“ABIDE WITH ME”: A GRAND OLD HYMN AND ITS DEVOTED AUTHOR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 44, 7 May 1948, Page 7

“ABIDE WITH ME”: A GRAND OLD HYMN AND ITS DEVOTED AUTHOR

(Contributed by the Ministers’ Association) Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) was born in Scotland, educated in Ireland, ministered in England, and made frequent journeys to the Continent; so there was a- breadth and depth about the mind of this man who wrote the most popular of all our hymns, “Abide with ,me.” The dawn must have started to break on the soul of Lyte when, as a young student, he sacrificed a promising career in medicine to study for the Church. Further light came to him when he had to resign his first curacy because of a breakdown in health. As in the case of the smitten Francis of Assisi and the dangerously wounded de Loyola, his forced inactivity and weakness gave him opportunity for meditation and prayer which had a permanent effect on his life. The decisive factor in his conversion however, was the death of a dear friend and fellow-worker. This produced the same crisis in the soul of Lyte as came to Martin Luther when his friend was struck dead by lightning at his side. Lyte’s friend died joyfully in the faith that Christ had paid the full penalty for all his sins. Lyte says of himself, “I was greatly affected by the whole matter, and brought to look on life and its issues with a different eye than ever before; and I began to study my Bible and preach in s' different manner than I had previously done.” He was only 25 years of age when he underwent this great spiritual change, but such was its momentum that it sustained him all through his future ministry and right up to the end. When he was 29 years of age Lyte undertook the heavy work of a new parish at Brixham, a fishing port of Devon. Here he wrought for nearly 25 years with great devotion. This was the period when the first Sunday Schools were being established in England, and Lyte took an active part in the important work, among the children. Many of his hymns were tried out in the Sunday School before being introduced into the church.

Lyte worked beyond his capacity at Brixton and in the later yeafs of his ministry his failing health forced him to be away at times from his parish. Unfortunately a new and fanatical -but no doubt well-mean-ing sect which was opposed to Church and clergy took advantage of this and gained increasing influence in the parish. Lyte saw his congregations dwindling and even his “helpers fail.” At last he knew he was near to death and resigned his charge. On the last Sunday he preached and administered communion to the faithfyl few .and went home and wrote “Abide with me.” He composed it in an hour in his study and handed it, together with a tune of his own composition to a near relative. He then went to Nice to rest but died there a few weeks later. He “triumphed still” in the end for his last words were a benediction: “Peace! Joy!”