Having no hope, and without God in the world.
Ephesians 2:12
Words: William O. Cushing, in Welcome Tidings, by Robert Lowry, W. Howard Doane & Ira D. Sankey (New York: Biglow & Main, 1877), number 37.
Music: Robert Lowry (🔊 pdf nwc).
If you know where to get a better photo of Cushing,
From the “Rescue Mission” of Syracuse, New York, comes this incident. “One of the workers at the Rescue Mission sat at the window sewing. She is not a grand singer, in fact, scarcely ever sings in the meeting; but alone by herself she sings the Gospel songs. She was singing:
Oh, to have no Christ, no Saviour…
How dark this world must be!
When she had finished she heard some one calling, and saw two girls looking over a neighboring fence. One said: Won’t you please sing that again?
I am afraid some of us would have begun to make excuse, and say we were not good singers. But this soul sang it over again, praying God to bless the song, and then went to talk with them.
She recognized them as inmates of a house of evil resort, and asked permission to call on them. They would not grant this, but the next day one came to the mission and threw herself, weeping, into the arms of the singer, saying: “I have been so unhappy since I heard you sing!
You remind me of my good mother and the days when I was innocent and good. I had a good home, but quarreled with my mother, ran away and got into a life of sin; I am tired of it, won’t you pray for me?
They had prayer, and the poor wandering one was led to the Saviour. She said: I’ll never go back to that place again. I’m going to the poor-master and ask him to send me home.
The worker furnished the money to pay her fare to her home in a neighboring city, and she went away rejoicing. This was some time ago.
One evening the girl, accompanied by her father, paid a visit to the mission. She was happy in Christ, and had led eleven souls to Him, her father and mother being among the number.
Her father was full of praise and thanksgiving to God for what He had done for his erring child, and tears ran down his cheeks as he thanked the singer for the song, and for the help she had been to his daughter.
Her desire is to work among the fallen ones from among whom she was rescued.
Sankey, pp. 202–03
Oh, to have no Christ, no Savior!
No rock, no refuge nigh!
When the dark days ’round thee gather,
When the storms sweep o’er the sky!
Refrain
Oh, to have no hope in Jesus!
No friend, no light in Jesus!
Oh, to have no hope in Jesus!
How dark this world must be!
Oh, to have no Christ, no Savior!
How lonely life must be!
Like a sailor, lost and driven,
On a wide and shoreless sea.
Refrain
Oh, to have no Christ, no Savior!
No hand to clasp thine own!
Thro’ the dark, dark vale of shadows,
Thou must press thy way alone.
Refrain
Now, we pray thee, come to Jesus;
His pardoning love receive;
For the Savior now is calling,
And He bids thee turn and live.
Come to Jesus, He will save you;
He is the friend of sinners;
Then, when thou hast found the Savior,
How bright this world will be!