Bryant – born

ON THIS DATE

William Cullen Bryant was born 11/3/1794, at Cummington, MA; a leading earlier poet.  He died 6/12/1878.

Quote

“No trumpet-blast profound

The hour in which the Prince of Peace was born;

No bloody streamlet stained

Earth’s silver rivers on the sacred morn.” – Christmas in 1875

 

Closing stanza of his To A Waterfowl

He, who, from zone to zone,

Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,

In the long way that I must treat alone,

Will lead my steps aright.

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Civilla Durfee Martin – birth, Aug 21, 1869

The blood that Jesus once shed for me,
As my Redeemer, upon the tree;
The blood that setteth the pris’ner free,
Will never lose its pow’r.

Refrain

It will never lose its pow’r,
It will never lose its pow’r;
The blood that cleanses from all sin
Will never lose its pow’r.

 It gives us access to God on high,
From “far off places” it brings us nigh;
To precious blessings that never die,
It will never lose its pow’r.

It is a shelter for rich and poor,
It is to Heaven the open door;
The sinner’s merit forevermore,
It will never lose its pow’r.

 And when with all the blood washed throng
We sing in glory redemption’s song;
We’ll pass the glorious truth along,
It has never lost its pow’r.

 Civilla Durfee Martin was born this date, 8/21/1869, at Jor­dan, Nova Scotia, Canada.  She was teacher, pastor’s wife and poet.  She penned “Accepted in the Beloved” “Breath of the Spirit” “God Will Take Care of You” “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” “Old-Fashioned Way” “Saved and Kept” “Sitting at the Feet of Jesus” and “Wonderful Love.”  She passed away 3/9/1948 at Atlanta, Georgia

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Thomas Obadiah (T. O.) Chisholm – birth, Jul. 29, 1866

Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

 Refrain

O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.

2.

Living for Jesus Who died in my place,
Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.

3.

Living for Jesus, wherever I am,
Doing each duty in His holy Name;
Willing to suffer affliction and loss,
Deeming each trial a part of my cross.

4.

Living for Jesus through earth’s little while,
My dearest treasure, the light of His smile;
Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,
Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.

Thomas Obadiah (T. O.) Chisholm was born this date, 7/29/1866, at Franklin, Kentucky.  He was a Methodist pastor, a teacher, an editor, and a poet.  Technically I could have met him (didn’t) but I did know Paul W Finch who knew Bro. Chisholm (so feel a little connected).  Of his 1,200 (+) poems three are: “Oh, To Be Like Thee” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and “Living for Jesus.”  He died 2/29/1960 at Ocean Grove, New Jer­sey.

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John Milton – death, Nov 8, 1674

“On the Late Late Massacre in Piedmont”

 

Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones

Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold;

Ev’n them who kept the truth so pure of old,

When all our fathers worshipped stocks and stones,

Forget not: in thy book record their groans

Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold

Slain by the bloody Piedmontese, that rolled

Mother with infant down the rocks.  Their moans

The vales redoubled to the hills, and they

To heav’n.  Their martyred blood and ashes sow

O’er all th’ Italian fields, where still doth sway

The triple Tyrant that from these may grow

A hundredfold, who, having learnt thy way,

Early may fly the Babylonian woe.

 

John Milton, one of the greatest (if not the greatest) poet of England died 11/6/1674 in London.  He is best known for Paradise Lost (1667), Paradise Regained (1671) but this is a good sonnet of his.  Milton was a philosopher, hynmist, poet, and theologian. 

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