George Washington Bethune

None of them, however, is more tenderly beautiful than this hymn, which takes as its theme Christ's words, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

It was a pathetic coincidence when, in 1862, Dr. George Washington Bethune, a clergyman of the Dutch Reformed Church, died suddenly on the day after he wrote his famous hymn, When Time Seems Short and Death is Near.

But it was probably more than a mere coincidence that the writing of this hymn, Come unto me, ye weary, and I will give you rest, was quickly followed by the recovery of Mr. Dix from an illness.

He has told the story in his own words.