“(1) Come, let us shout joyfully to Jehovah!Let us shout in triumph to our Rock of salvation. (2) Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; Let us sing and shout in triumph to him” (Psalm 95:1,2).
“My mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips” (Psalm 63:5).
“Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense” (Song of Solomon 4:6).
Note: “ ‘Myrrh’ is bitter experience and the wisdom gained through such experience. ‘Frankincense’ represents praise and thanksgiving. Hymns of praise often include the Christian’s gratitude for deliverance from suffering that is beyond human endurance. Such help usually evokes praise and thanksgiving. Of course pleasant experiences also bring forth praise, but the type of praise that arises from suffering is on a higher level than praise from pleasure. Verse 6 alludes to praise that arises from suffering.
‘Until … the shadows flee away.’ The shadows of the nighttime experience of the Church will ‘flee away’ when the Church is complete. These are the shadows of the gospel night, the Passover night. Why is myrrha ‘mountain’ and frankincense a ‘hill’? Two different Hebrew words are used. Our praise can never reach the mark of perfection. What Jesus offered at Calvary far transcends anything we can offer” (Br. F. Shallieu, Notes on the Song of Solomon, pages 37-38).
Here is a recording of Hymn No. 24 from the “Hymns of Dawn” to aid God’s people in singing and making melody in their hearts unto God.
Lyrics
1.
Blow ye the trumpet, blow
The gladly solemn sound;
Let all the nations know,
To earth’s remotest bound:
CHORUS
The year of Jubilee is come,
Returning ransomed sinners home,
Returning ransomed sinners home.
2.
Jesus, our great High Priest,
Hath full atonement made;
Ye weary spirits rest:
Ye mournful souls be glad:
3.
Extol the Lamb of God,
The all atoning Lamb;
Redemption thru his blood,
To all the world proclaim:
4.
Ye who were sold for naught,
Whose heritage was lost,
May have it back unbought,
A gift at Jesus’ cost:
5.
The seventh trumpet hear,
The news of heav’nly grace;
Salvation now is near;
Seek ye the Saviour’s face:
*******
Bible Scriptures Associated With This Hymn
Leviticus 25:8-17 (NASB) —‘(8) You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years.(9) You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land.(10) You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.(11) You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines.(12) For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field. (13) ‘On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property. (14) If you make a sale, moreover, to your friend or buy from your friend’s hand, you shall not wrong one another. (15) Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops. (16) In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the fewness of the years you shall diminish its price, for it is a number of crops he is selling to you. (17) So you shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.’
Ezekiel 40:1 (KJV) —“In the five and twentieth year [25th] of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither.“
Luke 4:18-19 (KJV) — “(18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (19) To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
The History Of This Hymn
Author — Charles Wesley (1707-1788). In the Hymns of Dawn, the original third verse is omitted, while the words of the last two verses (verses 4 and 5) have been changed from the original.
Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, most widely known for writing no less than 6,500 hymns. He was the youngest son and 18th child of Anglican cleric and poet Samuel Wesley and his wife Susanna Wesley, and the younger brother of Methodist founder John Wesley.
In 1749 he married Miss Sarah Gwynne who accompanied him on his evangelistic journeys until the year 1756 when he mainly devoted himself to the care of the Societies in London and Bristol. Since 1771, he devoted himself much, as he had done in his youth, to the spiritual care of prisoners in Newgate. He had long been troubled about the relations of Methodism to the Church of England, and strongly disapproved of his brother John’s “ordinations.”
Composer — Lewis Edson (1748 – 1820) composed this tune “LENOX” in 1782.
*******
When Does the Year of Jubilee Begin?
The Jubilee was a time of release.
There are four points from the Jubilees to a period of release.
(1)1874 — the beginning of the Times of Restoration. This was the year when Lord Beaconsfield was elected Prime Minister of England, from which position he was able to subsequently effect a restoration of rights to the Jewish people to own land in Palestine again.
(2)1878 — Land is opened to Israel again as a result of the Berlin Congress of Nations. “The first signs of Israel’s regathering appeared in 1878. The Berlin Congress of Nations assembled to resolve the Russo-Turkish War of the previous year, and among their agreements was a provision extending equal treatment of law to all the people of the Ottoman Empire. Notably, this included the Jewish people, who took advantage of the opportunity to found the first new [Hebrew] settlement of modern times in the land of Israel — Petah Tikvah” (“The Stream of Time,” by Br. David Rice, page 21).
(3)1948 — Nationhood was restored to Israel.
(4)The Millennium — Life will be restored to mankind.
All of these are relevant. There is a time pointer to each one.
(A)Adam to 1874 — 7 x the whole cycle of 17 Jubilees. That is, 7 x 833 = 5831 years, from 3958 bc to 1874 ad.
(B)50 Jubilees (of 49 years each) is 2450 years, followed by the 50th jubilee, year number 2451. Taken from the last Jubilee of Israel (Ezekiel 40:1), that brings us to the year of autumn 1878 — during that time the right to buy and own land in Israel was restored to the Jewish people, and the first Jewish colony was begun.
For Pentecost we count 50 days, for jubilee we count 50 years, so for the antitype we count 50 jubilees — which brings us to the fulfillment, marked by the year 1878.
(C)2520 years (national punishment), from Ezekiel 40:1 brings us to the year autumn 1947 to autumn 1948 — during that time Israel became an independent nation again.
(D) Ezekiel 40:1 (Israel’s last Jubilee) was the time of giving of the vision of the Kingdom. Ezekiel 46:1 tells us the gates permitting man to access God would be opened on the sabbath day — 2043. That will be a time of restoring life.
Four dimensions — all correct.
For the interested Reader, please consider reading further about the Jubilees in Section 3 (pages 15-20) and Section 4 (pages 21-24) of “The Stream of Time” by Br. David Rice.
