Come not in terrors as the King of kings, But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings; O Friend of sinners, thus abide with me! Thou on my head in early youth didst smile, I need Thy presence every passing hour; What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power? I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless; Where is death's sting? where, grave, thy victory? Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes, Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies; Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadow's flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me! There is another evening hymn which has been pronounced one of the best evening hymns in the English language, which owes its origin indirectly to the somewhat savage Christianity of Abyssinia. We refer to the hymn, "Saviour, Breathe an Evening Blessing." The author of this hymn, Dr. James Edmeston, it is said, was deeply impressed by the reading of an account of a traveler, who told, in connection with a visit to Abyssinia, of how at night the Abyssinians always sang their short evening hymn, "Jesus Mahaxaroo." The meaning is "Jesus Forgives Us." This sentiment, the traveler said, stole through the camp, and in the spell of this thought they would retire to sleep. Thinking over this narrative, he conceived and wrote the hymn which so many English-speaking Christians today love and sing. We close this study with the words as a prayer, and in the hope that we have in glimpsing these wonderful hymns of evening kindled in our hearts a keener desire for evening worship. "Saviour, breathe an evening blessing, Sin and want we come confessing; Thou canst save, and Thou canst heal. "Though destruction walk around us, "Though the night be dark and dreary, "Should swift death this night o'ertake us, May the morn in heaven awake us, Clad in bright and deathless bloom." A HYMN OF PETITION AND A HYMN OF TRUST HE life story of a writer, his personal experiences and the circumstances under which he wrote will often give new meaning to a hymn. The circumstances under which a hymn was written particularly, will often materially increase our appreciation of it. In fact, in the case of many hymns, the story of their origin is essential to the correct interpretation of them. That beautiful penitential hymn by Joachim Neander is an illustration of the advantage of knowing the life story of the writer. We quote the hymn with its German title and in the excellent English translation of Miss Winkworth which is the translation most generally used and best known by us. SIEH HIER BIN ICH, EHRENKOENIG 'Neath Thy throne, O glorious King! Let me find Thee! Me, a poor and worthless thing. Look upon me, Lord, I pray Thee, Let Thy Spirit dwell in mine; Thou hast sought me, Thou hast brought me, Let me find Thee! Take my heart, and own me Thine! Naught I ask for, naught I strive for, He hath all things who hath Thee. Earthly treasure, mirth and pleasure, I am Thine, O mighty Lord! This was probably the last hymn from the pen of the writer, as it bears the date 1679 A. D., which is the year preceding his death. Joachim Neander was one of the earliest and one of the best hymn writers of the "Reformed Church." As a student at Bremen he was unusually wild and reckless. As an illustration of his spirit it is told that on one occasion he and several companions went into St. Martin's Church of Bremen with the avowed purpose of making jest of the services, but the sermon so affected him that he became conscience stricken and in private visited the preacher. The result was that he came more and more into communication with the pastor, whose influence led him to be more circumspect in his mode of life. He continued to love sport, and was an ardent hunter. On one occasion he was hunting in a forest, lost his way and suddenly found himself in dense darkness in a most dangerous position, where a single misstep meant his plunging to death over a great precipice. A feeling of horror came over him. For a few moments he could not move. In his extremity he prayed earnestly to God for help. According to his own story his courage returned. He felt as though a hand were leading him. Following the path thus indicated he reached his home in safety. In his prayer at the edge of the precipice he had vowed if he reached home in safety henceforth to devote himself entirely to the service of God. From that day he kept that Vow. Neander became very earnest and conscientious. He met and became intimate with Spener, the Lutheran pietist at Frankfurt, and while a teacher in the Reformed Grammer School at Düsseldorf, he was wont to hold prayer meetings on his own account. He would also absent himself from the communion, because as he said he could not conscientiously commune along with the unconverted. His attitude in these respects, especially as he advised others to do as he did, resulted in his suspension as a teacher. He was forbidden to preach and banished from the town. His pupils would have fought for him, but he would not permit them to do so. There is a story current that he went to a deep glen near Mettmann, on the Rhine, where he spent the period of his banishment, which was not very long, living in a cavern. This cavern is still known by the name of "Neander's Cave." We are told that while in this cave he wrote several hymns. A HYMN WRITTEN IN A CAVE "A deep and holy awe Put Thou, my God, within my inmost soul, While near Thy feet I draw; And my heart sings in me, and my voice praises Thee; |