302. I’m not ashamed to own my Lord
Isaac Watts, 1674-1748
This hymn is based on II Timothy 1:8-12.
James Moffatt writes that when Henry Drummond was on his death bed, Nov. 7, 1897, his friend, Dr. Hugh Barbour, played several hymn tunes to him without gaining any response. Then he tried the Old Scots melody of “Martyrdom” to which Drummond beat time with his hand and joined in the words, “I’m not ashamed to own my Lord.” When the hymn was done, he said, “There’s nothing to beat that, Hugh.”
For comments on Isaac Watts see [Hymn 11].
MUSIC. DEDHAM. The tune is attributed to William Gardiner, 1770-1853, an Englishman of whom nothing much of importance is known except that he published Sacred Melodies in 1812, a collection of excellent tunes, which was expanded to six volumes published in 1815.