|
Songs in the Night - Stories of Beloved Hymns Program 1 Next to the Bible, the most sacred book any of us can read is our hymnal. Here we find melodies and words that lift our spirits and banish our fears. Tonight, we’re departing from our usual format on SONGS IN THE NIGHT. I thought we’d devote four broadcasts to telling the stories of some of the most beloved hymns and gospel songs we know. I hope you’ll find them encouraging, and that hearing them will give you a deeper appreciation for those whose lives are all wrapped up in the songs we sing. Now, on to the story behind our first song. The Love of God Author and composer Frederick M. Lehman wrote a pamphlet in 1948 entitled History of the Song, The Love of God. It tells about the origin of this beloved hymn. While at a camp-meeting in a mid-western state early in his ministry, an evangelist climaxed a message by quoting what became the last stanza of this song. The profound depths of the lines moved Lehman to preserve the words for future generations. Not until he had come to California did this urge find fulfillment, and that at a time when circumstances forced him to do hard manual labor. One day in 1917, during short intervals of inattention to his work, he picked up a scrap of paper and, seated upon an empty lemon box pushed against a wall, with a stub pencil in his hand, he added the first two stanzas and chorus of the song. What became the 3rd stanza had been found penciled on the wall of a patient's room in an insane asylum, and the general opinion was that this inmate had written the epic in moments of sanity. But in reality, the key stanza was written nearly one thousand years earlier by a Jewish songwriter. Here is part of the original Jewish poem as written in Aramaic by Rabbi Mayer of Worms, Germany in the year 1096: Were the sky of parchment made, Of course, we know the song
this way: Could we with ink the ocean fill, O love of God, how rich and pure! Great is Thy Faithfulness While many hymns are born out of a particular dramatic experience, our next hymn was simply the result of the author's “morning by morning realization of God's personal faithfulness.” That hymn is, of course, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Thomas Obadiah Chisholm was born in a humble log cabin in Franklin, Kentucky, in 1866. Without the benefit of high school or advanced training, he began his career as a school teacher at the age of sixteen in the same country school house where he had attended. Six years later he accepted Christ as personal Savior during a revival meeting. Later, Chisholm was ordained to the Methodist ministry, but was forced to resign after a brief pastorate because of poor health. After 1909 he became a life insurance agent in Winona Lake, Indiana. In a letter dated 1941, Mr. Chisholm writes, “My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health, but I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness.” Thomas Chisholm wrote more than 1200 poems, including the well-known “He Was Wounded for Our Transgressions.” In 1923, he sent several poems to William M. Runyan, a musician associated with the Moody Bible Institute. Mr. Runyan wrote of “Great is Thy Faithfulness”: “This particular poem held such an appeal that I prayed most earnestly that my tune might carry over its message in a worthy way, and the subsequent history of its use indicates that God answered that prayer. It was written in Baldwin, Kansas, in 1923. This hymn was the favorite of the late Dr. Will Houghton, beloved president of the Moody Bible Institute. It has since been an all-time favorite with students at the school and, as a result, its usefulness has spread to evangelical churches everywhere. Bev Shea states that this hymn was first introduced to audiences in Great Britain in 1954 by the Billy Graham Crusades, and has since been a favorite there as well.” Thomas Chisholm's words were derived from Lamentations chapter 3 and were set to music by William Runyan. From the heart of a Methodist minister, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” has inspired countless believers to trust their faithful God. Great is thy faithfulness, O God, My Father I Gave My Life For Thee Frances Ridley Havergal was a 19th century English hymnwriter who was born in 1836 and died just 43 short years later. She wrote one of her most famous poems while she was in Duesseldorf, Germany. She had gone to there to do some specialized study and 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 hast 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. Then 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 Philip P. Bliss, an associate of D. L. Moody. I gave My life for Thee, My precious blood I shed,
I suffered much for thee, more than the tongue can
tell, And I have brought to thee, down from My home above,
