Old-Fashioned Hymn: There Is A Fountain

It's been a while since I've shared a hymn with ya'll and this hymn that I want to talk about today is one that I've sung several times at Bible studies over the past few weeks. As we've sung it the wording of the last few verses were really impressed on my mind as containing such amazing truth but also sounding very poetical. When I was looking up the history of the hymn today I discovered that the writer who penned the words was none other than British poet William Cowper (pronounced like Cooper) - so the poetical wording makes perfect sense!

Check out the music videos below so you can listen while you read! :)

There Is A Fountain

1. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins;

And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains:

Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;

And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.

2. The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;

And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away:

Wash all my sins away, wash all my sins away;

And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.

3. Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never loose its pow'r,

Till all the ransomed Church of God be saved, to sin no more:

Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more;

Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

4. E'er since by faith I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die:

And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;

Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

5. When this poor lisping, stamm'ring tongue, lies silent in the grave,

Then in a nobler, sweeter song I'll sing Thy pow'r to save:

I'll sing Thy pow'r to save, I'll sing Thy pow'r to save;

Then in a nobler, sweeter song I'll sing Thy pow'r to save.

Words: William Cowper, circa 1772

Music: Cleans­ing Fount­ain, 19th Cen­tu­ry Amer­i­can camp meet­ing tune (there are several other tunes used, see here for others)

William Cowper (1731–1800)
Portrait of Cowper by Lemuel Francis Abbott

Hymn's History: Many of the best hymns were penned under trying circumstances in the author's life. There is a Fountain is no exception. 

"One of England’s most popular 18th century poets, William Cowper suffered for most of his adult life with paralyzing depression and insanity. He was saved during a stint in a mental asylum, where his caretaker was a strong Christian. Even following his conversion, Cowper suffered from a recurring nightmare that God had rejected him and attempted suicide several times. One bright spot in his life was his 30-year friendship with John Newton, who served as Cowper’s pastor for many years." (quoted from this article)  

John Newton visited Cowper often and they would take walks and talk about at length about God and His purpose from the church. In 1796 Newton got the idea to collaborate with Cowper on a book of hymns, a plan which he hoped would help Cowper use his poetical gift while focusing on the things of God. The result was Olney Hymns, published in 1779 and used initially in Newton's rural parish and then in other Evangelical churches; six of those hymns, including Amazing Grace and There Is A Fountain, are still found in most hymnals today.

This hymn was written after on of William Cowper's serious bouts with depression and insanity in which he tried to kill himself three or four times within a twenty-four hour period. Each attempt on his own life failed whether from his hand shaking so much he couldn't take the poison, the pen knife being too blunt to punture his chest or the garter used for hanging himself breaking just in time. God definitely had His hand on William Cowper that day! (read more about the incident here.) 

After the episode Cowper walked the streets feeling terribly guilty and asking for God's forgiveness and these words came to him. 'Cowper was acutely aware of his unworthiness and “vile” nature. Yet he clung to the truth that Christ’s blood was powerful to cleanse him — and, indeed, all sinners — of all “guilty stains.” ' (quoted from this article)

Music Videos: 

There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood (Instrumental) - accompanied by photos and verses

There Is A Fountain - Two verses performed by The London Philharmonic Choir & London's National Philharmonic Orchestra.

There is a Fountain - Performed by Ernie Smith in his original arrangement on a 1983 Ramirez classical guitar.

My favorite words come from the last two verses: "Redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die" and "Then in a nobler, sweeter song I'll sing Thy pow'r to save". The first quote gives the thought of singing of God's redeeming love until the very moment of death. The second gives the idea of after death the believer will be with the Lord in heaven singing "a nobler, sweeter song" to glorify God. What a wonderful thoughts to dwell on instead of the tragedy that often comes our way.

Last night at Bible study we were studying 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and these words really stood out to me as going along with the same idea of the quotes I mentioned above:
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:19-22)

"So when this corruptible [body] shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal [flesh] shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?' " (1 Corinthians 15:53-55, emphasis mine)

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:57-58)

This life is temporary and for those who have believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior there is hope beyond the gave. Praise the Lord!


Have you sung There Is A Fountain before? Do you have a favorite verse of the song?

What have you been studying in God's Word lately?

Random Period Drama Screencap Game

In this game we're playing with randomly chosen screencaps from some of our favorite period films. Hopefully these won't be too hard or too easy to guess. 

To Play: Rules this time are super easy. Just look at the screencaps below and leave a comment guessing which period dramas they are from. I'll respond with your score. Guess as many times as you like. Answers will be posted next Saturday.

Scoring: Ten points will be awarded for each correctly guessed period drama. A total of 100 points can be earned.

