The Story of Our Hymns Part 19

Earth and heaven tell the story Of Thine eternal might and glory, And all Thy works their incense bring.

Lo, hosts of Cherubim And countless Seraphim Sing, Hosanna, Holy is G.o.d, almighty G.o.d, All-merciful and all-wise G.o.d!

Hedborn, who was the son of a poverty-stricken Swedish soldier, was born in Heda, Sweden, in the year 1783. He began his career as a school teacher, served for a while as court preacher, and finally became pastor at Askeryd, where he died in 1849. He was a gifted writer, and his lyric poetry and folk-songs struck a responsive chord in Swedish hearts. In 1812 he published a collection of hymns, and in the following year a second volume appeared. It is claimed that the Christo-centric note in Hedborn's hymns profoundly influenced Wallin and helped to establish the latter in the orthodox Lutheran teaching.

In addition to the sublime _Te Deum_ mentioned above, two other hymns of Hedborn have been given English dress. One of these is the beautiful Epiphany hymn, "Now Israel's hope in triumph ends"; the other is the communion hymn, "With holy joy my heart doth beat."

Erik Gustav Geijer, professor of history in Upsala University, was another of the poetic geniuses of this golden age in Swedish hymnody. He was born at Ransater, Varmland, Sweden, in the same year that witnessed Hedborn's birth--1783. Like Hedborn, he also published a little collection of hymns in 1812 which immediately focused attention upon him as a poet of unusual ability. Although his hymns do not rise to the artistic heights attained by his other poems, it is believed that Geijer purposely avoided high-sounding phrases as unworthy of the dignity and spirit of hymnody.

His pa.s.sion hymn, "Thy Cross, O Jesus, Thou didst bear," is a gripping portrayal of the conquering power of the Saviour's sacrificial love.

There is likewise a glorious note of victory heard in his Easter hymn:

In triumph our Redeemer Is now to life returned.

All praise to Him who, dying, Hath our salvation earned!

No more death's fetter galls us, The grave no more appalls us, For Jesus lives again.

In glory Thou appearest, And earth is filled with light; With resurrection radiance The very tomb is bright; There's joy in heavenly places When o'er all earthly races The dawn of mercy breaks.

In the preparation of the "Psalm-book," there was no one on whom Archbishop Wallin leaned so heavily for help and counsel as Johan strom, parish priest in Simtuna and Altuna. This man, who was born in 1767, was a lyric poet of unusual ability, and Wallin valued his judgment very highly, even to the extent of seeking his criticism of his own hymns.

Eighteen of the hymns in the "Psalm-book" are from strom's pen. Many of them, however, are unfortunately tinged by the spirit of rationalism, from which influence strom had not quite been able to free himself.

Instead of emphasizing trust in the Saviour's merits as the true way to eternal life, there is a strong suggestion in strom's hymns that the heavenly goal is achieved by walking in the Saviour's footsteps. Witness, for example:

Lord, disperse the mists of error, In Thy light let me see light; Give Thou me that faith and visior Whereby I may walk aright, In my Saviour's path discerning, Through this vale of doubt and strife, Footsteps to eternal life.

We are immeasurably indebted to strom, however, for the present form of the glorious All Saints' hymn, "In heaven above, in heaven above." This hymn, in which we almost may discern something of the celestial radiance and beauty of the heavenly country, is ranked as one of the finest hymns in the Swedish "Psalm-book." It is more than three centuries old, dating back in its original form to 1620. It was written by L. Laurentii Laurinus, parish pastor in Haradshammar, at the time of his wife's death, and was appended to the funeral sermon preached by a brother pastor.

strom recognized the rare beauty of the hymn and through his poetic genius it was clothed in immortal language. William Maccall, a Scotchman, has in turn rendered it into English in such a faithful manner that much of its original beauty is preserved.

In heaven above, in heaven above, Where G.o.d our Father dwells: How boundless there the blessedness!

