Many people have a good reason to thank the Lord for Lydia Baxter’s 65 years on earth. She was born in Petersburg, New York, in September 1809. As a child, Rev. Eber Tucker, a Baptist missionary, led her and her sister to Christ. Since there was no Baptist church in Petersburg, they became the spark that started one. Baxter taught Sunday School there. She was lively and full of fun, known for her clever words. Colonel John Baxter fell for her and asked to marry her. Her influence helped him become a Christian, too.
They moved to New York City, where they spent most of their lives. Their house welcomed evangelists, preachers, and Christian workers seeking advice and encouragement. After 1844, Baxter often fell ill and stayed in bed. Still, visitors said she gave more encouragement than she received. When asked about her cheerful spirit, she said, “I wear a special armor. I have the name of Jesus.”
While she was confined to bed, Baxter learned to craft artificial birds and flowers. She also penned hymns. Today, she is mainly known for “Take the Name of Jesus with You.” But one of her hymns played an even bigger role in bringing many to Christ when sung by Ira Sankey during revival services in Scotland in 1873.
There’s a gate that stands slightly open,
And shining through it shines a glow,
From the Cross afar, showing love,
The Savior’s mercy we all know.
Oh, how deep is mercy’s grace!
Could that gate be left for me?
Maggie Lindsay from Aberdeen, Scotland, was so moved by the thought of that open gate, she gave her life to Christ. A few days later, on her way home from Edinburgh, she was caught in a train wreck. Rescuers took her to a nearby cottage, her shirt soaked in blood, with her hymnbook open to Baxter’s song. Though weak, she kept repeating, “For me, for me.” Sankey said her story touched many hearts. Many came to Jesus because of her faith.
In 1855, Baxter published a book of her devotional poems called Gems by the Wayside. Her famous hymn, “Take the Name of Jesus with You,” was written 14 years later. It was just a few years before her death on June 22, 1874. Many people have sung it since.
Take the name of Jesus with you,
Child of sorrow and of woe;
It will bring joy and comfort,
Wherever you go.
Precious name! Oh, how sweet!
Hope of earth and joy of heaven.
HIS DAY
1535 – John Fisher was beheaded by command of King Henry VIII of England because he openly rebuked Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon and refused to accept Henry as head of the Church of England.
1680 – Scottish Covenanters published the Declaration of Sanquhar, disavowing allegiance to King Charles II and the government of Scotland because of governmental interference in religious affairs. This action brought Covenanter rebel Richard Cameron and his followers into trouble.
1714 – Matthew Henry, famous as a Bible commentator, dies.
1860 – Ordination of Vishnu Bhaskar Karmarkar (Vishnupant) as pastor of the second Church of Ahmednagar. A convert from Hinduism, he became a notable evangelist, especially among Muslims, and founded a printing press before his early death from leprosy and lung problems.
1980 – Kateri Takakwitha is beatified, the first American Indian so honored by the Roman Catholic Church.
Also read A Simpler Lifestyle on Paulinus, a wealthy man, who is celebrated today on the church calendar because he was a man who gave away his money, a married man who became a priest, and a lawyer who became a poet.
Accessed ChristianHistoryInstitute.org 06/21/2022.
Rhemalogy 