There are two songs that
have the same words for the verses but have a different chorus and musical
arrangement. While both are based on the
verses written by Samuel Stennett, these are different songs. The chorus and musical arrangement of the
version by McIntosh is the version used on the International Gospel Hour, but this
musical arrangement and chorus by Tullius Clinton O'Kane is also popular.
In fact, Praise for the Lord has both versions of
the hymn (#509 & #510) under the same title “On Jordan’s Stormy
Banks”. V. E. Howards Church Gospel Songs & Hymns also has
these two versions too but not side-by-side (#1 & #157). Howard also has two separate titles; i.e., “I
Am Bound For the Promised Land” and “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand”. Having them on the same page, as in Praise For The Lord, may make the
comparison easy, but it is a challenge for those of us who have trouble
switching tunes when the words are the same.
That is not a fault of the songbook though. This is an interesting challenge
since many of the older songbooks could have lyrics and music more
interchangeable than we are accustomed to today; e.g., the split-leaf hymnal
that allows singers to pick lyrics and sing to a variety of musical
arrangements.
Samuel Stennett (1727-1795), Lyricist
Samuel Stennett was born on
June 1, 1727 in Exeter, England. He
comes from a line of Seventh Day Baptist ministers. In fact, Stennett’s grandfather was also a hymn
writer. His father moved the family to
London where he preached. Eventually,
Samuel would succeed his father in the ministry there in 1758. In 1763, King’s College of Aberdeen awarded Samuel
Stennett a Doctorate of Divinity. He was
a close personal friend of King George III, but he still refused to join the
Church of England when invited to do so.
There are over 80 hymns
credited to Samuel Stennett; however, according to Hymnary.org, this set of
lyrics was by far his most popular. Some
sources state he had 39 hymns and these appeared in a Baptist hymnal called “Rippon’s Selections in 1787. Stennett wrote the verses for this song in
1787.
Stennett was married to
Elizabeth Marsom (1723-1795) who was a daughter of another Baptist
minister. They had two children, a boy, Joseph
IV, (Samuel Stennett’s brother’s name was Joseph) and girl named Elizabeth. Earlier they had a son named Haley, who died
in 1757. Samuel Stennett died on August
24, 1795 in London, England. His wife
had died earlier on March 16, 1795. Both of them were buried in the family
vault in Bunhill Fields Burial Ground in London.
Tullius Clinton O'Kane (1830-1912), Lyricist & Composer
Tullius O’Kane was born
in Fairfield County, Ohio on March 10, 1830.
He received both his AB and MA degrees from Ohio Wesleyan University. Afterwards he was employed by the university
to be a Tutor of Mathematics. He was
never technically a “Professor”; however, his students called him “Professor”
and he was widely recognized as such. His
interest in music resulted in being the first musical instructor at the Ohio
Wesleyan Female College. He and his wife
were among the founders of the Asbury United Methodist Church. He would go onto serve as a school principal
in Cincinnati in 1857. He also worked
for a piano company in 1864 until it relocated.
He then moved to Delaware, Ohio where he was a traveling salesman for
the Smith American Organ Company based out of Boston, MA. During all this he was very active in
attending Methodist conventions and conferences which increased his popularity
and influence. He wrote the alternate tune which is called
“Promised Land” and the lyrics for the chorus in 1877. He also wrote several other church hymns, and
we sing words he set to music for several songs.
He and his wife had four
sons. O’Kane died February 10, 1912 of a
stroke and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Delaware, Ohio next to his wife,
Laura Angeline Eaton O’Kane, whom he married on July 14, 1853 and who died May
9, 1909.
On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand
Jesus promised us a place
that we call heaven, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God,
believe also in Me. In My Father’s house
are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you
know” (John 14:1-4, NKJV.)
Interesting expression
Jesus used, “the way you know”. When Jesus was asked about “the way”, He did not
hesitate to state
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me” (John 14:6, NKJV.)
The book of Acts often refers to Christianity as “the way”; e.g., the
notorious Saul of Tarsus’ mission: “Then Saul,
still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to
the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so
that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring
them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2, NKJV.)
There have always been
forces that would seek to distract, destroy, deflect or detour us from “the way”. Persecution is always a serious threat to us;
however, so is ignorance and apathy.
Remember the adage—what are the two biggest problems we face? The response—“I don’t know and I don’t
care.” We must remain faithful and
determined to follow the way, all the way, to the promised land of rest,
heaven.
--------------------------------------------
SOURCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Stennett
http://sackettfamily.info/tekdatabase/g24/p24411.htm
http://www.blue-hare.com/stennett/samuel/samuell.htm
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/o/k/okane_tc.htm
http://www.hymnary.org/person/OKane_TC
V. E. Howard, Editor, Church Gospel Songs & Hymns,
Texarkana, TX: Central Printers &
Publishers, 1983.
William Jones, The Works of Samuel Stennett, London,
England: Thomas Tegg, Three Volumes,
1824.
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