sometimes set to the rude music of the railway train that hurried him to the scene of duty; sometimes measured by the silent rhythm of the midnight stars that shone above him.
Luke 16:10
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Click “Watch on YouTube” to hear this classic hymn!
Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For sinners such as I? [originally, For such a worm as I?]
Refrain
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!
Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine— And bathed in its own blood— While the firm mark of wrath divine, His Soul in anguish stood.
Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears, Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe: Here, Lord, I give my self away ’Tis all that I can do.
Issac Watts [1707]
From his birth his father would read the Word of God to him and pray for him. His father was a godly preacher and a Nonconformist to the Church of England. His father was sent to prison twice because of his convictions. His family were Dissenters or Non- conformists. The Dissenters were Protestants who did not think that the Church of England had separated enough from the doctrines of the Roman Catholics and refused to conform to the Church of England.
Isaac was born in 1674 and was the oldest of nine children. At the age of eleven his father addressed a letter to all of his children encouraging them to “frequently to read the Scriptures – get your hearts to delight in them – above all books and writings account the Bible the best and read it most – lay up the truth of it in your hearts”.
Isaac Watts was saved at the age of fifteen and by the age of sixteen he had mastered Latin, Greek, Hebrew and French. When Isaac was about twenty he became dissatisfied with the singing of the Nonconformist Congregation. At that time it was viewed as sinful to sing songs that were not taken from the Scriptures the majority of which were Psalms or metrical Psalters. His major complaint was the quality of the writing, his father challenged him if he did not like what was being sung to do something better. Over the next two years, from the age of Twenty until he was Twenty two, he wrote the majority of his hymns. He was greatly criticized by both the Roman Catholics and the nonconformist who called his hymns “uninspired” because they were not direct quotations from Scripture. His reply to this was “…if we can pray to God in sentences that we have made up ourselves (instead of confining ourselves to the Our Father and other prayers taken directly from the Scriptures), then surely we can sing to God in sentences that we have made up ourselves”.
Isaac Watts wrote Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed in 1707, it originally had six stanzas and no refrain. The original tune as intended by Isaac Watts is not known, but in 1800 Hugh Wilson began using his original music composition entitled Martyrdom. In 1885 Ralph F. Hudson added the refrain and the tune that we know use and know as “At The Cross”.
It is interesting to note before we explore the doctrinal content of Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed, the in the Fall of 1850 at the age of thirty, Fanny J. Crosby went to the altar at the Thirtieth Street Methodist Church in New York City. She had been to the altar twice before by had not received the peace she sought. While at the altar the congregation was singing the hymn “Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed”, according to her own testimony and in her own words she says: “…it seemed to me that the light must indeed come then or never; and so I arose and went to the altar alone. After a prayer was offered, they began to sing the grand old consecration hymn, ‘Alas, and did my Saviour bleed, And did my Sovereign die?’ And when they reached the third line of the fourth stanza, ‘Here Lord, I give myself away,’ my very soul was flooded with a celestial light. I sprang to my feet, shouting ‘hallelujah,’ and then for the first time I realized that I had been trying to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other.”
Isaac Watts was a brilliant young man and because of his intellectual acumen and proclivity to study he was encouraged by his friends and a prominent Southampton physician to go to one of the Universities, at their expense, in hopes that he would eventually be ordained into the Church of England. Because of his background and being raised as a Dissenting Nonconformist, he refused and rather chose a nonconformist academy. He started preaching at the age of twenty-four and pastored his became pastor of a well-know independent congregation in 1702, he died on November 25, 1748.
The doctrinal content of “Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed” could be examined from a plethora of Christian Theology, Justification, Propitiation, Christology, Anthropology, Harmitiology, Soteriology just to name a few, for all of these are contained within the lines of this hymn. We will however, briefly explore the doctrine of propitiation as found in the lines of “Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed”.
Under His wings I am safely abiding, Though the night deepens and tempests are wild, Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me, He has redeemed me, and I am His child.
Refrain
Under His wings, under His wings, Who from His love can sever? Under His wings my soul shall abide, Safely abide forever.
Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow! How the heart yearningly turns to His rest! Often when earth has no balm for my healing, There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.
Refrain
Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment! There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er; Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me, Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.
Refrain
If $100,000 was your whole life savings, would you give every penny of it to someone in need? William O. Cushing did something like that. In the nineteenth century, when $1,000 was a lot of money, he gave his entire life savings to pay for the education of a blind girl.
