Written for: History and Literature of the American Holiness Movement
Date Written: 3/24/2010
The
Methodist Saint
Ryan Watters
God's Bible School and College
The Methodist Saint
Fances Jane
Crosby has been touted as one of the greatest hymn
writers of all time. Her hymns appear in countless
hymnals in countries all over the world. From the
shores of the United States, to the Alps of
Switzerland, to the deserts of Arabia, her songs have
impacted countless people for over a century
(Ruffin, Fanny
Crosby, p. 7-8).
But few people know the circumstances under which she
wrote them.
Frances, or Franny, as she was often called, faced
challenges that most would have caused many people to
give up in despair. Her family noticed when she was six
weeks old that she was having eye trouble, and were
unable to locate the normal family doctor in the area.
They eventually ran across someone who claimed to be a
“doctor”, who produced a mixture of extremely hot salve
on her eyes, causing irreparable damage to her retinas,
and blinding her for the rest of her life (Ruffin, p.
13).
He life seems to be one characterized by hardships, and
adversity. As a child she had little lamb that brought
immense joy into her drab days. They were inseparable.
They would walk together in the fields, play by the
stream, and were often found curled up next to each
other asleep. But through a thoughtless act, the lamb
suddenly disappeared from her life one day, taken to
the butcher's shop to be processed. Franny was
heartbroken; a state she would visit often in her life
(McPherson, They
dared to be different. p.
182-183).
Yet she chose contentment instead of bitterness. Trust
instead of despair. She wrote the following poem at
eight years old,
O what a
happy soul am I!
Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don't.
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot and I won't (McPherson, p. 183).
She had an indomitable spirit because of one reason,
she knew the Giver of joy and contentment, Jesus
Christ. It was this relationship that sustained her
through so many difficulties and trials.
D. L. Moody once asked her what she would ask for if
she were granted one wish. He, of course, assumed that
she would wish to regain her eyesight. But that was not
who Fanny was. She instead replied, “One wish? Why,
that I may be kept blind the rest of my life so that
the first one I shall ever see will be Jesus”
(McPherson, p. 189-190). That's the kind of person
Fanny chose to be. She was perpetually cheery, and
hopeful. A far cry from the self-pity and bitterness,
which could have so easily been her lot.
Because she was blind, she had to rely solely upon her
memory when dealing with theology and academics. She
was known to have a phenomenal memory. She once stated,
“What a girl, I could repeat from memory the five books
of Moses, most of the New Testament, many of the
Psalms, the Proverbs of Solomon, the Book of Ruth, and
the greatest of all prose poems, the Songs of Solomon”
(McCleister, Men and
women of deep piety. p. 125).
Franny grew up in a strict Puritan family. She was all
too familiar with the cold, austere forms within the
Presbyterian church. However, she eventually came into
contact with the Methodist Movement, and, as Ruffin
states, “Fanny, reared in a cold and colorless
Calvinistic Presbyterian church, was drawn to a
Methodists' warm and lively services and their fervent
and comparatively cheerful hymn singing” (p. 56). Thus
began an union with the Methodists that would continue
until the day she died.
She was regularly involved in Methodists revivals and
camp meetings. Through this venue she came into contact
with D. L. Moody, who became her close personal friend.
Ira Sankey, who accompanied Moody on his journeys as a
revival singer, shared a special bond with Fanny, and
introduced many of her hymns to the masses. Her
connection to the Methodists earned her the nickname,
“the Methodist saint” (Ruffin, p. 8).
Fanny was never wealthy. Yet the Lord always seemed to
supply exactly what she needed. One way this occurred
was W. Howard Doane. He collaborated with Fanny to put
to music many of her poems. They became very close, and
Fanny would often spend her summers with Doane at his
home in Cincinnati. The home still stands in Mt. Auburn
to this day.
Crosby lived a full, and healthy life. While small in
stature (she stood 4' 9” tall, and weighed less than
100lbs), she was mighty word. She was not only a
profound hymn writer, but also an excellent preacher
and evangelist. She had a great burden for the loss,
and would often work in the Bowery Mission in New York
City (Ruffin, p. 117). It was after working down here
one evening that she went back to her room and wrote
the words to the hymn, “Rescue the Perishing.”
Fanny Crosby stands as a sterling example of what it
means to be an earnest Christian. She models what it
means to be content in whatever state we find ourselves
in. She understood, and agreed with Paul when he
stated, “for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor.
12:10 NASB).
Reference
McLeister,
Clara. (1920). Men and
women of deep piety. Syracuse:
Wesleyan Methodist Publishing Association.
McPherson,
Anna Talbott. (1967). They
dared to be different. Chicago:
Moody Press.
Ruffin, Bernard. (1995). Fanny
Crosby.
Uhrichsville: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated.