George Rawson would have been familiar with various procedures
in a legal framework, with the scales of justice (shown here), all necessary to
maintain order and uphold established law. One must have a commitment, a
loyalty, to legal mandates as like a foundation to a building. Would this kind
of mindset have been influential in this 50-year old in 1857 when he wrote “By
Christ Redeemed”? How many legal minds also compose poetry for hymns? Are the
two natures – one legal and ordered, and the other artistic, expressive -- normally
complementary? They were for George Rawson.
Rawson was a solicitor-lawyer in 19th Century
England and also a man of Christian faith that was apparent in more than just
membership and attendance in a local church. He was from Leeds (north-central
England), where he was a solicitor, but he also was apparently active in the
worship life of the Congregational church there. He is credited with helping assemble
in 1853 a hymnal for the Leeds church; at least six of that hymnal’s works were
his compositions. Perhaps this experience whetted his appetite, and led to his
completing the words for “By Christ Redeemed” just a few short years hence. It
was about this time, 1858, that he also helped some local Baptists develop
another hymnal, this time with 13 of his works therein. Rawson reportedly composed
a total of at least 50 hymn texts throughout his life. Not much is known of his
legal reputation, other than his practice of his chosen profession for many
years in the Leeds or Bristol, England (southwest England) areas. In his later
years in 1876 and then 1885, four years before his death, he authored two more hymn
collections. So, his mid-life hymnody in the 1850’s was not just a passing
hobby, but something he continued to develop over the last 30 years of his
life. While his professional acumen is
largely anonymous, his published hymn texts are said to be well-refined, with carefully
and properly chosen language – not unlike what one could expect from a lawyer. This
guy who knew how to write a brief also was apparently able to express himself
poetically. Perhaps he needed this as an outlet, a respite from his
professional life.
Rawson’s words in “By Christ Redeemed” show he must have
been pondering the communion, and how that kept him and fellow believers linked
to the Divine One. ‘Until He Come’ might have done as well for the title of
this hymn, for the words consummate each of Rawson’s original six verses. They
tell us that he sensed a fidelity to the supper that he as a 50-year old must
have taken hundreds of times by the mid-19th Century when he considered
its import. Doing something every week might become rote, too routine for the
restless person. But, Rawson’s words and his life example communicate that
there’s something - a testimony - that I give to Him and my spiritual siblings
each time I eat this meal. Hey, can you hear that lawyer coaching you with this
reminder as you sing now?
For the original six verses, see this site:
See following site for further information on the composer:
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