It is Well With My Soul Much of the music we hear nowadays focuses on the positive side of life. Lots of songs tell of joy and happiness, but not many songs speak to those going through the “valley of the shadow of death.” There is one song that seems to rise above all the rest, a song that people of all ages still sing, even in a wide variety of styles. You can go through a hymnbook from cover to cover, and not find a greater testimony to the grace of God in tragedy than “It Is Well With My Soul.” The song had its beginnings right here in Chicago. Horatio G. Spafford was a successful attorney making his way in the rough-and-tumble world of a growing Chicago economy. He was a Christian who had no idea how soon his faith would be tested. In the late 1860's, tragedy struck Mr. Spafford with the death of his son. Then he was devastated by the great Chicago fire of 1871. He had invested heavily in real estate along the shores of Lake Michigan, and his holdings were wiped out by this disaster. In 1873 Spafford was advised by doctors that his wife needed a change of location due to health problems. At the same time, he had become involved with the evangelistic work of Dwight L. Moody and his partner Ira Sankey. Moody was preaching in England, and Spafford decided to sail over the Atlantic with his family to be of assistance. A last-minute business emergency arose, and Spafford was forced to send his wife and daughters ahead on schedule. His plan was to join them on another ocean crossing later. But on the fateful day of November 22nd, 1873, the ship his family had boarded was struck by an English ship and sank in 12 minutes. Mrs. Spafford survived, but all four daughters -- Tanetta, Maggie, Annie, and Bessie -- were among the 226 who drowned in the icy waters of the Atlantic. From Cardiff, Wales, his wife Anna sent him the now famous telegram, “Saved alone.” Who among us can imagine the grief that filled Horatio Spafford's soul when word of the disaster reached him? Perhaps even fewer of us can imagine what it was like for Spafford to board another ship to cross the swirling waters alone, knowing that he would pass right over the watery graves of his four daughters on the way to meet his grieving wife. But on that ship, the light of faith illuminated the darkness of Spafford's life. Out of the depths of his despair arose the certainty that God was in control, and that he would see his daughters again. As Spafford's ship passed near the spot where his daughters died, the Holy Spirit inspired him to write the words to this beautiful hymn. They speak to the eternal hope that all believers have, no matter what pain and grief may befall them on earth. Philip P. Bliss was so impressed with Spafford's text that he very shortly afterward wrote the music for it. The hymn tune is named Villa du Havre after the ship on which Spafford's children perished. Ironically, Bliss himself died in a tragic train wreck shortly after writing this music. He survived the initial impact, but died when he went back into the flames in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue his wife. So this beloved song, which has helped so many, was born in unspeakable pain and grief. For everyone who has lost a loved one, especially a child, there is no song that has brought more hope than the one Spafford penned while looking out over that endless ocean: “It is Well With My Soul.” When peace like a river attendeth my way, Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
Program 2 Tonight, we’re continuing our special series on stories of beloved hymns and gospel songs. We often sing songs without any idea who wrote them and why. I believe that once we know the background of a song, we can sing it with greater meaning and blessing. Now, let’s tell the story behind tonight’s first song. My Jesus, I Love Thee The Apostle Paul wrote these words to young Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in manner of life, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (I Tim 4:12). In an age when many fear that young people have lost their moorings, it's comforting to know that one of our most beloved hymns was written by a teenager. William Featherstone lived in Montreal, Canada. As a young lad of 16, he received Christ and found the joy of new life. His was the experience of many right after coming to Christ: being overwhelmed with the love of God, and wanting to return that love with every fiber of one's being. He wanted to say with Peter in John chapter 21, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love You.” William sent the poem to his aunt who was living in California, and she encouraged him to have it published. The hymn text first appeared anonymously in an English hymnal in 1864. The composer, Adoniram Judson Gordon, was the pastor of the Clarendon Street Baptist Church in Boston, Massachusetts. He discovered the anonymous hymn in the English hymnal and was attracted to its text. One day he was meditating on the hymn and, in his words, “in a moment of inspiration, a beautiful new air sang itself to me.” The hymn with its present tune first appeared in The Service of Song for Baptist Churches which was published in 1876. The tune is named “Gordon” after the composer. Hopefully, we who are advanced in years can say with
