NEAR TO THE HEART OF GOD.

This hymn was born out of tragic circumstances. Cleland

McAfee (1866-1944) suffered the loss of two infant
nieces to diphtheria in 1903.

McAfee was preacher and choir director of the campus

Presbyterian church at Park College, Parkville, Mo. His
daughter described the account in her book, Near to the
Heart of God. Hymnologist William J. Reynolds quotes
the account:

“The family and town were stricken with grief. My father

often told us how he sat long and late thinking of what
could be said in word and song on the coming Sunday....
So he wrote the little song. The choir learned it at the
regular Saturday night rehearsal, and afterward they
went to Howard McAfee’s home and sang it as they
stood under the sky outside the darkened, quarantined
house. It was sung again on Sunday morning at the
communion service.... The hymn was first included
in The Choir Leader, October, 1903.”

UM Hymnal editor, the Rev. Carlton R. Young, suggests

that the “stanzas affirm that near to God’s heart is a
meeting place with the Savior, a place of ‘quiet rest,’
‘comfort,’ ‘full release,’ and ‘joy and peace.’ The refrain
petitions Jesus to sustain us near to God’s heart.”
 A characteristic of gospel hymns of this era, especially
those that employ an intimate language to express the
relationship between the believer and God, is to repeat
a short phrase several times, allowing the message to
burrow deeper into the psyche of the singer and to plant
a little kernel of truth. In this case the repeated phrase is
“near to the heart of God,” which appears 12 times if all
stanzas are sung and the refrain repeated after each
stanza.
Uncharacteristic of gospel hymns, however, is that this
hymn describes this “place of quiet rest” in the third
person. Almost invariably, other hymn writers from this
era in the United States and Great Britain express their
relationship to God in the first person.

The unpretentious language is descriptive in the stanzas

—painting a vivid picture (hypotyposis) of either the
afterlife (heaven?) or a place where we can meet God
face-to-face in prayer. The refrain finds its highest
musical pitch on the word “Jesus”—invoking the
“Redeemer” to “hold us . . . near to the heart of God.”
Cleland Boyd McAfee was a native of Missouri,
graduating from Park College. He returned to his alma
mater following study at Union Theological Seminary,
New York, to teach and pastor the campus church as
well as direct its choir.

After serving congregations in Chicago and Brooklyn

(1901-1912), McAfee was appointed professor of
systematic theology at McCormick Theological Seminary
(1912-1930) and also served as secretary of the
Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions (1930-1936). He
also served as moderator of the General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church in the United States and authored
the treatise, “The Greatest English Classic: A Study of the
King James Version of the Bible and its Influence on Life
and Literature.” This treatise was the result of lectures
delivered in 1912 for the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and
Sciences.

He also penned other hymns of lesser note, including

“Christian Soldiers, on to Conflict,” a temperance song
(1897), and “Let Us Watch and Pray in our Master’s
Name” (1917), a song about the second coming.

“Near to the Heart of God,” a simple hymn, expresses in

a profound way the admonition of James 4:8, “Draw
nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto you.”

Dr. Hawn is professor of sacred music at Perkins School

of Theology, SMU.

GOD BE WITH YOU TILL WE MEET AGAIN.

We all say the familiar, “goodbye,” so often that we may

not realize we are using a shortened form of the phrase,
“God be with you.” Dr. J.E. Rankin, then a pastor in
Washington, D.C., thought it too bad that we should lose
the really beautiful meaning underlying the simple
words. His melodious song, “God Be with You,” was
wrought out of this idea to form a Christian benediction
hymn.

When Dr. Rankin had finished the poem he sent it to Mr.

W.G. Tomer, a composer whose melodies had already
pleased him. The music Mr. Tomer composed for “God
Be with You” is an excellent setting for the words, and
contributes greatly to the hymn’s popularity. It is like
some of the Negro spirituals in that one phrase of
melody is repeated, and enlarged upon, come back to
several times. The tune is subdues at first, suggestive of
the sadness of farewell, yet in the refrain it breaks into
strains that have the uplift of bright hope.

