Blest Be the Tie That Binds

The Story Behind "Blest Be the Tie That Binds"

John Fawcett wrote the words to the hymn. He was born January 6, 1740, in Yorkshire, England. He died in 1817.

Fawcett was orphaned when he was twelve years old. He was then apprenticed or “bound out” to a tailor. He gave his life to Christ at the age of sixteen after hearing the notable evangelist and preacher, George Whitefield, speak to a massive crowd of 20,000 people.

Whitefield’s sermon from John 3:14, referencing Numbers 21, moved Fawcett deeply. Whitefield’s text paralleled Moses’ bronze serpent with Christ’s crucifixion on the cross.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” (John 3:14 ESV)

Fawcett said that as long as he lived, he would never forget either the text or the sermon. He began preaching soon after.

In 1765 John took a pastorate at a small Baptist church in Wainsgate, Yorkshire. The mostly illiterate congregation was made up of farmers and shepherds, the likes with which the Established Church had little in common. Much of his wages came in the form of produce and wool. Feeding a growing family became challenging.

Fawcett and his wife visited families in need. They ministered to the community, helping and sharing their joys and sorrows. John Fawcett preached the gospel from the pulpit and lived it humbly in real life, bound by Christ’s love for his fellow brothers and sisters.

Some years later, he was invited to accept a prestigious calling to the larger Carter’s Lane Baptist Church in London. After Fawcett delivered his final sermon at Wainsgate, his wife and family situated themselves along with their few belongings on a cart. They were ready to depart, but the weeping and pleading of the people they loved so dearly, overcame them. Their hearts felt bound together with the little congregation.

John and his wife changed their minds. They unloaded and re-settled. This major shift in their calling and decision to remain, appears to have been the motivation behind Fawcett’s hymn. He penned the lines of six stanzas which he titled, “Brotherly Love.” He read it to his congregation following his Sunday sermon.

The words were later put to music by Johann G. Negeli, a music educator near Zurich, Switzerland. It became the hymn we know today as “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.” Written in England, it was popularized in America by Lowell Mason and published in over 2,100 hymnals.

The words urge Christians to be bound together in love and unity by carrying one another’s burdens, worshipping together, and through eternal hope.
 

Scripture Inspiration in "Blest Be the Tie That Binds"

As you read those poignant lines, the story of John and his beloved parishioners comes to life. This Christian bond compelled John Fawcett and his family to continue ministry in the humble pastorate at Wainsgate and the nearby village of Hebden Bridge, for 54 years.

Foundational Scriptures promoting unity within Christ’s body are many. The legacy of the Fawcett family is one of putting those biblical principles into practice.

• “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (1 Corinthians 12:26-27 ESV)
• “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28 ESV)
• “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 ESV)
• “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15 ESV)
   

The church grew, and a new chapel was built not far from the first which seated nearly 600 people. Fawcett added a school for the education of children and young people.

Fawcett wrote over 160 hymns. His most popular song, “Blest Be the Tie That Binds,” was published in 1782 in his book of hymns, Hymns Adapted to the Circumstances of Public Worship and Private Devotion. Most of the songs published were written to be read at the conclusion of sermons.

Besides poetry and hymns, Fawcett published works on various Christian themes, and for a variety of ages, including, The Devotional Family Bible. He also published a Devotional Commentary on the Holy Scriptures.

In 1793, he was invited to take the post as President of the Baptist Academy at Bristol, which he declined. Known as an educator, scholar, and great preacher, Fawcett received an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Brown University, Providence, R.I. 

He was born in poverty and served in poverty, but John Fawcett was rich in gospel living.

The next time you hear the familiar melody, “Blest Be the Tie,” at the close of a service, around a campfire, or at a final farewell, remember the testimony undergirding those words. Recognize also its challenge to the church today. Because the hymn’s sweet message of good will is fulfilled by the commitment bound within the unity of true Christian love.

 

Popular Hymn Lyrics with Story and Meaning

Day by Day and With Each Passing Moment
Jesus Loves Me
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Blessed Assurance
Nearer My God to Thee
Abide with Me
His Eye Is On the Sparrow
Be Thou My Vision
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty
Amazing Grace
And more!