a 16-year-old boy, A Mighty Fortress is Our God Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany. He was educated at the University of Erfurt, later becoming an Augustinian monk, teaching philosophy and theology at the University of Wittenberg. But in his heart, a storm was brewing. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg. These theses condemned various practices and teachings of the Roman church. After several years of disputes with the Pope and other church leaders, Martin Luther was finally excommunicated from the church in 1520. He became the leading figure in a revolt against corruption and unbiblical traditions. His personal re-discovery of the principle of justification by faith alone led to what we now know as the Protestant Reformation. One of the important benefits of the Reformation was the rediscovery of congregational singing. Luther was a musician, and he had strong convictions about the use and power of sacred music. He expressed his convictions this way, “If any man despises music, as all fanatics do, for him I have no liking; for music is a gift and grace of God, not an invention of men. Thus it drives out the devil and makes people cheerful. Then one forgets all wrath, impurity and other devices.” Again, “The Devil, the originator of sorrowful anxieties and restless troubles, flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God.” Finally, Luther wrote, “I would allow no man to preach or teach God's people without a proper knowledge of the use and power of sacred song.” The single most powerful hymn of the Protestant Reformation Movement was Luther's “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” based on Psalm 46. This hymn became the battle cry of the people, a great source of strength and inspiration even for those who were martyred for their convictions. This hymn has been translated into practically every known language, and is regarded as one of the noblest and most classic examples of Christian hymnody. Louis Benson, a noted Presbyterian hymnologist, called this “an imperishable hymn - not polished and artistically wrought, but rugged and strong like Luther himself.” “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.....” It is said that Luther had in mind here the massive walls of the Wartburg Castle near Eisenach where he was kept in hiding while translating the New Testament into German. The first line of this national hymn of Protestant Germany is fittingly inscribed on the tomb of the great reformer at Wittenberg, and may still be read with appreciation by travellers to that historic spot. A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Did we in our own strength confide, Crown Him With Many Crowns The worshipful text of “Crown Him With Many Crowns” is the combined effort of two distinguished Anglican clergymen, each of whom desired to write a hymn of exaltation to our suffering but now victorious Lord. The hymn was inspired by the text of Revelation 19:12, where it is said of Christ that “on His head were many crowns.” Matthew Bridges' version first appeared in 1851 with six stanzas. Twenty-three years later, Godfrey Thring wrote six additional stanzas, which appeared in his collection Hymns and Sacred Lyrics. The hymn's present form includes stanzas one, two, and four by Bridges and the third verse by Thring. Each crown in this hymn text exalts Christ for some specific aspect of His person or ministry - His eternal Kingship, His love demonstrated in redemptive suffering, His victorious resurrection and ascension, and then Christ as a member of the Triune Godhead, ever worthy of worship and praise. The tune's name, Diademata, is taken from the Greek word for crowns. This lively and buoyant melody was composed especially for this text by George Elvey, the noted organist at St. George's Chapel in Windsor, England, often attended by British royalty when in residence at Windsor Castle. Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne:
Crown Him the Lord of love: behold His hands and side,
What a Friend We Have in Jesus Someone once said, “A Christian's practical theology is often his hymnology.” Many of us could attest to this truth as we recall some deeply moving experience - perhaps the loss of a dear loved one - and a simple hymn has been used by the Holy Spirit to minister to our needs. Such a hymn is "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Though it is not considered to be an example of great literary writing, its simple truths have brought comfort to countless numbers of God's people since it was written in 1857. Many missionaries state that it’s one of the first hymns taught to new converts. The very simplicity of the text and music has been its appeal and strength. Joseph Scriven was born in 1819 of prosperous parents in Dublin, Ireland. He was a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin. Tragedy came early to Joseph, when on the night before his wedding, he was alone while elsewhere, his bride-to-be accidentlly drowned. Later in life, a second engagement ended when his fiancee died of an illness. Also during this time, Joseph Scriven came under the influence of the Plymouth Brethren, resulting in estrangement from his family. Here was a man who truly needed a friend. At the age of twenty-five, he left his native country and migrated to Canada. From that time on, Scriven developed a totally different pattern of life. He took the Sermon on the Mount literally. It is said that he gave freely of his limited possessions, even sharing the clothing off his own body, if necessary, and never once refused to help anyone who needed it. Ira Sankey tells of the man who, seeing Scriven in the streets of Port Hope, Ontario, with his sawbuck and saw, asked, “Who is that man? I want him to work for me.” The answer was, “You cannot get that man; he saws wood only for poor widows and sick people who cannot pay.” