****MORE ABOUT JESUS

Eliza Hewitt was born in 1851. She graduated valedictorian of her class at the Girl’s Normal School of Philadelphia and became a school teacher. But her teaching career ended early. 

An angry student struck her in the back with a heavy slate causing a serious and painful spinal injury. She was laid up in a full-body cast for six months and remained bedridden for quite a while after that.

During that time, Eliza developed a love for God’s Word, and a desire to share His love. So, she began to sing and write. She wrote children’s poems, Sunday School literature, and children’s songs. 

She never fully recovered but, eventually, her condition improved enough that she was able to serve in Christian ministry where she remained committed to reaching children with the message of the gospel through Sunday School songs and hymns. She attended Methodist Camp meetings in New Jersey where she worked on the hymn, “When We All Get to Heaven.” 

She was the superintendent of the Sunday school at the Northern Home for Friendless Children and an active member of the Mt. Olivet Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia.

She developed a close friendship with Fanny Crosby, and they often met to share ideas about their hymn writing. 

When she moved to another section of Philadelphia, she joined the Calvin Presbyterian Church and was the primary department Sunday School superintendent until she died in 1920, at the age of 68.

One of her songs, MORE ABOUT JESUS, came to the attention of John Sweeney who set it to music.

There are critics who complain that this song is too repetitious. But these are not vain repetitions.  Eliza's use of repetition makes an important distinction between materialistic people and spiritually minded people.  

The world clamors for more.  They are gluttons for more fun, more food, more money, more attention, and more stuff.   In contrast, the spiritual person hungers for more of God and all that pertains to the spiritual and eternal world.

Paul, the apostle, wrote, “...what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and... that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings...”  (Phil. 3:7-10)


In her hymn, MORE ABOUT JESUS, Eliza Hewitt expresses that same kind of spiritual longing:

To know MORE about the Lord Jesus.

To show MORE of His grace to others.

To experience MORE of His saving fullness.

To understand MORE of His love.

To discern MORE of His will.

To hear MORE of His Word.

To enjoy MORE of His communion.

And to anticipate MORE of His future glory.