Edward Mote1

M, #159, b. 21 January 1797, d. 13 November 1874
Father*James Mote1 b. s 1775
Mother*Mary Smith (perhaps)1 b. s 1775, d. c 1837
Edward Mote|b. 21 Jan 1797\nd. 13 Nov 1874|../g0/p159.htm|James Mote|b. s 1775|../g0/p157.htm|Mary Smith (perhaps)|b. s 1775\nd. c 1837|../g0/p158.htm|||||||||||||
ChartsDescendant Chart - James Mote b. say 1775
RelationshipSon of James Mote.
Anecdote--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, Spring 1998 -- Volume 11:20


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A Hymn of Grace

THE SOLID ROCK

Keith W. Ward
Scientist
Coatesville, PA

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

—Edward Mote (1797-1874)



The name of Edward Mote does not often rest on the lips of the Church today in the same fashion as Fanny J. Crosby, B. B. McKinney, Ira Sankey, or other greats in hymnody. However, the testimony of his life is one that should inspire all Christians. Mote was not brought up in a godly home and did not have the advantage of early exposure to Scripture. In fact, his parents managed a pub in London and often neglected young Edward, who spent most of his Sundays playing in the city streets.1 Of his theological upbringing, he said "So ignorant was I that I did not know that there was a God."2

Eventually Mote became exposed to the Word of God, and was baptized at the age of 18. This event, however, did not send Mote immediately into the ministry. He was apprenticed to become a cabinetmaker, a career which he successfully conducted for another 37 years. Eventually, at the age of 55, he became pastor of a Baptist church in Horsham, Sussex, where he did not miss a Sunday in the pulpit for the next 21 years.3 He resigned from this pastorate in 1873 due to ill health, and died the following year at the age of 77.

It was with this background that Mote wrote the hymn we have today, "The Solid Rock." It was during his career as a cabinetmaker that the hymn came into being. One morning in 1834 as he was walking to work, it entered his mind to write a hymn. By the time he got to work, he had the chorus. He wrote four more verses over the course of that day and two additional verses before he was finished.4

The hymn was published anonymously in several hymn collections before first being attributed to Mote in a collection of approximately 100 of his hymns published in 1837 (Hymns of Praise, A New Selection of Gospel Hymns, Combining All the Excellencies of our Spiritual Poets, with Many Originals). Mote’s original title for the hymn in this collection was "The Immutable Basis of a Sinner’s Hope." The tune "Solid Rock" to which Mote’s words are most commonly set was composed by William B. Bradbury for this text in 1863. An alternative tune sometimes used is "Melita" by John B. Dykes, to which the hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" (i.e., "The Navy Hymn") is commonly sung.

Interestingly, there seems to be some discrepancy surrounding the verses of this hymn. In addition to the four commonly sung verses printed above, Mote composed two others. One source lists the other two as

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
’Midst all the hell I feel within,
On His completed work I lean.

I trust His righteous character
His council, promise, and His power;
His honor and His name’s at stake,
To save me from the burning lake.5

Another writer, however, states that the first line of Mote’s original version read, "Nor earth, nor hell my soul can move."6 Even the verses that are commonly preserved are somewhat in question. For example, the second stanza is often rendered in many modern hymnals with an alternative version of the first line, such as "When darkness seems to hide His face."7 Furthermore, some hymnals alter the word "veil" in the last line to read "vale"8 or "vail,"9 either with or without invoking the alternative first line.

Regardless of the exact version employed, "The Solid Rock" falls firmly into the category of a gospel hymn. Frances Mosher has identified several musical characteristics of gospel hymns which apply to "The Solid Rock."10 The song has a simple melody, a 3/4 meter, and a repeating refrain. Although the term "gospel hymn" is considered distinctively American, with its origins in the camp meetings of the early nineteenth century,11 Mote’s 1836 publication from London contained this term, and this hymn, which certainly qualifies it as one of the earliest gospel hymns.

As to the doctrinal message of the hymn, several key thoughts and phrases qualify it as a "Hymn of Grace." Of course, the chorus itself clearly sets forth the message of grace. The metaphor of Christ as a rock is one with a firm basis in Scripture (1 Cor 10:4), and has been previously described in depth in this feature.12

In the first stanza, hardly a clearer statement of total dependence on Christ could be made. Mote recognizes that our hope for eternal life depends completely upon Jesus’ righteousness, not on some sweet earthly frame. Nothing in this hymn ever hints that any work on our part can add to Christ’s work in order to secure our eternal salvation. However, the hymn is not ignorant of the reality of our daily struggles. In the second and third stanzas, Mote recognizes that there are times when the doubts, cares, and darkness of this world will seem to weaken our fellowship with God and veil His face from us. Even in these times, when "all around [our] soul gives way," God has not left us. Our anchor of faith can still hold in the darkness, knowing through faith that even though not seen (Heb 11:1), He still sustains us. It is at these times that it is most important, in Mote’s words, to "rest on His unchanging grace." It is the immutable, certain promise of God unto salvation that allows us to have assurance even in times of great spiritual darkness. Unlike those who spend times of spiritual struggle doubting their very salvation, those who adhere to the tenets expounded from Scripture by GES rest, with Mote, in the firm knowledge of our destiny.