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” was never intended by Scriven for publication. When he was ill, a friend who came to visit chanced to see the poem scribbled on scratch paper near the bed. The friend asked Scriven if he had written the words. With typical modesty, Scriven replied, “The Lord and I did it between us.” In 1869 a small collection of his poems was published. It was simply entitled Hymns and Other Verses. Joseph Scriven died in 1886, also in a drowning accident. After his death, the citizens of Port Hope, Ontario, erected a monument on the Port Hope-Peterborough Highway, which runs from Lake Ontario, with the hymn text and these words inscribed: Four miles north, in Pengally's Cemetery, lies the philanthropist and author of this great masterpiece, written at Port Hope, 1857. The composer of the music, Charles C. Converse, was an excellent musician and composer, but his life is best remembered for this simple music so well suited to Scriven's text. Program 3 Tonight, we’re continuing our special series on stories of beloved hymns and gospel songs. So many have written and called, thanking us for this special series. I’m sure that if your response continues, we’ll want to do this again in some future broadcasts. Now, on to the story behind tonight’s first song. Holy, Holy, Holy In the Old Testament, God only needed to say something once to get His point across. When something was repeated, it was really important, such as “Moses, Moses.....” in Exodus 3 at the burning bush. Only once in the Old Testament is something repeated three times. This occurs in Isaiah chapter 6, where the prophet has a vision of the Lord “high and lifted up.” Here the seraphim fly, crying “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” We worship a thrice-holy God. Reginald Heber was born in the area of Cheshire, England, of well-to-do parents. At the age of seventeen he entered Oxford University, where his scholarship and literary abilities received much attention. He was ordained to the ministry in the Anglican Church and made frequent contributions to magazines with his poetry, essays, and hymns. In 1823, Heber was sent to India to serve as the Bishop of Calcutta. The pressures of his work, along with the humid climate of the area, wore heavily upon his health. One morning after preaching to a large outdoor crowd, he suffered an apparent heat stroke and died very suddenly at the age of 43. Heber had written “Holy, Holy, Holy” for use on Trinity Sunday, which occurs eight weeks after Easter. The tune was written by Dr. John B. Dykes, one of England's leading church musicians of the nineteenth century. He called this tune “Nicaea” because it was at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD that the doctrine of the Trinity was affirmed. Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God, Almighty! Day By Day, and With Each Passing Moment Waves of revival swept the Scandinavian countries during the latter half of the nineteenth century. They were greatly influenced by the wealth of fine hymns which flowed from the pen of Carolina Sandell Berg. Lina Sandell, as she was known to her friends, was born the daughter of a pastor in Sweden in 1832. When she was twenty-six, she accompanied her father on a journey to Gothenburg. Suddenly, tragedy struck. The ship gave a sudden lurch, and Lina's father fell overboard and drowned before the eyes of his devoted daughter. Out of Lina’s broken heart began to flow many songs that reflected a simple child-like trust in Christ, despite adversity. She died in Stockholm in 1903 after becoming one of Scandinavia's best-known hymn writers. In fact, she was known as the “Fanny Crosby of Sweden.” During 1886, Lina Sandell published her Korsblomman, which in English means “Bible Calendar.” Naturally, a calendar speaks of the passing of time. In this Bible Calendar, Lina included an allegory, a story about an old wall clock that had suddenly stopped working. In the story, the clock's dial decided to investigate why the mechanism had failed. Soon it was clear that the pendulum was at fault. In fact, the pendulum had gone on strike! A discussion ensued between the dial and the pendulum. “How would you feel if you had to swing back and forth 86,400 times a day?” the pendulum complained. “Try swinging only six times,” the dial said. The pendulum agreed, and admitted that six swings were not burdensome. But then he said, “It's not the six times or sixty, it's the thought of six million