Written April 30, 1868, at the request of W. H. Doane, composer of the tune to which it was to be sung. The hymn and tune were published first in _Songs of Devotion for Christian Associations_, 1870. It is a tender lyric which has given peace and satisfaction to many who have faced death and especially to mothers who have lost children. Fanny Crosby, born in Putnam County, N. Y., became blind when six weeks old as the result of an application of a warm poultice to her eyes. She was educated in the New York (City) Institute for the Blind and there served as a teacher for a time. In 1858, she was married to Alexander van Alstyne, a blind musician. Miss Crosby began writing verses when a child of eight years and throughout her long life showed a marvelous facility for expression in poetry, which resulted in the writing of nearly 6,000 hymns besides many secular poems. Many of her hymns were written for W. H. Doane, Robert Lowry, Philip Phillips, Ira Sankey, and others who were editors of evangelistic song books. She is best known by her maiden name but also wrote under her married name and 216 _noms de plume_. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Ten of her hymns are in the _Hymnary_. _MUSIC._ SAFE IN THE ARMS, also known as “Refuge,” was composed by William Howard Doane, 1832-1916, a manufacturer of wood-working machinery in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was a member of the Baptist Church and served many years as superintendent of the Sunday school in his church. A music enthusiast, he published 35 collections of song books and composed numerous hymn tunes, anthems, and cantatas. In 1875, Denison University, Granville, Ohio, conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Music. 314. Asleep in Jesus.... _Margaret Mackay_, 1802-87 Written by Margaret Mackay, wife of a distinguished officer in the English army. She composed numerous hymns and poems, but none is so widely known as this tender lyric so often used as a funeral hymn, which she entitled, “Burial of the Dead.” The hymn was suggested by an inscription she saw on a tombstone in the burying ground of Pennycross Chapel, a rural spot in Devonshire: “Sleeping in Jesus.” One stanza, the fifth, has been omitted. It reads: Asleep in Jesus: time nor space Debars this precious “hiding place.” On Indian plains or Lapland snows Believers find the same repose. The hymn was first published in _The Amethyst_, 1832, in Edinburgh. _MUSIC._ REST. For comments on the composer, William B. Bradbury, see Hymn 103. 315. Now the laborer’s task is o’er _John Ellerton_, 1826-93 Written for _Church Hymns_, 1871, by John Ellerton, distinguished hymnist of the Church of England. His biographer has written concerning this hymn: