The Tupelo journal., 1903-10-02
AN OPPORTUNITY.
Story of Isaac Watts and His Hymns
The Boy Who Turned n
Rebuke to Advantage.

When Isaac Watts was .a boy of IS he
went away from the service of Sunday
morning in the little Independent chapel
where his father was deacon, dissatis-
fled with the character of the singing
The hymns employed were those of an
early Congregational minister, William
Barton by name, whose work is now al
most forgotten, but is said by hymnolog-
lists to have been of considerable value
in the introduction of hymns, more
rhythmical and melodious than the hard
and numerical versions of the psalms
then in USE
Young Isaac ventured to say that the
hymns were not as good as they ought to
be, and received the answer intended to
put him to silence: Give us better
hymns if you can, young man."
Such rebuke, from a church official
would have silenced many self-conf-
dent young worshiper of the time of
Watts, says the Youths Companion, but
Watts accepted it as an opportunity.
When the congregation assembled in the
afternoon 1t was invited to sing a new
hymn composed by him that day, the
first lines of which read:
Behold the gores of the Lamb
Before His Fathers throne;
Prepare new honors for His name,
And songs before unknown.
1t was far from being his greatest
hymn, but it was the beginning of his
work as hymn-writer From that time
on songs before unknown" flowed from
his pen almost every week, and were
used, first in the church of which his ia
Their was deacon. and later in that of
which he was the minister.
No other man made such contributions
to the riches of English hymmody: and
excepting Charles Wesley, no one else
has produced such a volume of songs
that have survived through later genera
lions. Lofty hymns of alteration, like
The heavens declare Thy glory. Lord"
rose from his reverent soul. Songs of
heroic service, such as Am I Soldier
of the CROSSE" summoned the hearts of
men to action and self-denial. Songs
full of inspiration and cheer, like "Come
we that love the Lord and let your joys
be known" made the religious life one
of solemn pleasure. Songs of historic
retrospect, like the common version of
20 God, our help in ages past" estab-
lfshed the confidence and trust of those
who sang
1t may be hard for us to realize the
comfort which millions of mo,irners re-
ceived from why do we mourn depart
ing friends?" The quaint tune China"
to which it was sung, is almost alone
among surviving hymn-tunes of this
period. But few can fail to appreciate
the comfort of such hymns as: There
Is Land of Pure Delight"
All these hymns, and hundreds more,
came from the pen of the lad who ac-
cepted rebuke as an opportunity. The
courage with which he took up the task
assigned he illustrated in the freedom
with which he broke from past traditions
and gave new power and dignity to the
art of hymn-writing. Wherever the
English language is spoken his name is
loved. and his hymns have been trans
lated into many of the tongues in which
the Gospel is preached.
It is not to be supposed that none of
these things would have happened had
Watts failed to write his first hymn when
the opportunity offered itself, nor are
we free to say what occasion might later
have called out his slumbering power.
We can measure the good that follows
the opportunity accepted but we can
rarely determine the loss which comes
from its neglect. With every opportun-
ity in life might well be remembered this
motto: THE future may offer to thee
honorable service. but this choice comes
b1,t apooO