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Charlotte Elliott Born in March 18th. 1789 in Clapham,
England |
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Charlotte Elliott Born in March 18th. 1789 in Clapham,
England |
These notes are taken from Dr. Julian's Hymnology and from Knapp's "Who wrote
our Hymns".
Miss Elliott was the daughter of Charles Elliott of Clapham and Brighton and
grand-daughter of the Rev. H. Venn of Huddersfield. She was born March 18th.
1789. The first 32 years of her life were spent mostly at Clapham. In 1823 she
removed to Brighton and died there Sept. 22nd. 1871. To her aquaintance with Dr.
C. Malan of Geneva is attributed much of the deep spiritual-mindedness which is
so pronounced in her hymns. Though weak and feeble in body, she possessed a
strong imagination and a well cultured and intellectual mind. Her love of poetry
and music was great and is reflected in her verse. Her hymns number about 150, a
large proportion of which is in common use. The finest and most widely known of
these are: "Just as I am" and "My God, my Father while I stray". Her verse is
characterised by tenderness of feeling, plaintive simplicity, deep devotion and
perfect rhythm. For those in sickness and sorrow, she has sung as few others
have done.
The history of the writing of "Just as I am, without one plea".— In the Record,
Oct. 15th. 1897, Bishop H.C.G. Moule of Durham, the Principal of Ridley Hall,
Cambridge, gave a most interesting account of Miss Elliott, and the origin of
this hymn. Dr. Moule, who is related to the family, derived his information from
family sources. In an abbreviated form, this is the beautiful story — "Ill
health still beset her. Besides its general trying influence on the spirit, it
often caused her the peculiar pain of a seeming uselessness in her life, while
the circle round her was full of unresting serviceableness for God. Such a time
of trial marked the year 1834, when she was 45 years old and was living in
Westfield Lodge, Brighton ... Her brother, the Rev. H.V. Elliott, had not long
before conceived the plan of St. Mary's Hall at Brighton, a school designed to
give at nominal cost, a high education to the daughters of clergymen; a noble
work which is to this day carried on with admirable ability and large success.
In aid to St.Mary's Hall there was to be held a bazaar... Westfield Lodge was
all astir; every member of the large circle was occupied morning and night in
preparation with the one exception of the ailing sister Charlotte — as full of
eager interest as any of them, but physically fit for nothing. The night before
the bazaar she was kept wakeful by distressing thoughts of her apparent
uselessness; and these thoughts passed by a transition easy to imagine into a
spiritual conflict until she questioned the reality of her whole spiritual life,
and wondered whether it was anything better after all than an illusion of the
emotions, an illusion ready to be sorrowfully dispelled. The next day, the busy
day of the bazaar .... the troubles of the night came back upon her with such
force that she felt they must be met and conquered by the grace of God. She
gathered up in her soul the grand certainties, not of her emotions, but of her
salvation: her Lord; His power: His promise. And taking pen and paper from the
table she deliberately set down in writing for her own comfort the formulae of
her faith ... so in verse she restated to herself the Gospel of pardon, peace
and heaven.... there, then, always, not at some past moment, but "even now" she
was accepted in the Beloved, "Just as I am". As the day wore on, her
sister-in-law, Mrs. H.V. Elliott, came in to see her and bring news of the work.
She read the hymn and asked (she well might) for a copy. So it first stole out
from that quiet room into the world, where for sixty years it has been sowing
and reaping, until a multitude which only God can number has been blessed
through the message".
The hymn "Just as I am without one plea" was first published in the "Invalid's
Hymn Book, 1836" in 6 stanzas, headed with the text, "Him that cometh unto Me I
will in no wise cast out". The hymn has been transferred to almost every hymnal
published in English-speaking countries during the past fifty years. It has been
translated into every European language, and into the languages of many distant
lands. The testimony of Miss Elliott's brother, (the Rev. H.V. Elliott, editor
of Psalms and Hymns, 1835) to the great results arising from this one hymn is
very touching. He says, "In the course of a long ministry I hope I have been
permitted to see some fruit for my labours; but I feel far more has been done by
a single hymn of my sister's". It ranks with the finest hymns in the English
language. Its success has given rise to many imitations.