Br. Charles Russell—the founder of the Bible Students movement, who is the compiler of“Poems and Hymns of Millennial Dawn” which was published in Allegheny, Pa., in 1890. This Bible Students’ devotional originally contained a total of 151 poems and 333 hymns.
The following prefatory to the 1905 publication of Hymns of Millennial Dawn may be of historical interest to many of our readers.
We published in 1890, with several more recent editions, a volume entitled “Poems and Hymns of Millennial Dawn” without music. The same collection of hymns with the music is now urgently needed, and therefore appears in this volume. The poems, although highly prized, are omitted for greater convenience in size. We have preserved the same alphabetical order, because so many of our readers have the older book; and where a different tune is given from that originally suggested the latter is indicated by Alt. for alternative tune, with the number where that tune can be found.
Both words and music are credited to the same class to whom the work is dedicated-to the Lord and His faithful people, “the Saints.” The authors of many of the best of them are unknown to us, and, besides, slight changes have been made in the phraseology and sentiment of quite a number, which we could not be sure their original authors would approve, and to give personal credit to less than one half would seem invidious. To all of these dear “Saints” of all ages we therefore give united and hearty thanks for the blessings which they, as the Lord’s servants and handmaidens, have bestowed upon their fellow-members of “the Church of the Firstborn, whose names are written in Heaven.” Most of them died long ago: their abundant reward will be of the Lord in the resurrection.
That the collection is thoroughly undenominational, unsectarian, will be manifest to those recognizing the fact that it includes the choicest old hymns and tunes used by all denominations.
Although we have gathered far and near and winnowed carefully we cannot hope to have gotten all the golden grains, though we do hope that no chaff can be found. The collection is for the Church, for “believers” “reconciled,” and hence contains none of the “sinners” hymns, such as “Come, ye sinners poor and needy,” because willful sinners are in no sense members of the “Body” of Christ, nor are those who have not yet accepted the Lord as their Savior.
Those who will feel the deepest interest in this collection, and whose sentiments will be most fully voiced in its verses, will undoubtedly be those in fullest degree of sympathy with the divine plan of the ages, as set forth in the several volumes of Millennial Dawn—the eyes of whose understanding have been opened to the clearer, purer light now shining from our great Redeemer’s cross, showing the fulness and the completeness of his salvation.
In fact, this volume, while not numbered as one of the volumes of the Millennial Dawn series, is designed to be a companion volume, a melodious accompaniment to the “new song,” “the song of Moses and the Lamb” (the grand harmony of the Law and the Gospel), as presented in the regular Dawn series.
Let the music of God’s good and great plan ring through your hearts and lives, dear fellow-pilgrims and fellow members of the “royal priesthood,” so that every day and every hour shall be filled with joy and praise and thankfulness! And that this little volume may assist in deepening the work of grace in your hearts is our hope and prayer.
– Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, July, 1905, Allegheny, PA, USA
——-
Later on, the hymns from this book formed a basis for the hymnal titled “Hymns of Dawn” which was published by the Dawn Bible Students Association in East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA) and the 1999 edition contains a total of 361 hymns.
Br. David Rice (www.2043ad.com) — Content and editing.
Br. Frank Shallieu (www.revelation-research.org) — referenced information.
[Note: Br. George Tabac’s 2016 discourse is almost identical but not the same as his 2015 discourse where it had been concluded that 6000 years from Adams creation would be up in 2042. However later, like Br. Charles Taze Russell, Br. George too came to realize the need to clarify his understanding by one year in his 2016 General Convention discourse, where he concluded the 6000 years from creation would be up in 2043, which concurs with Br. David Rice’s chronology (www.2043ad.com). Note the distinction in the final charts of these two discourses.]
Here is a recording of Hymn No. 18 from the “Hymns of Dawn” to aid God’s people in singing and making melody in their hearts unto God.
“(1) Come, let us shout joyfully to Jehovah!Let us shout in triumph to our Rock of salvation. (2) Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; Let us sing and shout in triumph to him” (Psalm 95:1,2).
“My mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips” (Psalm 63:5).
“(1) Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.
(2) Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
(3) For thus says the Lord: ‘You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.’
(4) For thus says the Lord God: ‘My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing.
(5) Now therefore what have I here,’ declares the Lord, ‘seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,’ declares the Lord, ‘and continually all the day my name is despised.
(6) Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”
(7) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
(8) The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lordto Zion.
(9) Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.
(10) The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
(11) Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.
(12) For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
(13) Behold, my servant [Christ Jesus] shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.
(14) As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
(15) so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.”
“(1) Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
(2) For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. (3) And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
“(31) So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, (32) and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.‘ (33) They answered him, ‘We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?’ (34) Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. (35) The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. (36) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (37) I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. (38) I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
“(1) For freedom Christ has set us free;stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (2) Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.(3) I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.(4) You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.(5) Forthrough the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
(6) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, butonly faith working through love.
(7) You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?(8) This persuasion is not from him who calls you.(9) A little leaven leavens the whole lump.(10) I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.(11) But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.(12) I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! (13) Foryou were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.(14) For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’(15) But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”
‘I will walk infreedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments.’
Lyrics
1.
Awake, Jerusalem, awake!
No longer in the dust lie down;
The garment of salvation take,
Thy beauty and thy strength put on.
2. Shake off the dust that blinds thy sight,
And hides the promise from thine eyes;
Arise, and gladly hail the light:
The great Deliv’rer calls, Arise!
3. Shake off the bands of sad despair;
And now receive thy liberty;
Look up, thy broken heart prepare,
And God shall set the captive free.
4.
Vessels of mercy, sons of grace, Be purged from ev’ry sinful stain;
Behold your Lord! His Word embrace,
Nor bear His hallowed name in vain.
