Charlotte Elliott (above), who wrote the hymn ‘Just as I am’, was born today in 1789 in Brighton, England. Elliott was born into a Christian family, but the piety she grew up with made her feel guilty and unworthy. She expressed these feelings in her 30s to a pastor, saying she wanted to cleanse her life before becoming a Christian, but he told her, ‘Come just as you are’. Her hymn was a favourite in the Billy Graham crusades 150 years later, and was sung during ‘the appeal’ as people got out of their seats and walked forward to give their lives to Christ.
Just as I am – Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come!
Charlotte Elliott, ‘Just as I am’
The 18th-century novelist Laurence Sterne died today in 1768. The vicar of a parish in Yorkshire, he took to writing to support his dean in a political wrangle. It wrecked his church career, but convinced him that he had a great satirical novel in him. He spent eight years writing Tristram Shandy and died of tuberculosis two years after finishing it. His body was stolen by a grave robber and used in an anatomy lecture in Cambridge. One of the audience recognised him, stole the body back and returned it.
It is St Cyril of Jerusalem’s day. Cyril was a 4th century Bishop of Jerusalem who was sacked three times because of church politics. He was an important theologian in establishing the orthodox view of Christ and is famous for his Catecheses, a series of talks given to new Christians during Lent, preparing for their baptism at Easter.
‘The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend to save, heal, teach, counsel, strengthen and console.’ St Cyril of Jerusalem, Catecheses
Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift had a meeting in prison today, 1587, with one of the first nonconformist church leaders, Henry Barrow. Whitgift called him a heretic, and he called Whitgift ‘a monster, a miserable compound, even that second beast spoken of in the Revelation.’
Image: Wikimedia Commons