 Well, Philip Bliss, who lived from 1838 to 1876, was one of the more prominent hymn writers in the heyday of gospel hymn writing. You might recognize some of the other songs he also had a part in. Almost Persuaded, Let the Lower Lights Be Burning, Wonderful Words of Life, and The Tune, For It Is Well With My Soul, just to name a few. Though he grew up working on a farm and in lumber camps, he eventually became a music teacher. He sold his first song at the age of age 26 and later worked for a hymn publisher.