That is not what he is remembered for, however. His fame is as a hymnwriter. One of his earliest hymns was the song, “When He Cometh,” which compared Christians to jewels whom Christ would gather when he came. Other notable hymns were written after he had experienced great grief and loss. But that is getting ahead of the story.
William Orcutt Cushing was born in Hingham, Massachusetts on this date, December 31, 1823. His parents raised him as a Universalist, but by reading the Bible for himself as a teenager, he became an orthodox believer. At eighteen he was convinced the Lord wanted him to become a minister and he trained for it.
His first pastorate was at Searsburg, New York. There he met and married Rena Proper in 1854 (which was also the year he wrote “When He Cometh”). After that he served in Auburn, Brooklyn, Buffalo and Sparta, New York. With the decline of his wife’s health, William returned with her to Searsburg where she died in 1870.
After that, “creeping paralysis” stole his voice and prevented him from preaching any longer. He pleaded with the Lord to allow him to continue to serve in some capacity.
His prayer was granted. He wrote over 300 hymns. Some of these are still beloved by the church. “Follow on” was written in 1878 to a tune by Robert Lowry. “Follow, follow, I will follow Jesus; anywhere, everywhere…” it promises. “Under His Wings,” printed and sung by Ira Sankey, sprang out of Cushing’s personal suffering and was suggested by Psalm 17:8, “Hide me under the shadow of your wings.” Another of his famous hymns “Ring the Bells of Heaven” was written before his deep troubles had descended upon him. Composer George F. Root had sent him the tune. Cushing felt it needed joyful words and mused on it all day before the words came to him.
What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms; What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain: Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, Leaning on the everlasting arms; Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day, Leaning on the everlasting arms.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, Leaning on the everlasting arms.
The Story Behind Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Anthony Showalter was leading a singing school in an Alabama church in 1887. When he returned to his boardinghouse room one night, two letters awaited him. Both were from former students, and both men told of the recent loss of their wives. Mr. Showalter wrote back, seeking to comfort the young men in the midst of their grief.But what to write? When he came to the end of each letter, he wanted to include a Bible verse. He picked Deuteronomy 33:27, “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms ….”
He pondered the words of that verse as he penned them into the letters, and the lyrics of the chorus of Leaning on the Everlasting Arms came to his mind. He wrote to his friend, Elisha Hoffman, explaining that he had a chorus, but no verses. Mr. Hoffman wrote back with the rest of the words of this famous hymn. Sam Duncan, a student and nephew of Mr. Showalter, was given the class assignment to write the tune for this poem. The piece was published under his uncle’s name in the book Glad Evangel for Revival, Camp and Evangelistic Meeting Hymnal.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
Revelation 19:11-16
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.
13 And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And He hath on his vesture and on His thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.
Beyond the sunset, O blissful morning, When with our Savior, heaven is begun; Earth’s toiling ended, O glorious dawning, Beyond the sunset when day is done.
Beyond the sunset, no clouds will gather, No storms will threaten, no fears annoy; O day of gladness, O day unending, Beyond the sunset eternal joy!
Beyond the sunset, a hand will guide me To God the Father whom I adore; His glorious presence, His words of welcome, Will be my portion on that fair shore.
Beyond the sunset, O glad reunion, With our dear loved ones who’ve gone before; In that fair homeland we’ll know no parting, Beyond the sunset forever more!
Virgil Prentiss Brock – Lyrics 1887-1978
Born: January 6, 1887, Mercer County, Ohio. Buried: Warsaw, Indiana.
Blanche Kerr Brock – Composer 1888-1958
Born: February 3, 1888, Greens Fork, Indiana. Died: January 3, 1958, Winona Lake, Indiana. Buried: Warsaw, Indiana.
One of the best-known and widely-used songs in the entire field of gospel hymnody is “Beyond the Sunset.” Mr. Brock has left the following account of its writing:
This song was born during a conversation at the dinner table, one evening in 1936, after watching a very unusual sunset at Winona Lake Indiana, with a blind guest—my cousin Horace Burr—and his wife Grace. A large area of the water appeared ablaze with the glory of God, yet there were threatening storm clouds gathering overhead. Returning to our home, we went to the dinner table still talking about the impressive spectacle we had witnessed. Our blind guest excitedly remarked the he had never seen a more beautiful sunset.
