The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-07-25
"Rock of Ages. +"

The hymn beginning.
Crock of Ages, cleft for me-"
may we'll be esteemed one of the bright
est gems of Christian psalmody.
1t is a grand tone that nerves and
strengthens faith, that associates the sub
lime imagery of the Hebrew Scriptures
with the all protecting love of Christ,
and that has consoled thousands of
Christians in the dying hour.
Augustus Montague Toplady, the au-
thor was born at Farnham, Surrey, Eng
land, in 1740 His father fell at the bat
tie of Carthagena, and he was brought up
in charge Of an exemplary and pious
mother He was educated at the West
minister school.
At the age Of SIXTEEN Toplady chanced
to go into a barn at an obscure place,
called Codymain, Ireland, to hear an
illiterate layman preach. The sermon
made upon him an unexpected impress
sion and led to his immediate conversion.
He thus speaks of this interesting expe
rience in his diary THAT sweet text,
'Ye who were sometimes afar off are
made nigh by the blood of Christ was
particularly delightful and refreshing to
my soul Strange that /, who had so
long been under the means of grace in
England, should be brought nigh to God
in an obscure part of ireland, amidst
handful of Gods people met together in
barn, and under the ministry of one
who could scarcely spell his name The
excellency of such power must be of God
and cannot be of men.
He became minister of the church of
England, maintained the Calvinistic doc
trines in opposition to the Wesleys. and
preached and wrote with self.consuming
zeal. The only blemsh of his high char
acter was heated language and intoler
ance in controversy.
In the year ITS his health began to
fail 1t was evident that the sword was
too sharp for the scabbard Hi physical
energies were being destroyed by the
fiery ardor of soul that over-taxed them
His physician commanded him to go to
London. Here new field opened before
him. and he became pastor OF the French
Calvinist Reformed Church
On the year of his settlement in Lon
don, be published in the Gospel Maga-
zine an article, entitled Questions and
Answers Relative to the National Debt"
in which he adverts to the debt of sin
and shows how multitudinous are the
sins of mankind. By numerical calcula
tions, he exhibits the enormity of the
debt of the redeemed soul, which Christ
has cancelled, and impresses the readers
with the transcendent love and value o
Christ's atonement. With these thoughts
growing like vision in his mind, b.
then added:
Rock of ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.
Not the labor of my hands
Could my zeal n respite know,
Could my tears for ever flow,
All for sin could not atone,
Thou must save, and thou alone.
Nothing in my hand bring.
Simply to thy cross cling
Naked, come to thee for dress,
Helpless, look TO thee for grace;
Foul, 1 to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour or die.
Whilst draw this fieeting breath,
When my eyestrings break in death;
When soar through tracts unknown,
Rock of ages cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee.
The above is the original version, frol
which it will be seen that the hymn
common use has been greatly transpose
and altered.
1t was composed in Toplady's la.
years, when he already felt that he ws
beginning to lose his hold on life an
that his feet were already standing o
celestial attitudes. Some two years afte
wards, when he was yet but thirty -fv
years of age, the full time of his depa
ture came, and he found the prayer
the last stanza of this hymn fully an
sweetly answered in the revelation
Divine love to his soul. He seemed I
walk in Bulah, to breathe immortal all
and to hear the tuning of unseen harp
and by faith to discover what the Prot,
martyr saw and the Revelator described
your pulse said the doctor. lis b.
coming weaker.
THAT is good sign said Toplad
that my death is fast approaching, an
I can add that my heart beats every da
stronger and stronger for glory"
AS his end drew Immediately nea
tears of Joy filled his eyes, before whic
already seemed to pass visions of Par
disc. and he exclaimed: "It will not
long before God takes me, for no mort'
can live after the glories God has man
tested to my soul. Story of the Hymn
by American Tract Society.