This hymn was published
in 1887 by Henry R. Trickett and Fred A. Fillmore. The song appears in another
format and titled “The Water of Life,” but the composer of this arrangement is
James Koerts and this version is more contemporary to our day.
Henry Robert Trickett (1840-1909), Lyricist
Born December 1840 in
Nottinghamshire, England, Henry (some sources have “Harry” including his
tombstone) immigrated to the United States at age 12. When he was old enough,
he returned to England. He pursued a career in law at King’s College, but
changed his pursuit to the ministry. He returned to the USA and purchased a
farm in Montebello, Hancock County, Illinois. He was a minister among the
Disciples of Christ and preached for churches in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. His
wife’s name was Margaret E. Trickett, and they had one son named Robert.
This is the only hymn in Gospel Songs & Hymns written by
Trickett, but other sources record over 50 hymns he wrote lyrics to. He had
frequent kidney trouble and was plagued often with illness. He died in April
1909 in Keokuk, Iowa, and he was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Hamilton,
Illinois next to his “Beloved Wife Margaret” as it appears on their tombstone.
Frederick Augustus Fillmore (1856-1925), Composer
Fred A.
Fillmore was born May 15, 1856 in Paris, Illinois. His parents’ names were Augustus
Damon and Hannah Lockwood Fillmore His father was a preacher in the Christian
Church who also composed and published hymns. Fred A. Fillmore was an
accomplished organist, and he also played the tuba. He taught his way through
college using the musical training he received from his parents. His father
printed his hymns with numbers on the head of notes in his own unique musical
notation. His father ran a music publishing business out of Cincinnati, Ohio.
During much of his life, there was not the division between the Christian
Church and churches of Christ over the instrument; however, there is little
doubt that Fillmore would not have objected to the use of the instrument. When
his father died, Fred and his brother, James, took over the music business.
They named it the Fillmore Brothers Music House. They edited a monthly paper
called The Music Messenger and Fred
often contributed pieces of music composed for the organ. They published
several hymnbooks.
Fred Fillmore married Laura Ferris Moore on November 25, 1886.
They had four children. He had the nickname of “the farmer musician” which he
was proud to wear. His father had purchased a farm, and this was a love to his
son, Fred. His father’s early death after the farm was purchased was a hardship
for the family, but Fillmore was an accomplished farmer too.
Other hymns that we may recognize the music to by Fillmore include
“Am I Nearer Heaven Today?” He also wrote the words and the music to “I Know
That My Redeemer Lives” and “Sowing the Seed of the Kingdom” or “Are You Sowing
the Seed?”
Fillmore died November 15, 1925 in Terrace Park, Ohio and is
buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. His son, Charles Millard
Fillmore, continued on the work that he received from his father and
grandfather.
In The Desert of Sorrow and Sin
Sometimes
in the Bible, the term “desert” differs from our modern day usage of the term.
We tend to think of a desert as a place overridden with sand, extreme heat, and
uninhabitable for very long. The Bible uses the terms desert (H4057 midbar) and (G2048 erēmos) in a broader sense. In fact, both terms include the
definition of deserted place, rather
than a hot, sand-filled, uninhabitable land. There is a difference between a
land that is uninhabited and a land that is uninhabitable. This is important to
remember when we consider the passage where Philip is sent to encounter the man
from Ethiopia: “Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, ‘Arise and go
toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This
is desert” (Acts 8:26 NKJV). Those who deny immersion as a form of baptism will
sometimes point to this passage to claim there is not enough water to practice
immersion in this area because it was called “desert.” Some translations do a
better translation of this with “this is a desert place” (ESV). Some
translations refer to the road as being desert (or deserted). J. W. McGarvey
wrote years ago that there are plenty of places in this area where immersions
could be performed.
In the
song “In The Desert of Sorrow and Sin” we are not speaking of a deserted place
but the more contemporary understanding of desert. This desert is a place of
extreme heat, misery, where thirst plagues a person, a place that has killed
many travelers. The salvation of this desert is from “the Rock that was smitten
for me” which is a reference to Jesus Christ. An interesting passage, “Moreover,
brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the
cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud
and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same
spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and
that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their
bodies were scattered in the wilderness” (1 Corinthians 10:1–5
NKJV). Did the people of Moses’ day understand anything about “Christ?” Most
likely not, but the passage was written to the church at Corinth to help them
understand that Jesus is Water of Life (John 4:14) and the Bread of Life (John
6:33, 35, 48, 51). While you cannot pass through the sea, eat manna, or drink
from the rock in the desert of Sinai, you must be immersed into Christ and
partake of the spiritual drink and spiritual food He offers. Once you are
immersed into Christ, then you are on this journey through this desert with
Christ as your food and drink until you reach what we often sing as “the
promised land” of Heaven, not the Canaan the Israelites journeyed toward. The
imagery is beautiful, as is this song. Why not partake of “the water of life”
and journey with Christ through the trials of this life as you make your way to
eternal life?
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SOURCES:
“Fred A. Fillmore.” No Pages. Cited 28 July 2019. http://composers-classical-music.com/f/FillmoreFrederickAugustus.htm.
“Fred A. Fillmore.” No Pages. Cited 28 July 2019. https://hymnary.org/person/Fillmore_Frederick.
“Frederick Augustus Fillmore.” No Pages. Cited 28 July
2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21089772/frederick-augustus-fillmore.
Hall, J. H. “Fred A. Fillmore.” Biography of Gospel Songs and Hymn Writers. New York: Fleming H.
Revell Company, 1914, 279–282.
Haynes, Nathaniel S. “Harry Robert Trickett.” History of the Disciples of Christ in
Illinois, 1819–1914, Cincinnati, OH
Standard Publishing Company, 1915, 623–24.
Howard, V. E., Editor, and Broadus E. Smith, Associate
Editor, Church Gospel Songs & Hymns,
Texarkana, TX: Central Printers &
Publishers, 1983.
“Rev Harry Robert Trickett.” No Pages. Cited 28 July
2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/185253310
Wiegand, John P., Editor, Praise For The Lord, Nashville, TN:
Praise Press, 1997.
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