“I am now at the age of eleven years,” he wrote on his
birthday. “I praise God I can remember no dreadful crime; to the Lord be the
glory.” By age twelve he was preaching sermons to whoever would listen. At
fourteen, he began writing hymns. At sixteen he was soundly converted to Christ
while attending a service in a barn.
Toplady said: “Strange that I who had so often sat in church
in England should be brought right with God in an obscure part of Ireland,
midst a handful of people met together in a barn, and by the ministry of one
who could hardly spell his own name. Surely it was the Lord’s doing and is
marvelous.”
Later Toplady graduated from Trinity College in Dublin, at
twenty-two years of age, and was ordained in 1762 to the ministry of the
Anglican Church. His various pastorates included the French Calvinist Chapel at
Leichester Fields, London, where he was known as a powerful and zealous
evangelical preacher.
As the young minister traveled through the rugged country
near England’s Cheddar Gorge, the clouds burst and torrential sheets of rain
pummeled the earth. The weary traveler was able to find shelter standing under
a rocky overhang. He had been fortunate to find this hiding place so quickly,
and while waiting for the storm to pass he began to muse on the idea of the
“rock of faith being a shelter from the “'storms of life.'”
Inspired by the situation and scenery, he took out a playing
card in his pocket and scribbled his initial lyrics. Later Toplady used the
words for an article he was writing for “The Gospel Magazine,” where he was an
editor.
In the article Toplady had calculated that a fifty-year-old
man in his lifetime would be guilty of one billion, one hundred and seventy-six
million, eight hundred thousand sins. He quite rightly argued that it was
humanly impossible for anyone to pay off such a staggering debt of iniquity.
Therefore, sinners need avail themselves of the mercy and pardon of the Lord
Jesus, who died upon the Cross to "redeem us from the curse of the law.” He concluded the article with: “A living
and dying prayer for the holiest believer in the world” – which contained the
recently written hymn, “Rock of Ages.”
Because of his frail constitution, Toplady died of consumption
at age 38, but his poem outlived him and has been called “the best known, best
loved, and most widely useful” hymn in the English language.
As he neared the end Toplady proclaimed, “My heart beats
every day stronger and stronger for glory. Sickness is no affliction, pain no
cause, death itself no dissolution . . . My prayers are now all converted into
praise.”
The tune was written by Thomas Hastings of Washington, Connecticut. Hastings was the first musician of sacred music to dedicate his life to the task of elevating and improving the music of the churches in this country. Despite the fact that he was an Albino and afflicted with an eye problem, Hastings wrote no less than 50 volumes of church music, including 1,000 hymn tunes and more than 600 original hymn texts. In 1858, the University of the City of New York bestowed the degree of Doctor of Music upon him.
Bibleref.com: The old covenant sacrifices were not completely useless. They were flawed, and the writer of Hebrews makes this clear. However, they did serve a purpose. They served as symbols of the future ministry of Jesus Christ . . . Here, the blood shed by Christ is said to have the kind of power missing from that of animal sacrifices . . . All three persons of the Trinity . . . fulfills the entire purpose of the new covenant. God the Father can receive our service, because God the Son offers Himself as sacrifice, as guided by God the Holy Spirit . . . The result of the power of Jesus’ sacrifice is dramatic . . . Christ’s blood cleans us spiritually.
Biblehub.com, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: Our God alone possesses almighty power and infinite love. Christ is the way and the truth. And the believing soul will be more desirous to be taught the way and the truth of God, in order to walk therein, than to be delivered out of earthly distress. Those who set not the Lord before them, seek after believer’s souls; but the compassion, mercy, and truth of God, will be their refuge and consolation. And those whose parents were the servants of the Lord, may urge this as a plea why He should hear and help them. In considering David’s experience, and that of the believer, we must not lose sight of Him, who though He was rich, for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich.
Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: For Thou are great, and doest wondrous things – things suited to excite wonder or admiration; things which lie beyond the power of any creature, and which could be performed by no one but a being of almighty power. A God who could do these things could also do that which the psalmist asked of Him, for what God actually does proves that there is nothing within the limits of possibility which He cannot perform. The greatness and the power of God are reasons why we should appeal to Him in our weakness, and in our times of trouble . . . In those things, therefore, which require the interposition of divine power our appeal must be to Thee alone.
Biblehub.com, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers: The “grace” was given before the world began; therefore “our works” could have had nothing to do with the divine purpose which was resolved by God. As Chrysostom observes, “No one counselling with Him, but of His own purpose, the purpose originating in His own goodness.” Calvin remarks, “If God chose us before the creation of the world, He could not have considered the question of our works, which could have had no existence at a period when we ourselves were not.”
Studylight.org, Bridgeway Bible Commentary: People are saved only by God’s grace; that living and merciful attitude of God that freely gives His immeasurable blessings to those who do not deserve them. When people accept the salvation that this grace brings, they learn that their most fitting response is to turn from their former sinful ways and follow the ways of God . . . Christ died not merely to save people from the penalty of sin, but to save them from all wickedness. He wants them to be pure in their everyday lives and eager to do good.”
Scripturesavvy.com, Jamie Wilson: In these verses, we see a prophetic declaration by Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. He speaks of the coming of Jesus, who is described as the “rising sun” that will shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death. This light will guide us into the path of peace . . . We find a beautiful and inspiring passage that speaks of the dawn of redemption and the light that breaks through the darkness of our lives. It’s a moment of anticipation and hope that resonates deeply with us, reminding us of God’s unfailing promises through the Scriptures.
Crossway.org, Robert W. Yarborough: Life is “the free gift of God.” Moreover, this is not simply life in terms of daily earthly existence. Rather, Paul speaks of “eternal life.” This implies duration: a life that never ends. But it also implies quality. Eternal life means living in God’s presence, enjoying fellowship with Christ, bearing the fruit of His Spirit, worshiping and serving in His name.
Dailyverse.knowing-Jesus.com, Williams: Eternal life is open to ALL men and women. But note – there is ONE condition and one alone. Salvation is given freely through Jesus Christ our Lord. Forgiveness of sins and eternal life is God’s free gift which comes to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
This fervent plea for Christ our eternal Rock to grant salvation through His sacrifice and to be a place of refuge for the believer is one of the most popular hymns ever written. With strong emotional impact, it proclaims Christ’s atonement on the cross to be the only means of salvation, making man’s tears and efforts to justify himself of no avail. Also, it urges us to find consolation and security in Christ our Rock—even at the time of death.
English missionary, Daniel Draper, spent thirty years
planting churches and schools in Australia during the nineteenth century. It is
reported that: “Draper took a year’s furlough in England. When the time came to
return to Australia, he boarded the steamship for London. A gale hit the ship
in the Bay of Biscay, and Draper spent his last hours evangelizing to the 250
passengers. In the end, only three passengers were rescued, and one of them
reported Drapers’ last words: ‘Those of you who are not converted, now is the
time; not a minute to be lost.’ As the ship slipped beneath the sea on January
11, 1866, the passengers were singing Toplady’s hymn ‘Rock of Ages’ in their
final moments.”
Even when we may feel like we are all alone, remember that
God is always by our side and will never abandon us. He is truly our light in
the dark and our Rock that we can stand upon always. What an amazing feeling to
be loved by such a kind Father and to give praise to His Name with this
beautiful hymn.
By His Grace . . .
