The town was old Bradford, Iowa. Taking a walk while waiting for the stagecoach, Pitts came upon an empty lot surrounded by wildwoods and the Cedar River. He thought it would be a nice spot for a church.
When he was back home in Wisconsin, he penned a poem and put the manuscript away. He later set it to music and then forgot about the song. He called it, “The Church in the Wildwood.”
In the years of 1859 and 1860 the good people of Bradford were determined to build a church. Pitts returned to the area with his wife, Ann Eliza Warren, in 1862 and there discovered a church being erected where he had imagined it to be. The land had been donated by the family that owned it.
By the early winter of 1864 the building was ready for dedication. The church was painted brown because that was the cheapest paint to be found.
Pitts was holding a singing school nearby at Bradford Academy, and the class went there one evening. Pitts had them sing his song at the dedication of the new church. There were no seats, so rude seats were improvised. His song had never been sung before by anyone but himself.
Soon afterwards Pitts took the manuscript to Chicago, where it was published, and the hymn became known as, “The Little Brown Church in the Vale.”
William S Pitts was an American physician and composer, born in New York in the 1830. His parents were descended from New England Puritans of English and Scottish ancestry. Pitts was the eighth of nine children and had musical ability from an early age, taking formal music lessons from a graduate of the Boston Handel and Haydn Society.
At age nineteen Pitts traveled with his family to Wisconsin
where he worked as a rural schoolteacher. He then moved to Chicago to enroll in
Rush Medical College. To pay his enrollment fees, he sold the rights to the
song to a music publisher for $25. He completed medical school, graduating in
1868, and practiced medicine in Fredericksburg until 1906.
Pitts joined Fredericksburg Baptist Church in 1871. His first wife died in 1886, and Pitts
remarried to Mrs. M.A. Grannis in 1887, and they moved to Clarion, Iowa in
1906.
His second wife died in 1909, and Pitts moved to Brooklyn,
New York, to be with his son, William Stanley Bates. Pitts died in Brooklyn in
1918, and was buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Iowa.
The little brown church was open until 1888, and then closed
due to an economic downturn in the town. The Society for the Preservation of The
Little Brown Church was founded. By 1914, services were again held in the
church. Shortly afterward, the small congregation experienced a revival that
attracted new attention to it and the song.
The church has become a popular tourist spot and remains so
today. It attracts thousands of visitors every year to see The Little Brown Church
in the Vale. There have now been over 74,000 weddings performed there through
the years.
Studylight.org, Bridgeway Bible Commentary: From childhood
he has been guided by the Scriptures, and his faith in those Scriptures gives
him assurance in his salvation. He must maintain this confidence, knowing that
the Scriptures are divinely given and that they are God’s means of instructing
people in right belief and right living. Those who are well instructed in the
Scriptures will always be ready when an opportunity arises to do good.
Studylight.org, Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible: It is
a maxim with the Jews, that when a child was five years of age, it was proper
to teach him the Scriptures. Timothy’s mother being a Jewess, trained him up
early in the knowledge of these writings, with which he became very conversant,
and under divine influence and assistance, arrived at a large understanding of
them.
Enduringword.com, David Guzik: It was as if Paul wrote this:
“Timothy, you learned these things. Right now you firmly believe them. Now, you
have to continue in the things which you have learned. The important thing is
to abide in them, to continue in them, to never let them go.”
Studylight.org, Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible: Early, speedily; with the first rays of the morning. Let it be, as it were, the first thing in the day; the first thing that is done. The idea is not that he would wait for another day, but that he would interpose as the very first act – as when one enters on a day.
Biblehub.com, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: Here is
comfort for the relations and friends of those who die in the Lord. Grief for
the death of friends is lawful; we may weep for our own loss, though it may be
their gain. Christianity does not forbid, and grace does not do away, our
natural affections. Yet we must not be excessive in our sorrows; this is too
much like those who have no hope of a better life. Death is an unknown thing,
and we know little about the state after death; yet the doctrines of the
resurrection and the second coming of Christ, are a remedy against the fear of
death, and undue sorrow for the death of our Christian friends; and of these
doctrines we have full assurance. It will be some happiness that all the saints
shall meet and remain together for ever; but the principal happiness of heaven
is to be with the Lord, to see Him, live with Him, and enjoy Him forever.
Ryan Owens, on Oldtimemusic.com tells it this way: The Little Brown Church in the Vale is not just a physical location; it represents a spiritual sanctuary where all are welcome, regardless of their backgrounds, struggles, or past mistakes. The hymn’s universal message of love and acceptance resonates with listeners, reminding them of the power of faith to unite and uplift even in the most challenging times . . . it represents a place where individuals can find refuge, fellowship, and unwavering love.
Enduringword.com, David Guzik: Jesus spoke with complete confidence about heaven, here spoken of as His Father’s house. Jesus didn’t wonder about the life beyond this earth; He knew it and told His disciples that there was room for all in heaven . . . Whatever dwelling place God has for us in heaven, it will be as glorious as a mansion . . . many mansions . . . Love prepares a welcome. With love, expectant parents prepare a room for the baby. Jesus prepares a place for His people because He loves them and is confident of their arrival.
Biblehub.com, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: Christ was the Master of this house, of His church, His people, as well as their Maker . . . Christ, as the eternal Son of God, is rightful Owner and sovereign Ruler of the Church. There must not only be setting out well in the ways of Christ, but steadfastness and perseverance therein to the end. Every meditation on His person and His salvation will suggest more wisdom, new motives to love, confidence, and obedience.
Studylight.com, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible: Think of the house of God. He laid the foundations of it, even before the world was, provided the blueprints of it in the dispensation of Moses, and extended it upward and outward to include all the families of man in the church of Christ; and, finally, He shall present all to Himself in the glorious fulfillment of the everlasting Kingdom at the last day.”
