Early Conversion and Musical Calling
Philip Paul Bliss was just twelve years old when he attended a revival meeting and gave his heart to Christ. That childhood conversion sparked a flame that would burn brightly—if briefly—illuminating the landscape of American gospel music forever.
Born in 1838 in rural Pennsylvania, young Philip left home early to work on farms and in lumber camps, all while desperately trying to continue his education. Music coursed through his veins. He became an itinerant music teacher, making house calls on horseback during frigid winters, and spent his summers studying at the Normal Academy of Music in New York.
God's Call to Ministry
In 1869, Philip crossed paths with Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist who urged him repeatedly to leave his teaching career and become a "singing evangelist." For five years Bliss wrestled with the call. Then in 1874, at age 36, he finally surrendered: "I am called to full-time Christian evangelism."
What followed was an explosion of sacred music. His first song was published in 1864, but his greatest works came during his years of full-time ministry: "Hold the Fort" (1870), "Almost Persuaded" (1871), "Hallelujah, What a Saviour!" (1875), "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning," and "Wonderful Words of Life" (1875).
Perhaps his most famous musical contribution came through collaboration with his friend Horatio Spafford. In 1873, Spafford had lost all four of his children when their ship sank in the Atlantic. Crossing the ocean to meet his grieving wife, Spafford wrote the words to what would become "It Is Well with My Soul." He asked Philip Bliss to compose the music. Bliss named the tune "Ville du Havre" after the ship that had sunk, carrying those precious children to their deaths.
Moody said of Bliss: "In my estimate, he was the most highly honored of God, of any man of his time, as a writer and singer of Gospel Songs, and with all his gifts he was the most humble man I ever knew. I loved him as a brother."
Going Home Tomorrow
On Christmas Day 1876, Philip enjoyed what he called "the happiest Christmas he had ever known" with his family. That evening, he sang a song: "I'm going home tomorrow."
He could not have known how prophetic those words were.
On December 29, 1876, just four days later, Philip and his wife Lucy boarded a train in Ashtabula, Ohio. Shortly after 7 p.m., as the train crossed a trestle, passengers heard a terrible cracking sound. The trestle collapsed, and eleven rail cars plunged seventy feet into a ravine. Kerosene heaters ignited the wooden cars even before they hit bottom.
Philip escaped through a window. But when he realized Lucy was trapped in the ironwork of the seats, he went back for her. He could not free her. So he stayed.
Neither body was ever found. Of the 159 passengers, 92 perished that night.
A Gospel Songwriter's Eternal Legacy
When evangelist D.W. Whittle salvaged Philip's trunk from the wreckage, he discovered an unfinished hymn. It began: "I know not what awaits me, God kindly veils my eyes..."
Philip Bliss was 38 years old. His legacy—hymns that have been sung by millions for over a century—reminds us that the faithful life is not measured in years, but in impact. And sometimes, God calls His singers home early.