The hymn was first sung in Dr. Rankin’s own church. the
First Congregational Church of Washington, D.C., and
very soon became the favorite closing hymn of young
people in the Christian Endeavor Society. It has been
translated into many other languages, and sung by
Christian Endeavor Societies all over the world. Writing
concerning this use of the hymn, Dr. Rankin said: “It has
had no sweeter recognition than that given it by its
adoption by the Young People’s Society of Christian
Endeavor. Long, long, may they sing it!”

A few years before his death, when the late President

Theodore Roosevelt was making a farewell visit in
Memphis, Tenn., a great audience of three thousand
people sang in his honor the well-loved strain, “God be
with you till we meet again.”

Dr. Rankin was a man of unusual gifts. After serving as a

pastor for many years, he became president of Howard
University, Washington, D.C., an institution founded to
help in the higher education of blacks. Not many of our
hymns have been written by college presidents!

No happier farewell can be made than by the simple

benediction, “God be with you till we meet again.”
When Mr. Tomer. the composer of the beautiful melody
died, “God Be With You” was sung at his funeral as a
memorial by the chorus of his church, the Methodist
Church of Phillipsburg, N.J.

'WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS'

“That looks like a sober man, I think I’ll hire him to cut
wood for me.” That was said of a man on the streets of
Lake Rice, Canada, as he walked along carrying a wood
saw and a sawhorse. The response from a man nearby
was, “That’s Joseph Scriven. He wouldn’t cut wood for
you because you can afford to hire him. He only cuts
wood for those who don’t have money enough to pay.”
That seemed to be the philosophy and attitude of
Scriven, a devoted member of the Plymouth Brethren
Church. He had a sincere desire to help those who were
truly destitute.
Joseph was born on Sept. 10, 1819, in Ireland. His
parents had financial means enough to afford a
wonderful educational opportunity for their son. He was
enrolled in Trinity College in Dublin where he graduated
with a bachelor’s degree.

In this young man, Ireland had the prospect of a great

citizen with high ideals and notable aspirations. He fell in
love with a young lady who was eager to spend her life
with him. However, on the day before their wedding she
fell from her horse, while crossing a bridge over the
River Bann and was drowned in the water below. Joseph
stood helplessly watching from the other side.

In an effort to overcome his sorrow, he began to

wander. By age 25 his travels had taken him to an area
near Port Hope, Canada. He became highly regarded by
the people of that area. He tutored some of the local
children in their school work. It was there he met a
wonderful young lady, Elisa Roche, and again fell in love.
They had exciting plans to be married. However, tragedy
reared its ugly head once again and she died of
pneumonia before they could wed.

As indicated earlier in this story, he labored in Port Hope

among the impoverished widows and sick people. He
often served for no wages and even shared his clothes
with those less fortunate than himself.
On an occasion when Joseph became ill, a friend who
was visiting with him discovered a poem near his bed
and asked who had written it. Scriven said, “The Lord
and I did it between us.” He thought the poem would,
perhaps, bring some spiritual comfort to his Mom, who
still lived in Ireland. Scriven had not intended that
anyone else should see it.

On Aug. 10, 1886, Scriven’s body was pulled from a body

of water near Bewdly, Ontario. Two monuments have
been erected in his honor. Each has the first stanza of his
song engraved on it.

Charles Converse, an attorney and composer, wrote the

musical setting used today.

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS,

Thomas Dorsey (1899-1993 - not the famous ball

player) has an honored title of 'The Father of Gospel
Music', and his music is loved around the world. The
journey to this title and fame was a very difficult one.

Thomas loved music. At a very early age, long before his

music education at the Chicago College of Composition
and Arranging, he was playing piano in a Vaudeville act.
After college, he frequented the jazz clubs, gaining quite
a reputation as the very talented 'Georgia Tom'. 