The History Of This Hymn
Author — Charles Wesley (1707-1788). There are several slight changes of lyrics found in the Hymns of Dawn version of this hymn. (i.e. St. 1. “dust” rather than “thy sins;” St. 2. “gladly hail the light” rather than “struggle into light;” St. 3. “And now” rather than “Zion assert;” St. 4. “Be-hold” rather than “Be like.”)
Composer — no information found.
*******
FREEDOM IN AND THROUGH CHRIST
As soon as any measure of truth is received into a good and honest heart, it begins to strike off the chains of sin, ignorance, superstition and fear (R5508:4, R3153:6) … to make people independent (R2440:1) until each member shall stand free and independent of all human bonds, creeds and confessions (F242; R5144:6).
“Only the courageous “overcomers”of those bound in the congregational chains could even think of bursting the bonds which associate them with their food supply, their honor of men, and all opportunity they know for divine service” (R5145:1).
the fear that we now see coming upon the whole world as the great civil and ecclesiastical systems that have so long ruled the world are being terribly shaken (R5508:5, 3153:6).
Through Christ, we are FREE TO:
love God.
believe his Word.
trust in and understand how Jesus tasted death for every man
This freedom is necessarily incomplete so long as we have this treasure in an earthen vessel, so long as the new creature must use the imperfect body of the flesh as its instrument and exponent (R2440:2).
Those who make satisfactory progress will have in the resurrection full deliverance from sin, from all imperfections of the flesh, and from the flesh itself—through the power of the first resurrection (R5507:4, 2440:2).
The more you are getting of the truth, the more you are getting free indeed(“Convention Report Sermons,” page 14, paragraph 1).
“If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed;and ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make youfree.”—John 8:31,32.
At his first advent our Lord came to the Jewish nation, which was a House of Servants in covenant relationship with God. To these was to be granted the first privilege of becoming sons of God, and their blessing would be in proportion as they were faithful to the light that would come to them. Before they could become sons of God, however, it was necessary that Jesus should be their Redeemer, should make reconciliation for iniquity, and thus open up the way. This He had come to do, but He had not done it as yet. Whoever would come to understand the Divine purposes and arrangements, and act in harmony with them, should be made free, should be liberated from the condemnation resting upon them as Jews, from the results of the weaknesses of their flesh, and would be brought into full accord with God.
We can see that this great privilege also meant something more than all this. It meant something still higher—even joint-heirship with Messiah. But all these things were a hidden mystery as yet. They were known up to that time only by our Lord Himself; they were made clear to Him because He had been begotten of the Holy Spirit. There were many things hard to be understood. Jesus spoke in parables, in dark sayings, for the very purpose of making the Way of Life then opened up a “narrow way.” And so we read in the Scriptures that some said of the Master’s words: “This is a hard saying! Who can hear it?” Who could believe it?
The particularly hard saying referred to was that His “flesh was meat indeed, and His blood was drink indeed,” and that by eating and drinking of these they might gain eternal life. And so we read that after this many forsook Him and abandoned the thought of being His disciples, so blinded were they to their own interests. Instead of following on patiently, they said, This is all foolishness! We do not understand it!
Jesus was anticipating this condition of things when He spoke these words to them. He would put them on their guard. It was as though He would say, You have declared that “never man spake like this man!” Already you have heard words very different from the words of the Scribes and Pharisees. Now continue; hold on for a little while. If you will do this, you will grasp the situation in due time. Exercise faith—exercise patience. You have begun to have interest in these things, and as you fully become My disciples you will be granted a knowledge of the Truth. And this Truth will make you free; it will give you all the blessings and privileges that come to the children of God. Greatly blessed were the few who took heed to the Master’s counsel!
BLESSINGS BEGUN AT PENTECOST
These words of Jesus were not addressed especially to the twelve Apostles, but to the Jews in general who were sympathetically drawn. Nicodemus may have been one of these; he was inclined to stumble over the spiritual things; he could not see how one could be born again. The Holy Spirit was not yet given, we read, “because Jesus was not yet glorified.” St. Paul tells us that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”—1 Corinthians 2:14.
But some saw enough in Jesus to attract them to Him. These, in honesty of heart, said, Surely His words are true, and His criticisms of our nation are true. We do [R5507 : page 227] not see how He is going to fulfil these prophecies; but He says to us, Hold on and you will understand later. And some did hold on—”above five hundred brethren.” As Jesus had promised, these were given the privilege of becoming disciples indeed.
When Pentecost came, the Heavenly Father received all who had continued in Jesus’ Word, and they were begotten of the Holy Spirit into the Lord’s family. Then they began to see spiritual things—they were illuminated. All the light did not come at once, but they progressed as the days and years went by. They were indeed Christ’s true disciples—such followers of Jesus as the Father was pleased to recognize. They were not only made free from the condemnation of the Law Covenant, but made free from sin and death. They received a new will, a new mind, and the Holy Spirit showed “the deep things of God” unto them.
In His prayer to the Father, our Lord said, “Sanctify them through Thy Truth; Thy Word is Truth.” By the word Truth Jesus was here referring to the Father’s revealment of His Divine Plan through the Holy Spirit; and the sanctifying influence would come through the knowledge of that Truth, received into an honest heart. This sanctification, or setting apart, strictly speaking, began with the Pentecostal blessing, and still continues to operate. And this sanctification progresses as long as the individual allows the Truth to have its designed influence in his life. We see a difference between our text and the one just quoted. In the latter case it is the Word [R5507 : page 228] of Jehovah, and in the former it is the Word of Jesus. Jesus says, If you continue in My Word, you will become more and more acquainted with the Heavenly Father, and will know His will, His way, His method; thus you will know His Word. All things are working out His will—the will of the Father—and seeing and doing the will of the Father, the sanctifying process will follow. Jesus says to all, “I am the Way; I am the Truth; I am the Life.” I am the only One through whom you can come to the Father and become His sons; and abiding in Me will bring you the grand consummation.
