March 1928
168
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
Y e s ! T h e r e ’s a B ib l e I n s t i t u t e o n th e P a c i f i c C o a s t ! Hymn Stories H e L eadeth M e
o f the house where Mr. Gilmore wrote the lines. It is indeed remarkable to find in a great business establishment a tablet quoting the. words o f “ He leadeth me.” The following inscription may be seen underneath the lines o f the first verse : ': “ ‘He leadeth me’ Sung Throughout the World Was written by the Rev. Dr. Joseph H. Gilmore,
ROF. J. H. GILMORE , of Rochester Univer sity, was in' 1862 supplying the pulpit of the First Baptist Church o f Philadelphia,. During his stay he conducted one evening a “ confer ence-room talk.” The subject had been the twenty-third Psalm and he had been especially impressed with the phrases: “H e leadeth me in the paths o f righteousness . . . H e leadeth me beside the still waters.” “ What a blessed thought,” he mused as he went,, after the service, to the home of deacon Wattson. In his room that night, he jotted down the words: " “ He leadeth me, O blessed thought! •O words with heavenly comfort fraught! Whate’er I do, where’er I be, Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me. CHORUS
A son o f a governor o f New Hamp shire in the home o f Deacon Wattson, immediately after preaching in the First Baptist Church, N. W . Corner Broad and Arch Streets, on the 26th day of March, 1862; the church and Deacon Wattson’s home stood on the ground upon which this building was erected. “ The United Gas Improvement Com pany, in recognition of the beauty and fame o f the hymn, and in remembrance of its distinguished author, makes this permanent record on the first day of June, 1926.”
“ He leadeth me, He leadeth me, By His own hand he leadeth m e; His faithful follower I would be, For by His hand He leadeth me. “ Sometimes ’mid scenes o f deepest gloom, Sometimes where Eden’s flowers bloom, By waters still, o’er troubled sea, Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.”
The Literary Digest, in referring to this unique memorial, quoted from Dr. Gilmore himself, who once had said that a former student of his had written him that “ He Leadeth Me” was the favorite hymn o f Japanese Chris tians. He also related how the hymn was sung in a Chi nese court o f justice by a Chinese who had never seen a white missionary, to show the presiding justice what a Christian hymn was like. The last two verses run : “ Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine, Nor ever murmur or repine, ~<1 Content whatever lot I see, Since ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me. T “ And when my task on earth is done,
Some time later, Mrs. Gilmore, finding the verses, sent them without her husband’s knowledge to The Watchman- Reflector and the verses were published in due time. Years afterward Mr. Gilmore was candidating for the Second Baptist Church o f Rochester, N. Y . While await ing the hour o f service, he picked up the church hymnal and, in turning over the leaves, ran across a hymn: “ He leadeth me.” T o his utter surprise; he saw-hismame as the author o f the words. William B. Bradbury had seen the lines in the Baptist paper, caught the spirit o f the words and had written the gliding measures which have made the hymn such a popular one. A few months ago the United Gas Improvement Com pany o f Philadelphia erected in their new building a beau tiful bronze tablet commemorating this hymn. It had been discovered that their building had been located on the site
When, by Thy grace, the victory’s won, E ’en death’s cold wave I will not flee, Since God through Jordan leadeth me.”
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online