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Some  Hymns  and 
Hymn  Writers 

Representing  all  who  profess  and  call 
themselves  Christians 


Short  Studies  in  the  Hymnal  of 
the  Episcopal  Church 


BY 

WILLIAM  BUDD  BODINE 
D.D.,  Princeton 

Rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Saviour 
Philadelphia 


ILLUSTRATED 


PHILADELPHIA 

THE  JOHN  C.  WINSTON  CO. 

1907 


THE  KZW  YORK 
PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

740325A 

ASTOR.  LENC::  AKD 

TILDEN  FOUNiJATiONS 

R  1934  L 


Copyright.  1907,  by 

William  Budd  Bodine,  Jr., 

Executor  of  William  Budd  Bodine,  Deceased. 


To  my  Bishop, 

"Whom  I  love  in  the  truth"; 

To  the  members  of  the  committee  on  the 

Men's  Missionary  Thank-Offering    of  1907: 

The  Rt.  Rev.  David  Hummell  Greer,  D.D., 

Mr.  George  Clifford  Thomas, 

Mr.  George  Wharton  Pepper, 

"whose  praise  is  in  the  gospel  throughout  all  the  Churches," 

To  each  one  of  whom  I  have  strong  reasons  for  a  strong  attachment; 

To  my  companions  of  many  years 

In  religious  services  and  in  pleasant  friendships : 

(In  the  summer) 

Mr.  Harris  C.  Fahnestock, 

Dr.  Andrew  H.   Smith, 

Mr.  Augustus  Van  Horne  Stuyvesant, 

(In  the  spring,  fall  and  winter)  (All  the  year  round) 

Mr.  James  W.  Paul,  Jr.,  Mrs.  George  T.  Lewis, 

Mr.  Mahlon  N.  Kline,  Miss  Nina  F.  Lewis; 

And  to  the  memory  of 

Miss  Mary  M.  White, 

Mrs.  J.  Edgar  Thomson, 

Mr.  Anthony  J.  Drexel, 

Mr.  George  W.  Childs, 

Mr.    Thomas   Rutter, 

Mr.    Edward    S.    Scranton, 

>y^  Gen.  Wager  Swayne, 

Rev.  Dr.  William  W.  Fare, 
M*  Rev.  Dr.  William  S.  Langford, 

^  Rev.  Dr.  John  Fulton, 

•^     %W  booli  (0  in0ctihz\i  toitS  fftatitutie  anO  aftection. 
99 


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AND 

^uuiNUATlONS 
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PREFACE 

There  are  many  quotations  in  this  volume.  Tney  nave  come 
unbidden,  thougK  not  unwelcome.  It  is  believed  that  tbey  add  greatly 
to  the  value  of  the  book.     Cordial  acknowledgment  is  gladly  made. 

I  wish  particularly  to  express  my  thanks  to  the  Reverend  Doctor 
Hosea  W.  Jones  and  to  the  Reverend  Doctor  Louis  F.  Benson,  who 
have  graciously  responded  to  my  request  for  aid ;  and  also  to  the 
Reverend  George  Rogers,  who  has  made  successful  quest  for  second- 
hand books  and  engravings  not  easy  to  procure.  I  owe,  too,  most 
gratefully  my  obligation  to  the  Reverend  Frederic  M.  Bird,  who  has 
read  the  book  in  "  proof,"  and  brought  to  bear  upon  it  the  light  of  his 
clear  intelligence  and  vast  and  fruitful  study. 

Of  books,  there  are  many  to  which  I  owe,  probably,  more  than  I 
know.  Of  these  there  is  one  that  towers  high  above  all  others,  the 
Dictionary  of  Hymnology,  by  the  Reverend  Doctor  John  Julian  and 
a  capable  corps  of  contributors.  A  new  edition  of  this  truly  monu- 
mental work  has  just  been  issued.  In  its  special  field  of  knowledge  it 
is  impossible  to  recognize  too  warmly  its  exceeding  worth. 

For  all  that  has  to  do  with  the  material  making  of  the  book,  every- 
thing is  due  to  my  friend  and  parishioner,  Mr.  Charles  H.  Clarke.  He 
has  been  my  "true  yoke-fellow."     I  cannot  thank  him  enough. 

W.  B.  B. 

MOUNT  POCONO.  PENNSYLVANIA. 
September.  A.  D.  1907. 


(v) 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGB 
I. 

Thomas  Ken 1 

II. 

Charles  Wesley 21 

III. 
John  Newton  and  William  Cowper 41 

IV. 
Reginald  Heber 61 

V. 
John  Keble 75 

VI. 
John  Henry  Newman 93 

VII. 
Henry  Francis  Lyte 113 

VIII. 

Christopher    Wordsworth,  Frederick   William    Faber,    William 

Walsham  How 129 

IX. 

Phillips  Brooks,  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  George  Burgess, 
Francis  Scott  Key,  Timothy  Dwight,  and  Other  American 
Hymn  Writers , 147 

X. 

George  Washington  Doane,  William  Augustus  Muhlenberg 173 

(vij) 


viii  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

XI. 

Sarah  Flower  Adams,  Cecil  Frances  Alexander,  Frances  Ridley 
Havergal,  Charlotte  Elliott,  Adelaide  Anne  Procter,  Anne 
Steele,  and  Other  "Chief  Women,  Not  a  Few" 199 

XII. 

William  Cullen  Bryant,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  Edmund  Hamil- 
ton Sears,  and  Other  Unitarian  Hymn  Writers 237 

XIII. 

John  Mason  Neale  and  Some  Hymns  from  the  Greek  and  Latin.  . . .  263 

XIV. 

Martin  Luther  and  Some  Hymns  from  the  German 301 

XV. 

Great  Nonconformist  Hymn  Writers:  Isaac  Watts,  Philip  Dodd- 
ridge, James  Montgomery,  Horatius  Bonar,  Richard  Baxter.  .  323 

XVI. 

Henry  Alford,  Sir  Henry  Williams  Baker,  Sabine  Baring-Gould, 
Edward  Henry  Bickersteth,  John  Ellerton,  William  Dalrym- 
PLE  Maclagan,  John  Samuel  Bewley  Monsell,  Edward  Hayes 
Plumptre,  Arthur  Penrhyn  Stanley,  Samuel  John  Stone, 
Godfrey  Thring,  Henry  Twells  343 

XVII. 
Fragments  Gathered  Up 377 

XVIII. 
Historical  and  Hortatory 399 

XIX. 
Brief  Biographical  Notes 413 

XX. 

Indices 439 


€)  Come,  net  m  ^tng  (Unto  tl)e  Lorti 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

The  Author Frontispiece 

O  Day  of  Rest  and  Gladness Preceding  Preface 

O  Come,  Let  Us  Sing  Unto  the  Lord Preceding  List  of  Illustrations 

Thomas  Ken 1 

John  Dryden 16 

Charles  Wesley 24 

John  Wesley 32 

John  Newton 40 

William  Cowper 48 

Reginald  Heber 64 

Henry  Hart  Milman 72 

John  Keble 76 

John  Henry  Newman 92 

John  Bacchus  Dykes 104 

Henry  Francis  Lyte 112 

Christopher  Wordsworth 128 

Frederick  William  Faber 136 

William  Walsham  How 144 

Phillips  Brooks  .  , 148 

Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe 152 

George  Burgess 156 

Francis  Scott  Key 160 

Timothy  Dwight 164 

Ray  Palmer 168 

George  Washington  Doane 172 

Cortlandt  Van  Rensselaer 184 

William  Augustus  Muhlenberg 192 

Sarah  Flower  Adams 200 

Cecil  Frances  Alexander 204 

(ix) 


X  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 


Frances  Ridley  Havergal 208 

Charlotte  Elliott 212 

Adelaide  Anne  Procter 216 

Jemima  Thompson  Luke 220 

Phoebe  Gary 224 

Elizabeth  Payson  Prentiss 228 

Anna  Laetitia  Barbauld 232 

William  Cullen  Bryant 236 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 248 

John  Bowring 256 

John  Mason  Neale 264 

Edward  Caswall 272 

St.  Bernard  op  Clairvaux 280 

St.  Francis  Xavier 288 

Richard  Chenevix  Trench 292 

Philip  Schaff 296 

Martin  Luther 300 

Catherine  Winkworth 308 

Paul  Gerhardt 312 

Nicolaus  Ludwig  von  Zinzendorf 320 

Isaac  Watts 324 

Philip  Doddridge 328 

James  Montgomery 332 

Horatius  Bonar 336 

Richard  Baxter 340 

Henry  Alford 342 

Henry  Williams  Baker 344 

Sabine  Baring-Gould 348 

Edward  Henry  Bickersteth 352 

John  Ellerton 356 

William  Dalrymple  Maclagan 360 

Arthur  Penrhyn  Stanley 364 

Samuel  John  Stone 368 

Godfrey  Thring 372 

Henry  Twells 376 

Augustus  Montague  Toplady 380 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  xi 

PAGE 

Joseph  Addison 384 

Henry  Kirke  White 388 

Samuel  Francis  Smith 392 

William  White  ...    396 

William  Croswell  Doane 398 

We  Praise  Thee,  O  God   400 

St.  Cecilia 412 


,,,^FOli^ 


I. 

Thomas  Ken 


Weary  and  worn,  and  bent  with  years  and  pain, 

A  pale  form  kneels  upon  that  altar-stair ; 

Long  years  have  flown  since  from  his  pastoral  chair, — 
Hot   thoughts,   low   sobs,   half-choking  protest   vain, — 
He  stepped,  nor  thought  within  that  glorious  fane 

Once  more  to  tread,  and  breathe  the  words  of  prayer, 

Or  hear  sweet  anthems  floating  on  the  air : 
Then  was  it  hard  to  balance  loss  and  gain. 
Now  all  is  clear,  and  from  his  Pisgah  height 

He  sees  the  dawning  of  a  brighter  day. 
And  led,  through  clouds  and  darkness,  on  to  light. 

Joins  in  the  praise  that  shall  not  pass  away. 
"Olory  to  God;  from  Him  all  Blessings  Flow!" 
'One  sows;  another  reaps' — yea,  Lord,  e'en  so,  e'en  so. 

Edwabd  Hayes  Plumptbe. 


(2) 


I. 

THOMAS  KEK 

In  one  of  the  deeply  interesting  familiar  letters  of  that 
remarkable  man,  the  Rev.  Frederick  W.  Robertson,  these  words 
may  be  found : 

''I  will  tell  you  of  a  want  I  am  beginning  to  experience 
very  distinctly.  I  perceive  more  than  ever  the  necessity  of 
devotional  reading.  I  mean  the  works  of  eminently  holy  per- 
sons, whose  tone  was  not  merely  uprightness  of  character  and 
high-mindedness,  but  communion — a  strong  sense  of  personal 
and  ever-living  communion — with  God  besides.  I  recollect 
how  far  more  peaceful  my  mind  used  to  be  when  I  was  in  the 
regular  habit  of  reading  daily,  with  scrupulous  adherence  to  a 
plan,  works  of  this  description." 

The  writers  of  the  B-ible  were  "eminently  holy  persons," 
even  as  St.  Peter  declares,  "Holy  men  of  God  spake  as  they 
were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  Those  who  gave  shape  to  our 
"Book  of  Common  Prayer"  must  have  been  "eminently  holy 
persons,"  for  the  stamp  of  pre-eminent  sanctity  imperishably 
remains  upon  their  work. 

So  with  the  authors  of  our  hymnal.  As  a  class  the  writers 
of  hymns,  more  than  the  theologians,  more  even  than  the  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Gospel,  have  been  men  who,  in  quiet  conmaunion, 
walked  with  God.  They  may  have  been  less  able  intellectually, 
and  less  heroic,  but  they  have  been  more  saintly.  For  the 
Christian  disciple  the  best  books  for  special  study  are  (1),  the 
Bible,  (2),  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  (3),  the  Hymnal. 

Henry  Ward  Beecher  has  well  said : 

"Hymns  are  the  exponents  of  the  inmost  piety  of  the 
Church.  They  are  crystalline  tears,  or  blossoms  of  joy,  or  holy 
prayers,  or  incarnated  raptures.  They  are  the  jewels  which  the 
Church  has  worn ;  the  pearls,  the  diamonds  and  precious  stones 
formed  into  amulets  more  potent  against  sorrow  and  sadness 

(3) 


4  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

than  the  most  famous  charms  of  wizard  or  magician.  And  he 
who  knows  the  way  hymns  flowed,  knows  where  the  blood  of 
piety  ran,  and  can  trace  its  veins  and  arteries  to  the  very  heart. 

"There  are  Crusaders'  hymns,  that  rolled  forth  their  truths 
upon  the  Oriental  air,  while  a  thousand  horses'  hoofs  kept  time 
below  and  ten  thousand  palm  leaves  whispered  and  kept  time 
above.  Other  hymns  fulfilling  the  promise  of  God,  that  His 
saints  should  mount  up  with  wings  as  eagles,  have  borne  up  the 
sorrows,  the  desires,  and  the  aspirations  of  the  poor,  the  op- 
pressed and  the  persecuted,  of  Huguenots,  of  Covenanters,  and 
of  Puritans,  and  winged  them  to  the  bosom  of  God. 

"One  hymn  hath  opened  the  morning  in  ten  thousand 
families,  and  dear  children,  with  sweet  voices,  have  charmed  the 
evening  in  a  thousand  places  with  the  utterance  of  another. 
ISTor  do  I  know  of  any  steps  now  left  on  earth  by  which  one  may 
so  soon  rise  above  trouble  or  weariness  as  the  verses  of  a  hymn 
and  the  notes  of  a  tune.  And  if  the  angels  that  Jacob  saw  sang 
when  they  appeared,  then  I  know  that  the  ladder  which  he  be- 
held was  but  the  scale  of  divine  music  let  down  from  heaven  to 
earth." 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  author  of  the  following  pages  to 
try,  in  a  simple  way,  to  tell  some  of  his  fellow  Christians  and 
fellow  Churchmen  the  story  of  some  of  our  well-known  hymns, 
and  of  the  men  and  women  who  wrote  them.  He  confines  him- 
self to  the  hymns  contained  in  the  hymnal  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  not  because  he  believes  that  to  be  the  only 
book  of  hymns  worthy  of  his  attention,  or  necessarily  even  the 
best  book,  but  because  it  is  the  book  which  has  received  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  Church  to  which  he  himself,  through  strong  convic- 
tion and  long  association,  is  most  deeply  attached,  and  its  hymns 
are  most  largely  familiar. 

Let  us  begin  with  the  hymns  and  the  life  story  of  a  man 
who,  for  his  day  and  time,  has  often  been  called  the  saintliest 
soul  in  England,  concerning  whom  the  poet  Montgomery  has 
well  said,  "Bishop  Ken  has  laid  the  Church  of  Christ  under 
abiding  obligations  by  his  three  hymns,  Morning,  Evening  and 
Midnight.  Had  he  endowed  three  hospitals  he  might  have  been 
less  a  benefactor  to  humanity." 


THOMAS  KEN 


Awake,  my  soul,  and  with  the  sun 
Thy   daily   course   of   duty  run; 
Shake  off  dull  sloth,  and  early  rise 
To  pay  thy  morning  sacrifice. 

Direct,  control,  suggest  this  day. 

All  I  design,  or  do,  or  say, 

That  all  my  powers,  with  all  their  might, 

In  thy  sole  glory  may  unite. 

How  many  millions  of  men  and  women  have  sung  those 
words,  and  have  been  spiritually  strengthened  thereby ! 
And  so  with  these  other  words,  even  more  familiar : 

All  praise  to  Thee,  my  God,  this  night. 
For  all  the  blessings  of  the  light: 
Keep  me,  oh,  keep  me.  King  of  Kings, 
Beneath  Thine  own  Almighty  wings. 

Forgive  me.  Lord,  for  Thy  dear  Son, 
The  ills  that  I  this  day  have  done. 
That  with  the  world,  myself,  and  Thee, 
I,  ere  I  sleep,  at  peace  may  be. 

And  then,  too,  that  wonderful  doxology  which  follows, 
dear  to  many  generations  of  the  faithful : 

Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow; 
Praise  Him,  all  creatures  here  below: 
Praise  Him  above,  angelic  host; 
Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

I  had  rather  have  written  those  words  than  anything  else 
ever  written  by  man,  composed  only  of  four  brief  lines.  They 
seem  fitting  words  to  be  sung  by  the  myriad  hosts  of  the  re- 
deemed, when  in  the  great  day  of  final  reward  they  shall  stand 
before  the  throne  with  palms  in  their  hands  and  boundless  rejoic- 
ing in  their  souls. 

Thomas  Ken,  their  author,  was  born  in  Hertfordshire  in 
the  year  1637.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  four  years  old, 
his  father  in  his  boyhood.  Fortunately,  his  elder  sister  had 
married,  before  his  father's  death,  the  famous  Izaak  Walton,  a 
Christian  gentleman  of  rarely  exalted  spirit,  who  stamped  him 


6  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

with  his  own  love  of  nature  and  retirement,  and  whose  compan- 
ionship was  of  the  largest  value.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was 
sent  to  "the  ancient  and  famous  school  of  Winchester,"  founded 
by  William  of  Wykeham.  From  thence  he  passed  on  to  Oxford 
for  his  university  training.  Those  were  troublous  times.  The 
strong  hand  of  Puritanism  had  been  laid  upon  the  churches. 
Their  choristers  had  ceased  to  sing;  their  organs  made  mute 
appeal  to  heaven.  Nevertheless,  Ken  was  true  to  the  teachings 
of  those  devout  Churchmen  by  whom,  in  early  life,  he  had  been 
surrounded. 

His  first  parochial  charge,  after  his  ordination,  was  in  little 
Easton  in  Essex ;  from  thence,  after  two  years,  he  passed  back  to 
Winchester  as  a  chaplain  to  Bishop  Morley,  where,  for  fourteen 
years,  he  lived  the  life  of  a  useful  and  holy  man.  Enlarge- 
ment came  to  him  through  a  year  of  foreign  travel.  Then  came 
a  year  at  the  Hague  as  chaplain  to  the  Princess  Mary,  a  year 
during  which  the  staunchest  fidelity  and  courage  were  required. 
By  this  fidelity  he  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  Prince  of 
Orange ;  but  what  mattered  that  ?  He  was  looking  for  the  ap- 
proval of  the  King  of  kings.  Returning  to  England,  he  soon 
became  chaplain  to  the  King.  One  of  his  noted  experiences  in 
this  position  is  very  characteristic.  A  country  palace  was  being 
erected  for  Charles  near  Winchester.  The  royal  visits  brought 
with  them  crowds  of  courtiers.  I  give  the  story  in  the  words 
of  Dean  Plumptre,  the  best  of  Ken's  biographers : 

"The  King  could  not  separate  himself  from  the  two  mis- 
tresses who  were  then  highest  in  his  favor — the  Duchess  of 
Portsmouth  and  Nell  Gwyn — and  they  had  to  be  provided  for. 
The  official  known  as  the  'harbinger,'  to  whose  function  it 
belonged  to  assign  lodgings  for  the  several  members  of  the  court, 
fixed  on  Ken's  prebendal  house  for  the  last-named  personage. 
It  was  probably  assumed  that  one  who  had  been  recently  ap- 
pointed as  a  court  chaplain  would  be  subservient  after  the  man- 
ner of  his  kind.  With  Ken,  as  we  might  expect,  it  was  quite 
otherwise.  He  met  the  message  with  an  indignant  refusal. 
'A  woman  of  ill-repute  ought  not  to  be  endured  in  the  house  of 
a  clergyman,  least  of  all  in  that  of  the  King's  chaplain.  Not 
for  his  kingdom'  would  he  comply  with  the  King's  demands.     A 


THOMAS  KEN 


local  tradition  relates  that  he  took  a  practical  way  of  settling 
the  matter  by  putting  his  house  into  the  builder's  hands  for 
repairs  and  having  it  unroofed.  Mrs.  Eleanor  Gwyn  was, 
however,  at  last  provided  for.  The  Dean  was  found  more  com- 
pliant than  the  Prebendary.  A  room  was  built  for  her  at  the 
south  end  of  the  Deanery,  and  was  known  familiarly  by  her 
name  till  it  was  destroyed  by  Dean  Rennell,  perhaps  as  perpet- 
uating an  unsavory  association,  about  1835." 

Dean  Plumptre  continues :  ^'In  the  common  calculations 
as  to  court  favor,  Ken  risked  his  chance  of  future  promotion 
by  this  act  of  boldness.  As  it  was  he  rose  in  Charles'  esteem. 
The  King  had  not  yet  lost,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  profligacy, 
the  power  of  recognizing  goodness.  The  bold  faithfulness  of 
Ken  as  a  preacher  at  Wliitehall  had  led  the  King  to  say,  in 
words  which  were  remembered  afterwards,  as  he  was  on  his  way 
to  the  royal  closet,  'I  must  go  and  hear  little  Ken  tell  me  of 
my  faults.'  The  courage  which  the  Chaplain  now  showed  led 
the  way,  contrary  to  the  expectations  of  all  courtiers,  to  a  fresh 
step  onwards  to  the  'great  things'  which  Ken  did  not  seek,  but 
which  were  to  be  thrust  upon  him." 

"Who  shall  have  Bath  and  Wells,"  said  King  Charles, 
entirely  of  his  own  motion,  "but  the  little  black  fellow  who 
would  not  give  poor  ISTelly  a  lodging  ?" 

And  so,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight,  he  was  consecrated  a 
bishop  in  the  Church  of  God.  His  own  words  express  his 
feeling : 

-  Among  the  herdsmen  I,  a  common  swain. 
Lived,  pleased  with  my  low  cottage  on  the  plain. 
Till  up,  like  Amos,  on  a  sudden  caught, 
I  to  the  pastoral  chair  was  trembling  brought. 

Eight  days  after  his  consecration  he  was  summoned,  with 
other  bishops,  to  the  death-bed  of  his  sovereign.  His  spiritual 
pre-eminence  was  recognized,  so  that  he  was  called  to  take  the 
lead  in  sacred  ministrations.  "Ken,"  says  Burnet,  "applied 
himself  much  to  the  awaking  of  the  King's  conscience.  He 
spoke  with  a  great  elevation,  both  of  thought  and  expression, 
like  a  man  inspired,  as  those  who  were  present  told  me.     He 


8  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

resumed  the  matter  often,  and  pronounced  many  short  ejacula- 
tions and  prayers."  The  wrongs  done  to  the  Queen  were  so 
effectively  stated  that  the  King  begged  her  forgiveness,  as  he 
said,  "with  all  his  heart." 

Surely,  here  was  a  man  of  God,  ministering  not  with  eye- 
service  as  a  man-pleaser,  but  as  a  servant  of  the  Great  Ruler 
above ! 

Monmouth's  invasion  followed — ^his  defeat  and  sentence  of 
death.  Ken  was  with  him  in  his  last  hours,  faithful  to  him  as 
to  his  King. 

Then  came  years  of  busy  diocesan  labor,  and  of  continuing 
Christlike  charity.  But  sterner  duties  were  at  hand.  The 
sympathy  of  King  James  with  the  Church  of  Rome  became 
strongly  manifested.  A  first  "indulgence" was  declared,  and  then 
a  second.  Possibly  quiet  might  have  been  maintained,  had 
there  not  gone  forth  an  order  that  this  second  declaration  should 
be  publicly  read  in  the  churches.  Certain  bishops  then  met  to 
determine  the  course  they  should  pursue.  A  petition  being 
drawn  up.  Ken  with  a  few  others  took  it  to  the  King,  who  de- 
clared it  to  be  the  lifting  of  the  standard  of  rebellion.  "We 
have  two  duties  to  perform,"  answered  Ken :  "our  duty  to  God 
and  our  duty  to  your  Majesty.  We  honor  you,  but  we  fear 
God."  "You  are  trumpeters  of  sedition,"  was  the  King's  reply. 
"What  do  you  here?  Go  to  your  dioceses,  and  see  that  I  am 
obeyed."  "God's  will  be  done,"  said  Ken ;  and  White,  of  Peter- 
borough, echoed  his  words. 

The  seven  bishops  were  imprisoned  in  the  Tower,  and  after  a 
manner  tried ;  but  the  voice  of  the  people  was  roaring  so  loudly 
that  soon  a  verdict  of  acquittal  came. 

Then  followed  the  landing  of  William  and  the  flight  of 
James.  In  Parliament  Ken  voted  against  conferring  the 
crown  on  William  and  Mary;  but  the  Protestant  sentiment  of 
the  country  had  been  so  thoroughly  stirred  that  a  regency  was 
voted  dovm,  and  William  was  declared  to  be  King. 

IvTot  unnaturally  Ken's  conscience  was  troubled.  He  would 
have  welcomed  William  and  Mary  readily  enough  for  a  tempo- 
rary cleansing  of  the  land,  and  for  much  needed  works  of  right- 
eousness, but  he  could  not  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  when  a 
previous  oath  to  James  stood  immediately  confronting  him. 


THOMAS  KEN 


One  of  his  biographers  states  the  case  thus:  "He  found 
himself  in  a  strait  between  opposing  difficulties.  No  doubt 
the  late  King  had  violated  his  coronation  oath,  that  he  would 
maintain  unimpaired  the  Church  of  England — to  Ken  the  most 
sacred  of  all  things  upon  earth.  On  the  faith  of  that  oath  he, 
and  all  the  clergy,  had  sworn  allegiance  to  him.  Had  not  James 
broken  this  mutual  compact  ?  Ken  himself  had  joined  in  thanks 
to  the  Prince  as  the  instrument  of  their  deliverance  from 
Popery;  the  estates  of  the  realm  had  declared  the  crown  to  be 
forfeited  by  the  one,  and  their  decree  had  already  placed  the 
other  in  possession.  Could  he  set  up  his  own  sense  of  their 
respective  rights  against  the  voice  of  the  nation,  making  himself 
judge  in  the  difficult  points  of  casuistry,  involved  in  the  claims 
of  a  King  de  facto  and  a  King  de  jure,  with  the  other  political 
questions  that  followed  in  their  train  ?  Again,  the  refusal  of 
the  new  oath  would  involve  him  in  an  unequal  contest  with  the 
temporal  power,  separate  him  from  his  flock,  deprive  him  of  all 
influence  in  preserving  true  doctrine  throughout  his  extensive 
diocese.  It  would,  perhaps,  expose  him  to  persecution  and  im- 
prisonment, certainly  reduce  him  to  poverty,  above  all  lead  to 
a  schism  in  the  Church.  Here  were  his  love  of  peace,  the  law  of 
obedience,  long-cherished  friendships,  his  own  personal  safety 
and  interests,  and  especially  the  cause  of  unity,  prompting  him 
to  submit.  These,  in  their  several  degrees,  had  induced  the 
majority  of  the  bishops  and  the  great  mass  of  the  clergy  to 
yield  acquiescence. 

"One  single  fact,  however,  to  his  mind,  outweighed  them 
all.  If  he  should  forfeit  his  oath  of  fidelity  to  James,  by  trans- 
ferring an  allegiance  which  he  conscientiously  believed  to  be 
irrevocable,  he  would  peril  his  own  soul.  His  plighted  faith 
was  not  his  own  to  barter  away  at  any  price ;  the  awful  words 
'so  help  me  God'  sealed  on  the  holy  Evangelists,  were  registered 
in  heaven,  beyond  the  dispensing  power  of  man.  All,  there- 
fore, was  as  dust  in  the  balance  against  the  solemn  sense  of  his 
duty,  and  of  his  account  hereafter  to  be  rendered.  No  interests 
could  swerve  him — no  terrors  shake  him — no  persuasions  seduce 
him  to  do  .evil  that  good  might  come.  There  was  a  moral  com- 
pulsion that  bound  him  indissolubly." 


10  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

"There  are  men,"  says  Dean  Plumptre,  "not  without  a 
certain  measure  of  honesty — men  who  would  not  consciously 
descend  to  baseness  for  the  sake  of  gain  and  honor,  and  who  rise 
to  the  high  places  of  the  earth  in  Church  and  State  amid  the 
plaudits  of  their  fellows,  who  seem  to  act  on  the  rule  given  to 
inexperienced  whist-players,  'When  in  doubt,  take  the  trick.' 
Most  of  Ken's  contemporaries  belonged  to  this  class.  They 
passed  from  regime  to  regime,  from  one  form  of  worship  to 
another,  unconscious  of  reproach.  They  took  oaths,  from  that 
of  the  League  and  Covenant,  under  the  Long  Parliament,  to  that 
of  abjuration  under  Queen  Anne,  with  a  facility  which  reminds 
one  of  Talleyrand's  'aside,'  when  he  swore  allegiance  to  Louis 
Philippe :  'It  is  the  thirteenth ;  Heaven  grant  it  may  be  the  last !' 
With  Ken  and  his  fellows  it  was  just  the  opposite  of  this.  The 
rule  on  which  they  appear  to  have  acted  was,  'When  in  doubt, 
take  the  losing  side.'  PoUow  the  path  which  leads,  not  to 
wealth  and  honor,  but  to  loss,  privation,  contumely.  We  can 
think  of  them  as  giving  thanks,  as  Mr.  Maurice  did  in  the  later 
years  of  his  life,  that  they  had  always  been  on  the  side  of  the 
minority." 

Twenty  years  followed  with  their  varying  experiences. 
When  Queen  Anne  came  into  power.  Ken's  old  see  was  offered  to 
him,  so  that  he  might  have  died  in  actual  service  as  Bishop  of 
Bath  and  Wells.  But  the  advancing  years  had  brought  more 
and  more  a  love  of  quiet ;  and  so  he  declined  the  gracious  offer, 
urging  his  friend  Hooper  to  take  the  place.  Day  by  day,  unlike 
some  of  the  nonjuring  bishops,  he  followed  the  things  that 
make  for  peace,  so  that  his  very  presence  seemed  a  benediction 
of  God. 

In  his  seventy-fourth  year,  after  much  physical  suffering, 
the  summons  came  for  him  to  die.  Realizing  that  the  time  of 
his  departure  was  at  hand,  he  put  on  his  shroud,  gave  his  bless- 
ing to  his  friends  who  stood  by  his  bedside,  and  passed  away 
calmly  "as  sinks  the  sun  behind  the  western  hills."  He  was 
buried,  by  his  o^vn  direction,  "in  the  churchyard  of  the  nearest 
parish  within  his  diocese,  under  the  east  window  of  the  chancel, 
just  at  sunrising,  without  any  pomp  or  ceremony  besides  that  of 
the  Order  for  Burial  in  the  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England," 


THOMAS  KEN  n 


For  his  tomb  he  had  himself  written  this  inscription :  "May  the 
here  interred  Thomas,  late  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells,  and  un- 
canonically  Deprived  for  not  transferring  his  Allegiance,  have 
a  perfect  consumation  of  Blisse,  both  in  body  and  soul,  at  the 
great  Day,  of  which  God  keep  me  always  mindfull." 

One  sentence  of  his  will  has  been  very  often  quoted : 
"As  for  my  religion  I  die  in  the  Holy  Catholic  and  Apos- 
tolic Faith,  professed  by  the  whole  Church,  before  the  disunion 
of  East  and  West;  more  particularly  I  die  in  the  Communion 
of  the  Church  of  England,  as  it  stands  distinguished  from  all 
Papall  and  Puritan  Innovations,  and  as  it  adheres  to  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Cross." 

The  words  which  follow  are  equally  worthy  of  quotation: 
"I  beg  pardon  of  all  whom  I  have  any  way  offended; 
and  I  entirely  forgive  all  those  who  have  any  ways  offended  me. 
I  acknowledge  myself  a  very  great  and  miserable  Sinner;  but 
dye  in  humble  confidence,  that,  on  my  repentance,  I  shall  be 
accepted  in  the  Beloved." 

Many  have  thought  that  Dryden's  lines  concerning  the 
Good  Parson  were  suggested  by  the  saintly  life  and  character 
of  Bishop  Ken.  The  elements  of  the  description  meet  in  Ken. 
They  do  not  meet  in  any  other  noted  man  amongst  his  con- 
temporaries. 

Some  will  be  interested,  I  think,  in  reading  a  part  of  what 
Dryden  has  so  beautifully  said : 

A  parish  priest  was  of  the  pilgrim  train. 
An  awful,  reverend,   and  religious  man; 
His  eyes  diffused  a  venerable  grace. 
And  charity  itself  was  in  his  face : 
Rich  was  his  soul,  though  his  attire  was  poor, 
(As  God  had  clothed  His  own  Ambassador 
For  such,  on  earth,  his  blest  Redeemer  bore). 
Of  sixty  years  he  seemed,  and  well  might  last 
To  sixty  more,  but  that  he  lived  to  fast: 
Refined  himself  to  soul,  to  curb  the  sense. 
And  made  almost  a  sin  of  abstinence. 
Yet  had  his  aspect  nothing  of  severe; 
But  such  a  face  as  promised  him  sincere. 
Nothing  reserved  or  sullen  was  to  see 
But  sweet  regards  and  pleasing  sanctity: 


12  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Mild  was  his  accent  and  his  accents  free. 

With  eloquence  innate  his  tongue  was  armed, 

Tho'  harsh  the  precept,  yet  the  preacher  charmed; 

For,  letting  down  the  golden  chain  on  high. 

He  drew  his  audience  upward  to  the  sky; 

And  oft,  with  holy  hymns,  he  charmed  their  ears 

(A  music  more  melodious  than  the  spheres) ; 

For  David  left  him,  when  he  went  to  rest, 

His  lyre;  and,  after  him,  he  sang  the  best. 

He  bore  his  great  commission  in  his  look, 

But  sweetly  tempered  awe,  and  softened  all  he  spoke. 

He  preached  the  joys  of  heaven,  and  pains  of  hell. 

And  warned  the  sinner  with  becoming  zeal. 

But  on  eternal  mercy  loved  to  dwell. 

He  taught  the  Gospel  rather  than  the  Law, 

And  forced  himself  to  drive,  but  loved  to  draw. 


Wide  was  his  parish,  not  contracted  close 
In  streets,  but  here  and  there  a  straggling  house; 
Yet  still  he  was  at  hand,  without  request. 
To  serve  the  rich,  to  succor  the  distressed, 
Tempting  on  foot,  alone,  without  affright 
The  dangers  of  a  dark,  tempestuous  night. 


The  proud  he  tamed,  the  penitent  he  cheered. 
Nor  to  rebuke  the  rich  offender  feared. 
His  preaching  much,  but  more  his  practice  wrought, 
A  living  sermon  of  the  truths  he  taught. 


The  prelate  for  his  holy  life  he  prized, 

The  worldly  pomp  of  prelacy  despised. 

His  Saviour  came  not  with  a  gaudy  show. 

Nor  was  His  Kingdom  of  the  world  below. 

Patience  in  want,  and  poverty  of  mind. 

These  marks  of  Church  and  Churchmen  he  designed. 

And  living,  taught,  and  dying,  left  behind. 


Such  was  the  Saint  who  shone  with  every  grace, 
Eeflecting,  Moses-like,  his  Maker's  face. 
God  saw  His  image  lively  was  expressed. 
And  His  own  work,  as  in  creation,  blessed. 


THOMAS  KEN  13 


Much  to  himself  he  thought,  but  little  spoke. 

And,  undeprived,  his  benefice  forsook. 

Now,  through  the  land,  his  cure  of  souls  he  stretched. 

And,   like   a   primitive   Apostle,   preached: 

Still  cheerful,  ever  constant  to  his  call, 

By  many  followed,  loved  by  most,  admired  by  alL 


With  what  he  begged  his  brethren  he  relieved 
And  gave  the  charities  himself  received; 
Gave  while  he  taught,  and  edified  the  more 
Because  he  shewed  by  proof  'twas  easy  to  be  poor. 

In  this  connection  one  brief  passage  from  Macaulay  is 
worth  quotation.  He  is  writing  of  a  time  when  the  jails  of 
Somersetshire  and  Dorsetshire  were  filled  with  thousands  of 
captives,  and  says :  "The  chief  friend  and  protector  of  these  un- 
happy men  in  their  extremity  was  one  who  abhorred  their  re- 
ligious and  political  opinions,  one  whose  Order  they  hated,  and 
to  whom  they  had  done  unprovoked  wrong — Bishop  Ken.  That 
good  prelate  used  all  his  influence  to  soften  the  jailers,  and  re- 
trenched from  his  own  Episcopal  State  that  he  might  be  able  to 
make  some  addition  to  the  coarse  and  scanty  fare  of  those  who 
had  defaced  his  beloved  Cathedral.  His  conduct  on  this  occa- 
sion was  of  a  piece  with  his  whole  life.  His  intellect  was  indeed 
darkened  by  many  superstitions  and  prejudices;  but  his  moral 
character,  when  impartially  reviewed,  sustains  a  comparison 
with  any  in  ecclesiastical  history,  and  seems  to  approach  as 
near  as  human  infirmity  permits  to  the  ideal  perfection  of 
Christian  virtue." 

There  is  space  remaining  for  a  final  word  concerning  those 
three  hymns,  two  of  which  have  been  sung  for  two  centuries  and 
may  be  sung  for  centuries  yet  to  come.  They  were  first  printed 
(with  their  author's  approval)  in  that  Devout  Manual  for  Win- 
chester Scholars,  which  has  not  yet  lost  its  charm  or  power. 
Following  Dean  Plumptre,  I  give  the  three  hymns  in  full  from 
the  edition  of  the  Winchester  Manual  of  1697,  noting  in  italics 
the  various  readings  of  that  of  1712. 


14  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 


A  Morning  Hymn. 

Awake  my  Soul,  and  with  the  Sun, 

Thy  daily  stage  of  Duty  run ; 

Shake  off  dull  Sloth,  and  early  [joyful}  rise. 

To  pay  thy  Morning  Sacrifice. 

Redeem  thy  mispent  time  that's  past, 
Live  this  day,  as  if  'twere  thy  last : 
T'improve  thy  Talent  take  due  care. 
Gainst  the  great  Day  thy  self  prepare. 
[Thy  precious  Time  mis-spent,  redeem; 
Each  present  Day  thy  last  esteem; 
Improve  thy  Talent  with  due  care. 
For  the  Great  Day  thy  self  prepare."] 

Let  all  thy  Converse  [In  Conversation']  be  sincere. 

Thy  [Keep]  Conscience  as  the  Noon-day  [Noon-tide]  clear; 

Think  how  all-seeing  God  thy  ways, 

And  all  thy  secret  Thoughts  surveys. 

Influenc'd  by  [By  influence  of]  the  Light  Divine, 
Let  thy  own  Light  in  good  Works  [to  others]  shine: 
Reflect  all  Heaven's  propitious  ways  [Bays], 
In  ardent  Love,  and  chearful  Praise. 

Wake  and  lift  up  thyself,  my  Heart, 
And  with  the  Angels  bear  thy  part, 
Who  all  night  long  unwearied  sing, 
Glory  [High  Praise]  to  the  Eternal  King. 

Awake,  awake,  [7  waTce,  I  walce]*  ye  Heavenly  Choire, 
May  your  Devotion  me  inspire, 
That  I,  like  you,  my  Age  may  spend. 
Like  you,  may  on  my  God  attend. 

May  I,  like  you,  in  God  delight, 
Have  all  day  long  my  God  in  sight, 
Perform,  like  you,  my  Maker's  Will; 
O  may  I  never  more  do  ill! 


*  This  is  a  later  variation. 


THOMAS  KEN  15 


Had  I  your  Wings,  to  Heaven  I'd  flie. 
But  God  shall  that  defect  supply. 
And  my  Soul  wing'd  with  warm  desire. 
Shall  all  day  long  to  Heav'n  aspire. 

Glory  [^All  Praise]  to  Thee  who  safe  hast  kept, 
And  hast  refresht  me  whilst  I  slept. 
Grant,  Lord,  when  I  from  death  shall  wake, 
I  may  of  endless  Light  partake. 

I  would  not  wake,  nor  rise  again, 
Ev'n  Heav'n  itself  I  would  disdain, 
Wert  not  Thou  there  to  be  enjoy'd. 
And  I  in  Hymns  to  be  imploy'd. 

Heavn  is,  dear  Lord,  where'er  Thou  art, 

O  never  then  from  me  depart; 

For  to  my  Soul  'tis  Hell  to  be, 

But  for  one  moment  without  [^void  of]  Thee. 

Lord,  I  my  vows  to  Thee  renew. 

Scatter  my  sins  as  Morning  dew. 

Guard  my  first  springs  of  Thought,  and  Will, 

And  with  Thy  self  my  Spirit  fill. 

Direct,  controul,  suggest  this  day, 

All  I  design,  or  do,  or  say; 

That  all  my  Powers,  with  all  their  might. 

In  Thy  sole  Glory  may  unite. 

Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow^ 

Praise  Him,  all  Creatures  here  below. 

Praise  Him  above,  y'  Angelick  [ye  Heavenly]  Host, 

Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

An  Evening  Hymn. 

Glory  \^All  Praise]  to  Thee,  my  God,  this  night. 
For  all  the  Blessings  of  the  Light; 
Keep  me,  O  keep  me,  King  of  Kings, 
Under  [Beneath]  Thy  own  Almighty  Wings. 

Forgive  me.  Lord,  for  Thy  dear  Son, 
The  ill  that  I  this  day  have  done. 
That  with  the  World,  my  self,  and   Thee, 
I,  ere  I  sleep,  at  peace  may  be. 


i6  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Teach  me  to  live,  that  I  may  dread 
The  Grave  as  little  as  my  Bed; 
Teach  me  to  die,  that  so  I  may 
Triumphing  rise  at  the  last  day. 
ITo  die,  that  this  vile  Body  may 
Rise  glorious  at  the  Awful  Day.'] 

0  may  my  Soul  on  Thee  repose. 

And  with  sweet  sleep  mine  [my]  Eye-lids  close; 
Sleep  that  may  me  more  vig'rous  make. 
To  serve  my  God  when  I  awake! 

When  in  the  night  I  sleepless  He, 

My  Soul  with  Heavenly  Thoughts  supply; 

Let  no  ill  Dreams  disturb  my  Rest, 

No  powers  of  darkness  me  molest. 

Dull  sleep  of  Sense  me  to  deprive, 

1  am  but  half  my  days  alive; 

Thy  faithful  Lovers,  Lord,  are  griev'd 
To  lie  so  long  of  Thee  bereav'd. 

But  [Yetl  though  sleep  o'r  my  frailty  reigns. 
Let  it  not  hold  me  long  in  chains. 
And  now  and  then  let  loose  my  Heart, 
Till  it  an  Hallelujah  dart. 

The  faster  sleep  the  sense  doth  bind,  [the  senses  hinds']. 
The  more  unfetter'd  is  the  Mind;  ^are  our  Minds;] 
O  may  my  Soul  from  matter  free. 
Thy  unvail'd  Goodness  waking  see! 
[,Thy  Loveliness  unclouded  see.] 

0,  when  shall  I,  In  endless  day. 

For  ever  chase  dark  sleep  away. 

And  endless  praise  with  th'  Heavenly  Choir 

[And  Hymns  with  the  Supernal  Choir] 

Incessant  sing,  and  never  tire? 

You,  my  blest  Guardian,  [0  may  my  Guardian,]  whilst  I  sleep. 
Close  to  my  Bed  your  [his]  Vigils  keep. 
Divine  Love  into  me  {His  Love  angelical]  instil. 
Stop  all  the  avenues  of  ill; 


tH 


THOMAS  KEN  ly 


Thought  to  thought  with  my  Soul  converse, 

Celestial  joys  to  me  rehearse, 

\^May  he  Celestial  joy  rehearse. 

And  thought  to  thought  with  me  converse.'] 

And  [Or]  in  my  stead  all  the  night  long. 

Sing  to  my  God  a  grateful  Song. 

Praise  God  from  whom  all  Blessings  flow. 
Praise  Him  all  Creatures  here  below. 
Praise  Him  above  y'  Angelick  [ye  Heavenly]  Host, 
Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

A  MroNiGHT  Hymn. 

Lord,  now  my  Sleep  does  me  forsake, 

[My  God,  now  I  from  Sleep  awake,] 

The  sole  possession  of  me  take; 

Let  no  vain  fancy  me  illude, 

No  one  impure  desire  intrude. 

[From  midnight  Terrors  me  secure. 

And  guard  my  Heart  from  Thoughts  impure.] 

Blest  Angels!  while  we  silent  lie. 
Your  Hallelujahs  sing  on  high, 
You,  ever  wakeful  near  the  Throne, 
Prostrate,  adore  the  Three  in  One. 
[You  joyful  hymn  the  ever  Bless'd, 
Before  the  Throne,  and  never  rest.] 

I  now,  awake,  do  with  you  joyn. 

To  praise  our  God  in  Hymns  Divine: 

[I  with  yon  Choir  celestial  join 

In  offering  up  a  Hymn  divine.] 

With  you  in  Heav'n  I  hope  to  dwell. 

And  bid  the  Night  and  World  farewell. 

My  Soul,  when  I  shake  off  this  dust 
Lord,  in  Thy  Arms  I  will  entrust; 
O  make  me  Thy  peculiar  care. 

Some   heav'nly  Mansion   me    [Some   Mansion   for  my   Soul] 
prepare. 

Give  me  a  place  at  Thy  Saints'  feet. 
Or  some  fall'n  Angel's  vacant  seat; 
ril  strive  to  sing  as  loud  as  they. 
Who  sit  above  in  brighter  day. 


i8  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

O  may  I  always  ready  stand. 
With  my  Lamp  burning  in  my  hand; 
May  I  in  sight  of  Heav'n  rejoyce. 
Whene'er  I  hear  the  Bridegroom's  voice! 

Glory  [All  Praise]  to  Thee  in  light  arraid. 
Who  light  Thy  dwelling  place  hast  made, 
An  immense  [A  boundless]  Ocean  of  bright  beams. 
From  Thy  All-glorious  Godhead  streams. 

The  Sun,  in  its  Meridian  height, 

Is  very  darkness  in  Thy  sight: 

My  Soul,  O  lighten,  and  enflame. 

With  Thought  and  Love  of  Thy  great  name. 

Blest  Jesu,  Thou,  on  Heav'n  intent, 
Whole  Nights  hast  in  Devotion  spent. 
But  I,  frail  Creature,  soon  am  tir'd. 
And  all  my  Zeal  is  soon  expir'd. 

My  Soul,  how  canst  thou  weary  grow 

Of  ante-dating  Heav'n  [Bliss]  below. 

In  sacred  Hymns,  and  Divine  [Heavenly]  Love, 

Which  will  Eternal  be  above? 

Shine  on  me.  Lord,  new  life  impart. 
Fresh  ardours  kindle  in  my  Heart; 
One  ray  of  Thy  All-quick'ning  light 
Dispels  the  sloth  and  clouds  of  night. 

Lord,  lest  the  Tempter  me  surprize. 
Watch  over  Thine  own  Sacrifice, 
All  loose,  all  idle  Thoughts  cast  out, 
And  make  my  very  Dreams  devout. 

Praise  God,  from  whom  all  Blessings  flow, 
Praise  Him  all  Creatures  here  below, 
Praise  Him  above  y'  Angelick  [ye  Heavenly]  Host, 
Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

Ken's  pure  and  exalted  life  suggests  the  words  of  one  of 
our  Prayer  Book  Collects:  "Almighty  and  Everliving  God, 
we  yield  unto  Thee  most  high  praise  and  hearty  thanks  for  the 
wonderful  grace  and  virtue  declared  in  all  thy  Saints  who  have 
been  the  choice  vessels  of  Thy  grace,  and  the  lights  of  the  world 
in  their  several  generations." 


THOMAS  KEN  19 


Standing  by  his  grave  each  one  of  us  may  well  sing,  with 
Lord  Houghton : 

Let  other  thoughts,  where'er  I  roam 

Ne'er  from  my  memory  cancel 
The  coflin-fashioned  tomb  at  Frome, 

That  lies  behind  the  chancel: 
A  basket-work  where  bars  are  bent. 

Iron  in  place  of  ozier. 
And  shapes  above  that  represent 

A  mitre  and  a  crozier. 

These  signs  of  him  that  slumbers  there 

The  dignity  betoken; 
These  iron  bars  a  heart  declare. 

Hard  bent,  but  never  broken: 
This  form  portrays  how  souls  like  his. 

Their  pride  and  passion  quelling. 
Preferred  to  earth's  high  palaces 

This  calm  and  narrow  dwelling. 

There,  with  the  churchyard's  common  dust. 

He  loved  his  own  to  mingle: 
The  faith  in  which  he  placed  his  trust 

Was  nothing  rare  or  single. 
Yet  lay  he  to  the  sacred  wall 

As  close  as  he  was  able; 
The  blessed  crumbs  might  almost  fall 

Upon  him  from  God's  table. 

Who  was  this  father  of  the  Church 

So  secret  in  his  glory? 
In  vain  might  antiquarians  search 

For  record  of  his  story: 
But  preciously  tradition  keeps 

The  fame  of  holy  men: 
So  there  the  Christian  smiles  or  weeps 

For  love  of  Bishop  Ken. 

A  name  his  country  once  forsook, 

But  now  with  joy  inherits. 
Confessor  in  the  Church's  book 

And  martyr  in  the  Spirit's! 
That  dared  with  royal  power  to  cope, 

In  peaceful  faith  persisting, 
A  braver  Becket — who  could  hope 

To  conquer  unresisting. 


11. 

Charles  Wesley 


(21) 


In  vain  thon  strngglest  to  get  free, 
I  never  will  unloose  my  hold : 

Art  Thou  the  Man  that  died  for  me? 
The  secret  of  Thy  love  unfold : 

Wrestling,  I  will  not  let  Thee  go, 

Till  I  Thy  name,  Thy  nature  know. 


Yield  to  me  now,  for  I  am  weak, 
But  confident  in  self-despair ; 

Speak  to  my  heart,  in  blessings  speak; 
Be  conquered  by  my  instant  prayer ! 

Speak,  or  Thou  never  hence  shalt  move, 

And  tell  me  if  Thy  name  is  Love? 


'Tis  Love !  'tis  Love !  Thou  diedst  for  me ! 

I  hear  Thy  whisper  in  my  heart ; 
The  morning  breaks,  the  shadows  flee; 

Pure,  universal  Love  Thou  art ; 
To  me,  to  all  Thy  mercies  move; 
Thy  nature  and  Thy  name  is  Love. 

Chables  Wesley. 

Nothing  like  our  old  hymns.  *  *  *  i  hope  the  Committee 
[on  Revision  of  the  Hymn-book,  then  in  session]  will  spare  those 
dear  old  hymns  on  doctrine  and  experience  that  the  Wesleys  gave  us. 
*  *  *  Those  little  songs  about  "Sweet  by  and  by,"  and  "Shall  we 
know  each  other  there?"  and  the  like,  may  all  be  very  nice,  but  don't 
you  let  any  of  them  be  sung  at  my  funeral.  — John  B.  McFerrin,  the 
"Great  Commoner  of  Southern  Methodism,"  on  his  death-hed. 


(22) 


II. 

CHARLES  WESLEY. 

We  come  next  to  the  story  of  Chaeles  Wesley  and  his 
hymns.  The  story  is  an  interesting  one,  and  important,  for  it 
brings  before  us  one  of  the  most  remarkable  religious  move- 
ments in  the  history  of  the  Church. 

It  is  said  that  the  poet  Southey  thought  Mr.  Wesley's  hymn, 
"Stand  the  Omnipotent  Decree,"  to  be  the  finest  hymn  in  the 
English  language,  and  that  Dr.  Isaac  Watts  did  not  hesitate  to 
say  that  he  considered  that  stirring  poem,  "Wrestling  Jacob," 
to  be  of  greater  value  than  all  the  hymns  he  himself  had  written. 
Archbishop  Trench,  too,  wrote  of  this  same  poem  in  most  ex- 
alted terms. 

