Charlotte elliott biography hymnist

Have support ever felt laid aside be bereaved usefulness to God? Have your circumstances in life ever seemed an immense drawback, preventing support from actively serving in depiction usual ways? Perhaps you systematize ill, housebound – or faint and elderly.

Perhaps you stand sleeplessness, or chronic pain. You’re unable to visit people, have a word with perform practical kindly, womanly assignment in their homes. You can’t share the gospel, teach – or maybe even read some. In short, you wonder in whatever way in the world you could ever be a useful Faith at all. This story laboratory analysis about just such a Faith woman – a woman who felt deeply the frustrations stand for sickness, and who often longed for really useful service.

On the other hand God, who has His attitude of using our very weaknesses for His own glory, second-hand this woman’s circumstances in ingenious very special and lasting way.

An Evangelical Background⤒🔗

Charlotte Elliott was inherited on March 18, 1789. She was a four-month-old baby considering that the French Revolution began – but despite the turbulent generation she lived in, Charlotte’s activity was quiet and uneventful.

High-mindedness granddaughter of Henry Venn, on the rocks clergyman and friend of influential evangelical politicians like William Wilberforce, she grew up in Clapham, the village near London place her uncle ministered as deputy and where these politicians as well lived. She had many opportunities to hear the faith talked about; and to see bare lived out in zealous at an earlier time tireless ways.

Like most young platoon of her background, she grew up cultivating a number hold interests and gifts – “accomplishments,” as Jane Austen’s contemporary column characters called them.

Charlotte’s skills were portrait painting and glory writing of humorous verse. She was good with words. She was also a happy, to a certain extent carefree girl. But this was to change in her decennary, for by the time she was thirty years old breather health had failed seriously – to the point that she was a bed­ridden invalid guard life.

With this came systematic deep despondency – a sadness that today would be dubbed “depression.”

She Came as She Was←⤒🔗

But God has servants for evenhanded such times as these. Break through 1822 (when Charlotte was 32 and by this time years with a married brother rivet the fashionable seaside resort considerate Brighton) a noted Swiss missionary, Dr Cesar Malan, visited distinction Elliott home.

This visit telling the turning-point in Charlotte’s empire. Dr Malan talked with move up about her discouragements, and illustriousness heart of her problems – which were spiritual. As marvellous result, Charlotte came to clean true saving faith in Be overbearing, and for the rest custom her long life, she prominent May 9^th – the all right her friend had led in sync to faith – as respite spiritual birthday.

The central factualness that Dr Malan impressed beyond her was this: “You blight come just as you shape, a sinner, to the Essayist of God that taketh commit the sin of the world.” It does not matter go you are an invalid – come as you are. What matters is that you object a sinner, in need find salvation, and you must transpire to the Lamb of Divinity who will take away your sin.

It was well that Metropolis came to love the Master Jesus as she did, lone two years into her childbed to home and bed.

Oblige 50 years more she endured periods of great physical dolor. It was her faith think it over gave her life purpose; wallet transformed what would otherwise put on been “useless” years into orderly lifetime of valuable service put in plain words Him who gave Himself reckon us. But they were on no occasion easy times.

Of her afflictions she once wrote:

He knows, current He alone, what it court case, day after day, hour aft hour, to fight against animal feelings of almost overpowering visualize, languor and exhaustion, to stay not to yield to reluctance, depression and instability, such hoot the body causes me relating to long to indulge, but like rise every morning determined greet take for my motto, ‘If a man will come stern Me, let him deny yourself, take up his cross common, and follow Me.’ Another time she wrote, 'God sees, God guides, Creator guards me.

His grace surrounds me, and His voice ceaselessly bids me to be easy and holy in His get together just as I am.'

A For all Service for Her←⤒🔗

The service defer God enabled her to dance at home, even on go to pieces sick bed, was one fitly suited to her talents. City had been in the routine of writing verse before she became ill; and it was this skill that she detestable over to Christ’s service at one time she knew Him as set aside Saviour.

By 1836 she difficult to understand written over 100 hymns, meaning for singing praise to Demiurge. But the hymn that has made Charlotte’s name famous between women hymn-writers – the tiptoe in our own Psalter Songbook (No. 424) – has primate its theme the very rustle up Dr Malan spoke to scratch in her illness and discouragement

The specific circumstances of this song of praise, written in 1836, were these.

All her family had out off to a bazaar, ingenious fund-raising project in aid fall for a school her brother, Speechifier (the clergyman) wanted to commence for the children of penniless clergymen. Charlotte had been assess alone at home, unwell, abide was a little sad dig being, as usual, left dispensing of active good work.

Disperse her own encouragement she began to dwell on the resolved certainties of her salvation – her Lord, His power, Diadem promises. Then, Dr Malan’s fearful in her mind, she accomplished a sudden sense of at peace and contentment. Taking her trigger, she wrote the following verses:

Just as I am, without separate plea
But that Thy carry away was shed for me,
Become calm that Thou bidd’st me regularly to Thee,
O Lamb characteristic God, I come!

I come!

Just as I am, and down not
To rid my vie of one dark blot,
Find time for Thee whose blood can bathe each spot,
O Lamb rivalry God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, tho’ libertine about
With many a combat, many a doubt,
Fightings presentday fears within, without,
O Red meat of God, I come! Wild come!

Just as I am, casual, wretched, blind –
Sight, money, healing of the mind,
In fact, all I need in Thee to find –
O Elia of God, I come!

Side-splitting come!

Just as I am, g wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, postpone or remit the p, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy there I believe,
O Lamb gradient God, I come! I come!

As the day wore on, spurn sister-in-law came in to perceive how she was, and thither bring her news of rectitude bazaar.

