Title: To God be the Glory
Tune: [To God be the Glory] Naylor
Meter: 6.5.6.5. Double
Author: Charles W. Naylor (1874-1950)
Composer: Charles W. Naylor
During the late 1800's, there was a movement going on that was forming a new church, this movement was known as the Church of God movement. Charles W. Naylor began his life as a Methodist, but would eventually convert to become a member of the Church of God. Naylor's life was far from easy, being marked by only a few tragedies, but ones that would have lasting affects on his life. Born in Athens county Ohio, Naylor was the son of a writer, who was known for his poetry. When Naylor was only eight years old, his first tragedy came in the death of his mother. After her death, Naylor would take a permanent residence with his Grandparents. Though this event was difficult for him, Naylor would get the bulk of his religious up-bringing from his grandparents. As he got older, Naylor's Methodist teachings were being challenged by the preaching of Barney Warren in 1893, after having been officially connected with the Methodist church for only a year. Naylor was challenged by the teachings of Barney Warren, that he went and researched scripture, and quickly found that he felt his learning was incomplete, and he wanted desperately to learn more about God. At first, Naylor was reluctant to convert and stayed with the Methodist church, but a short while later, he officially converted to the Church of God.
After his conversion to the Church of God, Naylor found work in the publication department of the Gospel Trumpet company, which was based out of Michigan. Though he enjoyed his work with the Gospel Trumpet company, he was only able to stay with them for a short while. Naylor was forced to return to Ohio because of a family illness. Eventually, Naylor was able to return to his work with the Movement, and was being trained under his mentor Barney Warren. Through his Evangelistic training and teaching, Naylor found himself being drawn towards a pastoral role, leading him to be ordained in 1899 to the Church of God.
Though he was a critical and well-spoken thinker, Naylor was often physically ill. In 1908, while taking down tents from a camp meeting, Naylor was injured when timber fell on top of him, causing one of his kidney's to become dislocated. He always described his kidney as tumorous, but he did not expect to have such an accident. A year later, Naylor was traveling on a bus when it struck something in the road, maiming Naylor, and forcing him to be bed-ridden for the rest of his life. From this point on, Naylor was never seen without his cot that he used to recline, and a shade for his eyes. These items came to be a visible part of Naylor's personality. Though he suffered for many years, Naylor remained in good spirits, claiming that on two separate occasions, angels had come to visit him by his bedside. As Naylor's life moved forward, he began to have a broader world view, which would eventually affect the relationship he had with the Church of God.
For hours on end, Naylor would listen to his Scott- “State of the Art”-short wave radio, broadcasting the BBC (British Broadcasting Company), listening to news from the United States and from around the world. As time crept into the 1920's and 1930's, Naylor began to adopt an ecumenical view of the church, which he would publish several essays and articles explaining his views. Naylor felt that the Church of God had a narrower view of the world, and their view was out of sync with what was actually going on. Because the Church of God had such narrow views, Naylor's articles were marked as heresy by the church. During his career, Naylor published eight books, and was also known for writing several different columns in the Gospel Trumpet newspaper. He is famous for writing responses to questions regarding Marital issues, doctrinal issues, and problems in the home. Two of Naylor's more famous columns were “Heart Talks,” and “Questions and Answers” (http://www.hymnary.org/person/Naylor_CW par. 12). Because of his works, Naylor was named to the “Who's Who” list of authors in 1929 (http://www.hymnary.org/person/Naylor_CW par. 10). Much of Naylor's work lies in manuscript, but he was also known for having penned nearly 150 songs, and for helping publish several song books.
The Text:
1 To God be the glory
For all He hath done;
For life and salvation,
The gift of His Son.
Refrain:
To God be the glory,
Rejoice in His name;
To God be the glory,
Forever proclaim.
2 To God be the glory,
To Him it is due;
His help is unfailing,
To us He is true. [Refrain]
3 Though I was a captive,
From sin He did free;
In time of affliction
My healer is He. [Refrain]
4 To God be the glory,
His mercy extol,
For all He doth give us,
For body and soul. [Refrain]
My Take on the Hymn:
This hymn is incredibly simple and incredibly straight forward. All the glory goes to God, everything he is, was, and will be, is worthy of praise. God has given us everything on earth, and in each stanza, Naylor explains something new that God has given us. The first stanza discusses the gift of Jesus, God's only son, the second stanza, all of the help God gives us is a gift, the third stanza discusses God healing us and never letting us become our sins, and the fourth stanza discusses God giving up his body so that we may be free from sin in our entire body and soul. Trust in God, know that all the glory can be given to Him, and life will get better. For this hymn to have come from someone who is bed-ridden makes it all the more special. Naylor's faith in God, even after all the accidents that caused him pain, shows us that there is no limit to how much strength God can give us, with only little in return from us!
The Hymn:
Unfortunately, I was unable to find an image or a video for this hymn.
Bibliography:
Unknown. "To God Be the Glory." Hymnary.org. Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, n.d. Web. 31 July 2013.
Unknown. "Charles W. Naylor." - Hymnary.org. Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, n.d. Web. 31 July 2013.
De Jong, Laura. "[To God Be the Glory] (Naylor)." Hymnary.org. Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, n.d. Web. 31 July 2013.
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