By  one  hymn,  however,  is  Charles  Wesley  better  known 
than  by  all  the  rest,  "Jesus,  Lover  of  My  Soul."  Concerning 
this  great  hymn  Henry  Ward  Beecher  has  well  said : 

"I  would  rather  have  written  that  hymn  of  Wesley's: 

Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul. 
Let  me  to  Thy  bosom  fly, 

than  to  have  the  fame  of  all  the  kings  that  ever  sat  on  the  earth. 
It  is  more  glorious.  It  has  more  power  in  it.  I  would  rather 
be  the  author  of  that  hymn  than  to  hold  the  wealth  of  the  richest 
man  in  JN'ew  York.  He  will  die.  He  is  dead,  and  does  not  know 
it.  He  will  pass,  after  a  little  while,  out  of  men's  thoughts. 
What  will  there  be  to  speak  of  him  ?  What  will  he  have  done 
that  will  stop  trouble,  or  encourage  hope  ?  His  money  will  go  to 
his  heirs,  and  they  will  divide  it.  It  is  like  a  stream  divided 
and  growing  narrower  by  division.  And  they  will  die,  and  it 
will  go  to  their  heirs.  In  three  or  four  generations  everything 
comes  to  the  ground  again  for  redistribution.  But  that  hymn 
will  go  on  singing  until  the  last  trump  brings  forth  the  angel 
band ;  and  then,  I  think  it  will  moimt  up  on  some  lip  to  the  very 
presence  of  God." 

(23) 


24  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

As  to  the  origin  of  this  hymn  Dr.  Charles  S.  Robinson  says 
truly : 

"Several  accounts  are  given.  Some  say  that  a  meeting  of 
the  Wesley  brothers  was  broken  up  by  a  mob.  They  took  refuge 
in  a  spring-house.  There  the  poem  was  written  with  a  piece 
of  lead  hammered  into  a  pencik  So  it  is  declared  that  it  was  an 
effusion  of  gratitude  because  of  their  providential  escape. 
Others  say  that  the  poet  was  one  time  sitting  at  an  open  case- 
ment when  a  little  bird,  pursued  by  a  hawk,  flew  in  and  took 
refuge  in  the  bosom  of  his  garment.  Caught  by  a  suggestion 
so  spiritual,  the  author  gave  the  incident  this  memorial  in  sacred 
song.  Biographers  state  that  neither  of  these  stories  can  find 
proof." 

A  competent  authority  says  as  to  its  rank : 

"Charles  Wesley  wrote  hymns  for  almost  every  scene  and 
circumstance  of  life ;  but,  like  Watts,  Cowper,  and  Toplady,  he 
had  his  masterpiece.  The  Lord  of  glory  bestowed  on  Charles 
Wesley  the  high  honor  of  composing  the  finest  heart-hymn  in  the 
English  tongue.  If  the  greatest  hymn  of  the  cross  is  'Rock  of 
Ages,'  and  the  greatest  hymn  of  providence  is  Cowper's  'God 
Moves  in  a  Mysterious  Way,'  and  the  grandest  battle-hymn  is 
Martin  Luther's  'God  is  our  Refuge,'  then  it  may  be  said  that 
the  queen  of  all  the  lays  of  holy  love  is  that  immortal  song, 
'Jesus,  Lover  of  My  Soul.'  " 

The  Wesleys,  John  and  Charles,  were  great  men ;  and  they 
came  of  a  noble  Christian  ancestry.  Their  great  grandfather, 
Bartholomew  Wesley,  and  their  grandfather,  John  Wesley,  were 
clergymen  of  the  Church  of  England  ;  but  in  1662  they  followed 
their  consciences  and  were  driven  from  the  ministry  of  that 
Church. 

Their  father,  Samuel  Wesley,  was  also  a  clergyman,  and 
a  man  of  power. 

As  a  boy  we  are  told  he  was  chosen  to  defend  in  a  public 
debate  the  position  of  the  Dissenters  against  that  of  the  estab- 
lished Church,  but  upon  his  study  of  the  subject  he  concluded 
that  he  was  on  the  wrong  side,  and  soon  thereafter  became  a 
communicant  and  afterwards  a  minister  of  the  ITational  Church. 

On  their  mother's  side  the  Wesleys  came  of  a  race  of  con- 
scientious and  heroic  men. 


CHARLES   WESLEY  25 

She  was  a  daughter  of  the  famous  Dr.  Annesley,  a  non- 
conf onnist  minister  of  eminence  and  devotion ;  and  she  herself 
was  a  very  extraordinary  woman.  When  she  was  thirteen  years 
old,  but  very  intelligent  and  very  mature  for  her  years,  she  care- 
fully investigated  the  question  of  dissent  versus  the  established 
Church,  and  reached  the  conclusion  that  her  duty  led  her  away 
from  the  faith  of  her  father  into  the  larger  room  of  the  Church 
of  the  realm.  Naturally  she  and  Samuel  Wesley  had  much  in 
common.  They  were  in  intellectual  agreement ;  and  they  were 
both  devotedly  religious. 

It  is  a  blessed  circumstance  for  the  world  that  they  were 
drawn  to  each  other,  that  they  were  married,  and  that  for  years 
they  walked  together  as  heirs  of  the  grace  of  life. 

Of  all  the  Wesleys,  Mrs.  Wesley,  the  mother  of  John  and 
Charles,  was  probably  the  most  remarkable.  She  had  nineteen 
children ;  and  she  marshaled  them  as  children  of  the  Heavenly 
King.  She  taught  them  to  read  after  a  method  of  her  own 
choosing ;  to  cry  softly ;  to  obey  without  a  moment's  hesitation  or 
delay ;  to  work ;  and  to  honor  and  love  their  God.  And  besides 
all  this  she  was  useful,  very  useful,  in  the  parish  over  which 
her  husband  was  settled  as  rector,  the  parish  at  Epworth.  The 
characteristics  of  the  woman  come  out  in  a  striking  way  in  her 
answer  to  a  letter  written  by  her  husband,  touching  certain 
religious  gatherings,  conducted  in  his  absence,  at  their  home 
under  her  authority.  Duties  in  connection  with  the  established 
convocation  of  the  Church  made  it  necessary  that  he  should  be 
absent  in  London,  sometimes  for  weeks  together.  In  one  of 
these  absences  it  was  said  to  him  that  his  wife  was  holding  a 
conventicle,  and  he  was  asked  to  stop  her.  He  essayed  to  do 
so,  but  she  replied: 

"As  to  its  looking  particular,  I  grant  it  does ;  and  so  does 
almost  everything  that  is  serious  or  that  may  any  way  advance 
the  glory  of  God,  or  the  salvation  of  souls  if  it  be  performed  out 
of  the  pulpit,  or  in  the  way  of  common  conversation;  because 
in  our  corrupt  age  the  utmost  care  and  diligence  has  been  used 
to  banish  all  discourse  of  God  or  spiritual  concerns  out  of  so- 
ciety ;  as  if  religion  were  never  to  appear  out  of  the  closet,  and 
we  were  ashamed  of  nothing  so  much  as  of  professing  ourselves 
to  be  Christians. 


2(i  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

"I  am  a  woman.  So  I  am  also  mistress  of  a  large  family, 
and  though  the  superior  charge  of  the  souls  contained  in  it  lies 
upon  you  as  the  head  of  the  family  and  as  their  minister,  yet  in 
your  absence  I  cannot  but  look  upon  every  soul  you  leave  under 
my  care  as  a  talent  committed  to  me  under  a  trust  by  the  great 
Lord  of  all  the  families  of  heaven  and  earth ;  and  if  I  am  un- 
faithful to  Him  or  to  you  in  neglecting  to  improve  these  talents, 
how  shall  I  answer  unto  Him  when  He  shall  command  me  to 
render  an  account  of  my  stewardship  ?" 

And  then  she  went  on  to  tell  of  her  method  of  keeping  the 
Lord's  day,  and  of  a  remarkable  spiritual  quickening  which 
had  come  to  her  through  reading  the  story  of  certain  Danish 
missionaries.  Their  heroic  devotion  refreshed  her  soul  above 
measure.  For  several  days  she  could  think  or  speak  of  little 
else.  "At  last,"  she  says,  "it  came  into  my  mind,  though  I  am 
not  a  man  nor  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  yet  if  my  heart  were  sin- 
cerely devoted  to  God,  and  if  I  were  inspired  with  a  true  zeal  for 
His  glory,  I  might  do  something  more  than  I  do." 

And  so  she  began  to  stir  up  her  own  children  and  her 
neighbors.  "Since  this,"  she  writes,  "our  company  has  in- 
creased every  night,  for  I  dare  deny  none  who  ask  admittance. 
Last  Sunday  I  believe  we  had  above  two  hundred  and  yet  many 
went  away  for  want  of  room.  *  *  *  I  would  fain  have 
dismissed  them  before  prayer,  but  they  begged  so  earnestly  to 
stay  I  durst  not  deny  them." 

And  so  afterward,  "I  beseech  you,  weigh  all  things  in  an 
impartial  balance ;  on  the  one  side  the  honor  of  Almighty  God, 
the  doing  much  good  to  many  souls,  and  the  friendship  of  the 
best  among  whom  we  live;  on  the  other  (if  folly,  impiety  and 
vanity  may  abide  in  the  scale  against  so  ponderous  a  weight) 
the  senseless  objections  of  a  few  scandalous  persons  laughing  at 
us  and  censuring  us  as  precise  and  hypocritical,  and  when  you 
have  duly  considered  all  things  let  me  know  your  positive  deter- 
mination. *  *  *  If  you  do,  after  all,  think  fit  to  dissolve  this 
assembly,  do  not  tell  me  that  you  desire  me  to  do  it,  for  that  will 
not  satisfy  my  conscience ;  but  send  me  your  positive  command 
in  such  full  and  express  terms  as  may  absolve  me  from  all  guilt 
and  punishment  for  neglecting  this  opportunity  of  doing  good 


CHARLES    WESLEY  27 

when  jou  and  I  shall  appear  before  the  great  and  awful  tribunal 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

The  meetings  were  not  stopped.  How  could  they  be  when 
the  appeal  was  made  to  a  good  man  and  when  there  was  back  of 
it  a  woman  so  masterful  in  energy,  so  capable  in  resources  and 
so  thoroughly  set  upon  serving  and  honoring  God  ? 

Three  of  Samuel  Wesley's  sons  entered  the  ministry  and 
became  clergymen  of  the  established  Church. 

The  eldest,  Samuel,  was  a  gifted  man  and  faithful,  and 
served  God  in  humility  and  zeal  all  his  days.  John  Wesley  was 
one  of  the  great  men  of  the  eighteenth  century,  great  as  a 
preacher,  greater  still  as  a  leader  of  men.  To-day  millions  of 
men  and  women  honor  him  as  one  of  the  great  spiritual  bene- 
factors of  humanity. 

It  would  be  pleasant  and  profitable  to  study  him  and  his 
giant  work,  but  our  present  subject  confines  us  chiefly  to  Charles 
Wesley  as  an  immense  spiritual  force,  and  as  the  sweet  singer 
of  Methodism.  He  was  five  years  younger  than  his  brother 
John  and  was  bom  in  the  year  1708.  When  he  was  eight  years 
old  he  was  sent  to  Westminster  school,  and  there  placed  under 
the  care  of  his  oldest  brother.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  went 
to  Oxford,  where,  in  his  early  manhood,  he  became  deeply  re- 
ligious. "My  first  year  at  college,"  he  tells  us,  "I  lost  in  diver- 
sions; the  next  I  set  myself  to  study.  Diligence  led  me  into 
serious  thinking.  I  went  to  the  weekly  sacrament,  and  per- 
suaded two  or  three  young  students  to  accompany  me  and  to 
observe  the  method  of  study  prescribed  by  the  statutes  of  the 
university.  This  gained  me  the  harmless  name  of  Methodist. 
In  half  a  year  after  this  my  brother  (John)  left  his  curacy  at 
Epworth  and  came  to  our  assistance.  We  then  proceeded  regu- 
larly in  our  studies  and  in  doing  what  good  we  could  to  the 
bodies  and  souls  of  men.  " 

Charles  Wesley,  then,  was  called  a  Methodist  in  advance  of 
his  brother  John.  Soon  thereafter,  in  common  with  their  asso- 
ciates, in  still  greater  derision,  they  were  called  "The  Holy 
Club,"  and  then  their  father  wrote :  "I  hear  my  son  John  has  the 
honor  of  being  styled  the  Father  of  the  Holy  Club ;  if  it  be  so  I 
am  sure  I  must  be  the  grandfather  of  it,  and  I  need  not  say  that 


28  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

I  had  rather  any  of  my  sons  should  be  so  dignified  and  dis- 
tinguished than  to  have  the  title  of  His  Holiness." 

Some  six  years  later  these  brothers  set  sail  for  Georgia  as 
laborers  in  what  was  then  a  great  missionary  field.  Charles 
remained  one  year.  John  remained  two  years  and  the  iron 
entered  into  both  their  souls.  Their  spiritual  experiences  were 
deep  and  searching  and  they  returned  to  England  filled  with 
spiritual  fervor. 

One  of  their  companions  at  Oxford  was  the  famous  George 
Whitefield.  Simply  as  an  orator  he  has  probably  never  been 
surpassed.  In  England  and  America  thousands  crowded  upon 
his  ministry.  He  was  then  ready  to  begin  a  holy  crusade  in 
England,  and  the  Wesleys  were  soon  ready  to  join  him.  In 
many  cases  the  parish  churches  were  denied  them,  and  in  almost 
every  place  they  were  too  small.  Besides,  people  would  gather 
in  the  fields  who  were  wont  to  stay  away  from  churches.  So  for 
years  these  giants  were  wont  to  gather  five,  ten,  and  in  White- 
field's  case,  sometimes  twenty  thousand  human  beings  for  an 
audience.     And  with  what  power  they  preached  the  gospel! 

Upon  one  subject  they  quarreled  and  separated — at  least 
John  Wesley  quarreled  with  Whitefield — the  subject  of  elec- 
tion. A  needless  quarrel,  certainly,  in  which  all  concerned 
seem  to  have  displayed  no  little  narrowness. 

Charles  Wesley  was  married  when  he  was  forty  years  old. 
John  Wesley  was  married  when  he  was  forty-eight.  Charles 
Wesley's  marriage  was  a  happy  one,  though  it  brought  him 
much  bereavement,  and  it  was  a  great  blow  to  him  when  his  son 
joined  the  Church  of  Rome. 

John  Wesley's  marriage  was  of  a  different  sort.  To  speak 
of  it  as  ill-advised  would  be  a  mild  way  of  telling  the  truth. 
His  first  biographer,  a  warm  personal  friend,  puts  the  case 
tersely  when  he  says,  "Had  Mr.  Wesley  searched  the  whole  king- 
dom on  purpose  he  would  hardly  have  found  a  woman  more 
unsuitable  than  she  whom  he  married."  Separation  was  a 
quick  result. 

Those  were  the  days  when  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
ignorance  in  England,  and  a  great  deal  of  vice ;  and  when  men 
had  not  well  learned  the  lesson  of  religious  toleration. 


CHARLES   WESLEY  29 

An  order  of  lay  preachers  grew  up,  associated  with  the 
Methodist  Society.  One  of  the  first  of  these,  Thomas  Maxfield, 
Mr.  Wesley  was  ready  to  stop;  but  his  mother  said  to  him, 
"John,  this  lay  preacher  is  as  truly  called  of  God  to  preach  as 
you  are."  He  listened  to  him  and  became  convinced  that  his 
gifts  were  from  above.  With  lay  preachers  beseeching  men  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  and  with  Whitefield  and  the  Wes- 
leys  gathering  crowds  everywhere,  the  country  was  in  a  ferment. 
And  religious  persecution  was  resorted  to,  in  which  not  only 
Churchmen  but  Dissenters  joined.  These  Dissenters  were  them- 
selves "under  the  ban."  ISTevertheless,  with  the  single  excep- 
tion of  the  Quakers,  all  classes  of  religious  people  so  called,  as 
well  as  of  irreligious  people,  joined  in  the  persecution  of  these 
newfangled  Methodists.  Of  course  we  can  understand  why 
strolling  players,  and  all  who  gained  their  livelihood  through 
providing  amusement  for  the  people,  should  violently  oppose 
them,  for  with  their  preaching  the  playhouses  began  to  be 
deserted  and  "the  hope  of  their  gains  was  gone;"  but  why 
should  Baptists  and  Congregationalists  and  Presbyterians  join 
in  this  unholy  crusade  ?  The  spirit  of  the  age  sanctioned  it. 
And  so  it  was. 

An  extract  from  Charles  Wesley's  description  of  one  of  his 
own  personal  experiences  will  be  of  interest,  showing  as  it  does 
the  characteristics  of  the  man  and  the  life  of  daily  death  he  was 
called  to  lead. 

"At  seven  o'clock  I  walked  quietly  to  Mrs.  Phillips'  and 
began  preaching  a  little  before  the  time  appointed.  For  three 
quarters  of  an  hour  I  invited  a  few  listening  sinners  to  Christ. 
Soon  after,  Satan's  whole  army  assaulted  the  house.  They 
brought  a  hand  engine.  The  constable  came,  and  seizing  the 
spout  of  the  engine  carried  it  off.  They  hurried  off  to  fetch  the 
larger  engine." 

Then  he  goes  on  to  tell  how  the  Mayor  was  sent  for,  but  he 
left  the  town  in  the  sight  of  the  people,  giving  great  encourage- 
ment to  those  who  were  already  wrought  up  by  the  Curate,  and 
the  gentlemen  of  the  town,  particularly  Mr.  Sutton  and  Mr. 
Willy,  Dissenters,  the  two  leading  men.     He  adds : 

"The  rioters  now  began  playing  the  larger  engine,  which 


so  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

broke  the  windows,  flooded  the  rooms  and  spoiled  the  goods. 
We  were  withdrawn  to  a  small  upper  room  in  the  back  of  the 
house,  seeing  no  way  to  escape  their  violence.  They  first  laid 
hold  on  the  man  who  kept  the  Society  house,  dragged  him  away 
and  threw  him  into  the  horse  pond,  and  it  was  said  broke  his 
back.  We  gave  ourselves  unto  prayer,  believing  the  Lord  would 
deliver  us — how  or  when  we  saw  not,  nor  any  possible  way  of 
escaping.  We  therefore  stood  still  to  see  the  salvation  of  God. 
*  *  *  In  less  than  an  hour,  of  above  a  thousand  wild  beasts, 
none  were  left  but  the  guard. 

"Upon  their  revisiting  us  we  stood  in  jeopardy  every  mo- 
ment. Such  threatenings,  curses  and  blasphemies  I  have  never 
heard.  They  seemed  kept  out  by  a  continual  miracle.  I  re- 
membered the  Roman  Senators  sitting  in  the  Forum  when  the 
Gauls  broke  in  upon  them,  but  thought  there  was  a  fitter  posture 
for  Christians  and  told  my  companions  they  should  take  us  off 
our  knees.  We  were  kept  from  all  hurry  and  discomposure  of 
spirit  by  a  Divine  power  resting  upon  us. 

''They  were  now  close  to  us  on  every  side,  and  over  our 
heads  untiling  the  roof.  A  ruffian  cried  out,  'There  they  are  be- 
hind the  curtain.'  And  I  said,  'This  is  the  crisis.'  In  that 
moment  Jesus  rebuked  the  winds  and  the  sea  and  there  was  a 
great  calm." 

The  silence  lasted  for  three  quarters  of  an  hour.  Mr.  Wes- 
ley was  then  promised  a  safe  deliverance,  provided  he  would 
promise  never  to  preach  again  in  that  town.  His  answer  was, 
"I  shall  promise  no  such  thing ;  I  cannot  come  again  at  this  time, 
but  I  will  not  give  up  my  birthright  as  an  Englishman  of  visit- 
ing what  place  I  please  of  his  Majesty's  dominions." 

"The  hearts  of  our  adversaries,"  he  goes  on  to  say,  "were 
turned.  Whether  pity  for  us  or  fear  for  themselves  wrought 
strongest,  God  knoweth." 

In  such  labors  Charles  Wesley  continued  with  his  brother, 
during  most  of  his  remaining  years  until  his  death  in  the  year 
1788,  when  he  was  nearly  fourscore  years  of  age.  Eight  clergy- 
men of  the  Church  of  England  carried  his  body  to  its  last  rest- 
ing place.  On  his  tombstone  to-day  may  be  read  the  following 
lines : 


CHARLES    WESLEY  31 

With  poverty  of  spirit  blessed. 

Rest,  happy  saint,  in  Jesus  rest! 

A  sinner  saved,  through  grace  forgiven. 

Redeemed  from  earth  to  reign  in  heaven. 

Thy  labors  of  unwearied  love. 

By  thee  forgot,  are  crowned  above; 

Crowned,  through  the  mercy  of  thy  Lord, 

With  a  free,  full,  immense  reward. 


And  now  as  to  Charles  Wesley's  hymns.  Our  own  poet 
Whittier  once  wrote,  "A  good  hymn  is  the  best  use  to  which 
poetry  can  be  devoted."  As  a  religious  poet,  as  a  writer  of 
hymns,  Wesley  is  unsurpassed.  He  wrote  them  at  all  hours 
and  upon  all  occasions ;  on  horseback,  and  in  bed.  When  he  died 
he  left  behind  him  more  than  six  thousand  hymns  of  his  own 
composition,  some  of  them  among  the  best  in  the  English  lan- 
guage. When  you  and  I  wish  to  sound  the  Advent  note  we  cry 
with  Charles  Wesley,  aided  by  John  Cennick : 

39    Lo,  He  comes  with  clouds  descending, 
Once  for  our  salvation  slain; 
Thousand  angel-hosts  attending. 
Swell  the  triumph  of  His  train: 
Alleluia ! 
Christ,  the  Lord,  returns  to  reign. 

Or,  in  other  language,  we  sing  with  him : 

48    Come,  Thou  long-expected  Jesus, 
Born  to  set  Thy  people  free ; 
From  our  fears  and  sins  release  us ; 
Let  us  find  our  rest  in  Thee. 


When  we  wish  to  give  utterance  to  our  feeling  of  Christmas 
joy,  it  is  Charles  Wesley  who  shouts  for  us : 

SI     Hark!  the  herald  angels  sing. 
Glory  to  the  new-born  King; 
Peace  on  earth,  and  mercy  mild, 
God  and  sinners  reconciled. 


32  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

When  we  wish  to  lift  up  our  Easter  praise,  Charles  Wesley- 
being  dead,  yet  speaketh,  as  he  says : 

III     Christ  the  Lord  is  risen  to-day. 
Sons  of  men  and  angels  say: 
Raise  your  joys  and  triumphs  high. 
Sing,  ye  heavens,  and  earth  reply. 

From  the  Mount  of  the  Ascension  we  are  taught  by  him 
to  say : 

132     Our  Lord  is  risen  from  the  dead; 
Our  Jesus  is  gone  up  on  high; 
The  powers  of  hell  are  captive  led. 
Dragged  to  the  portals  of  the  sky. 

It  was  Charles  Wesley,  too,  who  taught  the  world  to  sing: 

330    Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow 

The  gladly  solemn  sound; 
Let  all  the  nations  know. 

To  earth's  remotest  bound. 
The  year  of  jubilee  is  come ; 
Return,  ye  ransomed  sinners,  home! 

And  those  other  words  also,  so  sweet  and  uplifting : 

432     Love  divine,  all  love  excelling, 

Joy  of  heaven,  to  earth  come  down; 
Fix  in  us  Thy  humble  dwelling. 
All  Thy  faithful  mercies  crown. 

Jesus,  Thou  art  all  compassion. 

Pure,  unbounded  love  Thou  art; 
Visit  us  with  Thy  salvation, 

Enter  every  trembling  heart. 

It  was  Charles  Wesley  who  first  cried  aloud : 

439     Oh  for  a  heart  to  praise  my  God, 
A  heart  from  sin  set  free; 
A  heart  that's  sprinkled  with  the  blood 
So  freely  shed  for  me. 


CHARLES    WESLEY  33 


And  also : 

440     Oil  for  a  thousand  tongues  to  sing 
My  blest  Kedeemer's  praise. 
The  glories  of  my  God  and  King, 
The  triumplis  of  His  grace. 

And  then  again  those  strong  and  stirring  words : 

SOI     A  charge  to  keep  I  have, 
A  God  to  glorify; 
A  never-dying  soul  to  save, 
And  fit  it  for  the  sky. 

From  youth  to  hoary  age. 

My  calling  to  fulfil; 
Oh,  may  it  all  my  powers  engage 

To  do  my  Master's  will! 

And  other  words  which  suggest  the  trumpet's  sound : 

509     Soldiers  of  Christ,  arise. 
And  put  your  armor  on; 
Strong  in  the  strength  which  God  supplies. 
Through  His  eternal  Son. 

Strong  in  the  Lord  of  Hosts, 

And  in  His  mighty  power; 
Who  in  the  strength  of  Jesus  trusts 

Is  more  than  conqueror. 

And  then  those  familiar  words  of  eager  petition: 

650    Jesus,  my  strength,  my  hope. 

On  Thee  I  cast  my  care ; 
With  humble  confidence  look  up. 

And  know  Thou  hear'st  my  prayer. 
Give  me  on  Thee  to  wait. 

Till  I  can  all  things  do ; 
On  Thee,  almighty  to  create, 

Almighty  to  renew. 

And  who  shall  tell  the  strength^  and  the  comfort,  brought  to 
thousands  in  living  and  in  dying,  by  his  greatest  hymn,  already 


34  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

spoken  of,   sung  everywhere,   and  translated  into  many   lan- 
guages ? 

335     Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul. 

Let  me  to  Thy  bosom  fly. 
While  the  nearer  waters  roll. 

While  the  tempest  still  is  high; 
Hide  me,  O  my  Saviour,  hide. 

Till  the  storm  of  life  be  past; 
Safe  into  the  haven  guide, 

Oh,  receive  my  soul  at  last! 

Other  refuge  have  I  none. 

Hangs  my  helpless  soul  on  Thee; 
Leave,  ah!  leave  me  not  alone. 

Still  support  and  comfort  me. 
All  my  trust  on  Thee  is  stayed; 

All  my  help  from  Thee  I  bring; 
Cover  my  defenseless  head 

With  the  shadow  of  Thy  wing. 

Plenteous  grace  with  Thee  is  found, 

Grace  to  cleanse  from  every  sin ; 
Let  the  healing  streams  abound. 

Make  and  keep  me  pure  within; 
Thou  of  life  the  fountain  art. 

Freely  let  me  take  of  Thee; 
Spring  Thou  up  within  my  heart, 

Eise  to  all  eternity. 

Oh,  what  power  there  is,  what  consolation  in  these  immor- 
tal words! 

The  first  lines  of  other  hymns  by  Charles  Wesley,  to  which 
a  place  has  been  given  in  our  hymnal,  are : 

83  Weary  of  wandering  from  my  God. 

128  Hail  the  day  that  sees  Him  rise. 

185  Lord  of  the  harvest,  hear. 

229  O  Thou,  before  the  world  began. 

241  Blessing,  honor,  thanks,  and  praise. 

312  Christ,  whose  glory  fills  the  skies. 

325  Light  of  those  whose  dreary  dwelling. 

457  Rejoice,  the  Lord  is  King. 


CHARLES   WESLEY  35 

566    Lamb  of  God,  I  look  to  Thee. 

588     Through  Him,  who  all  our  sickness  felt. 

639    Forth  in  Thy  name,  0  Lord,  I  go. 

George  Whitefield  was  great  as  a  preacher — John  Wesley 
was  great  as  an  organizer — Charles  Wesley  was  great  as  a  writer 
of  hymns.  Except  as  a  memory  of  divine  oratorical  gifts, 
^Miitefield's  influence  seems  to  have  passed  away  from  earth ; 
but  the  influence  of  the  Wesleys  remains,  and  is  powerful  to- 
day, because  one  of  them  founded  a  great  society,  and  the  other 
provided  for  that  society  the  only  liturgical  service  it  still  enjoys. 
When  the  Wesleys  were  living  they  urged  their  followers  to 
attend  upon  the  ministrations  of  the  established  Church,  and 
to  worship  God  in  the  use  of  its  liturgy.  They  were  careful  to 
have  their  preaching  services  at  hours  when  there  was  no  service 
appointed  in  the  churches ;  and  they  were  simply  preaching 
services.  John  Wesley  used  in  these  services  one  or  two  Col- 
lects, the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  nothing  besides.  The  place  for 
public  prayer  was  the  church.  There  let  all  people  gather  to 
worship  God ;  such  was  his  direction  and  desire. 

For  his  American  followers  he  provided  a  Book  of  Com- 
mon Prayer,  which,  with  omissions,  was  substantially  that  of  the 
Church  of  England.  Those  followers  have  strayed  away  from 
his  wise  counsels ;  but  still  they  have  something  of  a  liturgy  in 
Charles  Wesley's  hymns. 

Eor  well  has  Isaac  Taylor  said : 

"It  may  be  affirmed  that  there  is  no  principal  element  of 
Christianity,  no  main  article  of  belief  as  professed  by  Protestant 
churches ;  that  there  is  no  moral  or  ethical  sentiment,  peculiarly 
characteristic  of  the  Gospel ;  no  height  or  depth  of  feeling  proper 
to  the  spiritual  life,  that  does  not  find  itself  emphatically,  and 
pointedly,  and  clearly  conveyed  in  some  stanza  of  Charles  Wes- 
ley's hymns." 

And  then  he  goes  on  to  describe  many  of  the  early  Metho- 
dist meetings : 

"The  sermon  was  indeed  a  heavy  trial  of  patience  and 
candor  to  the  casual  visitor;  the  prayer  was  a  much  heavier 
trial.  But,  at  the  worst,  the  soul  of  Charles  Wesley,  lofty,  ten- 
der, pure,  intense,  was  there  present ;  present  in  the  bymn,  and 


36  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

like  a  summer's  sliower  in  a  time  of  drought  was  this  hymn 
sung  on  such  occasions  and  in  such  places.  The  preacher  could 
at  least  read  it.  And  the  hymn  book  was  in  almost  every  hand, 
and  enough  of  the  soul  of  music  was  among  the  people  to  secure 
for  the  congregation  the  benefits  of  a  liturgical  worship,  animat- 
ing, elevating,  instructive." 

So  to  Charles  Wesley  we  must  assign  "the  place  of  honor, 
as  the  everywhere  present  soul  of  Methodism." 

One  subject  remains  to  be  considered,  the  differences  be- 
tween these  two  men — John  and  Charles  Wesley — in  their  atti- 
tude towards  separation  from  the  established  Church  of  Eng- 
land. 

The  Methodists  were  originally  organized  as  a  society 
within  the  Church — just  as  we  have  missionary  societies  and 
temperance  organizations,  and  a  St.  Andrew's  Brotherhood  in 
these  days — the  purpose  of  the  society  being  "to  spread  Scrip- 
tural holiness  throughout  the  land." 

Charles  Wesley  lived  and  died  a  clergyman  of  the  Church 
of  England.  And  the  same  is  true  of  John  Wesley,  also;  but, 
towards  the  close  of  his  life,  he  was  persuaded  to  take  a  step 
which  his  brother  never  ceased  to  regret.  "I  can  scarcely  yet 
believe  it,"  so  wrote  Charles  Wesley  in  sadness,  "that  in  his 
eighty-second  year,  my  brother,  my  old  intimate  friend  and 
companion,  should  have  assumed  the  Episcopal  character,  or- 
dained elders,  consecrated  a  bishop,  and  sent  him  over  to 
ordain  lay-preachers  in  America.  I  was  then  in  Bristol,  at  his 
elbow,  yet  he  never  gave  me  the  least  hint  of  his  intention. 
How  was  he  surprised  into  so  rash  an  action !" 

In  the  Methodist  societies,  John  Wesley  had  become  an 
autocrat.  His  will  was  law.  Many  of  his  preachers  in 
England  wished  to  separate  from  the  Church,  and  to  be  clothed 
with  ministerial  authority.  He  held  them  back  from  this  with 
an  iron  hand.  But  he  professed  to  think  that  the  case  was 
different  in  America — as  indeed  in  several  ways  it  was. 

In  England  there  were  many  bishops,  and  for  those  trained 
as  religious  teachers,  and  called  of  God  to  the  ministry,  Ordina- 
tion could  readily  be  had,  and  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper 
were  frequently  administered.     But  in  the  United  States  there 


CHARLES   WESLEY  37 

was  no  bishop.  To  secure  Ordination  was  difficult  and  tedious 
and  expensive,  and  multitudes  of  Christ's  people  were  left  with- 
out the  Sacraments. 

At  this  juncture  Thomas  Coke  enjoyed  the  confidence  and 
the  favor  of  Mr.  Wesley.  He  was  zealous,  a  clergyman  of  the 
established  Church,  in  prosperous  circumstances,  and  withal 
"dangerously  ambitious."  The  treasure  of  the  Gospel  he  car- 
ried in  an  earthen  vessel;  the  clay  of  which  it  was  made  was 
certainly  not  fine  clay. 

Mr.  Wesley  concluded  to  send  him  to  America  as  his  repre- 
sentative, and,  by  virtue  of  his  Ordination  as  a  presbyter,  to 
sanction  the  Ordination  of  American  lay  preachers  by  him. 

Coke  wanted  to  make  use  of  Wesley's  boundless  influence 
among  the  Methodists  in  America,  and  so  he  secured  from  Mr. 
Wesley  the  laying  on  of  hands,  with  prayer,  before  he  started 
on  his  mission. 

He  was  commissioned  as  superintendent,  and  at  once  he 
began  to  ordain.  Three  times  he  laid  his  hands  upon  the  lead- 
ing lay  preacher — Francis  Asbury — making  him  first  a  deacon 
— second  an  elder — and  third  a  superintendent. 

So  there  were  two  superintendents  of  the  American  Metho- 
dists. But  the  name  was  cumbersome,  or  possibly  not  suffi- 
ciently euphonious,  so  after  a  while  they  altered  it,  and  without 
any  authority,  excepting  their  own,  they  changed  the  Minutes 
of  Conference  and  substituted  the  word  "bishop"  for  "superin- 
tendent." Charles  Wesley  wrote  concerning  his  brother's 
action : 

So  easily  are  bishops  made. 

By  man's  or  woman's  whim; 
Wesley  his  hands  on  Coke  hath  laid. 

But  who  laid  hands  on  him? 

The  latest  historian  of  Methodism  and  the  best,  Mr.  Tyer- 
man,  not  only  says  that  Coke  assumed,  what  Wesley  never  gave 
him,  the  title  of  bishop;  but,  adds  that  the  name  "Methodist 
Episcopal  Church"  is  a  name  which  Wesley  never  used.  He 
also  says,  however,  that  "to  reconcile  Wesley's  practice  and  pro- 
fession in  this  matter  during  the  last  seven  years  of  his  eventful 
life,  is  simply  impossible." 


38  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

The  probabilities  are  that  Dr.  Francis  L.  Hawks  expresses 
the  right  conclusion,  in  saying  that,  "With  an  intellect  enfeebled 
by  the  weight  of  fourscore  and  two  years,  he  was  seduced  by 
those  who  would  use  his  vast  influence  for  purposes  of  their  own, 
into  the  adoption  of  a  plan,  which  the  better  judgment  of  his 
more  vigorous  understanding  had  more  than  once  rejected. 
It  is  believed  to  have  been  the  contrivance  of  a  few  individuals 
who  took  advantage  of  the  infirmities  of  age  to  procure  from  the 
dying  ruler  a  decree  which  should  transmit  the  sceptre  to  them- 
selves. There  are  others  more  deserving  of  censure  in  this 
transaction  than  John  Wesley,  and  this  seems  to  have  been  the 
opinion  of  his  brother,  and  two  at  least  of  his  biographers. 
Ambition  was  gratified  at  the  price  of  a  separation  between 
those  who  should  never  have  been  severed,  and  of  whom  it  is  at 
least  pleasant  to  indulge  the  hope  that  the  day  may  yet  come 
when  they  shall  again  be  one." 

The  Methodists  belong  to  our  family.  Reunion  with  them 
would  help  them  greatly,  and  it  would  greatly  help  us  also. 
They  need  certain  of  the  guiding  and  conservative  qualities 
which  we  possess  in  large  measure,  and  we  need  the  strength  of 
their  numbers  and  their  enthusiasm.  May  God  speed  the  day 
when  they  shall  be  one  with  us  in  outward  visible  fellowship  as 
a  step,  and  a  long  step,  towards  the  reunion  of  all  who  profess 
and  call  themselves  Christians. 

Charles  Wesley  was  thinking  of  a  still  greater  reunion 
when  he  wrote: 

One  family,  we  dwell  in  Him, 

One  Church  above,  beneath. 
Though  now  divided  by  the  stream. 

The  narrow  stream  of  death. 

One  army  of  the  living  God, 

To  His  command  we  bow; 
Part  of  His  host  have  crossed  the  flood. 

And  part  are  crossing  now. 

At  the  same  time  he  never  lost  sight  of  the  outward  and 
visible  union  of  the  earthly  family.  Of  course,  he  recognized 
and  constantly  declared  that  inward  fellowship  with  Christ  is 


CHARLES    WESLEY  39 

vastly  more  important  than  outward  union  with  His  Church, 
and  so  he  cried : 

Ye  different  sects  who  all  declare, 
Lo,  here  is  Christ,  or  Christ  is  there; 
Your  claim,  alas  ye  cannot  prove. 
Ye  want  the  genuine  mark  of  Love. 

The  inward  was  with  him  the  essential  thing.  And  yet 
how  he  grieved  that  the  seamless  robe  of  Christ's  garment — His 
Church  on  earth — should  be  torn  and  severed.  How  he 
mourned  above  measure  at  the  sad  prospect  of  the  separation  of 
the  Methodists  from  that  Church,  which  had  stood  the  blasts 
of  eighteen  centuries,  the  Mother  Church  of  England ! 

May  God  give  to  you  and  me,  to  be  sharers  of  his  faith, 
and  zeal,  and  love,  that  so  we  may  be  strong  for  the  highest  ser- 
vice of  earth,  and  the  ever-expanding,  everlasting  service  of 
Heaven ! 


'EW  YORK 


:civ,  ^.^.-    ... 

;EN  FOUND/V'i  Ki;!:'. 
L 


III. 

John  Newton  and  William  Cowper 


(41) 


Grace  tills  the  soil,  and  sows  the  seeds, 

Provides  the  sun  and  rain ; 
Till  from  the  tender  blade  proceeds 

The  ripened  harvest  grain. 
'Twas  grace  that  called  our  souls  at  first; 

By  gi-ace  thus  far  we're  come ; 
And  grace  will  help  us  through  the  worst, 

And  lead  us  safely  home. 


John  Newton. 


'Tis  my  happiness  below 

Not  to  live  without  the  cross, 
But  the  Saviour's  power  to  know, 

Sanctifying  every  loss: 
Trials  must  and  will  befall ; 

But  with  humble  faith  to  see 
Love  inscribed  upon  them  all, 

This  is  happiness  to  me. 


William  Cowpeb. 


(42) 


III. 

JOn^  NEWTON  AND  WILLIAM  COWPER. 

"Psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs/' — These  words 
occur  not  only  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  but  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Colossians  also.  They  make  clear  to  us  the  fact 
that  the  Old  Testament  psalms  were  used  in  the  early  assemblies 
of  the  faithful,  and,  with  them,  hymns  and  Christian  doxologies. 
It  has  been  so  in  the  ages  since.  A  few,  indeed,  like  the 
Quakers,  have  turned  their  backs  upon  them,  but  the  number 
has  been  comparatively  insignificant.  The  early  Greek  and 
Latin  hymns,  sung  by  millions,  still  breathe  with  power. 
Mediaeval  hymns  waft  the  soul  towards  God  and  heaven.  Had 
not  Luther  known  the  might  of  song,  the  Reformation  would 
have  been  delayed.  With  Christian  hymns  Charles  Wesley 
called  a  sleeping  Church  to  life,  and,  since  his  day,  every  for- 
ward religious  movement  has  been  marked  by  the  free  use  of 
new  and  stirring  hymns. 

We  are  now  to  consider,  not  one  man,  but  two  men,  who 
jointly  gave  to  the  world  what  are  known  as  the  Olney  Hymns, 
John  Newton  and  William  Cowpee. 

The  story  of  the  elder  of  these  two  men  is  well  told  in  an 
inscription,  written  by  himself  to  be  placed  upon  a  mural  tablet 
in  the  church  to  which  he  ministered  in  London : 

John  Newton,  Clerk, 

Once  an  infidel  and  hbertine, 

A  servant  of  slaves  in  Africa, 

Was,  by  the  rich  mercy  of  our  Lord 

And  Saviour  Jesus  Christ, 

Preserved,  restored,  pardoned. 

And  appointed  to  preach  the  Faith 

He  had  long  labored  to  destroy. 

Near  sixteen  years  at  Olney  in  Bucks, 

And  twenty-eight  years  in  this  church. 

(43) 


44  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

St.  Augustine  was  one  of  the  very  chiefest  of  sinners,  but 
he  turned,  and  became  a  mighty  saint.  So  John  Newton  was 
a  great  sinner,  but  he,  too,  turned,  and  became  a  giant  workman 
of  the  Lord. 

He  was  born  in  London  in  the  year  1725.  His  mother 
was  a  godly  woman,  and  he  was  religiously  well  instructed  by 
her  for  a  time.     She  died  when  he  was  seven  years  old. 

His  stej)mother  was  a  different  kind  of  a  woman — not  bad, 
but  irreligious.  At  the  age  of  eleven  he  went  to  sea,  and  after- 
wards made  five  different  voyages  to  the  Mediterranean. 

He  was  a  wild  youth.  His  own  words  are:  ''I  was  very- 
wicked,  and,  therefore,  foolish;  and,  being  my  own  enemy,  I 
seemed  determined  that  nobody  should  be  my  friend." 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  religious  convictions  stirred  him,  and 
for  a  time  he  lived  the  life  of  a  Pharisee.  "I  fasted  often,"  he 
writes.  "I  even  abstained  from  all  animal  food  for  three 
months ;  I  would  hardly  answer  a  question,  for  fear  of  speaking 
an  idle  word.  I  seemed  to  bemoan  my  former  miscarriages 
very  earnestly,  and  sometimes  with  tears;  in  short,  I  became 
an  ascetic,  and  endeavored,  as  far  as  my  situation  would  permit, 
to  renounce  society  that  I  might  avoid  temptation." 

He  himself  tells  us  the  result.  He  became  gloomy,  stupid, 
unsociable,  useless. 

The  reaction  came,  and  then  he  plunged  eagerly  into 
almost  every  species  of  profligacy  and  wickedness. 

When  he  was  eighteen  years  old  he  was  impressed  as  a 
seaman,  and  soon  thereafter  became  an  infidel,  vulgar  and 
blasphemous.  After  a  time  he  left  the  ship  upon  which  he  had 
been  placed,  and  was  technically  a  deserter.  He  was  brought 
back,  stripped  and  savagely  whipped.  His  companions  were 
forbidden  to  show  him  any  favor,  or  even  to  speak  to  him.  He 
tells  us,  concerning  this  experience :  "Then  was  my  breast  filled 
with  the  most  excruciating  passions,  eager  desire,  bitter  rage 
and  black  despair." 

After  a  time  his  position  was  exchanged  for  that  of  a  sailor 
on  a  vessel  bound  for  Africa.  In  that  country  he  remained 
during  two  years  of  abject  misery.  He  was  not  only  starved 
almost  to  death;  he  was  treated  with  scorn  and  contempt  and 


JOHN  NEWTON  AND  WILLIAM  COW  PER         45 

violence.  His  only  relief  was  in  occasional  opportunities  for 
study.  The  book  of  Euclid  was  a  treasure  to  him,  as  he  drew 
its  diagrams  with  a  long  stick  upon  the  sand. 

At  the  end  of  these  two  years  of  suffering  and  degradation 
a  message  from  his  father  reached  him,  and  he  started  home- 
ward. Of  this  tedious  voyage  he  writes  but  little,  except  to 
say :  "I  had  no  business  to  employ  my  thoughts,  but  sometimes 
amused  myself  with  mathematics.  Excepting  this,  my  whole 
life,  when  awake,  was  a  course  of  most  horrid  impiety  and  pro- 
faneness.  I  know  not  that  I  have  ever  met  since  so  daring  a 
blasphemer;  I  seemed  to  have  every  mark  of  final  rejection." 

But  danger  came  to  the  ship  in  which  he  was  sailing.  The 
upper  timbers  on  one  side  were  torn  away;  the  water  came 
pouring  in ;  the  pumps  were  used  with  the  most  strenuous  effort, 
hour  after  hour.  At  last,  spent  with  cold  and  labor,  he  cried, 
almost  without  meaning,  "If  this  will  not  do,  the  Lord  have 
mercy  upon  us."  Struck  with  his  own  words,  he  bethought 
himself,  "What  mercy  can  there  be  for  me  ?" 

"I  continued,"  he  goes  on  to  say  in  his  narration,  "from 
three  in  the  morning  till  near  noon,  and  then  I  could  do  no  more. 
I  went  and  lay  down  upon  my  bed,  uncertain  and  almost  in- 
different whether  I  should  rise  again.  In  an  hour's  time  I  was 
called,  and  not  being  able  to  pump,  I  went  to  the  helm  and 
steered  the  ship  till  midnight.  I  had  here  leisure  and  con- 
venient opportunity  for  reflection.  I  concluded  that  my  sins 
were  too  great  to  be  forgiven.  So  I  waited  with  fear  and  im- 
patience to  receive  my  inevitable  doom." 

But,  as  the  ship  became  free  from  water,  there  arose  a  gleam 
of  hope.  "I  began  to  pray.  My  prayer  was  like  the  cry  of 
the  ravens." 

However,  ere  long  he  was  able  to  say,  "I  began  to  know  that 
there  is  a  God  who  hears  and  answers  prayer." 

To  that  God  he  turned  more  and  more.  A  new  song  had 
been  put  into  his  mouth,  the  song  of  praise.  With  praise  came 
prayer,  religious  meditation  and  the  study  of  the  Sacred  Word. 
As  a  new-bom  babe,  the  milk  of  that  Word  nourished  him.  He 
grew  apace. 

Nevertheless,  he  went  back  again  to  the  sea,  this  time 


46  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

engaged  in  the  slave  trade.  He  soon  became  a  ship  captain,  and 
made  several  voyages  to  Guinea.  One  of  his  cargoes  of  human 
freight  was  landed  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 

He  then  regarded  the  slave  trade  as  an  appointment  of 
Providence  and  as  a  respectable  occupation,  although,  as  he  tells 
us,  he  shrank  from  its  bolts  and  bars  and  chains,  and  prayed 
earnestly  that  for  the  gaining  of  his  daily  bread  he  might  be 
transferred  to  a  service  more  kindly  and  more  Christian. 

Afterwards,  when  his  eyes  were  fully  opened,  he  wrote  con- 
cerning this  iniquitous  trade,  "I  know  of  no  method  of  getting 
money,  not  even  that  of  robbing  for  it  upon  the  highway,  which 
has  so  direct  a  tendency  to  efface  the  moral  sense,  to  rob  the 
heart  of  every  gentle  and  humane  disposition,  and  to  harden  it, 
like  steel,  against  all  impressions  of  sensibility." 

His  six  years  as  a  slave  trader  were  followed  by  nine  years 
in  Liverpool,  spent  in  office  work,  study,  and  occasional  religious 
ministrations  of  rare  fervor  and  effect.  At  the  age  of  thirty- 
nine  he  was  ordained  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England, 
He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two,  after  forty-three  years  of  very 
successful  ministerial  service.  As  Goldwin  Smith  puts  it,  "The 
iron  constitution  which  had  carried  him  through  so  many  hard- 
ships enabled  him  to  continue  in  his  ministry  to  extreme  old 
age.  A  friend  at  length  counselled  him  to  stop  before  he  found 
himself  stopped  by  being  able  to  speak  no  longer.  'I  cannot 
stop,'  he  said,  raising  his  voice.  'What ! — shall  the  old  African 
blasphemer  stop  while  he  can  speak  V  " 

Cowper  was  six  years  younger  than  !N"ewton.  He  was 
bom  in  his  father's  rectory  at  Berkhampstead.  His  relatives 
were  persons  of  distinction,  belonging  to  the  Wliig  nobility 
of  the  robe.  His  great-uncle  had  been  Lord  Chancellor;  his 
mother  was  a  Donne,  of  the  race  of  the  poet,  and  with  royal 
blood  in  her  veins.  He  came  into  the  world,  as  did  Ne"v\i;on,  in 
a  time  of  abounding  iniquity.  As  one  of  his  biographers  truly 
says :  "Ignorance  and  brutality  reigned  in  the  cottage.  Drunk- 
enness reigned  in  palace  and  cottage  alike;  gambling,  cock- 
fighting  and  bull-fighting  were  the  amusements  of  the  people. 
*     *     *     Of  humanity  there  was  as  little  as  there  was  of 


JOHN  NEWTON  AND  WILLIAM  COW  PER  47 

religion.  It  was  the  age  of  the  criminal  law,  which  hanged 
men  for  petty  thefts,  of  lifelong  imprisonment  for  debts,  of  the 
stocks  and  the  pillory,  of  a  Temple  Bar  garnished  with  the  heads 
of  traitors,  of  the  unreformed  prison-system,  of  the  press-gang, 
of  unrestrained  tyranny  and  savagery  at  public  schools.  That 
the  slave  trade  was  iniquitous  hardly  any  one  suspected;  even 
men  who  deemed  themselves  religious  took  part  in  it  without 
scruple.  But  a  change  was  at  hand,  and  a  still  mightier 
change  was  in  prospect.  At  the  time  of  Cowper's  birth,  John 
Wesley  was  twenty-eight  years  old,  and  Whitefield  was  seven- 
teen. *  *  *  Howard  was  born,  and  in  less  than  a  genera- 
tion Wilberforce  was  to  come." 

When  Cowper  was  six  years  old  his  mother  died.  This 
was  to  him  a  loss  dreadful  and  irreparable.  A  child  too  sensi- 
tive for  this  world's  ordinary  blasts,  he  was  sent  to  a  large 
boarding-school,  where  barbarity  surrounded  him  and  cruelty 
almost  drove  him  mad.  Then  came  the  experiences  of  a  great 
public  school,  and  afterwards  his  training  as  an  attorney.  When 
he  was  twenty-five  years  old  his  father  died ;  when  he  was  thirty- 
two  there  came  to  him  a  first  attack  of  insanity.  With  this 
attack  there  were  attempts  at  suicide ;  but,  as  a  biographer  says, 
"Most  happily,  indeed,  and  most  mercifully,  for  himself  and  for 
others,  they  were  only  attempts,  for  it  was  the  will  of  a  gracious 
Providence  not  only  to  preserve  his  life  for  the  exercise  of  a 
sound  and  vigorous  mind,  but  to  make  that  mind  an  instrument 
of  incalculable  benefit  to  his  country  and,  we  may  almost  say, 
to  the  world,  by  advancing  and  promoting  the  best  interests 
of  mankind,  morality  and  religion." 

With  returning  health  there  came  a  marked  religious 
experience,  concerning  which  he  afterwards  wrote :  "Blessed  be 
the  God  of  my  salvation;  the  hail  of  affliction  and  rebuke  has 
swept  away  the  refuge  of  lies.  It  pleased  the  Almighty,  in 
great  mercy,  to  set  all  my  misdeeds  before  me.  At  length,  the 
storm  being  past,  a  quiet  and  peaceful  serenity  of  soul  suc- 
ceeded, such  as  ever  attends  the  gift  of  a  lively  faith  in  the  all- 
sufficient  atonement,  and  the  sweet  sense  of  mercy  and  pardon 
purchased  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  Thus  did  He  break  me  and 
bind  me  up ;  then  did  He  wound  me  and  make  me  whole." 


48  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

The  friendship  of  the  Unwins  followed,  and,  with  it, 
years  of  religious  enthusiasm  and  devotion.  Through  the  Un- 
wins an  intimacy  began  with  John  Newton,  which  grew  rapidly 
when  these  two  holy  men  became  next  door  neighbors  at  Olney 
and  fellow  workers  unto  the  kingdom  of  God.  Cowper's  power 
in  extemporaneous  prayer  is  said  to  have  been  wonderful.  His 
activity  in  ministering  to  the  poor  was  great.  And  so  the  happy 
days  passed  by  for  eight  useful  years.  Then  came  the  delusion 
that  it  was  the  will  of  God  "he  should,  after  the  example  of 
Abraham,  perform  an  expensive  act  of  obedience  and  offer,  not 
a  son,  but  himself."  From  this  he  was  providentially  turned 
aside.  His  later  years  were  the  most  distinguished  of  his  life. 
Larger  work  in  poetry,  splendidly  done,  won  national  recog- 
nition. He  died,  honored  and  renowned,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year 
of  his  age. 

