Lord We Come Before Thee Now -- William Hammond

This Englishman may have been renewing his faith through an association with a Christian group that was spreading its influence to his own country from continental Europe in the early 1700s. William Hammond and others in this same group may have been heard at that time calling themselves ‘brothers’, though today we would know them as the Moravian Church. The Moravians’ brand of Christian faith was very intently personal, so it was not unexpected to hear that Hammond had crafted something he called “Lord, We Come Before Thee Now” to focus himself and his brothers on the discipline of prayer. Their influence in Hammond’s homeland may have been notable, if in fact a portrait during this period showing some Moravians with the English king (George II) (see it here) depicts an authentic event.  Hammond’s prayer was sixteen verses long; how do yours and mine compare?

     

The 26-year old William Hammond may have been searching for something in his faith for a while during the period in which he crafted “Lord We Come…”. It’s reported that he joined the Calvinistic Methodists in 1743, perhaps shortly after graduating from St. John’s College in Cambridge. Two years later, he linked himself with the Moravians, the same year that at least some of his hymns—including “Lord We Come…”--were published in Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs in London. Whether his composition preceded or followed his Moravian initiation is not clear, but its qualities are consistent with a couple of Moravian characteristics that might have drawn him closer. Their love of music and a pious nature would have been apparent to William, two traits encapsulated in his hymn. Was the Moravian missionary zeal also influential in William’s acceptance of this group as his own? If it was, this was not emphasized in his poetry. All eight original verses (in our time, each is split into two) instead center on the personal redemption, occasional physical healing, instruction, and spiritual adoption which Hammond experienced or aspired to achieve. And, though undoubtedly personal, William very obviously wanted the experience of God to be enjoyed corporately. ‘We’, ‘our’, ‘us’, and ‘all’ dominate the pronouns William used to convey who is addressing God throughout his prayer. Not even once does he employ ‘I’ or ‘me’, indicating he expected others to join in, using his words in a way that recognized each other’s membership in this faith family. We help each other express our hope and loyalty to our Creator. That was indeed a Moravian brother speaking.

If I am honest with myself, what is it I seek when I pray? My prayers most often seem almost at odds with William’s. I want stuff, or I ask God to help heal someone. By contrast, William and his cohorts seem to have thought much more about being in God’s room, about acquiring His nature, and about glowing in his redemptive power. The other aims of prayer—healing, overcoming terrestrial challenges—are present (in Hammond’s 18^th Century verses 6 and 8; our contemporary verses 11, 12, and 15), but seem more like background elements in William’s 18^th Century prayer. Am I part of the ‘ME’ generation, to a fault? William might say we need to be in His presence, most of all. Grasp that concept, before ‘I’ and ‘me’ are on your lips.         

See following site for scant information on the author/composer, and the original 16 verses (written as eight verses in his time in the 1700s): http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/h/a/m/hammond_w.htm

See this site for history of the faith group with which the author/composer identified:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravian_Church

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing – Charles Wesley

He was celebrating and feeling inspired by some words he heard another believer say. If you asked 42-year old Charles Wesley what he was feeling in 1749 when he wrote “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”, that would be his short answer. You could also read the verses of the 19-stanza poem that he wrote if you wanted to imagine his feelings. What was it that moved the original speaker of the words, the ones that Wesley remembered for so many years? What did Wesley want with such a powerful instrument like the tongue (seen here)?

Wesley and his brother John met some Moravians in 1738, and got an eyeful and no doubt an earful too, leading them to choices they made that changed the rest of their lives. In short, they personalized their faith in Christ because of the influence of the Moravians. And, this sense comes through in the words that Charles wrote. Check out the link below to all 19 verses, especially verses 9 through 13, which are very personal words that Wesley records, but which we in the 21^st Century rarely sing. It’s said that the first verse of Wesley’s hymn recorded in today’s hymnals-‘O for a thousand tongues…’-was actually the ninth verse when he originally wrote this poem. And, the hymn’s title was in fact “For the Anniversary of One’s Conversion”, evidently a way for Wesley to commemorate the day he realized Jesus’ sacrifice was indeed for him. So, maybe those verses actually came first, including verse 9 – ‘On this glad day…’.   The other verses of the hymn broaden the worshipper’s view to mankind, a perspective that Charles and his brother John had already adopted when they encountered the Moravians. The Wesleys were returning to England after a missionary trip to the American continent, and on board a ship and later in their own homeland they began to appreciate the Moravians’ spiritual depth. Moravians are a people noted for, among other things, missionary zeal and love of music. Reportedly, one Moravian leader, Peter Bohler, spoke the words to Wesley that inspired the hymn’s contemporary title ‘O for a Thousand Tongues”. They resonated with Wesley until they were recorded 11 years later.      

One might say that Peter Bohler’s words became Charles Wesley’s theme song. He played a key role in the Weselys’ lives, convincing them that faith must be genuine and passionate, a general movement in the Protestant world called pietism. Peter Bohler may not have had a thousand tongues, but Charles Wesley did his part to manifest that phrase musically, writing 19 verses in this one hymn, and over 6,000 other hymns throughout his life. What did Wesley hear when he imagined 1,000 tongues singing together? I might think that’s not too difficult, if I go to a mega-church, right? But, think like a Wesley or a Bohler, as a missionary might. Think about perhaps 1,000 languages, spanning the globe, reaching every human. Then, multiply that through the generations, perhaps just since Wesley’s time. That’s what this hymn and its message could do, potentially. Thousands become millions and billions.  Keep singing, and warming up for the hereafter.  

Information on the song was obtained from the books  “Amazing Grace – 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions”, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, 1990, Kregel Publications; “101 Hymn Stories”, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, 1982, Kregel Publications; and “The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs”, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, 2006, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 

See the following website for the hymn’s 19 different original verses:

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/o/f/o/ofor1000.htm

The following are links to the Moravian church and one of its followers, Peter Bohler, who reportedly inspired the composer’s words for the hymn:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravian_Church

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_B%C3%B6hler