THE CHANNEL OF ALL OUR BLESSINGS
We perceive, then, that Christ is the sufficiency which God has provided for us in all respects. “He of God is made unto us Wisdom, and Righteousness [Justification], and Sanctification, and Redemption [Deliverance].” (1 Corinthians 1:30.) We first receive, through learning of His sacrificial work on our behalf, necessary wisdom, instruction and guidance, by which we may through His merit come to the Father. And He is our Wisdom all along the way. The Heavenly Father had a glorious Plan before the foundation of the world; this was hinted in Eden, just after the fall. In due time He gave a further intimation of that Plan through Enoch and through Abraham, and still later through Moses and the Prophets. But how the world was to benefit from it was all hidden, all kept secret.
Not until Jesus came was the way of life opened up, made manifest. “He [Christ] hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.” The essence of the Gospel was never even declared, much less known, before Jesus came. The Apostle Paul says that this salvation “at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him.” (Hebrews 2:3.) Our Lord began to speak it; but the secret of the Gospel, its Mystery, was not fully revealed until after Pentecost. It was not until after Jesus was begotten of the Holy Spirit that He Himself began to comprehend it clearly—not until then did He begin to set before us the way of life and immortality. And even then His words were parabolic, and it was not until His followers were begotten of the Holy Spirit that they were able to enter into “the deep things of God.”
JESUS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
In addition to His being our Wisdom, Jesus becomes our Righteousness. He covers our sins. He imputes to us His own righteousness, the merit of His own sacrifice. And this imputation brings us to a condition of complete righteousness—not actual, but reckoned, which God is pleased to recognize in the way He has arranged.
Our Lord does not become the Righteousness of everybody—not even of those who give some heed to His Words—but to those alone who come to the point of full submission to the Father’s will. And there is a good reason for this; for only those who offer themselves to become members of His Body during this Gospel Age, only the spirit-begotten, would be profited by a justification by faith. Others would be condemned to death by it now. In the next Age, others will come to Him. But only those who come to Him now, to walk in His steps, have a faith-justification.
JESUS OUR SANCTIFICATION
The step of consecration on the part of those who become Jesus’ disciples is in the Scriptures called sanctification. But it is not the same sanctification which comes to us through Him. God says, “Sanctify yourselves, and I will sanctify you”—that is,Set yourselves apart, and then I will set you apart; I will put you into this place where you desire to come. So, to all of us who come to the Father through Him, Jesus not only becomes our Justification, but through Him we also have Sanctification—the complete setting apart. We are accepted in Him, and His grace and Advocacy enable us to attain complete and final sanctification.
God sets us apart by begetting us of the Holy Spirit to the new nature and making us prospective members of the Royal Priesthood—prospective members of the Body of the Anointed One. This is Scripturally called a foretaste, or “earnest,” of our inheritance, which will be experienced to the full when we are changed from the human to the spirit nature—”changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” But this “earnest of our inheritance” is given us with the intention of our growing in the process of sanctification already begun in us until its completion. We attain this through Christ.
JESUS OUR DELIVERANCE
Those who make satisfactory progress will have in the resurrection full deliverance from sin, from all imperfections of the flesh, and from the flesh itself—full deliverance through the power of the First Resurrection. Christ thus becomes our Deliverance. We shall then attain the full completeness of sons of God on the Divine plane.
In all these things Christ is the Center; through Him alone can we obtain these blessings. While the Father gives them, they are given through His Son, who is the Father’s Representative. Jesus received the Spirit of the Father and has shed it forth upon us. This is pictured in the type, in the anointing of the high priest. The holy anointing-oil was poured upon his head, and it ran down over his body. So we are anointed through our Head as members of the great High Priest.
“He who raised up Jesus from the dead will raise us up also by Jesus”; that is to say, Jesus will be the active agent. But there are certain features of the Divine Plan which Jesus will accomplish in His own name; for instance, the world’s blessing and uplifting. While the Father is the Author of the entire Plan, yet this blessing comes to the world exclusively through the sacrifice of the Son. Christ will do the work of the Millennial Age, and will then deliver mankind up to the Father.
But His work for the Church is different: “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to His abundant mercy, hath begotten us.” (1 Peter 1:3.) It is not the Son who has begotten us, though it is through the Son that we receive this Divine favor. The price, or cost, of obtaining this special Divine favor is the sacrifice of our lives. The particular thing which the Church receives more directly from the Son is justification. Yet this justification is of the Father, and it is not an actual justification, but an imputed justification. It is a special arrangement on the Father’s part for us that we may come into His favor now in advance of the world—the First-fruits unto God and the Lamb.
Ours is a wonderful God, and His great Plan of the Ages is marvelous beyond expression!Our hearts rejoice that our eyes have been anointed to see these glorious things hidden to the many during this Gospel Age, knowing that all the blind eyes shall yet be opened, and all the deaf ears be made to hear!
“THEY TURN THEIR EARS FROM THE TRUTH”
The Lord’s preaching always produced two opposite effects upon the promiscuous multitudes that heard Him: He attracted one class and repelled the other. Those who were full of pride and conceit, and who preferred darkness to light because their deeds were evil and because they realized that if they admitted the light of Truth they must of necessity conform their characters to it—all such were repelled by the teachings of Christ. And [R5507 : page 229] if the Lord had undertaken the work of the ministry according to the methods pursued today, depending for support on the good will and contribution of the people, that support would often have been very meager, or at least, very fluctuating.
On some occasions multitudes received His testimony, but later deserted Him, walking no more with Him as He continued to enforce the lessons of Divine Truth. (Luke 4:14-29.) Sometimes the multitudes hung upon His teachings, “wondering at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth”; yet again and again they forsook Him, only the merest handful remaining.—John 6:60-69.