The  Olney  hymns  were  in  number  three  hundred  and 
forty-eight.  Of  these  Cowper  contributed  sixty-eight  and  New- 
ton two  hundred  and  eighty.  But  for  failing  health,  Cowper, 
no  doubt,  would  have  written  more. 

Those  which  he  did  write  have  found  general  and  large 
acceptance. 

Perhaps  the  best  known  of  Cowper's  hymns  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

I. 

593     There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood. 
Drawn  from  Emmanuel's  veins; 
And  sinners,  plunged  beneath  that  flood, 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains. 

The  dying  thief  rejoiced  to  see 

That  fountain  in  his  day ; 
And  there  may  I,  as  vile  as  he. 

Wash  all  my  sins  away. 

Dear,  dying  Lamb,  Thy  precious  blood 

Shall  never  lose  its  power, 
Till  all  the  ransomed  Church  of  God 

Be  saved  to  sin  no  more. 


JOHN  NEWTON  AND  WILLIAM  COW  PER         49 

E'er  since,  by  faith,  I  saw  the  stream 

Thy  flowing  wounds  supply. 
Redeeming  love  has  been  my  theme, 

And  shall  be  till  I  die. 

Then  in  a  nobler,  sweeter  song, 

I'll  sing  Thy  power  to  save 
When  this  poor  lisping,  stammering  tongue 

Lies  silent  in  the  grave. 

Many  there  be,  indeed,  -witli  •whom  this  hymn  is  not  a 
favorite.  To  them  its  imagery  is  unwelcome;  nevertheless,  it 
has  been  triumphantly  sung  by  millions  of  God's  saints.  It 
was  a  great  favorite  with  my  honored  friend,  Governor  Steven- 
son, of  Kentucky.  As  sung  at  his  funeral,  it  stirred  my  heart 
to  rapid  beating,  and  brought  tears  to  my  eyes.  I  could 
almost  hear  the  shouts  of  his  ransomed  soul,  declaring : 

Then  in  a  nobler,  sweeter  song, 

I'll  sing  Thy  power  to  save. 
When  this  poor  lisping,  stammering  tongue 

Lies  silent  in  the  grave. 


II. 


660     Oh,  for  a  closer  walk  with  God, 
A  calm  and  heavenly  frame, 
A  light  to  shine  upon  the  road 
That  leads  me  to  the  Lamb ! 

Return,  O  holy  Dove,  return. 

Sweet  messenger  of  rest : 
I  hate  the  sins  that  made  Thee  mourn. 

And  drove  Thee  from  my  breast. 

The  dearest  idol  I  have  known, 

Whate'er  that  idol  be. 
Help  me  to  tear  it  from  Thy  throne, 

And  worship  only  Thee. 

So  shall  my  walk  be  close  with  God, 
Calm  and  serene  my  frame; 

So  purer  light  shall  mark  the  road 
That  leads  me  to  the  Lamb. 


50  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

III. 

This  was  a  great  favorite  with  William  E.  Gladstone,  and 
by  him  translated  into  the  Italian  language : 

599    Hark,  my  soul,  it  is  the  Lord; 
'Tis  thy  Saviour,  hear  His  word; 
Jesus  speaks,  and  speaks  to  thee. 
Speaks  to  each  one,  "Lov'st  thou  Me?" 

He  delivered  thee  when  bound, 
And,  when  wounded,  healed  thy  wound; 
Sought  thee  wandering,  set  thee  right. 
Turned  thy  darkness  into  light. 

Can  a  woman's  tender  care 
Cease  towards  the  child  she  bare? 
Yes,  she  may  forgetful  be; 
Yet  will  He  remember  thee. 

His  is  an  unchanging  love. 
Higher  than  the  heights  above. 
Deeper  than  the  depths  beneath. 
Free  and  faithful,  strong  as  death. 

We  shall  see  His  glory  soon. 
When  the  work  of  grace  is  done ; 
Partners  of  His  throne  shall  be ; 
Hear  Him  asking,  "Lov'st  thou  Me  ?" 

Lord,  it  is  my  chief  complaint 
That  my  love  is  weak  and  faint; 
Yet  I  love  Thee  and  adore ; 
Oh,  for  grace  to  love  Thee  more ! 


IV. 


Perhaps  the  most  powerful  of  all  Cowper's  hymns  is  this. 
It  is  all  the  more  interesting  to  read  or  sing  it,  because  of  his 
personal  experiences  of  perplexities  and  sorrows: 


427     God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform; 
He  plants  His  footsteps  in  the  sea. 
And  rides  upon  the  storm. 


JOHN  NEWTON  AND  WILLIAM  COWPER         51 

Deep  in  unfathomable  mines. 

With  never- failing  skill. 
He  treasures  up  His  bright  designs. 

And  works  His  sovereign  will. 

Ye  fearful  saints,  fresh  courage  take; 

The  clouds  ye  so  much  dread 
Are  big  with  mercy  and  shall  break 

In  blessings  on  your  head. 

Judge  not  the  Lord  by  feeble  sense. 

But  trust  Him  for  His  grace ; 
Behind  a  frowning  providence 

He  hides  a  smiling  face. 

His  purposes  will  ripen  fast. 

Unfolding  every  hour; 
The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 

But  sweet  will  be  the  flower. 

Blind  unbelief  is  sure  to  err. 

And  scan  His  work  in  vain; 
God  is  His  own  interpreter, 

And  He  will  make  it  plain. 

In  this  connection,  Mrs.  Browning's  touching  lines  upon 
"Cowper's  Grave,"  may  well  be  read: 

It  is  a  place  where  poets  crowned  may  feel  the  heart's  decaying; 
It  is  a  place  where  happy  saints  may  weep  amid  their  praying: 
Yet  let  the  grief  and  humbleness  as  low  as  silence  languish: 
Earth  surely  now  may  give  her  calm  to  whom  she  gave  her  anguish. 

And  now,  what  time  ye  all  may  read  through  dimming  tears  his  story. 
How  discord  on  the  music  fell,  and  darkness  on  the  glory, 
And  how  when,  one  by  one,  sweet  sounds  and  wandering  lights 

departed. 
He  wore  no  less  a  loving  face  because  so  broken-hearted. 

He  shall  be  strong  to  satisfy  the  poet's  high  vocation, 

And  bow  the  meekest  Christian  down  in  meeker  adoration; 

Nor  ever  shall  he  be,  in  praise,  by  wise  or  good  forsaken, 

Named  softly  as  the  household  name  of  one  whom  God  hath  taken. 


52  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

With  quiet  sadness  and  no  gloom  I  learn  to  think  upon  him. 

With  meekness  that  is  gratefulness  to  God  whose  heaven  hath  won 

him. 
Who  suffered  once  the  madness-cloud  to  His  own  love  to  blind  him; 
But  gently  led  the  blind  along  where  breath  and  bird  could  find  him. 

And  wrought  within  his  shattered  brain  such  quick  poetic  senses 
As  hills  have  language  for,  and  stars  harmonious  influences : 
The  pulse  of  dew  upon  the  grass  kept  his  within  its  number, 
And  silent  shadows  from  the  trees  refreshed  him  like  a  slumber. 

Wild,  timid  hares  were  drawn  from  woods  to  share  his  home-caresses, 
Uplooking  to  his  human  eyes  with  sylvan  tendernesses: 
The  very  world,  by  God's  constraint,  from  falsehood's  ways  removing. 
Its  women  and  its  men  became,  beside  him,  true  and  loving. 

And  though,  in  blindness,  he  remained  unconscious  of  that  guiding. 
And  things  provided  came  without  the  sweet  sense  of  providing. 
He  testified  this  solemn  truth,  while  frenzy  desolated. 
Nor  man  nor  nature  satisfies  whom  only  God  created. 

A  word  in  conclusion  as  to  John  Newton's  hymns.  Con- 
cerning these,  a  competent  critic  has  well  written:  "There  are 
no  hymns  more  popular  among  all  sections  of  the  Church  than 
some  of  Newton's.  This  is  largely  due  to  the  depth  and  vitality 
of  his  religious  experience,  which  reached  to  regions  far  below 
the  doctrinal  forms  in  which  it  found  expression.  Scarcely  a 
hymnal  of  any  section  of  the  Church  can  be  mentioned  which 
does  not  include  some  of  his  best  known  hymns.  They  may  be 
found  not  only  in  hymnals  of  the  Evangelical  type,  but  in  those 
so  widely  separated  in  doctrinal  matters  as  'Hymns  Ancient 
and  Modern'  and  Dr.  Martineau's  'Hymns  of  Praise  and 
Prayer.'  *  *  *  From  the  little  volume  of  'Olney  Hymns' 
the  Church  has  drawn  a  far  larger  number  of  hymns,  and  these 
greatly  prized,  than  from  many  more  voluminous  collections. 
Its  somewhat  narrow  theology  is  softened  by  the  reality  and 
tenderness  of  the  religious  experience  of  its  authors,  of  both  of 
whom  it  may  be  said,  'They  learnt  in  suffering  what  they  taught 
in  song.'  " 

Some  will  remember  several  of  Newton's  hymns,  which  we 
used  to  sing  years  ago,  but  sing  no  longer  in  our  churches,  e.  g., 
those  beginning : 


JOHN  NEWTON  AND  WILLIAM  COW  PER         53 

How  tedious  and  tasteless  the  hours 
When  Jesus  no  longer  I  see. 

Amazing  grace,  how  sweet  the  sound 
That  saved  a  wretch  like  me! 

Let  worldly  minds  the  world  pursue, 
It  has  no  charms  for  me. 

"With  the  rich  flow  of  modern  hjmns  some  of  the  older  ones 
have  been  driven  out  of  common  use.  Nevertheless,  according 
to  the  tabulated  statements  of  King's  "Anglican  Hymnology," 
of  the  one  hundred  and  more  writers  of  "standard  hymns,"  the 
vast  majority  have  contributed  but  one,  or  two  at  most,  while 
Charles  Wesley  has  contributed  22 ;  Isaac  Watts  21 ;  John  Ma- 
son Neale,  through  his  Greek  and  Latin  translations,  17  ;  James 
Montgomery  16 ;  Reginald  Heber  12 ;  Tate  and  Brady,  through 
their  versions  of  the  Psalms,  11 ;  Dr.  Doddridge  9 ;  Newton  7 
and  Cowper  7.  That  14  of  the  Olney  hymns  should  still  hold 
their  sway  is,  in  no  small  way,  remarkable. 

Of  these,  there  are  two  on  prayer,  written  by  Newton,  the 
one  beginning: 

651  Come,  my  soul,  thy  suit  prepare; 
Jesus  loves  to  answer  prayer. 

The  other  beginning: 

652  Approach,  my  soul,  the  mercy-seat. 

Where  Jesus  answers  prayer. 

There  is  also  the  one  on,  "Nearing  Heaven,"  beginning: 

677     As  when  the  weary  traveler  gains 

The  height  of  some  commanding  hill. 

I  quote  at  length  the  two  which  have  had  largest  favor : 

433    How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds 
In  a  believer's  ear! 
It  soothes  his  sorrows,  heals  his  wounds. 
And  drives  away  his  fear. 


54  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

It  makes  the  wounded  spirit  whole. 

And  calms  the  troubled  breast: 
'Tis  manna  to  the  hungry  soul. 

And  to  the  weary  rest. 

Dear  name,  the  rock  on  which  I  build. 

My  shield  and  hiding  place. 
My  never-failing  treasury,  filled 

With  boundless  stores  of  grace. 

Jesus,  my  Shepherd,  Guardian,  Friend, 

My  Prophet,  Priest  and  King, 
My  Lord,  my  Life,  my  Way,  my  End, 

Accept  the  praise  I  bring. 

Weak  is  the  effort  of  my  heart. 

And  cold  my  warmest  thought; 
But  when  I  see  Thee  as  Thou  art, 

ril  praise  Thee  as  I  ought. 

Till  then  I  would  Thy  love  proclaim 

With  every  fleeting  breath; 
And  may  the  music  of  Thy  name 

Refresh  my  soul  in  death. 

The  other  Is  on  the  ChiircK  of  Christ.     How  jubilant  its 
notes ! 

490     Glorious  things  of  thee  are  spoken, 

Zion,  city  of  our  God; 
He,  whose  word  cannot  be  broken. 

Formed  thee  for  His  own  abode. 
On  the  Eock  of  Ages  founded. 

Who  can  shake  thy  pure  repose  ? 
With  salvation's  walls  surrounded. 

Thou  may'st  smile  at  all  thy  foes. 

See,  the  streams  of  living  waters. 

Springing  from  eternal  love. 
Well  supply  thy  sons  and  daughters, 

And  all  fear  of  want  remove. 
Who  can  faint,  when  such  a  river 

Ever  flows  their  thirst  t'  assuage? 
Grace  which,  like  the  Lord,  the  giver. 

Never  fails  from  age  to  age. 


JOHN  NEWTON  AND  WILLIAM  COWPER         55 

Round  each  habitation  hovering. 

See  the  cloud  and  fire  appear 
For  a  glory  and  a  covering. 

Showing  that  the  Lord  is  near; 
Thus  deriving  from  their  banner 

Light  by  night,  and  shade  by  day. 
Safe  they  feed  upon  the  manna. 

Which  He  gives  them  when  they  pray. 

Blest  inhabitants  of  Zion, 

Washed  in  the  Redeemer's  blood ! 
Jesus,  whom  their  souls  rely  on. 

Makes  them  kings  and  priests  to  God. 
'Tis  His  love  His  people  raises 

Over  self  to  reign  as  kings; 
And  as  priests.  His  solemn  praises 

Each  for  a  thank-offering  brings. 

In  "Hymns  That  Have  Helped,"  its  widely  known  editor, 
W.  T.  Stead,  writes  as  follows : 

"For  my  own  part,  I  will  gladly  take  my  turn  with  the  rest 
in  testifying,  conscious  though  I  am  that  the  hymn  which  helped 
me  most  can  lay  no  claim  to  pre-eminent  merit  as  poetry.  It 
is  Newton's  hymn,  which  begins,  'Begone,  unbelief.'  I  can 
remember  my  mother  singing  it  when  I  was  a  tiny  boy,  barely 
able  to  see  over  the  book-ledge  in  the  minister's  pew;  and  to 
this  day,  whenever  I  am  in  doleful  dumps,  and  stars  in  their 
courses  appear  to  be  fighting  against  me,  that  one  doggerel 
verse  comes  back  clear  as  a  blackbird's  note  through  the  morning 
mist: 

'His  love,  in  time  past. 
Forbids  me  to  think 
He'll  leave  me  at  last 
In  trouble  to  sink: 
Each  sweet  Ebenezer 

I  have  in  review. 
Confirms  His  good  pleasure 
To  help  me  quite  through.' " 

He  also  says : 

"Among  the  multitudinous  testimonies  which  poured  in 
upon  me  from  those  who  had  been  helped  by  hymns,  none 


56  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

touched  me  more  than  the  story  told  by  a  poor  Lancashire  lass 
who,  under  the  stress  of  passionate  temptation,  had  forgotten 
the  responsibilities  of  her  position  as  Sunday-school  teacher  and 
the  obligations  of  her  maidenhood.  She  married  her  lover 
before  the  child  was  born,  but  the  sense  of  her  sin  burnt  like 
vitriol  into  her  life.  She  wrote:  'It  seemed  to  me  no  soul  in 
hell  could  be  blacker  than  mine.  To  feel  that  I  had  disgraced 
the  Master's  service  and  dishonored  His  Holy  ]S[ame,  was  the 
bitterest  drop  in  my  cup.  Never  shall  I  forget  those  awful 
months,  nay,  years  of  torture.  If  any  soul  doubts  the  reality 
of  a  hell,  let  him  live  through  what  I  lived  then.  I  have  been 
there,  and  know  it  exists.  My  girls  brought  me  out  and  begged 
me  to  go  back  to  teach.  Good  God !  A  thing  like  me  to  go 
back  and  teach  these  poor  innocent  creatures !  I  shrunk  away, 
feeling  I  could  never  desecrate  the  threshold  of  God's  house  by 
my  presence.  They  came  again ;  it  was  Christmas  Eve.  They 
sang  the  carols  at  our  door,  and  then  came  in,  kissing  and  mak- 
ing much  of  me.  Presently  my  husband  began  to  play  on  the 
piano  the  dear  old  hymn,  "Begone,  unbelief,"  the  girls  all  join- 
ing in  with  lips  untouched  by  care.  I  had  to  leave  the  room.  All 
the  pent-up  agony  of  months  was  in  the  strain,  since  I  was  not 
even  fit  to  sing  it,  and  then  kneeling  at  my  bedside  in  the  dark- 
ness, there  came  to  me  two  lines  of  the  hymn  they  had  been 
singing : 

"How  bitter  that  cup,  no  heart  can  conceive, 
Which  He  drank  quite  up,  that  sinners  might  live." 

Bitterer  than  even  mine,  I  thought,  and  He  drank  it  for  me. 
That  was  the  miracle  for  me,  and  I  knew  myself  forgiven,  knew 
that  the  Christ  was  looking  at  me,  not  with  angry  but  with  pity- 
ing eyes.  Ah,  the  blessedness  of  it!  But  do  you  suppose  I 
could  forgive  myself  ?  More  than  ever  I  blamed  and  hated  my- 
self. And  now  there  came  to  me  a  messenger  direct  from  God. 
One  of  the  friends  who  visited  the  place  quarterly  called  to  see 
me ;  when  he  rose  to  go  he  laid  his  hand  on  my  shoulder,  and 
looking  me  straight  in  the  face,  said :  "My  child,  when  are  you 
going  back  to  your  work  ?  They  need  you  there,  your  class 
needs  you,  the  whole  school  needs  you,  and  God  wants  you. 


JOHN  NEWTON  AND  WILLIAM  COW  PER         57 

If  you  have  done  wrong,  go  and  atone  for  it,"  He  left  me,  but 
his  words  were  alive — atone  for  it :  could  I  ?  Was  that  the  way 
the  Master  would  have  me  take,  show  Him  how  real  my  sorrow 
was  by  trying  to  save  others  from  the  pit  into  which  I  had 
fallen  ?  If  that  were  so,  then  I  could  brave  sneers  and  ridicule, 
stand  to  be  despised  and  looked  down  upon,  if  only  I  might  in 
some  degree  atone,  and  show  forth  my  loyalty  and  love  for  Him, 
I  would  do  or  bear  whatsoever  He  chose,  and  so  I  went  back  to 
service  to  bear  and  endure,  and  be  tested,  and  I  carried  with  me 
into  the  fight  the  last  verse  of  my  hymn: 

"Since  all  that  I  meet  doth  work  for  my  good. 
The  bitter  is  sweet,  the  medicine,  food; 
Though  painful  at  present,  'twill  cease  before  long, 
And  then,  oh,  how  pleasant  the  conqueror's  song!" 

"  'That  verse  was  my  help  and  stay  through  all  the  long, 
weary  years  when  I  slowly  climbed  my  way  back  to  peace  and 
happiness,  and  the  esteem  of  those  whom  I  respected  and  desired 
should  respect  me.  Can  you  wonder  that  this  hymn  is  pre- 
cious to  me,  that  I  hold  it  dearer  than  all  others,  and  I  think 
until  I  stand  in  His  presence  it  will  be  one  of  the  most  hallowed 
and  sacred  of  my  possessions.  My  story  is  done;  it  is  not  the 
story  of  saint  or  martyr,  but  of  a  girl's  sorrow  and  sin,  of  a 
woman's  struggle  and  victory  through  Christ  Jesus.  It  has 
not  been  an  easy  task  to  write  it ;  one  doesn't  as  a  rule  "volun- 
teer heart-history  to  a  crowd,"  but  there  are  other  girls  in  the 
world  passing  through  the  self-same  trials,  and  if  my  life-story 
can  help  them  I  have  no  right  to  hold  it  back.'  " 

This  hymn  is  as  follows.  It  is  in  many  hymnals,  though 
not  in  ours,  but  in  simplicity  and  directness,  in  hopefulness  and 
faith,  in  power  to  reach  the  soul  and  uplift  the  whole  life,  it  is 
a  good  specimen  of  Newton's  workmanship : 

Begone,  unbelief: 

My  Saviour  is  near. 
And  for  my  relief 

Will  surely  appear; 


58  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

By  prayer  let  me  wrestle, 
And  He  will  perform; 

With  Christ  in  the  vessel 
I  smile  at  the  storm. 

Though  dark  be  my  way. 

Since  He  is  my  guide, 
'Tis  mine  to  obey, 

'Tis  His  to  provide : 
Though  cisterns  be  broken. 

And  creatures  all  fail, 
The  word  He  hath  spoken 

Shall  surely  prevail. 

His  love  in  time  past 

Forbids  me  to  think 
He'll  leave  me  at  last 

In  trouble  to  sink : 
Each  sweet  Ebenezer 

I  have  in  review. 
Confirms  His  good  pleasure 

To  help  me  quite  through. 

Determined  to  save 

He  watched  o'er  my  path. 
When,  Satan's  blind  slave, 

I  sported  with  death. 
And  can  He  have  taught  me 

To  trust  in  His  name, 
And  thus  far  have  brought  me 

To  put  me  to  shame? 

Why  should  I  complain 

Of  want  or  distress. 
Temptation  or  pain? — 

He  told  me  no  less; 
The  heirs  of  salvation, 

I  know  from  His  word. 
Through  much  tribulation 

Must  follow  their  Lord. 

How  bitter  that  cup. 
No  heart  can  conceive. 

Which  He  drank  quite  up. 
That  sinners  might  live! 


JOHN  NEWTON  AND  WILLIAM  COW  PER         59 

His  way  was  much  rougher 

And  darker  than  mine; 
Did  Jesus  thus  suffer. 

And  shall  I  repine? 

Since  all  that  I  meet 

Shall  work  for  my  good. 
The  bitter  is  sweet. 

The  medicine,  food; 
Though  painful  at  present, 

'Twill  cease  before  long. 
And  then,  oh,  how  pleasant 
The  conqueror's  song! 

"If  two  angels  came  down  from  heaven  to  execute  a  divine 
command,"  once  wrote  John  Kewton,  "and  one  was  appointed 
to  conduct  an  empire,  and  the  other  to  sweep  a  street  in  it,  they 
would  find  no  inclination  to  change  employments."  That  was 
the  vision  of  a  saint.  ISTewton  was  indeed  a  saint  and,  therefore, 
he  sang  for  all  the  Christian  ages. 

He  was  also  a  man  of  strong  brain,  a  great  heart,  and  a 
deep  and  transforming  Christian  experience.  Writing  in  the 
language  of  those  "common  people,"  who  heard  the  Master 
gladly,  no  wonder  that  he  was  a  man  of  power. 

Goldwin  Smith  says  truly  that  "the  two  great  factors  of 
Cowper's  life  were  the  malady  which  consigned  him  to  poetic 
seclusion,  and  the  conversion  to  Evangelism,  which  gave  him 
his  inspiration  and  his  theme." 

The  two  great  factors  of  [N'ewton's  life  were  his  knowledge 
of  the  depths  of  Satan  and  his  knowledge  of  the  grace  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  of  God,  and  the  fellowship  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

Newton  and  Cowper  were  friends  and  fellow-workers  in 
life,  bound  by  the  closest  of  ties.  They  will  be  friends 
eternally.  We  are  grateful  to  God  for  the  grace  which  wrought 
in  them,  and  for  their  stirring  and  immortal  words. 


IV. 

Reginald  Heber 


(6i) 


Yes,  to  the  Christian,  to  the  Heathen  world, 
Heber,  thou  art  not  dead — thou  canst  not  die! 
Nor  can  I  think  of  thee  as  lost. 
A  little  portion  of  this  little  isle 
At  first  divided  us;  then  half  the  globe; 
The  same  earth  held  us  still;  but  when, 
O  Reginald,  wert  thou  so  near  as  now? 
'Tis  but  the  falling  of  the  withered  leaf, 
The  breaking  of  a  shell, 
The  rending  of  a  veil! 
O,  when  that  leaf  shall  fall, 
That  shell  be  burst,  that  veil  be  rent,  may  then 
My  spirit  be  with  thine! 

Robert  Southet. 

All  gentle  gales. 
Serene  and  smiling  skies,  thy  course  attend; 
The  winds  of  God  and  goodness  fill  thy  sails. 

My  faithful  friend. 

And  if  the  trust 
Be  not  in  vain,  that  Heaven  does  still  assign 
Our  guardians  from  the  spirits  of  the  just, 

Be  Heber's  thine! 

And  when  'tis  o'er, 
The  stormy  passage  of  our  life,  may  we 
Meet  in  that  world  where  he  has  gone  before, 

Without  a  sea. 

William  Cboswell, 


(62) 


IV. 

EEGINALD  HEBER. 

We  come  now  to  consider  a  man  of  genius  and  of  heroic 
Christian  devotion.  His  genius  comes  out  in  his  poetry;  his 
devotion  in  his  noble  and  consecrated  life. 

Reginald  Heber  was  no  ordinary  man.  He  was  a  man 
of  winning  ways,  and  of  brilliant  gifts.  A  man  who  could 
readily  have  won  renown  among  the  intellectual  princes  of  this 
world,  but  those  things  that  were  gain  to  him,  he  counted  loss 
for  Christ,  and  lived  on  earth  chiefly  to  do  God's  will. 

He  was  bom  at  Malpas  in  Cheshire,  in  England,  on  the 
21st  day  of  April,  1783.  His  father  was  a  man  of  social  posi- 
tion and  of  some  distinction  as  a  member  of  Parliament.  His 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  a  clergyman,  a  woman  of  intel- 
lectual gifts  and  rare  Christian  earnestness. 

Both  his  parents  believed  in  the  Bible  as  the  book  of  books, 
so  that  when  he  was  five  years  old  he  was  led  to  begin  to  read, 
mark,  learn,  and  inwardly  digest  the  sacred  volume. 

His  memory  was  extraordinary.  What  he  read  he  remem- 
bered with  the  greatest  readiness,  so  that  he  easily  became  a 
scholar  of  unusual  attainments.  At  the  age  of  eight  he  was 
sent  to  a  grammar  school  near  his  own  home;  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  he  was  placed  under  the  care  of  a  clergyman  in  the 
neighborhood  of  London. 

Whilst  he  was  still  a  boy,  he  found  satisfaction  in  the  study 
of  such  books  as  Locke  on  the  Human  Understanding  and 
Hooker's  Ecclesiastical  Polity,  so  that  it  was  not  a  difficult 
matter  for  him  to  matriculate  as  a  student  at  Oxford  when  he 
was  seventeen  years  old. 

His  college  course  was  what  might  be  called  a  triumphant 
success.  During  his  first  year  he  was  awarded  the  University 
prize  for  a  Latin  poem,  and  soon  thereafter  an  extraordinary 

(63) 


64  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

prize  was  offered  for  tlie  best  English  poem  upon  the  subject  of 
Palestine. 

Heber  entered  the  lists  and  won  without  a  struggle,  easily 
distancing  all  competitors. 

The  time  for  the  public  recital  of  this  poem  came.  A 
handsome  boy — for  he  was  little  more — stood  forth  upon  the 
platform,  while  the  thronging  crowds  of  some  of  the  brightest 
and  ablest  of  England's  sons  and  daughters  pressed  round  him. 
His  youthful  appearance,  his  unaffected  simplicity,  the  sym- 
pathetic tones  of  his  voice,  riveted  the  large  audience  so  that  they 
were  literally  "spellbound." 

A  deep  and  holy  silence  breathed  around. 

And  mute  attention  fixed  the  list'ning  ear, 
When  from  the  rostrum  burst  the  hallowed  strain. 

And  Heber,  kindling  with  poetic  fire. 
Stood  'mid  the  gazing  and  expectant  train 

And  woke  to  eloquence  his  sacred  lyre. 
The  youthful  student,  with  emphatic  tone 

(His  lofty  subject  on  his  mind  impressed). 
With  grace  and  energy  unrivalled  shone. 

And  roused  devotion  in  each  thoughtless  breast. 
He  sang  of  Palestine — that  holy  land — 

Where  saints  and  martyrs  and  the  warriors  brave. 
The  Cross  in  triumph  planting  on  its  strand. 

Beneath  its  banners  sought  a  glorious  grave. 
He  sang  of  Calvary,  of  his  Saviour  sang. 

Of  the  rich  mercies  of  redeeming  love. 
When  through  the  crowd  spontaneous  plaudits  rang, 

Breathing  a  foretaste  of  rewards  above. 

An  eminent  critic,  writing  in  Blackwood's  Magazine, 
afterwards  said :  "As  his  voice  grew  bolder  and  more  sonorous 
in  the  hush,  the  audience  felt  that  this  was  not  the  mere  display 
of  skill  and  ingenuity  of  a  clever  youth,  or  accidental  triumph 
of  an  accomplished  versifier  over  his  compeers  in  the  dexterity 
of  scholarship,  which  is  all  that  can  generally  be  truly  said  of 
such  exhibitions ;  but  that  here  was  a  poet  indeed,  not  only  of 
bright  promise,  but  of  high  achievements,  one  whose  name  was 
already  written  in  the  roll  of  immortals." 

Posterity  has  confirmed  this  judgment.     A  hundred  years 


f     THE  NEW  YORK 
'  ?UBLIC  LID  PART 

ASTOK,  .....         .   ,;,, 

TILDEN  Fou .M  o.-Viu  .:>:; 


REGINALD  HEBER  65 

have  passed  since  then,  and  more,  and  Heber's  poem  still 
remains,  as  the  work  of  an  undergraduate,  unequaled.  In  fact 
no  one  has  been  thought  worthy  to  be  brought  alongside  of  it 
for  purposes  of  comparison.  Read  to-day,  it  stirs  and  thrills. 
It  is  a  poem  of  almost  divine  power. 

Sir  Walter  Scott  was  visiting  Oxford  about  the  time  of  its 
recital,  breakfasting  with  a  company  of  which  Heber  and  his 
brother  were  members,  and  asked  that  the  poem  might  be  read 
to  him.  His  words  were  words  of  warmest  commendation — 
there  was  only  one  of  kindly  suggestion^  that  he  had  omitted 
any  reference  to  the  fact  that  no  tools  were  used  in  the  building 
of  the  temple.  Almost  in  a  moment  of  time  Heber  suggested 
the  well-known  lines : 

No  hammer  fell,  no  pond'rous  axes  rung : 
Like  some  tall  palm,  the  mystic  fabric  sprung. 
Majestic  silence! 

Tou  see  at  once  that  Heber's  mind  was  altogether  out  of 
the  common,  that  his  gifts  were  exceeding  great. 

I  have  already  said  that  from  a  youth  he  had  known  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  Let  me  add  now  that  by  them  he  was  made 
wise  unto  salvation.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  became  a  com- 
municant of  the  Church,  and  naturally  thereafter  his  thoughts 
turned  toward  the  sacred  ministry,  which  was  soon  to  become 
the  chosen  work  of  his  life.  Having  carried  off  additional 
prizes  at  Oxford,  and  won  the  honor  of  a  fellowship,  he  first 
made  the  tour  of  the  continent  of  Europe,  and  then  settled  down 
to  prepare  for  holy  orders.  He  was  ordained  when  he  was 
twenty-four  years  old. 

For  sixteen  years  he  held  the  living  at  Hodnet  and  faithfully 
discharged  there  the  duties  of  the  sacred  ministry.  He  was  mar- 
ried when  he  was  twenty-six  years  old.  His  wife  was  a  sharer 
in  that  Christian  faith  which  sustained  and  ennobled  him.  She 
was  his  loving  companion  till  he  died,  and  afterwards  his  biog- 
rapher. 

Such  a  man  as  Heber  was  destined  to  distinction  in  the 
Church.  This  was,  of  course,  recognized  by  all.  When  he  was 
thirty-one  years  old  he  was  appointed  to  deliver  the  Bampton 


66  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Lectures  before  the  University  of  Oxford — a  distinguishing 
honor  to  be  conferred  upon  any  clergyman,  particularly  upon 
one  so  young. 

He  was  afterwards  appointed  select  preacher  at  Lincoln's 
Inn.  And  so  in  the  preparation  of  special  sermons  to  be 
preached  upon  great  occasions,  in  study  and  to  some  extent  in 
the  making  of  books,  in  visiting  the  widows  and  fatherless  in 
their  affliction,  in  ministering  to  the  sick  and  dying  as  well 
as  in  breaking  the  bread  of  life  from  his  quiet  pulpit  at  home, 
the  happy  years  passed  by. 

Still  he  was  not  altogether  satisfied.  There  were  visions 
of  a  larger  work  to  be  done  by  him  somehow,  somewhere. 

Particularly  did  his  thoughts  often  run  out  into  that  larger 
field  which  is  the  world.  He  was  interested  in  missionary  work. 
The  example  of  Henry  Martyn  at  times  rose  before  him,  and 
always  with  a  power  to  stir  his  soul.  It  is  not,  therefore,  to  be 
wondered  at  that  when,  at  the  age  of  forty,  he  was  offered  the 
position  of  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  there  was  much  inward  agita- 
tion of  spirit,  followed  by  the  words  of  genuine  consecration, 
"Here  am  I,  Lord,  send  me !" 

It  came  about  in  this  way.  Bishop  Middleton,  the  first 
bishop  of  our  Church  in  India,  had  died.  One  of  Heber's 
warmest  friends  was  president  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners 
for  the  affairs  of  India,  so  that  to  him  fell  the  choice  of  Bishop 
Middleton's  successor.  He  wrote  to  Heber,  not  knowing  that 
a  purpose  to  be  a  missionary  had  been  stirring  in  his  breast, 
asking  him  to  tell  him  who  would  satisfactorily  fill  the  impor- 
tant post  just  made  vacant,  "at  the  same  time  delicately  hinting 
how  much  pleasure  it  would  afford  him  to  confer  so  great  a 
blessing  on  India .  as  to  recommend  Heber  himself  to  the  ap- 
pointment, could  he  conscientiously  advise  him  to  relinquish 
his  fair  prospects  of  eminence  and  usefulness  at  home." 

In  one  sense  the  answer  was  not  an  easy  one.  His  own 
health  and  that  of  his  wife  and  daughter  were  to  be  considered. 
Separation  from  an  aged  mother,  the  long  journey,  meaning  an 
absence  for  at  least  fifteen  years  from  valued  friends,  the  cli- 
mate of  India,  and  the  work  to  be  done  there,  trying  and  ex- 
hausting.    No  wonder  that  for  a  time  he  wavered — but,  abso- 


REGINALD  HEBER  67 


lutely,  lie  had  no  rest  in  his  spirit  until  he  said,  yes ;  for  he  could 
not  resist  the  conclusion  that  the  call  was  from  God. 

Heber's  missionary  spirit  is  clearly  shown  in  his  great 
missionary  hymn,  the  story  of  the  composition  of  which  is  not 
without  its  special  interest.  It  was  written  whilst  he  was  still 
settled  in  his  quiet  rectory  at  Hodnet,  four  years  before  the  offer 
of  work  in  India  had  come  to  him. 

A  royal  letter  had  been  issued  asking  that,  in  every  church 
and  chapel  of  England,  there  should  be  a  collection  taken  in 
furtherance  of  missionary  work  in  the  East,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign 
Parts.  Heber's  father-in-law  was  Dean  of  St.  Asaph  and 
Vicar  of  Wrexham.  He  was  to  preach  in  the  parish  church, 
Wrexham,  on  the  morning  of  Whit-Sunday,  when  the  missionary 
offerings  were  to  be  received,  and  Heber  was  to  deliver  the  first 
of  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  evening.  On  Saturday,  when  the 
two  were  together,  the  Dean  asked  his  son-in-law  to  write  some- 
thing for  them  to  sing  at  the  services  on  the  morrow. 

He  retired  to  a  corner  of  the  room,  and  whilst  the  Dean 
and  a  few  other  friends  were  chatting  together  he  wrote. 

After  a  while  the  Dean  asked,  "What  have  you  written  ?" 
And  then  he  read  him  the  first  three  stanzas  of  the  hymn : 

From  Greenland's  icy  mountains, 

From  India's  coral  strand. 
Where  Afric's  sunny  fountains 

Roll  down  their  golden  sand. 
From  many  an  ancient  river. 

From  many  a  palmy  plain. 
They  call  us  to  deliver 

Their  land  from  error's  chain. 

What  though  the  spicy  breezes 

Blow  soft  o'er  Ceylon's  isle; 
Though  every  prospect  pleases, 

And  only  man  is  vile? 
In  vain  with  lavish  kindness 

The  gifts  of  God  are  strown; 
The  heathen,  in  his  blindness, 

Bows  down  to  wood  and  stone. 


68  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Shall  we,  whose  souls  are  lighted 

With  wisdom  from  on  high. 
Shall  we  to  men  benighted 

The  lamp  of  life  deny? 
Salvation,  O  Salvation! 

The  joyful  sound  proclaim. 
Till  each  remotest  nation 

Has  learnt  Messiah's  name. 

And  the  Dean  said,  "That  will  do."  But,  no!  Heber 
insisted  that  the  sense  was  not  complete,  and  so  he  at  once 
added : 

Waft,  waft,  ye  winds.  His  story. 

And  you,  ye  waters,  roll. 
Till,  like  a  sea  of  glory. 

It  spreads  from  pole  to  pole; 
Till  o'er  our  ransomed  nature 

The  Lamb  for  sinners  slain. 
Redeemer,  King,  Creator, 

In  bliss  returns  to  reign. 

Ton  recognize  at  once  the  spirit  of  the  man  from  these 
words,  and  you  know  from  them  that  when  a  divine  call  should 
come  to  him  to  go  and  labor  in  a  foreign  land,  that  call  would 
be  obeyed. 

His  feelings  at  the  time  are  well  expressed  in  his  words, 
"I  indeed  give  up  a  good  deal, — ^both  of  present  comforts,  and 
as  I  am  assured  of  future  possible  expectations ;  and  above  all, 
I  give  up  the  enjoyment  of  English  society,  and  a  list  of  most 
kind  friends  such  as  few  men  in  my  situation  have  possessed. 
Still  I  do  not  repent  the  line  which  I  have  taken.  I  trust  I  shall 
be  useful  where  I  am  going;  and  I  hope  and  believe  I  am 
actuated  by  a  zeal  for  God's  service.  *  *  *  After  all,  I 
hope  I  am  not  enthusiastic  in  thinking  that  a  clergyman  is  like 
a  soldier  or  a  sailor,  bound  to  go  on  any  service,  however  remote 
or  undesirable,  where  the  cause  of  his  duty  leads  him,  and  my 
destiny  (though  there  are  some  circumstances  attending  it 
which  make  my  heart  ache)  has  many  advantages  in  an  ex- 
tended sphere  of  professional  activity." 

India  is  a  vast  country,  and  the  field  to  be  traversed  by  its 


REGINALD  HEBER  69 

bishop  was  very  large.  He  had  to  go  upon  long  journeys.  A 
visitation  involved  an  absence  from  home  of  nearly  a  year,  and 
that  to  him  was  particularly  trying.  You  will  find  his  words  in 
your  household  books  of  poetry : 

If  thou,  my  love,  wert  by  my  side. 

My  babies  at  my  knee. 
How  gaily  would  our  pinnace  glide 

O'er  Gunga's  mimic  sea. 

And  then,  the  sterner  notes  are  struck: 

Then  on,  then  on,  where  duty  leads. 

My  course  be  onward  still. 
O'er  broad  Hindustan's  sultry  meads, 

O'er  bleak  Almorah's  hill. 

And  then  again  he  looks  on  to  the  glad  reunion  in  Bombay, 
as  he  sings : 

Thy  towers,  Bombay,  gleam  bright,  they  say. 

Across  the  dark  blue  sea. 
But  ne'er  were  hearts  so  light  and  gay 

As  then  shall  meet  in  thee. 

A  man  of  poetic  gifts  is  of  necessity  a  man  of  sensitive 
spirit,  a  man  to  whom  the  affection  of  loved  ones  is  a  solace  and 
a  stay. 

Bishop  Heber  regretted  deeply  the  necessity  of  his  absence 
from  home,  but  his  was  a  soldier's  duty,  and,  at  any  cost  to  him 
personally,  that  duty  must  be  performed. 

It  was,  besides,  harder  for  him  to  work  in  India  than  at 
home  because  of  the  effect  upon  his  spirit  of  the  blackness  of 
heathendom.  Speaking  of  those  by  whom  he  was  there  sur- 
rounded, he  wrote:  "Their  religion  is,  indeed,  a  horrible  one, 
far  more  so  than  I  had  conceived ;  it  gives  them  no  moral  pre- 
cept; it  encourages  them  in  vice  by  the  style  of  its  ceremonies 
and  the  character  given  by  its  deities,  and,  by  the  institution  of 
caste,  it  hardens  their  hearts  against  each  other  to  a  degree 
which  is  often  most  revolting.  A  traveler  falls  down  sick  in 
the  street.  ISTobody  knows  what  caste  he  is  of,  therefore  nobody 
goes  near  him  lest  they  should  become  polluted;  he  wastes  to 


70  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

death  before  the  eyes  of  a  whole  commuiiitj,  unless  the  jackals 
take  courage  from  his  helpless  state  to  finish  him  a  little 
sooner." 

Reginald  Heber  was  Bishop  of  India  for  only  three  years, 
when  he  fell  as  a  brave  Christian  soldier,  standing  by  his  post. 

His  cares  were  many  and  weighty — the  care  of  all  the 
churches ;  but  to  him  that  which  overwhelmed  him  was  "his 
crown  and  his  glory."  And  so  in  the  service  of  the  churches  he 
must  press  on  and  on. 

Sudden  death  came  to  him  whilst  absent  on  a  visitation  at 
Trichinopoly,  fanned  by  the  "spicy  breezes"  which  "blow  soft 
o'er  Ceylon's  Isle."  He  had  worked  too  hard  in  a  land  of  op- 
pressive heat,  and  the  carrying  of  burdens  had  impaired  his 
vital  powers.  Soon  after  he  had  finished  a  service  of  confirma- 
tion he  was  called  to  his  reward.  As  his  widow  puts  it,  "He 
had  scarcely  ceased  from  glorifying  God  in  his  mortal  frame, 
when  he  was  summoned  to  join  in  that  angelic  chorus  of  praise 
and  thanksgiving,  whose  voices  fill  heaven  in  honor  of  their 
Maker  and  Redeemer." 

Of  course  his  death  was  like  a  great  shock  to  earnest 
Churchmen  in  England  as  well  as  in  India.  Mural  tablets  were 
erected  in  his  honor  both  at  home  and  abroad.  The  one  in  a 
church  in  one  of  the  cities  of  "Ceylon's  Isle"  is  fairly  descriptive 
of  the  spirit  of  all  of  them,  and  tells  the  truth  concisely : 

"This  tablet  is  erected  by  the  British  in  Ceylon  to  the 
memory  of  Reginald  Heber,  D.D.,  Lord  Bishop  of  Calcutta, 
who  turning  cheerfully  from  the  enjoyments  of  home  and  the 
prospects  of  honor  in  England,  undertook  in  faith  and  hope 
the  Episcopal  charge  of  his  brethren  in  the  Indian  Empire,  and 
lived  and  died  their  watchful,  indefatigable,  devoted  friend  and 
pastor.  In  the  short  space  of  three  years  he  animated  by  his 
presence  almost  every  part  of  his  vast  Diocese,  and  while  he 
everywhere  encouraged  in  this  island,  and  on  the  peninsula, 
with  special  and  parental  care  the  Church  already  formed  and 
united  in  thankful  joy  the  converts  of  his  flock,  he  looked  earn- 
estly to  the  day  when  to  the  heathen  also  he  might  preach  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  and  might  then  not  only  be  the  Prelate  of 
British  India  but  the  chief  missionary  of  England  to  the  East." 


REGINALD  HEBER  71 

And  now  as  to  the  hymns  of  this  gifted  and  saintly  man. 
His  biographer  tells  us : 

"It  had  long  been  regarded  by  Heber  as  an  evil  calling 
loudly  for  a  speedy  remedy,  that  no  collection  of  hymns  for 
public  worship,  sanctioned  by  ecclesiastical  authority,  had  been 
introduced  into  the  British  churches.  He  had  observed  the 
fondness  of  that  class,  forming  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the 
community,  for  these  compositions,  and  had,  by  repeated  conver- 
sations with  them,  learned  that  they  could  not  understand,  and 
of  course  could  not  appreciate,  many  of  the  prophetic  allusions 
of  the  Psalms  of  David.  To  supply  this  defect,  he  had,  for 
several  years,  employed  the  intervals  of  more  serious  study,  in 
forming  a  collection  of  hymns  for  the  different  Sundays,  fes- 
tivals, and  holidays  in  the  year;  connected,  for  the  most  part, 
with  the  history  or  doctrines  comprised  in  the  Gospel  for  each 
day,  which  should  contain  a  more  distinct  reference  to  the  char- 
acter and  work  of  Christ,  as  well  as  to  the  great  facts  of  the 
Gospel,  than  can  be  found  in  the  Psalms. 

"To  make  the  selection  as  perfect,  as  popular,  and  as 
original  as  possible,  Heber  had  engaged  the  assistance  of  Sir 
Walter  Scott  and  Mr.  Southey;  and  he  now  wrote  to  the  Rev. 
H.  H.  Milman,  requesting  the  aid  of  his  muse  in  the  same  good 
work;  informing  him  that,  though  he  had  in  addition  to  the 
hymns  of  his  own  composing,  which  were  numerous,  selected 
many  from  the  collections  extant,  yet  that  there  were  several 
Sundays  and  holidays  for  which,  at  present,  none  were  pre- 
pared. Mr.  Milman  kindly  aided  Heber  by  several  valuable 
contributions ;  but  owing  to  other  more  pressing  engagements, 
the  publication  was  delayed,  and  did  not  appear  till  after  his 
decease." 

Under  date  of  December  28,  1821,  Heber  wrote  to  Mil- 
man: 

"You  have  indeed  sent  me  a  most  powerful  reinforcement 
to  my  projected  hymn-book.  A  few  more  such  and  I  shall 
neither  need  nor  wait  for  the  aid  of  Scott  and  Southey.  Most 
sincerely,  I  have  not  seen  any  hymns  of  the  kind  which  more 
completely  correspond  to  my  ideas  of  what  such  compositions 


72  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

ought  to  be,  or  to  the  plan,  the  outline  of  which  it  has  been  my 
wish  to  fill  up." 

Milman  was  then  thirty  years  old.  Large  fame  after- 
wards came  to  him.  It  was  well  deserved.  His  thirteen  hymns 
were  first  published  in  Heber's  volume  of  1827.  Three  of  them 
hold  an  honored  place  in  our  hymnal.     Their  first  lines  are : 

91    Ride  on,  ride  on  in  majesty. 
2,2>7    Oh,  help  us.  Lord;  each  hour  of  need. 
348    When  our  heads  are  bowed  with  woe. 

In  addition  to  "From  Greenland's  Icy  Mountains,"  the 
numbers  and  first  lines  of  Heber's  hymns  which  find  a  place 
in  our  hymnal  are: 

66  Brightest  and  best  of  the  sons  of  the  morning. 

146  O  Thou,  who  gav'st  Thy  servant  grace. 

225  Bread  of  the  world,  in  mercy  broken. 

316  Hosanna  to  the  living  Lord. 

383  Holy,  Holy,  Holy!  Lord  God  Almighty. 

507  The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war. 

527  Lord  of  mercy  and  of  might. 

565  By  cool  Siloam's  shady  rill. 

That  marvelously  stirring  hymn,  "The  Son  of  God  Goes 
Forth  to  War,"  was  written  for  St.  Stephen's  day,  and  it  seems 
to  have  caught  the  spirit — the  martial  spirit — of  the  time  when 
men  took  their  lives  in  their  hands  and  glorified  God  by 
their  deaths.  As  we  read  the  words,  or  sing  them,  we  seem  to 
be  breathing  the  spirit  of  the  hour  when  the  proto-martyr  gave 
up  his  life  in  sacrifice,  when  men  "cried  out  against  him  with 
a  loud  voice,  and  stopped  their  ears,  and  ran  upon  him  with  one 
accord,  and  cast  him  out  of  the  city  and  stoned  him ;  but  he,  be- 
ing full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  looked  up  steadfastly  into  heaven, 
and  saw  the  glory  of  God  and  Jesus  standing  on  the  right  hand 
of  God." 

Possibly  by  this  very  vision,  certainly  by  the  story  of 
apostolic  zeal  and  valor  and  thoroughgoing  consecration, 
Heber  was  inspired  to  sing : 


THE  r: 

PUBLf: 


REGINALD  HEBER  73 

507     The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war, 

A  kingly  crown  to  gain; 
His  blood-red  banner  streams  afar : 

Who  follows  in  His  train? 
Who  best  can  drink  his  cup  of  woe. 

Triumphant  over  pain; 
Who  patient  bears  his  cross  below. 

He  follows  in  His  train. 

The  martyr  first,  whose  eagle  eye 

Could  pierce  beyond  the  grave. 
Who  saw  his  Master  in  the  sky. 

And  called  on  Him  to  save. 
Like  Him,  with  pardon  on  His  tongue. 

In  midst  of  mortal  pain, 
He  prayed  for  them  that  did  the  wrong; 

Who  follows  in  His  train? 

A  glorious  band,  the  chosen  few. 

On  whom  the  Spirit  came ; 
Twelve  valiant  saints,  their  hope  they  knew. 

And  mocked  the  cross  and  flame. 
They  met  the  tyrant's  brandished  steel. 

The  lion's  gory  mane; 
They  bowed  their  necks  the  death  to  feel: 

Who  follows  in  their  train? 

A  noble  army,  men  and  boys, 

The  matron  and  the  maid. 
Around  the  Saviour's  throne  rejoice. 

In  robes  of  light  arrayed; 
They  climbed  the  steep  ascent  of  heaven 

Through  peril,  toil  and  pain : 
O  God,  to  us  may  grace  be  given 

To  follow  in  their  train! 

"0  God,  to  us  may  grace  be  given  to  follow  in  their  train !" 
So  prayed  Heber,  with  sincerity  and  earnestness.  He  was 
looking  on  and  up.  He  was  thinking,  not  of  a  corruptible 
crown,  but  an  incorruptible,  a  crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not 
away. 

For  him  that  crown  was  on  the  top  of  a  high  mountain.  The 
way  thereto  was  steep  and  perilous,  and,  as  he  journeyed  thither, 
the  briers  would  be  about  his  head,  and  the  piercing  rocks  be- 


74  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

neath  his  feet.  But  there  was  a  divine  voice  calling  him,  and 
to  that  voice  he  could  answer  naught  except  "I  come!"  What 
though  the  way  were  hard !  And  the  burden  pressing  one  down- 
ward almost  unto  death !  There  was  a  crown  of  life  at  the  end 
of  it. 

And  there  stood  the  great  Conqueror  of  Death,  shouting 
to  encourage  the  struggling  pilgrim :  "Hold  fast  that  thou  hast, 
that  no  man  take  thy  crown."  "Be  thou  faithful  unto  death 
and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life."  "My  reward  is  with  me 
to  give  every  man  according  as  his  work  shall  be."  He  was 
indeed  a  pilgrim  of  the  night,  but  above  him  there  was  one  de- 
claring, "I  am  the  root  and  the  offspring  of  David,  and  the 
bright  and  morning  star."  And  the  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say 
Come !  Come !  Come !  Come !  Forget  the  things  behind ! 
Press  on ! 

There  peace  and  joy  eternal  reign, 

And  glittering  robes  for  conquerors  wait. 

Press  on !     Press  on ! 

And  God's  strength  will  be  yours. 

When  the  call  came  to  him  from  India,  a  veritable 
Macedonian  cry — "Come  over  and  help  us,"  it  was  his  Master's 
call,  bidding  him  to  go,  and  seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost. 
And  that  meant  to  him  a  call  for  a  larger  and  more  faithful 
service,  a  greater  and  more  glorious  reward.  And  so  there  was 
nothing  for  him  to  do  except  to  give  himself  to  Christ  in  the 
person  of  his  straying  and  suffering  ones. 

