<P> It appears to have been written around 1872 but was first published in 1875 in Lowry and Doane 's song collection , `` Brightest and Best . '' It was already popular in Great Britain before publication . Ira Sankey had introduced it there during Moody 's 1873 - 1874 evangelistic campaigns . Despite this , the song failed to achieve wide usage in the United States and was included in very few hymnals . In 1954 Cliff Barrows , song leader for Billy Graham , was handed a copy with the suggestion that it be added to the song book for the London Crusade . It was so popular that he included it again later that year in the Crusade in Nashville , Tennessee . The audience responded enthusiastically and from that time on , he used it regularly . With this exposure , the song rapidly became familiar to a Christians worldwide and is included in most modern hymnals . </P>
when was to god be the glory written
around 1872