One of his famous works, a hymn that reflects Gilmour's urge and conviction for the Gospel ministry and the return of the messiah is the hymn WATCHMAN, BLOW THE GOSPEL TRUMPET.
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| Henry Gilmour/ The Cyber Hymnal |
Gilmour was born Irish in 1836 but lived as an
American since he was a teenager and died after a vehicle accident in New
Jersey in 1920 at the age of 84.
The general spirit of exploration that
hovered over Britain and America since the Great Awakening in the early 1700s
impacted the life of Gilmour as well.
He wanted to learn sea navigation when he
was 16, joining a ship across the Atlantic Ocean to Protestant America at a
time when the land was still smouldering with the flames of the Second Great
Revival in 1852.
At Philadelphia, over 3000 miles away from
home, teen Gilmour decided to stay in the Land of the Free where he started
working as a house painter.
About a decade in the Americas, the Civil
War between The Union (The North) and Confederation (The South) began in 1861
and of course as a Protestant, he served on the side of The Union in the first
New Jersey Calvary.
Unfortunately, he was captured during the
war and spent months in the Confederation prison at Libby Prison, Richmond,
Virginia.
After the four-year American Civil War,
life became normal for Gilmour and trained as a dentist but after four years
after the war, he moved to New Jersey where his soul found satisfactory in
ministering in a Methodist Church.
From then, his spirit of exploration, the
experience of the American Civil War, born in the time of the Great Revival
that followed the great awakening, Gilmour became a good writer of Advent and
soul-winning poems.
He published over 20 collections of hymns
and songs with other people who had the skill of putting poetic lines to music
especially William Kirkpatrick.
One of his famous works, a hymn that
reflects Gilmour's urge and conviction for the Gospel ministry and the return
of the messiah is the hymn WATCHMAN, BLOW THE GOSPEL TRUMPET.
Through this hymn, Gilmour calls upon
believers to minister in the three angles message (Rev 14:7), the great
commission (Mat 28:19) and emphasizes Jesus' prophesy of the gospel reaching
all people and nations (Mat 24:14).
The hymn emphasises that the gospel gives
freedom from sin and its bondage. That's why the first stanza and the chorus
say "Whosoever hears the message may repent, and turn, and live" and
"Every captive may be free"
WATCHMAN, BLOW THE GOSPEL TRUMPET
1 Watchman, blow the gospel trumpet,
Ev'ry soul a warning give;
Whosoever hears the message
May repent, and turn, and live.
Chorus: Blow the trumpet, trusty watchman,
Blow it loud o'er land and sea;
God commissions, sound the message!
Ev'ry captive may be free.
2 Sound it loud o'er ev'ry hilltop,
Gloomy shade, and sunny plain;
Ocean depths repeat the message,
Full salvation's glad refrain.
3 Sound it in the hedge and highway,
Earth's dark spots where exiles roam;
Let it tell all things are ready,
Father waits to welcome home.
4 Sound it for the heavy laden,
Weary, longing to be free.
Sound a Saviour's invitation,
Sweetly saying, "Come to me."
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