In 1921, at the age of 22, Thomas gave his life to Jesus.

Almost immediately he left the jazz clubs and began
writing Gospel music. He took great effort to circulate
his musical scores, but it was three long years before
anyone started to notice. Little by little his reputation
grew, not only as a songwriter but as a church music
director.

In 1932 while the now Reverend Dorsey was leading a

church service, a man came on to the platform to hand
him a telegram - his wife had just died in childbirth.
Within 24 hours his newborn baby died also. Thomas
quickly spiraled downward into the depths of despair,
doubting the goodness of God and determining never to
write another hymn.

A week after that horrible, life changing day, Thomas

was deep into his grief, sitting alone at a piano, in a
friend's music room. Into the room came a heavy peace
such as he had never known before. As that peace
enveloped him, Thomas felt the urge to play the piano.
His fingers found a familiar melody and the words
to Precious Lord, Take My Hand began to well up from
his heart and to spill out of his mouth. God had given
him a song that would not only lift him from despair, but
would also change the course of his music career.

Precious Lord, Take My Hand has been translated into

more than 40 languages, has been sung by some of the
biggest names in Gospel music, including Mahalia
Jackson and Elvis Presley, and it was Dr. Martin Luther
King's favorite hymn. Reverend Thomas Dorsey went on
to write many more hymns, including the famous Peace
in the Valley, which when recorded by the Sunshine Boys
in 1951, became the first Gospel song recording in
history to sell more than one million copies.

One evening, in the summer of 1936, Horace

Rodeheaver invited the faculty of the Rodeheaver
School of Music to his home at Rainbow Point, Indiana.
Among those attending were lyricist Virgil Brock and his
wife, composer Blanch Brock. 

As the evening progressed, the sunset over the nearby

Winona Lake was so incredible, the faculty members
began to talk about the unusual particulars of its beauty.
The talk eventually died down and the group sat for a
long time, silently soaking in the wonder.

Virgil's cousin Horace Burr, who had been blind from

birth, suddenly spoke out with excitement, saying that
he had never seen such a beautiful sunset. One of the
other guests asked how it was possible for him to see
events of the sky. Horace's reply was to have a lasting
affect: I see through other people's eyes, and I think I
often see more - I see beyond the sunset.

Back at home, Virgil was inspired to write a hymn based

upon the events of the evening. His wife joined him from
the piano. Horace was there also. When he heard the
first three verses Horace reminded them of the storm
clouds that had been hovering just above that evening's
sunset, and suggested that be the theme of a fourth
verse. Before the three climbed into their beds that
night, Beyond the Sunset was ready for publication.

Born Joseph M. Scriven (1819-1896) was 25 years old, in

love and to be married. The day before his wedding his
fiance died in a tragic drowning accident. Heartbroken,
Joseph sailed from his homeland to start a new life in
Canada. While in Canada working as a teacher, he fell in
love again and became engaged to Eliza Roche, a relative
of one of his students. Once again, Joseph's hopes and
dreams were shattered when Eliza became ill and died
before the wedding could take place.
Although one can only imagine the turmoil within this
young man, history tells us that his faith in God
sustained him. Soon after Eliza's death Joseph joined the
Plymouth Brethren and began preaching for a Baptist
church. He never married, but spent the remainder of
his life giving all his time, money and even the clothes
off his own back to help the less fortunate and to spread
the love and compassion of Jesus wherever he went.
Around the same time that Eliza died, Joseph received
word from Ireland that his mother was ill. He could not
go to be with her, so he wrote a letter of comfort and
enclosed one of his poems entitled What a Friend We
Have in Jesus.
 Many years later a friend was sitting with Joseph, as he
was very ill. During this visit, the friend was very
impressed when he ran across his poems,
including What a Friend We Have in Jesus. As a result of
this visit, almost 30 years after his letter of comfort to
his mother, Joseph's poems were published in a book
called Hymns and Other Verses. Soon thereafter, noted
musician Charles C. Converse (1834-1918) put music to
one of those poems: What a Friend We Have in Jesus. 
Well-known musician and revivalist Ira D. Sankey (1840-
1908) was a great admirer of Joseph Scriven. In 1875,
Sankey came upon the music and words for What a
Friend We Have in Jesus. He included it as the last entry
into his well-known publication Sankey's Gospel Hymns
Number 1.

