What would you say about God in your 50th year, or perhaps if you lived to be as old as 70? That’s a question someone might have asked Benjamin Beddome at one time, and he had an answer – read the words to the hymn “God Is the Fountain Whence”. One could sum it up this way: Beddome felt that he owed everything he experienced to the Lord. Not a surprise, coming from someone who preached sermons and wrote over 800 hymns during a half-century of ministry. He might be one of the more obscure hymnists, but Benjamin Beddome carved out a unique niche as he worshipped Him in old England.
Beddome was an English preacher and hymnist in the 1700s. He is said to have composed a hymn each week that would be sung following the sermon he delivered. How many other preachers/hymnists could have maintained the same schedule? And, did he try to blend his sermon and the hymn “God is the Fountain Whence” into a logical theme? One might suspect that he tried, and if so, the author of one blog devoted to Beddome (see it below) suggests a theme entitled “The Knowledge of God”. And, not just of the intellect, but an appreciation for God that motivates the devoted follower to action. Other bloggers of hymnody (see two blog links below) indicate other details of the hymn’s background. The original first word of the song was ‘Love’, which was later changed to ‘God’. Beddome may have written the words between 1767 and 1787, when he was between 50 and 70 years old. And, the fountain in the song may have sprung in part from a stream that flows through the village, Bourton-on-the-Water, in the Gloucestershire county of southwestern England where Beddome ministered for most of his 50+ years in God’s service (see the picture above).
You don’t have to really guess what Beddome’s sermon must have been that day, for it’s in the song. Since the Holy One was the source of all of his life, it was pretty sensible to offer all his life back to Him. Sometimes, honestly, it’s not so easy to give up all of my agenda. It seems Beddome felt and acted otherwise. Obscurity’s not a bad deal from our God, Beddome’s life-example says. Find the fountain, and jump in!
See this link for song audio and some history: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/g/i/f/gifountw.htm
The below link has biographical information on the composer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Beddome
See the two blogs below for details on the history of the song:
http://homeschoolblogger.com/hymnstudies/540840/
http://wordwisehymns.com/2010/01/23/today-in-1717-benjamin-beddome-born/
The below link is to a blog devoted to the composer:
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