He was a 39-year-old school teacher in eastern Iowa, small-town 19th Century midwestern America. That would be one way to characterize Eden Reeder Latta. More lies at and below the surface of Eden, however, someone who wanted others to “Come to Jesus”. Who he was coaxing would probably have been anyone within earshot, including school children or maybe Sunday worship crowds where he would have been in Delaware County (see the map-graphic). But Eden’s reach was not confined to Iowa, although he would live nearly all of his 76 years of life there. His hymn writing alone – some 1,600 hymns are attributed to Eden Latta -- tells the researcher that he was looking far afield, and sought to draw others in the same direction, with the same aspiration that generations before and after his own life possessed.
Eden Latta had some fundamental building blocks in his first three decades of life that contributed to what he wanted to say in 1878 in ‘Come to Jesus’. Even his first name tells one that his upbringing was by bible-reading parents – Eden, suggesting his parents arrived at this name while pursuing the first few pages of that ancient text. Did they see their young son as a paradise inhabitant, or did Eden’s parents really just want to link him to the source of the story about this place? Only his parents could adequately explain. Eden’s father was a minister, a path that the son would briefly follow during the American Civil War. So, one can imagine Eden acquired some attention in his introduction, and later as he focused hearers with a message he had learned from childhood. As a teacher, he must have believed that what had been good for his education as a youth was likewise sound for his own pupils, both in Manchester and then in Colesburg, Iowa. Telling students or churchgoers about Jesus would have been basic to Eden’s personality, and a way to help transport himself and others far outside the borders of one state. We can surmise that Eden loved his life and where he lived, since he made it his home for many decades. But he was talking to people with ‘sins…like crimson’ (v.1), those who should be aiming for ‘mercy’s gate’ (v.2), but who might this objective because they were ‘dying sinner (s)’ (v.3). Living a good and decent life in Iowa would not be sufficient. Must have been a hard truth for some to hear, you think?
Insert your own name and where you live, and recompute what Eden would say to you. And, think some more, asking and answering some questions that Eden Latta might have posed to his generation. Have you intentionally hurt anyone, or committed any crimes that landed you in jail? My answers would be ‘no’. Been a good neighbor, respecting others’ peace and quiet? Paid your taxes? Warned others when you saw danger about to cause them harm? Gave others some sage advice after an experience you wanted to share? You and I routinely act like responsible citizens and help others, because it makes our earthly community more livable; no one wants chaos. How about doing some things to plan for your next abode? Eden had a three-word bit of advice.
See here for brief author biography: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/l/a/t/t/latta_er.htm
See also here: https://hymnary.org/person/Latta_Eden
See all the song’s verses here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/c/o/t/j/cotjesus.htm
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