Period Drama Screencaps

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

Happy Guessing!

Another Period Drama Couples Quiz - Answers!

Bonus Photo Question Answer:
Charlotte Lucas & Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice (1980)

These are the answers to the Another Period Drama Couples Quiz from last week.
Ya'll did a great job guessing these period drama couples! I have several more couples on my long list so I'll probably do a few more games like this in future. Thanks for playing! 

Couple Clues:

Couple #1. Heroic archer with a thieving habit. / Titled lady who shares his passion for helping others.

Answer: Robin Hood & Lady Marian from Robin Hood

Note: In most Robin Hood stories Maid Marian is the daughter of a Knight or an Earl making her of noble birth.

~*~

Couple #2. Sweet and naive young heroine's friend. / Gentleman farmer who writes a very good letter. 

Answer: Harriet Smith & Robert Martin from Emma

~*~

Couple #3. Impetuous younger sister of heroine. / Spendthrift charming soldier. 

Answer: Lydia Bennet & George Wickham from Pride and Prejudice 

Love this photo even though I dislike the couple!

~*~

Couple #4. Naive young songstress. / Her protector and patron of the musical theatre.

Answer:  Christine Daae & Vicomte Raoul de Chagny from The Phantom of the Opera

~*~

Couple #5. Sweet young lady and princess of her moorland clan. / Brave young farmer.

Answer: Lorna Doone & John Ridd from Lorna Doone 

~*~

Couple #6. Imaginative young postal assistant. / Handsome news journalist.

Answer: Laura Timmins & Daniel Parish from Lark Rise to Candleford 

~*~

Couple #7. Hilariously silly hero's sister. / Rich speculating investor. 

Answer: Fanny Thornton & Mr. Watson from North and South 

Yeah, this photo always make me giggle! :)

~*~

Couple #8. Princess kidnapped by her own fiance. / Poor farm boy turned pirate.

Answer: Princess Buttercup & Westley from The Princess Bride 

Note: There was some question about Buttercup actually being a princess. Amy Dashwood explained: "The way that worked is explained in the book but not the movie-- apparently Humperdinck couldn't marry a girl without a title, so they fenced off a tiny portion of land in Florin, named it Hammersmith, and made Buttercup the Princess of Hammersmith in a private ceremony." 

~*~

Couple #9. Angelically sweet doctor's daughter. / French nobleman turned tutor.

Answer: Lucie Manette & Charles Darnay from A Tale of Two Cities 

~*~

Couple #10. Passionate young songbird with high ideals. / Military gentleman with disappointment in his past.

Answer: Marianne Dashwood & Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility 

~*~

Couple #11. Freedom talking British politician. / Spirited young woman who encourages him to rise above failure.

Answer: William Wilberforce & Barbara Spooner from Amazing Grace 

~*~

Couple #12. Bookworm with an overactive imagination. / Witty clergyman with knowledge of textiles.

Answer: Catherine Morland & Henry Tilney from Northanger Abbey 

~*~

Couple #13. Imaginative girl who doesn't make the same mistake twice. / Merciless teaser who later turns chum.

Answer: Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables 

~*~

Couple #14. Sensible young ladies' maid. / Crippled soldier turned valet.

Answer: Anna Smith & John Bates from Downton Abbey 

~*~

Couple #15. She's a trusted companion and housekeeper with a mysterious past. / He's a kindly physician of Welsh origin.

Answer: Esther Summerson & Allan Woodcourt from Bleak House 

~*~

Players Scores:

Melody - 188 points
Sarah Grace - 170 points
Hayden - 168 points
Miss Dashwood - 156 points
Abigail - 148 points
Kiri Liz - 144 points
Scullery Maid - 144 points
Eleanor Rose - 140 points
birdienl - 136 points
Hannah - 128 points
Miss Elizabeth Bennet - 128 points
Anna Grace - 108 points
Livia Rachelle - 96 points
Emily Ruth - 96 points
Ella - 88 points
Petie - 84 points
Robyn Hoode - 64 points
Jemimah - 60 points
Johanna - 48 points

Thanks for playing!