swings that disturbs me!” The dial responded, “My dear pendulum, please bear this in mind. While in a single moment you can think of the millions of swings you must make in a lifetime, only one at a time will ever be required of you. And no matter how often you must make that movement, you will always be given a moment for each one.” The pendulum then agreed that he had been foolish in going on strike. He resumed his work, and the clock once again could tell the time. In her calendar, Lina Sandell commented this way. She said that it’s foolish to put future burdens upon the present moment. God's people are given only one day at a time, and for each day they receive new grace, new strength, and new help. She quoted Deuteronomy 33:25: “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” The text of this song of comfort and assurance followed. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing Our next hymn story begins with a gang of rowdy youth heckling an old woman. “Give her some more liquor, boys!” a young man said. The poor gypsy woman was already so drunk she could hardly stand on her feet. But the wild and reckless young men were determined to get her even more drunk. “Pour it into her, and we'll get her to tell our fortunes,” seventeen-year-old Robert Robinson shouted. Turning to the self-appointed leader, the bleary-eyed gypsy pointed a quivering finger and said, “Young man, you will live to see your children and your grandchildren.” Her words haunted him. “If I'm going to live to see my children and grandchildren,” he thought, “I'll have to change my way of living.” So, that very night, half in fun and half seriously, he took his gang to an open air revival service where the famous evangelist George Whitefield was preaching. “We'll go down and laugh at the poor deluded Methodist,” he explained. It was the year 1752, and the Spirit of God was already at work in the troubled heart of the wayward youth. That night, Whitefield preached from Matthew 3:7, “Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” The message both sobered and frightened young Robinson. He felt that the preacher was speaking to him and only to him. On December 10, 1755, two years and seven months after hearing that sermon, twenty-year-old Robert Robinson made his peace with God, and found full and free forgiveness through the precious blood of Christ. Joining the Methodists, and feeling the call to preach, the self-taught Robinson was appointed by John Wesley to the Calvinist Methodist Chapel, Norfolk, England. There, for the celebration of Whitsunday in 1858, three years after his marvelous conversion, he penned his spiritual autobiography in these lines: Come, thou fount of every blessing, Robinson recalled that Samuel, after a battle, had taken a stone and called the name of the stone “Ebenezer,” saying, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” He felt that he should raise a spiritual Ebenezer in his own heart to commemorate the victory of God over Satan three years earlier. So he wrote a stanza containing these lines: Here I'll raise my Ebenezer, His later life was evidently not an easy one. One day, he met a woman who was studying a hymnal, and she asked how he liked the hymn she was humming. In tears, he replied, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.” That is why the final verse of this hymn has brought tears to millions for over two hundred years: O to grace how great a debtor Near to the Heart of God Cleland B. McAfee was born in Ashley, Missouri in 1866. He became a pastor at Park College, and to be creative, Rev. McAfee prepared an original hymn for his church choir each quarter for use during Holy Communion. He usually wrote his stanzas on the theme he chose for his sermon, setting them to appropriate music. His people began to anticipate their gifted minister's hymns and tunes with the same eagerness with which they looked forward to his sermons. Then tragedy struck with unexplained suddenness. Diphtheria claimed his brother Harold's two precious daughters within a 24-hour period. MaAfee and his entire church family offered to the bereaved parents all the love and sympathy their hearts could muster. The young pastor began to think about the communion hymn he wanted to write for the following Sunday morning. Soon he was saying to himself, “We can find peace and comfort if we stay near to the heart of God.” He echoed the sentiments of David, who wrote in Psalm 4:8, “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.” And soon the words were flowing from his pen. He found himself writing, “There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God; a place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.” The song was sung at the Howard McAfee home on Saturday evening, and at the college communion service the next day. There is a place of quiet rest, There is a place of comfort sweet, O Jesus, blest Redeemer, Jesus Shall Reign One of the earliest hymns written with a missionary emphasis was “Jesus Shall Reign.” It's one of the more than 600 hymns by Isaac Watts, often called the father of English hymnody. Watts was