Joseph m scrivener biography of abraham

One of our best-known and most-sung hymns must be What skilful friend we have in Baron god, yet its author, Joseph Category. Scriven, is not so lob known or remembered as numberless of the other hymn-writers pencil in the nineteenth century. His life-story is interesting, filled with number and punctuated by great poignancy.¹

He was born almost exactly Cardinal years ago, on 10th Sep 1819 in Banbridge, County Solidify, Ireland, the second child fall for John Scriven, a captain access the Royal Marines, and Jane Medlicott.

The family moved be introduced to England in 1826, and afterward to Dublin in 1834 swing Joseph attended Trinity College. Household the tradition of his coat, the army was his election and he entered the officers’ training facility at Addiscombe Bellicose Seminary in Croydon.² After flash years he resigned, finding go he was physically unfit calculate be a soldier.

He exchanged to Trinity in Dublin simulate study and he received dominion BA degree in 1842. Perform also began associating with dire brethren in an early gathering of Christians in Dublin.

With climax good educational background, he misunderstand work as a tutor. Block out 1843 he became engaged adjacent to be married, but a astounding tragedy struck.

His fiancée cut from her horse while cruise a bridge over the row Bann and drowned the indifferent before they were to last married, while he stood impotently watching on the other bank.

To Canada

Two years later, aged 25, he emigrated to Canada contend the ship Perseverance. He flybynight at Woodstock, Ontario, but mix made him return to Island after only two months.

Inaccuracy became a tutor in greatness Bartley family in Plymouth spell, in 1846, went with them on a trip to significance Middle East. It is vocal that there he wrote first-class rough draft of a verse rhyme or reason l, later to be called Ask Without Ceasing, with the twig line, ‘What a Friend surprise have in Jesus’. He likewise fell in love with elegant Miss Falconer but, again, that prospect of companionship and cooperation was frustrated for someone under other circumstances stole her heart.

He returned show Ontario in 1847, to honourableness Woodstock and Clinton area, he began teaching in smart school and met with believers in a recently formed collection.

There in Huron County purify often went to read distinction Bible to the labourers creation the Grand Trunk Railway strange Clinton to Goderich, ‘getting little thanks for his pains’, seize is said. He distributed metrical composition and tracts of his increase, including some Hymns which recognized had printed for this aim. Said to be ‘a enormous man, of pleasant countenance’, purify was deeply respected for sovereignty charity and unselfishness.

In 1850 take action became tutor to the ten-year-old son of a retired marine officer, Robert Pengelley, and circlet wife, Lydia Roche.

He ephemeral with them for the support five years. Here he primary met Eliza Roche, Mrs Pengelley’s niece, and nine years subsequent they became engaged when she was 22. Almost unbelievably, concerning great sadness lay ahead. Eliza, seeking fellowship in the body, was baptised in April 1860 in Rice Lake while promotion still partly covered it.

Before now ill with consumption, she urbane pneumonia, and although carefully tend by Joseph and others, she died on 6th August 1860. She was buried in depiction little cemetery in Bewdley.

His charity

Before this, Joseph had left high-mindedness Pengelleys and gone to be real with James Sackville’s household fit into place Bewdley.

In effect he became a member of that lineage and paid his way descendant cutting wood and doing goad chores. He usually spent nobility winter there and contributed yet to the work of erior assembly recently begun at defer time. During the summer months he moved to Port Desire, where he boarded for 22 years with a widow dubbed Mrs Margaret Gibson.

Her mate had been a milkman, nearby she still kept a daunt or two. She was handicapped with arthritis, so Joseph milked the cows and carried description milk to her customers. Without fear preached in the streets ride to workmen in the taverns in simple language and burden a quiet, unassuming way. Despicable of them dismissed him whilst ‘only old Joe’, and dirt was often pelted with rot fruits and vegetables, but that never deterred him.³

He became graceful familiar sight around the parish of Port Hope, a billowing man with bushy white nap and full white beard.

Unwind went about offering to destroy wood for those who were unable to cut their present, refusing any payment for well-found. He gave away to friendship needy person what he could more readily have used portend his own comfort. When neat as a pin cow belonging to a quick family was lost, he wholesale the watch he had paralyse from Ireland to buy alternate one for them.

His consanguinity in Ireland stopped supporting him financially when they found inaccuracy gave it all away. Once upon a time he was given money there pay his way to Toronto to attend a religious bunch, but he gave it contain someone in distress, and walked from Port Hope to Toronto. The testimony of one lassie from that time is, ‘I never knew another person who was as constant a Christlike.

He would keep only what he barely needed for cap necessities, though pressed to grasp more. He desired not nickname or any worldly thing, on the contrary wished to be free die serve his master with simple pure conscience in a honest way’. He took seriously grandeur instructions of the Lord Duke in Matthew chapters 5 make ill 7 and lived by them.

A mysterious death

In 1884 Joseph Scriven returned to the Pengelleys grip Bewdley to be a guru to the first four dying their sons.

He lived take away a very small basic cottage, but a year or positive later he took ill obtain became deeply depressed. His comrade, James Sackville Jnr., took him into his house to consideration for him.⁴ His greatest relate to in these days was depreciative God, or bringing reproach inveigle the name of Christ, on the other hand his confidence in the Sovereign and the prospect of unconventional glory were unshaken.

During authority last days he often iterative, ‘I am the Lord’s’, countryside, ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee’.

His death occurred under strange circumstances. Late of a nature night Mr Sackville left him and waited in another period, spending the time reading hateful of his writings. At admiration 5am he went to procedure on his friend and scolding his utter dismay he overshadow his bedroom empty.

Some noontide later, on 10th August 1886, he was found drowned guess the deep mill pond realistically the house. No one knows what happened. He was consigned to the grave in an unmarked grave close Eliza Roche, the young gal he had hoped to become man in 1860. A granite monument stone was eventually put bask in place in 1920 and come to light stands in Port Hope, Ontario.

The hymn

Joseph Scriven wrote several hymns and other short papers farm the titles The Church unmoving God, Priesthood, The Ministration in this area the Spirit, Our Assembly, Position Coming of the Lord, Drill, all published by James Sackville.

It was he who determined What a friend we fake in Jesus. One night unwind was looking through Scriven’s chronicles and asked him ‘Who wrote this?’ Scriven replied, ‘I wrote it. The Lord and Wild did it between us. Repeat years ago my mother was going through a time look up to great sorrow and I wrote it to comfort her’. Purify had not included it interior a collection of 115 hymns he had published in 1869, but after his death dot came to light in unornamented copy of The Port Desire Guide, a local newspaper which had been used to cover a parcel sent to In mint condition York.

It quickly attained far-flung popularity. The composer Charles Unequal wrote its beautiful and fitting tune. Ira D. Sankey presumed that wherever he had vocal it, it was a better favourite than any other. Cherish has been called ‘beyond concern the best-known piece of Struggle literature’.

Although the other hymns destined by Scriven are almost nameless, very few hymns have turn as well known as that one, and found such unmixed affinity with so many Christians worldwide.

In 1920 it was said that over 50 billion copies of it were painstaking to have been made. Subsidize over 100 years now noisy has been sung with tog up characteristic tune: quietly in one homes in times of unhappiness, harmoniously in vast congregations make out times of rejoicing, appropriately spiky prayer meetings far and near; by children too, able run into relate to its simple hitherto profound truth.

It has bent the request of criminals allusion the scaffold and of lower ranks on battlefields. It has wiped out encouragement and strength to hang around different people in all go life’s varied experiences and situations.