Under the date of Jan. 26th. 1872, the Rev. J. Babbington, brother-in-law to
Miss Elliott, wrote to the late D. Sedgwick concerning Miss Elliott's hymn "O
Jesus, make Thyself to me", "the lines you refer to (O Jesus make Thyself to me)
are Miss Charlotte Elliott's. They were for many years the private expression of
her own daily prayers, and were so much a part of her own hidden life with her
Saviour that they were rarely communicated by her to any one, and only to her
most intimate friends. One of those had them printed on a card by Taylor
(Edinburgh 1860) and at first she was rather disconcerted, till she was led to
feel that this was her loved Saviour's way of leading others to the
participation in her own sacred inner life. The lines were:
O Jesus, make Thyself to me,
A living bright reality:
More present to faith's vision keen,
Than any outward object seen:
More dear, more intimately rich,
Than e'en the sweetest earthly tie".
An indication of her serious bent of mind and her object in writing is expressed
in an introduction to one of her books of poems: 'Not for the gay and
thoughtless do I weave these plaintive strains".
Christopher Knapp's Account:
Miss Elliott's father was a godly man at whose house the servants of Christ were
often entertained. It was through a visit of one of these, Dr Cesar Malan, of
Geneva, that Charlotte was converted and later wrote her celebrated hymn, "Just
as I am". The story is as follows:
One evening, as they sat conversing, the servant of God turned the subject to
our personal relation with God, and asked Charlotte if she knew herself to be
really a Christian. She was in poor health and often harassed with severe pain,
which tended to make her irritable. A severe illness had left her a permanent
invalid. She resented the question thus pointedly put, and petulantly answered
that religion was a matter she did not wish to discuss. Dr. Malan replied in his
usual kind manner, that he would not pursue a subject that displeased her, but
would pray that she might give her heart to Christ, and employ in His service
the talents with which He had gifted her. It seems that the Holy Spirit used her
abrupt and almost rude conduct towards God's servant to show her what depths of
pride and alienation from God were in her heart. After several days of spiritual
misery, she apologised for her unbecoming conduct, and confessed that his
question had troubled her greatly. "I am miserable" she said, "I want to be
saved. I want to come to Jesus; but I don't know how". "Why not come just as you
are?", answered Malan. "You have only to come to Him just as you are". Little
did Malan think that his simple reply would be repeated in song by the whole
Christian world! Further conversation followed, and this good man was enabled to
make perfectly clear to the once proud but now penitent young lady God's simple
way of salvation through Christ; that on the ground of His shed blood for us,
all who from their heart believe are accepted of God. Miss Charlotte came as a
sinner to Christ, and remembering this event wrote the hymn that has made her
name famous everywhere. Miss Elliott was possessed of rare literary gifts and
when in the year 1836 she assumed the editorship of the "Yearly Remembrancer",
she inserted in the first number, this now long-famous hymn — without her name.
A commentator says of this hymn, "With its sweet counsel to troubled minds it
found its way into magazines and other publications, and in devout persons'
scrap books; then into religious circles and chapel assemblies; and finally into
the hymnals of the church universal". Some time after its publication, a lady,
struck by its beauty and spiritual value, had it printed in leaflet form for
circulation in cities and towns of the kingdom. Miss Elliott, in feeble health,
was then in Torquay in Devonshire, under the care of an eminent physician. One
day the doctor, who was an earnest Christian man, put one of these leaflets into
his patient's hands, saying that it had been helpful to him and felt sure she
would like it. The surprise and pleasure was mutual when she recognised her own
hymn and he discovered that she was the author. We know not which to admire
most, the beauty of the composition, or the lovely modesty of its author, who
for so many years forbore to divulge its origin.
Her father died in 1833, and ten years later her mother and two sisters. Then
the home at Brighton was given up, and Charlotte Elliott went to live with her
only surviving sister on the Continent. Later they lived for fourteen years at
Torquay. After this they went again to Brighton to live, where our author
remained until her home-call, Sept 22nd, 1871, at the advanced age of
eighty-two.
Knapp tells the story of Miss Elliott's conversion. Dr. Moule tells the story of
the writing of the hymn, which no doubt was based upon the experience of her
conversion which she drew upon in her spiritual conflict.
Miss Elliott's hymns in 'Spiritual Songs' are: 282, "'Christian, seek not yet
repose", (a new hymn to the Little Flock Hymn Book) and 465 "O Holy Saviour,
Friend unseen". Number 282 has rapidly become a favourite hymn in prayer and
ministry meetings. Verses 3 & 4 were written by Mrs Hazel Dixon of Stockport.