Whosoever Will

Words by P. P. Bliss Music by P. P. Bliss

“'Whosoever heareth,” shout, shout the sound!
Send the blessed tidings all the world around.”

Henry Moorehouse, the English evangelist, preached seven sermons on John 3: 16 in Chicago during the winter of 1869-70. Those sermons made a very deep impression on Mr. Bliss, Mr. Moody and others, and from that time a new and clearer view of the love of God was experienced by many who went forth to preach—perhaps not less about the law, but surely more about the boundless love of God in Jesus Christ. As an outcome of this experience the hymn was written at that time. In singing it, Bliss put special emphasis on the word” whosoever. ”So he helped many a man to believe in the magnificent offer of salvation, and—like Richard Baxter, the famous London preacher—to praise the Lord.” I thank God, ”he said,” for the word ' whosoever.' If God had said that there was mercy for Richard Baxter, I am so vile a sinner that I would have thought he meant some other Richard Baxter; but when he says ' whosoever,' I know that it includes me, the worst of all Richard Baxters."