I
will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known
Thy faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 89:1
Author—Francis H. Rowley, 1854–1952
Francis
H. Rowley was born in Hilton, New York, on July 25, 1854. Later he became a
Baptist minister and served churches in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and
Illinois. He has given the following account for the writing of this hymn:
I was minister of the First Baptist Church of
North Adams, Massachusetts in 1886. The church and community were experiencing
a period of unusual interest in religious matters, and I was assisted by a
remarkable young Swiss musician by the name of Peter Bilhorn. One Sunday following the evening service he
said, “Why don’t you write a hymn for me to set to music?” During the night these verses came to me. The
original poem began “Can’t You Sing the Wondrous Story?” However, when the song
was first published by Ira Sankey in 1887, the phrase was changed to “I Will
Sing …”
Peter
P. Bilhorn was born in Mendota, Illinois, in 1865. With the death of his
father, Peter was forced to leave school at eight years of age to help support
his mother and family. At the age of fifteen he moved with his family to
Chicago, where his voice became a great attraction in concert halls and among
his worldly comrades. When he was twenty he was converted to Christ at one of
the meetings conducted by Dr. Pentecost and musician George Stebbins. Following
his conversion, he was used greatly of God in various forms of Christian
service.
The
organ he used in services was a small folding organ bearing his name. Feeling
the need of a small portable organ for use in street meetings, he had designed
a folding organ weighing only sixteen pounds and had started its manufacture in
1887. This venture proved most successful, and the organs were widely used
around the world.
It
is estimated that he wrote approximately 2,000 gospel songs. This particular hymn
is one of his finest compositions. Peter Bilhorn is also the author and
composer of “Sweet Peace, The Gift of God’s Love” (101 More Hymn Stories, No.
83). His evangelistic ministry carried him into all the states of the union, to
Great Britain, and to other foreign countries. He preceded Homer Rodeheaver as
Billy Sunday’s song leader prior to 1908.
P.
P. Bilhorn was not only a skillful songwriter and leader but also an earnest
soul-winner. One night, while conducting revival meetings in Reedsburg, Wisconsin,
he retired to his room but later felt strangely compelled to dress, take his
folding organ, and start walking down the street, even though the weather was
bitterly cold. Seeing a gleam of light from a basement window, he knocked and
was admitted. He found a group of men gambling. Bilhorn began to sing to the
men “Where is My Wandering Boy Tonight?” Six of these men made their peace with
God that night.
“I Will Sing the Wondrous Story”
was presented by Rowley and Bilhorn to Ira D. Sankey as a gift. Sankey was so
impressed with the merit and usefulness of this hymn that he published it in
the 1887 edition of Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs and Solos. It soon became one
of the most popular songs in the entire collection.