“People are always amazed when you talk about seeing,” I told him, “I can see,” Horace replied. “I see through other peoples eyes, and think I often see more; I see beyond the sunset.”
The phrase “beyond the sunset” and the striking inflection of his voice struck me so forcibly, I began singing the first few measures. “That’s beautiful!” his wife interrupted, “Please go to the piano and sing it.
We went to the piano nearby and completed the first verse. “You should have a verse about the storm clouds,” our guest urged, and the words for this verse came quickly as well. Recalling how closely our guest had walked hand in hand together for so many years due to his blindness, the third verse was soon added. Before the evening meal was finished, all four stanzas had been written and we sang the entire song together.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
sage
p.s. This post is dedicated to my husband for our 33rd anniversary.
Jesus, keep me near the cross, There a precious fountain Free to all, a healing stream Flows from Calvary’s mountain.
Refrain
In the cross, in the cross, Be my glory ever; Till my raptured soul shall find Rest beyond the river.
Near the cross, a trembling soul, Love and mercy found me; There the bright and morning star Sheds its beams around me.
Refrain
Near the cross! O Lamb of God, Bring its scenes before me; Help me walk from day to day, With its shadows o’er me.
Refrain
Near the cross I’ll watch and wait Hoping, trusting ever, Till I reach the golden strand, Just beyond the river.
Refrain
Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915 Music: William H. Doane, 1832-1915
“It may seem a little old-fashioned, always to begin one’s work with prayer, but I never undertake a hymn without first asking the good Lord to be my inspiration.”
Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
1. Sing the wondrous love of Jesus;
sing his mercy and his grace.
In the mansions bright and blessed
he'll prepare for us a place.
Refrain:
When we all get to heaven,
what a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
we'll sing and shout the victory!
2. While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
clouds will overspread the sky;
but when traveling days are over,
not a shadow, not a sigh.
(Refrain)
3. Let us then be true and faithful,
trusting, serving every day;
just one glimpse of him in glory
will the toils of life repay.
(Refrain)
4. Onward to the prize before us!
Soon his beauty we'll behold;
soon the pearly gates will open;
we shall tread the streets of gold.
(Refrain)
The author of this text, Eliza Hewitt, was a school teacher in Philadelphia and a Christian lay worker who was deeply devoted to the Sunday school movement. Like many of the other gospel song writers during the latter half of the nineteenth century, Eliza’s goal in writing her songs was to reach children and teach them the basic truths of the gospel. She dedicated this particular song to her own Sunday school class in Philadelphia. Though an invalid for much of her life, Eliza was always active and enjoyed a long personal friendship with Fanny Crosby. These two women met often for fellowship and discussion of their new hymns.
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Sigh. . .can’t wait – can you? Today’s hymn selection was inspired by our sister Paulette, who we recently prayed for, and was pronounced cancer free. And now she has the news from her son, that he has felt the calling, and desires to enter ministry. Praise Him!
Refrain: Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain
Great is Thy Faithfulness, The Song and the Story
Composer Thomas Chisolm Writes Great is Thy Faithfulness
Thomas Obadiah Chisolm (1866-1960) had a difficult adult life. His health was so fragile that there were periods of time when he was confined to bed, unable to work. Between bouts of illness he would have to push himself to put in extra hours at various jobs in order to make ends meet.
After coming to Christ at age 27, Thomas found great comfort in the Scriptures, and in the fact that God was faithful to be his strength in time of illness and provide his needs. Lamentations 3:22-23 was one of his favorite scriptures: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”
While away from home on a missions trip, Thomas often wrote to one of his good friends, William Runyan, a relatively unknown musician. Several poems were exchanged in these letters. Runyan found one of Williams’ poems so moving that he decided to compose a musical score to accompany the lyrics. Great is Thy Faithfulness was published in 1923.
For several years ,the hymn got very little recognition, until it was discovered by a Moody Bible Institute professor who loved it so much and requested it sung so often at chapel services, that the song became the unofficial theme song of the college.
It was not until 1945 when George Beverly Shea began to sing Great is Thy Faithfulness at the Billy Graham evangelistic crusades, that the hymn was heard around the world.
Click “Watch on Youtube” to hear this lovely hymn!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! That calls me from a world of care, And bids me at my Father’s throne Make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief And oft escaped the tempter’s snare By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! The joys I feel, the bliss I share, Of those whose anxious spirits burn With strong desires for thy return! With such I hasten to the place Where God my Savior shows His face, And gladly take my station there, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! Thy wings shall my petition bear To Him whose truth and faithfulness Engage the waiting soul to bless. And since He bids me seek His face, Believe His Word and trust His grace, I’ll cast on Him my every care, And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! May I thy consolation share, Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height, I view my home and take my flight: This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise To seize the everlasting prize; And shout, while passing through the air, “Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”
Short Name: W. W. Walford Full Name: Walford, W. W (William W.), 1772-1850 Birth Year: 1772 Death Year: 1850
William W. Walford, a blind preacher of England, is the author of the hymn beginning “Sweet hour of prayer.” This hymn first appeared in print in the New York Observer September 13, 1845. The contributor who furnished the hymn says:
“During my residence at Coleshill, Warwickshire, England, I became acquainted with W. W. Walford, the blind preacher, a man of obscure birth and connections and no education, but of strong mind and most retentive memory. In the pulpit he never failed to select a lesson well adapted to his subject, giving chapter and verse with unerring precision, and scarcely ever misplacing a word in his repetition of the Psalms, every part of the New Testament, the prophecies, and some of the histories, so as to have the reputation of knowing the whole Bible by heart.”
Rev. Thomas Salmon, who was settled as the pastor of the Congregational Church at Coleshill in 1838, remained until 1842, and then removed to the United States, is believed to have been the contributor who says of the hymn: “I rapidly copied the lines with my pencil as he uttered them, and send them for insertion in the Observer if you think them worthy of preservation.”
Daniel Whittle worked as a cashier for Wells Fargo bank as a teenager and into his early twenties. He was not a wicked man at first, on the contrary, he was quiet religious. He surrendered his life to the Lord one night while acting as a night watchman at the Wells Fargo Bank. He went into the vault, got down on his knees and gave his surrendered his life for the Heavenly Father to use as he would. He even became the Sunday School Superintendent at the great Tabernacle in Chicago where he would meet his wife, Miss Abbie Hanson. He would join the army in 1861 and be commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. In the summer of 1862, August as the Civil War began to intensify his unit was called to go South. August 22, 1862, the night before his departure, he and Abbie were married. It would be a year before they would be reunited. In his own words he tells of his departure, “My dear mother was a devout Christian, and parted from me with many a tear, and followed me with many a prayer. She had placed a New Testament in a pocket of the haversack that she’d arranged for me”
This little New Testament would pay a vital part in his rededication. Whittle rose to the rank of Major and while leading a charge, actually filling in, and he was wounded in his sword arm which led to the amputation of his arm and a stay in a prisoner of war camp. It was while he was in this POW camp that out of boredom he began to search for something to read. He found in his personal effects the little New Testament that his Mother had placed there. He read through the New Testament in a matter of days and started through it again. One night the nurse woke him up and told him that one of his men was dying and had been begging for someone to pray for him. The nurse told Major Whittle that he (the nurse) was a wicked man and could not pray. Major Whittle confessed that he too was wicked man with many sins in his own life and could not pray either. The nurse said that he thought Major Whittle was a Christian because he had observed him constantly reading the Scripture and the Major Whittle did not cuss as the other men. The nurse begged Major Whittle to at least accompany him to see the boy as he did not want to return alone. Moved with compassion, Major Whittle reluctantly agreed. Here, in Major Whittle’s own words, is what took place that night: “I dropped on my knees and held the boy’s hand in mine. In a few broken words I confessed my sins and asked Christ to forgive me. I believed right there that He did forgive me. I then prayed earnestly for the boy. He became quiet and pressed my hand as I prayed and pleaded God’s promises. When I arose from my knees, he was dead. A look of peace had come over his troubled face, and I cannot but believe that God who used him to bring me to the Savior, used me to lead him to trust Christ’s precious blood and find pardon. I hope to meet him in heaven.”
Ten years later at the encouragement of his close friend D.L. Moody he would enter into evangelism. Some of his first songs were set to music by Phillip Bliss. Whittle attended and participated in the memorial service for Phillip Bliss. Later he would work closely with the man who would set to music many of his later songs, and who set the music to this song, “I Know Whom I Have Believed”, James McGranahan. Major Whittle died March 4, 1901 after having written over 200 hymns. http://churchchoirmusic.com/the-story-behind-the-song-i-know-whom-i-have-believed
2 Timothy 1:7-14
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.