May  you  and  I  be  sharers  of  his  faith  and  zeal  and  self- 
sacrificing  devotion  !  May  we  be  partakers,  too,  of  his  love  for 
the  souls  redeemed  by  Christ !  And  may  the  hope,  which  was 
back  of  him  as  a  strong  wind  driving  him  onward  and  upward, 
be  ours  also ! 

He  climbed  the  steep  ascent  of  heaven 

Through  peril,  toil  and  pain : 
O  God,  to  us  may  grace  be  given 

To  follow  in  his  train ! 


V. 
John  Keble 


175) 


Two  worlds  are  onrs:  'tis  only  sin 

Forbids  us  to  descry 
The  mystic  heaven   and  earth  within, 

Plain  as  the  sea  and  sky. 

John  Keblb. 

Keble  College  is  a  witness  to  the  homage  which  goodness,  car- 
ried into  the  world  of  thought,  or,  indeed,  into  any  sphere  of  activity, 
extorts  from  all  of  us,  when  we  are  fairly  placed  face  to  face  with  it; 
it  is  a  proof  that  neither  station,  nor  wealth,  nor  conspicuousness, 
nor  popularity  is  the  truest  and  ultimate  test  of  greatness.  True  great- 
ness is  to  be  recognized  in  character ;  and  in  a  place  lilie  this,  character 
is  largely,  if  not  chiefly,  shaped  by  the  degree  in  which  moral  quali- 
ties are  brought  to  bear  upon  the  activities  of  mind.  The  more  men 
really  know  of  him  who,  being  dead,  has,  in  virtue  of  the  rich  gifts 
and  graces  with  which  God  had  endowed  him,  summoned  this  college 
into  being,  the  less  will  they  marvel  at  such  a  tribute  to  his  profound 
and  enduring  influence. 

Henby  Pabby  Liddon". 


(76) 


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i 

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1 

3 

3!o]^n  liicblc 

V. 

JOHN  KEBLE. 

This  saintly  man  about  whom  we  are  now  to  think  for  a 
time  was  not  particularly  great  as  a  writer  of  hymns  to  be  used 
in  public  worship.  He  was  particularly  great  as  a  religious 
poet.  Three  hundred  thousand  copies  of  his  best  known  work 
— "The  Christian  Year" — were  sold  in  England  before  the 
copyright  expired.  How  many  have  been  sold  in  this  country 
I  do  not  know,  but  the  sale  has  been  large.  The  great  Bishop 
of  Oxford — afterwards  of  Winchester — Samuel  Wilberforce, 
speaks  of  this  book  as  "a.  volume  of  religious  poetry  by  far  the 
most  remarkable  and  popular  in  our  language."  It  is  a  book 
for  the  closet  and  the  study,  rather  than  for  the  Assembly  of  the 
Saints,  although  some  of  it  is  incorporated  in  our  own  Church 
Hymnal,  and  in  other  hymnals,  and  will  doubtless  continue 
to  be  so  incorporated  for  generations  to  come.  The  best 
authority  on  hymnology  states  that  "nearly  one  hundred  hymns 
by  Keble  are  in  common  use  at  the  present  time,  and  of  these 
some  rank  with  the  finest  and  most  popular  in  the  English 
language;"  so  that  Keble  had  no  inconsiderable  merit  as  a 
writer  of  hymns.  In  addition  to  this,  the  story  of  his  life  is  so 
interesting,  and  his  personality  so  attractive,  that  he  may  well  be 
chosen  as  a  man  about  whom  one  must  say  something,  even  in  a 
few  brief  studies  concerning  the  great  Christian  hymn  writers 
of  ancient,  medieval  and  modern  times. 

John  Keble  was  bom  April  25,  1792.  His  father  was 
a  clergyman  of  ability  and  scholarly  attainment.  His  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  a  clergyman,  and  he  naturally  followed 
his  father  and  his  grandfather  into  the  Ministry  of  the  Church. 
He  did  not  go  to  school  as  a  boy,  but  was  taught  at  home  by  his 
father,  and  by  him  prepared  for  entrance  upon  college  life. 
Think  of  him  as  entering  upon  that  life  a  bright  and  joyous 

(77) 


78  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

boy  fourteen  years  old.  He  had  won  a  scholarship  at  Corpus 
Christi  College,  which  shows  much  for  the  thoroughness  of  his 
father's  training. 

Oxford  is  a  city  of  colleges,  one  of  the  two  great  educa- 
tional centers  of  England,  an  ancient  place  of  great  attractive- 
ness. An  American  traveler  has  written  concerning  it,  that 
"the  view  of  Oxford,  with  its  multiplicity  of  turrets,  pinnacles 
and  towers,  rising  in  the  bosom  of  a  beautiful  valley,  amid 
waters  and  gardens,  fully  merits  Wordsworth's  epithet  of  'over- 
powering,' and  he  who  can  look  upon  this  city  of  palaces  hoary 
with  ancestral  honors,  and  rich  in  treasures  of  bibliography, 
science  and  art,  and  not  exclaim  with  the  poet 

Robed  in  the  grandeur  of  thy  waving  woods. 
Girt  with  a  silver  zone  of  winding  floods. 
Fair  art  thou,  Oxford! 

must  be  as  dull  as  the  clod  he  treads  upon.  It  was  an 
excusable  burst  of  enthusiasm  in  Robert  Hall,  when,  stand- 
ing on  the  summit  of  the  Radcliffe  Library,  he  was  so  im- 
pressed with  the  beauty  of  the  scene — the  dark  and  ancient 
edifices,  clustering  together  in  forms  full  of  richness  and  beauty, 
the  quadrangle,  gardens  and  groves,  the  flowing  rivers  and 
belting  hills,  wood-crowned,  and,  over  all,  the  clear,  blue- 
flecked  sky — that  he  cried  out,  'Sir,  Sir,  it  is  surely  the  New 
Jerusalem  come  down  from  heaven.'  " 

In  Oxford  John  Keble's  poetic  nature  was  deeply  stirred, 
and  no  wonder,  for  there  Bishop  Ken  first  spread  his  wings  to 
sing,  and  Bishop  Ileber  also,  and  Charles  Wesley.  Many  of 
the  great  poets  of  England,  as  well  as  many  of  her  great  states- 
men and  scholars,  were  trained  at  Oxford. 

Keble's  course  at  college  was  a  brilliant  one.  He  won  the 
highest  honors  both  in  classics  and  mathematics,  securing  the 
very  rare  distinction  of  what  is  called  a  "double  first  class." 
And  when  he  was  only  eighteen  years  old  he  was  elected  to  a 
fellowship  at  Oriel,  an  almost  unprecedented  honor  for  one  so 
young. 

This  new  honor  meant  for  him  not  only  distinction  and 
abundant  financial  support,  but  the  privilege  of  intimate  inter- 


JOHN  KEBLE  79 


course  with  the  brightest  and  best  of  the  young  men  of  his  day, 
for,  as  Dr.  Liddon  puts  it,  Oriel  was  then  "incontestably  the 
home  of  the  most  vigorous  ability  in  Oxford,"  and  an  Oriel 
fellowship  '^the  greatest  distinction  that  could  be  won  by  com- 
petition." 

Whately  w^on  this  honor  when  he  was  twenty-four  years 
old,  Pusey  when  he  was  twenty-three,  John  Henry  ITewman 
when  he  was  twenty-one,  Thomas  Arnold  when  he  was  twenty, 
Keble  when  he  was  eighteen.  ISTo  wonder  that  he  was  regarded 
as  a  bright  and  shining  light. 

At  the  time  of  his  own  election  John  Henry  N^ewman 
wrote  to  a  friend,  "I  had  to  hasten  to  the  Tower  to  receive  the 
congratulations  of  all  the  Fellows.  I  bore  it  till  Keble  took  my 
hand,  and  then  felt  so  abashed,  and  unworthy  of  the  honor  done 
me,  that  I  seemed  quite  desirous  of  sinking  into  the  ground." 
And  in  the  "Apologia"  he  says,  "His  had  been  the  first  name 
which  I  had  heard  spoken  of  with  reverence,  rather  than 
admiration,  when  I  came  up  to  Oxford.  When  one  day  I  was 
walking  in  High  Street  with  my  dear  earliest  friend,  with  what 
eagerness  did  he  cry  out,  'There's  Keble !'  And  with  what  awe 
did  I  look  at  him !" 

In  the  year  1815,  when  he  was  twenty-three  years  old, 
Keble  was  ordained  a  deacon  in  the  Church  of  England,  a 
Church  at  whose  altars  he  was  to  serve  faithfully  for  half  a 
century.  The  following  year  he  was  ordained  to  the  priest- 
hood. 

During  the  next  seven  years  he  continued  to  reside  at 
Oxford,  taking  duty  for  a  time  as  a  curate  in  two  small  parishes 
near  at  hand  and  afterwards  working  faithfully  as  an  Oriel  tutor, 
and  even  then  not  forgetting  his  declaration  that  "the  salvation 
of  one  soul  is  worth  more  than  the  framing  of  the  Magna  Charta 
of  a  thousand  worlds,"  for  work  with  the  young,  particularly 
in  such  an  ecclesiastical  community  as  Oxford,  he  regarded  as 
true  pastoral  care.  At  the  end  of  this  period,  however,  he  gave 
up  Oxford,  never  to  return,  except  as  a  lecturer  or  an  occasional 
preacher.  He  was  for  ten  years,  indeed.  Professor  of  Poetry, 
but  that  meant  but  little  more  than  that  he  should  deliver  an 
elaborate  lecture   in   Latin   each   term   during  his   period   of 


8o  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

service.  Fortunately  for  future  usefulness,  Matthew  Arnold 
had  the  good  sense  to  seize  the  right  opportunity  and  to  break 
with  past  traditions  by  delivering  his  lectures  in  our  ovsti 
mother  tongue.  But  Keble  spoke  of  poetry,  as  he  understood 
it,  in  well-rounded  Latin  phrase.  When  he  was  thirty-six  years 
old  it  seemed  possible  that  he  might  be  elected  Provost  of  Oriel 
College.  Only  two  names  were  mentioned  for  the  position — 
his  own  and  that  of  Dr.  Hawkins.  Strange,  very  strange  was 
it,  in  the  light  of  subsequent  events,  that  both  ISTewman  and 
Pusey  were  in  favor  of  Hawkins  rather  than  Keble  for  the 
vacant  post,  l^ewman  said,  "You  know  we  are  not  electing  an 
angel,  but  a  provost.  If  we  were  electing  an  angel  I  should, 
of  course,  vote  for  Keble,  but  the  case  is  different."  Dr.  Pusey 
afterwards  was  wont  sadly  to  say,  "Unhappily,  some  of  us  who 
loved  him  did  not  know  the  power  of  his  deep  sympathy  with 
the  young  heart,  and  thought  another  more  practical.  He 
could  not  bear  division,  so  withdrew.  The  whole  of  the  later 
history  of  our  Church  might  have  been  changed  had  we  been 
wiser;  but  God,  through  our  ignorance,  withdrew  him,  and  it 
must  have  been  well,  since  God  so  overruled  it.  To  us  it  became 
a  sorrow  of  our  lives." 

Keble's  domestic  attachments  were  exceedingly  strong. 
To  his  father  and  his  mother,  his  brother  and  his  sisters  he 
was  more  than  devoted,  and  when  his  mother  died  and  then  his 
sister,  his  father  seemed  to  need  his  presence  and  his  care.  So 
he  worked  with  him  in  the  cure  of  souls,  and  in  order  that  he 
might  do  this  declined  an  important  living  in  the  Diocese  of 
Exeter  and  an  archdeaconry  in  Barbadoes,  to  which  an  annual 
salary  of  ten  thousand  dollars  was  attached.  Money  was  with 
him  as  nothing.  Duty  was  everything.  His  father  died  in 
January,  1835.  In  October  of  that  year  he  was  married,  when 
he  was  forty-three  years  old.  He  then  settled  down  as  Vicar 
of  Hursley,  in  which  position  he  continued  to  serve  the  Master 
for  the  remaining  thirty  years  of  his  life. 

He  fell  asleep  March  29th,  A.  D.  1866,  loved  and  la- 
mented by  all  who  knew  him.  His  visible  monument,  raised 
by  his  friends   and   admirers,   is   Keble   College,   at   Oxford, 


JOHN  KEBLE  8i 


founded  in  1868.  His  real  monument  is  in  the  altered  lives 
of  thousands  whom  he  helped  to  save. 

So  much  for  the  story  in  outline,  and  now  for  some  of  the 
lessons  thereof. 

The  most  fascinating  and  energetic  and  capable  English 
bishop  of  the  last  generation  was  Bishop  Wilberforce.  "Soapy 
Sam"  he  was  often  familiarly  called,  doubtless  partly  because 
his  tact  and  ability  in  the  management  of  men  were  so  mar- 
velous. In  power  for  work,  and  for  rousing  others  to  work,  in 
strength  of  leadership,  no  public  man  in  England  was  his  equal. 
And,  like  all  other  public  men  in  England,  he  had  an  admiration 
for  the  personal  character  and  the  gifts  of  genius  that  shone 
from  the  daily  life  of  Keble. 

So,  naturally  enough,  he  thought  and  said  that  Keble 
ought  not  to  have  been  allowed  to  live  for  thirty  years,  and  then 
to  die,  as  Vicar  of  Hursley ;  that  promotion  to  some  conspicuous 
Church  dignity  ought  to  have  come  to  him.  That  such  promo- 
tion did  not  come  was,  in  the  opinion  of  Wilberforce,  a  shame 
and  disgrace.  Keble's  friend  and  biographer,  Mr.  Justice 
Coleridge,  writes  with  greater  moderation  on  the  same  subject 
when  he  says,  "Dignities  in  the  Church,  I  think,  never  entered 
into  his  contemplation  for  himself.  I  cannot  recollect,  in  all  our 
correspondence,  or  in  our  most  intimate  conversations,  a  single 
expression  which  pointed  that  way;  and  I  believe  that  if  they 
had  been  offered  they  would  have  been  declined.  *  *  * 
Yet  I  cannot  but  believe  that  it  would  have  been  good  for  Keble, 
good  for  both  parties  in  the  Church,  and,  what  is  more  to  the 
purpose,  have  conduced  to  the  holding  of  opinions  with 
more  charity,  if  honors  had  been  offered  to  and  accepted  by 
him.  A  long  experience  confirms  me  in  thinking  that  where 
persons  oppose  each  other  honestly,  however  decidedly,  in  belief 
or  opinion,  the  cause  of  truth,  which  commonly  lies  between 
both,  and  of  charity,  without  which  even  truth  itself  can  scarcely 
be  maintained  truly,  is  greatly  served  by  the  necessities,  the  soft- 
ening and  enlightening  necessities,  of  personal  and  official 
communion."  And  then  he  adds,  particularly  with  reference 
to  Keble,  that  "as  his  was  a  nature  so  humble  and  so  loving  that 
personal  influences  would  have  specially  touched  and  softened 


82  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

his  heart,  so  were  his  claims  and  merits  so  undeniable  and  so 
remarkable  that  to  pass  him  over  was  in  effect  not  merely  to 
ignore  them,  but  to  imply  in  some  measure  a  condemnation  of 
him." 

All  of  which  is  no  doubt  true,  but  there  is  another  side  to 
the  picture — a  side  drawn  by  himself  when  he  wrote : 

"I  am  not  so  insensible  to  ambition,  and  that  sort  of  thing,  as 
you  seem  to  think  me ;  and  many  such  letters  as  your  last  would,  I 
am  afraid,  help  to  make  me  more  or  less  uncomfortable  in  retire- 
ment; however,  in  my  cool  and  deliberate  judgment,  which  I 
am  sure  I  am  now  exerting  this  first  Monday  in  Advent,  1827, 
I  must  protest  against  the  doctrine  that  a  man  may  not  be  as 
truly  and  thoroughly  useful  in  such  a  situation  as  I  am  now  in, 
or  in  any  other  which  Providence  may  put  him  into,  as  if  he 
moved  in  a  commanding  sphere,  and  were  what  the  world  calls 
an  influential  character." 

The  Jewish  Church  of  old  stoned  her  prophets,  and  killed 
them  that  were  sent  unto  her.  The  Christian  Church  does  not 
quite  do  the  same,  but  she  sometimes  neglects  and  frequently 
opposes  them,  to  her  loss  certainly  in  one  way,  but  possibly  to 
her  gain  in  another. 

Keble's  influence  was  a  quiet  one,  but  it  was  none  the  less 
powerful.  Would  it  have  been  greater  if  he  had  been  Bishop 
of  Oxford  or  London,  or  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  ?  I  very- 
much  doubt  it.  And,  in  confirmation  of  my  opinion,  I  turn  to 
the  somewhat  similar  case  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg  in  the  American 
Church.  Would  he  have  been  a  greater  man  or  nobler  or  more 
influential  if  he  had  been  Bishop  of  !New  York  or  Pennsyl- 
vania ?  I  trow  not.  In  the  case  of  commonplace  men  influence 
depends  largely  upon  position.  In  the  case  of  really  great  men 
— God's  true  prophets — position  is  a  matter  of  secondary  con- 
sequence. Nay,  at  times,  it  may  interfere  with  and  defeat  the 
accomplishment  of  the  very  highest  purposes.  After  all,  who 
in  the  nineteenth  century  in  England  was  more  useful  than 
Keble  ?     Who  in  America  more  useful  than  Muhlenberg  ? 

Widespread  influence  upon  the  many  is  one  thing.  Con- 
centrated influence,  focalizing  the  rays  of  one's  power  and  set- 


JOHN  KEBLE  83 


ting  others  on  fire  thereby — even  a  few — is  another  thing;  but 
the  result  thereof  may  be  mightiest  among  the  mighty. 

Dean  Church,  one  of  the  best  of  the  chroniclers  of  the 
Oxford  Movement,  shows  clearly  the  way  in  which  this  influence 
worked  in  what  he  says  of  Isaac  Williams:  "He  had  before 
him  all  day  long  in  John  Keble  (who  was  then  living  in  a  small 
country  curacy  with  three  bright  young  Oxford  men  reading 
and  living  with  him)  a  spectacle  which  was  absolutely  new  to 
him.  Ambitious  as  a  rising  and  successful  scholar  at  college, 
he  saw  a  man  looked  up  to  and  wondered  at  by  every  one,  abso- 
lutely without  pride  and  without  ambition.  He  saw  the  most 
distinguished  academic  of  his  day,  to  whom  every  prospect  was 
open,  retiring  from  Oxford,  in  the  height  of  his  fame,  to  bury 
himself  with  a  few  hundreds  of  Gloucestershire  peasants  in  a 
miserable  curacy.  He  saw  this  man  caring  for  and  respecting 
the  ignorant  and  poor  as  much  as  others  respected  the  great  and 
the  learned.  He  saw  this  man,  who  had  made  what  the  world 
would  call  so  great  a  sacrifice,  apparently  unconscious  that  he 
had  made  any  sacrifice  at  all,  gay,  unceremonious,  bright,  full 
of  play  as  a  boy,  ready  with  his  pupils  for  any  exercise,  mental 
or  muscular — for  a  hard  ride,  or  a  crabbed  bit  of  -J^schylus,  or 
a  logic  fence  with  disputatious  and  paradoxical  undergraduates, 
giving  and  taking  on  every  ground.  These  pupils  saw  one,  the 
depth  of  whose  religion  no  one  could  doubt,  always  endeavoring 
to  do  them  good  as  it  were  unknown  to  themselves  and  in  secret, 
and  ever  avoiding  that  his  kindness  should  be  felt  and  acknowl- 
edged, showing  in  the  whole  course  of  daily  life  the  purity  of 
Christian  love,  and  taking  the  utmost  pains  to  make  no  profes- 
sion or  show  of  it." 

And  thus  Williams  entered  what  he  called  "quite  a  new 
world."  And  Hurrell  Froude  did  the  same.  Froude  was  a 
man  of  great  intellectual  powers  and  of  dauntless  courage ;  but, 
as  Dean  Church  well  says,  "He  was  open  to  higher  influences 
than  those  of  logic,  and  in  Keble  he  saw  what  subdued  and  won 
him  to  boundless  veneration  and  afi"ection.  Keble  won  the  love 
of  the  whole  little  society;  but  in  Froude  he  had  gained  a  dis- 
ciple who  was  to  be  the  mouthpiece  and  champion  of  his  ideas, 
and  who  was  to  react  on  himself  and  carry  him  forward  to 


84  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

larger  enterprises  and  bolder  resolutions  than  by  himself  he 
would  have  thought  of.  Froude  took  in  from  Keble  all  he  had 
to  communicate — principles,  convictions,  moral  rules  and  stan- 
dards of  life,  hopes,  fears,  antipathies.  And  his  keenly  tem- 
pered intellect,  and  his  determination  and  high  courage,  gave 
a  point  and  an  impulse  of  their  own  to  Keble's  views  and  pur- 
poses." 

So  that  John  Henry  Newman  was  right  when,  speaking  of 
the  Tractarian  movement,  he  wrote:  '^The  true  and  primary- 
author  of  it,  as  is  usual  with  great  motive  powers,  was  out  of 
sight.  Having  carried  off  as  a  mere  boy  the  highest  honors  of 
the  university,  he  had  turned  from  the  admiration  which  had 
haunted  his  steps  and  sought  for  a  better  and  holier  satisfaction 
in  pastoral  work  in  the  country.  ITeed  I  say  that  I  am  speaking 
of  John  Keble  ?" 

And  so  afterwards,  referring  to  the  time  of  his  own  return 
from  Italy,  he  wrote:  "The  following  Sunday,  July  14th,  Mr. 
Keble  preached  the  Assize  sermon  in  the  university  pulpit.  It 
was  published  under  the  title  of  'National  Apostasy.'  I  have 
ever  considered,  and  kept,  the  day  as  the  start  of  the  religious 
movement  of  1833." 

John  Keble,  then,  was  the  chief  instrument  in  putting  in 
motion  one  of  the  great  religious  movements  of  modern  times. 
And  his  preparation  for  that  work  had  come,  partially  at  least, 
through  the  hours  of  meditation  and  prayer  that  had  been  his 
privilege  and  his  strength  in  his  little  country  curacy. 

And  how  was  it  afterwards,  when  that  movement  was 
shifting,  no  one  seemed  to  know  whither,  when  fear  and  fury 
ruled  the  hour,  and  there  was  imminent  danger  that  the  Church 
of  England  would  suffer  great,  if  not  irreparable,  loss  ?  What 
more  needed  then  than  the  calm  wisdom  of  the  quiet  country- 
shepherd,  a  wisdom  born  of  contemplation  and  of  serene  com- 
munion with  God  ? 

John  Henry  Newman's  secession  to  Rome  was  a  great 
shock  to  many  noble  and  godly  Englishmen.  Must  there  be  a 
succession  of  such  shocks  ?  Who  would  go  next  ?  That  only 
fifty  clergymen  out  of  twenty  thousand  left  the  Church  of  their 
fathers  was  largely  owing  to  the  sanctified  good  sense  and  the 
dauntless  faith  of  Keble. 


JOHN  KEBLE  85 


"As  to  Rome,"  so  he  wrote  to  his  friend  Coleridge,  "come 
what  will,  'it  would  be  impossible'  "  (twice  underscored)  "for 
me  to  join  it  until  it  is  other  than  at  present.  *  *  *  The 
contingency  that  I  contemplate,  a  very  dreary  one,  but  such  an 
one  as  I  ought  not  to  think  it  strange  if  I  incur  it,  is  not  going 
to  Kome,  but  being  driven  out  of  all  communion  whatever," 

But  the  Church  was  better  than  he  feared ;  and  he  went  on 
doing  his  work  therein,  a  work  of  faith  towards  God,  and  of 
love  towards  man.  Strong  men  sought  him  out  in  his  solitude. 
He  became  the  spiritual  adviser  of  many,  and  so  the  strong  god- 
like forces  within  him  burned  on,  shedding  a  great  light  upon 
many  a  dreary  path.  He  lived,  indeed,  the  life  of  a  "country 
parson,"  but  the  influences  of  nature  soothed  him,  and  quiet 
communion  with  God  refreshed  him  and  gave  him  strength  and 
wisdom,  so  that  in  his  solitude  even  he  was  a  leader  of  leaders, 
and  wrought  mightily  for  God  and  man.  Could  he  have  done 
more  if  he  had  lived  in  the  bustling  crowd  ?  ISTot  so,  not  so !  for 
then  these  words  of  Wilberforce  could  not  have  been  written 
of  him  so  truly :  "]S[ever  aiming  to  acquire  influence,  he  exerted 
it  in  the  highest  measure  on  every  one  who  came  within  his 
reach,  and  widely  beyond  his  immediate  sphere  upon  the  Church 
at  large.  He  took  a  resolute  part  in  all  the  most  stirring  con- 
troversies of  the  time,  and  yet  no  one  could  ever  point  to  a  word 
of  his,  written  or  spoken,  which  had  inflicted  one  needless 
wound  upon  any  one  opposed  to  him.  He  gave  England's 
sacred  literature  the  high  boon  of  'The  Christian  Year.'  He 
gave  England's  Church  the  learning  of  a  deep  divine,  the  love 
and  trust  of  a  loyal  son,  the  labor  of  a  devoted  priest,  and  the 
pattern  of  a  saint." 

There  is  another  lesson,  also,  and  one  which  I  think  to  be 
even  more  striking  and  important.  In  his  ecclesiastical  views 
I  am  not  in  sympathy  with  John  Keble.  He  represents  a  school 
of  thought  in  the  Church  the  position  taken  by  which  seems  to 
me  to  be  one-sided  and  extreme.  In  matters  of  opinion  there 
are  changes  all  the  while  going  on  in  the  Church  precisely  as 
changes  go  on  in  the  State.  Parties  change,  new  issues  come  up, 
new  ways  of  looking  at  things  appear.  We  had  a  Federal  party 
in  our  country  at  one  time ;  that  party  is  dead.     And  the  Whig 


86  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

party,  so-called,  has  gone  the  way  of  all  the  earth.  Existing 
parties  also  in  time  will  die.  But  patriotism  will  live,  and  men 
will  rise  up  to  stand  firmly  for  what  they  believe  to  be  the  prin- 
ciples by  which  we  should  be  governed.  Just  so  in  the  Church. 
In  the  eighteenth  century  the  Evangelical  movement  was  a 
movement  for  truth  and  righteousness,  a  movement  largely 
honored  of  God ;  and  so  an  Evangelical  party  sprang  up,  both 
in  England  and  America.  And  it  did  good  work.  It  stood  for 
truth,  but  not  the  whole  truth.  It  emphasized  inward  Christian 
experience.  It  made  little  of  outward  Christian  fellowship.  It 
neglected  the  body  whilst  it  cared  for  the  soul.  And  so  very 
naturally  the  Tractarian  movement  sprang  into  life,  charged 
with  the  high  mission  of  calling  attention  to  much  neglected 
truth.  The  Church  of  England  was  for  the  people  of  England 
the  house  of  the  living  God,  and  its  housekeeping,  to  say  the 
least,  had  been  shiftless.  There  was  dirt  in  this  comer,  there 
were  rags  in  that  comer,  and  the  faded  and  rickety  furniture 
distressed,  almost  appalled,  some  faithful  and  noble  hearts. 
The  Church's  altars  were  desolate,  her  priests  were  sighing,  her 
virgins  in  afiliction.  And  so  the  call  came  to  purification  and 
renovation ;  and  it  was  a  righteous  call.  With  my  present  way 
of  looking  at  things,  I  could  not  have  joined  in  the  Tractarian 
movement.  I  should  have  struggled  for  something  different, 
for  something  better,  as  I  believe.  At  the  same  time,  as  an 
honest  man,  and  one  who  loves  the  Church  of  God  which  He  has 
purchased  with  His  own  blood,  I  could  not  have  withheld  my 
word  of  commendation  of  the  motives  by  which  many  Tracta- 
rians  were  stirred,  and  my  appreciation  of  the  Christlike  spirit 
by  them  very  often  displayed. 

In  his  valuable  little  book  upon  American  politics  Alex- 
ander Johnston  showed  clearly  that  from  the  beginning  our 
national  party  differences  have  been  along  the  line  of  a  strict 
or  loose  construction  of  the  constitution.  So  we  have  always 
had  in  our  public  life  two  classes  of  leaders — strict  construc- 
tionists and  broad  constructionists.  The  difference  is  as  deep 
as  human  nature  itself.  Some  men  by  temperament  are  broad 
constructionists.  Some  men  by  temperament  are  strict  con- 
structionists. And  this  difference  strikes  its  roots  into  the  life 
of  both  Church  and  State. 


JOHN  KEBLE  87 


There  are  parties  in  the  Church  of  England  to-day  pre- 
cisely as  there  are  parties  in  the  English  State;  and  it  is  well 
that  there  should  be,  provided  Churchmen  remember  that  they 
are  followers  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  essential  spirit  of  whose  life 
and  teaching  can  be  summed  up  in  the  one  word,  Charity. 

"We  cannot  tell  how  it  may  be  a  score  of  years  from  now, 
but  to-day  there  are  men  of  brains  and  of  deep  spirituality  who 
are  following  along  lines  laid  down  by  Keble  and  Pusey  and 
Liddon — thinking  much  as  they  thought,  struggling  much  in 
the  same  way  in  which  they  struggled. 

There  is  another  school,  represented  in  the  past  by  such 
giants  as  Thomas  Arnold  and  Eichard  Whately  and  Maurice 
and  Eobertson  and  Kingsley  and  Dean  Stanley.     This  latter 
school  appeals  to  me  as  the  other  school  does  not.     But,  because 
I  glory  in  the  truth  given  to  one  set  of  men  to  proclaim,  and 
join  with  them  in  trying  to  proclaim  it  myself  as  the  very  truth 
of  God  that  must  save  in  time  and  in  eternity,  must  I  turn 
against  and  denounce  another  set  of  men  who,  in  their  way,  are 
striving  for  the  honor  of  Christ  and  His  Church,  and  bearing 
fruit  unto  holiness   and   the  end   everlasting  life  ?     ]^o !     A 
thousand  times  no.     If  I  had  been  a  patriot  in  Revolutionary 
times,  and  had  come  to  know  General  Lafayette,  I  should  doubt- 
less have  said :    He  is  a  Frenchman  and  I  am  an  American. 
His  language  I  cannot  understand,  or  speak,  except  imperfectly. 
But,  though  his  dialect  is  different  from  mine,  in  this  great 
cause  of  liberty  he  is  my  brother,  and  with  him  I  rejoice  to 
stand  hand  in  hand.     And  so,  when  I  see  a  man  who  is  called  a 
Ritualist  glorifying   Christ  through  his   self-sacrificing  activ- 
ity, and  leading  a  saintly  life,  I  say  I  do  not  understand  that 
man's  dialect.     He  speaks  to  me  in  a  strange  tongue.     But  the 
Master  once  said,  "No  man  can  do  a  miracle  in  my  name,  and 
speak  lightly  of  me."     And  that  man  really  works  miracles  in 
the  way  of  moral  transformation.     The  Master's  smile  irradi- 
ates his  countenance.     So  in  spirit,  at  any  rate,  if  not  in  out- 
ward expression,  he  and  I  are  one.     And  surely  we  ought  to  be 
able  to  say  to  each  other,   "Now  therefore  we   are  no  more 
strangers   and  foreigners,  but  fellow-citizens   with  the   saints 
and  of  the  household  of  God,  and  are  built  upon  the  foundation 


88  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

of  the  Apostles  and  Prophets,  Jesus  Christ  Himself  being  the 
chief  corner-stone." 

It  really  makes  one  sick  at  heart  to  see  the  spirit  manifested 
by  men  of  both  schools  of  thought  in  days  gone  by.  Men  of  the 
school  of  Arnold  and  Whately  were  intolerant  of  men  of  the 
school  of  Keble  and  of  iJ^ewman.  Think  of  Pusey  being 
silenced  as  a  preacher  for  two  years  by  men  of  the  school  opposed 
to  him,  chiefly  because  they  had  the  power  and  were  blown  along 
by  the  fierce  winds  that  were  howling  round.  And  think  of  the 
treatment  received  from  his  so-called  Christian  brethren  by  that 
noble  prophet  and  true  saint  of  God,  Frederick  Denison 
Maurice. 

Keble's  heart  was  the  only  thing  that  kept  him  straight,  for 
men  of  his  party  were  as  narrow  and  violent  as  the  rest,  ready 
to  anathematize  men  because  they  did  not  agree  with  them. 

Let  us  rejoice  that  these  clouds  of  animosity  have  rolled 
by,  and  that  we  have  passed  out  into  the  region  of  the  joyous 
shinings  of  the  sun,  and  let  us  hold  fast  to  our  faith  in  the 
one  Catholic  and  Apostolic  Church.  Any  Church  founded  by 
Christ  and  His  Apostles  must  be  a  broad,  tolerant,  comprehen- 
sive Church.  It  must  have  in  it  High  Churchmen  and  Low 
Churchmen,  Calvinists  and  Arminians,  Prohibitionists  and 
Temperance  men,  men  who  believe  almost  literally  in  the  en- 
during agonies  of  a  lake  of  fire,  and  men  who  repudiate  that 
doctrine  as  wildly  false.  It  will  baptize  by  sprinkling,  pouring, 
or  immersion.  It  will  worship  through  a  liturgical  service 
that  enshrines  the  saintly  grace  and  wisdom  of  many  centuries, 
and  it  will  pour  out  its  petitions  to  the  Great  Being  above  in 
unlettered  phrase — even  ungrammatical — provided  it  comes 
from  the  depths  of  a  burning  Christian  heart. 

Concerning  Keble,  Dean  Stanley  has  written,  and,  I  think, 
with  truth,  that  "if  a  judgment  had  been  pronounced  in  his  life- 
time which  had  rendered  it  penal  for  an  English  clergyman  to 
profess  his  belief  in  the  real  presence  in  the  Eucharist,  and  in 
the  lawfulness  and  duty  of  adoring  that  real  presence,  John 
Keble,  if  any  man,  would  have  been  struck  at  and  excluded 
from  the  pale  of  the  Church  of  England.  We  ask,  without  any 
fear    of    contradiction,    is    there    any    English    Churchman, 


JOHN  KEBLE  89 


is  there  any  English  ISTonconformist,  who  would  not  have 
regretted  such  a  consummation  ?  What  would  the  Church 
of  England  have  gained  by  losing  from  its  ranks  one  of  its 
most  distinguished  luminaries — one  who  has  done  more  than 
any  other  man  in  our  generation  to  endear  its  devotions  to 
the  nation?  What  would  the  country  have  gained?  What 
would  the  lamented  and  respected  victim  himself  have 
gained  by  becoming  the  member,  perhaps  the  leader,  perhaps 
even  the  bishop  of  a  small  exclusive  bitter  sect,  which  would 
have  exaggerated  all  these  qualities  which  we  have  felt  bound 
to  notice,  and  dwarfed  all  these  noble  qualities  which  have  made 
his  poetry  and  his  character  a  treasure  of  the  whole  nation?" 

Let  us  stand  fast  for  the  great,  broad,  wide  comprehensive- 
ness of  Christ's  Church  on  earth. 

In  this  connection  Robertson's  well-expressed  thought  is 
to  be  commended,  which  tells  us,  that  "poetry  discovers  good  in 
men  who  differ  from  us,  and  so  teaches  us  that  we  are  one  with 
them.  For  the  poet  belongs  to  the  world  rather  than  to  his 
party ;  speaks  his  party's  feelings,  which  are  human ;  not  their 
watchwords  and  formulas,  which,  being  forms  of  the  intellect, 
are  transitory,  often  false,  always  limited.  Thus,  Romanism  and 
Puritanism,  and  their  modern  feeble  descendants,  as  dogmatic 
systems,  are  forbidding  enough.  But  listen  to  Dante,  and  you 
will  feel  that  purgatory,  false  as  a  dogma,  is  true  as  the  symbo- 
lism of  an  everlasting  fact  of  the  human  soul.  Hear  Milton 
sing,  and  the  heart  of  Puritanism  is  recognized  as  a  noble  and 
manly  thing.  And,  however  repelled  you  may  be  by  the  false 
metaphysics,  the  pretensions  to  infallible  interpretations,  the 
cant  phrases,  and  the  impotent  intolerance  which  characterize 
the  dwarfed  and  dwindled  Puritanism  of  our  own  days,  out  of 
which  all  pith  and  manhood  appear  to  have  departed,  who  does 
not  feel  disposed  to  be  tender  to  it  for  Cowper's  gentle  sake  ? 
However  out  of  date  the  effort  of  the  Tractarian  may  seem  to 
you,  to  reproduce  the  piety  of  the  past  through  the  forms  of 
the  past,  instead  of  striving,  like  a  true  prophet,  to  interpret 
the  aspirations  of  the  present  in  forms  which  shall  truly  repre- 
sent and  foster  them,  what  man  is  there  to  whose  heart  Keble 
has  not  shown  that  in  Tractarianism,  too,  there  is  a  real  'soul 


90  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

of  goodness/  a  life  and  a  meaning  which  mere  negations  can- 
not destroy  ?" 

Connop  Thirlwall,  late  Bishop  of  St.  David's,  said  wisely, 
a  generation  ago:  ''There  is  an  opposition,  which  all  educated 
men  more  or  less  clearly  understand,  between  High  Church 
and  Low  Church,  but  there  is  none  between  Broad  Church  and 
either.  The  proper  antithesis  to  Broad  is  not  High  or  Low, 
but  ISTarrow.  *  *  *  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  treat  Broad 
Church  as  a  term  of  reproach.  Let  others  interpret  it  as  they 
will,  to  me  it  does  not  appear  an  appropriate  description  of  any 
existing  'school,'  party,  or  body,  held  together  by  a  common  set 
of  theological  tenets.  I  understand  it  as  signifying  a  certain 
stamp  of  individual  character,  which  I  would  describe  as  a 
disposition  to  recognize  and  appreciate  that  which  is  true  and 
good  under  all  varieties  of  forms,  and  in  persons  separated  from 
one  another  by  the  most  conflicting  opinions." 

Let  such  Broad  Churchmanship  grow  and  aboimd! 

And  now  a  word  only  in  conclusion  as  to  Keble's  hymns. 
For  holy  matrimony  he  sings : 

240     The  voice  that  breathed  o'er  Eden. 

For  Eogation  Days ; 

189    Lord,  in  Thy  name,  Thy  servants  plead. 

For  Confirmation: 

214    Draw,  Holy  Ghost,  Thy  sevenfold  veil. 

And  for  all  occasions: 

410    Blest  are  the  pure  in  heart. 

I  should  like  to  quote  his  words  at  length,  but  I  must  for- 
bear, referring  only  to  two  of  his  hymns,  which  you  and  I  are 
likely  to  continue  to  use  and  to  love. 

How  sweetly  he  sings  for  the  morning : 

New  mercies,  each  returning  day. 
Hover  around  us  while  we  pray; 
New  perils  past,  new  sins  forgiven, 
New  thoughts  of  God,  new  hopes  of  heaven. 


JOHN  KEBLE  91 


And  so — 

The  trivial  round,  the  common  task. 
Will  furnish  all  we  ought  to  ask; 
Room  to  deny  ourselves,  a  road 
To  bring  us  daily  nearer  God. 

Only,  O  Lord,  in  Thy  dear  love, 
Fit  us  for  perfect  rest  above; 
And  help  us,  this  and  every  day, 
To  live  more  nearly  as  we  pray. 

His  evening  hymn  I  must  give  in  full : 

'Tis  gone,  that  bright  and  orbed  blaze. 
Fast  fading  from  our  wistful  gaze ; 
Yon  mantling  cloud  has  hid  from  sight 
The  last  faint  pulse  of  quivering  light. 

In  darkness  and  in  weariness 
The  traveler  on  his  way  must  press. 
No  gleam  to  watch  on  tree  or  tower, 
Whiling  away  the  lonesome  hour. 

Sun  of  my  soul!  Thou  Saviour  dear. 
It  is  not  night  if  Thou  be  near; 
Oh,  may  no  earth  born  cloud  arise 
To  hide  Thee  from  Thy  servant's  eyes. 

When  round  Thy  wondrous  works  below 
My  searching,  rapturous  glance  I  throw. 
Tracing  out  Wisdom,  Power  and  Love, 
In  earth  or  sky,  in  stream  or  grove; 

Or  by  the  light  Thy  words  disclose 
Watch  Time's  full  river  as  it  flows. 
Scanning  Thy  gracious  Providence, 
Where  not  too  deep  for  mortal  sense: — 

When  with  dear  friends  sweet  talk  I  hold. 
And  all  the  flowers  of  life  unfold; 
Let  not  my  heart  within  me  bum. 
Except  in  all  I  Thee  discern. 

When  the  soft  dews  of  kindly  sleep 
My  weary  eyelids  gently  steep. 
Be  my  last  thought,  how  sweet  to  rest 
Forever  on  my  Saviour's  breast. 


92  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Abide  with  me  from  morn  till  eve. 
For  without  Thee  I  cannot  live; 
Abide  with  me  when  night  is  nigh. 
For  without  Thee  I  dare  not  die. 

Thou  framer  of  the  light  and  dark. 
Steer  through  the  tempest  Thine  own  ark: 
Amid  the  howling  wintry  sea 
We  are  in  port  if  we  have  Thee. 

The  rulers  of  this  Christian  land, 
'Twixt  Thee  and  us  ordained  to  stand, — 
Guide  Thou  their  course,  O  Lord,  aright. 
Let  all  do  all  as  in  Thy  sight. 

Oh,  by  Thine  own  sad  burden  borne 
So  meekly  up  the  hill  of  scorn. 
Teach  Thou  Thy  priests  their  daily  cross 
To  bear  as  Thine,  nor  count  it  loss. 

If  some  poor  wandering  child  of  Thine 
Have  spurned  to-day  the  voice  divine, 
Now,  Lord,  the  gracious  work  begin; 
Let  him  no  more  lie  down  in  sin. 

Watch  by  the  sick;  enrich  the  poor 
With  blessings  from  Thy  boundless  store ; 
Be  every  mourner's  sleep  to-night. 
Like  infant's  slumbers,  pure  and  light. 

Come  near  and  bless  us  when  we  wake. 
Ere  through  the  world  our  way  we  take, 
Till  in  the  ocean  of  Thy  love 
We  lose  ourselves  in  heaven  above. 

John  Keble,  then,  believed  in  the  Ocean  of  God's  hve. 
That  belief,  in  a  special  sense,  makes  him  my  brother. 

Out  upon  that  ocean  you  and  I  are  sailing.  The  winds  are 
rough  at  times ;  the  waves  beat  high.  But  our  Father  is  at  the 
helm,  and  the  port  is  not  far  off.  There,  with  Keble  and  with 
all  God's  saints,  may  you  and  I  find  rest  and  joy  forevermore. 


VI. 
John  Henry  Newman 


(93) 


I  am  perfectly  aware  of  the  difficulty,  almost  impossibility,  of 
doing  justice  to  men  from  some  of  whose  forms  of  thought  I  am  greatly 
repelled.  *  *  *  i  apologize  for  the  unavoidable  rudeness  of  a 
critic  who  would  fain  be  honest  if  he  might ;  and  I  humbly  thanli  all 
such  as  Dr.  Newman,  whose  verses,  revealing  their  saintship,  make  us 
long  to  be  holier  men. 

Geobge  Macdonaxd. 

No  doubt  the  Reformation  was  in  some  sort  a  religious  insur- 
rection in  which  much  was  swept  away  that  ought  to  have  been  pre- 
served. But  to  condemn  it  by  wholesale  as  Newman  did,  refusing  to 
see  In  it  a  Divine  rebuke  of  great  sins,  and  a  recovery  of  most  important 
truths  as  to  the  Cross  of  Christ,  was  to  deny  God  in  history. 

The  Reformation  can  never  be  left  out  as  a  great  factor  for  good 
as  well  as  for  evil,  in  the  progress  of  the  Church.  Those  who  look 
upon  it  as  nothing  but  a  moral  and  spiritual  pestilence,  will  never  be 
used  of  God  in  a  truly  catholic  work,  such  as  must  be  done  to  prepare 
the  Church — her  members  of  all  generations — for  the  great  event  which 
is  before  her,  the  Marriage  of  the  Lamb. 

WnxiAM  Watson  Andrews. 


(94) 


VI. 
JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN. 

The  transition  from  John  Keble  to  John  Henry  Newman 
is  easy.  We  are  now  to  consider  the  latter  of  these  two  great 
men,  and  his  well-known  hymn,  "Lead,  Kindly  Light,  Amid  the 
Encircling  Gloom."  This  hymn  has  been  translated  into  sev- 
eral different  languages,  and  is  sung  all  over  the  globe.  The 
man  who  wrote  it  was  one  of  the  remarkable  men  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  When  Cardinal  Newman  died  (in  1890)  one 
of  the  most  picturesque  and  interesting  figures  of  our  era  passed 
away  from  earth.  I  confess  to  a  feeling  of  more  than  ordinary 
difiidence  in  attempting  to  sketch  the  story  of  his  life,  for,  while 
I  recognize  the  marvelous  gifts  of  the  man,  and  honor  him  for 
his  attainments  and  his  character,  I  cannot  avoid  the  thought 
that  his  gifts  might  have  been  more  wisely  used,  and  so  more 
have  been  accomplished  by  him  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  men. 

John  Heney  Newman  was  bom  in  the  city  of  London 
February  21,  1801.  His  father  was  a  banker,  engrossed  in 
business.  His  mother  was  of  French  Protestant  extraction,  a 
devout  and  godly  woman.  He  was  brought  up  to  take  great 
delight  in  the  Bible  and  to  read  books  of  Calvinistic  theology. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was  the  subject  of  a  marked  religious 
experience,  concerning  which  he  wrote  more  than  half  a  century 
afterwards,  "I  believed  that  the  inward  conversion  of  which  I 
was  then  conscious  (and  of  which  I  still  am  more  certain  than 
that  I  have  hands  and  feet)  would  last  into  the  next  life,  and 
that  I  was  elected  to  eternal  glory," 

The  higher  religious  life  upon  which  he  then  entered  was 
an  earnest  one,  although  the  books  which  he  read  were  narrow 
in  their  outlook  and  well  suited  to  inflame  partisan  zeal. 

His  college  course  at  Oxford  was  not  extraordinary  and 

(95) 


96  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

did  not  result  in  great  scholastic  distinction,  partly  because 
just  before  his  graduation  his  father  failed  in  business,  and  it 
was  necessary  for  him  to  push  rapidly  towards  securing  his 
degree,  which  came  to  him  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  Two  years 
afterwards  he  was  successful  in  winning  a  fellowship  at  Oriel, 
which  meant  for  him  financial  independence  so  long  as  he 
chose  to  remain  at  Oxford,  and,  what  was  of  even  greater  value, 
the  privilege  of  association  upon  terms  of  intimacy  with  the 
brilliant  and  rising  leaders  of  that  intellectual  world. 

In  order  to  understand  his  subsequent  career  it  will  be 
necessary  to  understand  some  of  the  moving  forces  of  the  time. 

A  new  age  was  dawning — an  age  of  liberalism — an  age  of 
enfranchisement.  Men  had  long  believed  in  the  divine  rights  of 
kings  and  of  priests  and  of  a  favored  aristocracy.  From 
that  they  had  reacted,  and  were  then  thinking  more  of  certain 
equal  rights  as  between  man  and  man.  Besides,  the  Church 
had  been  brought  into  a  condition  of  degradation.  Mr.  Glad- 
stone tells  us  that  its  services  were  unparalleled  for  baldness 
and  lifelessness  and  wretchedness,  that  they  would  have  shocked 
a  Brahmin  or  a  Buddhist,  and  that  the  people  were  content  to 
have  it  so.  Many  parsons  drew  their  salaries  from  the  Church's 
endowments  who  did  no  spiritual  work — in  fact,  they  were 
incapable  of  doing  spiritual  work — and  religion  suffered  greatly 
in  consequence. 

Under  such  circumstances  it  was  certain  that  the  Church 
would  be  attacked;  and  it  was  equally  certain  that  champions 
would  spring  forth  for  her  defense. 

When  the  time  of  this  conflict  came,  John  Henry  E'ewman 
was  thirty-two  years  old,  full  of  intellectual  vigor  and  swayed 
with  a  mighty  enthusiasm.     This  was  in  the  year  1833. 

Ten  Bishoprics  of  the  Irish  Church  had  been  suppressed 
by  Parliament  and  their  endowments  appropriated  to  other 
uses,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  emancipation  act  had  been  passed, 
partially  undoing  the  wrongs  of  generations.  The  justice  of 
that  act  seems  to  us  perfectly  clear,  for,  in  addition  to  its 
repeal  of  legal  provisions  which  were  so  iniquitous  that  by 
common  consent  no  attempt  was  made  to  enforce  them,  the 
provision   that   Roman   Catholics     should   sit   in   Parliament, 


JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  97 

provided  thej  were  duly  elected  thereto,  was  perfectly  right 
and  proper,  for,  as  Archbishop  Whately  was  wont  to  say,  "To 
exclude  any  class  of  men  from  public  offices  in  consequence  of 
their  religion  is  to  make  Christ's  a  kingdom  of  this  world,  which 
He  and  His  disciples  distinctly  and  expressly  disclaimed;  and 
besides  to  tempt  persons  to  profess  a  religion  they  believe  to  be 
false,  in  order  to  insure  their  worldly  advancement,  would  be 
to  hold  out  a  premium  to  hypocrisy  and  false  profession." 

The  rising  spirit  of  liberalism,  however,  was  in  danger 
of  going  too  far.  And  it  did  go  too  far  when  the  head  of  the 
English  Government  publicly  said  to  the  bishops  that  they 
would  do  well  to  set  their  house  in  order,  implying  that  spolia- 
tion of  the  English  Church  might  be  very  near  at  hand. 

At  this  juncture  a  band  of  noble  and  of  earnest  men  rose 
to  stand  by  the  Church — to  defend  it  from  external  attack  and 
to  purify  it  from  internal  disease.  Ere  long,  however,  this 
band  separated  into  two  divisions,  with  Whately  and  Arnold 
on  the  one  side  and  Keble  and  Newman  on  the  other.  Arnold 
was  a  noble  specimen  of  Christian  manhood.  Whately  was 
true,  through  and  through,  and  of  immense  intellectual  power. 
Keble  was  the  idol  of  Oxford — a  scholar,  a  poet  and  a  saint. 
iN'ewman  was  the  gifted  preacher,  swaying  the  undergraduate 
crowds  who  thronged  to  hear  him  with  the  spell  of  a  match- 
less eloquence. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  the  hymn,  "Lead,  Kindly  Light," 
was  written.  Let  the  story  of  personal  experience  leading  up 
to  it  be  told  in  N"ewman's  own  words.  "Great  events  were 
happening  at  home  and  abroad.  *  *  *  There  had 
been  a  revolution  in  France.  The  great  reform  agitation  was 
going  on  (in  England).  The  Whigs  had  come  into  power. 
Lord  Grey  had  told  the  bishops  to  set  their  house  in  order, 
and  some  of  the  prelates  had  been  insulted  and  threatened  in 
the  streets  of  London.  The  vital  question  was,  how  were  we  to 
keep  the  Church  from  being  liberalized?  There  was  such 
apathy  on  the  subject  in  some  quarters,  such  imbecile  alarm 
in  others ;  the  true  principles  of  churchmanship  seemed  so 
radically  decayed,  and  there  was  such  distraction  in  the  councils 
of  the  clergy.     *     *     *     j  fgJt  affection  for  my  own  Church, 


98  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

but  not  tenderness.  I  felt  dismay  at  her  prospects,  anger  and 
scorn  at  her  do-nothing  perplexity.  I  thought  that,  if  Liberal- 
ism once  got  a  footing  within  her,  it  was  sure  of  victory.  I 
saw  that  Reformation  principles  were  powerless  to  rescue  her. 
As  to  leaving  her,  the  thought  never  crossed  my  imagination. 
Still,  I  ever  kept  before  me  that  there  was  something  greater 
than  the  Established  Church,  and  that  was  the  Church  Catholic 
and  Apostolic,  set  up  from  the  beginning,  of  which  she  was  but 
the  local  presence  and  the  organ.  She  was  nothing  unless  she 
was  this.  She  must  be  dealt  with  strongly  or  she  would  be  lost. 
There  was  need  of  a  second  reformation. 