From a declaration of God’s grace in the first stanza, to the application of that grace in times of trouble in the second and third stanzas, the writer brings his hymn full circle in the final stanza, with the ultimate realization of God’s grace.

This hymn, penned by the son of neglectful pubkeepers in London, has become one of the most beloved gospel hymns in the Church today. Despite some variations in the precise words of the song, the basic message strongly sets forth Christ’s righteousness as the only requirement for salvation, making it very much a "Hymn of Grace."

Endnotes

1Price, Milburn, "Edward Mote," in Handbook to the Baptist Hymnal (Nashville: Convention Press, 1992), 411.



 
AnecdoteOne morning it came into my mind as I went to labour, to write an hymn on the ‘Gra­cious Ex­per­i­ence of a Christ­ian.’ As I went up Hol­born I had the chorus,

‘On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.’

In the day I had four first vers­es com­plete, and wrote them off. On the Sab­bath fol­low­ing I met bro­ther King as I came out of Lisle Street Meet­ing…who in­formed me that his wife was very ill, and asked me to call and see her. I had an ear­ly tea, and called af­ter­wards. He said that it was his usu­al custom to sing a hymn, read a por­tion, and en­gage in prayer, be­fore he went to meet­ing. He looked for his hymn-book but could find it no­where. I said, ‘I have some vers­es in my pock­et; if he liked, we would sing them.’ We did, and his wife en­joyed them so much, that af­ter ser­vice he asked me, as a fa­vour, to leave a co­py of them for his wife. I went home, and by the fire­side com­posed the last two vers­es, wrote the whole off, and took them to sis­ter King…As these vers­es so met the dy­ing wo­man’s case, my at­ten­tion to them was the more ar­rest­ed, and I had a thou­sand print­ed for dis­tr­ibu­tion. I sent one to the Spiritual Magazine, with­out my ini­tials, which ap­peared some time af­ter this. Bro­ther Rees, of Crown Street, Soho, brought out an edi­tion of hymns [1836], and this hymn was in it. Da­vid Den­ham in­tro­duced it [1837] with Rees’ name, and others af­ter…Your in­sert­ing this brief out­line may in fu­ture shield me from the charge of stealth, and be a vin­di­ca­tion of truth­ful­ness in my con­nect­ion with the Church of God.

Edward Mote
Letter to the Gospel Herald


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My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

Refrain

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

Refrain

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

Refrain

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain.

 
Anecdote*A Hymn of Grace

THE SOLID ROCK

Keith W. Ward
Scientist
Coatesville, PA

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

—Edward Mote (1797-1874)



The name of Edward Mote does not often rest on the lips of the Church today in the same fashion as Fanny J. Crosby, B. B. McKinney, Ira Sankey, or other greats in hymnody. However, the testimony of his life is one that should inspire all Christians. Mote was not brought up in a godly home and did not have the advantage of early exposure to Scripture. In fact, his parents managed a pub in London and often neglected young Edward, who spent most of his Sundays playing in the city streets. Of his theological upbringing, he said "So ignorant was I that I did not know that there was a God."

Eventually Mote became exposed to the Word of God, and was baptized at the age of 18. This event, however, did not send Mote immediately into the ministry. He was apprenticed to become a cabinetmaker, a career which he successfully conducted for another 37 years. Eventually, at the age of 55, he became pastor of a Baptist church in Horsham, Sussex, where he did not miss a Sunday in the pulpit for the next 21 years. He resigned from this pastorate in 1873 due to ill health, and died the following year at the age of 77.

It was with this background that Mote wrote the hymn we have today, "The Solid Rock." It was during his career as a cabinetmaker that the hymn came into being. One morning in 1834 as he was walking to work, it entered his mind to write a hymn. By the time he got to work, he had the chorus. He wrote four more verses over the course of that day and two additional verses before he was finished.

The hymn was published anonymously in several hymn collections before first being attributed to Mote in a collection of approximately 100 of his hymns published in 1837 (Hymns of Praise, A New Selection of Gospel Hymns, Combining All the Excellencies of our Spiritual Poets, with Many Originals). Mote’s original title for the hymn in this collection was "The Immutable Basis of a Sinner’s Hope." The tune "Solid Rock" to which Mote’s words are most commonly set was composed by William B. Bradbury for this text in 1863. An alternative tune sometimes used is "Melita" by John B. Dykes, to which the hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" (i.e., "The Navy Hymn") is commonly sung.

Interestingly, there seems to be some discrepancy surrounding the verses of this hymn. In addition to the four commonly sung verses printed above, Mote composed two others. One source lists the other two as

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
’Midst all the hell I feel within,
On His completed work I lean.

