“ABIDE WITH ME.”

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1153, 2 October 1913, Page 4

“ABIDE WITH ME.”

THREE VERSES CRITICISED

AUCKLAND PRESBYTERY

DEBATE

An overture submitted by Mr W. J. Rees, an elder of St. Stephen’s Church, Ponsonby, to the Auckland Presbytery last week, aimed at deleting the following verses from the hymn, “Abide With Me” : Not a brief glance I beg, a passing

word, But as Thou dwel’d’st with Thy disciples, Lord; Familiar, condescending, patient, free, Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.

Come not in terrors, as the King of Kings,

But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings; Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea, Come, friend of sinners, and abide with me.

Thou on my head in early youth did’st smile, And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile; Thou has not left me, oft as I left Thee, On to the close, O Lord, abide with me. The reasons given in the overture were as follows: “The wellknown hymn, ‘Abide With Me,’ has always been held in great favour by the Christian Church, and is probably the most popular evening hymn throughout the whole world. The hymn, which originally consisted ot five verses of exceptional merit and beauty, appears in the Church Praise and Hymnary as a hymn of eight verses, and the additional three verses are very inferior in construction, language and tone to the original five, and mar the Christian beauty of the hymn.” Had the overture been adopted it would have gone on to the General Assembly, which will meet in Christchurch in November, “I am as certain that Henry Francis Lyte did not write all the eight verses in our Hymnary, as I am that Tennyson did not write ‘Stop Your Ticklin’, Jock !’ that Correggio did not paint potboilers, and that Mendelssohn did not write musical comedies,” declared Mr Rees, Turning his attention for a moment to the verse, the second line of which reads. “But as thou dwel'd’st with thy disciples, Lord,” Mr Rees said : “I cannot get at that ‘d’ in ‘dwel’d’st,’ and in cannot be pronounced by one minister out of 50. For that reason the - d’ is sometimes left out, but it should be in, as the line is in the past tense.” Returning to the other verses, Mr Rees dismissed them with the remark that they were in no other hymn book he knew of, and they had not seen the light till 40 years after the death of the author of the hymn. “Where were they ?” asked Mr Rees, and, answering his own question, replied, “They were incubating in the brain ot the man who got them into the Presbyterian hymn book.” the moderator’s retort. The Rev A, A. Murray quoted an authority to show that the eight verses were original, and stated that there were seven verses in the Methodist book, and a note that one had been omitted, “I am not a ritualist by any means,” concfaded Mr Murray, “but if I was going to cut out any verse I would cut out the last ‘Hold Thou Thy Cross.’ I do not know whether it is meant that we are to carry a crucifix. . . .” “If there is to be a discussion of this kind, someone else must take the chair,” interrupted the moderator (Rev I. Tolly). “ I cannot bear a minister of the Church talking that rot.” MR REES HAS EAEEEN IN. Four reasons were given by Mr A. McCracken for believing that Lyte wrote the eight verses. Quoting a paper by the Rev J. King, M.A., he stated that the text was given in : (1; Lyte’s Remains 1850, (2) an original leaflet, (3) a fac-simile of Lyte's original m.s., and (4) the hymn with Lyte’s own music to it. “If we are going to begin criticising our hymnary it will be a serious matter, and v/hen we have finished there will be nothing left but the two boards,” declared Mr McCracken, adding that there were hymns in the Presbyterian book from which verses had been omitted, including, “O Day of Rest and Gladness,” and “Glorious Things of Thee ate Spoken.” “What appears to me to be a more serious matter,” he added, “is that congregations should use regularly for their evening services a collection of hymns not authorised by the Church.” Mr McCracken had just mentioned Alexander’s col-

lection, but he got no further. The moderator was on his feet with the statement that the session was in charge of praise, and the presbytery had no authority. Indeed, the Church in New Zealand had no power over the hymn books, which were authorised by the Home Churches- “We need not go on discussing this matter,” said the moderator, and, mentioning authority to show that Eyte wrote the whole hymn, he added : “In my opinion Mr Rees has fallen in.” MINISTERS WILE SELECT. “I am glad to have had this discussion,” said Mr Rees. “I think the result will be that ministers will select what verses are to be sung.” The hymn was too long as it stood. There were eight verses of 40 syllables each. “I withdraw the overture, feeling certain that this short discussion will result in a great deal of good, and I believe that in future the three verses to which I object will not appear much in the Presbyterian Church,” “I may be lacking in poetic taste, but I like the third verse, and the fourth I like,” said the moderator, in obtaining the presbytery’s consent to the withdrawal of the overture. —Herald.