"At  this  time  I  was  disengaged  from  college  duties,  and 
as  my  health  had  suffered  from  much  labor  I  was  easily  per- 
suaded to  join  Hurrell  Troude  and  his  father,  who  were  going 
to  the  south  of  Europe. 

"England  was  in  my  thought  solely,  and  the  news  from 
England  came  rarely  and  imperfectly.  The  bill  for  the  sup- 
pression of  the  Irish  sees  was  in  progress  and  filled  my  mind. 
I  had  fierce  thoughts  against  the  Liberals. 

"When  we  took  leave  of  Monsignor  Wiseman  he  had 
courteously  expressed  a  wish  that  we  might  make  a  second  visit 
to  Rome.  I  said  with  great  gravity,  'We  have  a  work  to  do 
in  England.'  I  went  down  at  once  to  Sicily,  and  the  presenti- 
ment grew  stronger.  I  struck  into  the  middle  of  the  Island 
and  there  fell  iU  of  a  fever.  My  servant  thought  that  I  was 
dying,  and  begged  for  my  last  directions.  I  gave  them  as  he 
wished;  but  I  said,  'I  shall  not  die.'  I  repeated,  'I  shall  not 
die,  for  I  have  not  sinned  against  light.'  Before  starting  for 
Palermo  I  sat  down  on  my  bed  and  began  to  sob  violently. 
My  servant,  who  had  acted  as  my  nurse,  asked  what  ailed  me.  I 
could  only  answer,  'I  have  a  work  to  do  in  England.'  I  was 
aching  to  get  home;  yet  for  want  of  a  vessel  I  was  kept  at 
Palermo  for  three  weeks.  *  *  *  At  last  I  got  off  in  an 
orange  boat,  bound  for  Marseilles.  Then  it  was  that  I  wrote 
the  lines,  'Lead,  Kindly  Light,'  We  were  becalmed  a  whole 
week.  I  was  writing  verses  the  whole  time  of  my  passage. 
I  reached  home  on  Tuesday.  The  following  Sunday,  July 
14th,  Mr.  Keble  preached  the  Assize  sermon  in  the  University 


JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  99 


pulpit.  It  was  published  under  the  title,  'ISTational  Apostasy.' 
I  have  ever  considered  and  kept  the  day  as  the  start  of  the 
religious  movement  of  1833." 

This  religious  movement  was  carried  forward  bj  means 
of  certain  publications  in  tract  form,  intended  to  re-establish 
the  Church  of  England  in  the  affections  of  the  people  by  the 
revival  of  what  was  called  "true  Catholicism."  Four  doctrines 
were  chiefly  emphasized :  Apostolic  succession.  Baptismal  regen- 
eration, the  Eucharistic  sacrifice,  and  the  appeal  to  the  Church 
from  the  beginning  as  the  depository  and  witness  of  the  truth. 
By  apostolic  succession  was  meant  a  succession  of  bishops 
from  the  days  of  the  apostles,  following  in  their  line  and 
clothed  with  their  authority,  so  that  without  a  bishop  the  exist- 
ence of  a  true  Church  was  impossible,  and  only  those  ordained 
by  bishops  in  the  line  of  the  apostolic  succession  were  valid 
ministers,  "and  those  who  take  upon  themselves  the  office  of 
the  ministry  without  warrant  from  God  are  guilty  of  the  sin  of 
Korah,  Dathan  and  Abiram,  who  were  swallowed  up  in  an 
earthquake,  and  of  Uzziah,  King  of  Judah,  who  was  struck 
with  leprosy." 

The  doctrine  of  baptismal  regeneration  made  of  baptism 
a  transforming  power,  and  the  teaching  concerning  the  Euchar- 
istic sacrifice  declared  that  in  the  Lord's  Supper  there  is  a  real 
presence  of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ ;  that  it  is  a  sacrifice 
offered  to  God,  and  that  it  confers  grace.  And  by  the  appeal 
to  the  Church  was  meant  that  "there  are  two  sources  of  author- 
itative doctrine  and  of  revealed  truth  of  co-ordinate  authority 
and  equal  importance,  holy  Scripture  and  tradition." 

Of  course,  in  the  Protestant  Church  of  England  this 
movement  met  with  strong  opposition.  Dr.  Arnold  character- 
ized it  as  "directing  its  powers  to  the  setting  up  of  a  ritual  a 
name,  a  dress,  a  ceremony,  a  technical  phraseology,  the  super- 
stition of  a  priesthood  without  its  power,  the  form  of  Episcopal 
government  without  its  substance,  a  system  imperfect  and 
paralyzed,  not  independent,  not  sovereign,  afraid  to  cast  off 

the  subjection   against  which  it  is  perpetually  murmuring 

objects  so  pitiful  that,  if  gained  ever  so  completely,  they  would 
make  no  man  the  wiser  or  the  better ;  they  would  lead  to  no  good 
intellectual,  moral  or  spiritual." 


740325A 


loo  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

]!^evertheless,  for  eiglit  years  tliis  movement  grew  and 
prospered.  The  crisis  came  in  1841,  when  Tract  Ko.  90  was 
issued,  written  by  John  Henry  Newman. 

In  those  days  subscription  to  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  was 
required  before  one  could  become  a  clergyman.  And  by  very 
many  this  subscription  was  thought  to  be  a  bondage.  The 
purpose  of  Mr.  N^ewman  in  this  tract  was  to  show  that  "the 
articles  might  be  subscribed  in  safety  by  those  who  held  the 
doctrines  of  Catholic  antiquity;  that  is,  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  though  not  of  individual  members  of  that 
Church,  or  of  certain  sects  or  schismatics  within  her  bosom; 
that  it  was  against  these  errors,  and  not  against  the  Church  of 
Rome  herself,  nor  against  her  legitimate  teaching,  that  the 
articles  were  drawn  up." 

The  storm  which  followed  the  publication  of  this  tract 
was  what  we  call  in  these  days  a  cyclone.  For  the  time 
at  least,  if  not  forever,  Mr.  IvTewman  was  discredited  in  the 
English  Church,  and  his  position  as  a  leader  was  gone. 

At  the  same  time  the  matter  of  the  Jerusalem  Bishopric 
came  up.  And  by  arrangement  between  the  Governments  of 
England  and  Prussia  a  clergyman  was  consecrated  bishop,  who, 
in  the  East,  was  to  be  in  charge  of  Anglicans  and  of  Lutherans. 
Lutherans  were  to  be  ordained  upon  subscribing  to  the  Augs- 
burg Confession,  and  Anglicans  upon  subscribing  to  the  Thirty- 
nine  Articles. 

In  ISTewman's  case  this  was  the  last  straw.  He  issued 
his  formal  protest  against  the  action,  and  afterwards  wrote, 
"From  the  end  of  1841  I  was  on  my  death-bed,  as  regards  my 
membership  with  the  Anglican  Church,"  He  lingered  until 
1845,  when  he  was  received  into  the  communion  of  the  Church 
of  Rome. 

In  that  Church  he  was,  for  a  long  time,  what  we  call  a 
"white  elephant."  In  1848  he  became  Father  Superior  of  an 
Oratory  at  Birmingham.  In  1854  he  was  appointed  rector  of  a 
newly  founded  Roman  Catholic  university  at  Dublin,  where 
he  remained  only  four  years.  In  1858  he  returned  to  Bir- 
mingham. 

A   man  like   Manning,    who   was    an   ecclesiastic,    might 


JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  loi 

readily  be  appointed  a  cardinal  during  the  reign  of  Pius  IX. 
But  not  so  Newman.  For  that  elevation  he  had  to  wait  in  com- 
parative obscurity  until  Leo  XIII  had  reached  the  papal 
throne.  Under  his  more  liberal  administration  a  worthy 
office  might  be  bestowed  upon  ^Newman,  and  so  a  cardinal's 
hat  was  sent  to  him  when  he  was  seventy-eight  years  old. 

This,  then,  briefly  and  imperfectly  told,  is  the  story  of 
!N^ewman's  life.     Let  us  see,  if  we  can,  what  it  teaches. 

The  first  lesson  which  it  suggests  is  this:  that  in  Church 
controversies,  as  in  other  controversies,  there  is  apt  to  be  right 
on  both  sides  and  wrong  on  both  sides.  And  Newman's  great 
fault  was  want  of  charity  and  of  patience. 

He  was  right  when  he  declared  that  there  was  need  of  a 
second  reformation.  His  purpose  to  re-establish  the  Church 
of  England  in  the  affections  of  the  English  people,  and  to  make 
of  that  Church  a  great  Christian  power,  was  a  noble  purpose, 
but  Whately's  way  of  trying  to  do  that  was  vastly  better  than 
his. 

There  were  difficulties  in  the  situation.  The  English 
theory  is  that  of  a  union  between  Church  and  State,  or,  as 
Hooker  taught,  "The  State  and  the  Church  are  the  same  thing 
seen  under  two  different  aspects.  The  man  who  is  a  citizen 
under  the  one  is  a  member  of  the  Church  under  the  other." 
So  Parliament  could  legislate  for  both  State  and  Church. 
And  so  long  as  the  legislation  of  Parliament  was  Christian  in 
its  spirit  this  worked  very  well.  But  when,  in  1662,  it  passed 
an  act  of  uniformity  that  shocked  the  consciences  of  many  noble 
Christian  men,  so  that  in  one  year  twenty-four  hundred  clergy- 
men felt  compelled  in  sadness  to  leave  the  Church  of  their 
fathers,  and  when  afterwards  dissent  spread  more  and  more 
widely,  so  that  there  were  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  in 
England  separated  from  the  English  Church,  the  case  was 
different.  Newman's  thought  and  care  went  out  chiefly  toward 
those  who  were  within  the  communion  of  the  National  Church. 
It  should  have  taken  in  all  who  professed  and  called  themselves 
Christians.  Arnold's  thought  did.  He  saw  clearly  that  the 
parish  churches  of  England  were  not  used  as  much  as  they 
might  be  used  for  the  spiritual  upbuilding  of  the  men  and 


I02  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

women  of  England,  and  so  he  proposed  to  use  them  more  and 
for  different  congregations.  He  would  allow  the  Jews  to  use 
them  on  Saturdays,  and  on  Sundays  they  should  be  kept  open 
all  the  while,  the  Congregationalists  and  the  Methodists  and 
Churchmen  agreeing  upon  different  hours  of  service.  That 
there  would  have  been  practically  insuperable  difficulties  in 
carrying  out  such  a  plan  is  evident  to  Americans  who  remember 
that  an  attempt  to  do  something  similar  was  once  tried  in  Bos- 
ton, and  vdth  somewhat  ludicrous  as  well  as  unsatisfactory  re- 
sults. But  Arnold  was  thinking  along  right  lines.  He  wanted 
the  Church  of  England  to  reach  all  the  people  of  England  for 
their  spiritual  good,  and  he  was  willing  to  make  sacrifices  to 
that  end.  He  was  willing,  also,  to  allow  great  differences  of 
opinion  within  the  Church.  Newman  was  not.  He  was 
intensely  dogmatic.  And,  in  his  thought,  you  must  believe 
substantially  as  he  believed,  or  stand  outside  the  pale  of  the 
National  Church,  as  an  heathen  man  and  a  publican. 

That  this  was  the  thought  of  many  of  his  followers  is 
evident  from  their  action  when  judgment  was  rendered  in  the 
famous  Gorham  case.  Mr.  Gorham  was  a  clergyman  appointed 
to  a  living  in  the  Diocese  of  Exeter.  Before  his  institution  the 
Bishop  of  Exeter  insisted  that  he  should  be  examined  as  to  his 
doctrinal  views.  And  an  unsatisfactory  examination  was 
held,  continuing  for  eight  days.  Mr.  Gorham  was  unwilling  to 
declare  that  regeneration  was  an  invariable  accompaniment  of 
baptism.  And  so  the  Bishop  refused  to  receive  him  as  a  clergy- 
man in  his  diocese.  He  appealed  to  the  civil  courts.  The  first 
decision  was  against  him,  but  this  decision  was  reversed  by  the 
Judicial  Committee  of  the  Privy  Council,  "to  which  several 
of  the  Chief  Judges,  the  two  Archbishops  and  a  few  eminent 
prelates  were  especially  summoned  by  the  Crown."  The 
Bishop  protested,  but  in  vain.  Thereafter  a  man  might  have 
doiibts  as  to  the  doctrine  of  baptismal  regeneration  and  yet  hold 
office  as  a  clergyman  in  the  English  Church — a  position  alto- 
gether too  liberal  for  certain  Newmanites,  who  deserted  the 
Church  of  England  and  went  to  the  Church  of  Rome. 

With  reference  to  the  Jerusalem  Bishopric,  there  was 
doubtless  some  politics  back  of  it.     It  was  said  that  the  King  of 


JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  103 

Prussia  desired  to  establish  Episcopacy  in  Germany,  and,  as  a 
step  toward  this  end,  to  make  a  beginning  of  Episcopacy  as 
applied  to  Lutherans  in  a  distant  country.  To  give  Episcopacy 
to  schismatic  and  heretical  Lutherans  was,  in  Newman's 
thought,  an  abomination,  an  apostasy,  an  awful  crime. 

In  one  thing  he  was  right — Parliament  ought  not  to  legis- 
late for  the  Church,  any  more  than  the  American  Congress. 
To  have  Roman  Catholics  and  Jews  and  infidels  pass  laws  for 
the  Church  and  help  to  determine  its  policy  toward  other 
Christian  bodies  was  a  grievous  wrong — but  to  the  reformation 
of  that  wrong  he  ought  to  have  applied  his  magnificent  gifts 
and  powers.  And  in  being  not  altogether  satisfied  with  the 
Thirty-nine  Articles  he  was  undoubtedly  right.  They  were 
a  burden  to  many  tender  consciences,  and  as  their  effect  was 
doctrinally  narrowing  they  were  really  uncatholic  in  their 
spirit.  An  Anglican  clergyman  ought  to  be  doctrinally  bound 
by  the  Nicene  Creed,  and  by  that  alone.  And  it  would  have 
been  vastly  better  for  INTewman  to  have  taken  the  Catholic  posi- 
tion and  to  have  led  a  crusade  for  the  abolition  of  subscription 
to  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  rather  than  to  have  tried  to  show 
that  a  man  might  be  substantially  a  Romanist  in  doctrine  and 
yet  subscribe  these  articles,  which  were  written  at  a  time  when 
the  Church  of  England  violently  threw  off  the  shackles  of  the 
Roman  Church. 

To  the  English  mind  there  was  a  subtlety  in  Newman's 
argument  that  suggested  at  once  that  old  serpent  which  is  the 
devil.  And  the  moral  sense  of  the  people  was  outraged.  They 
were  in  no  mood  to  be  trifled  with.  They  were  impatient  of 
what  they  mistakenly  thought  to  be  double  dealing.  And,  with 
all  his  brilliancy,  they  were  willing  to  let  Newman  go — any- 
where. 

In  the  second  place,  Newman's  life  teaches  that  there  are 
many  roads  by  which  heaven  can  be  reached  at  last.  There 
are  saints  in  every  branch  of  Christ's  Church  on  earth,  and 
through  different  paths  the  children  of  the  heavenly  Father 
reach  their  home  above.  Newman  was  not  a  perfect  man. 
Who  is  ?  He  made  mistakes.  Who  does  not  ?  But,  on  the 
whole,  his  purposes  were  noble  and  his  life  Christian,  and  so 
the  Saints'  Paradise  is  his. 


104  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

In  connection  with  his  life  in  Oxford  he  used,  not  infre- 
quently, as  descriptive  of  his  spirit  the  word  fierce.  A  spirit 
of  fierceness  is  not  a  good  spirit  for  a  Christian  to  have;  and 
its  possessor  is  likely  to  be  driven  by  it  into  words  and  deeds 
which  dishonor  the  Master.  A  fierce  man  is  likely  to  make 
very  serious  mistakes  along  the  journey  of  life  and  to  tread 
in  paths  which  are  rough  and  sometimes  evil.  The  meek  will 
He  guide  in  judgment.  The  fierce  He  will  keep,  but  to  guide 
them  is  a  more  difficult  matter. 

And  now  as  to  the  hymn  so  dear  to  many  Christian  hearts. 
It  was  a  passionate  appeal  for  divine  direction,  uttered  by  a 
troubled  and  earnest  soul — 

423    Lead,  kindly  Light,  amid  the  encircling  gloom. 

Lead  Thou  me  on! 
The  night  is  dark,  and  I  am  far  from  home. 

Lead  Thou  me  on! 
Keep  Thou  my  feet!     I  do  not  ask  to  see 
The  distant  scene;  one  step  enough  for  me. 

I  was  not  ever  thus,  nor  prayed  that  Thou 

Shouldst  lead  me  on; 
I  loved  to  choose  and  see  my  path;  but  now 

Lead  Thou  me  on! 
I  loved  the  garish  day;  and,  spite  of  fears, 
Pride  ruled  my  will:  remember  not  past  years. 

So  long  Thy  power  has  blest  me,  sure  it  still 

Will  lead  me  on 
O'er  moor  and  fen,  o'er  crag  and  torrent,  till 

The  night  is  gone; 
And  with  the  morn  those  angel  faces  smile, 
Which  I  have  loved  long  since,  and  lost  awhile. 

This  prayer  was  answered.  iN'ewman  was  led  to  do  a 
mighty  work  for  the  Church  of  England — a  good  work  also  in 
the  Church  of  Rome. 

He  was  a  man  of  impetuous  temperament,  of  strong  likes 
and  dislikes ;  wilful,  persistently  wilful. 

"Pride  ruled  my  will  1"  This  was  true  of  his  early  days. 
And  in  later  days  that  pride   did  not  altogether  disappear. 


3ol)n  I5accl)ujs  ^vfecjs 


THE  NEW  YORK       j 

PUBLI- 

RY 

ASTOH,  , 

MD 

TILDEN  F0UN0AT10^3f:  | 

S 

^    1 

JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  105 


Wherever  it  was  manifested  it  hindered  the  divine  leading.  Still 
our  Father  is  gracious  and  merciful.  And  though  it  had  to  be 
"o'er  moor  and  fen,  o'er  crag  and  torrent,"  God  never  let  go 
His  hold  upon  His  servant's  spirit. 

In  this  connection  !N^ewman's  own  words  are  apposite : 

Moses,  the  patriot  fierce,  became 

The  meekest  man  on  earth. 
To  show  us  how  love's  quick'ning  flame 

Can  give  our  souls  new  birth. 

Moses,  the  man  of  meekest  heart. 

Lost  Canaan  by  self  will. 
To  show,  where  grace  has  done  its  part. 

How  sin  defiles  us  stiU. 

Thou,  who  hast  taught  me  in  Thy  fear. 

Yet  seest  me  frail  at  best, 
O  grant  me  loss  with  Moses  here. 

To  gain  his  future  rest. 

Concerning  the  spiritual  value  of  I^ewman's  greatest  hymn 
opinions  differ,  as  appears  plainly  in  the  following  taken  from 
"Hymns  That  Have  Helped" : 

"Mr.  Richard  Le  Gallienne,  the  poet,  for  instance,  writes : 
'I  was  brought  up  among  the  Baptists,  who,  if  I  remember 
aright,  did  not  in  my  time  sing,  "Lead,  Kindly  Light,"  which 
I  learned  to  love  in  a  late  period  of  church-going.  That  seems 
to  me,'  he  adds,  'if  one  had  to  choose,  the  finest  of  all  hymns, 
as  it  contains  piety  and  poetry  in  the  highest  proportion.' 

"The  Eev.  Dr.  Rigg,  who  may  be  regarded  as  the  best 
representative  of  the  old  school  of  Wesleyans,  writes  as  follows 
about  the  hymn : 

"'"Lead,  Kindly  Light," is  a  great  favorite  with  very  many, 
being  a  hymn  that  touches  the  heart  and  expresses,  more  or  less 
the  experience  of  many  souls.  Certainly  it  is  one  which  might 
often  have  expressed,  more  or  less  distinctly,  my  own  experience  • 
but  I  have  not  found  it  a  helpful  hymn  for  deliverance,  or  a 
strengthening  hymn  in  distress  and  conflict.  It  conduces  to 
resignation,  it  may  be,  but  scarcely  leads  on  to  victory.    *    *    * 

"No  doubt  it  is  somewhat  hard  for  the  staunch  Protestant 


lo6  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

to  wax  enthusiastic  over  tlie  invocation  of  a  'Kindly  Light' 
which  led  its  author  straight  into  the  arms  of  the  Scarlet  Woman 
of  the  Seven  Hills.  Against  this  may  be  put  the  fact  that  when 
the  Parliament  of  Religions  met  at  Chicago,  the  representatives 
of  every  creed  known  to  man  found  two  things  on  which  they 
were  agreed.  They  could  all  join  in  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and 
they  could  all  sing,  'Lead,  Kindly  Light.'    *     *     *     * 

"  'It  seems  to  me  rather  singular,'  writes  a  correspondent 
in  Wales,  'that  verses  so  full  of  faith  as  "Lead,  Kindly  Light," 
should  be  mentioned  with  such  approval  by  so  many  skeptics.' 
He  then  sends  me  the  following  attempt  to  express  the  views 
of  an  agnostic,  thoughtful,  humble  and  reverent,  but  quite 
unable  to  attain  to  N^ewman's  standpoint : 

'The  way  is  dark:  I  cry  amid  the  gloom 

For  guiding  light; 
A  wanderer,  none  knows  whence  or  what  his  doom, 

I  brave  the  night. 
Fair  scenes  afar,  as  in  a  dream,  I  see. 
Then  seem  to  wake,  and  faith  deserteth  me. 

'In  wondering  awe  I  bend  the  knee  before 

The  viewless  Might; 
And  all  my  heart  in  mute  appeal  I  pour. 

While  straining  sight 
Peers  o'er  the  waste,  yet  Him  I  cannot  find 
Whom  seeks  my  soul :  I  grope  as  grope  the  blind. 

'But  'mid  confusing  phantom-lights  I  strive 

To  go  aright: 
A  still  small  voice  leads  on,  and  love  doth  give 

An  inward  might; 
And  spite  of  sense,  there  lives  a  silent  trust 
That  day  will  dawn,  that  man  is  more  than  dust.' 

"On  the  other  hand,  a  Scotchman  writes  as  follows:  'My 
spiritual  experience  has  been  varied.  I  was  baptized  in 
the  Poman  Catholic  Church,  brought  up  in  the  Congrega- 
tional Independent,  and  at  length  I  was  fascinated  by  the 
history,  energy,  and  enthusiasm  of  the  Wesleyans.  I  was  at 
one  time  a  local  preacher  in  that  body  with  a  view  to  the  min- 
istry.    But  my  fervid  fit  of  exaltation  was  choked  with  the 


JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  107 

dusty  facts  of  life,  and  smouldered  down  into  a  dry  indifference. 
I  sought  nourishment  in  secularism  and  agnosticism,  but  found 
none.  I  was  in  the  slough  of  despond,  at  the  center  of  indif- 
ference, with  the  everlasting  ''no"  on  my  lips,  when  "Lead, 
Kindly  Light,  amid  the  encircling  gloom,"  came  to  my  troubled 
soul  like  the  voice  of  angels.  Wandering  in  the  wilderness, 
"o'er  moor  and  fen,  o'er  crag  and  torrent,"  ITewman's  hymn 
was  to  me  a  green  oasis,  a  healing  spring,  the  shadow  of  a  great 
rock.  Through  the  light  and  power  of  God  I  was  led  to  light 
and  love  in  Christ  in  a  way  I  had  never  before  known  or 
experienced.' 

"A  'Friend'  (Quaker)  writes:  'If  thou  art  sending  to  Mr. 
Stead  with  regard  to  hymns,  I  should  put  for  myself  rather 
high  "Lead,  Kindly  Light,"  not  only  because  of  its  beautiful 
words,  but  also  because  of  him  who  felt  them  and  wrote  them. 
It  is  such  an  instruction  that  so  great  an  intellect  found  with- 
out Christ  nothing  but  an  "encircling  gloom" — that  so  powerful 
a  nature,  a  leader  among  men,  wished  to  be  "humble  as  a  child, 
and  guided  where  to  go."  '  " 

Another  of  Dr.  ISTewman's  hymns  may  be  found  in  our 
hymnal,  a  song  of  exquisite  beauty  and  strength,  taken  from  the 
"Dream  of  Gerontius."     Its  words  are  as  follows  : 

453     Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height. 
And  in  the  depth  be  praise; 
In  all  His  words  most  wonderful. 
Most  sure  in  all  His  ways. 

O  loving  wisdom  of  our  God ! 

When  all  was  sin  and  shame, 
A  second  Adam  to  the  fight, 

And  to  the  rescue  came. 

O  wisest  love!  that  flesh  and  blood. 

Which  did  in  Adam  fail. 
Should  strive  afresh  against  their  foe. 

Should  strive  and  should  prevail. 

And  that  a  higher  gift  than  grace 

Should  flesh  and  blood  refine; 
God's  presence  and  His  very  Self, 

And  essence  all-divine. 


io8  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

0  generous  love !  that  He,  who  smote 

In  Man  for  man  the  foe. 
The  double  agony  in  Man 

Tor  man  should  undergo. 

And  in  the  garden  secretly. 

And  on  the  cross  on  high. 
Should  teach  His  brethren,  and  inspire 

To  suffer  and  to  die. 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height, 

And  in  the  depth  be  praise; 
In  all  His  words  most  wonderful. 

Most  sure  in  all  His  ways. 

"The  Dream  of  Gerontius"  was  written  long  after  New- 
man became  a  Roman  Catholic,  though  before  he  became  a 
cardinal.  It  tells  the  story,  from  his  point  of  view,  of  the  pas- 
sage of  a  Christian  soul  from  this  world  to  the  world  of  spirits 
beyond.  The  words  of  demons  are  heard  in  it,  as  well  as  the 
words  of  angels. 

Of  holy,  blessed  and  immortal  beings. 
Who  hymn  their  Maker's  praise  continually. 

We  hear  the  words: 

*     *     *     Hark  to  those  sounds! 
They  come  of  tender  beings  angelical. 
Least  and  most  childlike  of  the  sons  of  God. 

Then  come  the  songs  of  five  successive  Choirs  of  Angelicals, 
each  beginning : 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height. 

And  in  the  depth  be  praise ; 
In  all  His  words  most  wonderful. 

Most  sure  in  all  His  ways. 

This  hymn  of  ISTewman  is,  without  change,  the  song  of 
the  "Fifth  Choir  of  Angelicals,"  with  the  first  stanza  repeated 
at  its  close.  As  a  hymn  it  must  surely  come  into  greater  favor 
than  it  already  has,  because  of  its  Christian  simplicity  as  well 
as  its  Heavenly  majesty. 


JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  109 

When  William  E.  Gladstone  came  to 

the  bound  of  life 
Where  we  lay  our  burdens  down. 

Canon  Scott-Holland  spoke  of  him,  "as  spending  his  life 
in  benediction  to  those  whom  he  leaves  behind  in  this  world, 
and  in  thanksgiving  to  God,  to  whom  he  rehearses  over  and  over 
again,  day  after  day,  Newman's  hymn  of  austere  and  splendid 
adoration : 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height !" 

Very  similar  was  the  experience  of  General  Gordon. 
Waiting  possibly  for  rescue,  but  more  probably  for  death,  at 
Khartoum,  he  took  into  the  very  depths  of  his  soul  these  words : 

O  generous  love !  that  He,  who  smote 

In  Man  for  man  the  foe; 
The  double  agony  in  Man 

For  man  should  undergo. 

And  in  the  garden  secretly. 

And  on  the  cross  on  high. 
Should  teach  His  brethren,  and  inspire 

To  suffer  and  to  die. 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height. 

And  in  the  depth  be  praise; 
In  all  His  words  most  wonderful. 

Most  sure  in  all  His  ways. 

The  biographer  of  that  great  scholar  and  Divine,  Dr. 
Philip  Schaff,  writing  of  his  last  earthly  days,  says : 

"In  earlier  years  Toplady's  'Rock  of  Ages'  had  been  his 
favorite  English  hymn,  and  now  Cardinal  Newman's  'Lead, 
kindly  Light,  amid  the  encircling  gloom,'  laying  bare  the  feel- 
ings of  the  soul  crying  out  for  divine  guidance,  seemed  best 
to  express  his  own  feelings  and  his  trust  in  God  in  view  of  the 
uncertainty  of  life,  and  he  came  to  repeat  it  each  morning 
before  rising." 

Let  us,  each  for  himself,  in  the  day  time  and  in  the  night 
watches,  cry,  "Lead,  kindly  Light,"  and  sooner  or  later,  we 


no  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

shall  join  with  the  countless  host  of  the  redeemed  in  chanting, 
''Great  and  marvelous  are  Thy  works,  Lord  God  Almighty: 
just  and  true  are  Thy  ways.  Thou  King  of  Saints." 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height. 

And  in  the  depth  be  praise; 
In  all  His  words  most  wonderful. 

Most  sure  in  all  His  ways. 

In  "Random  Recollections,"  by  the  Rev.  George  Hunting- 
ton, Rector  of  Tenby,  the  following  may  be  read : 

"I  had  been  paying  Cardinal  Newman  a  visit.  *  *  * 
I  happened  to  mention  his  well-known  hymn  'Lead,  Kindly 
Light,'  which  he  said  he  wrote  when  a  very  young  man,  as  he 
was  becalmed  on  the  Mediterranean,  for  a  week,  in  1833.  I 
ventured  to  say,  'It  must  be  a  great  pleasure  to  you  to  know 
that  you  have  written  a  hymn  treasured  wherever  English- 
speaking  Christians  are  to  be  found;  and  where  are  they  not 
to  be  found  V 

"He  was  silent  for  some  moments,  and  then  said  with 
emotion,  'Yes,  deeply  thankful,  and  more  than  thankful ;'  then, 
after  another  pause,  'But  you  see  it  is  not  the  hymn,  but  the 
tune,  that  has  gained  the  popularity !  The  tune  is  Dykes,'  and 
Dr.  Dykes  was  a  great  master.'  " 

It  does  not  come  within  the  province  of  this  book  to  make 
mention  of  the  writers  of  the  tunes  which  we  "exultingly  sing ;" 
nevertheless  some  of  these  men  must  be  counted  among  the 
Church's  choicest  servants,  and  we  may  all  readily  agree  with 
the  statement  made  by  the  writer  of  the  "Life  and  Letters  of 
John  Bacchus  Dykes :" 

"The  author  of  the  tunes,  to  which  are  constantly  sung 
such  hymns  as  'Come  Unto  Me,  Ye  Weary,'  'ISTearer,  My  God, 
to  Thee,'  'Christian,  Dost  Thou  See  Them  ?'  'Holy,  Holy,  Holy,' 
'Jesu,  Lover  of  My  Soul,'  'Lead,  Kindly  Light,'  has  helped 
the  religious  life  of  millions." 

We  can  as  readily  assent  to  the  words : 

"^\^io  that  has  sung  his  hymn-tunes  does  not  feel  that  they 
came  to  him  as  inspirations  ?  He  rarely  wrote  a  tune  unless 
the  words  were  sent  or  suggested  to  him,  and  then  the  tune 


JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN  iii 

seemed  at  once  to  adapt  itself  to  the  words.  This  is  probably 
the  secret  of  the  success  of  his  tunes.  They  came  from  his 
heart  and  found  their  way  into  the  hearts  of  others.  It  mat- 
tered not  who  applied  to  him  for  tunes,  whether  Churchmen 
or  dissenters,  high  or  low,  rich  or  poor,  the  work  was  given, 
ungrudgingly,  as  work  for  God." 

"Work  for  God."  Is  such  work  ours  ?  The  answer  to 
this  question  is  unspeakably  important,  for  such  work  alone 
endureth  forever. 

In  the  language  of  one  of  Dr.  ISTewman's  translations  from 
the  Latin  Breviary : 

No  sinful  word,  nor  deed  of  wrong, 

Nor  thoughts  that  idly  rove, 
But  simple  truth  be  on  our  tongue, 

And  in  our  hearts  be  love. 

And  while  the  hours  in  order  flow, 

O  Christ,  securely  fence 
Our  gates,  beleaguered  by  the  foe. 

The  gate  of  every  sense. 

And  grant  that  to  Thine  honor.  Lord, 

Our  daily  toil  may  tend: 
That  we  begin  it  at  Thy  Word, 

And  in  Thy  favor  end. 


VII. 
Henry  Francis  Lyte 


(xi3) 


A  parish  priest,  wliose  anxious  post 
Was  on  South  Devon's  rocky  coast. 
Through  all  his  life  at  various  times 
Had  clothed  his  thoughts  in  graceful  rhymes. 

His  verse  had  gained  much  honest  praise, 
And  yet,  in  his  declining  days, 
He  sadly  thought  it  had  not  won 
The  goal  he  meant  it  to  have  done. 

****** 

But  ere  he   sailed  for  other  climes 

His  soul  once  more  sought  speech  in  rhymes; 

Thoughtful  and  tender  as  of  yore, 

But  sweeter,  lovelier  than  before : 

****** 

You  know  the  rest — who  knows  it  not? 
Is  there  on  Britain's  shore  a  spot 
But  oft,  when  evening  shades  grow  dim. 
There  soars  to  Heaven  that  favourite  hymn? 

And  not  to  Britain's  shores  confined: 
It  leaves  our  narrow  coast  behind, 
And  finds  a  welcome,  near  and  far, 
Where  men  of  many  races  are. 

****** 
Thus  was  his  dying  effort  blest; 
And  though  he  entered  into  rest 
Before  the  hymn  secured  its   fame, 
Methinks  he  knows  it  all  the  same. 

Henry  Twells. 


(114) 


VII. 

HENRY  FRANCIS  LYTE. 

"I  will  sing  with  the  spirit  and  I  will  sing  with  the  under- 
standing also."  This  was  the  determination  of  St.  Paul.  It 
was  also  the  determination  of  one  of  the  sweetest  singers  of 
modern  times,  Henry  Francis  Lyte.  I  am  now  to  try  to  tell 
the  story  of  his  life  and  work  and  words,  that  those  words  may 
hereafter  come  to  those  who  read  what  I  have  to  say  with 
greater  interest  and  power  in  the  services  of  the  sanctuary, 
and  in  the  quiet  religious  meditation  of  their  own  firesides. 

I  begin  with  the  following,  taken  from  "The  Memories  of 
Dean  Hole,"  who  says : 

"I  paid  a  visit,  going  with  his  son  from  Oxford,  to  the  Rev. 
Henry  F.  Lyte,  who  was  Vicar  of  Brixham,  and  lived  at 
Berryhead,  by  Torbay.  It  was  good  for  a  young  man  to  be 
in  the  society  and  under  the  influence  of  such  a  true  gentleman, 
scholar,  poet  and  saint,  to  be  impressed  by  the  beauty  of  holi- 
ness, and  to  be  so  happily  assured  that  the  voice  of  joy  and 
health  is  in  the  dwellings  of  the  righteous.  He  was  revered 
by  all  who  knew  him,  especially  by  those  whose  sympathies 
he  prized  the  most — the  poor.  The  fishermen  came  up  from 
Brixham  for  supper,  and  sang  their  satisfaction  in  the  old 
Devonshire  chorus : 

We'll  stay  and  have  our  breakfast  here, 
We'll  stay  and  have  a  'levener  here. 
We'll  stay  and  have  our  dinner  here. 
We'll  stay  and  have  our  supper  here, 

each  line  being  thrice  sung,  and  each  triplet  followed  by  the 
emphatic  declaration  (fortissimo)  : 

And  we  won't  go  then! 

"  'A  'levener'  (some  may  desire  the  information)  referred 

(lis) 


Ii6  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

to  a  snack  or  luncheon,  whicli  it  was  usual  to  enjoy  one  hour 
before  the  meridian. 

"Mr.  Lyte  wrote,  as  most  men  know,  many  pathetic  verses 
— chiefly  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs. 

"He  was  long  time  in  delicate  health ;  and  staying  at  !N^ice, 
he  became  suddenly  conscious,  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  that 
the  time  of  his  departure  was  at  hand.  He  summoned 
a  servant,  and  asked  that  a  priest  of  the  English  Church,  if 
there  was  one  in  the  hotel,  should  be  found  and  brought  to  him 
without  delay.  After  some  little  time  a  clergyman  appeared, 
and  gave  him  the  last  consolations  of  the  Church.  He  was  one 
of  his  own  friends,  and  his  name  was  Henry  Edward  Manning, 
then  Archdeacon  of  Chichester,  and  afterwards  Cardinal  of 
Rome." 

Henry  F.  Lyte^  whose  best  known  hymn,  "Abide  with 
me:  fast  falls  the  eventide,"  has  made  his  memory  dear  to 
myriads  of  men  and  women  who  crave  the  abiding  presence 
of  Jesus  Christ,  was  bom  near  Kelso,  on  the  border  of  Scotland, 
July  1,  1793.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin, 
where  he  became  a  scholar  in  1813,  and  competed  successfully 
for  three  prize  poems  in  three  successive  years.  His  early 
purpose  was  to  study  medicine,  but  he  changed  his  mind  and 
became  a  clergyman  in  the  neighborhood  of  Wexford.  In  1817 
he  removed  to  Marazion,  where  he  was  married.  In  1819 
another  change  was  made.  In  1823  he  was  appointed  Perpet- 
ual Curate  of  Lower  Brixham,  Devon,  which  appointment  he 
held  until  his  death,  :N"ovember  20,  1847. 

In  early  life  he  was  a  close  personal  friend  of  Samuel  Wil- 
berforce,  afterwards  the  great  Bishop  of  Oxford  and  after  that 
of  Winchester,  and  who  once  seriously  thought  of  becoming 
Lyte's  curate.  Had  he  done  so,  how  the  currents  of  his  life 
would  have  been  changed  ! 

In  1818  Henry  F.  Lyte  was  the  subject  of  a  marked 
religious  experience.       I  give  the  story  in  his  own  words : 

"A  neighboring  clergyman,  with  whom  I  was  intimate, 
and  who  bore  the  highest  character  for  benevolence,  piety, 
and  good  sense,  was  taken  ill,  and  sent  for  me.     I  went  to 


HENRY  FRANCIS  LYTE  117 

attend  him,  and  witnessed  all  the  workings  of  his  mind  and 
body  for  some  weeks  till  he  expired.  I  shall  never  forget 
some  of  the  circumstances  that  took  place;  his  serious  and 
anxious  inquiries  into  the  evidence  on  which  a  future  state 
existed,  his  examination  into  the  grounds  on  which  the  Scrip- 
ture stood  as  an  authentic  revelation,  and  his  convictions  that 
it  was  a  just  statement  of  that  which  is,  and  is  to  be,  all  seemed 
to  pass  before  him,  as  he  stood  just  on  the  confines  of  eternity, 
as  strong  and  distinct  realities,  as  the  parts  of  a  picture,  rather 
than  of  an  abstract  speculation.  These  preliminaries  settled, 
his  inquiry  next  was,  the  means  by  which  a  happy  eternity 
was  to  be  attained — and  here,  indeed,  my  blood  almost  curdled, 
to  hear  the  dying  man  declare  and  prove,  with  irrefutable 
clearness,  that  both  he  and  I  had  been  utterly  mistaken  in  the 
means  we  had  adopted  for  ourselves,  and  recommended  to 
others,  if  the  explanatory  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  were  to  be  taken 
in  their  plain  and  literal  sense.  You  can  hardly,  perhaps,  con- 
ceive the  effect  of  all  this,  proceeding  from  such  a  man,  in  such 
a  situation.  He  died,  I  rejoice  to  say,  happy  under  the  belief 
that  though  he  had  deeply  erred,  there  was  One  whose  death 
and  sufferings  would  atone  for  his  delinquencies,  and  be  ac- 
cepted for  all  that  he  had  incurred.  I  was  greatly  affected  by 
the  whole  matter,  and  brought  to  look  at  life  and  its  issue  with 
a  different  eye  than  before ;  and  I  began  to  study  my  Bible  and 
preach  in  another  manner  than  I  had  previously  done." 

As  to  the  characteristics  of  the  place  of  his  spiritual  labor 
his  daughter  writes  thus : 

"From  its  original  state  of  a  fishing  village,  Brixham  had 
grown  up  into  a  district  of  some  thousands  of  inhabitants, 
increased  chiefly  during  the  war,  when  Torbay  was  the  rendez- 
vous of  the  Channel  fleet,  and  Berryhead  a  permanent  military 
station.  From  these  sources,  as  well  as  from  the  occupations 
of  a  fishing  and  seafaring  life,  money  had  been  made  by  the 
shrewd  and  busy,  but  uneducated  people;  among  whom  many 
of  the  vices  consequent  upon  the  presence  of  a  large  body  of 
military  and  naval  forces  had  taken  root,  and  shed  an  influence 
most  unfavorable  to  the  growth  of  morality  or  religion.     It 


Ii8  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

was  not  surprising  that  under  these  circumstances,  lawlessness, 
immorality  and  ignorance  prevailed  to  a  fearful  extent;  and 
it  required  unwonted  vigor  and  devotion  of  heart  successfully 
to  grapple  with  existing  evils.  In  this  hitherto  neglected  portion 
of  his  Lord's  Vineyard  our  author  lived  and  labored,  for  a 
period  extending  over  more  than  twenty-five  years ;  and  though 
human  judgment  would  have  assigned  to  his  talents  and  in- 
clination a  very  different  sphere,  few  who  beheld  the  marvelous 
change  wrought,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  in  a  few  years  among 
the  sailors  and  fishermen  of  Brixham,  but  would  confess  that 
unerring  wisdom  was  especially  shown  in  placing  him  as  pas- 
tor over  this  rough  but  warm-hearted  people." 

As  to  one  of  his  own  characteristic  qualities  he  himself 
writes : 

I  would  not  always  sail  upon  a  sunny  sea : 

The  mountain  wave,  the  sounding  gale  have  deeper  joys  for  me. 

Let  others  love  to  creep  along  the  flowery  dell; 

Be  mine  upon  the  craggy  steep,  among  the  storms,  to  dwell. 

The  rock,  the  mist,  the  foam,  the  wonderful,  the  wild, 

I  feel  they  form  my  proper  home  and  claim  me  for  their  child. 

He  was  thankful  that  his  lot  had  been  cast  by  the  seaside, 
as  is  evident  from  the  following  utterance : 

Oh,  glorious  still  in  every  form. 

Untamed,  untrodden  ocean; 
Beneath  the  sunshine,  or  the  storm. 

In  stillness  or  commotion; 
Be  mine  to  dwell  beside  the  swell, 

A  witness  of  thy  wonders. 
Feel  thy  light  spray  around  me  play. 

And  thrill  before  thy  thunders ! 

While  yet  a  boy  I  felt  it  joy 

To  gaze  upon  thy  glories ; 
I  loved  to  ride  thy  stormy  tide. 

And  shout  in  joyous  chorus. 
With  calmer  brow  I  haunt  thee  now. 

To  nurse  sublime  emotion; 
My  soul  is  awed,  and  filled  with  God, 

By  thee,  majestic  ocean. 


HENRY  FRANCIS  LYTE  119 

When  the  Oxford  Movement  began,  it  enlisted  Lyte's 
sympathy.     His  daughter  states  the  case  thus : 

"His  love  for  Evangelical  truth  was  as  warm,  as  pure,  as 
practical  as  ever;  but  he  saw  very  clearly  the  need  of  combin- 
ing with  it  that  apostolic  order  which  had  been  omitted  in  his 
earlier  teaching." 

He  was,  however,  never  zealous  as  a  partisan.  He  lived 
too  far  away  from  the  center  of  things,  and  his  health  was  far 
from  good,  so  far,  in  fact,  that  in  1839  an  eminent  physician, 
whom  he  consulted,  told  him  that  unless  he  slackened  his  sails 
and  cast  anchor  for  a  while,  his  voyage  of  life  would  soon  be 
over. 

For  four  years  he  heeded  not.  Then  he  was  forced  to  stop, 
and  to  seek  the  milder  climate  of  Italy,  and  with  it  such  rest 
and  recreation  as  might  build  him  up. 

But  he  was  never  again  to  be  strong,  and  the  period  of 
active  and  continuing  work  was  practically  over. 

In  1846,  and  again  in  1847,  he  returned  to  England, 
but  only  for  brief  periods. 

Concerning  this  latter  period  his  daughter  writes : 

"The  summer  was  passing  away,  and  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember (that  month  in  which  he  was  once  more  to  quit  his 
native  land)  arrived,  and  each  day  seemed  to  have  especial 
value,  as  being  one  day  nearer  his  departure,  when  his  family 
were  surprised  and  almost  alarmed  at  his  announcing  his  inten- 
tion of  preaching  once  more  to  his  people." 

He  did  preach,  and  also  helped  in  the  administration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper. 

In  the  evening  of  the  same  day  he  handed  to  a  much  loved 
relative  the  words  of  his  greatest  hymn,  "Abide  with  Me,"  set 
to  a  tune  of  his  own.  composition. 

A  few  hours  afterwards  he  left  the  scene  of  his  earthly 
labor,  passed  to  Southern  Erance,  and  died  on  ]N"ovember  20, 
a  good  man  and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  faith. 

A  marble  cross  in  the  English  cemetery  at  Nice  marks 
his  last  resting  place. 

One  of  Lyte's  most  suggestive  and  most  touching  poems 
is  that  entitled  "Declining  Days." 


120  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

I  cannot  forbear  tlie  quotation  of  several  stanzas : 

'Tis  not  then  earth's  delights 

From  which  my  spirit  feels  so  loath  to  part; 
Not  the  dim  future's  solemn  sounds  or  sights 

That  press  so  on  my  heart. 

No !  'tis  the  thought  that  I— 

My  lamp  so  low,  my  sun  so  nearly  set, — 
Have  lived  so  useless,  so  un missed  should  die: 
'Tis  this  I  now  regret. 

I  want  not  vulgar  fame — 

I  seek  not  to  survive  in  brass  or  stone ; 

Hearts  may  not  kindle  when  they  hear  my  name, 
Nor  tears  my  value  own. 

But  might  I  leave  behind 

Some  blessing  for  my  fellows,  some  fair  trust 
To  guide,  to  cheer,  to  elevate  my  kind 

When  I  was  in  the  dust. 

Might  my  poor  lyre  but  give 

Some  simple  strain,  some  spirit-moving  lay; 
Some  sparklet  of  the  soul,  that  still  might  live 

When  I  was  passed  to  clay. 

Might  verse  of  mine  inspire 

One  virtuous  aim,  one  high  resolve  impart; 
Light  in  one  drooping  soul  a  hallowed  fire. 

Or  bind  one  broken  heart. 

Death  would  be  sweeter  then. 

More  calm  my  slumber  'neath  the  silent  sod; 
Might  I  thus  live  to  bless  my  fellow  men. 

Or  glorify  my  God ! 

O  Thou,  whose  touch  can  lend 

Life  to  the  dead.  Thy  quickening  grace  supply, 
And  grant  me,  swanlike,  my  last  breath  to  spend 

In  song  that  may  not  die! 

How  wonderfully  this  prayer  was  answered ! 
How  "swanlike"  he  died,  with  a  song  upon  his  lips  that 
will  bless  mankind  forever ! 


HENRY  FRANCIS  LYTE  121 

I  give  this  hymn  in  its  original  form,  consisting  of  eight 
stanzas,  from  which  three  are  omitted  in  our  hymnal ; 

Abide  with  me:  fast  falls  the  eventide; 
The  darkness  deepens;  Lord,  with  me  abide: 
When  other  helpers  fail,  and  comforts  flee. 
Help  of  the  helpless,  oh,  abide  with  me. 

Swift  to  its  close  ebbs  out  life's  little  day; 
Earth's  joys  grow  dim,  its  glories  pass  away. 
Change  and  decay  in  all  around  I  see; 

0  Thou  who  changest  not,  abide  with  me. 

Not  a  brief  glance  I  beg,  a  passing  word. 
But  as  Thou  dwell'st  with  Thy  disciples.  Lord, 
Familiar,  condescending,  patient,  free. 
Come,  not  to  sojourn,  but  abide,  with  me  I 

Come  not  in  terrors,  as  the  King  of  kings; 
But  kind  and  good,  with  healing  in  Thy  wings : 
Tears  for  all  woes,  a  heart  for  every  plea. 
Come,  Friend  of  sinners,  and  thus  abide  with  me! 

Thou  on  my  head  in  early  youth  did  smile. 
And,  though  rebellious  and  perverse  meanwhile. 
Thou  hast  not  left  me,  oft  as  I  left  Thee. 
On  to  the  close,  O  Lord,  abide  with  me ! 

1  need  Thy  presence  every  passing  hour; 

What  but  Thy  grace  can  foil  the  tempter's  power  ? 
Who,  like  Thyself,  my  guide  and  stay  can  be  ? 
Through  cloud  and  sunshine,  oh,  abide  with  me ! 

I  fear  no  foe,  with  Thee  at  hand  to  bless : 
Ills  have  no  weight,  and  tears  no  bitterness. 
Where  is  death's  sting  ?  where,  grave,  thy  victory  ? 
I  triumph  still,  if  Thou  abide  with  me. 

Hold  then  Thy  cross  before  my  closing  eyes; 
Shine  through  the  gloom,  and  point  me  to  the  skies. 
Heaven's  morning  breaks,  and  earth's  vain  shadows  flee : 
In  life  and  death,  0  Lord,  abide  with  me ! 

Is  this  an  evening  hymn,  or  is  it  not  ? 

Primarily,  it  is  not.     The  reference  is  to  the  time  of  the 


122  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

going  down  of  the  sun  of  our  earthly  lives,  in  the  hour  of  death. 
The  cry  is  "Hold  Thou  Thy  cross  before  my  closing  eyes." 

But  secondarily,  how  appropriate  its  use  as  a  sunset  hymn, 
as  in  the  following  words  of  Samuel  John  Stone,  taken  from  his 
little  poem  "Deare  Childe" : 

But  when  the  sun  was  low  at  eventide. 
The  bitter  pain  had  passed,  and  she  lay  still, 
Too  weak  for  words,  but  smiling  peacefully 
With  eyes  that  looked  upon  us  with  such  love. 
Our  hearts  in  battle  with  the  struggling  tears 
"Were  nigh  to  bursting.     Then  we  knelt  and  prayed. 
And  as  we  rose  the  parting  sunlight  streamed 
With  its  last  glory  through  the  window  panes. 
And  o'er  the  dying  child.     She  could  not  speak. 
But  first  at  us,  and  after  toward  the  west. 
Looked  wistfidly.     And  then  the  mother  said. 
Divining,  "She  would  have  you  sing  the  hymn 
You  taught  her  for  the  sunset  every  day." 
And  so  we  sang  the  hymn  of  eventide, 
"Abide  with  me;"  and  while  we  sang,  her  soul 
Sang  with  us  in  that  marvelous  sweet  smile. 
That  was  like  music  too  divine  for  sound. 
We  sang  and  darkness  deepened,  but  that  smile 
Grew  brighter  yet,  and  brighter,  till  the  close, 
"In  life,  in  death,  O  Lord,  abide  with  me !" 
Then,  with  "Amen,"  was  breathed  one  little  sigh. 
And  song,  and  smile,  and  soul  fled  up  to  heaven. 

As  to  this  hymn,  "Abide  with  Me,"  the  following,  taken 
from  "Famous  Hymns  and  their  Authors"  by  F.  A.  Jones,  19 
well  worth  quotation: 

"Some  six  or  seven  years  ago  I  happened  to  be  staying  in 
Brixham  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  meet  an  old  member  of 
Mr.  Lyte's  choir,  a  worthy  gentleman  who  was  credited  with 
knowing  more  about  the  celebrated  hymnist  than  any  other 
living  man.  As  we  sat  on  the  old  pier  one  morning  in  early 
June,  and  watched  the  trawlers  setting  sail  for  the  fishing 
grounds,  my  companion  chatted  animatedly  about  the  late 
hymnist,  evidently  well  pleased  to  find  someone  who  took  an 
interest  in  a  man  of  whom  he  was  palpably  never  tired  of  talk- 
ing. 