What consternation would follow in the various churches of today, if the professed ministers of the Gospel should follow the Master’s example in similarly declaring the whole counsel of God! How quickly they would become unpopular and be charged with breaking up the churches! The congregations of the great temples of fashion ostensibly dedicated to the service of God and the teachings of Christ would not stand it. They go there to [R5508 : page 229] be entertained with pleasing and eloquent discourses from titled gentlemen who presumably know the tastes and ideas of the congregation, and will preach to please them. They are quite willing to pay their money for what they want, but they do not want the Truth.
Those who followed the Lord only for a little season and then forsook Him, of course then ceased to be His disciples and were no longer so recognized; nor did they presume longer to claim to be His disciples. A disciple is a pupil, a learner; and when a man ceases to be a student and pupil of Christ, the great Teacher, he is no longer His disciple. This was very manifest when the Lord was present, and when His name was one of reproach among men; but later, when His presence was withdrawn, and when His doctrines were unscrupulously mixed with human philosophies to such an extent as to divest them of reproach, and to make them really void, then men began to claim to be His disciples. This was long after His doctrines had been utterly repudiated.
THE REWARD OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP
The Lord’s expression, “Then are ye My disciples indeed,” implies a distinction between real and merely nominal disciples. And since we desire to continue to be Jesus’ sincere disciples, let us mark the expressed condition: “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed.” The hypocrisy of merely nominal discipleship is an abomination to the Lord.
It is a blessed thing to take the first step in the Christian life—that of acceptance of Christ as our Redeemer and Lord and yielding ourselves fully to the Father through Him. But the rewardof this step depends entirely upon ourcontinuancein His Word, in the attitude of true disciples. The disposition of human pride is to wander away from the simplicity of Divine Truth and to seek out new theories and philosophies of our own, or to pry into those of others who desire to be considered wise and great according to this world’s estimate.
The reward of continued discipleship is, “Ye shallknow the Truth”—not, Ye shall be “ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7.) Here is the mistake many make; failing to continue in the Word of the Lord, they delve into various human philosophies, which ignore or pervert the Word of the Lord and set up opposing theories.To those who seek for Truth among these human theories, there is no promise that they shall ever find it, and they never do.
Divine Truth is found only in the Divinely appointed channel—our Lord, the Apostles and the Prophets. To continue in the doctrines set forth in the inspired writings of the Prophets and the Apostles, to study and meditate upon them, to trust implicitly in them, and to faithfully conform our characters to them, is what is implied in “continuing in the Word” of the Lord. And this is entirely compatible with the heeding of all the helps which the Lord raises up from among our brethren in the Body of Christ, as enumerated by the Apostle Paul. (Ephesians 4:11-15; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14.) The Lord always has raised up, and will to the end raise up, such helps for the edification of the Body of Christ; but it is the duty of every member carefully to prove their teaching by the infallible Word.
If we thus continue in the Word of the Lord as earnest and sincere disciples, we shall indeed “know the Truth,” be “established in the Present Truth” [the Truth due], and “be rooted and grounded in the Truth”; we shall be “firm in the faith,” and “able to give a reason for the hope that is in us”; to “earnestly contend for the Faith once delivered to the saints”; to “war a good warfare”; to “witness a good confession” and to firmly “endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ,” even unto the end of our conflict.
We do not come into the knowledge of the Truth at a single bound; but gradually, step by step, we are led into the Truth. Every step is one of sure and certain progress leading to a higher vantage ground for further attainments both in knowledge and in established character.
The Truth thus acquired, step by step, becomes a sanctifying power, bringing forth in our lives its blessed fruitsof righteousness, peace, joyin the Holy Spirit,love, meekness, faith, patience and every virtue and every grace, which time and cultivation ripen to a glorious maturity.
Not only shall the true disciple thus know the Truth and be sanctified by it, but the Lord also said, “The Truth shall make you free.” Those who have received the Truth know by blessed experience something of its liberating power. As soon as any measure of it is received into a good and honest heart, it begins to strike off the fetters of sin, of ignorance, superstition and fear. Its health-restoring beams penetrate the darkest recesses of our hearts and minds, and thus invigorate the whole being; it quickens our mortal bodies.
“THE ENTRANCE OF THY WORDS GIVETH LIGHT”
Sin cannot endure the light of Truth; and those who continue to live in sin when a sufficiency of light has been received to manifest its deformity must inevitably lose the Light, because they are unworthy of it. Ignorance and superstition must vanish before this Light. And what a blessed realization it is to be thus liberated! Millions, however, are still under the blinding influence of error. Under its delusions they fear and reverence some of the basest tools of Satan for their oppression and degradation, because they hypocritically claim Divine appointment; and they have been made to fear God as a vengeful Tyrant, consigning the vast majority of His creatures to an eternity of torment. Thank God! We who have received the Truth have awakened from that horrible nightmare, and the bondage of Satan over us is broken. The Light has scattered our darkness.
We are made free, too, from the fear that we now see coming upon the whole world as the great civil and ecclesiastical systems that have so long ruled the world are being terribly shaken. All thinking people are in dread of the possible outcome of anarchy and terror; the alarm of all is increasing as we near the awful crisis toward [R5508 : page 230] which we are rapidly hastening, and as the danger becomes more and more apparent. Yet, in the midst of it all, and with the fullest assurance of the infallible Word of God as to the terrors of the conflict through which the world will soon have to pass, the true disciples of Christ who abide in His Word are not afraid, but rejoice; for they know that God’s object in permitting this mighty storm is to clear the moral atmosphere of the world, and that after the storm, there shall come, by His providence, an abiding peace. Instructed in the Truth, they realize the necessities of the situation, and have confidence in the Divine providence that can make even the wrath of man to praise Him, make all things work together for good.
