Scripture Verse

Introduction

Anecdote

Mr. and Mrs. Bliss came to Chi­ca­go to at­tend the Chris­tian con­ven­tion called by [Dwight L.] Moo­dy. Dur­ing the ses­sion he made an ad­dress on the use of song in wor­ship; and sang at the pray­er meet­ing of min­is­ters in Far­well Hall, pre­sid­ed ov­er by Mr. Moo­dy…

Over a thou­sand min­is­ters were pres­ent, and the in­tense spi­rit­ual feel­ing pre­vail­ing found fit ex­pres­sion through Bliss in song. Af­ter he had sung Are Your Win­dows Op­en To­ward Je­ru­sa­lem? his own soul thrilled by the con­scious pres­ence of the Ho­ly Spi­rit, one dear min­is­ter cried out, God bless Mr. Bliss for that song; and scores of amens came from as ma­ny ear­nest, ten­der hearts. This was the last time he sang in Chi­ca­go.

None who were pres­ent in Far­well Hall that fore­noon will ev­er for­get the pow­er with which he sang. Mr. Moo­dy leaned for­ward in his chair, oc­cu­pied with the song and the sing­er, and over­come by the feel­ing pro­duced by the mu­sic and the sen­ti­ment of the hymn. It was the last time he was to hear him this side of the Ri­ver.…

The [song] was sug­gest­ed to Mr. Bliss while at­tend­ing a Sund­ay ser­vice at the State Pris­on in Jo­li­et, Il­li­nois, where he had gone to sing. Mr. H. G. Spaf­ford, of Chi­ca­go, ad­dressed the pris­on­ers, and used Da­ni­el in Ba­by­lon, as an il­lus­tr­ation to them of Gos­pel truth, and asked the ques­tion in clos­ing—Are your win­dows op­en to­ward Je­ru­sa­lem?

Whittle, pp. 83–84