Scripture Verse

Only believe. Mark 5:36

Introduction

portrait
John B. Peaslee (1842–1912)

Words: John B. Peas­lee, 1894.

Music: Es­cof­fi­er George C. Ker­sey, in Up­lift­ing Songs, New and Old, ed­it­ed by Charles C. Case & James R. Mur­ray (Cin­cin­na­ti, Ohio: John Church, 1896), num­ber 120 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Ker­sey (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Origin of the Hymn

Converted to Je­sus was writ­ten for, and sung on, the oc­ca­sion of my bap­tism and ad­mis­sion to mem­ber­ship in the Mt. Au­burn Pres­by­ter­ian Church, of this ci­ty [Cin­cin­na­ti, Ohio], in Ap­ril, 1894.

It was writ­ten to the tune of Por­tu­guese Hymn, but a new tune has since been set to the words by George C. Ker­sey, of Ken­tu­cky…This was my first at­tempt in writ­ing verse.

John Peas­lee, Oc­ca­sion­al Vers­es and Sac­red Songs (Cin­cin­na­ti, Ohio: Jen­nings & Gra­ham, 1905), p. 186

Lyrics

Converted to Je­sus!
Oh, bless­èd the day,
When the dark­ness of doubt
Was all ban­ished away,
And joy in a new life
Of faith has be­gun
In works of de­vo­tion
To God and His Son.

Refrain

Converted to Je­sus,
Oh, bless­èd the day,
When the dark­ness of doubt
Was all ban­ished away.

Converted to Je­sus!
Oh, pre­cious the thought,
Obeying the truth
That our Sav­ior has taught,
Of fol­low­ing Him
Who alone can us save
In land of im­mor­tals
Beyond the dark grave.

Refrain

Converted to Je­sus!
Oh, won­drous love
That cen­ters our hopes
On the king­dom above,
And op­ens the way
To the hea­ven­ly home,
Where ran­somed from sin
All be­liev­ers shall come.

Refrain

Converted to Je­sus!
Oh, mar­ve­lous the deed,
Redemption through Christ
Of poor mor­tals in need—
Salvation is free
And is of­fered to all,
Who, trust­ing His pro­mise,
On Je­sus shall call.

Refrain