born in Southampton, England, in 1674, and he wrote “Jesus Shall Reign” in 1719. This is still considered one of the finest missionary hymns ever written, and one of the most widely used. To create it, Watts wrote a metrical paraphrase of Psalm 72, which has been sung by countless missionaries in numerous tongues. It's said that in the South Sea Islands in 1862, 5,000 primitive people sang this hymn as the king abolished their native laws and established a Christian constitution. The tune, “Duke Street,” was composed by John Hatton in 1793, named after the street on which he lived in the village of St. Helens, England. If you listen closely, you'll hear echoes of Psalm 50 verse 1 in the opening stanza of the hymn: “The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.” Listen now as Glenn Jorian and the Kings Karollers join together in this great affirmation of the kingship of Christ over all the earth. Program 4 Tonight, we’re concluding our special series on stories of beloved hymns and gospel songs. We’ve heard great hymns of the faith, as well as gospel songs that touch the heart. Tonight we have a very special treat for all of you, as George Beverly Shea will sing our final favorite song for us. Now, let’s tell the story behind tonight’s first song. O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing While students at Oxford University, John and Charles Wesley formed a religious Holy Club because of their dissatisfaction with the spiritual lethargy at the school. As a result of their methodical habits of living and studying, they were jokingly called “methodists” by their fellow students. Upon graduation, these young brothers were sent to America by the Anglican Church to help stabilize the religious climate of the Georgia colonies, and to evangelize the Indians. Following a short and unsuccessful ministry in America, the disillusioned Wesleys returned to England, where they came under the influence of a group of devout Moravian believers meeting in Aldersgate, London. In May, 1738, both of these brothers had a life-changing experience. They realized that, though they had been zealous in the Church's ministry, neither had ever personally accepted Christ as Savior, nor had known the joy of their religious faith as did their Moravian friends. From that time on, the Wesleys' ministry took on a new dimension and power. Both John and Charles were endued with great energy, usually working fifteen to eighteen hours each day. It is estimated that they traveled a quarter of a million miles throughout Great Britain, mostly on horseback, while conducting more than 40,000 public services. Charles alone wrote no less than 6,500 hymn texts, with hardly a day or an experience passing without its being crystallized into verse. “O For a Thousand Tongues” was written in 1749 on the occasion of Charles's eleventh anniversary of his Aldersgate conversion experience. It is thought to have been inspired by a chance remark by Peter Bohler, an influential Moravian leader, who exclaimed: “Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ Jesus with all of them.” The hymn originally had nineteen stanzas and when published was entitled, “For the Anniversary Day of One's Conversion.” The tune we now use is by Carl Glaser, written in 1828. This sublime text, excellent as it is, reminds us that praising God carries with it a certain frustration, because we can never do more than rehearse the perfect devotion of which we shall be capable in heaven. O for a thousand tongues to sing My gracious Master and my God, Blessed Assurance “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith….” Those are the words of Hebrews 10:22, the basis for our next song, the well-known “Blessed Assurance.” Perhaps more than any other writer, Frances Jane (or Fanny) Crosby truly captured the spirit of the American gospel song movement. She was born in Putnam County, New York in 1820. Robert M. Stevenson writes that “Gospel hymnody has been a plough digging up the hardened surfaces of pavemented minds. Its very obviousness has been its strength. It is the music of the people.” It is estimated that Fanny Crosby wrote more than 8,000 gospel song texts in her lifetime. Her hymns are still being sung more frequently than those of any other gospel hymn writer. It is truly amazing that anyone, and especially a blind person, could write on this variety of spiritual truths and experiences with such proliferation. For a considerable period during her life, she wrote three new hymns each week. Often the themes for her hymns were suggested by visiting ministers wishing to have a new song on a particular subject. At other times, musician friends would first compose the music and then ask Fanny for the words. Such was the case for “Blessed Assurance.” The music was composed by Phoebe Knapp, a good friend, an amateur musician, and the wife of the founder of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Mrs. Knapp played this melody for the blind poetess and asked, “What does this tune say?” Fanny responded immediately, “Why, that says: 'Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine.'” And