Blessed promise!—”If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed, and ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.” Dearly beloved, having received this wondrous favor from the Lord, shall we not continue in it, giving no heed to seducing doctrines but bringing forth its blessed fruitage in our lives? And shall we not be faithful to it under all circumstances, defending it against every assault, and bearing its reproach? Let us prove our appreciation of the glorious Light by our loyalty and faithfulness, working out our salvation with fear and trembling.
==================
“My Saviour” — Christ Jesus
Here are some free online articles in relation to the Heavenly Father — Jehovah, and his Son — Christ Jesus — “a ransom FOR ALL … to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:6), as well as, about the holy Spirit (the invisible power and influence of God) with clear explanations about why the anti-Christ teaching of “the trinity” — introduced by the Roman Catholic Church system (the “Beast” in the Book of Revelation) — is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible Student Movement does not support the teaching of purgatory nor does it support the Roman Catholic System’s teaching about people being sent to a place where they burn up forever, which certainly does not reflect the perfect love of God — the Almighty Creator of all things.
Hence, for the interested Reader, we urge you to consider the following articles and posts:
Br. Charles Russell—the founder of the Bible Students movement, who is the compiler of“Poems and Hymns of Millennial Dawn” which was published in Allegheny, Pa., in 1890. This Bible Students’ devotional originally contained a total of 151 poems and 333 hymns.
The following prefatory to the1905 publication of Hymns of Millennial Dawnmay be of historical interest to many of our readers.
We published in 1890, with several more recent editions, a volume entitled “Poems and Hymns of Millennial Dawn” without music. The same collection of hymns with the music is now urgently needed, and therefore appears in this volume. The poems, although highly prized, are omitted for greater convenience in size. We have preserved the same alphabetical order, because so many of our readers have the older book; and where a different tune is given from that originally suggested the latter is indicated by Alt. for alternative tune, with the number where that tune can be found.
Both words and music are credited to the same class to whom the work is dedicated-to the Lord and His faithful people, “the Saints.” The authors of many of the best of them are unknown to us, and, besides, slight changes have been made in the phraseology and sentiment of quite a number, which we could not be sure their original authors would approve, and to give personal credit to less than one half would seem invidious. To all of these dear “Saints” of all ages we therefore give united and hearty thanks for the blessings which they, as the Lord’s servants and handmaidens, have bestowed upon their fellow-members of “the Church of the Firstborn, whose names are written in Heaven.” Most of them died long ago: their abundant reward will be of the Lord in the resurrection.
That the collection is thoroughly undenominational, unsectarian, will be manifest to those recognizing the fact that it includes the choicest old hymns and tunes used by all denominations.
Although we have gathered far and near and winnowed carefully we cannot hope to have gotten all the golden grains, though we do hope that no chaff can be found. The collection is for the Church, for “believers” “reconciled,” and hence contains none of the “sinners” hymns, such as “Come, ye sinners poor and needy,” because willful sinners are in no sense members of the “Body” of Christ, nor are those who have not yet accepted the Lord as their Savior.
Those who will feel the deepest interest in this collection, and whose sentiments will be most fully voiced in its verses, will undoubtedly be those in fullest degree of sympathy with the divine plan of the ages, as set forth in the several volumes of Millennial Dawn – the eyes of whose understanding have been opened to the clearer, purer light now shining from our great Redeemer’s cross, showing the fulness and the completeness of his salvation.
In fact, this volume, while not numbered as one of the volumes of the Millennial Dawn series, is designed to be a companion volume, a melodious accompaniment to the “new song,” “the song of Moses and the Lamb” (the grand harmony of the Law and the Gospel), as presented in the regular Dawn series.
Let the music of God’s good and great plan ring through your hearts and lives, dear fellow-pilgrims and fellow members of the “royal priesthood,” so that every day and every hour shall be filled with joy and praise and thankfulness! And that this little volume may assist in deepening the work of grace in your hearts is our hope and prayer.
– Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, July, 1905, Allegheny, PA, USA
Later on, the hymns from this book formed a basis for the hymnal titled “Hymns of Dawn” which was published by the Dawn Bible Students Association in East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA) and the 1999 edition contains a total of 361 hymns.
“Sermon Book” — This book of Pastor Charles Russell’s sermons can be read from the website: http://www.htdb.one and clicking on “Sermon Book” in the subheading “Other.”
1.
And can I yet delay
My little all to give?
To wean my soul from earth away
For Jesus to receive?
2.
Tho’ late, I all forsake;
My will, my all resign:
Gracious Redeemer, take, O take,
And seal me ever thine
3.
Come and possess me whole,
Nor hence again remove;
Settle and fix my wavering soul
With all thy weight of love.
4.
My one desire be this,
Thy love to fully know:
Nor seek I longer other bliss,
Or other good below.
5.
My life, my portion thou;
Thou all sufficient art:
My hope, my heavenly treasure, now
Enter, and keep my heart.
This Hymn’s History
Author — Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was the original author of the lyrics to this hymn. The“Hymns of Dawn” Hymnal contains four of the original five verses of this Hymn (“Full Surrender,” No. 14), with some word modifications.
Composer —Unknow (in relation to the melody of “Full Surrender” (No. 14) in the “Hymns of Dawn.”
Bible Scriptures Associated With This Hymn
Psalm 37:4 (KJV) — “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.“
John 6:38 (KJV) — “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.“
Psalm 40:8 (KJV) — “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.“
Romans 12:1-5 (KJV) — “(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (3) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (4) For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: (5) So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”
Ephesians 4 (ESV) — “(22) to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, (23) and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, (24) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
The following words are from a “Reprint” (No. 1839-1840) from “The Original Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence:”
CONSOLATION
“Trust in the Lord and do good: so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass; and he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him.”—Psa. 37:3-7.
WHILE the Word of God abounds in precepts and admonitions, in warnings and instructions, and while it lifts high the standard of moral excellence—so high that in our weak and fallen condition we cannot attain unto it, and in our efforts to do so in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation we must of necessity encounter the wrath of all the powers of darkness strongly entrenched in the hearts of fallen fellow-men, this same blessed Word comes to the faithful children of God in the very midst of this battle of life with sweet and refreshing consolation [comfort, solace].
Consolation! What is it?
Oh, you who have never enlisted under the banner of the cross, you who have never made an honest endeavor to withstand the powers of darkness, to fight the good fight of faith, to stem the current of your own fallen nature’s tendencies, or to contend earnestly for truth and righteousness in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, what can you know of the sweets of divine consolation?
It is the balmfor wounded spirits on the battle fields of time;
the cooling draughtfor fainting souls hard pressed by the relentless foe;
the soothing caress of a loving hand upon the fevered brow of a noble contender for truth and righteousness;
the gentle whisper of hope and courage when the heart and flesh begin to fail—
that is consolation, divine consolation, the only consolation that has any virtue of healing and refreshingin it.
But it is reserved only for those noble souls who are faithfully bearingthe burden and heat of the day; while those who listlessly drift with the current of the world’s favor, and of the downward tendencies of the carnal nature, can never have an intimation of its sweetness.
It is to the faithful soldiers of the Lord that the above words of the Psalmist are addressed—to the persecuted, tempted and tried. Hear them, tempest-tossed and fainting souls: they were long ago penned by the Lord’s prophet for your edification—“Fret not thyself,”but “trust in the Lord and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”
How strong is the Lord, how wise and good! His promises have never failed to those that put their trust in him.
We may feel that our efforts to be good and to do good are very unproductive, and that the opposition from within and without is very strong; but it iswhen we are weak—when we thus realize our own incompetency—that we may be “strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.”
Let us endeavor to make straight paths for our feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, and then lay hold of the Lord’s strength to help us pursue our course in the narrow way of difficulty and trial. The fact that we are weak and lame does not separate us from the love and power of God; for “he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust.”He knows that we have the treasure of the new nature in earthen vessels, and therefore it is that, while we strive to overcome, we have his proffered sympathy and aid and the imputed righteousness of Christ for our all-sufficient covering.
“Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land; and verily thou shalt be fed” (Psalm 37:3).
Our food and shelterwill be sure: he will never leave nor forsake his own, but will make all things work together for good to them [Romans 8:28].
“Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart”(Psalm 37:4).
This delight in the Lord is a still more advanced step in the Christian life. It is a blessed thing to learn to trust in the Lord; but it is when continued trust and responsive providences have ripened into personal acquaintance and fellowship with God that we learn to delight in him. Yes, it is when heart answers to heart, when pleading prayer brings recognized answers of peace, when the divine care and love are specially seen in the guidance of our way: in a word, when we come to feel that the Father and the Son have so clearly manifested themselves to us that we can recognize their abiding presence with us.
Ah! then it is that we begin to delight ourselves in the Lord.
Then, however dark may be the way, or however heavy may be the storm that rages about us, the balm of divine consolation is always there, so that the child of God, though often troubled on every side, is not distressed; though perplexed, he is never in despair; though cast down, he is not destroyed; and though persecuted, he is never forsaken.
To delight thus in the Lord is to have the affections centered in him; it is to have the heart in such sympathy with righteousness and truth as to see in God the fountain of all goodness and truth, the one altogether lovely.
The Psalmist expresses such an attitude of heart when, personifying our Lord Jesus, he said, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” And again, “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.”And again, when he says, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is….Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee….My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”—Psa. 63.
Such an experience springs only from the felt consolations of divine grace in times of sore and pressing need, and however great the afflictions or the trials of faith, patience and endurance that lead to such an acquaintance with God, there is great cause for rejoicing in them; for—
“E’en sorrow,touched by heaven, grows bright With more than rapture’s ray, As darkness shows us worlds of light We never saw by day.”
When the heart has been thus centered in God, it is its most natural impulse to commit its way to him. As one has beautifully expressed it—
“We’d rather walk in the darkwith God Than go alone in the light; We’d rather walk by faith with him Than go alone by sight.”
And how precious is the promise to those who thus learn to trustin the Lord and go on doing good, no matter how obstinate or fierce may be the persecution it may excite, and who delight in the Lord and confidentlycommittheir way to hisloving wisdom. Surely they shall have the desires of their heart, and no good thing will he withhold from them. Their fervent prayers avail much, and in his own good timetheir righteousness,however misrepresented and evil spoken of now,shall be brought forth as the light—clear, cloudless and widely manifest; and their judgment, the justice and righteousness of their hearts, as the noonday. And even while we remain here as aliens and foreigners in the enemy’s land, verily we shall be fed, both with the temporal bread and with the bread of heaven for our spiritual sustenance.
“Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.”
But the Psalmist adds one more important word of counsel to the Lord’s beloved children. It is this—
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him.”
Do not make the mistake of expecting him to give you the desires of your heart at the very instant of your request; to make your path peaceful, easy and pleasant as soon as you commit your way to him; and at once to bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. He has not promised to do that. Time is necessary for the working out of his kind providences in our individual affairs; for God works on philosophical principles and for lasting and blessed results. So—
This waiting, under severe trial or affliction, will indeed be a blessing in disguise, if the soul be rightly exercised unto patience, endurance, faith, hope, meekness, long-suffering, kindness and true Christian fortitude. And it will be in the darkness of these waiting seasons that the blessed stars of hope will shine the brightest, and the bright Morning Star, the harbinger of day, will shed his beams into the deepest recesses of our hearts. “They that wait upon the Lord,” says the Prophet (Isa. 40:31), “shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.”