No tongue its greatness tells: There face to face, and full and free, Ever and evermore we see-- We see the Lord of hosts!

In heaven above, in heaven above, What glory deep and bright!

The splendor of the noon-day sun Grows pale before its light: The mighty Sun that ne'er goes down, Around whose gleam clouds never frown, Is G.o.d the Lord of hosts.

In heaven above, in heaven above, No tears of pain are shed: There nothing e'er shall fade or die; Life's fullness round is spread, And like an ocean, joy o'erflows, And with immortal mercy glows Our G.o.d the Lord of hosts.

In heaven above, in heaven above, G.o.d hath a joy prepared Which mortal ear hath never heard, Nor mortal vision shared, Which never entered mortal breast, By mortal lips was ne'er expressed, O G.o.d the Lord of hosts!

Arvid Afzelius, court chaplain and pastor at Enkoping, was another member of this remarkable group of Swedish hymnists that contributed to the "Psalm-book" of Wallin. Afzelius, who was an authority on folk songs, has given us the inspiring hymn of praise beginning:

Unto the Lord of all creation Thy voice, my soul, in anthems raise.

Let every heart a fit oblation Bring unto Him with songs of praise.

O contemplate in humbleness The power and riches of His grace.

Johan Hjerten, an obscure country pastor at h.e.l.lstad, was the author of six hymns in the "Psalm-book," among them the devotional hymn, "Jesus, in my walk and living." It is said that the artless simplicity of his hymns provided an excellent pattern for the other writers of his day, many of whom were fond of the grandiloquent phrases so characteristic of the rationalist hymnody.

The last name of this group we would mention is that of a layman, Per Olof Nystrom. This man, who was a high naval officer, wrote many excellent hymns, among them a devotional lyric that for more than a hundred years has been cherished almost as a national prayer by the pious folk of Sweden. Its first stanza reads:

O Fount of truth and mercy, Thy promise cannot fail; What Thou hast said must ever In heaven and earth prevail; "Call upon Me in trouble, And I will help afford."

Yea, to my latest moment, I'll call upon Thee, Lord.

A Longing for Home

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Thou city ever blest, Within thy portals first I find My safety, peace, and rest.

Here dangers always threaten me, My days in strife are spent, And labor, sorrow, worry, grief, I find at best their strength.

No wonder, then, that I do long, O blessed home, for thee, Where I shall find a resting-place, From sin and sorrow free; Where tears and weeping are no more, Nor death, nor pain, nor night, For former things are pa.s.sed away, And darkness turned to light.

Now all for me has lost its charm Which by the world is praised, Since on the cross, through faith, I saw My Saviour Jesus raised; My goal is fixed, one thing I ask, Whate'er the cost may be, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Soon to arrive in thee.

Carolina Vilhelmina (Sandell) Berg (1832-1903).

THE f.a.n.n.y CROSBY OF SWEDEN AND THE PIETISTS

As will be noted in a subsequent chapter, the Nineteenth century witnessed the phenomenon of gifted Christian women a.s.suming a place of primary importance among the foremost hymn-writers of the Church. Just as England had its Charlotte Elliott and Frances Havergal, and America had its f.a.n.n.y Crosby, so Sweden had its Lina Sandell.

The rise of women hymn-writers came simultaneously with the great spiritual revival which swept over America and evangelical Europe in successive tidal waves from 1800 to 1875. In Sweden the religious renaissance received its first impulse, no doubt, from Lutheran Germany.

However, the Wesleyan movement in England and America also began to make its influence felt in wider circles, and the coming to Stockholm of such a man as George Scott, an English Methodist, gave added impetus to the evangelical movement which was already under way. Carl Olof Rosenius, Sweden's greatest lay preacher and the most prominent leader in the Pietistic movement in that country, was one of Scott's disciples, although he remained faithful to the Lutheran doctrine and a member of the Established Church to the close of his life.

