298. Gracious Savior, gentle Shepherd _Jane Eliza Leeson_, 1807-1882 _John Keble_, 1792-1866 A hymn for the children’s consecration service, evolved by John Keble from three hymns—“Shepherd in thy bosom, folded,” “Loving Shepherd of Thy sheep” (429), and “Infant sorrow, infant weakness,” written by Jane Eliza Leeson. Keble took the main ideas of these hymns and rewrote them into a hymn of five stanzas, two of which are omitted here. Jane Eliza Leeson was born in London and died there. She had rare gifts in writing for children, and published several books of hymns—_Infant Hymnings_, and _Hymns and Scenes of Childhood_—specially for children. Very little is known of her life, except that she was a prominent figure in the Catholic Apostolic Church and that some of her hymns were supposedly “prophetical utterances,” prompted by the Holy Spirit, at public services, which she “delivered slowly with short pauses between the verses.” Late in life she united with the Roman Catholic Church. For comments on John Keble, see Hymn 22. _MUSIC._ MANNHEIM is from the source mentioned in the note on Hymn 174. The present form of the melody is much altered from the original. 299. All hidden lie the future ways _Frederick L. Hosmer_, 1840-1929 A lyrical phrasing of the emotions that arise in the hearts of parents as they contemplate the faring forth of little children into the hidden future. For comments on the author, Frederick L. Hosmer, see Hymn 72. _MUSIC._ NUN SICH DER TAG GEENDET HAT is a tune set to various hymns in the _Gesangbuch mit Noten_. For comments on the composer, Aaron Williams, see Hymn 269. 300. A little child the Savior came _William Robertson_, 1820-64 A Scotch Presbyterian minister, William Robertson, contributed this hymn to the Church of Scotland’s _Hymns for Public Worship_ in 1861. The author, keenly interested in hymnody and Scotch psalmody, was a member of the Hymnal Committee of the Church of Scotland in 1851, 1853, and 1857. _MUSIC._ ALSTONE was composed by C. E. Willing, 1830-1904, for the children’s hymn, “We are but little children weak,” in _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, Appendix, 1868. Willing was chorister of Westminster Abbey and held various responsible positions as organist and choral conductor in England. BAPTISM 301. Come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost _Charles Wesley_, 1707-88 The original poem of six stanzas is from _Hymns and Sacred Poems_, 1749, where it was entitled, “At the Baptism of Adults.” Wesley’s second line of the first stanza read “Honor the means injoin’d by Thee,” which was changed to “ordained by Thee” for the _Collection_ of 1780. The awkward expression, “Effectuate now the sacred sign,” Wesley’s second line of stanza 3, was changed to “Effectual make the sacred sign,” by the editors of the hymn book in 1849. For comments on Charles Wesley see Hymn 6.