soon the song was written. Fanny Crosby died at the age of ninety-five. Only eternity will reveal those whose lives have been spiritually enriched through her many hymns. Engraved on Fanny J. Crosby's tombstone at Bridgeport, Connecticut, are these significant words taken from our Lord's remarks to Mary, the sister of Lazarus, after she had anointed Him with costly perfume: “She hath done what she could.” There is a Fountain Filled With Blood William Cowper was a prolific hymnwriter who lived with a great deal of mental anguish. Sometimes he was not even sure of his own salvation. Still, his hymns are among the most powerful in the English language, describing a faith of utter dependence on God. He was born in England in 1731, and in 1771 wrote a hymn encompassing truths from Leviticus, Zechariah, and the gospel of John. Those truths centered on the blood of Christ, shed for our salvation. 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. When his fluent oratory ended, a timid, elderly lady stood up in the midst of the crowd, and softly began to sing Cowper's great hymn 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, 'til 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 with the light of Heaven upon her face. The Ninety and Nine Jesus spoke these words, recorded in the fifteenth chapter of Luke's gospel, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance.” Elizabeth C. Clephane was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1830. Throughout her brief lifetime, she was plagued with illness and a frail body. Despite her physical afflictions, she was affectionately known to the townspeople as “The Sunbeam.” Elizabeth enjoyed writing poetry and had several of her poems published in a Scottish Presbyterian magazine entitled The Family Treasury. However, the majority of her writings appeared anonymously in this magazine in 1872, three years after her early death in 1869. She is also well known for writing the hymn, “Beneath the Cross of Jesus.” Miss Clephane wrote the text for “The Ninety and Nine” especially for children a short time before her death. It was published in a magazine called The Children's Hour. Five years later, the American evangelists D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey were in Great Britain for one of their noted revival campaigns. The story is told of Moody and Sankey riding a train one morning from Glasgow to Edinburgh to conduct a service in the Free Assembly Hall of Edinburgh. Sankey stopped to purchase a newspaper in the train depot, hoping to get news from America. As he idly turned the pages of the paper during the ride, he discovered Elizabeth Clephane's poem. He tried to interest Moody in its contents, but the evangelist was too busy preparing his sermon. Finally, Sankey simply cut out the poem and placed it in his pocket. At the meeting that afternoon in Edinburgh, the subject of Moody's message was “The Good Shepherd,” based on the passage in Luke I've just read. Finishing his address, Moody turned to Sankey and asked him to sing some fitting solo. Sankey could think of nothing that was appropriate. Then suddenly he recalled the little poem he had put into his vest pocket. Placing his newspaper clipping on the folding organ before him, and breathing a prayer for divine help, he struck the chord of A flat and began to sing: “There were ninety and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold, but one was out on the hills alone, far from the gates of gold. Away on the mountains wild and bare, away from the Shepherd's tender care...” Note by note the tune was given, and that same tune has remained unchanged to this present day. Sankey declared that it was one of the most intense moments of his life. He said that he could sense immediately that the song had reached the hearts of the Scottish audience. Sankey continued to sing: But none of the ransomed ever knew “When I reached the end of the song,” reported Sankey, “Mr. Moody was in tears, and so was I.” When Moody arose to give the invitation for salvation, many “lost sheep” responded to the call of Christ. Today the famed organ on which Ira D. Sankey composed his spontaneous melody to Elizabeth Clephane's text sits in the chapel at the headquarters of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. In 1983, our minister of music at Moody Church, Gerald Edmonds, wrote an arrangement of “The Ninety and Nine” for the Centennial Celebration of Moody Bible Institute. It was performed by members of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Moody Chorale, and the part of Ira Sankey was sung by none other than America's beloved gospel singer, George Beverly Shea, the original soloist of Songs in the Night. All rights reserved for all transcripts, and all material. ©2004 The Moody Church, Chicago. Permission is granted to print and/or store the contents in computer form provided the content is not changed in any way.
|
The Moody Church • 1609 North LaSalle • Chicago, Illinois 60614 Tel 312.943.0466 • Fax 312.943.9179 Moody Church Media Ministry 312.642.4417 • 800.215.5001 All materials ©2005 The Moody Church |