HENRY  FRANCIS  LYTE  123 


"  'I  was  a  member  of  Mr.  Lyte's  choir,'  he  said,  'in  1846 — 
I  and  a  dozen  others,  all  dead  now.  We  were  deeply  attached 
to  him.  He  had  the  gentlest  expression  and  most  winning 
manner  possible,  and  yet,  I  suppose,  we  caused  him  more  grief 
than  all  his  trials  of  ill  health.  We  left  his  choir  and  gave  up 
teaching  in  his  Sunday  School,  and  though  I  should  probably 
do  the  same  thing  to-morrow  under  similar  circumstances,  it 
gives  me  a  feeling  of  intense  sadness  even  now  when  I  think 
of  it. 

"  'This  is  how  it  came  about.  A  short  while  before  he 
left  us  to  go  to  ISTice,  where  it  was  hoped  the  climate  would 
benefit  his  health,  some  influential  members  of  the  Plymouth 
Brethren  visited  Brixham  and  persuaded  ten  of  us  to  join  them. 
After  due  deliberation  we  went  in  a  body  to  Mr.  Lyte  and  told 
him  that  we  intended  to  leave  his  church.  He  took  it  calmly 
enough,  though  we  practically  constituted  his  entire  choir,  and 
said  that  nothing  would  be  farther  from  his  thoughts  than  to 
stand  between  us  and  our  consciences.  He  bade  us  think  the 
matter  over  very  seriously  and  come  to  him  again  in  a  few 
days.  We  did  so,  but  our  decision  remained  unaltered.  We 
left  him,  and  never  entered  his  church  again.  When  "Abide 
with  Me"  came  to  be  written,  each  of  us  was  given  a  copy,  and 
then  we  realized,  perhaps  more  keenly  than  anyone  else,  the 
true  meaning  of  the  words: 

'When  other  helpers  fail,  and  comforts  flee. 
Help  of  the  helpless,  oh,  abide  with  me.' " 

This  hymn  has  become  a  favorite  one  for  funerals,  and 
no  wonder,  for  upon  such  occasions,  no  words  could  be  more 
appropriate  or  more  touching. 

Concerning  the  last  hours  of  one  of  the  most  gifted  and  one 
of  the  saintliest  Baptist  leaders  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
Adoniram  J.  Gordon,  his  son,  writes :  "Conscious  of  his  condi- 
tion, and  with  a  presentiment  of  the  approaching  end,  he  called 
his  wife  to  his  side,  and  said,  'if  anything  should  happen,  do 
not  have  a  quartette  choir,  I  have  selected  four  hymns  I  want 
sung  by  the  people/  "  .  The  first  of  these  hymns  was  "Abide 
with  Me.'* 


124  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 


And  in  the  biography  of  Frederick  Denison  Maurice  we 
read  that  "in  the  middle  of  the  night  of  Good  Friday  (he 
lingered  through  Easter  Day)  his  wife  said  to  him  the  hymn 
^Abide  with  Me/  which  seemed  to  give  him  great  comfort." 
His  son  adds,  "The  hymn  was  always  his  favorite  of  all  hymns ; 
the  one  he  was  sure  to  select  for  any  service  that  specially 
interested  him." 

Other  hymns  written  by  Henry  F.  Lyte,  which  have  found 
admission  into  our  hymnal,  begin  thus : 

266  O  that  the  Lord's  salvation. 

332  God  of  mercy,  God  of  grace. 

23iZ  Far  from  my  heavenly  home. 

358  Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  taken. 

458  Praise,  my  soul,  the  King  of  heaven. 

489  Pleasant  are  Thy  courts  above. 

591  When  at  Thy  footstool.  Lord,  I  bend. 

664  My  spirit  on  Thy  care. 


Of  these, 


Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  taken, 


is  the  most  popular  among  English-speaking  Protestant  people, 
having  found  its  way  into  one  hundred  and  three  out  of  one 
hundred  and  seven  hymnals,  as  recently  collated. 

In  one  of  his  published  sermons,  entitled  "The  Supreme 
Allegiance,"  Henry  Ward  Beecher  makes  reference  to  this 
hymn  in  words  as  follows:  "Sometimes  parents  are  very 
worldly-minded,  *  *  *  They  have  a  church  religion.  They 
say,  'If  I  will  give  up  so  much  every  Sunday,  if  I  will  pay  the 
minister,  if  I  will  go  to  church,  if  I  will  read  the  Bible,  if  I  will 
do  this,  that,  and  the  other  thing,  Keligion,  will  you  take  care 
of  me?'  And  that  kind  of  religion  always  says,  'Yes,  I  will 
insure  you.'  And  so  there  are  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
people  in  the  community  who  have  just  religion  enough  not  to 
have  any  at  all!  The  little  religion  which  they  already  have 
is  put  out.  They  say,  'We  believe  in  religion ;  but  it  is  a  rea- 
sonable, rational  religion.     This  world  is  a  good  world,  and 


HENRY  FRANCIS  LYTE  125 


God  has  given  the  bounties  of  this  world  to  enjoy ;  and  a  grate- 
ful heart  should  take  these  bounties  and  enjoy  them.  There- 
fore let  us  eat  and  drink,  and  praise  God  by  being  happy.' 
And  so  party  after  party,  and  dance  after  dance,  and  elegant 
debauch  after  elegant  debauch,  follow.  They  want  society  to 
be  radiant  and  sparkling.  And  for  them,  anything  but  the 
undertones  of  the  judgment  day  to  come;  anything  but  those 
long  wails  that  set  in  from  the  other  world,  as  the  surf  thunders 
on  the  shore,  telling  of  distant  storms ;  anything  but  a  religion 
that  disturbs  their  brilliant,  sparkling  life. 

"Under  such  circumstances,  a  child  much  loved  and  beau- 
tiful, whose  curls  are  beautiful,  whose  eyes  are  beautiful,  whose 
brow  is  beautiful,  whose  lips  are  beautiful,  over  whose  face 
advancing  years  throw  grace,  whose  deepening  sensibility  gives 
more  beauteous  expression  to  that  which  nature  made  beautiful 
at  first,  who  is  the  coyest,  sweetest,  charmingest  creature  of  the 
whole  neighborhood,  and  who  is  the  admiration  of  everyone 
*  *  *  such  a  child,  just  at  the  time  when  the  father  and 
mother  have  anticipated  that  she  would  come  out,  and  make 
a  sensation,  and  walk  easily  queen,  is  vexatiously  convicted  and 
converted.  And  there  is  all  their  trouble.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  that  Methodist  meeting,  if  it  had  not  been  for  that  ranting 
preacher  over  there,  it  would  not  have  happened.  And  here 
is  this  huge  discord  in  the  family.  Here  is  the  child  that  was 
the  joy  of  their  hearts  and  the  pride  of  their  life,  and  that  was 
to  form  such  a  splendid  connection  (for  already  there  were 
ever  so  many  eyes  directed  that  way) ,  and  was  to  build  up  their 
family,  carried  away  with  religious  excitement.  And  all  their 
hopes  are  crushed.  The  father  is  in  a  rage,  and  the  mother  is  in 
a  grief;  and  they  will  not  have  it  so.  The  child,  with  simple 
modesty,  is  patient,  but  tenacious,  and  cures  storms  in  the  outer 
circle  by  the  deep  peace  which  God  gives  the  soul  in  the  closet. 
"She  is  still  loving,  and  more  obedient  than  ever ;  but  she 
is  true  to  her  own  inward  love.  Having  tasted  the  better  por- 
tion, she  will  not  give  it  up.  And  so  great  has  sometimes  been 
the  rage  of  the  father  that  he  has  actually  driven  his  child  from 
his  door,  and  dispossessed  her.  It  was  such  a  case  that  gave 
birth  to  one  of  our  most  touching  hymns.     I  could  almost  wish 


126  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

that  there  might  be  more  persons  driven  out  from  home  under 
the  same  circumstances. 

"The  child  of  a  wealthy  man  in  England,  who  had  all  his 
earthly  hopes  fixed  on  her,  returning  from  a  ball,  heard  a 
Methodist  meeting  going  on,  and  went  in;  and  the  recital  of 
what  the  love  of  Christ  had  done  for  various  persons  charmed 
her,  and  by  the  blessing  of  God's  Spirit,  she  was  converted. 
And  when  she  made  known  her  faith  and  purpose,  her  father 
cast  her  off,  and  she  was  obliged  to  go  away  from  home.  And 
this  hymn  resulted  from  that  circumstance : 

Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  taken. 

All  to  leave  and  follow  Thee; 
Naked,  poor,  despised,  forsaken. 

Thou,  from  hence,  my  all  shalt  be. 
Perish  every  fond  ambition. 

All  I've  sought,  or  hoped,  or  known; 
Yet  how  rich  is  my  condition! 

God  and  heaven  are  still  my  own. 

Let  the  world  despise  and  leave  me. 

They  have  left  my  Saviour,  too ; 
Human  hearts  and  looks  deceive  me. 

Thou  art  not,  like  them,  untrue. 
And  whilst  Thou  shalt  smile  upon  me, 

God  of  wisdom,  love  and  might. 
Foes  may  hate,  and  friends  may  scorn  me; 

Show  Thy  face,  and  all  is  bright. 

Man  may  trouble  and  distress  me, 

'Twill  but  drive  me  to  Thy  breast; 
Life  with  trials  hard  may  press  me. 

Heaven  will  bring  me  sweeter  rest. 
Oh,  'tis  not  in  grief  to  harm  me. 

While  Thy  love  is  left  to  me; 
Oh,  'twere  not  in  joy  to  charm  me, 

Were  that  joy  unmixed  with  Thee. 

Soul,  then  know  thy  full  salvation. 

Rise  o'er  sin,  and  fear,  and  care; 
Joy  to  find  in  every  station 

Something  still  to  do  or  bear. 
Think  what  spirit  dwells  within  thee ; 

Think  what  Father's  smiles  are  thine; 
Think  that  Jesus  died  to  win  thee : 

Child  of  heaven,  canst  thou  repine  ? 


HENRY  FRANCIS  LYTE  127 

Haste  thee  on  from  grace  to  glory. 

Armed  by  faith,  and  winged  by  prayer; 
Heaven's  eternal  day's  before  thee, 

God's  own  hand  shall  guide  thee  there. 
Soon  shall  close  thy  earthly  mission. 

Soon  shall  pass  thy  pilgrim  days; 
Hope  shall  change  to  glad  fruition. 

Faith  to  sight,  and  prayer  to  praise. 

This  hymn  was  written  in  1824.  "Abide  witli  Me"  was 
written  in  1847.  An  interval  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
separates  them.  And  yet  they  are  united  in  holding  aloft  the 
Cross,  and  in  looking  on  to  "heaven's  eternal  days." 

One  word  more.  How  was  it  with  Henry  P".  Lyte  when 
he  came  to  die  ?  Let  his  biographer  tell  us :  "Through  life  he 
had  always  shrunk  with  nervous  apprehension  from  the  act  of 
dying,  but  now  this  terror  did  not  harass  him,  though  he  used 
frequently  to  beseech  his  God,  if  it  might  be  His  will,  to  grant 
him  a  quiet  release  from  the  fetters  of  clay  which  detained  him 
here.  His  whole  soul  seemed  so  imbued  with  peace  and  hope, 
that  the  last  agony  and  the  darlaiess  of  the  grave  dwelt  not  in 
his  thoughts.  One  day,  on  waking  from  sleep,  he  said  to  his 
faithful  attendant,  'Oh,  there  is  nothing  terrible  in  death. 
Jesus  Christ  steps  down  into  the  grave  before  me.'  And  in  his 
case  there  was  nothing  terrible;  no  agony  at  the  last.  His 
prayer  was  heard,  and  when  his  summons  came,  without  a 
sigh  or  a  struggle,  he  literally  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 

"Within  three  days  of  his  first  seizure  his  medical  atten- 
dants had  given  up  all  hopes  of  his  recovery,  and  announced 
that  death  was  very  near;  yet  for  days  he  lingered,  and  his 
hour  of  release  came  not ;  but,  through  the  long  days  and  weary 
nights  of  an  almost  living  death,  his  patience,  fortitude,  and 
cheerfulness  never  forsook  him.  ISTo  word  of  complaint  or 
impatience  ever  passed  his  lips,  but  as  he  lay  there,  dying  in  a 
distant  land,  life  slowly  ebbing  away,  the  pallor  of  wasting 
sickness  cast  over  all  things,  he  would  tenderly  and  gratefully 
mark  each  comfort  which  affection  and  solicitude  provided  ;  and, 
still  noting,  as  had  ever  been  his  wont,  the  varied  beauties  of 
mom  and  even,  spread  over  a  southern  sea  and  sky,  he  would 


128  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

thankfully  record  the  mercies  which  his  God  had  showered 
round  his  path  in  each  stage  of  life,  and  now  no  less  in  death ; 
and  as  'earth's  vain  shadows'  fled,  and  the  light  of  'heaven's 
morning'  broke  upon  his  soul,  even  these  faint  traces  of  earth, 
so  bearing  the  hue  of  heaven,  passed  away,  and  his  spirit 
mounted  as  on  eagle  wings  upwards  to  those  mansions  pre- 
pared for  such  as  have  'fought  a  good  fight,'  who  'have  finished 
their  course,  who  have  kept  the  faith,  and  for  whom  henceforth 
there  is  laid  up  a  crown  of  glory  which  fadeth  not  away.'  His 
soul  seemed  filled  with  a  sense  of  the  nearness  of  his  God,  too 
high  and  blessed  for  mortal  participation.  His  lips  constantly 
moved  as  if  in  joyful  converse,  while  no  sound  was  heard ;  and 
as  those  near  him  would  strive  to  discern  his  import,  he  would 
motion  them  away,  murmuring,  'peace,  joy,'  and  pointing  up- 
wards with  his  own  bright,  beaming  smile,  to  where  he  held 
communion  with  things  unseen." 

"Pointing  upwards !"     For  consolation  and  joy  let  that 
be  our  attitude  in  life  and  in  death ! 


Cl)ri!eitopI)cv  ^ovD$J\t)ortl) 


VIII. 

Christopher  Wordsworth 
Frederick  William  Faber 
William  Walsham  How 


(129) 


Man's!  weakness  waiting  upon  God 

Its  end  can  never  miss, 
For  men  on  earth  no  work  can  do 

More  angel-like  than  this. 

Ride  on,  ride  on,  triumphantly, 

Thou  glorious  Will !    ride  on  ; 
Faith's  pilgrim  sons  behind  thee  take 

The  road  that  thou  hast  gone. 

He  always  wins  who  sides  with  God, 

To  him  no  chance  is  lost ; 
God's  will  is  sweetest  to  him  when 

It  triumphs  at  his  cost. 

Ill  that  He  blesses  is  our  good, 

And  imblest  good  is  ill ; 
And  all  is  right  that  seems  most  wrong, 

If  it  be  His  sweet  Will ! 

Frederick  Whxiam  Fabkb. 


(130) 


VIII. 

CHRISTOPHER  WORDSWORTH, 

FREDERICK  WILLIAM  FABER, 

WILLIAM  WALSHAM  HOW. 

We  are  next  to  consider  three  of  the  most  gifted  of  recent 
English  hymn-writers,  men  who  have  done  much  to  enrich  the 
hymnody  of  our  Mother  Church,  of  our  own  Church  in  America, 
and  of  the  Church  universal:  Christopher  Wordsworth,  Fred- 
erick William  Faber  and  William  Walsham  How. 

Cheistophee  Woedswoeth,  who  wrote  fifteen  of  the 
hymns  contained  in  our  hymnal,  was  born  October  30,  1807,  and 
died  March  21,  1885.  His  father  was  a  man  of  distinction.  His 
uncle  was  the  famous  poet,  William  Wordsworth.  His  intel- 
lectual training  was  received  at  Winchester,  and  afterwards  at 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge.  He  was  prominent  in  athletics 
as  well  as  in  scholarship.  His  career  was  one  of  pre-eminent 
success.  So  many  prizes,  in  fact,  had  come  to  him  that  in 
1829  his  college  tutors  dissuaded  him  from  again  entering 
the  lists,  as  hard  upon  other  competitors.  In  1827  the  Duke 
of  Wellington  is  reported  to  have  said  that  Christopher  Words- 
worth, the  elder,  ought  to  be  the  happiest  man  in  the  kingdom, 
inasmuch  as  each  of  his  three  sons  had  carried  off  that  year  a 
University  prize. 

He  was  soon  chosen  to  a  fellowship.  In  1833  he  was 
ordained  to  the  sacred  ministry.  He  was  for  eight  years  head 
master  of  Harrow.  In  1844  he  was  appointed  a  Canon  of 
Westminster.  In  1850  he  became  a  country  clergyman.  His 
parish  had  a  unique  name,  "Stanford  in  the  Vale,  Cum  Goosey." 
There  he  labored  faithfully  for  nineteen  years,  going  up,  how- 
ever, to  London  for  four  months  each  year  for  services  in  West- 
minster Abbey. 


132  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

In  1863  Arthur  P.  Stanley  was  appointed  Dean  of  West- 
minster. His  orthodoxy,  according  to  Canon  Wordsworth's 
thought,  was  very  shadowy,  so  he  opposed  the  appointment 
and  did  what  he  could  to  defeat  it.  The  matter,  however, 
being  settled,  his  relations  with  the  new  dean  were  not  only 
loyal,  but  altogether  friendly.  So  also,  Bishop  Temple  did  not 
please  him  in  connection  with  his  relation  to  the  famous  volume, 
"Essays  and  Reviews,"  and  he  said  so,  and  tried  to  guide  him 
to  the  position  in  the  matter  which  he  himself  thought  to  be 
the  right  one.  He  was,  of  course,  unsuccessful.  That,  not- 
withstanding, did  not  keep  Temple  afterwards  from  speaking  of 
his  conduct  as  "of  wonderful  gentleness  and  sweetness,"  and  of 
him  as  "a  singularly  true  and  devout  Christian." 

A  brother  bishop  has  well  summed  up  his  characteristic 
qualities  in  these  three  words — Learning,  Humility,  Saintliness 
— in  elucidation  of  which  he  writes : 

"His  store  of  knowledge  upon  every  subject  seemed  to  be 
inexhaustible,  and  yet  so  readily  available  that  it  used  to  flow 
from  his  lips  without  any  apparent  effort  of  recollection,  or  any 
apparent  consciousness  that  it  was  more  than  ordinary  informa- 
tion which  his  hearers  shared  equally  with  himself. 

"Decrees  of  Councils,  writings  of  Fathers,  events  in  re- 
moter or  nearer  Church  History,  Proceedings  of  Convocations, 
Acts  of  Parliament,  Canons,  Rubrics,  customs  of  our  own  or 
of  other  Churches,  all  seemed  alike  familiar  to  him  as  he  cited 
them  in  their  turn  and  brought  them  to  bear  aptly  and  forcibly 
upon  the  questions  of  the  hour.  He  really  seemed  as  if  he  had 
not  merely  lived,  but  was  actually  living  in  the  far-away  times 
he  was  referring  to.  He  would  talk  to  us  of  the  doings  at 
Nice  and  Ephesus,  or  at  Hampton  Court  or  the  Savoy,  as  if 
he  had  just  stepped  in  amongst  us  from  those  councils,  and  was 
telling  us  of  yesterday's  discussions  there.  And  yet,  with  all 
this  learning,  he  was  so  genuinely,  so  unaffectedly,  humble. 
He  used  to  defer  to  the  opinions  of  the  youngest  and  least 
experienced  of  his  brethren  with  a  sweet  old-world  courtesy 
and  graciousness  that  could  only  have  come  from  a  lowliness  of 
heart  that  esteemed  others  better  than  himself. 

"He  was  uniformly  gentle,  conciliatory,  striving  always 


THREE  GREAT  ENGLISH  HYMN  WRITERS      133 

for  the  things  that  made  for  peace,  and  though  ready,  if  need 
be,  to  die  for  what  he  held  to  be  the  truth,  always  ready  to 
admit  that  others  might  see  truth  from  other  points  of  view 
than  his — always  willing  to  learn  as  he  certainly  was  apt  to 
teach. 

"But  above  all,  and  before  all  else,  his  most  distinguishing 
characteristic  was  holiness.  Ko  one  could  be  in  his  company, 
even  for  a  few  moments,  without  feeling  he  was  in  contact 
with  one  who  lived  always  very  near  to  God. 

"I  used  to  say  of  him  that  it  was  a  lesson  in  prayer  to  see 
him  pray.  In  the  worship,  and  especially  in  the  Communion, 
with  which  our  Conference  used  to  commence,  the  look  of  deep, 
fervent,  and  yet  happy  devotion  in  his  face  was  a  thing  to 
remember.  He  seemed  to  feel  a  solemn  delight  in  speaking  to 
God,  and  when  he  spoke  of  Divine  things,  it  was  always  with  a 
profound  and  unaffected  mien,  and  yet  with  a  calm  assurance 
of  faith  that  seemed  to  bring  his  hearers  nearer  to  the  Divine 
presence  which  he  so  evidently  and  so  entirely  reaKzed  for 
himself  as  he  spoke. 

"Truly  I  can  say  of  him — what  cannot  be  said  of  many 
men — that  I  never  conversed  with  him  on  sacred  subjects  nor 
worshiped  by  his  side,  without  feeling  myself  a  better  man." 

In  1869  he  was  appointed  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  office  for  fifteen  years. 

He  was  a  voluminous  author,  and  a  noble  man. 

Being  dead,  he  yet  speaketh. 

As  to  his  hymns,  there  is  this  to  be  said :  His  theory  waa 
that  the  materials  for  Church  hymns  were  to  be  found,  (1)  in 
the  Scriptures,  (2)  in  the  writings  of  Christian  antiquity,  (3) 
in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  Some  of  his  hymns  are  a 
little  "wooden,"  but  many  of  them  are  splendid,  and  worthy 
of  all  honor. 

The  first  lines  of  those  contained  in  our  hynmal  are  as 
follows : 

7     The  day  is  gently  sinking  to  a  close. 
24     O  day  of  rest  and  gladness. 
57     Sing,  oh,  sing,  this  blessed  mom. 


134  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

67  Songs  of  thankfulness  and  praise. 

76  Gracious  Spirit,  Holy  Ghost. 

108  The  grave  itself  a  garden  is. 

123  Alleluia!  Alleluia! 

126  See  the  Conqueror  mounts  in  triumph. 

179  Hark !  the  sound  of  holy  voices. 

211  0  God,  in  whose  all-searching  eye. 

278  O  Lord,  our  strength  in  weakness. 

38s  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord. 

477  O  Lord  of  heaven,  and  earth,  and  sea. 

495  Father  of  all,  from  land  and  sea. 

556  Heavenly  Father,  send  Thy  blessing. 

The  story  of  Fredeeick  William  Fabee  must  be  told  in 
comparatively  few  words.  He  was  bom  June  28,  1814.  His 
educational  training  was  received  at  Harrow  and  at  Oxford. 
In  1835  he  became  a  scholar  of  University  College.  From  the 
beginning  of  his  residence  at  Oxford,  he  attended  services  at 
St.  Mary's,  where  he  fell  under  the  spell  of  the  fascinating 
eloquence  of  John  Henry  Newman,  and  became  a  most  zealous 
partisan.  Naturally  the  prize  which  he  captured  during  his 
undergraduate  days  was  a  poetical  prize.  He  prepared  for  Holy 
Orders,  and  was  ordained  August  6,  1837.  In  1843  he  became 
Rector  of  Elton,  Huntingdonshire.  In  1846  he  followed  New- 
man into  the  Church  of  Rome.  After  a  period  spent  at  St. 
Wilfrid's,  Staffordshire,  he  went  to  London,  where  he  estab- 
lished an  Oratory,  which,  in  1854,  was  removed  to  Brompton. 
There  he  remained  in  humble  and  loving  service  until  he  was 
called  away  by  death.  His  last  words  were  "God  be  praised  1" 
As  to  his  poems  his  biographer  writes  thus : 
"In  most  of  his  compositions  it  is  apparent  that  his  master 
and  model  was  William  Wordsworth.  When  at  Ambleside  he 
was  a  great  favorite  with  the  venerable  poet,  but  some  years 
previous  to  that  time  he  had  been  proud  to  style  himself  a 
Wordsworthian.  The  admiration  was  reciprocal,  and  on  one 
occasion,  when  staying  at  Elton,  Mr.  Wordsworth  remarked, 
that,  'if  it  was  not  for  Frederick  Faber's  devoting  himself  so 
much  to  his  sacred  calling,  he  would  be  the  poet  of  his  age.' " 


THREE  GREAT  ENGLISH  HYMN  WRITERS      135 

As  to  his  hymns  the  same  authority  tells  us : 
"A  few  were  printed  in  1848,  for  the  use  of  the  congrega- 
tion at  St.  Wilfrid's  and  many  others  were  added  in  a  volume 
called  'Jesus  and  Mary,'  which  appeared  in  1849.  More  were 
given  in  the  'Oratory  Hymns/  but  in  an  abridged  form,  and 
others  remained  which  had  not  yet  been  made  public  In  order 
that  it  might  correspond  with  the  Psalter,  the  author  chose  the 
number  one  hundred  and  fifty  as  the  limit  of  his  collection, 
which  was  published  in  1862.  In  Catholic  churches,  wherever 
the  English  language  is  spoken,  the  use  of  Father  Faber's  hymns 
is  almost  universal.  Some  of  them,  as  'The  Pilgrims  of  the 
Night,'  and  'The  Land  beyond  the  Sea,'  are  widely  circulated 
as  sacred  songs.  Many  are  to  be  found  in  Protestant  collec- 
tions." 

Seven  of  these  hymns  have  found  their  way  into  our 
hymnal. 

The  first  lines  of  these  hymns  are : 

22  Sweet  Saviour,  bless  us  ere  we  go. 

IDS  Oh  come  and  mourn  with  me  awhile. 

394  O  Paradise,  0  Paradise. 

398  Hark,  hark,  my  soul!    Angelic  songs  are  swelling. 

441  My  God,  how  wonderful  Thou  art. 

564  Dear  Jesus,  ever  at  my  side. 

576  Jesus,  gentlest  Saviour. 

To  the  man  or  woman  or  child  possessed  of  Christlike 
faith  and  feeling,  some  of  Faber's  hymns  are  among  the  most 
majestic  in  our  language. 

Take  for  example  the  one  beginning : 

Oh,  how  the  thought  of  God  attracts 

And  draws  the  heart  from  earth. 
And  sickens  it  of  passing  shows 

And  dissipating  mirth! 


and  ending. 


Be  docile  to  thine  unseen  Guide, 
Love  Him  as  He  loves  thee; 

Time  and  obedience  are  enough. 
And  thou  a  saint  shalt  be. 


136  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Or  the  one  in  which  occur  the  familiar  words, 

There's  a  wideness  in  God's  mercy, 

Like  the  wideness  of  the  sea: 
There's  a  kindness  in  His  justice 

Which  is  more  than  liberty. 

There  is  no  place  where  earth's  sorrows 

Are  more  felt  than  up  in  heaven; 
There  is  no  place  where  earth's  failings 

Have  such  kindly  judgment  given. 

There  is  grace  enough  for  thousands 

Of  new  worlds  as  great  as  this; 
There  is  room  for  fresh  creations 

In  that  upper  home  of  bliss. 

For  the  love  of  God  is  broader 

Than  the  measures  of  man's  mind; 
And  the  heart  of  the  Eternal 

Is  most  wonderfully  kind. 

I  quote  the  whole  of  one  of  these  poems,  entitled,  *'The 
Eight  Must  Win." 

Oh,  it  is  hard  to  work  for  God, 

To  rise  and  take  His  part 
Upon  this  battlefield  of  earth. 

And  not  sometimes  lose  heart. 

He  hides  Himself  so  wondrously. 

As  though  there  were  no  God; 
He  is  least  seen  when  all  the  powers 

Of  ill  are  most  abroad: 

Or  He  deserts  us  at  the  hour 

The  fight  is  all  but  lost; 
And  seems  to  leave  us  to  ourselves 

Just  when  we  need  Him  most. 

O  there  is  less  to  try  our  faith 

In  our  mysterious  creed 
Than  in  the  godless  look  of  earth 

In  these  our  hours  of  need. 


THREE  GREAT  ENGLISH  HYMN  WRITERS      137 

111  masters  good;  good  seems  to  change 

To  ill  with  greatest  ease; 
And,  worst  of  all,  the  good  with  good 

Is  at  cross  purposes. 

The  Church,  the  Sacraments,  the  Faith, 

Their  uphill  journey  take. 
Lose  here  what  there  they  gain,  and,  if 

We  lean  upon  them,  break. 

It  is  not  so,  but  so  it  looks ; 

And  we  lose  courage  then. 
And  doubts  will  come  if  God  hath  kept 

His  promises  to  men. 

Ah,  God  is  other  than  we  think ; 

His  ways  are  far  above. 
Far  beyond  reason's  height,  and  reached 

Only  by  childlike  love. 

The  look,  the  fashion  of  God's  ways 

Love's  lifelong  study  are ; 
She  can  be  bold,  and  guess,  and  act. 

When  reason  would  not  dare. 

She  has  a  prudence  of  her  own; 

Her  step  is  firm  and  free; 
Yet  there  is  cautious  science  too 

In  her  simplicity. 

Workman  of  God!  0  lose  not  heart. 

But  learn  what  God  is  like; 
And  in  the  darkest  battlefield 

Thou  shalt  know  where  to  strike. 

Oh,  blest  is  he  to  whom  is  given 

The  instinct  that  can  tell 
That  God  is  on  the  field,  when  He 

Is  most  invisible ! 

And  blest  is  he  who  can  divine 

Where  real  right  doth  lie. 
And  dares  to  take  the  side  that  seems 

Wrong  to  man's  blindfold  eye. 


138  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Oh,  learn  to  scorn  the  praise  of  men ! 

Oh,  learn  to  lose  with  God ! 
For  Jesus  won  the  world  through  shame. 

And  beckons  thee  His  road. 

God's  glory  is  a  wondrous  thing. 

Most  strange  in  all  its  ways. 
And,  of  all  things  on  earth,  least  like 

What  men  agree  to  praise. 

As  He  can  endless  glory  weave 

From  time's  misjudging  shame. 
In  His  own  world  He  is  content 

To  play  a  losing  game. 

Muse  on  His  justice,  downcast  Soul! 

Muse  and  take  better  heart; 
Back  with  thine  angel  to  the  field: 

Good  luck  shall  crown  thy  part. 

God's  justice  is  a  bed  where  we 

Our  anxions  hearts  may  lay, 
And,  weary  with  ourselves,  may  sleep 

Our  discontent  away. 

For  right  is  right,  since  God  is  God, 

And  right  the  day  must  win; 
To  doubt  would  be  disloyalty. 

To  falter  would  be  sin. 

Surely  we  must  count  Faber  among  the  sweet  singers  of 
the  Church  of  the  living  God. 

Concerning  William  Walsham  How,  Francis  Pigou,  late 
Dean  of  Bristol,  writes  as  follows : 

"Walsham  How,  of  sacred  memory,  was  a  man  of  great 
personal  piety,  which  shone  transparently  in  him.  It  charac- 
terizes all  his  widely  read  writings ;  his  well-known  hymns  are 
fragrant  with  it.  All  brought  into  contact  with  him  were  con- 
scious of  it.  He  was  not  a  man  of  great  intellectual  power, 
but  he  was,  like  St.  Barnabas,  'a  good  man,  full  of  faith  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost;'  and  his  ministry  was  singularly  owned  and 
blessed  of  God.  It  is  true  that  more  men  are  won  to  God  by- 
holiness  than  by  cleverness." 


THREE  GREAT  ENGLISH  HYMN  WRITERS      139 

Men  like  Heber  and  Keble  won  great  distinction  at  Oxford 
for  their  scholarly  attainments,  as  did  Christopher  Wordsworth 
at  Cambridge.  It  was  not  so  with  Walsham  How.  At  the 
time  of  his  final  examinations  he  wrote : 

''I  have  just  come  out  from  the  science  paper,  and  have 
been  completely  nonplussed  by  it.  I  expected  to  do  it  and  logic 
best,  and  all  my  hopes  are  gone.  I  believe  I  could  not  have 
made  a  more  decided  failure  in  it.  I  feel  sure  that  I  have  lost 
all  chance  of  a  second." 

On  the  list  being  published  his  name  appeared  in  the  third 
class. 

A  year  followed  of  theological  study  at  Durham,  and  then 
came  his  ordination  on  December  20,  1846. 

His  first  ministerial  work  was  done  in  a  curacy  at  Kidder- 
minster, and  afterwards  at  Shrewsbury.  In  1851  he  became 
rector  at  Whittington,  where  he  remained  as  a  "country  par- 
son," giving  himself  up  to  faithful  and  fruitful  service  for 
twenty-eight  years.  In  1879  he  was  consecrated  Suffragan 
Bishop  for  East  London,  with  the  title  of  Bishop  of  Bedford. 
In  1888  he  became  Bishop  of  Wakefield,  which  position  he 
nobly  filled  until  his  death,  August  10,  1897,  in  the  seventy- 
fourth  year  of  his  age. 

When  he  was  appointed  Bishop  of  Bedford,  Bishop  Selwyn, 
the  younger,  sent  to  him  the  following  bit  of  "doggerel"  under 
the  heading,  "The  Cry  of  the  East  London  Clergy"  : 

How  shall  we  reach  these  masses  dense. 

Beneath  whose  weight  we  bow? 
At  last  a  light  breaks  through  the  gloom 

And  we  will  show  you — How. 

As  to  his  work  in  East  London,  the  following,  taken  from 
his  biography  by  his  son,  is  interesting : 

"It  was  a  totally  new  experience  that  a  bishop  should  be 
seen  continually  in  the  streets  of  London.  Hurrj'ing  along, 
bag  in  hand,  with  his  quick  springy  step,  he  was  to  be  met  con- 
tinually. The  occupants  of  tram-car  and  omnibus  found  some- 
thing new  to  stare  at  in  a  bishop  seated  opposite  in  a  shovel  hat, 
apron,  and  gaiters.  At  first  his  episcopal  dress  caused  much 
amusement  and  many  queries  as  to  whom  he  might  be,  but  after 


140  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

a  time  he  was  pleased  to  hear  it  said,  'That's  a  bishop.'  Then 
there  came  the  time  when  he  was  still  better  pleased  to  hear, 
'That's  the  Bishop/  and  he  would  often  tell  of  his  delight  when 
at  last  the  familiar  phrase  became,  'That's  our  Bishop.'  " 

The  man  who  could  effect  such  a  change  must  have  been 
a  man  of  the  highest  power,  the  power  that  comes  from  a  great 
Christian  heart. 

Many  tributes  have  been  spoken  in  his  honor,  of  which  one 
of  the  most  notable  is  that  of  the  Bishop  of  Ripon  (Dr.  Boyd 
Carpenter),  delivered  at  a  synodical  meeting  held  February 
17,  1898,  under  the  presidency  of  the  Archbishop  of  York  (Dr. 
Maclagan). 

I  quote  one  comparatively  brief  extract : 

"In  the  providence  of  God  there  have  been  given  to  the 
English  Church  bishops  of  various  types.  There  have  not 
been  wanting  those  whom  we  may  describe  as  learned  bishops, 
whose  vast  erudition  and  whose  guiding  scholarship  have  been 
the  glory  of  their  age  and  the  delight  of  the  years  that  have 
followed.  We  have  had  Archbishop  Usher ;  we  have  had  Bishop 
Lightfoot.  But  the  Church  has  also  been  dowered  with  another 
class  of  bishop — men  of  robust  understanding,  of  keen  intelli- 
gence, of  logical  force,  who  have  buttressed  up  the  strength  of 
the  bulwarks  of  the  Church  by  some  powerful  work  of  theology. 
And  so  we  have  had  in  our  day,  in  the  goodness  of  God's  provi- 
dence, bestowed  upon  us  men  like  Bishop  Butler  and  men  like 
Bishop  Thirlwall,  whose  strong  force  and  robust  and  vigorous 
intellects  have  been  the  great  refuges  for  the  weak  and  the 
doubtful. 

"We  have  had  also  the  brilliant  eloquence  of  men  whose 
eloquent  speech  has  flowed  up  like  a  great  flood,  and  has  carried 
refreshment  wherever  it  has  gone  to  attract  and  persuade  the 
souls  of  men — men  like  Jeremy  Taylor,  men  like  Bishop  Wilber- 
force,  men,  your  Grace,  like  your  illustrious  predecessor.  But 
we  are  thankful  to  add  that  in  the  order  of  God's  providence 
there  has  been  another  type  of  bishop,  which  also  has  not  been 
wanting  as  God's  gift  to  us — the  man  of  devout  spirit,  of 
cultivated  intelligence,  of  persistent  piety ;  the  man  of  the  type, 
I  may  say,  of  Archbishop  Leighton,  or  Bishop  Ken. 

"And   if  we  were  to   describe  the  place  which   Bishop 


THREE  GREAT  ENGLISH  HYMN  WRITERS      141 

Walsham  How  would  be  likely  to  take  in  the  great  order  of 
prelates  I  have  described,  I  think  we  should  assign  him  a  place 
beside  Bishop  Ken." 

A  worthy  tribute  to  a  most  worthy  man. 

As  a  prose  author  Bishop  Walsham  How  wrote  ''Plain 
Words"  and  other  books  which  were  immensely  popular  and 
sold  by  the  hundred  thousand. 

It  is  quite  possible,  however,  that  his  hymns  will  prove  to 
have  been  his  greatest  legacy  to  the  Church. 

In  a  supplementary  chapter  to  Bishop  How's  biography 
the  Bishop  of  Ripon  writes  concerning  his  hymns  in  a  discrimi- 
nating and  eulogistic  way. 

I  quote  the  concluding  paragraph : 

"It  is  the  fate  of  a  hymn  writer  to  be  forgotten.  Of  the 
millions  who  Sunday  after  Sunday  sing  hymns  in  our  churches, 
not  more  than  a  few  hundred  know  or  consider  whose  words 
they  are  singing.  The  hymn  remains ;  the  name  of  the  writer 
passes  away.  Bishop  Walsham  How  was  prepared  for  this; 
his  ambition  was  not  to  be  remembered,  but  to  be  helpful.  He 
gave  free  liberty  to  any  to  make  use  of  his  hymns.  It  was 
enough  for  him  if  he  could  enlarge  the  thanksgivings  of  the 
Church  or  minister  by  song  to  the  souls  of  men.  There  will 
be  few  to  doubt  that  his  unselfish  wish  will  be  fulfilled.  Some 
of  his  hymns  have  become  already  the  heritage  of  the  Church 
of  God.  They  will  continue  to  be  sung  for  long  years  to  come ; 
they  will  cheer  and  console  the  hearts  of  millions ;  many  who 
hear  will  take  up  their  burden  and  their  hope  again.  We  are 
told  that  when  Melanchthon  and  his  comrades,  shortly  after 
Luther's  death,  fled  to  Weimar,  they  heard  a  child  singing  the 
stirring  words  of  Luther's  'Ein  Teste  Burg.'  'Sing,  dear 
daughter,  sing,'  said  Melanchthon ;  'you  know  not  what  great 
people  you  are  comforting.'  Even  so  the  voice  of  the  hymn 
writer  carries  comfort  to  unkno^^m  hearts  and  to  after  ages. 

"The  writer  dies ;  the  hymn  remains ;  the  song  goes  on ; 
tired  men  listen  and  find  rest.  Struggling  men  are  encouraged 
to  struggle  on  again;  statesmen,  philanthropists,  the  broken- 
hearted and  the  despairing,  are  helped.     Sing  on :  you  know  not 


142  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

what  great  people  you  are  comforting.  Such  a  reward  is 
better  than  fame.  It  is  as  if,  even  after  life  is  ended,  the 
power  to  give  a  cup  of  cold  water  to  a  fainting  soul  in  the  name 
of  Christ  was  not  denied  to  the  singer  of  the  Church.  To  be 
praised  is  the  ambition  of  the  world;  to  be  a  blessing  is  the 
abundant  satisfaction  of  those  who,  like  Bishop  Walsham  How, 
sing  because  their  hearts  are  full,  and  who,  like  their  Lord,  find 
their  joy  in  loving  service  of  their  fellow  men." 

In  the  hymnal  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  eighteen 
of  Bishop  How's  hymns  have  found  a  valued  place.  Their  num- 
bers are  5,  68,  95,  149,  152,  156,  159,  164,  169,  176,  187,  268, 
272,  284,  357,  533,  572,  598.  The  first  nine  of  these  were 
written  for  special  days,  for  Friday,  for  Epiphany,  for  Holy 
Week,  for  the  Eeast  of  the  Circumcision,  for  the  Purification, 
for  the  Annunciation,  for  St.  Mark's  Day,  for  St.  Peter's  Day, 
for  St.  Matthew's  Day.  They  are  less  familiar,  less  frequently 
sung,  than  the  others  of  which  I  quote  the  first  lines : 

176  For  all  the  saints,  who  from  their  labors  rest. 

187  To  Thee  our  God  we  fly. 

268  We  give  Thee  but  Thine  own. 

272  0  Thou  through  suffering  perfect  made. 

284  O  word  of  God  incarnate. 

357  O  Jesu,  Thou  art  standing. 

533  Come,  praise  your  Lord  and  Saviour. 

572  Lord,  Thy  children  guide  and  keep. 

598  Ashamed  of  Thee!  O  dearest  Lord. 

In  1897  Bishop  Walsham  How  was  asked  to  write  a  hymn 
to  be  sung  throughout  Great  Britain,  in  all  worshiping  assem- 
blies, upon  the  occasion  of  the  celebration  of  the  sixtieth  anni- 
versary of  the  accession  of  her  honored  Majesty,  Queen  Victoria. 
The  music  was  composed  by  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan.  I  quote 
the  whole  of  this  noble  hymn : 

O  King  of  kings,  whose  reign  of  old 

Hath  been  from  everlasting, 
Before  whose  throne  their  crowns  of  gold 

The  white-robed  saints  are  casting; 


THREE  GREAT  ENGLISH  HYMN  WRITERS      143 

While  all  the  shining  courts  on  high 

With  angel  songs  are  ringing, 
Oh  let  Thy  children  venture  nigh, 

Their  lowly  homage  bringing. 

For  every  heart,  made  glad  by  Thee, 

With  thankful  praise  is  swelling; 
And  every  tongue,  with  joy  set  free. 

The  happy  theme  is  telling. 
Thou  hast  been  mindful  of  Thine  own. 

And  lo!  we  come  confessing 
'Tis  Thou  hast  dowered  our  queenly  throne 

With  sixty  years  of  blessing. 

Oh  Royal  heart,  with  wide  embrace 

For  all  her  children  yearning! 
Oh  happy  realm,  such  mother-grace 

With  loyal  love  returning! 
Where  England's  flag  flies  wide  unfurled, 

All  tyrant  wrongs  repelling, 
God  make  the  world  a  better  world 

For  man's  brief  earthly  dwelling. 

Lead  on,  O  Lord,  Thy  people  still. 

New  grace  and  wisdom  giving. 
To  larger  love,  and  purer  will. 

And  nobler  heights  of  living. 
And,  while  of  all  Thy  love  below 

They  chant  the  gracious  story. 
Oh  teach  them  first  Thy  Christ  to  know. 

And  magnify  His  glory. 

This  is  a  notable  hymn,  written  for  a  rare  and  great 
occasion,  an  occasion  such  as  comes  but  once  in  several  centuries. 
To  have  written  a  hymn  to  be  sung  by  many  millions  of  people 
in  all  parts  of  a  great  empire,  on  one  marked  day,  is  indeed  a 
distinguished  honor.  Still  it  is  a  greater  honor  to  have  written 
the  majestic  lines  beginning,  "For  all  the  saints,  who  from  their 
labors  rest,"  our  mighty  anthem  for  All  Saints'  Day. 

This  hymn  was  sung  in  Trinity  Church,  Boston,  at  the 
funeral  of  Phillips  Brooks,  together  with  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my 
Soul."  It  will  continue  to  be  sung  by  millions  in  the  ages  to 
come. 


144  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

\Vlien  Frederic  Dan  Huntington,  first  Bishop  of  Central 
New  York,  lay  dying,  so  his  daughter,  who  wrote  his  biography, 
tells  us,  the  doctor  asked  him  how  he  was,  and  he  replied  quite 
clearly,  "Purified  as  by  fire."  These  were  the  last  articulate 
words,  strikingly  in  accord  with  the  spirit  of  his  verses  written 
not  long  before : 

Come,  when  pain's  throbbing  pulse  in  brain  and  nerves  is  burning, 
O  form  of  Man!  that  moved  among  the  faithful  three. 

These  earth-enkindled  flames  to  robes  of  glory  turning; 
Walk  "through  the  fire,"  peace-giving  Son  of  God,  with  me ! 

"Before  the  sun  sank  low  in  the  west,"  his  daughter  adds, 
"that  hour  so  often  dwelt  upon  by  him  with  pathetic  longing, 
the  light  eternal  shone  upon  his  vision. 

"He  was  laid  to  rest  beside  his  father  and  mother,  brothers 
and  sisters,  in  the  old  cemetery  where  ancestors  for  generations 
had  slept.  There  was  no  opportunity  for  pomp  and  ceremonial 
in  the  simple  country  funeral,  and  it  was  what  he  would  have 
liked  best.  *  *  *  At  the  grave,  clergy  and  choristers  in 
their  robes,  from  near  and  far,  with  friends  and  neighbors, 
gathered  for  the  solemn  Committal.  The  day  was  beautiful, — 
full  of  promise  of  the  better  world  to  come. 

"During  the  services  a  slight  veil  covered  the  sky,  but  when 
the  uplifted  voices  reached  the  sixth  verse  of  the  hymn,  Tor 
all  the  saints,  who  from  their  labors  rest,'  a  brilliant  shaft  of 
light  from  the  sinking  sun  broke  across  the  vistas  of  hillside  and 
meadow,  kindling  the  vestments  of  those  ministering  into  an 
almost  unearthly  radiance,  with  a  reminder  to  the  assembled 
worshipers  of  that  other  'golden  evening'  which  'brightens  in  the 
west'  and  of  the  'yet  more  glorious  day.'  " 

"Purified  by  fire!"  Purified  here,  and  glorified  here- 
after !  That  was  the  vision  of  William  Walsham  How.  That 
vision  gave  him  ecstatic  power.  "The  distant  triumph  song" 
rang  in  his  ears.  "The  victor's  crown  of  gold"  irradiated  his 
steps.  And  so  he  was  made  meet  to  be  a  partaker  of  the  inheri- 
tance of  the  saints  in  light. 


THREE  GREAT  ENGLISH  HYMN  WRITERS      145 

For  my  concluding  words  in  this  brief  study  I  could  choose 
none  better  than  these: 

176  For  all  the  saints,  who  from  their  labors  rest, 
Who  Thee  by  faith  before  the  world  confessed. 
Thy  Name,  O  Jesu,  be  forever  blest. 

Alleluia. 

Thou  wast  their  Eock,  their  Fortress,  and  their  Might; 
Thou,  Lord,  their  Captain  in  the  well-fought  fight; 
Thou,  in  the  darkness  drear,  the  one  true  Light. 

Alleluia. 

Oh  may  Thy  soldiers,  faithful,  true,  and  bold. 
Fight  as  the  saints  who  nobly  fought  of  old. 
And  win,  with  them,  the  victor's  crown  of  gold. 

AUeluia. 

O  blest  communion,  fellowship  divine! 
We  feebly  struggle,  they  in  glory  shine; 
Tet  all  are  one  in  Thee,  for  all  are  Thine. 

Alleluia. 

And  when  the  strife  is  fierce,  the  warfare  long. 
Steals  on  the  ear  the  distant  triumph-song. 
And  hearts  are  brave  again,  and  arms  are  strong. 

Alleluia. 

The  golden  evening  brightens  in  the  west; 
Soon,  soon  to  faithful  warriors  cometh  rest; 
Sweet  is  the  calm  of  Paradise  the  blest. 

AUeluia. 

But  lo!  there  breaks  a  yet  more  glorious  day; 
The  saints  triumphant  rise  in  bright  array; 
The  King  of  glory  passes  on  His  way. 

Alleluia. 

From  earth's  wide  bounds,  from  ocean's  farthest  coast. 
Through  gates  of  pearl  streams  in  the  countless  host. 
Singing  to  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

Alleluia. 

10 


IX. 

Phillips  Brooks 

Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe 

George  Burgess 

Francis  Scott  Key 

Timothy  Dwight 

and  Other  American  Hymn  Writers 


(147) 


The  earth  has  grown  old  with  its  burden  of  care, 

But  at  Christmas  it  always  is  young; 
The  heart  of  the  jewel  burns  lustrous  and  fair, 
And  its  soul  full  of  music  breaks  forth  on  the  air. 

When  the  song  of  the  angels  is  sung. 

It  is  coming,  Old  Earth,  it  is  coming  to-night! 

On  the  snowflakes  which  cover  thy  sod 
The  feet  of  the  Christ-child  fall  gently  and  white, 
And  the  voice  of  the  Christ-child  tells  out  with  delight 

That  mankind  are  the  children  of  God. 

Phillips  Beooks. 


Venite  Exultemus,  there. 

Those  ancient  scholars  sung. 
And  Jubilate  Domino 

The  vaulted  alleys  rung: 
And  our  gray  pile  will  tremble  oft 

Beneath  the  organ's  roar, 
When  here  those  very  matin-songs 

With  high  Te  Deum  pour ! 

And  where  are  kings  and  empires  now, 

Since  then,  that  went  and  came? 
But  holy  Church  is  praying  yet, 

A  thousand  years  the  same ! 
And  these  that  sing  shall  pass  away : 

New  choirs  their  room  shall  fill ! 
Be  sure  thy  children's  children  here 

Shall  hear  those  anthems  still. 

Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe. 


(148) 


TIT-''- 


IX. 

PHILLIPS  BROOKS, 

AETHUR  CLEVELAND  COXE, 

GEORGE  BURGESS, 

FRANCIS  SCOTT  KEY, 

TIMOTHY  DWIGHT, 

And  Other  American  Hymn  Weitees. 

We  turn  now  to  several  American  authors  of  some  of  our 
hymns,  who  were  not  only  writers  of  mark,  but  also  men  of 
power. 

I  begin  with  our  most  colossal  man,  that  great  preacher 
of  Philadelphia  and  Boston,  Phillips  Beooks. 

You  will  observe  that  I  do  not  say  Bishop  Brooks.  He 
was  bishop  only  for  a  little  more  than  a  year,  and  the  Episcopate, 
as  a  mark  of  distinction,  he  never  prized.  Indeed,  he  made 
little  of  the  office — too  little — and  still  less  of  many  of  those 
who  filled  it.  His  thought  was  that  to  be  the  mightiest  of 
preachers  was  to  be  the  mightiest  of  men.  The  Sunday  follow- 
ing Henry  Ward  Beecher's  death,  he  spoke  of  him  as  "the 
greatest  preacher  in  America,"  and  then  went  on  to  add,  "the 
greatest  preacher  means  the  greatest  power  in  the  land." 

It  was  not  as  a  bishop  that  Phillips  Brooks  was  supremely 
great,  but  as  a  preacher  of  the  everlasting  Gospel.  That  was  his 
highest  ambition,  and  that  was  his  glorious  accomplishment. 
Notice  for  just  a  minute  the  record  of  how  one  of  his  sermons 
influenced  one  of  the  foremost  of  Scotland's  sons,  the  great 
Principal  TuUoch.  Writing  from  Boston,  April  26,  1874, 
he  said : 

"I  have  just  heard  the  most  remarkable  sermon  I  ever 
heard  in  my  life — I  use  the  word  in  no  American  sense — from 
Mr.  Phillips  Brooks,  an  Episcopal  clergyman  here,  equal  to  the 

(149) 


150  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

best  of  Frederick  Robertson's  sermons,  with  a  vigor  and  force 
of  thought  which  he  has  not  always.  I  have  never  heard  preach- 
ing like  it,  and  you  know  how  slow  I  am  to  praise  preachers. 
So  much  thought  and  so  much  life  combined,  so  much  reach  of 
mind,  and  such  a  depth  of  insight  and  soul.  I  was  electrified. 
I  could  have  got  up  and  shouted." 

Another  great  Scotchman,  the  Rev.  Dr.  A.  B.  Bruce,  speaks 
of  his  preaching  in  an  equally  eulogistic  way.  So  Dr.  Weir 
Mitchell  declares,  that  of  all  the  men  he  has  ever  met  he  regards 
Phillips  Brooks  as  the  one  man  entirely  great.  Bishop  Clark 
called  him,  not  too  strongly,  the  Shakespeare  of  the  pulpit. 

The  words  spoken  and  written  concerning  Phillips  Brooks, 
if  gathered  together,  would  fill  many  volumes. 

One  wise  and  discriminating  utterance  may  serve  as  a 
sample.  It  is  taken  from  "A  History  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,"  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  C.  C.  Tiffany. 

"At  once,  on  emerging  from  the  seminary,  he  became  pre- 
eminent in  the  pulpit,  and  from  the  very  beginning  continued 
till  his  death  the  most  powerful  and  fascinating  and  uplifting 
preacher  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  ever  kno\vn.  He 
drew  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men  and  women  in  vast  assem- 
blies about  him,  and  they  hung  breathless  on  his  lips,  and  went 
home  from  his  sermons  feeling  that  a  strong  wind  of  God  had 
blown  freshness  and  courage  and  hope  and  aspiration  into  their 
souls.  It  is  impossible  to  say  whose  lives  he  touched  most 
potently,  whether  the  students  of  Harvard,  or  the  merchants 
and  physicians  of  Philadelphia,  or  the  judges,  statesmen,  and 
scholars  of  Boston,  or  the  clerks  and  seamstresses  and  artisans 
everywhere.  No  one  but  felt  and  responded  to  the  nobleness 
of  his  nature  and  the  majesty  of  his  spirit  as  he  stood  before 
them  to  plead  with  them,  as  the  children  of  God,  to  rise  to  the 
height  of  the  divine  possibilities  within  them,  and  walk  as  chil- 
dren of  the  light  and  of  the  day.  It  is  difficult,  if  not  impossi- 
ble, to  analyze  his  power.  He  had  affluent  gifts,  but  it  did  not 
lie  in  them.  He  had  an  exquisite  diction  which  sang  its  senti- 
ment into  the  soul,  and  a  wealth  of  illustration  which  constituted 
him  a  veritable  seer  to  whom  nature  laid  bate  the  secrets  of  her 


tmWy        '■■)% 


SOME  AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  151 


spiritual  suggestions,  together  with  a  beautiful  simplicity  of 
style  which  transforms  his  writings  into  literature.  Mentally 
he  had  a  clear  perception  of  the  fundamental  truths  of  God  and 
man,  a  noble  philosophy  of  life,  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  forces 
moving  in  society,  an  intense  appreciation  of  all  genuine  forms 
of  life.  But  it  was  the  mystic  touch  of  genius  which  took  all 
the  rich  endowments  of  his  nature,  and  all  the  acquirements  of 
his  scholarship,  and  all  his  varied  culture  and  experience  of  men, 
and  from  out  of  them  evoked  a  power  of  spiritual  sympathy 
which  made  him  supreme  as  an  inspiration  and  a  guide." 

Phillips  Brooks  has  been  fortunate  in  his  biographer,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  A.  G.  V.  Allen.  !N^o  other  man  could  have  done  so  well. 
The  veil  is  drawn  over  the  small  "limitations"  of  this  wonderful 
man,  his  immense  power  and  goodness  are  splendidly  portrayed, 
so  that  he  will  go  down  the  ages  as  one  of  the  most  gifted  and 
most  mighty  of  all  the  Christian  teachers  and  Christian  soldiers 
of  the  nineteenth  century. 

We  give  merely  two  dates,  and  one  great  fact. 

He  was  born  in  Boston,  December  13,  1835.  He  died 
in  the  same  city,  January  23,  1893. 

From  his  mother  came  most  largely  the  inspiration  of  his 
genius  and  the  grandeur  of  his  life. 

Only  one  of  his  carols  has  found  its  way  into  our  hymnal, 
but  that  is  a  message  to  children,  young  and  old : 

58    O  little  town  of  Bethlehem, 

How  still  we  see  thee  lie ! 
Above  thy  deep  and  dreamless  sleep 

The  silent  stars  go  by; 
Yet  in  thy  dark  streets  shineth 

The  everlasting  Light; 
The  hopes  and  fears  of  all  the  years 

Are  met  in  thee  to-night. 

For  Christ  Is  born  of  Mary, 

And  gathered  all  above. 
While  mortals  sleep,  the  angels  keep 

Their  watch  of  wondering  love. 
O  morning  stars,  together 

Proclaim  the  holy  birth! 
And  praises  sing  to  God  the  King 

And  peace  to  men  on  earth. 


152  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

How  silently,  how  silently, 

The  wondrous  gift  is  given! 
So  God  imparts  to  human  hearts 

The  blessings  of  His  heaven. 
No  ear  may  hear  His  coming. 

But  in  this  world  of  sin, 
Where  meek  souls  will  receive  Him  still. 

The  dear  Christ  enters  in. 

O  holy  Child  of  Bethlehem! 

Descend  to  us,  we  pray; 
Cast  out  our  sin,  and  enter  in. 

Be  born  in  us  to-day. 
We  hear  the  Christmas  angels 

The  great  glad  tidings  tell; 
Oh  come  to  us,  abide  with  us. 

Our  Lord  Emmanuel. 


By  reason  of  its  bearing  upon  our  hymnal  the  following, 
taken  from  ''Eeminiscences  of  Bishops  and  Archbishops,"  by 
the  Et.  Eev.  Dr.  Henry  Codman  Potter,  is  of  special  interest: 

"He"  (the  reference  is  to  Phillips  Brooks)  "did  not  love 
lawmaking,  and  he  did  not  pretend  to.  In  the  only  General 
Convention  in  which  he  sat,  he  was  one  of  the  junior  bishops ; 
and  his  place,  as  such,  in  the  House  of  Bishops,  was  near  the 
door.  I  was  going  out  of  it,  one  day  when,  as  I  passed  his 
seat,  he  plucked  my  sleeve  and,  drawing  me  dov^n,  whispered  in 
my  ear,  'Henry,  is  it  always  as  dull  as  this  ?' 

"It  was  inevitable  that,  to  him,  the  House  of  Bishops  should 
be  dull.  As  a  newcomer  there,  he  was  expected  to  be  silent; 
and  as  a  listener  he  could  only  hope  to  hear  rather  dry  discus- 
sions concerning  terms  and  phrases  in  which  he  could  find  little 
to  interest  him.  But  the  fine  feature  in  that  whole  situation 
consisted  in  his  scrupulous  attendance  and  in  his  painstaking 
attention.  Parliamentary  technicalities,  canonical  amendments, 
titular  designations  and  distinctions,  in  no  wise  appealed  to  him. 
But  he  followed  the  business  of  the  House  with  scrupulous 
vigilance,  and  with  one  exception  in  unbroken  silence. 

"That  exception  had  in  it  a  note  of  such  absolute  simplicity 
and  almost  boyish  enthusiasm  that  I  cannot  but  recall  it. 


SOME  AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  153 

''We  were  listening  to  the  report  of  the  joint  committee  on 
the  Hymnal.  Originally,  as  some  of  my  readers  will  remem- 
ber, there  was,  bound  up  with  the  Prayer  Book,  a  metrical  ver- 
sion of  certain  psalms,  and  a  selection  of  hymns,  little  more  than 
two  hundred  in  number  and  of  very  variable  quality.  It 
had  been  decided  to  substitute  for  these  a  proper  Hymnal ;  and 
the  best  talent  in  the  Church  had,  for  two  or  three  General  Con- 
ventions, and  for  the  years  between  them,  devoted  itself,  bishops, 
presbyters,  and  laymen,  to  the  preparation  of  this  Hymnal.  At 
last  the  work  was  completed;  and  after  considerable  previous 
discussion,  the  committee  submitted  the  book  in  the  House  of 
Bishops  for  its  final  adoption. 

"Until  this  time.  Bishop  Brooks  had  not,  so  far  as  I  can 
remember,  opened  his  lips  in  the  House  of  Bishops.  But,  as 
the  chairman  of  the  joint  committee  on  the  Hymnal  sat  down, 
the  Bishop  rose,  with  his  characteristic  modesty,  and  spoke  in 
substance  as  follows : 

"  'One  can  readily  understand,  and  heartily  sympathize 
with,  many  of  the  changes  in  our  collection  of  hymns  of  which 
the  able  report  of  the  joint  committee  is  the  evidence.  There 
is  a  most  gratifying  enlargement  of  the  old  collection,  and  some 
hymns  which  obviously  were  scarcely  worthy  of  a  place  in  it 
have  disappeared.  But  a  hymn  has  two  values,  one  of  which 
is  doctrinal,  and  the  other  literary,  and  added  to  these  is  that 
often  mightiest  power  which  comes  from  association.  I  venture 
to  submit,  Mr.  Chairman,  that  that  last  is  pre-eminently  true 
of  the  hymn  beginning  "How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of 
the  Lord."  '  And  along  that  line  the  Bishop  of  Massachusetts 
spoke  with  great  tenderness  and  power.  He  made  no  high 
claim  for  the  hymn  on  the  ground  of  its  literary  merits ;  but  he 
dwelt  with  persuasive  earnestness  upon  its  very  sacred  associ- 
ations with  the  deepest  life  of  individual  believers;  and  con- 
cluded by  expressing  his  regret  that  the  committee  had  seen  fit 
to  omit  it,  and  he  then  made  a  motion  that  it  be  restored. 

"As  he  sat  down,  there  sprang  to  his  feet  a  bishop  who  had 
most  vehemently  opposed  his  confirmation,  and  who  was  gen- 
erally reckoned  to  have  been  the  most  active  foe  to  his  admission 
to  the  House  of  Bishops.       With  impassioned  eloquence,  he 


154  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

seconded  the  motion  of  the  Bishop  of  Massachusetts,  and  ex- 
pressed, with  vehement  speech,  his  delight  in  doing  so,  and 
his  hearty  concurrence  with  every  argument  that  the  Bishop  had 
used.  Without  further  debate  the  vote  was  taken  on  the  resohi- 
tion,  and  carried  by  a  large  majority;  and  the  hymn  (No.  636) 
may  be  found  to-day  in  the  Episcopal  Hymnal. 

"Its  author,  as  some  who  read  these  words  may  remember, 
was  Keen,  not  like  ISTeale,  Wesley,  Toplady,  Watts,  Frances 
Havergal,  or  others,  famous  for  hymn  writing,  or  otherwise. 
But  the  hymn  is  interwoven  with  the  child-life  of  many  devout 
men,  and,  as  doubtless  was  the  case  in  this  instance,  with  mem- 
ories of  a  sainted  mother.  And  who  shall  say  what  thoughts 
awoke  in  the  breast  of  this  man  of  genius  who  combined  the 
splendor  of  rare  gifts  with  a  singularly  simple  and  child-like 
faith,  as  he  plead  for  that  grand  old  hymn  ?  Sacred  were  the 
lips  that  once  had  taught  it.  Imperishable  was  the  faith  that, 
at  a  mother's  knee,  had  learned  it." 

Another  great  and  good  man,  who  was  a  poet  as  well  as  a 
scholar  and  saint,  who  had  much  to  do  with  the  movement  of 
years  which  finally  resulted  in  the  hymnal  we  now  possess,  was 
George  Burgess^  first  Bishop  of  Maine.  Any  man  or  woman 
who  loves  Christian  wisdom  and  sanctity,  will  do  well  to  read 
his  biography.  A  few  lines  taken  from  a  memorial  tablet  in 
Christ  Church,  Gardiner,  well  describes  his  character: 

Learned,  judicious,  saintly; 

Living  for  Christ  and  the  Church; 

Loving  all,  beloved  by  all; 

Faithful  in  every  trust,  even  unto  death. 

Other  words,  adopted  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  are  none  too  strong : 

"His  devoutness  was  so  constant,  that  we  can  hardly  think 
of  him  as  having  devotional  periods ;  his  zeal  so  steady,  as  not 
to  be  quickened  by  impulse;  his  benevolence  so  fervid,  that  it 
could  bum  no  brighter  with  occasion.  In  the  character  thus 
rounded  and  balanced,  there  was  a  native  nobility  of  manhood. 
With  the  imprinted  power  of  grace  and  self -consecration  to  God 


SOME  AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  155 

and  acting  itself  out  in  unwearing  labors,  it  gave  us  the  saintly 
life  of  Bishop  Burgess  as  a  man  who  literally  walked  with  God." 

I  quote  one  or  two  passages  from  a  chapter  of  his  admir- 
able biography,  concerning  his  devotional  habits : 

"It  would,  perhaps,  be  difficult  for  the  world  to  realize 
that  a  man  so  constantly  occupied  could  find  so  much  time  for 
prayer  as  he  found.  His  seasons  of  prayer  were  frequent  rather 
than  prolonged.  His  prayers  were  of  the  most  simple,  quiet, 
unimpassioned  character;  as  Doddridge's  prayers  have  been 
described,  'business-like.'  Or  rather  they  were  like  the  re- 
quests of  a  child  to  his  father ;  of  a  child  who  is  in  earnest,  and 
yet  willing  to  accept  a  denial,  if  his  father  thinks  a  refusal 
best  for  him.  He  never  or  seldom  experienced  those  hours 
of  ecstatic  communion  with  God,  of  which  one  sometimes  reads, 
and  which  are  so  discouraging  to  ordinary,  common-place  Chris- 
tians ;  but  every  act  was  sanctified  by  prayer.  He  never  left 
his  study  to  attend  a  service,  nor  returned  to  it  afterwards, 
without  a  few  moments  of  prayer.  If  he  were  going  on  a 
journey,  he  knelt  for  a  minute,  in  company  with  the  nearest 
members  of  his  family,  to  ask  upon  it  a  blessing. 

"On  one  or  two  occasions,  when  talking  freely  but  confi- 
dentially, he  mentioned  some  of  his  habits.  Three  times 
every  day,  in  his  private  morning  and  evening  devotions  and  at 
noon,  he  prayed  by  name  for  every  clergyman  and  candidate  for 
orders  in  the  Diocese.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he 
gave  a  few  minutes  to  meditation  and  prayer  for  humility  and 
repentance ;  about  three  in  the  afternoon,  for  preparation  and 
readiness  to  die.  At  some  convenient  time,  in  the  early  part 
of  the  evening,  before  his  mind  was  too  much  wearied  by  the 
labors  of  the  day,  he  devoted  a  short  time  to  self-examination 
and  prayer.  Between  nine  and  ten  came  family  prayers,  and 
toward  midnight  he  read  from  Jenks'  Devotions,  closing  again 
with  more  private  petitions.  On  Sunday,  before  going  to  the 
morning  service,  he  prayed  for  all  'spiritual  pastors,'  and  at 
noon  for  increase  of  love  to  God  and  charity  to  all  men.  On 
occasions  when  the  Holy  Communion  was  received,  he  used 
special  prayers  both  before  and  after  the  service,  and  at  some 
early  hour  on  Sunday  evenings  he  offered  a  variety  of  prayers 


156  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

for  many  classes  of  persons,  concluding  witli  petitions  for  each 
member  of  his  own  family.  During  Lent,  his  devotional  exer- 
cises were  somewhat  increased." 

In  the  choice  of  hymns  looking  to  the  improvement  of  our 
hymnal  he  did  a  great  deal  of  work.  Of  one  committee  meet- 
ing when  this  subject  was  under  consideration,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Francis  Wharton  writes : 

''Two  things  were  very  remarkable  about  him  at  these 
meetings.  One  was  the  exactness  and  determination  with 
which  he  kept  to  the  work,  whose  direction  fell  mainly  into  his 
hands  as  chairman.  The  other  was  the  seraphic  spirit  by  which 
he  seemed  to  be  possessed,  throwing  its  halo  over  him  in  the 
merest  detail.  Sometimes,  in  reading  or  quoting  a  hymn,  his 
face  seemed  to  be  lit  up  as  with  glory,  and,  on  one  occasion, 
when  repeating  the  hymn  of  Keble, 

Sun  of  my  soul.  Thou  Saviour  dear, 

his  voice  and  face  seemed  almost  transfigured,  and  remain  on 
my  mind  with  a  vividness  that  can  never  be  effaced." 

Bishop  Burgess  was  bom  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  October  31, 
1809,  and  died  at  sea  near  Hayti,  April  23,  1866. 

It  is  an  interesting  coincidence  that  the  words  of  his  hymn 
are  these : 

308     While  o'er  the  deep  Thy  servants  sail. 
Send  Thou,  O  Lord,  the  prosperous  gale; 
And  on  their  hearts,  where'er  they  go. 
Oh,  let  Thy  heavenly  breezes  blow. 

If  on  the  morning's  wings  they  fly. 
They  will  not  pass  beyond  Thine  eye. 
The  wanderer's  prayer  Thou  bend'st  to  hear. 
And  faith  exults  to  know  Thee  near. 

"When  tempests  rock  the  groaning  bark. 
Oh,  hide  them  safe  in  Jesus'  ark: 
When  in  the  tempting  port  they  ride. 
Oh,  keep  them  safe  at  Jesus'  side. 


(Beorgc  l^iivgc;eJ;ej 


SOME  AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  157 

If  life's  wide  ocean  smile  or  roar, 
Still  guide  them  to  the  heavenly  shore; 
And  grant  their  dust  in  Christ  may  sleep. 
Abroad,  at  home,  or  in  the  deep. 

Another  bishop  of  the  American  Church  who  was  distin- 
guished as  a  poet  was  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  second  Bishop 
of  Western  N^ew  York.  He  was  the  son  of  a  justly  renowned 
Presbyterian  minister,  and  was  born  May  10,  1818.  He  died 
July  20,  1896. 

His  own  words  concerning  Bishop  Kerfoot  may  well  be 
applied  to  himself : 

"His  ambition  was  to  be  largely  useful.  He  lived  for  no 
private  ends ;  emphatically  his  was  that  spirit  so  eloquently 
eulogized  by  Burke — a  'public  spirit.'  N^o  sordid  coveting  of 
wealth,  no  petty  eagerness  for  distinction,  much  less  was  his 
a  capacity  to  intrigue  for  promotion,  to  pant  for  place,  to  envy 
more  fortunate  brethren,  or  to  exalt  self  by  base  detraction. 
I  believe  his  master-motive  was  the  love  of  Christ,  the  love  of 
souls,  and  a  burning  zeal  for  the  service  of  that  Church  in  which 
he  believed  are  garnered  up  the  treasures  of  grace  that  is  sacra- 
mental, with  all  that  comes  to  us  from  a  primitive  antiquity 
and  the  long  line  of  Truth's  witnesses  and  a  divine  succession 
of  the  benefactors  of  the  human  race." 

Nevertheless,  it  must  be  admitted  that  Bishop  Coxe  is 
better  described  by  the  word  brilliant  than  by  the  word  weighty, 
by  the  word  ornamental  rather  than  by  the  word  solid. 

He  himself  has  taught  us  to  sing : 

The  lark  is  in  the  sky,  and  his  morning  note  is  pouring; 

He  hath  a  wing  to  fly,  so  he's  soaring,  Christian,  soaring! 

His  nest  is  on  the  ground,  but  only  in  the  night; 

Tor  he  loves  the  matin-sound,  and  the  highest  heaven's  height. 

Hark,  Christian,  hark !  at  heaven-door  he  sings ! 

And  be  thou  like  the  lark,  with  thy  soaring  spirit-wings! 

Bishop  Coxe  soared  at  times  not  only  into  regions  of 
heavenly  glory,  but  also  into  the  regions  of  ethereal  fancy ;  not 
only  into  the  realm  of  the  invisible,  but  into  the  realm  of  the 
impracticable  as  well.      Another  less  gifted  than  he  might  have 


158  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

made  a  better  bishop,  but  as  a  man  he  carried  with  him  a  rare 
and  abiding  charm.       How  wonderful  his  eloquence!       How 
striking  and  how  stirring  some  of  his  sacred  songs! 
One  of  his  hymns  in  our  hymnal  begins : 

314     Oh,  who  like  Thee,  so  calm,  so  bright. 

Another  is  the  splendid  Missionary  hymn : 

257     Saviour,  sprinkle  many  nations; 
Fruitful  let  Thy  sorrows  be; 
By  Thy  pains  and  consolations 
Draw  the  Gentiles  unto  Thee! 

Of  Thy  cross  the  wondrous  story. 

Be  it  to  the  nations  told; 
Let  them  see  Thee  in  Thy  glory 

And  Thy  mercy  manifold. 

Far  and  wide,  though  all  unknowing. 

Pants  for  Thee  each  mortal  breast, 
Human  tears  for  Thee  are  flowing. 

Human  hearts  in  Thee  would  rest. 

Thirsting,  as  for  dews  of  even. 

As  the  new-mown  grass  for  rain. 
Thee  they  seek  as  God  of  heaven, 

Thee  as  Man  for  sinners  slain. 

Saviour,  lo,  the  isles  are  waiting ! 

Stretched  the  hand  and  strained  the  sight, 
For  Thy  Spirit,  new  creating, 

Love's  pure  flame  and  wisdom's  light. 

Give  the  word,  and  of  the  preacher 

Speed  the  foot  and  touch  the  tongue. 
Till  on  earth  by  every  creature 

Glory  to  the  Lamb  be  sung! 

It  Is  generally  known  that  Francis  Scott  Key  wrote  the 
"Star-Spangled  Banner."  It  is  not  generally  known  that  he 
was  a  devout  communicant  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

As  to  the  most  interesting  events  of  his  life  the  following, 


SOME  AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  159 

taken  from  the  National  Cyclopaedia  of  American  Biography,  is 
a  summary: 

"Fkancis  Scott  Key,  lawyer  and  author,  was  bom  in 
Frederick  County,  Maryland,  August  1,  1779.  He  was  the  son 
of  John  Ross  Key,  a  revolutionary  officer,  and  nephew  of 
Philip  Barton  Key,  a  noted  lawyer.  His  early  education  was 
under  the  immediate  supervision  of  his  father,  who  sent  him  to 
St.  John's  College,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1798.  After 
his  graduation  he  studied  law  in  the  office  of  his  uncle  at 
Annapolis.  In  1801  he  began  practice  in  Fredericktown, 
Maryland,  but  in  a  few  years  removed  to  Washington,  where 
he  became  district  attorney  for  the  District  of  Columbia.  In 
1814,  when  the  British  attacked  Washington,  the  commanding 
officers,  General  Ross  and  Admiral  Cockburn,  made  their  head- 
quarters in  Upper  Marlboro,  Mar^dand,  at  the  residence  of  Dr. 
William  Beanes,  who  was  a  friend  of  Key,  and  whom  they  cap- 
tured and  held  as  prisoner.  Key  matured  a  plan  to  release 
his  friend,  and  secured  the  co-operation  of  President  Madison, 
who  placed  at  Key's  disposal  a  vessel,  and  instructed  John  S. 
Skimier,  the  agent  for  the  exchange  of  prisoners,  to  accompany 
him.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the  force  under  Skinner,  General 
Ross  consented  to  release  Dr.  Beanes,  but  stipulated  that  the 
whole  party  should  remain  where  they  were  during  the  attack 
upon  Baltimore.  Skinner  and  Key  were  sent  on  board  the 
Surprise,  commanded  by  Sir  Thomas  Cockburn,  the  admiral's 
son,  though  they  were  soon  restored  to  their  own  vessel,  from 
which  they  witnessed  the  bombardment.  From  their  position 
the  flag  on  Fort  McHenry  could  be  seen,  though  it  was  ob- 
scured by  the  smoke  and  darkness.  Just  before  dawn  the  firing 
ceased,  and  the  prisoners  looked  anxiously  to  see  which  flag 
floated  over  the  fort,  and  were  rejoiced  to  find  that  the  American 
flag  was  still  there.  Key  immediately  wrote  the  draft  of  a 
song,  'The  Star-Spangled  Banner,'  which  became  popular  at 
once,  and  gave  him  everlasting  fame." 

As  having  a  bearing  upon  his  Christian  character.  Bishop 
Meade  writes  of  him  as  "my  most  esteemed  friend,"  and  Bishop 
Johns  says  concerning  him: 

"The   rare  genius   of   this    distinguished   gentleman — ^his 


i6o  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

great  natural  refinement  and  grace — and  his  extraordinary  con- 
versational powers,  combined  with  his  intelligent,  ardent,  and 
active  piety,  rendered  him  a  charming  companion,  and  an  in- 
valuable friend.  He  was  highly  gifted  as  a  poet,  and  though 
the  pieces  which  he  lias  left  us  are  few  and  brief — evidently 
produced  without  effort  or  elaboration — they  speak  to  the  patri- 
otism and  the  piety  of  the  people,  and  have  embalmed  his  mem- 
ory in  the  history  of  the  country,  and  in  the  devotions  of  the 
Church  which  he  loved." 

None  but  a  religious  man  could  have  written : 

Then  conquer  we  must,  when  our  cause  it  is  just, 
And  this  be  our  motto,  "In  God  is  our  trust;" 
And  the  Star-Spangled  Banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave! 

!N^one  but  a  Christian  man  could  have  written : 

443     Lord,  with  glowing  heart  I'd  praise  Thee 

For  the  bliss  Thy  love  bestows. 
For  the  pardoning  grace  that  saves  me. 

And  the  peace  that  from  it  flows: 
Help,  0  God,  my  weak  endeavor; 

This  dull  soul  to  rapture  raise: 
Thou  must  light  the  flame,  or  never 

Can  my  love  be  warmed  to  praise. 

Praise,  my  soul,  the  God  that  sought  thee. 

Wretched  wanderer,  far  astray. 
Found  thee  lost,  and  kindly  brought  thee 

From  the  paths  of  death  away. 
Praise,  with  love's  devoutest  feeling. 

Him  who  saw  thy  guilt-born  fear. 
And,  the  light  of  hope  revealing. 

Bade  the  blood-stained  cross  appear. 

Lord,  this  bosom's  ardent  feeling 

Vainly  would  my  lips  express. 
Low  before  Thy  footstool  kneeling. 

Deign  Thy  suppliant's  prayer  to  bless: 
Let  Thy  grace,  my  soul's  chief  treasure. 

Love's  pure  flame  within  nxe  raise; 
And,  since  words  can  never  measure. 

Let  my  life  show  forth  Thy  praise. 


THT5  l^BW  TOKK 
PUBLIC  LIBRAKY 


SOME  AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  i6i 

This  is  a  glowing  story  of  personal  religious  experience. 
It  tells  of  the  ^'pardoning  grace  that  saves,"  and  the  "bliss  God's 
love  bestows."     It  cries  aloud : 

Praise,  my  soul,  the  God  that  sought  thee. 

It  sings  of  "guilt-bom  fear,"  and  then  it  points  to  the  "blood- 
stained cross."     It  recalls  the  narrative  of  Bunyan : 

"So  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  just  as  Christian  came  up 
with  the  Cross,  his  burden  loosed  from  off  his  shoulders,  and 
fell  off  from  his  back,  and  began  to  tumble,  and  so  continued 
to  do,  till  it  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  sepulchre,  where  it  fell  in 
and  I  saw  it  no  more. 

"Then  was  Christian  glad  and  lightsome,  and  said  with  a 
merry  heart,  'He  hath  given  me  rest  by  his  sorrow,  and  life  by 
his  death.'  " 

No  wonder  at  his  "bosom's  ardent  feeling!"  ]^o  wonder 
that  God's  grace  became  his  "soul's  chief  treasure  !"  !N^o  wonder 
that  his  petition  rose  from  the  very  depths  of  his  heart,  "Let  my 
life  show  forth  Thy  praise !" 

Timothy  Dwight,  whom  we  are  next  to  consider,  be- 
longed to  an  earlier  generation.  His  life  has  been  often 
sketched  with  skill,  not  long  ago  by  Moses  Coit  Tyler.  From 
his  sketch  I  take  two  or  three  colorings.  "Timothy  Dwight,  a 
grandson  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  and  himself  illustrious  as  a 
theologian,  teacher,  writer,  orator,  man  of  affairs,  was  born  at 
Northampton,  Massachusetts,  on  the  fourteenth  of  May,  1752. 
He  was  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1769.  During  the  subse- 
quent two  years,  he  taught  in  a  grammar-school  in  New  Haven. 
From  1771  to  1777  he  was  a  tutor  in  Yale  CoUege.  From 
the  autumn  of  that  year  until  the  autumn  of  the  year  following, 
he  acted  as  chaplain  in  the  American  army.  From  1778  to 
1783  he  lived  at  the  paternal  home,  in  Northampton,  working 
upon  the  farm,  preaching  the  Gospel,  and  for  two  terms  serving 
as  a  member  of  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts.  From  Novem- 
ber, 1783,  to  September,  1795,  he  was  pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  at  Greenfield,  Connecticut.       At  the  date  last 


i62  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

mentioned,  lie  entered  upon  the  presidency  of  Yale  College,  in 
which  office  he  died  on  the  eleventh  of  January,  1817, 

"These  nude  statistics  give  us  the  exterior  frame-vt^ork  of  a 
life  not  uncommonly  long,  almost  never  exempt  from  severe 
bodily  pain,  but  pervaded  throughout  by  singular  activity,  power 
and  productiveness,  and  challenging  the  public  admiration,  then 
and  since  then,  by  its  breadth,  versatility,  and  robust  sense; 
its  brilliance,  its  purity,  its  dignity  of  tone,  its  moral  aggres- 
siveness, its  many-sided  and  benign  achievement. 

"Almost  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  speak,  he  had  begun  to 
receive  regular  instruction  in  books.  He  had  learned  the 
alphabet  at  a  single  lesson.  Before  he  was  four  years  old,  he 
had  learned  to  read  the  Bible  easily  and  correctly.  While 
still  a  small  boy,  and  listening  to  the  talk  which  he  often  heard 
in  his  father's  house,  concerning  the  famous  men  of  the  world, 
he  'formed  a  settled  resolution  *  *  *  to  equal  those  whose 
talents  and  character  he  had  heard  so  highly  extolled.'  Thence- 
forward to  his  last  breath,  the  most  persistent  trait  of  this 
person  seems  to  be  a  note  of  aspiration, — a  tireless  energy  of 
purpose  to  be  great.  At  six  years  of  age  he  began  to  attend 
the  grammar-school;  and  as  his  father  thought  him  still  too 
young  to  study  Latin,  he  used  to  forage  among  the  books  of  his 
schoolmates  while  they  were  at  play,  and  thus  feloniously  he 
learned  the  whole  of  Lily's  Grammar.  When  at  last  his 
father's  consent  was  obtained,  he  wrought  at  Latin  and  Greek 
with  so  much  fierceness  that  he  would  have  been  quite  ready, 
when  only  eight  years  old,  for  the  freshman  class  at  Yale 
College,  had  it  not  been  for  the  sudden  break-up  of  the  grammar- 
school,  and  his  fortunate  return  to  his  mother,  who  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  appease  his  frenzy  for  knowledge  by  a  diversion  into 
the  fields  of  history  and  geography." 

Passing  on  rapidly  to  the  period  of  maturity.  Dr.  Tyler 
continues:  "So  far  as  could  be  tested  by  his  associates,  his 
knowledge  was  nearly  boundless,  and  was  as  wonderful  with 
reference  to  small  things  as  to  great.  *I  think,'  said  one  of 
the  ablest  of  his  pupils,  'I  never  knew  the  man  who  took  so 
deep  an  interest  in  everything — the  best  mode  of  cultivating 
a  cabbage,  as  well  as  the  phenomena  of  the  heavens,  or  the 


SOME  AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  163 

employments  of  angels.'  He  was  as  pleased  to  talk  with  lowly 
people  as  with  lofty  ones, — his  kitchen  servant,  the  college 
janitor,  blacksmiths,  hostlers,  boatmen,  ploughmen ;  he  drew 
from  them  what  they  best  knew,  and  he  well  paid  them  in 
kind  for  what  they  gave. 

"They  who  looked  upon  him  from  day  to  day  thought  him 
in  no  respect  more  extraordinary  than  in  the  power  of  his 
spirit  to  overstep  and  conquer  his  bodily  limitations.  During 
the  last  forty  years  of  his  life,  he  was  seldom  free  from  great 
anguish  in  the  region  of  the  head,  just  back  of  the  eyes,  and 
was  seldom  able  to  employ  his  ovra.  eyesight  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  in  any  one  day.  In  spite  of  this,  he  con- 
tinued to  be  one  of  the  men  the  best  informed  of  his  time,  with 
respect  to  the  doings  of  the  world  in  letters,  science,  criticism, 
invention,  industry,  politics,  war.  Being  unable,  for  the  work 
of  attention  and  memory,  to  trust  to  mechanical  assistance,  it 
happened  in  his  case  that  every  faculty  which  has  to  do  with 
the  seizing  and  holding  of  knowledge,  grew  to  enormous 
strength.  Whatsoever  found  admission  to  his  mind  was 
straightway  bestowed  in  its  proper  place,  and  there  abode  stead- 
fast, being  ever  afterward  at  command."     *     *     * 

"At  the  age  of  forty-three,  he  became  president  of  Yale 
College.  The  institution  had  been  in  a  deplorable  state.  Its 
true  greatness  begins  with  the  day  when  he  took  command  of  it. 
With  the  joy  of  a  strong  man  conscious  that  he  had  come  to  a 
task  calling  for  all  his  powers,  and  worthy  of  them  all,  he  gave 
himself,  for  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and  without  reserve  or 
stint,  to  the  various  and  the  enormous  labors  which  it  pleased 
him  to  regard  as  attaching  to  his  office.  The  work  of  five  dif- 
ferent academic  functions, — each  enough  for  the  energies  of  a 
single  ordinary  man, — he  seized  and  performed  alone ;  the  gen- 
eral superintendence  of  the  college ;  the  entire  instruction  of  the 
senior  class,  mainly  in  logic,  ethics  and  metaphysics ;  the  pro- 
fessorship of  literature  and  oratory;  the  professorship  of 
theology;  finally,  the  college  chaplaincy.  His  commanding 
position  before  the  whole  country  and  his  great  fame  as  an 
orator  brought  upon  him,  also,  many  demands  for  public  service 
beyond  the  college  walls.       He  was  visited  by  most  strangers 


i64  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

passing  through  the  place ;  his  counsel  was  sought  by  young  and 
old,  by  preachers,  politicians,  law-makers,  magistrates ;  he  be- 
came, as  one  of  his  pupils  described  him,  'a  father  to  ISTew 
England, — her  moral  legislator.'  In  the  churches,  his  author- 
ity rose  to  such  predominance  that  envious  and  ungodly  per- 
sons were  wont  to  avenge  themselves  by  alluding  to  him  as, 
'Old  Pope  Dwight,'  while  children  grew  up  in  the  faith  that 
he  was  'second  only  to  St.  Paul.'  So  vast,  indeed,  and  so  benign 
was  his  general  influence  upon  American  society,  as  an  educator, 
preacher,  publicist,  a  leader  of  men,  a  well-nigh  resistless  moral 
and  intellectual  chieftain,  that  one  eminent  judge  who  knew 
him  declared  him  to  have  been  next  to  Washington  as  a  national 
benefactor." 

It  was,  however,  as  a  champion  of  the  Christian  religion 
that  President  Dwight  did  his  best  and  highest  work.  When 
he  began  at  Yale  the  communicants  in  the  college  numbered 
four  or  five.  He,  himself,  thus  described  the  situation: 
"Striplings,  scarcely  fledged,  suddenly  found  that  the  world 
had  been  involved  in  general  darkness  through  the  long 
succession  of  preceding  ages,  and  that  the  light  of  wisdom  had 
just  begun  to  dawn  upon  the  human  race."  *  *  *  "Reli- 
gion, they  discovered,  on  the  one  hand,  to  be  a  vision  of  dotards 
and  nurses ;  and,  on  the  other,  a  system  of  fraud  and  trick, 
imposed  by  priestcraft,  for  base  purposes,  upon  the  ignorant 
multitude." 

Almost  unaided  he  turned  the  tide,  and,  with  his  students, 
Christianity  took  the  place  of  French  infidelity.  That  was 
indeed  a  glorious,  an  immortal  triumph. 

As  to  his  hymns  there  is  this  to  say:  In  1801  he  issued 
a  volume  with  the  following  title :  "The  Psalms  of  David,  Imi- 
tated in  the  language  of  the  ]S^ew  Testament,  and  applied  to 
the  Christian  Use  and  Worship,  by  I.  Watts,  D.D.  A  New  Edi- 
tion, in  which  the  Psalms  omitted  by  Dr.  Watts  are  versified, 
local  passages  are  altered,  and  a  number  of  Psalms  are  versified 
anew,  in  proper  Metres,  by  Timothy  Dwight,  D.D.,  President 
of  Yale  College.  At  the  Request  of  the  General  Associa- 
tion of  Connecticut.  To  the  Psalms  is  added  a  Collection 
of  Hymns."     In  this  collection  there  was  one  hymn,  his  version 


Cimotl)v  B\DtQl)t 

o 

SOME  'AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  165 

of  Psalm  137,  which  has  gone  around  the  world  and  been  sung 
by  "countless  thousands."  That  hymn  expressed  the  deepest 
conviction  of  his  mind  and  heart : 

485     I  love  Thy  kingdom,  Lord, 
The  house  of  Thine  abode, 
The  Church  our  blest  Redeemer  saved 
With  His  own  precious  blood. 

For  her  my  tears  shall  fall; 

For  her  my  prayers  ascend; 
To  her  my  cares  and  toils  be  given. 

Till  toils  and  cares  shall  end. 

Beyond  my  highest  joy 

I  prize  her  heavenly  ways. 
Her  sweet  communion,  solemn  vows. 

Her  hymns  of  love  and  praise. 

Jesus,  Thou  friend  divine. 

Our  Saviour  and  our  King, 
Thy  hand  from  every  snare  and  foe 

Shall  great  deliverance  bring. 

Sure  as  Thy  truth  shall  last. 

To  Sion  shall  be  given 
The  brightest  glories  earth  can  yield, 

And  brighter  bliss  of  heaven. 

Eat  Palmer  is  the  most  highly  esteemed  of  all  American 
hymn  writers.  Three  of  his  hymns  have  a  place  in  our 
hymnal.  One  of  these,  his  rendering  of  the  Jesu  dulcis 
memoria,  is  widely  known.     Another  begins  thus: 

297     Come,  Jesus,  from  the  sapphire  throne. 
Where  Thy  redeemed  behold  Thy  face. 
Enter  this  temple,  now  Thine  own. 
And  let  Thy  glory  fill  the  place. 

This  hymn  was  written  for  the  Consecration  of  the  Belle- 
ville Congregational  Church  in  ISTewark,  New  Jersey,  March  31 
1875,  of  which  church  he  was  pastor.       His  greatest  hymn, 


i66  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

however,    and  one  of  the  greatest  of  all  our  hymns,   is  the 

following : 

345     My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee, 
Thou  Lamb  of  Calvary, 

Saviour  divine! 
Now  hear  me  while  I  pray; 
Take  all  my  guilt  away; 
Oh,  let  me  from  this  day 

Be  wholly  Thine! 

May  Thy  rich  grace  impart 
Strength  to  my  fainting  heart. 

My  zeal  inspire; 
As  Thou  hast  died  for  me. 
Oh,  may  my  love  to  Thee 
Pure,  warm,  and  changeless  be, 

A  hving  fire. 

While  life's  dark  maze  I  tread, 
And  griefs  around  me  spread. 

Be  Thou  my  guide; 
Bid  darkness  turn  to  day; 
Wipe  sorrow's  tears  away; 
Nor  let  me  ever  stray 

From  Thee  aside! 

When  ends  life's  transient  dream, 
"When  death's  cold,  sullen  stream 

Shall  o'er  me  roll; 
Blest  Saviour,  then  in  love 
Eear  and  distrust  remove; 
Oh,  bear  me  safe  above, 

A  ransomed  soul! 

This  hymn  was  written  in  1830,  just  after  the  author's 
graduation  from  Yale  College  and  when  he  was  a  resident  of 
llTew  York.  Of  its  origin,  he  himself  has  given  us  the  follow- 
ing account: 

"It  had  no  external  occasion  whatever.  Having  been 
accustomed  almost  from  childhood,  through  an  inherited  pro- 
pensity, perhaps,  to  the  occasional  expression  of  what  his  heart 
felt  in  the  form  of  verse,  it  was  in  accordance  with  this  habit, 
and  in  an  hour  when  Christ,  in  the  riches  of  His  grace  and 


SOME  AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  167 

love,  was  so  vividly  apprehended  as  to  fill  the  soul  with  deep 
emotion,  that  the  piece  was  composed.  There  was  not  the 
slightest  thought  of  writing  for  another  eye,  least  of  all  of 
writing  a  hymn  for  Christian  worship.  Away  from  outward 
excitement,  in  the  quiet  of  his  chamber,  and  with  a  deep  con- 
sciousness of  his  own  needs,  the  writer  transferred  as  faithfully 
as  he  could  to  paper  what  at  the  time  was  passing  within  him. 
Six  stanzas  were  composed,  and  imperfectly  written,  first  on  a 
loose  sheet,  and  then  accurately  copied  into  a  small  morocco- 
covered  book,  which  for  such  purposes  the  author  was  accus- 
tomed to  carry  in  his  pocket.  This  first  complete  copy  is  still 
(1875)  preserved.  It  is  well  remembered  that  when  writing 
the  last  line,  'A  ransomed  soul,'  the  thought  that  the  whole 
work  of  redemption  and  salvation  was  involved  in  those  words, 
and  suggested  the  theme  of  eternal  praises,  moved  the  writer 
to  a  degree  of  emotion  that  brought  abundant  tears. 

"A  year  or  two  after  the  hymn  was  written,  and  when  no 
one,  so  far  as  can  be  recollected,  had  ever  seen  it.  Dr.  Lowell 
Mason  met  the  author  in  the  street  in  Boston,  and  requested 
him  to  furnish  some  hymns  for  a  Hymn  and  Tune  Book  which, 
in  connection  with  Dr.  Hastings,  of  ISTew  York,  he  was  about 
to  publish.  The  little  book  containing  it  was  shown  him  and  he 
asked  a  copy.  We  stepped  into  a  store  together,  and  a  copy 
was  made  and  given  him,  which,  without  much  notice,  he  put  in 
his  pocket.  On  sitting  down  at  home  and  looking  it  over,  he 
became  so  much  interested  in  it  that  he  wrote  for  it  the  tune 
'Olivet,'  in  which  it  has  almost  universally  been  sung.  Two  or 
three  days  afterward  we  met  again  in  the  street,  when,  scarcely 
waiting  to  salute  the  writer,  he  earnestly  exclaimed,  'Mr.  Pal- 
mer, you  may  live  many  years  and  do  many  good  things,  but 
I  think  you  will  be  best  known  to  posterity  as  the  author  of 
"My  Faith  Looks  Up  to  Thee."  '  " 

Ray  Palmer,  Doctor  in  Divinity,  was  born  in  Rhode 
Island,  N'ovember  12,  1808.  His  work,  as  a  Christian  minis- 
ter, was  done  in  Maine,  iSTew  York  and  New  Jersey.  There 
are  many  good  things  to  be  said  about  him.  One  of  the  best 
is  that  he  became  an  intimate  friend  of  Mark  Hopkins,  not  the 
Mark  Hopkins  who  made  money  in  California,  but  the  great 


i68  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Mark  Hopkins,  who  made  men  at  Williams  College.  Under 
date  of  November  24,  1883,  Dr.  Hopkins  wrote  to  Dr.  Palmer: 
"Preserved  in  amber — that  is  what  I  said  to  myself  as  I  found 
your  book,  the  illustrated  copy  of  *My  Faith  Looks  Up  to  Thee,' 
on  my  return  from  my  recitation  this  morning.  However, 
that  is  not  the  kind  of  amber  in  which  that  hymn  will  be  pre- 
served. It  will  be  in  the  hearts  and  voices  of  Christians  till 
the  end  of  time,  and  I  congratulate  you  on  having  done  such  a 
work  that  will  thus  'follow  you.'  " 

One  of  the  most  stirring  of  hymns  is  the  following : 

582     Stand  up,  stand  up,  for  Jesus, 

Ye  soldiers  of  the  cross ! 
Lift  high  His  royal  banner! 

It  must  not  suffer  loss: 
From  victory  unto  victory 

His  army  shall  He  lead; 
Till  every  foe  is  vanquished. 

And  Christ  is  Lord  indeed. 

Stand  up,  stand  up,  for  Jesus ! 

The  trumpet  call  obey! 
Forth  to  the  mighty  conflict 

In  this  His  glorious  day ! 
Ye  that  are  men,  now  serve  Him 

Against  unnumbered  foes ! 
Let  courage  rise  with  danger. 

And  strength  to  strength  oppose. 

Stand  up,  stand  up,  for  Jesus ! 

Stand  in  His  strength  alone! 
The  arm  of  flesh  will  fail  you. 

Ye  dare  not  trust  your  own. 
Put  on  the  gospel  armor. 

And  watching  unto  prayer. 
When  duty  calls,  or  danger. 

Be  never  wanting  there! 

Stand  up,  stand  up,  for  Jesus! 

The  strife  will  not  be  long : 
This  day,  the  noise  of  battle; 

The  next,  the  victor's  song. 


THE  n'fl  "fO^^^v 


SOME  AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  169 

To  him  that  overcometh 
A  crown  of  life  shall  be; 

He  with  the  King  of  glory- 
Shall  reign  eternally. 

As  the  circumstances  under  which  this  hymn  was  written 
are  extraordinary,  they  may  well  be  recalled  at  a  little  length. 
The  author  of  the  hymn  was  George  Duffield,  a  Presbyterian 
minister,  who  had  charge  of  a  Philadelphia  church  from  1852 
till  1861,  a  period  which  covered  the  time  of  the  Great  Revival 
of  1858.  One  of  the  leaders  in  that  movement  was  Dudley 
Atkins  Tyng,  an  Episcopal  clergyman  of  Philadelphia,  of  great 
force  of  character  and  rare  personal  loveliness,  resembling,  it 
is  said,  his  maternal  grandfather.  Bishop  Griswold,  in  gentle- 
ness, and  his  famous  father,  Dr.  Stephen  H.  Tyng,  in  courage 
and  zeal.  Of  the  son's  death  the  father  writes  as  follows: 
"He  had  passed  the  whole  of  Tuesday  the  13th  of  April  in  his 
study.  In  the  afternoon,  he  walked  to  his  bam,  where  his 
laborers  were  at  work  with  a  common  horse-power,  connected 
with  some  farming  machine.  He  stood  on  the  right  side  of  the 
mule  which  was  at  work,  patting  the  animal  on  the  head,  in  his 
usual  gentleness  of  spirit.  The  right  side  of  his  study  gown 
was  caught  by  the  small  cog-wheel  on  the  axle.  Probably 
before  he  discovered  the  fact,  he  was  dragged  down  by  this  wind- 
ing of  his  dress,  and  fell  with  his  right  arm  upon  the  large 
wheel,  beyond  any  power  which  he  had  of  resistance.  The 
man  who  was  attending  the  machine  discovered  him  in  a 
moment  in  this  condition,  but  before  he  could  stop  the  mule, 
the  cogs  had  ground  the  flesh  from  the  bone,  from  the  elbow  to 
the  shoulder.  The  resistance  of  the  bones  united  with  the 
brake  to  stop  the  wheels,  but  not  until  a  death-wound  was 
made,  which  no  human  skill  or  power  could  avail  to  cure." 
*  *  *  "The  funeral  services  of  this  beloved  son  were  cele- 
brated on  Thursday,  the  22d  of  April,  at  'Concert  Hall,' 
Chestnut  Street,  in  which  his  Church  was  accustomed  to  assem- 
ble for  worship,  and  where  but  ten  days  before  he  had  been 
preaching  to  them  the  Word  of  God,  with  his  accustomed 
earnestness.     What   unprecedented   honors   were   paid   to   his 


I70  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

memory  in  that  sublime  and  overwhelming  spectacle  of  his 
funeral!  How  strange  seemed  the  fact  that  respect  for  a 
private  youthful  minister  of  Christ  should  thus  gather  crowds 
of  sympathizing  thousands,  literally  to  stop  the  passages  of  the 
streets  of  a  busy  city  in  the  very  noon  of  its  earthly  engage- 
ments !  How  wonderful  the  testimony  which  collected  and 
venerated  ministers  of  Christ  bore  to  his  character,  fidelity,  and 
usefulness !" 

A  whole  community  was  moved  by  this  sad  and  seemingly 
untimely  death,  all  the  more  by  reason  of  the  deep  religious 
feeling  which  everywhere  prevailed.  Mr.  Tyng's  dying  mes- 
sage to  his  Christian  brethren  had  been,  "Tell  them  to  stand 
up  for  Jesus."  This  message  fell  upon  Dr.  Duffield's  heart 
as  good  seed.  He  was  led  to  preach  a  sermon,  to  his  congre- 
gation, from  the  words,  ''Stand,  therefore,  having  your  loins 
girt  with  truth  and  having  on  the  breast-plate  of  righteousness." 
The  hymn  was  written  as  the  closing  exhortation  of  the  sermon. 
It  struck  fire,  and  the  flames  went  abroad.  They  have  warmed 
human  hearts  since  then,  and  still  are  warming  them  to-day. 

One  other  stirring  American  hymn  merits  a  word  of 
attention.  It  was  written  by  Samuel  Wolcott^  a  Congre- 
gational clergyman,  like  so  many  others  a  graduate  of  Yale 
College,  and  of  Andover  Theological  Seminary.  As  he  tells 
us,  he  had  never  put  two  lines  together  until  he  was  fifty-five 
years  old.  He  then  tried  to  write  a  hymn,  with  a  fairly  suc- 
cessful result.  Soon  afterwards  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations,  of  Ohio,  met  in  Cleveland,  where  he  was  pastor 
of  a  church.  He  was  attracted  by  some  evergreen  lettering  over 
the  pulpit,  "Christ  for  the  World  and  the  World  for  Christ." 
His  heart  immediately  began  to  bum  within  him,  and  walking 
the  streets,  journeying  homewards,  the  verses  shaped  them- 
selves : 

580     Christ  for  the  world  we  sing! 
The  world  to  Christ  we  bring. 

With  loving  zeal ; 
The  poor,  and  them  that  mourn. 
The  faint  and  overborne, 
Sin-sick  and  sorrow-worn. 
Whom  Christ  doth  heal. 


SOME  AMERICAN  HYMN  WRITERS  171 

Christ  for  the  world  we  sing! 
The  world  to  Christ  we  bring, 

With  fervent  prayer; 
The  wayward  and  the  lost. 
By  restless  passions  tossed, 
Redeemed  at  countless  cost, 

From  dark  despair. 

Christ  for  the  world  we  sing! 
The  world  to  Christ  we  bring, 

With  one  accord; 
With  us  the  work  to  share. 
With  us  reproach  to  dare. 
With  us  the  cross  to  bear. 

For  Christ  our  Lord. 

Christ  for  the  world  we  sing! 
The  world  to  Christ  we  bring. 

With  joyful  song; 
The  new-born  souls,  whose  days. 
Reclaimed  from  error's  ways, 
Inspired  with  hope  and  praise. 

To  Christ  belong. 

American  thought  is  expansive.  It  readily  takes  in  the 
ideas  of  Universal  Evangelization.  "Christ  for  the  World." 
What  better  motto  can  American  Christianity  lift  to  the  skies  ? 


X. 

George  Washington  Doane 
William  Augustus  Muhlenberg 


(173) 


"What  is  that,  Mother?" 

"The  eagle,  boy ! 
Proudly  careering  his  course  of  joy, 
Firm,  on  his  own  mountain  vigour,  relying. 
Breasting  the  dark  storm,  the  red  bolt  defying, 
His  wing  on  the  wind,  and  his  eye  on  the  sun. 
He  swerves  not  a  hair,  but  bears  onward,  right  on : 
Boy,  may  the  eagle's  flight  ever  be  thine. 
Onward,  and  upward,  and  true  to  the  line." 

Geoege  Washington  Doane. 


Brothers  in  Christ!  our  watchword  this, 
W^hat  He,  the  Elder  Brother,  said — 

The  sign  whereby  men  know  we're  His, 
Our  mutual  love,  through  Him,  our  Head. 


