1.2lent

Topic: The Solid Rock

Mote, Edward, was born in Upper Thames Street, London, Jan. 21, 1797. Through the preaching of the Rev. J. Hyatt, of Tottenham Court Road Chapel, he underwent a great spiritual change; and ultimately he became a Baptist minister. For the last 26 years of his life he was pastor at Horsham, Sussex, where he died Nov. 13, 1874. Mr. Mote published several small pamphlets; and also:- Hymns of Praise. A New Selection of Gospel Hymns, combining all the Excellencies of our spiritual Poets, with many Originals. By E. Mote. London. J. Nichols, 1836. The Originals number nearly 100.

“One morning it came into my mind as I went to labour, to write an hymn on the ‘Gracious Experience of a Christian.’ As I went up Holborn I had the chorus,

‘On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.’

In the day I had four first verses complete, and wrote them off. On the Sabbath following I met brother King as I came out of Lisle Street Meeting . . . who informed me that his wife was very ill, and asked me to call and see her. I had an early tea, and called afterwards. He said that it was his usual custom to sing a hymn, read a portion, and engage in prayer, before he went to meeting. He looked for his hymnbook but could find it nowhere. I said, ‘I have some verses in my pocket; if he liked, we would sing them.’ We did; and his wife enjoyed them so much, that after service he asked me, as a favour, to leave a copy of them for his wife. 1 went home, and by the fireside composed the last two verses, wrote the whole off, and took them to sister King. . . As these verses so met the dying woman’s case, my attention to them was the more arrested, and I had a thousand printed for distribution. I sent one to the Spiritual Magazine, without my initials, which appeared some time after this. Brother Rees, of Crown Street, Soho, brought out an edition of hymns [1836], and this hymn was in it. David Denham introduced it [1837] with Rees’s name, and others after… . Your inserting this brief outline may in future shield me from the charge of stealth, and be a vindication of truthfulness in my connection with the Church of God.”

The form in which the hymn is usually found is:—

2. My hope is built on nothing less (st. ii.), sometimes in 4 stanzas, and at others in 5 st., and usually without the refrain. The original in the author’s Hymns of Praise, 1836, is No. 465, and entitled, “The immutable Basis of a Sinner’s hope.” Bishop Bickersteth calls it a “grand hymn of faith.” It dates circa 1834, and is in extensive use. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.]

–John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

  1. Text; Psalm 18:46–50 (ESV) 46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation— 
  1. Text: Psalm 18:47–48 (ESV)  47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, 48 who rescued me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from the man of violence.
  1. Text:  Psalm 18:49–50 (ESV)  49  For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing to your name.  50  Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.