Page:The Methodist Hymn-Book Illustrated.djvu/463

 THE STORY OF THE HYMNS AND THEIR WRITERS 451

Dr. Bonar was surprised at its popularity, and used to say that it might be good gospel, but was not good poetry. The fact that it had helped so many people outweighed everything else. His son says the words of one of his own hymns were his constant prayer

Make use of me, my God ! Let me not be forgot ; A broken vessel cast aside, One whom Thou needest not.

The way in which the hymns become known may be seen from an incident told by Andrew Bonar of the Rev. John Milne, who returned from a communion service at Kelso, and at his prayer-meeting held up a leaflet and told the people he had brought with him a hymn which would be new to them as it had been new to him. Then he read them, I lay my sins on Jesus.

The hymn seems to have been founded on a portion of a fourteenth-century hymn

Jesu plena caritate

Manus tuae perforatac

I.axent mea crimina.

Hymn 882. Saviour, while my heart is tender.

JOHN BURTON.

Mr. Burton was born in 1803, at Stratford, Essex. From the age of fifteen to twenty-five he was a great sufferer, but afterwards gained strength, and carried on business as cooper and basket- maker for fifty years. He was deacon of the Congregational Church in Stratford. His first hymn was sent to the Evangelical Magazine in 1822. He contributed to that and to The Child s Companion for many years. In 1850 he published One Hundred Original Hymns for the Young; in 1851, Hymns for Little Children; in 1867 a version of the Psalms. He is known as John Burton, Junr., to distinguish him from John Burton of Nottingham, who wrote Holy Bible, book divine.

Hymn 883. Lord, in the fulness of my might.

T. H. GILL (52).

Early Fifty, written 1855, published in his Golden Chain of Praise, 1869, and headed Early Love, &quot; How good it is to close with Christ betimes ! &quot; Cromwell. It begins, With sin I would not make abode.

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