. "You have nothing of merit to bring to God," he told her.
"You must come just as you are, a sinner, to the Lamb of God that taketh
away the sin of the world."

Throughout the remainder of her life, Miss Elliott celebrated every year
the day on which her friend had led her to Christ, for she considered it
to be her spiritual birthday. Although it was fourteen years later that
she wrote her immortal hymn, it is apparent that she never forgot the
words of Dr. Malan, for they form the very core and essence of it. The
inspiration for the hymn came one day when the frail invalid had been
left alone at the home of her brother. She was lying on a couch and
pondering on the words spoken by Dr. Malan many years before, when
suddenly the whole glorious truth of salvation as the free gift of God
flashed upon her soul. Then came the heavenly gift. Rising from her
couch, she wrote:

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Miss Elliott was the author of some 150 hymns. Perhaps her finest, aside
from her great masterpiece, is "My God, my Father, while I stray." By
common consent, Miss Elliott is given first place among English women
hymn-writers.

The Sun That Ne'er Goes Down

Sun of my soul, Thou Saviour dear,
It is not night if Thou be near;
O may no earthborn cloud arise
To hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes.

When the soft dews of kindly sleep
My wearied eyelids gently steep,
Be my last thought, how sweet to rest
Forever on my Saviour's breast.

Abide with me from morn till eve,
For without Thee I cannot live;
Abide with me when night is nigh,
For without Thee I dare not die.

If some poor wandering child of Thine
Have spurned today the voice divine,
Now, Lord, the gracious work begin;
Let him no more lie down in sin.

Watch by the sick; enrich the poor
With blessings from Thy boundless store;
Be every mourner's sleep tonight,
Like infant's slumber, pure and light.

Come near and bless us when we wake,
Ere through the world our way we take;
Till in the ocean of Thy love
We lose ourselves in heaven above.

John Keble, 1827.

HOW HYMNS HELPED BUILD A CHURCH

Many of the classic hymns of the Christian Church have been