Lesley Castle by Jane Austen

I've been re-reading a few of Jane Austen's Juvenalia works to gain a bit more inspiration for a couple stories of mine that are still in the planning stages. In reading I found Lesley Castle quite entertaining and especially found some interesting quotes that I couldn't help sharing. :)

Story: This unfinished tale is written in letters mostly between Margaret Lesley in Scotland and Charlotte Lutterell in England. Margaret and her older sister Matilda reside in dreary old Lesley Castle in Perthshire, Scotland caring for their brother's motherless young daughter, while their father Sir George has a merry time in London. When their extravagant father remarries he brings his pretty new wife and her quiet brother to visit and their lives will never be the same again. Meanwhile Charlotte is busy preparing tons of food for her sister Eloisa's wedding feast when her fiance has a bad fall and dies. Poor Charlotte is left to figure out what to do with all of the food and try to comfort her sister. Charlotte, Eloisa and their mother travel to Bristol down to improve their health and there they meet Mr. & Mrs. Marlowe and handsome Mr. Cleveland. The story ends abruptly with the possibility of traveling abroad to see Margaret's brother and his ex-wife who have both remarried. 

Interesting Quotes: I came across several lovely quotes, some of them even reminded me of quotes or sentiments in Jane Austen's major novels.

"Lesley [Margaret's brother] is at present five and twenty, and has already given himself up to melancholy and Despair." - First Letter

"...Matilda and I remain secluded from Mankind in our old and Mouldering Castle, which is situated two miles from Perth on a bold and projecting Rock, and commands an extensive view of the town and its delightful Environs." - First Letter

"...we are neither dull nor happy; on the contrary there were never two more lively, more agreeable or more witty girls, than we are; not an hour in the Day hangs heavy on our Hands. We read, we work, we walk, and when fatigued with these Employments releive our spirits, either by a lively song, a graceful Dance, or by some smart bon-mot, and witty repartee. We are handsome my dear Charlotte, very handsome and the greatest of our Perfections is, we are entirely insensible of them ourselves." - First Letter

"During our visit, the Weather being remarkably bad, and our party particularly stupid, she was so good as to conceive a violent partiality for me, which very soon settled in a downright Freindship and ended in an established correspondence. She is probably by this time as tired of me, as I am of her; but as she is too polite and I am too civil to say so, our letters are still as frequent and affectionate as ever, and our Attachment as firm and sincere as when it first commenced." - Fourth Letter

"A brother of Mrs Marlowe, Mr Cleveland is with them at present; he is a good-looking young Man, and seems to have a good deal to say for himself." - Fourth Letter

"Perhaps you may wonder that I do not consider myself as well as my Sister in my matrimonial Projects; but to tell you the truth I never wish to act a more principal part at a Wedding than the superintending and directing the Dinner, and therefore while I can get any of my acquaintance to marry for me, I shall never think of doing it myself, as I very much suspect that I should not have so much time for dressing my own Wedding-dinner, as for dressing that of my friends." - Fourth Letter

"They are so horribly pale."

"They have always a little colour, and after any exercise it is considerably heightened."

- Sixth Letter

(This quote reminded me of Mr. Darcy's defense of Elizabeth Bennet's looks in Pride and Prejudice: "I am afraid, Mr. Darcy, that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of her fine eyes." "Not at all," he replied; "they were brightened by the exercise.")

"This was certainly enough to put any one n a Passion; however, I was as cool as a cream-cheese..." - Seventh Letter

"...and I hope you will not think me girlishly romantic, when I say that to have some kind of compassionate Friend who might listen, to my sorrows without endeavouring to console me was what I had for some time wished for..." - Eighth Letter

"Need I say my dear Eloisa how wellcome your letter was to me? I cannot give a greater proof of the pleasure I received from it, or of the Desire I feel that our Correspondence may be regular and frequent than by setting you so good an example as I now do in answering it before the end of the week." - Ninth Letter

"How often have I wished that I possessed as little personal Beauty as you do; that my figure were as inelegant; my face as unlovely; and my appearance as unpleasing as yours! But ah! what little chance is there of so desirable an Event; I have not had the small-pox, and must therefore submit to my unhappy fate." - Tenth Letter

"...my Attention was attracted by the appearance of a Young Man the most lovely of his Sex, who at that moment entered the Room with another Gentleman and Lady. From the first moment I beheld him, I was certain that on him depended the future Happiness of my life." - Tenth Letter

"...is it possible that she can not know how greatly superior an elegant simplicity is to the most studied apparel?" - Tenth Letter

Leslie Castle in Scotland

My Thoughts: Lesley Castle interests me for several reasons. Firstly it's the only one of Jane Austen's stories that partially takes place in Scotland (as far as I can remember). 

It does end after ten letters and quite in the middle of the tale but there's a lot of information about the principal characters packed into them. 

An old Scottish castle is featured in the title, the story starts there and much of the main movement happens there. The tale ends with the possibility of the Lesley family traveling abroad in which case Margaret Lesley, sort of the main heroine  would have to write to her friend Charlotte from foreign places. I'm left wondering if the reason for the story's untimely end could have something to do with the fact that Jane Austen never traveled abroad herself and did not have the necessary information about locations to finish the tale. 

