Ira D. Sankey's divinely inspired composition of 'The Ninety and Nine'

During a meeting in England, Ira D. Sankey felt prompted to sing a song based on 'The Good Shepherd,' though he had no music for a set of verses he had clipped from a paper. He received inspiration to play and sing the verses on the spot without prior preparation, finding the tune as he went, and successfully performed all five verses for the audience.

Sankey clarifies that the discovery occurred while traveling from Glasgow to Edinburgh to begin a three-day series of meetings following a successful four-month campaign in Glasgow. He purchased the newspaper for a penny at the railway station. He notes that the only American content in the paper was a sermon by Henry Ward Beecher. Upon reaching the hall, the request for a solo followed a brief but powerful address by Dr. Horatius Bonar. When Sankey felt the impression to sing the poem, he sat at the organ, prayed for divine help, and struck the key of A-flat to begin the improvisation. The original poem had been written by Elizabeth Clephane in 1868 and was signed 'Bessie.'