Through The Hymnbook

Reverend Bert Jones: The chimes have been ringing, "Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross." And I welcome you to the Organ Loft. That's a great hymn by Fanny Crosby. And come in and in this edition of "Through the Hymnbook," you're going to hear some old camp meeting favorites.

And now pulling out all the stops of great full organ, we hear it, and you can sing it if you want. I am playing "Near the Cross" out of a lovely old paper songbook called "The Old Camp Meeting Songs," issued way back in the year 1934 by the Old Camp Meeting Church of the Air, which had broadcast in Dallas, Texas.

And it's just a very interesting book. It has a lot of songs in the 150 or 160 songs that it includes that I've been looking for. So it's nice to have. The pages are tattered and torn, issued back in the days of the Depression at a cost, let me see, it says 25 cents a copy, and I'm sure they gave away lots of free copies.

The paper must not have been the best paper, so it is yellow. In fact, just to turn some of the pages, they are so brittle that they break. But what wonderful, wonderful songs. "Old Camp Meeting Songs" has come to us as the gift of Mrs. Edna King of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and we appreciate this special gift and dedicate this edition of "Through the Hymnbook" to her.

Number one in the book is a song which is hard to find, "Hold to God's Unchanging Hand." Time is filled with swift transition. Not of earth unmoved can stand. Build your hopes on things eternal. Hold to God's unchanging hand. Hold to God's unchanging hand. Build your hopes on things eternal and hold to God's unchanging hand.

What great advice, what wonderful message. But I was surprised to find that this song was written way back in 1905. I thought it was a much newer southern song.

Build your hopes on things eternal and hold to God's unchanging hand. And here's a song from 1934, the year in which the book was published. And it says, "I Won't Have to Cross Jordan Alone." When I come to the river at the ending of day, when the last winds of sorrow have blown, there will be somebody waiting to show me the way, and I won't have to cross Jordan alone.

You see, for those of you who are younger, the crossing of the Jordan was a scriptural type of death. And often death was referred to as the crossing of the Jordan, rooted in the history of the Israelites, how they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. I won't have to cross Jordan alone. Jesus died all my sins to atone. When the darkness I see, he'll be waiting for me, and I won't have to cross Jordan alone.

Book of "Old Camp Meeting Songs" and some interesting songs are here. For instance, here's a great song, "Wonderful Story of Love." "Wonderful, Tell It to Me Again." That's a good song to sing at camp meeting, a good song to sing anytime of the year and anyplace as it relates to the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thanks, Singhsration the canary, for singing along. We dedicate this to Mrs. Edna King of Connellsville, Pennsylvania, who has donated this lovely old camp meeting songbook to our "Through the Hymnbook" library. Here's a song you'll look for a long, long time till you find it.

Here in the book, it's called a spiritual as arranged by Charlie Tillman. It begins with the old spiritual that says, "We are climbing Jacob's ladder. We are climbing, climbing Jacob's ladder, soldiers of the cross." And then a slight variation on the melody that says, "We will rise and shine and give God the glory." We will rise and shine and give God the glory.

First, the old spiritual, which is listed as the verse, and then we come to the chorus, "We Shall Rise and Shine." We are climbing, climbing Jacob's ladder. Then the chorus, "We Shall Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory." All of you here in the Organ Loft, how do you like that nice banjo plucking away there on "We'll Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory"?

Leafing through the pages of "Old Camp Meeting Songs," I have to watch that I don't tear the paper because it's old and yellow. It's brown with age, and the book really isn't that old, published in 1934. But in the midst of the Depression, given out by a broadcast, Old Camp Meeting Church of the Air, of Dallas, Texas, probably they were cutting down on expenses a little bit, and the paper possibly was not as good as it could have been.

Here's the great song from 1905, written by the Reverend Charles Tindley, that says, "When the Storms of Life Are Raging, Stand By Me." Get a few storms raging on the sea of life. When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. When the world is tossing me like a ship upon the sea, thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me. Thou who hast never lost a battle, stand by me.

How enjoyable to be listening to some of these old camp meeting songs. We're just pausing long enough to let you know that you are enjoying "Through the Hymnbook," a time when we go into the Organ Loft and hear hymns and gospel songs from various hymnbooks. If you would like to write, we hope you will and let us know the music is a blessing.

Either email us by writing organhymns@aol.com or Post Office Box 575, Erie, Pennsylvania 16512. Glad to send you some information about CDs and cassettes that are available of the music of Reverend Bert Jones. This song was written by Ballington Booth, who was the son of General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army.

We know that all of us have crosses to bear in life. And Mr. Booth emphasizes as he writes the words and music of this song that even though the cross he gave may be heavy, it can ne'er outweigh his grace. The storm that I feared may surround me, but it ne'er can exclude his face. For the cross is not greater than his grace.

The storm cannot hide his blessed face. I am satisfied to know that with Jesus here below, I can conquer every foe. Well, the magnifying glass helped me read those beautiful words, and I think perhaps right now someone listening needed the message of this song, and that's why I have chosen to play it. You may be carrying a heavy cross, but remember, it cannot be heavier than his grace.

Is that cross pretty heavy that you're bearing? The cross is not greater than his grace. The storm cannot hide his blessed face. I am satisfied to know that with Jesus here below, I can conquer every foe. What a message by Ballington Booth, the son of General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army.

And here's a beautiful old song about heaven from 1905 also, 1905, right, written by I.G. Martin and dedicated to the Reverend Phineas F. Bresee, who in 1908 founded the Church of the Nazarene. It's a song often requested and loved by so many. "I Will Meet You in the Morning Just Inside the Eastern Gate."

With confidence comes the refrain, "I Will Meet You in the Morning Just Inside the Eastern Gate Over There." How wonderful to know that through Jesus Christ our Savior, we shall meet again. Now here's something very interesting that happened in this book. On page 88, I find the song called "The Battle Hymn."

The verse of the song are the words of Isaac Watts, "Am I a Soldier of the Cross, a Follower of the Lamb?" And then the chorus comes, "And when the battle's over, we shall wear a crown. We shall wear a crown. When the battle's over, we shall wear a crown." The interesting thing is that this song is printed on page 88, and it's also printed on page 113.

I wonder how long it was after the book was issued that somebody discovered this song had been published twice in the same songbook. That doesn't happen very often, I'm sure. Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb, and shall I fear to own his cause or blush to speak his name? And when the battle's over, wear a crown, wear a crown, wear a bright and shining crown.

Don't forget to let me know, let the manager of the radio station know that you are listening. And it will inspire him, it will inspire me, and it will even be a blessing to you to say, "We enjoy Through the Hymnbook." Say, here's a song we've looked for years and years, "How Beautiful Heaven Must Be."

It says, "We read of a place that's called heaven. It's made for the pure and the free." These truths in God's word he hath given. How beautiful heaven must be. Indeed, the mind of man cannot begin to comprehend how beautiful heaven must be.

How beautiful heaven must be. Old-timers used to sing this a lot. Sweet home of the happy and free. Fair haven of rest for the weary. How beautiful heaven must be. With this delightful song about heaven, the confidence that our Lord has gone to prepare a place there for those who trust him, we have to close the hymnbook for another time, all too soon. But we've enjoyed old camp meeting songs thanks to Edna King of Connellsville, Pennsylvania. Until next time, bye, and you keep singing the songs of camp meeting.