Come Thou Fount of every blessing - the story behind the hymn
Robert Robinson's father died when he was young, and he turned to a life of recklessness and hooliganism. At the age of 20 he attended a service pastored by George Whitefield, repented of his sin, reformed his ways and became a Methodist preacher. Robert wrote "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" as a hymn-poem for the conclusion of his sermon for Whitsunday, 1758 when he was 23 years old.
In stanza three, Robinson speaks of being "prone to wander, prone to leave the God I love". This seems to be a forecast of his later life, when he lapsed into sin, unstableness and involvement with Unitarianism. There is a well-known story of Robinson, riding a stagecoach with a lady who was deeply engrossed in a hymnbook. Seeking to encourage him, she asked him what he thought of the hymn she was humming. Robinson burst into tears and said, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."
EDIT (6.9.09) - Adding a portion from a post commentor:
The young woman spoke up boldly, in response to his grief-stricken words. Quoting from his own hymn, she said, "Sir, the streams of mercy are still flowing." It was the means of bringing him to repentance and a return to the Lord.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Robinson_%28hymnist%29
http://songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/come-thou-fount-of-every-blessing
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=11532405&postID=387199525771442987&isPopup=true
In stanza three, Robinson speaks of being "prone to wander, prone to leave the God I love". This seems to be a forecast of his later life, when he lapsed into sin, unstableness and involvement with Unitarianism. There is a well-known story of Robinson, riding a stagecoach with a lady who was deeply engrossed in a hymnbook. Seeking to encourage him, she asked him what he thought of the hymn she was humming. Robinson burst into tears and said, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."
EDIT (6.9.09) - Adding a portion from a post commentor:
The young woman spoke up boldly, in response to his grief-stricken words. Quoting from his own hymn, she said, "Sir, the streams of mercy are still flowing." It was the means of bringing him to repentance and a return to the Lord.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Robinson_%28hymnist%29
http://songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/come-thou-fount-of-every-blessing
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=11532405&postID=387199525771442987&isPopup=true
posted by mad_scientist @ 11:44 PM
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