13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen, Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.
Refrain
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.
Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting, Waiting the penitent child to receive; Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently; He will forgive if they only believe.
Refrain
Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, Feelings lie buried that grace can restore; Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.
Refrain
Rescue the perishing, duty demands it; Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide; Back to the narrow way patiently win them; Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.
Refrain
As I was addressing a large company of working men one hot August evening, the thought kept forcing itself upon my mind that some mother’s boy must be rescued that very night or perhaps not at all. So I requested that, if there was any boy present, who had wandered away from mother’s teaching, he would come to the platform at the conclusion of the service. A young man of eighteen came forward and said, “Did you mean me? I have promised my mother to meet her in heaven; but as I am now living that will be impossible.” We prayed for him; he finally arose with a new light in his eyes; and exclaimed triumphantly, “Now, I can meet mother in heaven; for I have found her God.”
A few days before, Mr. Doane had sent me the subject “Rescue the Perishing,” and while I sat there that evening the line came to me, “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying.” I could think of nothing else that night. When I arrived it my home I went to work on it at once; and before I retired the entire hymn was ready for a melody. The next day my words were written and forwarded to Mr. Doane, who wrote the beautiful and touching music as it now stands.
In November, 1903, I went to Lynn, Massachusetts, to speak before the Young Men’s Christian Association. I told them the incident that led me to write “Rescue the Perishing,” as I have just related it. After the meeting a large number of men shook hands with me, and among them was a man, who seemed to be deeply moved. You may imagine my surprise when he said, “Miss Crosby, I was the boy, who told you more than thirty-five years ago that I had wandered from my mother’s God. The evening that you spoke at the mission I sought and found peace, and I have tried to live a consistent Christian life ever since. If we never meet again on earth, we will meet up yonder.” As he said this, he raised my hand to his lips; and before I had recovered from my surprise he had gone; and remains to this day a nameless friend, who touched a deep chord of sympathy in my heart. It is these notes of sympathy that vibrate when a voice calls them forth from the dim memories of the past, and the music is celestial. http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/r/e/rescuetp.htm
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
One day when heaven was filled with His praises, One day when sin was as black as could be, Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin— Dwelt among men, my example is He! One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain,
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away; Rising, He justified freely forever: One day He’s coming—O glorious day!
One day they nailed Him to die on the tree; Suffering anguish, despised and rejected; Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He.
One day they left Him alone in the garden, One day He rested, from suffering free; Angels came down o’er His tomb to keep vigil; Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He.
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer, One day the stone rolled away from the door; Then He arose, over death He had conquered; Now is ascended, my Lord evermore.
One day the trumpet will sound for His coming, One day the skies with His glory will shine; Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing; Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!
J. Wilbur Chapman (1859-1918) was an American evangelist, revivalist and pastor. He wrote the words to the hymns One Day, Jesus! What A Friend for Sinners (Our Great Saviour) and ‘Tis Jesus.
Romans 5:6
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
He didn’t die for righteous people. He died for dirty, rotten, sinful people like me. Praise Him!
Click “Watch on Youtube” to hear this emotionally robust hymn!
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder Consider all the *worlds thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the *rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed:
Refrain
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee: How great thou art! How great thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee: How great thou art! How great thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees, When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur, And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:
Refrain
And when I think that God, his Son not sparing, Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in, That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin.
Refrain
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then *I shall bow in humble adoration, And there proclaim, My God, how great thou art!
Words: Stuart K. Hine. In 1885, at age 26, Swedish preacher Carl G. Boberg wrote the words only of a poem entitled O Store Gud. Several years later, Boberg attended a meeting and was surprised to hear his poem being sung to the tune of an old Swedish melody.
In the early 1920s, English missionaries, Stuart K. Hine and his wife, ministered in Poland. It was there they learned the Russian version of Boberg’s poem, O Store Gud, coupled with the original Swedish melody. Later, Hine wrote original English words and made his own arrangement of the Swedish melody, which became popular and is now known as the hymn, How Great Thou Art.
