I felt His pity move.
The sinner, once by justice slain,
Now by His grace is born again,
And sings eternal Love!
The rugged original has been so often and so variously altered and “toned down,” that only a few unusually accurate aged memories can recall it. The hymn began going out of use fifty years ago, and is now seldom seen.
The name “S. Chandler,” attached to “Ganges,” leaves the identity of the composer in shadow. It is supposed he was born in 1760. The tune appeared about 1790.
“WHERE NOW ARE THE HEBREW CHILDREN?”
This quaint old unison, repeating the above three times, followed by the answer (thrice repeated) and climaxed with—
Safely in the Promised Land,
—was a favorite at ancient camp-meetings, and a good leader could keep it going in a congregation or a happy group of vocalists, improvising a new start-line after every stop until his memory or invention gave out.