The Van Buren press., 1903-10-03
AN OPPORTUNITY.
story of Isaac watts and His Hymns
The boy Who Turned
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 a deacon, dissatiS-
fed 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 a self-confi-
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 II was invited to sing a new
hymn composed by him that day, the
first lines OF which read.
Behold the glorIes Of the Lamb
Before His Fathers throne;
Prepare new honors for His name,
And songs before unknown.
II was far from being his greatest
hymn, but II 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
ther 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
tions, Lofty hymns Of alteration, like
The heavens declare Thy glory, Lord"
rose from his reverent soul Songs Of
heroic service, such as Am | a Soldier
Of the Cross" summoned the hearts Of
men TO action and self-donia Songs
full OF inspiration and cheer, Ike Come
ye 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-
lIshed the confidence and trust OF those
who sang
II may be hard for us 10 realize the
comfort which millions of mournor, re-.
coIyed from why do we mourn depart.
Ing friends9" The quaint tune China,
to which II 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"
Al these hymns, and hundreds more,
came from the pen Of the lad who ne.
cepted rebuke as an opportunity. The
courage with which he took up the tas,
assigned he illustrated In the freedom
with which he broke from past traditions
and gave new power and dignity 10 tho
art OF hymn writing Wherever tho
English language Ia spoken his name Is
loved, and his hymns have been trans.
lated into many OF the tongues In which
the Gospel In preached,
It IN not to be supposed tha, none Of
these things would have happened had
watts failed to write his fret hymn when
the opportunity Offered itself, nor nrc
we free TO say what occasion might later
nave called ont his slumbcrIng power
We can measure the good that follows
the opportunity accepted, but we can
rarely determine the loss which comes
rom lls neglect with every opporun.
l'y In life might well be remembered this
motto "fhe future may ortr to thee
honorable service, but this choice comes
but once"