SWEET RIVERS Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” A hymn that I have loved since childhood. I appreciate the vibrancy of the words and of the strong faith in God that it presents. The text was written by John A. Granade who has been called The Poet of the Wildwood and was also called by some, The Wild Man of Tennessee. He was a native either of Virginia or North Carolina and was born in 1770. He embraced religion and joined the Methodists in the county of his nativity. It was deeply impressed upon his mind that he was called to preach the gospel; but rejecting the call, he lost all religious enjoyment. In the fall of 1798 he moved with his brother-in-law to Tennessee and settled on Goose Creek in Sumner County. He heard there was circuit-preaching in the neighborhood and came to a meeting shortly thereafter. At that time he was a most pitiable human being; his agony of soul was so intense that he scarcely ate and the effects of his abstinence told plainly upon his health and physical condition. He was not deranged, but was in a state of desperation about his soul. He said that once he had enjoyed religion but he feared mercy for him was “clean gone forever.” Nevertheless, he constantly pleaded with God for mercy through Jesus Christ. He spent months in the wild woods, crying for mercy. In his roaming, the Bible was his companion and his horse which he rode to meeting, was remarked by some to have seemed to understand his situation. Mr. Granade continued in this melancholy situation until the fall of 1800, when he attended a meeting held by the Presbyterians and at that meeting he obtained deliverance from bondage. The scene was described as awful and solemn beyond description. It drew the attention of the hundreds of people assembled on the grounds and many were struck with wonder as they witnessed a change the like of which had never before come under their notice. Heaven was pictured upon the face of the happy man, and his language, as though learned in a new world. He spoke of angels and arch angels, cherubim and seraphim, and dwelt with rapture upon the fullness and freeness of Christ for the salvation of a lost world. From that meeting he went forth and began to speak in public, and soon afterwards he was licensed to preach the gospel. He had the most singular exercises in preaching—his hands and feet, as well as his tongue, being constantly in motion. He would begin his on one side of the room and would end his sermon on the opposite side. He had much knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, was a man of great imagination and commanding appearance, and his preaching was very successful. The preachers sought to induce him to take a circuit; but, if he tried it, he would, before making one round, be perhaps forty or fifty miles distant from the place of his regular appointment, at some point out of the way. Preaching thus irregularly, he drew the attention of the people and multitudes crowded to hear him. He went on thus, preaching anywhere and everywhere, following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. He seemed to have a peculiar enmity against the devil and would call him by singular names. He would describe the devil as a man of war, with a gun in hand, trying to shoot the righteous. Then he would undertake to show how the gun might be put out of order so that the devil should miss his aim. By prayer and faith, he would bend the barrel, or knock off the hindsight, and thus the devil would shoot and be disappointed in his expectation. His meetings were attended by immense crowds of people and his labors resulted in turning many to the gospel. In the fall of 1801, he went to East Tennessee where he labored with great success. The people in vast numbers congregated at his appointments and followed him from neighborhood to neighborhood. They erected stands in the woods from which he preached to them; and often he broke down the stands by stamping with his feet and smiting with his hands. One observer told that he went to hear him in at a private house; after preaching, the members of the Church retired upstairs and they crowded in until the room above was filled, and the one below was still nearly full. Mr. Granade was in one of his big ways, and spoke aloud, so as to be heard below as well as above. In a loud voice, he said he felt like breaking the trigger of hell, and giving a tremendous stamp with his foot, he broke one of the floor joists, which made a sound like the firing of a gun. The people below screamed and ran to the door some thinking hell had overtaken them. The accident did not at all dampen the preachers zeal for he continued on as if nothing had happened. But with all these wild and curious movements, Mr. Granade was one of the most devoted and useful men. Well versed in the Scriptures and gifted in language and voice, he was one of the most extraordinary preachers of his day. He could paint the sublime glories of heaven so vividly, that it seemed almost as though one were gazing upon the reality. He traveled and preached for three years in East Tennessee and Virginia, and then returned to Middle Tennessee completely broken down so that he could speak only in a low tone of voice. His will ways were gone: his hands and feet were motionless, and indeed his sermons were now unattended by the slightest bodily agitation. Not long afterwards, he married a Miss Babb, of Wilson County, where, having settled, he entered upon the practice of medicine, but died in a few years later on December 6, 1807. He was 37 years old. Kind readers, upon learning about the author of this hymn, it comes alive to me. I think I can hear Mr. Granade saying with an agitated voice while stamping his feet: I view the monster Death and smile, for he has lost his sting! And though Satan rages all the while, in triumph I shall sing! Indeed, upon reading of this man, it seems like I am singing this great old hymn for the very first time. I love the way it ends: All hail the triumphant Son of God who died on Calvary, and saved me with His precious blood from endless misery! Amen! And again, amen!
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:54:20 +0000
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