Blessed promises! and, to the praise of his abounding grace, his saints of the past and present all bear ample testimony of their fulfilment.
“Who need faint while such a river Ever flows our thirst to assuage? Grace, which, like the Lord, the giver, Never fails from age to age.”
Br. Charles Russell—the founder of the Bible Students movement, who is the compiler of“Poems and Hymns of Millennial Dawn” which was published in Allegheny, Pa., in 1890. This Bible Students’ devotional originally contained a total of 151 poems and 333 hymns.
Later on, the hymns from this book formed a basis for the hymnal titled “Hymns of Dawn” which was published by the Dawn Bible Students Association in East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA) and the 1999 edition contains a total of 361 hymns.
1.
According to thy gracious word,
In meek humility,
This will I do, my dying Lord,
I will remember thee.
2.
Thy body, broken for my sake,
My bread from heav’n shall be;
Thy testamental cup I take
And thus remember thee.
3.
When to the cross I turn mine eyes
And rest on Calvary,
O Lamb of God, my Sacrifice,
I must remember thee.
4.
Remember thee and all thy pains
And all thy love to me;
Yea, while a breath, a pulse remains,
I will remember thee.
5.
Then of thy grace I’ll know the sum,
And in thy likeness be,
When thou hast in thy kingdom come
And dost remember me.
Author
James Montgomery (1771-1854)
James Montgomery was the oldest son of John Montgomery, an Irish minister of the Moravian Church, and was born in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, on November 4, 1771. At the age of seven he was sent to school at Fulneck in Yorkshire to prepare for the ministry.
It was during his years at Fulneck that his parents were sent to the West Indies as missionaries. Both of his parents died there. He left Fulneck in 1787 and received work as a merchant in Mirfield. Despite his great dislike for the work, Montgomery worked in Mirfield for a year and a half. Then he took a similar position at Wath only to find it quite as unsuited to his taste as the former. He finally set out for London with a copy of his poems in the hope of finding a publisher for them. In this he failed. He did, however, get in touch with Mr. Robert Gales of Sheffield, the owner and editor of the Radical Sheffield Register. Since Montgomery soon shared the views of Mr. Gales, he became co-editor.
When Mr. Gales was forced to leave England to avoid prosecution, in 1794, Montgomery took over the paper and became its owner and editor. Montgomery changed the name of the paper to the Sheffield Iris. During the first two years of his editorship Montgomery was imprisoned twice in the Castle of York and fined, once for three months for commemorating the fall of the Bastille and again for six months for reporting a riot in Sheffield. But Montgomery did not remain a strict radical all his life. At the age of forty-three he returned to the Moravian congregation at Fulneck and became an active member.
He was a zealous worker for missions and was an active member of the Bible Society. Montgomery was also a bitter opponent of slavery. He could not forget that his parents had given their lives as missionaries to the wretched blacks of the West Indies. His father’s grave was at Barbados, and his mother was sleeping on the island of Tobago.
Besides contributing poetry and hymns to the world for a period of fifty years, Montgomery lectured on poetry and literature. In 1833 he received a royal pension of $1,000.00 per year. James Montgomery never married. He reached the ripe old age of 83. He died at Sheffield, April 30, 1854, and was honored with a public burial.
He wrote 400 hymns, of which 100 are still in common use. A perusal of almost any English evangelical hymn-book will probably reveal more hymns by this gifted and consecrated man than by any other author, excepting only Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley. Among his longer poems are The West Indies, a poem in honor of the abolition of the African slave trade by the British Legislature in 1807; The World before the Flood, 1813; The Pelican Island, 1828.
Composer
Henry W Greaorex (1816 – 1858)
Henry W Greaorex was an English-American musician. He was born in Burton upon Trent, England. He received a thorough musical education from his father, Thomas Greatorex, who was for many years organist of Westminster Abbey, and conductor of the London “concerts of ancient music.” He came to the United States in 1839. In 1849, he married the artist Eliza Pratt. Prior to settling in New York City as a teacher of music and organist at Calvary Church, he played at churches in Hartford, Connecticut, including Center Church and St. John’s Episcopal Church in the adjacent city of West Hartford, Connecticut. Greatorex frequently sang in concerts and oratorios. For some years he was organist and conductor of the choir at St. Paul’s chapel. He died in Charleston, South Carolina, aged 42 years.
Greatorex published a Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes, Chants, Anthems, and Sentences (Boston, 1851). One of Greatorex’s best-known compositions is a setting of the Gloria Patri, widely used in Protestant denominations for the singing of the doxology in services to this day. The words of “Gloria Patri” are:
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Both now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Bible Students’ fellowship does not agree with the false teaching of the Trinity—introduced by the anti-Christ Roman Catholic Church system—that is reflected as the “Beast” in the Book of Revelation. This false teaching that God, Jesus and the holy Spirit are one and the same personification, is not what the Bible teaches. Here is what the Bible teaches about the Heavenly Father—Jehovah, his Son—Christ Jesus and the holy Spirit—the understanding of God—:
Wikipedia was used to access the above information about the Composer, Henry W Greaorex.
Acknowledgment
Br. Charles Taze Russell
Br. Charles Russell—the founder of the Bible Students movement, who is the compiler of“Poems and Hymns of Millennial Dawn” which was published in Allegheny, Pa., in 1890. This Bible Students’ devotional originally contained a total of 151 poems and 333 hymns.
Later on, the hymns from this book formed a basis for the hymnal titled ““Hymns of Dawn” which was published by the Dawn Bible Students Association in East Rutherford, New Jersey (USA) and the 1999 edition contains a total of 361 hymns.
The authors of the non-denominational articles listed above.
The URL of this post: biblestudentsdaily.com/2017/09/09/remember-me-hymns-of-dawn-no-2/
BIBLE Students DAILY 