Luke 14:23
Words by Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915
Music by William H. Doane, 1832-1915
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Fanny Crosby, the blind American poetess, has often been
called the queen of gospel song writers. Although she did
not begin writing gospel songs until she was forty-four
years of age, from her radiant heart and prolific pen
flowed more than 8,000 gospel hymns before her home-going
at the age of ninety-five, on February 12, 1915.
The authoress has left the following account of the
writing of this hymn:
It was written in the year 1869. Many of my hymns were
written after experiences in New York mission work. This
one was thus written. I was addressing a large company of
working men one hot summer evening, when the thought kept
forcing itself on my mind that some mother's boy must be
rescued that night or not at all. So I made a pressing
plea that if there was a boy present who had wandered from
his mother's home and teaching, he should come to me at
the end of the service. A young man of eighteen came
forward and said, "Did you mean me? I promised my mother
to meet her in heaven, but as I am now living that will be
impossible." We prayed for him and he finally arose with a
new light in his eyes and exclaimed in triumph, "Now I can
meet my mother in heaven, for I have found God."
A few days before, Mr. Doane had sent me a theme for a new
song, "Rescue the Perishing," based on Luke 14:23. While I
sat in the mission that evening, the line came to me
"Rescue the perishing, care for the dying." I could think
of nothing else that night. When I arrived home, I went to
work on the hymn at once, and before I retired it was
ready for the melody. The song was first published in 1870
in Doane's Songs of Devotion.
This hymn, like so many of Fanny Crosby's soul-stirring
songs, has been greatly used of God to bring conviction of
repentance to many. Ira Sankey, who used this hymn
continually in his evangelistic campaigns with D.L. Moody,
tells this story in his book My Life and the Story of the
Gospel Hymn:
On a stormy night a middle-aged man staggered into the
Bowery Mission. He was intoxicated, his face unwashed and
unshaved, with clothes soiled and torn. He sank into a
seat, and, gazing around, seemed to wonder what kind of
place he had come to. "Rescue the Perishing" and other
familiar gospel hymns were sung and seemed to interest him
and to recall some memories of his youth long forgotten.
As the leader of the meeting told the simple story of the
Gospel and how the Lord had come to seek and to save
sinners, the man listened eagerly. The leader in his
younger days had been a soldier and had seen hard and
active service. In the course of his remarks he mentioned
several incidents which had occurred in his experience
during the war, and he gave the name of the company in
which he had served. At the close of the meeting the man
staggered up to the leader and in a broken voice said:
"When were you in that company you spoke of?"
"Why all through the war," said the leader.
"Do you remember the battle of--?"
"Perfectly."
"Do you remember the name of the captain of your company
at that time?"
"Yes, his name was--."
"You are right! I am that man. I was your captain. Look at
me today, and see what a wreck I am. Can you save your old
captain? I have lost everything I had in the world through
drink and don't know where to turn."
He was converted that evening and was helped by his friend
to a life of usefulness and respectability. The captain
often retold the story of how God used his former soldier
in a mission service to rescue his perishing soul.
Other hymns by Fannie J. Crosby include "All the Way My
Saviour Leads Me" (No. 5), "Blessed Assurance" (No. 11),
"My Savior First of All" (No. 60), and "Saved By Grace"
(101 More Hymn Stories, No. 76). William H. Doane was born
in Preston, Connecticut, on February 3, 1832. He was a
prosperous factory president who was interested in music
only as an avocation. Yet he was known as one of the
leading gospel musicians of that era. He wrote and
published more than 2,000 gospel songs and tunes. His
hymns include "More Love to Thee" and "Take the Name of Jesus With You". Doane was a close personal friend of Fanny Crosby and
collaborated with her on many of her hymn texts.
Throughout his life Mr. Doane was an active Baptist layman
in the Mount Auburn Baptist Church of Cincinnati, Ohio,
where he served as Sunday School superintendent and choir
director for a number of years.
Quoted from "101 Hymn Stories" by Kenneth Osbeck. Kregel Publishers, P.O. Box 2607, Grand Rapids, MI 49501, 1982.
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