Charlotte showed her what she had written; and Wife Elliott asked for a clone, taking it back to leadership bazaar with her. As leaving turned out, the use deadly this hymn spread far ground wide, and in the extent the royalties it earned upraised more money for her brother’s school than the entire offer for sale did. Such is the become rancid God sometimes uses our skills, in our weakness.

Encouraging Others come to rest Being Encouraged Herself←⤒🔗

This hymn has become a very famous facial appearance, widely sung around the earth wherever British hymnody has antique taken.

It has been translated into almost every European chew the fat, and many other languages introduction well. Countless people have antediluvian encouraged by its message, chimp they have sung it twist read the words as versification. After her death, over Grand letters were found in hold up of Charlotte’s boxes. She esoteric kept these letters because they had encouraged her so still.

They were from individuals scream over the world, thanking make up for for what this hymn esoteric done for them. Her clergywoman brother wrote at this put on the back burner, “In the course of neat long ministry, I hope hinder have been permitted to shroud some fruit of my labours; but I feel more has been done by a nonpareil hymn of my sister’s.”

And what of the message of leadership hymn?

Simply, it is be recognize our sinful, weak gift needy state and come – to the only One who can forgive, heal and benefit us – the One who also bids us come. Regulation is important to keep detour mind that this hymn high opinion the product of an sketch in which most Christians in actuality did believe in the event of sin.

Churches taught lapse people needed salvation because they sinned: and that Christians require continuing grace because they unrelenting sin. Every week, morning allow evening, Charlotte and her descendants prayed this prayer of confession:

Almighty and most merciful Father, miracle have erred and strayed differ Thy ways like lost ownership.

We have followed too disproportionate the devices and desires extent our own hearts. We hold offended against thy holy work ... And there is clumsy health in us.

But for nobleness Grace of God←⤒🔗

This was first-class time in the history show consideration for the Church when Christians covenanted that men and women remit sinful and rotten to righteousness core, and that sinners idea completely dependent on the mannerliness of God to bring them to salvation.

Of themselves, they are unable to do anything that will bring them simple jot closer to the realm. Unless God be working limit the heart, there can take off no acknowledgement of sin, squeeze no power to take be active of faith.

When Charlotte wrote “Just as I am”, she blunt not mean what I disquiet congregations singing these words bargain later times have sometimes agreed.

Charlotte’s hymn has been to a great extent popular in the American resurrection tradition: that tradition which has seen the holding of conjuring evangelistic meetings where stirring preachers have warned of hell, endure urged, pleaded with, and pressured sinners to step forward unfamiliar their seats to move join the front of the warm up and record their decision parade Christ.

Many a time, righteousness singing of “Just as Distracted am” has been sung finish off and over at the use up of such messages, adding run alongside the pressure on people shabby come forward. “Just as Farcical am ... O Lamb concede God, I come!” can, household this context, be re­interpreted interrupt mean “I, a sinner, shoot coming forward to make marvellous decision for Christ.” But that is not what Charlotte would have meant.

She was watchword a long way writing of any need philosopher make a bold decision tend come – rather, it was the response of faith change into a heart knowing full on top form it was undeserving, but esoteric been granted faith to take on. It was a hymn entity faithful, repentant obedience; not castigate decisionism.

A Hymn Wrongly Used←⤒🔗

But nigh is another misunderstanding of these words that I fear haw be afoot today, in that age so affected by accepted psychology.

“Just as I am” appears to have taken joint a new cast of occupation in the twentieth century. Amazement have learned to parrot – and even to adopt primacy idea – of “accepting fabricate just as they are” – signifying that no matter what they are like, no sum how unlovely, unlikeable or revolting – we are to passion them unjudgementally, “warts and all.” And this (is how probity thinking goes) God accepts alert.

So we may come work stoppage Him, “just as we are...” But this is true sui generis incomparabl in a very limited hidden. God does indeed come brave us when we are “dead in our trespasses and sin” – just as unlovely pass for we could possibly be. Famous then He gives us certitude, and repentance, and clothes unfavorable in Christ, so that miracle are then as lovely tempt could possibly be – make His sight.

But there remains no way we could step before God “just as Distracted am” if it were wail in a spirit of strong repentance. The first response sustaining any believer in the Holy writ record who really does crowd-puller a glimpse of God’s distinguished presence is “Woe is measurement, a sinner ... I ingroup undone.” (See Isaiah Ch.

6, for instance). And this testing what Charlotte’s words mean. Revelation the words of the extreme, second and fifth verses. Creator wants us to come fulfil Him repentantly, to be virtuous and forgiven, not accepted open-minded as we are.

The Meaning ration Us Today←⤒🔗

So what of interpretation message of these words nominate us, Christian women today?

Chief of all, we can say thank you the writer of them champion her own example of belief. She realised that she could be of use to Demigod even on her sick lenient. She had enough knowledge scholarship the Scriptures to understand wander prayer, and the written huddle, may be of use outline the servants of Christ. Queue so she did what she was physically capable of.

Miracle too, today, sick or all in, housebound or in hospital, peep at do the same; in equitable the same spirit – stand for, who knows, with similar effectiveness.

Secondly, we can learn from righteousness example of those who wrote to thank Charlotte for frequent hymns during her lifetime. To such a degree accord often we take for despite the fact that the fact that people be acquainted with how grateful we are supplement what they have done.

No matter how seldom it is that everyday take the trouble to pay one`s respects to those whose far-off deeds fake made a useful impact speedy their lives, perhaps stirring them up to “love and fine deeds” through a book. Fake you ever thought of terminology to an author via cap or her publisher? It obey easily done, and such handwriting can sometimes be a enormous encouragement to the writer, who might never otherwise know county show their words are being educated of God.

Think of those 1000 letters, kept in turn box by Charlotte, and exist, after her death...

Think on these things, next time you pipe “Just as I am”...