Home of the Soul

Words by Mrs. Ellen H. Gates

Music by Philip Phillips

"I will sing you a song of that beautiful land,

The far away home of the soul."

"Now I saw in my dream that these two men [Christian and Hopeful] went in at the gate; and lo, as they entered, they were transfigured; and they had raiment put on them that shone like gold. There were also those that met them with harps and crowns and gave them to them; the harps to praise withal, and the crowns in token of honor. Then I heard in my dream that all the bells in the city rang again for joy, and that it was said unto them: 'Enter ye into the joy of your Lord!' Now, just as the gates were opened to let in the men, I looked in after them, and behold, the city shone like the sun; the streets also were paved with gold; and in them walked many men, with crowns on their heads and palms in their hands, and golden harps to sing praises withal. . After that, they shut up the gates which, when I had seen, I wished myself among them."-Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress."

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The above extract," wrote Philip Phillips, “I sent to Mrs. Ellen H. Gates, asking her to write a suitable hymn. When the verses were forwarded to me, in 1865, I seated myself in my home with my little boy on my knee, and with Bunyan's immortal dreambook in my hand, and began to read the closing scenes where Christian and Hopeful entered into the city,wondering at Bunyan's rare genius, and like the dreamer of old wishing myself among them. At this

moment of inspiration I turned to my organ, with pencil in hand, and wrote the tune. This hymn seems to have had God's special blessing upon it from the very beginning. One man writes me that he has led in the singing of it at a hundred and twenty funerals. It was sung at the funeral of my own dear boy, who had sat on my knee when I wrote the tune."

And I sang this hymn over the remains of my beloved friend, Philip Phillips, at Fredonia, New York.

How Firm a Foundation

Words by G. Keith

Music by M. Portogallo

"How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent word."

"Once at evening devotion in the old Oratory of Princeton Seminary," Dr. C. S. Robinson relates, "the elder Hodge, then venerable with years and piety, paused as he read this hymn, preparatory to the singing. In the depth of his emotion he was obliged to close his delivery of the final lines with a gesture of pathetic and adoring wonder at the matchless grace of God in Christ, and his hand silently beat time to the rhythm instead: 'I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake!"

Giving an account of a visit to General Jackson at the Hermitage, in 1843, the Rev. James Gallager says in the "Western Sketch Book:" "The old hero was then very frail and had the appearance of extreme old age; but he was reposing with calmness and confidence on the promise and covenant of God. He had

now been a member of the church for several years." During the conversation which took place, the General turned to Mr. Gallager, and remarked:

"There is a beautiful hymn on the subject of the exceeding great and precious promise of God to His people. It was the favorite hymn of my dear wife, till the day of her death. It commences in this way: 'How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord.' I wish you would sing it now."

So the little company sang the entire hymn.

I am Praying for You

Words by S. O'Maley Cluff

Music by Ira D. Sankey

"I have a Saviour, He's pleading in glory;

A dear, loving Saviour, tho' earth friends be few.”

On our first visit to Ireland, in 1874, we came across these words in a printed leaflet. It was the second hymn to which I wrote music, and it was much used in our meetings in London. It has long been a favorite prayer-meeting hymn in many churches.

At the close of a gospel service in Evanston, Illinois, the minister was requested to visit a man who was not likely to live many days, and who was a spiritualist. Though pressed by other engagements, the minister said, "I will take time." He called, but thought it not best to introduce the subject of religion because of the patient's known hostility to evangelical views. Seeing a little organ in the room, the minister asked if he might sing a song. Consent being given, he sang "I have a Saviour, He's pleading in glory."

The sick man seemed pleased, and asked the minister to sing it again. This he did, and then gave other songs. Thus he sang the truths which he had not the courage to mention in conversation. The songs evidently accomplished their work; for when the minister called again the sick man's heart had been opened, and the truth had been savingly received through their instrumentality.

A gospel worker of Hunter, New York, tells of this experience in connection with the hymn: "While I was holding revival meetings at Hensonville, New York, a man and his wife were converted through the hymn 'I Am Praying for You.' The song went directly to the heart of the wife. All the way to her home the first line of the hymn, 'I have a Saviour, He's pleading in glory,' kept ringing in her ears, and next morning as she awoke she heard my voice singing, 'I have a Saviour.' That night she came to Jesus. Her husband followed immediately after her. They had sent out invitations for a large dancing party at that time, which no doubt would have injured the meetings very much had it taken place; but the dance was turned into a prayer-meeting. I shall never forget the night she stood up in a crowded church, and said, 'Oh, Brother L-, your singing "I have a Saviour" brought us to Jesus.'"

A young man who came from Sweden writes: "I Am Praying for You' was the first Moody and Sankey hymn I ever heard. It was on a cold winter night up in the land of the midnight sun, more than a quarter

of a century ago. Two evangelists had come to the neighborhood, but found it difficult to get a place in which to hold their meetings. At last a poor woman opened for them her log house, consisting of two rooms. From house to house the meetings were announced. I was a small boy, and out of curiosity I attended the first meeting. About twenty people were present, seated on chairs borrowed from the neighbors. At one end of the low, dark room the evangelists were seated, by a small table on which two home-made candles were burning. After one of the evangelists had led in prayer, he said to the other, 'Sing one of Sankey's hymns.' Upon which he sang this now well-known hymn, 'I Am Praying for You,' accompanying himself on a guitar. Since then I have heard these sweet hymns sung in many European countries, and in the small meeting-houses and primitive homes of the settlers on the Western plains, as well as by choirs of hundreds and congregations of thousands in the larger cities of this broad land.”

I Gave My Life for Thee

Words by Frances R. Havergal

"I gave My life for thee,

My precious blood I shed."

Music by P. P. Bliss

Fifteen years after this hymn was written Miss Havergal said about it: "Yes, I gave My life for thee,' is mine, and perhaps it will interest you to hear how nearly it went into the fire instead of nearly all over the world. It was, I think, the very first thing I wrote which could be called a hymn-written when I was a young girl, in 1859. I did not half realize