The first three verses were inspired, line upon line, amidst unforgettable experiences in the Carpathian Mountains. In a village to which he had climbed, Mr. Hine stood in the street singing a Gospel Hymn and reading aloud, John, Chapter Three. Among the sympathetic listeners was a local village schoolmaster. A storm was gathering, and when it was evident that no further travel could be made that night, the friendly schoolmaster offered his hospitality. Awe-inspiring was the mighty thunder echoing through the mountains, and it was this impression that was to bring about the birth of the first verse.
Pushing on, Hine crossed the mountain frontier into Romania and into Bukovina. Together with some young people, through the woods and forest glades he wandered, and heard the birds sing sweetly in the trees. Thus, the second verse came into being. Verse three was inspired by the conversion of many Carpathian mountain-dwellers. The fourth verse did not come about until Hine’s return to Britain.
Search me, O God, And know my heart today; Try me, O Savior, Know my thoughts, I pray. See if there be Some wicked way in me; Cleanse me from every sin And set me free.
I praise Thee, Lord, For cleansing me from sin; Fulfill Thy Word, And make me pure within. Fill me with fire Where once I burned with shame; Grant my desire To magnify Thy Name.
Lord, take my life, And make it wholly Thine; Fill my poor heart With Thy great love divine. Take all my will, My passion, self and pride; I now surrender, Lord In me abide.
O Holy Ghost, Revival comes from Thee; Send a revival, Start the work in me. Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need; For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.
James Edwin Orr (January 15, 1912 – April 22, 1987)[1] was a Baptist Christian minister, hymn-writer, professor, author[2] and promoter of Church revival and renewal
He was a professor in the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary where he taught courses in the history of missions to career missionaries.
James Edwin Orr was born in 1912. His education includes earned doctorates from universities in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, including the Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University and the Ed. D. from U.C.L.A. in 1971.
In his many travels, Dr. Orr has visited a hundred and fifty countries, including the Soviet Union, and has been in two-thirds of the world’s six hundred major cities.
Despite these numerous life-long accomplishments, J. Edwin Orr will no doubt be best remembered as author of a simple, revival hymn text—“Cleanse Me.”
Dr. Orr recalls that he wrote the Cleanse Me text, in 1936, during an intense movement of the Holy Spirit at the Easter, revival convention in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand—
For some time prior to this Easter campaign, an attitude of unusual expectancy had been prevalent among these people. Prayer meetings spread throughout the city with much fervency, and intercession led to wide-spread confession and reconciliation among the believers. Great numbers of unconverted students professed faith in Christ. The next night was given over to exultant testimony, with singing such as one expects in heaven.
The revival news soon spread throughout all of New Zealand. Dr. Orr reports that as he was leaving New Zealand, four Aborigine girls approached and sang for him a beautiful Maori Song of Farewell.
Mr. Orr was so impressed with the beauty of this Polynesian melody that soon afterward he wrote new verses to the tune on the back of an envelope. The text was based on the familiar words of Scripture found in Psalm 139:23-24:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Further campaigns by Dr. Orr throughout Australia in the 1930s and later in nearly all of the English-speaking world, soon popularized this prayer hymn everywhere. http://www.tanbible.com/tol_sng/sng_cleanseme.htm
PSALM 139:23-24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
To say I need this reminder is an understatement. For those of you who read the post “Faith is a Gift and a Grace,” you will understand when I say that God did not “gift” me with faith. I believe He gave me wisdom, but not the kind of faith that George Muller was given. That is why this hymn is like getting a shot of spiritual vitamins for me. Praise Him!
Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you; Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.
Refrain
God will take care of you, Through every day, over all the way; He will take care of you, God will take care of you.
Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you; When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.
Refrain
All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you; Nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you.
Refrain
No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you; Lean, weary one, upon His breast, God will take care of you.
Refrain
Words: Civilla D. Martin, 1904; first appeared in Songs of Redemption and Praise, by John A. Davis, 1905.
I was confined to a sick bed in a Bible school in Lestershire, New York. My husband was spending several weeks at the school, making a songbook for the president of the school. “God Will Take Care of You” was written one Sunday afternoon while my husband went to a preaching appointment. When he returned I gave the words to him. He immediately sat down to his little Bilhorn organ and wrote the music. That evening he and two of the teachers sang the completed song. It was then printed in the songbook he was compiling for the school.
James Edwin Orr (January 15, 1912 – April 22, 1987)
The Vine Vigil 
