The words and music of the famous hymn, Nearer, Still Nearer, were written by Leila Naylor Morris. Leila, who was born in Pennsville, Ohio, on April 15,1862, wrote over 1,000 gospel songs and a great deal of piano music. She was a worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church and camp meetings. She died on July 23,1929, at Auburn, New York.
Nearer, Still Nearer
Nearer, still nearer, close to my heart
Draw me, my Saviour, so precious Thou art.
Fold Me,O fold me close to Thy breast,
Shelter me safe in that haven of rest.
Leila married Charles H. Morris in 1881 and in 1913 her a few years later her eyes began to fail. Because of her weak eyesight, her son fashioned a huge music staff on a blackboard so she could continue composing. Nearer, Still Nearer was published in the Pentecostal Praises Hymnal in 1898.
Open My Eyes That I May See
Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
This well-known hymn was written and composed by Clara H. Fiske Scott, who was born on December 3,1841, at Elk Grove, Illinois. She taught music at the Ladies Seminary in Lyons, Iowa in 1859, and was married to Henry Clay Scott in 1861. She wrote much vocal and instrumental music, and published a volume, The Royal Anthem Book, a compendium of her sacred compositions, in 1882. On June 21, 1897, in Dubuque, Iowa, Clara Scott died as a result of a fall from a carriage after it was hit by a runaway horse.
In Times Like These You Need A Saviour
In times like these you need a Saviour:
In times like these you need an anchor.
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock.
This more modern hymn was written and composed by Ruth Caye Jones, and was inspired by II Timothy 3:1 This know also that in the last days perilous times will come. It was heard and praised by George Beverly Shea, the vocalist in the Billy Graham Crusades, and he sang it many times.
The wife of a minister and mother of five children wrote this hymn, it was said, one afternoon when she felt the Holy Spirit come upon her. It has been used in perilous times since, such as the terrorist attack in New York City on 9/11.Ruth Caye Jones was lovingly known in her area as Mother Jones and this hymn composer died in Erie, Pennsylvania on August 18,1972, as a result of cancer.
Source
Amazing Grace by Kenneth W. Osbeck Kregel Publications Grand Rapids Michigan
For further reading see /british-poetry.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_father_of_english_hymnody
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