History of the Hymn: My Jesus, I Love Thee

Source: http://www.celebratingholidays.com/?page_id=11182

Words by William Ralph Featherstone (1846-1873), Published in 1864

Not much is known about William and his short life (he died before his 27^th birthday) other than that he was from Montréal, Canada and belonged to the Wesleyan Methodist Church (now St. James United Church). It is believed that William wrote this hymn on his conversion at age 16 and sent it to his aunt in Los Angeles. The hymn somehow made its way to England and was published anonymously in the London Hymn Book.  It wasn’t until around 1930 that William was recognized as the author.
Tune “Gordon” by Adoniram Judson Gordon (1836-1895), Published in 1876

Adoniram Judson Gordon (1836-1895)

Adoniram Judson Gordon, who was named after a pioneering Baptist missionary to India and Burma, was born in New Hampton, New Hampshire. He attended Brown University and Newton Theological Seminary, and was ordained a Baptist minister in 1863. He served at Baptist churches throughout Massachusetts and was a close friend of Dwight L. Moody.  Adoniram was known for his commitment to music and to evangelism. While compiling a new Baptist hymnal, he discovered the song “My Jesus, I Love Thee.” He wrote, “in a moment of inspiration, a beautiful new air sang itself to me” and he thus composed a new tune for the hymn and published it in the 1876 edition of Caldwell and Gordon’s The Service of Song for Baptist Churches.² Adoniram published a variety of hymn books during his lifetime, as well as wrote and/or composed many hymns. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts is named after him.

 

Lyrics for “My Jesus, I Love Thee”:

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.