It's interesting that at the beginning a similar sounding plot to full length novel begins to arise: two sisters' world is upset when their relation brings his pert wife to take over the running of their family home, the wife's brother visits and falls in love with the eldest sister. That plot reminds me of John & Fanny Dashwood's taking over Norland in Sense and Sensibility and Fanny's brother Edward Ferrars falling in love with the eldest sister Elinor. 

There are also a few quotes that remind me of quotes or sentiments from the major novels. 

The characters are all quite entertaining, especially Charlotte Lutterell that chef extraordinaire who fixes massive amounts of food for her sister's wedding which is not to be and uses food and cooking references whenever possible in her letters!  

I found lots of inspiration for my own writing in Lesley Castle and I hope Miss Jane would not mind me even using one or two of her names or ideas. 

Have you read Lesley Castle?

From the description of the Scottish castle above (second quote) would you be interested in visiting it?

Do you have a favorite Austen Juvenalia work?

Another Fandom Heard From...

Dear Readers,
I've gone back and forth on my decision to post about my Doctor Who fandom here at Old-Fashioned Charm. Well, I can't be totally old-fashioned all the time, this blog is about things I like, period drama actors are abundant in the new series and there are many historical references in Doctor Who that are just plain fun. So, if you're not at all interested in Doctor Who feel free to totally ignore this post, I probably won't be mentioning it again.


Okay, so you're interested are you? Yes, I do call myself a Whovian (that is a fan of Doctor Who). I don't recommend the show for everyone but it is a lot of fun and I'm discovering the older the episode is the more fun it usually is too!
Natasha Marie of Day By Day and Ashely of Bramblewood Fashion have teamed up to bring us Whovians The Doctor Who Blog Party, a completely Brilliant and Fantastic week long event celebrating all things Doctor Who related! They have many interesting posts, a couple of giveaways and this super fun tag to which I had fun suggesting questions. Thanks ladies!
Warning: Lots and lots of photos!! :D

1| If you decided to name your first born child after any Doctor Who character, male or female, who would it be? 
Well, probably after Amelia Pond but purely because I love the name Amelia "Amy". Maybe Rose, that's pretty too.

 2| What is your favourite colour of the Doctor's shoes? 
Hmm...well I liked the converse shoes David Tennant wore and not really any particular color, I liked all of them.

 3| Look around yourself and name the one thing that is TARDIS blue in your house! 
There's a couple DVD cases, a hoodie and I have an iPod cover because it's name is definitely TARDIS! :)

 

 4| If you could pick who plays the Twelfth Doctor which actor would you choose and why? 
First choice would be Tom Hiddleston because he's clever and quirky and oh so adorable! But it would be great if the next Doctor could be ginger haired, and then instead of the "still not ginger" quote he couple go around saying "Look! I'm ginger!" heehee :)  Or...maybe Andrew Buchan, he's be just Fantastic!

 5| The Doctor is going back in time again, which historical era should he visit? 
Regency England, yes, aliens and Jane Austen! Maybe it was the Doctor who was the mysterious gentleman Jane met on the seaside at Lyme! :)

 6| Would you REALLY go with the Doctor in the TARDIS? 
Yes! Well, at least for one adventure. I don't think I could spend a long time traveling with the Doctor (but that might depend what he looks like or his current personality).

 7| Who's your favorite Doctor and why? 
The Tenth Doctor is my absolute favorite! Why? David Tennant. And that's enough! ;)  I love the quirkiness of David Tennant's Doctor, his hair, his adorableness, his always doing what is best, his catch phrases, his kindness and his wonderful group of friends.

 8| Would you be afraid to spend Christmas in London?
No, not really. If aliens attack there's always the Doctor to take care of them.

 9| Do you look at an ordinary screwdriver and think 'this could be a bit more sonic?' 
Hmm...I never have before but

 10| Angel statues, plastic mannequins, Christmas trees - what ordinary everyday object would you love to make an object of terror to Whovians were you Steven Moffat? 
Snowmen! haha

 11| The TARDIS lands in your garden and the Doctor steps out. What is the first thing you say to him? 
"Where have you been?" or maybe "The angels are coming!" or even "Hello! My name is Alonso!" or what about "Oi! Watch it Spaceman!"

