455. It may be at morn, when the day is awaking
H. L. Turner
A song of the imminent return of our Lord, based on I Thess. 5:2: “The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night,”—and the lengthier passage in I Thess. 4:15-18.
Information concerning the author, H. L. Turner, has not been traced.
MUSIC. CHRIST RETURNETH. For comments on the composer, James McGranahan, see [Hymn 450].
456. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling
Will L. Thompson, 1847-1909
A song which has wide use as an invitational hymn at revival meetings.
Will Lamartine Thompson was born at East Liverpool, Ohio, and made his home there all his life. He attended Mt. Union College, Alliance, Ohio, and studied music at the Boston Conservatory of Music. His greatest interest was in sacred song, but he also wrote secular songs, among them the popular, “Come where the lilies bloom.” A successful businessman and song writer, Thompson was known also as a man of beautiful and sterling Christian character. “Simplicity, sincerity, humility, and righteousness marked his life.” He once called to inquire of D. L. Moody at a time when the latter lay very ill and visitors were forbidden. Moody insisted that Thompson be admitted and said to him in the course of their brief conversation: “I would rather have written ‘Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling’ than anything I have been able to do in my whole life.”