After Joseph Scriven's death, the citizens of Port Hope,

Ontario, Canada, where he gave so much of himself,
erected a monument to his life. The seemingly sad and
obscure life of one man resulted in so many lives being
uplifted, both in his own time, and for many years after
whenever the beautiful and comforting words of What a
Friend We Have in Jesus are sung.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

C. Austin Miles (1868-1946) was a pharmacist turned hymn writer and

church music director. He was also an amateur photographer. One day
in March, 1912, while in his dark room waiting for film to develop, Miles
had a profound spiritual experience in which he saw an incredible vision
of Mary Magdalene visiting the empty tomb. He saw her leave the tomb
and walk into a garden where she met the Master and heard Him speak
her name.
When Miles came to himself his nerves were vibrating and his muscles
tense; the words to a new song were filling his mind and heart. He
quickly wrote out the lyrics to In The Garden and later that evening
composed the musical score. The song was published that same year
and became a theme song of the Billy Sunday evangelistic crusades.

In The Garden was recorded on an album by Perry Como in 1950, was

sung in the closing scene of the 1984 film  Places in the Heart and
continues to be a favorite of hymn lovers who treasure that quiet
'garden time' with their Savior.

IN THE GARDEN
She could not see with her natural eyes, but she could see with
her heart. She could not explain what a human face looked like, but she
knew the face of God. Blind from six weeks old because of a surgical
mishap, her life was different than most, but it was not worse than
most. Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) supported herself as a teacher at a
blind school, she had dear and close friends around the world, and she
wrote and published thousands of beautiful hymns, many that are still
sung today. Regarding her plight in life she wrote the following words:

“It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be

blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly
sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have
sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful
and interesting things about me.”

For those who have natural sight, but are blind to the things of God,
Fanny Crosby's songs bring a sense of His Presence
 HE HIDETH MY SOUL

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. 

Thomas Chisolm died in 1960 at age 94. During his

lifetime, he wrote more than 1,200 poems and hymns
including O To Be Like Thee and Living for Jesus

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

Many stories resulting in hymns Christians sing tell

about a God who is continually working 'behind the
scenes' to bring together people, circumstances and
blessings. Such is the story of Carrie E. Breck (1855-
1934) and Grant C. Tullar (1869-1950), and the beautiful
song they penned, Face to Face

During a series of busy evangelistic meetings in 1898,

several faithful and hungry workers were gathered in a
pastor'ss home to grab a snack between sessions.
Among the crowd was musician Grant Tuller. 

As an almost empty jar of jelly was being passed

around, the pastor and his wife, knowing how much
Tullar liked the jelly, handed it over to him. Their
thankful guest grinned and said 'So, this is all for me, is
it?' As the words came out of his mouth, Tullar was
inspired to go to the piano. The bantering words about
the jelly became the beginning of a beautiful song. 

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Tullar composed a

beautiful melody to accompany the words All for me the
Savior suffered, all for me He bled and died.. The pastor
encouraged Tullar to sing the hymn during that evenings
service, but Tullar knew the song was not quite finished.

The next day, Tullar received a letter from Carrie Beck. A

mother of five small children, Beck would write poetry
as she sat rocking one or more of her children. She
wrote more than 2,000 poems during her lifetime. Beck
was tone deaf, but several of her poems were set to
music by various musicians. In her letter to Tullar, Beck
asked him to compose a tune for a poem she had
recently written. The meter and sentiment of the poem
fit the melody Tullar had written the night before. God
had brought together writer and musician; words and
music to become a song that was destined for many a
hymnbook; and to bring many a blessing.