 12| Who is your favorite actor who has played the Doctor so far and why? 
David Tennant. That is all. :)

 13| Have you seen any Classic Doctor Who? If so, which Doctor/episode(s) is your favorite? 
I recently watched a bunch of older episodes because I'd only seen the newer series and I felt it was high time that I knew a bit more about the history of the Doctor. My grandmother was a huge Doctor Who fan and her favorite was Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. I've seen at least once episode of each of the older Doctors (except for Six and Eight) and my favorite is definitely Tom Baker. I've seen nine of the adventures with him and so far my favorite is The Ark In Space, but mostly because that one had Sarah Jane in it and I liked her a lot.

 14| Which are the creepiest, scariest and all-out meanest baddies in all the Who-niverse? 
Daleks are definitely up there but the baddies who always scare me to death are the Weeping Angels. Funny enough Blink is one of my favorite episodes though. Oh, and the Master is very creepy!

 15| Who is/are your favorite Companion(s) and why? 
My favorite companion is Rose Tyler, she's so sweet and smart and helps the Doctor be an even better man than he already is. A close second now is Donna Noble - I just finished watching the episodes in her season and I love her witty remarks, spunk and the compassionate nature that comes out in her. Love her grandfather Wilf to pieces too! I love that Donna is really just an ordinary person but she really becomes the most important person in the universe. Sarah Jane is a new favorite of mine too, I've seen two adventures (not counting the newer episodes) with her but I'd love to see more - she has such elegance, smarts and sweetness.

 16| Did you cry more watching Doomsday or The Angels Take Manhattan? 
Well, as I haven't seen The Angels Take Manhattan yet I'll have to say Doomsday. The episode I cried most over really was The End Of Time: Part Two. Oh my goodness I absolutely bawled over watching that and I've watched it twice.

 17| What is your favorite quote from the show? 
"Alons-y!" I have lots of favorites but that one is my favorite. That and "Multa Bene!" Oh and I do love the "Don't Blink" quote from Blink. :)

 18| Which Doctor (including all previous regenerations) would you most like to be the companion of, and why? 
Ten, Four and Nine - in that order. Ten-nant first of course! Tom Baker's Fourth is so clever, witty and kind. And then I do think Christopher Eccleston's Ninth was quite fun.

19| Which of the following are you more scared of, the Daleks, Cybermen, or the Weeping Angles? 
Weeping Angels definitely. They kill you kindly but are still the scariest to me.

 20| Who are some of your favorite guest stars in the series? 
Oh, too many to name! Carey Mulligan as Sally Sparrow might be my favorite. Penelope Wilton as Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister. Anna Maxwell Martin, Hugh Bonneville, Harry Lloyd, Elisabeth Sladen, Sophia Myles, David Morrissey, Bernard Cribbins (though he's sort of becomes a regular character), Clive Swift, Bill Paterson, Bill Nighy, Felicity Jones, Felicity Kendall and many many others. I want to see the Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins Christmas episode very soon. That's one great thing about the newer Doctor Who series is that you get to see so many of your favorite actors popping up all the time! :)

 21| What was your first experience with Doctor Who and how did you hear about the series? 
Well, my grandmother was a huge fan of the older Doctor Who series so she knitted my dad a Tom Baker scarf and I've always had an interested in the story because of her. I'd heard some things about the new series and was quite interested in all of the actors who were in it. March 2012 I got Netflix and having finished watching BBC TV series Robin Hood I decided to take the plunge with Season One of the new series. I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, some of the Christopher Eccleston episodes are quite cheesy, but I enjoyed it and held out for David Tennant's seasons and I was not disappointed! I finished all six available seasons by early April. Crazy? Obsessed? YES!

 22| The Ninth Doctor said, 'Fantastic!', Ten said, 'Allons-y', and Eleven says, 'Geronimo'; what would you like to be the signature exclamation of the Twelfth Doctor? 
"I'm late! I'm late!" haha, yeah a little too much like the White Rabbit from Alice In Wonderland. Maybe bringing back a catch phrase could be fun like randomly exclaiming "Jelly Babies!", haha. :)

 23| If you were trapped in an episode, which one would it be? 
Oh, maybe The Unicorn And The Wasp. I love Agatha Christie and the fact that that episode doesn't have a really dangerous baddie makes it more appealing too.

 24| Which is your favorite episode with each Doctor (Nine, Ten and Eleven)? 
For Nine, either Rose the first episode or Father's Day with Rose's father. Favorite Ten would have to be his first, The Christmas Invasion, because it's just such fun! I love lots of his episodes including Blink and The Unicorn And The Wasp. For Eleven, not sure, I've watched the Fifth and Sixth seasons once and have a hard time choosing a favorite - maybe The Eleventh Hour or The Curse Of The Black Spot.

 25| After watching a certain Doctor Who episode, did you summon up the courage to try fish sticks and custard?
Never! I wouldn't mind the custard but I really dislike fish fingers (or fish sticks).