I trust His righteous character
His council, promise, and His power;
His honor and His name’s at stake,
To save me from the burning lake.5

Another writer, however, states that the first line of Mote’s original version read, "Nor earth, nor hell my soul can move." Even the verses that are commonly preserved are somewhat in question. For example, the second stanza is often rendered in many modern hymnals with an alternative version of the first line, such as "When darkness seems to hide His face." Furthermore, some hymnals alter the word "veil" in the last line to read "vale" or "vail," either with or without invoking the alternative first line.

Regardless of the exact version employed, "The Solid Rock" falls firmly into the category of a gospel hymn. Frances Mosher has identified several musical characteristics of gospel hymns which apply to "The Solid Rock."10 The song has a simple melody, a 3/4 meter, and a repeating refrain. Although the term "gospel hymn" is considered distinctively American, with its origins in the camp meetings of the early nineteenth century, Mote’s 1836 publication from London contained this term, and this hymn, which certainly qualifies it as one of the earliest gospel hymns.

As to the doctrinal message of the hymn, several key thoughts and phrases qualify it as a "Hymn of Grace." Of course, the chorus itself clearly sets forth the message of grace. The metaphor of Christ as a rock is one with a firm basis in Scripture (1 Cor 10:4), and has been previously described in depth in this feature.

In the first stanza, hardly a clearer statement of total dependence on Christ could be made. Mote recognizes that our hope for eternal life depends completely upon Jesus’ righteousness, not on some sweet earthly frame. Nothing in this hymn ever hints that any work on our part can add to Christ’s work in order to secure our eternal salvation. However, the hymn is not ignorant of the reality of our daily struggles. In the second and third stanzas, Mote recognizes that there are times when the doubts, cares, and darkness of this world will seem to weaken our fellowship with God and veil His face from us. Even in these times, when "all around [our] soul gives way," God has not left us. Our anchor of faith can still hold in the darkness, knowing through faith that even though not seen (Heb 11:1), He still sustains us. It is at these times that it is most important, in Mote’s words, to "rest on His unchanging grace." It is the immutable, certain promise of God unto salvation that allows us to have assurance even in times of great spiritual darkness. Unlike those who spend times of spiritual struggle doubting their very salvation, those who adhere to the tenets expounded from Scripture by GES rest, with Mote, in the firm knowledge of our destiny.

From a declaration of God’s grace in the first stanza, to the application of that grace in times of trouble in the second and third stanzas, the writer brings his hymn full circle in the final stanza, with the ultimate realization of God’s grace.

This hymn, penned by the son of neglectful pubkeepers in London, has become one of the most beloved gospel hymns in the Church today. Despite some variations in the precise words of the song, the basic message strongly sets forth Christ’s righteousness as the only requirement for salvation, making it very much a "Hymn of Grace."

Endnotes

1Price, Milburn, "Edward Mote," in Handbook to the Baptist Hymnal (Nashville: Convention Press, 1992), 411.



 
Birth*Edward Mote was born on 21 January 1797 at London, Middlesex, England.1 
He was the son of James Mote and Mary Smith (perhaps).1 
BaptismEdward Mote was baptized on 19 February 1797 at All Hallows the Great, London, Middlesex, England.1 
(Witness) WillHe witnessed the will of Mary Smith (perhaps) on 31 October 1835; This is the last Will and Testament of me Mary Mote of No 8 Crosby Row King Street Southwark in the County of Surry ......all my just debts burrial and testamentary expences to be fully paid and satisfied and subject hereto I give and bequeath all my right title .....and interest in the salve Business called Smith Black Salve and which I derived from my late Sister Ann Smith and all my stocks in the funds and all my household furniture plate linen china and all the Rest and Residue of my Personal Estate and Effects of what nature or kind the same may consist at the time of my decease unto my dear Daughter Mary Ann Lotsom Mote to hold unto my said Daughter her executors ad..ors and assigns to and for her and their ?now absolute use and benefit and I do hereby constitute and appoint my said daughter sole Executrix of this my last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I have to this my last Will and Testament set my hand and seal this thirty first day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty five. Mary Mote / seal / signed / published and declared by the said Testatrist? Mary Mote as and for her last Will and Testament in the presence of us who at her request in her presence and in the presence of each other hereunto subscribed our names as Witnesses Jas. Mote 21 Penton Place Pentonville Edwd. Mote 14 Union Street Borough //

PROVED at London 22nd June 1837 before the worshipful John Daubtuy?? Doctor of Laws and Surrogate by the Oath of Mary Ann Lettsom / in the Will written Lotsom Mote Spinster the Daughter the sole executrix to whom ....... was granted ................................. to administer.//. 
Residence*Edward Mote lived on 31 October 1835 at 74 Union Street, Borough, England; as shown in his mother's Will. 
Occupation*He was a Cabinet Maker in 1841.2 
Census*He appeared on the census of 6 June 1841 at Bow Road, Southwark, Parish of St George the Martyr, England.2 
Death*He died on 13 November 1874 at England at age 77. 

Citations:

  1. [S5] International Genealogical Index (IGI).
  2. [S47] Compiler: British Government, The London 1841 Census, Subject: Images of the 1841 Census Books, Disk 40 H-1084-1.pdf page: 165.
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