William Featherston

Education

Not much is known about Featherston, except that he attended a Methodist church in Montreal, that he was young when he wrote the poem (12 or 16 years old), and that he died at just 27 years of age.

Career

He is believed to have written the poem at the age of either 12 or 16 years. In 1876 Adoniram Gordon used the poem as lyrics for a hymn. Featherston died prior to his 27th birthday, and is not known to have written any other songs.

According to Tim Challies, Saint

Achievements

• lieutenant wasn’t until several years after Featherston’s death that Adoniram Judson Gordon (founder of Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) added a melody and published it in his book of hymns, thus forever transforming this poem to a song.