It was in the midst of the Rosenius movement that Lina Sandell became known to her countrymen as a great song-writer. She was born October 3, 1832, at Froderyd, her father being the parish pastor at that place. She was a frail child who preferred to spend her hours in her father's study rather than join her comrades in play. When she was twenty-six years old, she accompanied him on a journey to Gothenburg, but they never reached their destination. At Hastholmen the vessel on which they sailed gave a sudden lurch and the father fell overboard, drowning before the eyes of his devoted daughter.

This tragedy proved a turning point in Lina Sandell's life. In the midst of her grief she sought comfort in writing hymns. Her songs seemed to pour forth in a steady stream from the depths of a broken heart. Fourteen of her hymns were published anonymously the same year (1858) in a Christian periodical, _Budbararen_. Although she lived to write 650 hymns in all, these fourteen from the pen of the grief-stricken 26-year-old girl have retained a stronger hold on the hearts of her countrymen than most of her later productions. Among these "first-fruits" born in sorrow are such hymns as: "Saviour, O hide not Thy loving face from me," "Others He hath succored," and

Children of the heavenly Father Safely in His bosom gather; Nestling bird nor star in heaven Such a refuge e'er was given.

The remarkable popularity which Lina Sandell's hymns attained within a comparatively short time was due to a large extent to the music written for them by Oskar Ahnfelt, a "spiritual troubadour" of his day. Ahnfelt not only possessed the gift of composing pleasing melodies that caught the fancy of the Swedish people, but he traveled from place to place throughout the Scandinavian countries and sang them to the accompaniment of a guitar. Miss Sandell once said: "Ahnfelt has sung my songs into the hearts of the people."

The inspiration for her songs came to Miss Sandell at sundry times and places. Sometimes in the midst of the noise and confusion of the city's streets, she would hear the words of a new song. Sometimes she would awake in the still hours of the night with the verses of a hymn ringing in her ears. By her bedside she always kept a slate on which she might instantly record these heaven-born thoughts.

In 1867 Miss Sandell was married to a Stockholm merchant, C. O. Berg, but she continued to sign her hymns with the initials, "L. S." by which she was familiarly known throughout Sweden. She died on July 27, 1903.

Not only Ahnfelt, but also Jenny Lind helped to make Lina Sandell's hymns known. The "Swedish nightingale" was herself a Pietist and found great delight in listening to the preaching of Rosenius and the singing of Ahnfelt. At these conventicles the marvelous singer who had gained the homage of two continents sat with common workingmen on crude benches and joined with her sweet voice in singing the Pietist hymns. Ahnfelt, in visiting the home of the great singer, spoke of his ambition to publish these hymns. When Jenny Lind learned that financial difficulties stood in the way, she quickly provided the necessary funds, and so the first edition of "Ahnfelt's Songs," which in reality were mostly the hymns of Lina Sandell and Rosenius, was made possible.

Rosenius and Ahnfelt encountered much persecution in their evangelical efforts. King Karl XV was pet.i.tioned to forbid Ahnfelt's preaching and singing. The monarch refused until he had had an opportunity to hear the "spiritual troubadour." Ahnfelt was commanded to appear at the royal palace. Being considerably perturbed in mind as to what he should sing to the king, he besought Lina Sandell to write a hymn for the occasion. She was equal to the task and within a few days the song was ready. With his guitar under his arm and the hymn in his pocket, Ahnfelt repaired to the palace and sang:

Who is it that knocketh upon your heart's door In peaceful eve?

Who is it that brings to the wounded and sore The balm that can heal and relieve?

Your heart is still restless, it findeth no peace In earth's pleasures; Your soul is still yearning, it seeketh release To rise to the heavenly treasures.

The king listened with tears in his eyes. When Ahnfelt had finished, the monarch gripped him by the hand and exclaimed: "You may sing as much as you like in both of my kingdoms!"

Mention has already been made of the hymns of Rosenius. These, like the songs of Lina Sandell, were likewise a powerful factor in the spread of the evangelical movement in Sweden.