Brothers  in  Christ !  Then  let  no  fight 

For  sectic  form,  or  party  creed. 
Deaden  our  love,  or  slack  our  might, 
If  in  one  Lord  we're  bound  indeed. 


Brothers  in  Christ !  our  Leader  He, 

Whose  Cross  shall  bow  each  adverse  host 

All  praise  to  Him  for  victory, 

Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 


William  Augustus  MuHLENBEaBO. 


(174) 


X. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON  DOANE, 
WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MUHLENBERG. 

Two  other  distinguislied  American  authors  must  needs  be 
more  particularly  considered,  who  were  writers  of  hymns, 
and  who  also  had  not  a  little  to  do  with  awakening  a  much 
needed  interest  in  the  hymnody  of  our  American  Church, 
George  WashingtojST  Doane,  second  Bishop  of  New  Jersey, 
and  William  Augustus  Muhlenbekg,  founder  of  great  Chris- 
tian charities. 

Bishop  Doane,  father  of  the  present  Bishop  of  Albany, 
was  born  in  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  May  27,  1799,  and  died  at 
Burling-ton,  New  Jersey,  April  23,  1859.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  Union  College  and  afterwards  a  student  in  the  General  Theo- 
logical Seminary.  For  a  time  he  was  a  professor  at  Washing- 
ton (now  Trinity)  College  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  after- 
ward rector  of  Trinity  Church,  Boston.  When  he  was  thirty- 
three  years  old,  he  was  chosen  Bishop  of  New  Jersey,  and  con- 
secrated October  31,  1832.  He  began  his  work  with  rare 
earnestness  and  devotion.  Wonderful  growth  resulted.  When 
he  commenced  his  episcopate  the  clergy  numbered  eighteen. 
When  he  died,  after  twenty-seven  years  of  splendid  service,  that 
number  had  increased  to  ninety-eight. 

Other  figures  tell  similar  stories.  Taken  altogether,  he  was 
one  of  the  most  gifted  men  our  country  has  produced.  Never- 
theless, as  Dr.  Mahan  puts  it,  he  was  "the  butt  of  accusations  as 
gross  as  those  which  in  the  fourth  century  caused  Athanasius 
to  be  twice  condemned  by  synods  of  his  peers,  and  drove  him 
at  least  five  times  from  his  home  and  see." 

The  case  was  this:  For  the  good  of  the  Church,  as  he 
thought,  he  was  led  to  tread  the  pathway  of  Christian  educa- 
tion.      He  had  scarcely  begun  when  the  disastrous  panic  of 

(175) 


176  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

18  3  Y  swept  the  country  as  a  devouring  fire.  He  pulled  through 
that  destructive  period,  but  years  afterwards,  as  large  expansion 
came,  he  was,  to  use  his  own  language,  "left  with  two  most 
prosperous  institutions,  whose  annual  receipts  were  not  less 
than  $70,000,  and  with  an  unmanageable  debt."  He  was 
forced  into  bankruptcy.     The  usurers  howled. 

Concerning  this  period  his  son  writes : 

"With  utmost  tenderness  for  the  fair  fame  of  one  who 
has  given  me  the  proudest  heritage  of  earth,  to  bear  his  name, 
I  am  willing,  nay,  I  am  proud,  that  all  the  truth  should  stand, 
and  tell  the  motives,  the  manner,  the  spirit,  with  which  he  bore 
himself  and  bore  it  all.  The  imprudence  of  his  too  sanguine 
and  enthusiastic  confidence,  which  found  its  fullest  penalty,  in 
the  keen  sufferings  he  felt,  for  the  losses  it  entailed  on  others, 
was  willing  to  lose  all,  and  looked  for  a  milder  judgment  from 
God  than  man  would  give  it  here." 

The  matter  was  brought  before  the  Diocesan  Convention 
of  !New  Jersey,  and  afterwards,  before  the  House  of  Bishops. 

The  home  feeling  was  well  expressed  in  the  words  para- 
phrasing the  old  ballad  about  "Thirty  thousand  Comishmen;" 

Rise  we,  with  one  accord 

To  shield  Thy  servant,  Lord; 

And  down  we  kneel  and  humbly  pray, 

God  give  the  right  award; 

For  shall  our  Bishop  die. 

Shall  our  good  Bishop  die. 

Then  thirty  thousand  Jersey  boys 

Will  know  the  reason  why. 

The  Diocesan  Convention  stood  by  the  Bishop  with  great 
unanimity,  and  the  House  of  Bishops  "after  prolonged  consid- 
eration, and  the  utmost  delicacy  towards  everyone  concerned, 
came  to  the  unanimous  conclusion  to  dismiss  the  case." 

The  Bishop  of  Albany  writes: 

"But  this  all  over,  when  his  innocence  of  crime  was  vindi- 
cated, and  a  victory  of  his  principles  achieved,  he  was  with- 
held by  no  false  shame,  or  boastful  pride  from  this  statement: 

"  'The  Respondent,  the  Bishop  of  ISTew  Jersey,  readily 
admitting  the  purity  of  the  motives  of  the  Presenters  in  making 


G.  W.  DOANE,  W.  A.  MUHLENBERG.  lyy 


the  Presentment,  and  regarding  the  case  as  now  terminated 
by  the  withdrawal  of  the  same,  asks  the  Court  to  receive  and 
put  on  its  record  this  statement  under  his  hand,  viz. : 

"  'That  in  carrying  on  the  two  institutions,  St.  Mary's 
Hall  and  Burlington  College,  as  he  believes,  for  the  good  of  the 
Church,  he  had,  while  they  were  under  his  sole  management, 
been  led,  by  pecuniary  pressure,  which  fell  unexpectedly  upon 
him,  into  imprudence  of  word  and  act,  which,  though  done  with 
the  purest  intention,  he  now  feels  were  unbecoming  in  him,  as 
a  Bishop  in  the  Church  of  God,  and  deeply  deplores ;  and  hav- 
ing made  an  assignment  of  all  his  property  for  the  benefit  of 
all  his  creditors,  he  now  renews  the  declaration  of  intention 
which  he  has  constantly  made,  and  thus  far  has  acted  on  to  his 
utmost  ability,  in  the  fear  of  God  and  in  dependence  on  His 
blessing,  to  devote  his  means,  efforts  and  influence  to  the  pay- 
ment, principal  and  interest,  of  all  just  demands  upon  him,  and 
the  fulfilment  of  all  his  promises,  in  this  matter.'  " 

The  most  valuable  single  testimony  bearing  upon  this 
period  of  difficulty  is  that  of  the  Kev.  Dr.  Cortlandt  Van  Eens- 
selaer,  a  distinguished  clergyman  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
It  is  contained  in  a  sermon  published  soon  after  the  Bishop's 
death.  These  good  men  had  been  neighbors  in  Burlington  for 
twenty-one  years.  They  were  never  intimate,  but  both  were 
brave  and  true.  On  the  subject  of  "Apostolic  Succession" 
they  had  clashed  publicly  and  somewhat  vehemently.  But  no 
matter.  Dr.  Van  Rensselaer  would  speak  what  he  believed 
to  be  just.  His  text  was,  "Let  me  fall  now  into  the  hand  of  the 
Lord,  for  His  mercies  are  great;  and  let  me  not  fall  into  the 
hand  of  man."  A  few  references  to  this  sermon  will  be  inter- 
esting. He  speaks  of  Bishop  Doane  as  a  Churchman,  altogether 
too  "high''  for  him,  deplorably  "high;"  as  a  parish  minister, 
a  preacher,  an  orator,  a  writer  and  a  bishop,  with  high  en- 
comium. He  finds  the  elements  of  his  extraordinary  power 
in  his  fine  mind,  his  wonderful  strength  of  will,  and  his  remark- 
able social  traits. 

Two  brief  extracts  from  this  characterization  must  suffice : 

"In  an  emergency  his  intellect  soared  highest.  In  fact, 
one  of  Bishop  Doane's  peculiarities  of  greatness  consisted  in 


178  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

always  equaling  the  occasion.  He  saw  what  was  to  be  done, 
and  could  do  it,  and  did  it.  He  was  adroit,  when  it  was  neces- 
sary to  be  adroit.  The  lawyers  said  that  he  could  have  beaten 
them  all,  if  educated  a  lawyer;  and  military  officers  affirmed 
that  he  would  have  made  a  grand  general  in  war.  Far-seeing, 
clear,  quick,  bold,  always  the  center  of  the  campaign,  his  mind, 
especially  in  emergencies,  moved  in  flashes,  whilst  his  right 
arm  thundered  in  action.     *     *     * 

"Bishop  Doane's  energy  was  a  fire  never  out.  An  ever- 
ready  locomotive  in  energetic  activity  was  this  Bishop ;  with 
large  driving  wheels,  and  to  each  wheel  a  panting  cylinder. 
His  will,  stronger  than  steam  power,  generated  energy  in  the 
soul.  *  *  *  In  labors  he  was  abundant.  No  wind,  no 
rain,  no  cold,  could  keep  him  from  his  appointments.  He  has 
been  known  to  cross  the  Delaware  when  the  brave  heart  of  the 
ferryman  dissuaded  from  the  peril.  He  could  submit  to  all 
privations  in  the  discharge  of  duty.  He  could  sleep  anywhere : 
in  his  chair,  at  his  writing-table,  in  the  car,  or  steamboat, 
or  wagon.  And  after  working  for  twenty  hours,  the  sleep  of 
the  other  four  could  well  be  taken  without  choice  of  place.  His 
will  outworked  his  frame,  in  urging  to  laborious  self-denial  of 
every  kind  for  the  Church's  sake." 

Perhai3S  the  one  passage  of  this  noble  sermon  of  Dr.  Van 
Eensselaer  most  worthy  of  quotation  is  this : 

"There  are  three  remarkable  facts  which  serve  to  commend, 
and  to  enforce,  charity  over  his  grave : 

"In  the  first  place,  Bishop  Doane's  most  intimate  friends 
believed  him  innocent.  Judges,  lawyers,  physicians,  divines, 
intimate  acquaintances,  male  and  female,  by  scores  and  thou- 
sands, have  placed  the  most  implicit  confidence  in  his  motives 
and  integi'ity. 

"In  the  second  place,  his  Church,  in  its  Diocesan  and 
General  Conventions,  w^as  never  against  him.  Indeed,  the 
House  of  Bishops  formally  declared  his  innocence ;  and  this  is 
presumptive  proof  that  his  religious  character  could  not  be 
impugned  in  the  Church  to  which  he  belonged. 

"In  the  third  place,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  God  showed 
no  little  favor  to  the  Bishop  in  life  and  in  death.     He  enabled 


G.  W.  DOANE,  W.  A.  MUHLENBERG.  179 

him  to  accomplish  a  large  amount  of  good;  protected  him  in 
Providence  from  a  varied  and  powerful  opposition;  and  per- 
mitted him,  after  a  long  life  of  labor  and  trial,  to  die  in  peace. 

"The  three  facts  just  mentioned  do  not  amount  to  abso- 
lute demonstration ;  but  they  must  pass  for  all  they  are  fully 
worth.  To  a  person  like  myself,  outside  of  his  Church,  and 
an  unexcited  observer  of  passing  events  in  the  community, 
they  afford  evidence  of  no  slight  character.  I  am  thankful 
this  day  that  I  have  never  felt  it  in  my  power  to  pass  a  severe 
judgment,  in  view  of  the  whole  aspect  of  the  case,  so  far  as  it 
has  been  presented  to  my  mind.  I  have  seen  enough,  however, 
and  have  heard  enough,  to  make  me  say  with  David,  'Let  me 
fall  into  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  for  His  mercies  are  great ;  but 
let  me  not  fall  into  the  hand  of  man.'  " 

As  to  Bishop  Doane's  poetry  his  son  writes : 

"My  father's  poetical  writings  were  simple  necessities. 
He  could  not  help  them.  His  heart  was  so  full  of  song.  It 
oozed  out  in  his  conversation,  in  his  sermons,  in  everything  that 
he  did.  Sometimes  in  a  steamboat,  often  when  the  back  of  a 
letter  was  his  only  paper,  the  sweetest  things  came.  And  with 
his  heart  so  full  of  it,  nothing  ever  touched  it,  but  it  pressed 
some  out." 

Two  of  his  poems  bear  upon  what  has  just  been  said,  the 
one  entitled  "I  Have  Fought  with  Beasts  at  Ephesus,"  the 
other  entitled  "Perfect,  Through  Sufferings:" 

"Have  fought  with  beasts!"  oh,  blessed  Paul, 
How  small  were  that,  if  that  were  all ! 
But  harder  far  to  fight  with  men, 
Than  beard  the  lions  in  their  den! 

Men  who  concert  the  secret  snare. 
To  take  the  gviileless  unaware; 
Men  who  with  "bated  breath"  betray. 
And  hint  the  things  they  dare  not  say; 

Men  who  their  sanctity  proclaim 
In  libels  on  a  neighbor's  name; 
Men  who  their  nameless  letters  scrawl. 
And  chalk  their  scandal  on  a  wall; 


i8o  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Men  who  will  sit  and  eat  your  bread, 
Then  lift  their  heel  to  break  your  head; 
Men  who  abuse  the  holiest  garb. 
To  hide  the  slanderer's  poisoned  barb. 


Why  should  the  servant  hope  to  be 
From  ills  that  haunt  his  Master  free? 
Who  the  disciple  would  accord 
A  rule  less  rigid  than  his  Lord? 

Then,  Saviour,  let  me  clasp  Thy  Cross, 
And  count  all  other  things  but  loss; 
Nor  ask  from  foes  to  be  set  free; 
So  they  be  also  foes  to  Thee! 

Welcome  the  strife  with  godless  men. 
The  fight  with  Satan  in  his  den: 
One  only  thing  I  crave,  from  Thee; 
Turn  not  Thy  face,  my  God,  from  mel 


"Perfect  through  sufferings:"  may  it  be. 
Saviour,  made  perfect  thus  for  me! 
I  bow,  I  kiss,  1  bless  the  rod 
That  brings  me  nearer  to  my  God. 

"Perfect  through  sufferings:"  be  Thy  Cross 
The  crucible  to  purge  my  dross! 
Welcome,  for  that,  its  pangs,  its  scorns. 
Its  scourge,  its  nails,  its  crown  of  thorns. 

"Perfect  through  sufferings :"  heap  the  fire. 
And  pile  the  sacrificial  pyre; 
But  spare  each  loved  and  loving  one. 
And  let  me  feel  the  flames  alone. 

"Perfect  through  sufferings :"  urge  the  blast. 
More  free,  more  full,  more  fierce,  more  fast; 
It  recks  not  where  the  dust  be  trod. 
So  the  flame  waft  my  soul  to  God. 

Bishop  Doane  wrote  the  hymn  beginning : 
13     Softly  now  the  light  of  day. 


G.  W.  DOANE,  W.  A.  MUHLENBERG.  i8i 

Also  the  hymn  beginning : 

38     Once  more,  O  Lord,  Thy  sign  shall  be. 

And  also  the  hymn  beginning: 

425     Thou  art  the  Way,  to  Thee  alone. 

But  his  grand  Missionary  hymn,  written  on  the  Second 
Sunday  in  Advent,  1848,  is  rapidly  growing  into  largest  favor, 
as  well  it  may.  How  majestic  is  the  sweep  of  its  mighty 
words : 

253    Fling  out  the  banner!  let  it  float 

Skyward  and  seaward,  high  and  wide; 
The  sun,  that  lights  its  shining  folds, 
The  cross  on  which  the  Saviour  died. 

Fling  out  the  banner!  angels  bend 
In  anxious  silence  o'er  the  sign; 
And  vainly  seek  to  comprehend 
The  wonder  of  the  love  divine. 

Fling  out  the  banner!  heathen  lands 
Shall  see  from  far  the  glorious  sight. 

And  nations,  crowding  to  be  born. 
Baptize  their  spirits  in  its  light. 

Fling  out  the  banner!  sin-sick  souls 

That  sink  and  perish  in  the  strife. 
Shall  touch  in  faith  its  radiant  hem. 

And  spring  immortal  into  life. 

Fling  out  the  banner!  let  it  float 

Skyward  and  seaward,  high  and  wide. 

Our  glory,  only  in  the  cross; 
Our  only  hope  the  Crucified! 

Fling  out  the  banner !  wide  and  high. 

Seaward  and  skj'ward,  let  it  shine: 
Nor  skill,  nor  might,  nor  merit  ours; 

We  conquer  only  in  that  sign. 


i82  SOME  HYMNS  'AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

As  suggested  by  this  hymn  for  Missions,  entitled  by 
Bishop  Doane  ''The  Banner  of  the  Cross/'  let  me  add  the 
following : 

In  the  year  1835  he  led  the  American  Church  to  the  accept- 
ance of  the  following  fundamental  principles : 

I.  The  Missionary  field  is  always  to  be  regarded  as  one. 
The  World — the  terms  Domestic  and  Foreign  being  under- 
stood as  terms  of  locality,  adopted  for  convenience.  Domestic 
Missions  are  those  which  are  within,  and  Foreign  Missions  are 
those  which  are  exercised  ivWiout,  the  territory  of  the  United 
States.  II.  The  appeal  of  the  Church  through  the  Board  for 
the  support  of  Missions,  is  made  expressly  to  all  baptized 
persons,  as  such,  and  on  the  ground  of  their  baptismal  vows. 

Two  years  aftenvards  he  preached  a  really  great  sermon 
on  "The  Missionary  Charter  of  the  Church."  That  you  may 
get  a  glimpse  of  his  extraordinary  power  in  thought  and  utter- 
ance, I  quote  briefly  from  this  noble  bit  of  Christian  eloquence : 

"Run  down  from  its  first  days  the  track  of  sacred  story. 
Where  are  the  green  spots  found  which  cheer  the  eye,  and  fill 
the  heart  with  gladness  ?  Are  they  not  those  in  which  the  word 
of  God  had  free  course  and  was  glorified — in  which  the  office 
of  an  apostle  was  discharged  most  fully  in  its  first  and  literal 
acceptation,  as  a  Missionary  of  Jesus — in  which  the  everlasting 
Gospel  was  preached  with  greatest  faithfulness,  and  men  were 
taught  to  obser^^e  all  things  whatsoever  Christ  had  commanded  ? 
Turn  to  a  bright  and  burning  page  in  all  the  scroll  which  bears 
inscribed  the  history  of  the  Church,  and  you  shall  read  in  it  the 
record  of  the  Missionary's  toils,  the  Missionary's  sufferings,  the 
Missionary's  triumphs — the  glory  which  illumines  it,  the  mani- 
festation of 'the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,' kindling  the  hearts  of  men 
with  love,  and  making  their  lives  radiant  with  purity  and  piety. 
Spread  out  the  map  before  you.  Scan  with  inquiring  eye  the 
pictured  surface  of  its  mimic  world.  Wliich  are  the  spots 
which  fix  attention  most,  and  fire  the  thought  with  fullest  rap- 
ture ?  ISTot  the  scenes  where  Alexander  or  'the  great  first  Csesar' 
strove  to  win  the  throne  of  universal  empire.  ISTot  the  traces 
of  imperial  grandeur  or  the  trophies  of  triumphant  art.  But 
the  cradle  of  the  Gospel;  the  cities  where  Paul  preached;  the 


G.  W.  DOANE,  W.  "A.  MUHLENBERG.  183 

stream  whicli  wafted  Wiclif 's  ashes  to  the  sea ;  the  mountain 
fastness  where  the  morning-star  of  reformation,  the  Waldensian 
faith,  was  kept;  the  Greenland  snows,  where  the  Moravian 
prays  and  dies.  Call  from  the  past  the  names  which  wake 
within  the  breast  the  sympathies  that  most  ennoble  it,  and  most 
endear  to  what  is  good  and  gentle  upon  earth,  and  claim  the 
closest  kindred  with  the  skies ;  and  see  how  far  more  welcome 
than  the  kings  or  conquerors,  the  poets  or  philosophers  or 
patriots  of  earth,  the  consecrated  names  of  Polycarp  and  Lati- 
mer and  Ridley,  of  Schwartz  and  Middleton,  of  Henry  Martyii 
and  of  Heber,  fall  upon  the  ear — 'men  that  have  hazarded  their 
lives  for  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,'  approved  them- 
selves in  love  and  in  truth,  as  they  were  in  name  and  sacred 
obligation,  the  Missionaries  of  His  Cross,  and  rejoiced  to  bear 
with  Him  its  burthen,  and  to  blend  their  blood  with  His. 

"Beloved  brethren,  we  claim,  and  that  most  justly,  as  the 
clear  warrant  of  Holy  Scripture  and  the  ancient  authors  plainly 
proves,  to  be  an  Apostolic  Church.  Are  we,  by  evidence  as  full 
and  conclusive,  to  the  utmost  reach  of  our  capacity,  a  Mission- 
ary Church?  If  we  are  not,  can  we  claim  fairly  and  justly  the 
fulfilment  of  that  promise  of  the  Saviour,  Lo,  I  am  with  you 
alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world  ?  True,  He  is  with  us. 
It  is  because  He  is,  that  'the  pure  word  of  God  is  preached' 
among  us,  'and  the  sacraments  be  duly  administered.'  But  is 
He  with  us  as  He  would  be,  if  we  were  more  entirely  and  more 
heartily  with  Him  ?  Do  we  enjoy,  can  we  expect  to  enjoy, 
those  richest  tokens  of  Llis  presence, — making  the  multitude  of 
them  that  believe  to  be  of  one  heart  and  of  one  soul,  and  by  the 
prevailing  argument  of  our  unity,  our  piety,  our  charity,  con- 
straining them  who  believe  not,  seeing  our  good  works  which 
are  wrought  in  us  by  faith,  to  fall  down  and  worship  God,  and 
own  that  God  is  in  us  of  a  truth?  My  brethren,  these  things 
are  not  so.  The  Gospel,  which,  by  the  grace  of  God,  is  given 
unto  us,  is  not  preached,  as  it  should  be,  'unto  every  creature.' 
The  apostolic  ministry  with  which  we  are  entrusted  is  not  sent, 
as  it  was  designed  to  be,  to  'make  disciples  of  all  nations,  bap- 
tizing them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.'       Christianity  does  not  produce  in  our  own 


i84  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

country  in  our  immediate  neigliborliood,  in  our  respective  par- 
ishes, in  our  several  families,  in  our  individual  hearts,  those 
fruits  of  holiness  and  charity  which  it  was  given  to  bear.  We 
are  not  acting  up  to  the  conditions  of  our  constitution  as  a 
Missionai-y  Church;  and  therefore  God  is  not  with  us  in  the 
fullest  manifestations  of  His  truth  and  power. 

"Brethren,  the  Church  is  worldly.  Christian  men  forget 
that  they  are  'bought  with  a  price,'  and  so  are  not  their  own. 
Men  who  have  been  baptized  into  the  death  of  Christ  forget 
that  'He  died  for  all,  that  they  which  live  should  not  henceforth 
live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him  that  died  for  them,  and 
rose  again.'  With  few  and  rare  exceptions,  'all  seek  their  own, 
and  not  the  things  which  are  Jesus  Christ's.'  Wlio  are  they 
that  hold  themselves  and  all  they  are  and  have  implicitly  at  His 
disposal,  and  use  their  talents,  be  they  two  or  ten,  with  a  single 
eye  to  His  approval  ?  How  many  are  they  who  strive  with  all 
fidelity,  whether  they  eat  or  drink  or  whatever  they  do,  to  do  all 
to  the  glory  of  God  ?  Who  remembers  always  that  the  silver 
and  the  gold  are  God's ;  and,  taking,  with  a  careful  hand  and 
cheerful  heart,  for  the  supply  of  his  necessities  and  them  that 
are  dependent  on  him,  appropriates  the  rest,  in  deeds  of  piety 
and  charity,  to  do  the  will  of  the  great  Lord  of  all  ? 

"It  is  the  testimony  of  Paul,  in  regard  to  some  of  Corinth, 
who  had  exerted  themselves  even  beyond  their  means,  to  aid 
his  Mission  in  Macedonia,  that  'they  first  gave  their  own  selves 
to  the  Lord.'  It  was  a  wise  and  piTident  forecast,  and  I  com- 
mend it  to  your  imitation.  Give  yourselves  up  to  the  Lord,  and 
you  will  have  nothing  to  withhold.  You  will  take  your  little 
children  by  the  hand,  and  lead  them  to  His  altar,  and  beseech 
Him  to  accept  them  for  the  Church;  and  you  will  train  them 
up  in  His  nurture  and  holy  admonition,  that  they  may  be  meet 
for  Llis  acceptance.  You  will  dedicate  to  Him  your  dear 
domestic  hearth,  and  all  that  gather  round  it,  and  set  up  in 
their  midst  an  altar  of  perpetual  prayer  and  praise.  You  will 
pour  out  before  Him,  whether  you  have  little  or  much,  the 
treasures  which  His  goodness  lends,  and  implore  Him  to  accept 
them  here  that  you  may  find  them  hereafter  in  heaven.  Oh 
that  God  would  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  this  congregation  thus 


G.  W.  DOANE,  W.  A.  MUHLENBERG.  185 

to  give  themselves  up  to  the  Lord !  Oh  that  God  would  put  it 
into  the  hearts  of  the  Churchmen  of  this  land,  so  far  to  imitate 
their  brethren  of  the  Church  in  Corinth,  as  to  be  willing  accord- 
ing to  their  power !  The  superfluity  of  millions  that  now  rust, 
or  are  abused  to  frivolous  or  sinful  uses,  would  supply  with 
spiritual  food  a  famishing  world.  The  strength  of  the  body,  the 
gifts  of  mind,  the  weight  of  influence,  the  able  hands,  the  gener- 
ous hearts  that  now  content  themselves  with  secular  ends,  and 
labor  but  for  temporal  interests,  converted  to  the  Lord,  and  con- 
secrated by  the  live  coal  from  off  His  altar,  would  supply  an 
army  that  should  leaguer  every  land.  The  noble  rapture,  like 
a  flame  of  living  fire,  would  spread  from  heart  to  heart.  Again 
'the  arm  of  the  Lord'  should  wake,  as  in  the  ancient  time. 
Again  the  gates  of  hell  should  totter  to  their  fall.  The  Church 
of  the  living  God,  roused  from  her  sleep,  should  shake  the  dust 
from  her  fair  garments,  and  gird  on  her  panoply  for  battle. 
'Strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of  His  might,'  she  should 
go  on  'from  strength  to  strength ;'  until,  triumphant  over  every 
foe,  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  bestows  on  her  the  victory." 

Referring  to  the  foregoing  sketch  of  Bishop  Doane,  the 
present  Bishop  of  ]S[ew  Jersey  (the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Scarborough), 
has  written  as  follows: 

"His  ideals  were  grand,  and  St.  Mary's  Hall  to-day,  after 
the  lapse  of  years,  with  every  room  filled  and  a  goodly  waiting 
list  for  entrance,  is  a  tribute  to  his  farsightedness  and  wisdom. 
He  was  a  pioneer  in  the  work  of  education,  ahead  of  his  time 
in  a  good  many  things,  and  his  name  is  remembered,  not  by  the 
troubles  he  was  compelled  to  face,  but  by  his  greatness  as  a  man 
and  a  bishop.  His  grave  in  St.  Mary's  churchyard  is  con- 
stantly decked  with  flowers,  by  loving  hands,  from  the  income 
of  a  permanent  fund  provided  by  the  Hall  pupils,  and  his  por- 
trait is  crowned,  on  his  birthday  every  year,  as  a  mark  of  love. 
Every  Wednesday  evening,  in  the  chapel  service,  'Softly  now  the 
light  of  day'  is  sung  as  a  sort  of  requiem,  or  memorial,  by  young 
voices  that  are  taught  to  reverence  the  founder  whom  they  only 
know  by  tradition."     *     *     * 

"As  his  successor  in  ofllce  I  am  grateful  to  you  for  your 
truthful  tribute." 


i86  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Turning  now  to  the  life  story  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  A. 
Muhlenberg,  I  begin  with  four  brief  quotations.  Writing 
of  his  eightieth  birthday  his  biographer,  Sister  Anne  Ayers, 
says: 

"There  were  tokens  also,  at  that  time,  of  the  place  he  occu- 
pied in  the  heart  and  mind  of  the  community  at  large,  which 
are  remarkable  and  exceptional,  taking  into  account  his  retiring 
and  unworldly  habits.  Since  his  humility  can  no  longer  be 
pained  by  it,  we  may  venture  to  record  two  or  three  of  these  as 
an  illustration.  In  his  public  acknowledgment  of  the  Bryant 
Vase,  the  poet,  speaking  of  the  far-reaching  goodness  of  God, 
said,  as  if  instancing  the  extremes  of  human  character,  'From 
Tweed  to  Dr.  Muhlenberg.'  Again:  'A  million  of  inhabitants 
and  only  one  Dr.  Muhlenberg,'  was  quoted  by  the  author  of  the 
'Century  of  Nursing :'  and  very  striking  also  were  some  closing 
words  in  one  of  the  daily  journals  which,  noticing,  under  the 
title  of  'A  Blameless  Life,'  the  completion  of  his  eightieth  year, 
after  outlining  his  unselfish  labors  says :  'It  behooves  even  those 
of  us  who  are  doubtful  about  the  dogmas  and  most  impatient 
of  the  exclusive  pretensions  of  the  Churches,  to  be  very  chary  of 
dismissing  as  effete  an  institution  which  is  still  capable  of  giving 
their  full  scope  to  the  powers  for  well-doing  of  such  an  orna- 
ment to  the  human  race  as  Dr.  Muhlenberg.'  " 

A  eulogy  in  the  'New  York  Evening  Post,  attributed  to 
William  Cullen  Brj-ant,  who  was  then  its  editor,  contains  the 
following:  "Other  men  have  accumulated  wealth  that  they 
might  found  hospitals ;  he  accumulated  the  Hospital  fund  as 
such,  never  owning  it  and  therefore  never  giving  it.  The  chari- 
table institutions  which  he  founded  were  to  him  what  family, 
and  friends,  and  personal  prosperity  are  to  men  generally,  and 
dying  as  he  did,  poor,  in  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  he  died  a  grandly 
successful  man." 

After  his  death,  Bishop  Littlejohn,  of  Long  Island,  in  his 
annual  Diocesan  address,  said : 

"The  Church  at  large  has  been  called  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  one  whose  saintly  character  and  remarkable  labors,  extending 
over  a  long  life,  made  him  beyond  perhaps  any  man  of  his  day, 
whether  bishop,  priest,  deacon,  or  layman,  the  common  property 


G.  W.  DOANE,  W.  A.  MUHLENBERG.  187 

of  the  Church  throughout  the  land.      His  canonical  residence 
was   of  no   moment   in   making  up  his   record,   for  his    real 
home,  his  acknowledged  place,  was  in  the  hearts  of  God's  peo- 
ple.     *     *     *     jje   ^vas    a   man   of  whom   any   age   of   the 
Church  might  have  been  proud.     Fame  and  honor,  and  with 
them  the  noblest  form  of  influence,  might  have  been  his,   if 
he  had  only  done  one  of  the  great  works  for  which  history  will 
give  him!  a  foremost  place  among  his  fellows.      He  was  not 
prominent  as  a  thinker  in  the  purely  intellectual  sense.     He  was 
not  strong  in  the  power  that  grapples  with  and  holds  firmly 
in  hand  the  subtle  distinctions  and  abstract  issues  of  metaphysi- 
cal speculation.       He  did  not  excel  as  an  apologist  or  a  con- 
troversialist.    He  laid  no  claim  to — nay,  shrank  from — being 
considered  an  authority  in  theology  regarded  as  a  logical  or 
scientific  exhibition  of  the  whole  counsel  of  God.       He,  indeed, 
often  said  what  his  life-work  so  gloriously  evinced,  that  his 
heart  had  more  to  do  with  his  confession  of  faith  than  his  head. 
And  yet,  though  he  had  no  taste  or  faculty  for — nay,  rather 
dreaded — the  dry  metallic  ring  of  the  higher  tasks  and  exercises 
of  disciplined  thinkers,  he  left  behind,  both  in  prose  and  verse, 
thoughts  that  will  breathe  and  burn  in  the  souls  of  men  when 
not  a  few  of  the  so-called  great  minds  of  the  day  shall  have  been 
forgotten.       It  is  astonishing  that  so  quiet  and  gentle  a  life 
should  have  developed  so  many  of  the  qualities  and  gifts  of 
leadership — leadership  neither  claimed  by  him  nor  formally 
conceded  to  him  by  others,  but  none  the  less  real  and  effective. 
Scarcely  an  important  movement  can  be  named  peculiar  to  the 
last  forty  or  fifty  years  of  our  Church  life,  and  which  will  be 
likely  to  tell  upon  the  next  half  century  of  that  life,  that  he  did 
not  originate  or  help  others  to  originate." 
A  great  Church  leader  said  also : 

"Were  we  to  attempt  to  delineate  the  life  or  character  of 
this  remarkable  man,  we  should  hardly  know  where  to  begin, 
or  where  to  leave  off.  There  were  very  many  striking  charac- 
teristics, almost  every  one  of  which  would  have  made  him  a  man 
of  mark.  But  these  were  so  blended  and  so  beautifully  har- 
monious in  action  as  to  present  a  singularly  complete  and 
symmetrical  whole. 


i88  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

"Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  a  poet,  and  a  poet  of  high  order. 
The  kindred  element  of  music  was  also  strongly  developed  in 
him.  Yet  he  was  a  man  of  practical  common  sense,  and  of  a 
remarkably  sound  judgment.  A  stranger  might  think  him 
impulsive,  and  even  eccentric ;  and  so  he  was.  But  his  impulses 
were  inspired  intuitions,  and  his  eccentricities  but  the  rapid 
and  flashing  movements  of  a  mind  and  heart  all  aglow  with 
noble  thoughts  and  aspirations.  Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  a  man 
of  strong,  almost  resistless,  will — ^but  he  was  never  self-willed. 
He  was  also  a  man  of  positive  and  clearly  defined  opinions,  but 
never  opinionated.  He  was  open  to  convictions,  ready  to  re- 
ceive suggestions  from  any  and  all  sources,  and  as  ready  to 
modify  or  change  his  plans  and  opinions  for  any  which  might 
be  wiser  and  better. 

"We  can  call  to  mind  only  one  instance  wherein  he  failed 
to  make  an  improvement  by  change,  and  that  is  rather  a  nota- 
ble one.       When  quite  a  young  man  he  wrote  the  far-famed 
hymn,   'I  would  not  live  alway.'        Later  in  life  he  became 
thoroughly  dissatisfied  with  the  teachings  and  spirit  of  this 
hymn,  and  set  about  rewriting  it  to  make  it,  as  he  said,  more 
evangelical,  more  of  a  Gospel  hymn.       After  spending  a  great 
deal  of  time  and  thought  upon  this  effort,  he  finally  published 
an  edition  of  the  revised  hymn.       But,  much  to  his  disgust, 
it  received  no  particular  favor  from  the  public.     He  thought 
this  betrayed  a  very  poor  appreciation  of  what  was  right  and 
true,  and  gave  up  the  effort  to  supplant  an  old  favorite  by 
something  new.       The  public  respected  and  honored  the  motive 
which  prompted  this  effort,  but  the  real  poetry  of  the  old  hymn 
had  made  an  impression  on  the  public  heart  which  nothing 
could  remove.       Its  power  was  in  its  poetry  and  not  in  its 
theology.     -^     *     * 

"It  remains  that  we  should  say  a  few  words  as  to  the  type 
of  piety  which  characterized  this  great  man.  Dr.  Muhlenberg 
was  never  a  theologian.  We  mean  a  theologian  according  to 
the  books.  He  knew  God  better  than  most  men.  But  it  was 
not  in  him  to  trouble  himself  much  about  metaphysical  terms 
and  distinctions,  nor  was  it  possible  for  him  to  belong  exclu- 
sively to  any  particular  school  of  thought  or  of  polity.  He  was 
BO  thoroughly  catholic  that  he  was  ever  ready  to  receive  any- 


G.  W.  DOANE,  IV.  A.  MUHLENBERG.  189 

thing  good  from  all  schools.  AYliile  he  was  a  Churchman,  and 
deeply  loved  the  worship  and  ways  of  his  own  Church,  he  never 
failed  to  recognize  as  brethren  beloved  all  the  followers  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  wherever  found.  He  cordially  disliked  all 
narrowness  and  bigotry  and  exclusiveness,  as  hostile  to  the 
spirit  of  Christianity,  and  inconsistent  with  the  brotherhood 
of  believers.  His  love  and  service  in  the  cause  of  Christ  and 
of  suffering  humanity  were  not  restricted  by  any  ecclesiastical 
lines,  but  went  out  to  all,  and  ministered  to  all  as  there  was 
ability  or  opportunity.  He  was  eminently  the  common  prop- 
erty of  a  common  Christianity,  and  his  life  and  character  are 
an  illustrious  example  of  its  spirit  and  of  its  power.  One  such 
life  does  more  to  disarm  infidelity  and  to  commend  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  than  all  the  arguments  which  can  be  made,  or  all  the 
controversies  which  may  be  waged.  It  stands  forth  like  the 
sermon  on  the  mount — the  embodiment  and  illustration  of  God's 
law  and  God's  truth  to  man.  In  its  spirit  and  beauty,  it  is  a 
psalm  of  perpetual  praise  and  thanksgiving." 

William  Augustus  Muiilenbekg  was  born  in  the  city 
of  Philadelphia  on  the  16th  of  September,  1796.  He  was 
graduated  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een. He  studied  theology  under  Jackson  Kemper  (afterwards 
Bishop  Kemper)  and  Bishop  "UTiite,  by  whom  he  was  ordained 
two  days  after  he  had  reached  his  twenty-first  birthday.  And 
he  was  for  three  years  his  assistant,  helping  in  the  Philadelphia 
parishes  of  which  the  Bishop  was  then  rector — Christ  Church, 
St.  Peter's  and  St.  James'. 

When  he  reached  the  canonical  age  of  twenty-four  he  was 
ordained  to  the  priesthood  by  the  good  Bishop,  and  soon  there- 
after became  rector  of  St.  James'  Church,  Lancaster,  Pa., 
where  he  labored  faithfully  and  with  meekness  of  wisdom  for 
five  years  and  a  half.  Under  the  clear  leading  of  Divine  Prov- 
idence he  went  to  Flushing,  Long  Island,  where  he  founded  the 
Flushing  Institute,  a  school  for  boys,  and  where  he  made  a 
good  beginning  of  St.  Paul's  College.  After  eighteen  years 
of  successful  and  Christlike  labor  with  boys  and  young  men, 
in  1844  he  became  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Com- 
munion, New  York. 

He  was  the  founder  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  ISTew  York, 


I90  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

and  of  St.  Jolinland,  a  imique  Christian  charity  on  Long  Island. 
He  died  at  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  in  1877,  after  more  than 
fourscore  years  of  earthly  pain  and  gladness,  and  lies  buried  in 
a  lovely  spot  at  St.  Johnland,  where  the  trees  whisper  above  his 
tomb,  and  the  waves  come  gently  beating  like  sweet  music  along 
the  shore. 

]^ow  this  seems,  does  it  not,  as  thus  sketched,  to  be  a  com- 
paratively unimportant  story  ?  Very  different  from  the  life  of 
Washington  or  Lincoln  or  Grant,  of  Clay  or  Calhoun  or  Web- 
ster, or  of  some  great  preacher  like  Henry  Ward  Beecher  or 
Matthew  Simpson  or  Phillips  Brooks,  or  of  some  heroic  mis- 
sionary like  Livingstone  or  Judson  or  Selwyn  or  Bishop  Patte- 
son,  dying  bravely  like  a  soldier  at  his  post. 

And  yet  I  venture  to  say  that  no  life  was  lived  in  the  nine- 
teenth century  that  was  more  Christlike  than  the  life  of  Dr. 
Muhlenberg,  and  very  few  so  faithful  in  service,  helpful  to 
men  and  glorifying  to  God.  Such  a  life  deserves  our  most  care- 
ful and  sympathetic  study. 

He  came  of  a  race  of  men  who  feared  God  and  loved 
righteousness.  His  great-grandfather  w^as  a  Lutheran  clergy- 
man, a  graduate  of  Gottingen  and  a  friend  of  Frederick  the 
Great.  He  came  to  America  in  1742  and  became  the  founder 
and  patriarch  of  the  American  Lutheran  Church.  With  apos- 
tolic zeal  he  traversed  the  country  from  Canada  to  Georgia, 
caring  for  the  scattered  sheep  of  the  flock  of  Christ. 

He  had  three  sons — all  of  whom  he  thought  would  be 
clergymen.  The  youngest  only  gave  his  whole  time  and 
strength  to  the  sacred  office. 

The  second  son  became  a  statesman,  was  President  of  the 
Convention  which  ratified  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
and  first  speaker  of  the  House  of  Congress  during  Washing- 
ton's administration. 

The  oldest  son  was  ordained  as  a  clergyman;  but  he  was 
a  patriot  also.  And  so  he  became  a  general  in  the  army  of  the 
Eevolution.  He  instructed  his  people  in  their  civil  rights, 
and  accepted  the  colonelcy  of  a  regiment,  while  yet  their  pastor. 
Soon,  however,  the  time  came  when  he  ascended  the  pulpit  for 
the  last  time,  his  tall  form  arrayed  in  full  uniform,  over  which 
his  gowm,  the  symbol  of  his  holy  office,  was  thrown. 


G.  W.  DOANE,  W.  A.  MUHLENBERG.  191 

''After  recapitulating,  in  words  that  roused  the  coldest,  the 
story  of  their  wrongs,  and  telling  them  of  the  sacred  character 
of  the  struggle  in  which  he  had  unsheathed  his  sword,  and  for 
which  he  was  leaving  the  altar  he  had  vowed  to  serve,  he  said 
that  in  the  language  of  Holy  Writ,  there  was  a  time  for  all 
things :  a  time  to  preach  and  a  time  to  pray,  and  in  a  voice  that 
echoed  through  the  church  like  a  trumpet  blast,  that  there 
was  a  time  to  fight,  and  that  time  had  come. 

''A  breathless  stillness  brooded  over  the  congregation. 
Deliberately  putting  off  his  gown,  he  stood  before  them  a  girded 
warrior,  and  descending  from  the  pulpit,  he  ordered  the  drums 
at  the  church  door  to  beat  for  recruits.  His  audience,  excited 
in  the  highest  degree  by  his  impassioned  words,  flocked  around 
him,  eager  to  be  ranked  among  his  followers.  Old  men  were  seen 
bringing  forward  their  children,  wives  their  husbands,  and 
widowed  mothers  their  sons,  sending  them  under  his  paternal 
care  to  fight  the  battle  of  their  country.  Nearly  three  hundred 
men  of  the  frontier  churches  that  day  enlisted  under  his  banner, 
and  the  gown,  then  thrown  off,  was  worn  for  the  last  time." 

William  Augustus  Muhlenberg  came  of  a  race  of  noble 
men.  But  in  his  character  there  was  more  than  nobility, — there 
was  saintliness. 

''With  the  first  dawn  of  reason  he  seems  to  have  known  the 
fear  and  love  of  God."  He  delighted  as  a  boy  in  the  services 
of  the  Church,  and  always  looked  forward  to  the  time  he  should 
become  a  clerg\Tnan.  As  a  clergyman  and  as  a  man  his  chief 
characteristic  was  his  abounding  love,  which  made  him  one  of 
the  greatest  and  one  of  the  best  of  men. 

JSTow  let  us  look  at  him  very  briefly  in  his  work : 

First,  as  an  educator; 

Second,  as  a  parish  minister ; 

Third,  as  an  organizer  of  great  public  charities ;  and, 

Fourth,  as  a  leader  in  the  Church  Universal. 

First,  as  an  educator: — His  biographer  tells  us  that 
through  his  labors  in  Lancaster  the  conviction  had  grown  upon 
him  that  not  only  the  hope  of  the  Church,  but  the  salvation 
of  the  commonwealth  centered  in  the  Christianizing  of  educa- 
tion.    And  so  he  conceived  of  Christian  schools  throughout  the 


192  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

land  which  should  substitute  as  nearly  as  possible  Christian 
homes,  for  the  proper  training  of  the  young.  To  realize  his 
conception  he  gave  up  himself  and  his  fortune.  He  would 
have,  working  with  him,  like-minded  men  whose  views  of  educa- 
tion had  not  been  formed  in  the  shops  where  it  was  vended  as  an 
article  of  trade  but,  looking  upon  it  as  a  sacred  calling,  would 
consecrate  themselves  to  it  on  the  highest  and  holiest  principles. 
And  so  the  Flushing  Institute,  merged  later  in  St.  Paul's 
College,  began. 

The  theory  of  the  school  was  that  of  a  Christian  or  Church 
family,  of  which  the  Rector  was  the  father.  The  government 
was  paternal,  most  loving  and  considerate,  yet  not  without 
strictness.  ITothing  that  affected  the  interests  of  his  boys  was 
too  insignificant  for  his  attention,  and,  in  their  griefs,  who  so 
tender  and  sympathizing  as  he  ? 

He  believed  in  religion ;  he  believed  also  in  thorough 
scholarship  and  honest  hard  work.  "Religion,"  he  said,  "is  the 
basis  of  the  school,  hut  religion  shall  not  he  taken  into  account 
for  inferior  scholarship." 

No !  The  scholarship  must  be  good.  Duty  in  study  must 
be  done,  but  that  being  done  he  would  irradiate  everything  with 
the  light  and  the  gladness  of  a  joyful  religion.  And  so  he  made 
his  chapel  services  marvelously  attractive.  For  those  days  he 
had  a  high  ritual.  Song  abounded.  The  chapel  was  brilliant 
on  the  great  festivals  with  candles  and  emblems.  On  Good 
Friday  there  was  a  drapery  of  black.  On  Easter,  oh,  how 
glorious  the  service  which  began  with  the  rising  sun ! 

This  was  the  poetry  of  religion. 

And  he  was  a  poet.     But  he  was  more. 

And  so  we  are  to  look  at  him  next  as  a  parish  minister. 

In  1844  his  sister,  in  pursuance  of  the  wishes  of  her 
deceased  husband,  wanted  to  build  a  free  church  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  and  wanted  him  to  become  its  rector. 

His  school  work  had  engrossed  him  for  eighteen  years. 
And  now  he  began  to  have  other  dreams.  He  believed  in  free 
churches,  and  used  to  say  that  "if  sincere  Christians  could  only 
look  through  the  mists  of  custom  at  things  as  they  are,  they 
would  shrink  back  as  at  a  fearful  desecration  from  the  pro- 


,  AMD 


G.  W.  DOANE,  W.  A.  MUHLENBERG.  193 

prietorship  of  luxurious  little  apartments,  secured  by  money, 
for  their  exclusive  use  in  the  Sanctuary  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 

Besides  this,  "the  contemplated  church  presented  a  new 
and  delightful  subject  for  his  creative  talent,  and  he  hailed 
his  sister's  proposition  as  an  opening  in  the  ordering  of  Provi- 
dence for  exemplifying  his  long  cherished  theory  of  the  Church 
of  Christ  as  a  Brotherhood,  and  also  for  setting  forth  a  more 
reverent  and  expressive  ritual  of  worship  than  as  yet  prevailed. 
He  called  his  church  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion.  A 
sanctuary  consecrated  to  the  fellowship  of  Christ,  and  to  the 
great  ordinance  of  His  love,  rebuking  all  distinctions  of  pride 
and  wealth."  "Several  wealthy  and  devout  families  united 
with  Mrs.  Rogers  in  supporting  the  church  at  its  outset,  and 
in  sustaining  Dr.  Muhlenberg  in  what  were  supposed  to  be  his 
peculiar  ministrations.  These,  such  as  the  daily  service — the 
division  of  the  offices  on  Sunday  morning — the  weekly  com- 
munion and  offertory — the  congregational  singing,  chanting 
the  psalter,  preaching  in  the  surplice,  the  Matins  of  Christmas 
and  Easter,  the  special  solemnities  of  Holy  Week,  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  Epiphany  with  its  large  offerings  for  missions,  given 
chiefly  in  gold,  the  employment  society,  the  parish  Christmas 
tree,  the  fresh  air  fund,  and  the  work  of  the  Sisterhood  (the 
first  American  Protestant  Sisterhood)  in  their  church  dispen- 
sary, church  infirmary,  and  church  schools — All  these  things, 
many  of  them  now  grown  into  comnion  use,  were  original  with 
Dr.  Muhlenberg,  and  naturally  gave  to  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Communion  a  character  and  attractiveness  of  its  own." 

In  those  days  there  was  not  a  church  charity  of  any  kind 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  only  two  public  hospitals  with 
provision  chiefly  for  seamen  and  the  sick  paupers  of  the  alms- 
house. So  in  1848,  on  St.  Luke's  Day,  Dr.  Muhlenberg  pro- 
posed to  his  congregation  that  half  of  the  offerings  of  the  day 
should  be  laid  aside  as  the  beginning  of  a  fund  towards  the 
founding  of  an  institution  for  the  relief  of  the  sick  poor  under 
the  auspices  of  religion.  And  so,  with  something  over  thirty 
dollars,  St.  Luke's  Hospital  began.  To-day  a  mighty  and  most 
useful  building  stands  on  Cathedral  Heights  as  the  splendid 
result. 

13 


194  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

I  wish  that  I  could  tell  you  how  he  passed  through  the 
draft  riots  in  1863,  when  a  howling  mob,  bent  upon  destruction, 
came  to  bum  his  building — of  his  fervent  patriotism  during 
the  war,  and  his  Battle  Hymns,  so  full  of  Christian  fire.  But 
there  is  no  time  for  this,  and  but  a  moment  to  speak  of  St. 
Johnland.  "As  the  thought  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital  was  inspired 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion  by  his 
contact  with  the  sick  poor  in  their  miserable  lodging  places, 
so  his  conception  of  a  St.  Johnland  grew  out  of  his  daily  obser- 
vation as  a  clergyman  and  philanthropist  of  the  sore  disadvan- 
tages of  the  city  poor  in  their  tenement  house  abodes ;  and  con- 
comitant with  this,  of  his  desire  to  present  to  the  Church  a 
living  exemplification  of  the  principles  of  Evangelical  Cathol- 
icism." 

A  place  was  selected  on  Long  Island.  "After  silently 
surveying  the  then  unoccupied  site,  he  suddenly  exclaimed, 
although  threescore  years  and  ten  had  already  silvered  his 
hair,  'Ten  years  more,  oh !  my  Father,  if  it  please  Thee  to  set 
forward  this  work,  and  then' — spreading  his  hands  expressively 
towards  the  turf,  and  a  moment  afterwards  stretching  them 
eagerly  upwards,  as  his  eye  gazed  into  the  heavens.  He  said 
no  other  word.  Precisely  ten  years  to  a  month,  and  his  mortal 
remains  were  laid  beneath  the  sod  on  the  summit  of  the  knoll 
where  he  was  then  standing." 

When  Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  in  England  in  1855  he  went 
one  Sunday  evening  to  hear  Frederick  Denison  Maurice  talk 
to  his  Bible  Class  of  workingmen.  He  was  deeply  impressed, 
and  these  words  came  to  him ; 

Lowliest  in  heart  mid  those  he  taught, 
In  mind  with  richest  treasure  fraught. 
His  deep  and  loving  thoughts  flowed  on 
A  John  himself,  expounding  John. 

Maurice,  in  this  generation,  was  the  St.  John  of  the 
Anglican  Church,  and  Muhlenberg  was  the  St.  John  of  the 
American  Church.  So  he  rightly  named  his  last  Christian 
venture^  the  Benjamin  of  his  affections,  St.  Johnland. 

An  abstract  of  the  act  of  incorporation  states  its  object: 


G.  W.  DOANE,  V/.  A.  MUHLENBERG.  195 

"First,  to  provide  cheap  and  comfortable  homes,  together 
with  the  means  of  social  and  moral  improvement,  for  deserving 
families  from  among  the  working  classes,  such  as  can  carry 
on  their  work  in  St.  Johnland. 

"Second,  to  maintain  a  home  for  aged  men  in  destitute 
circumstances,  to  care  for  friendless  children  and  youth,  and 
especially  cripples,  by  giving  them  home,  schooling,  Christian 
training,  and  some  trade  or  occupation  by  which  they  can  earn 
their  future  livelihood. 

"Third,  by  self-support  to  aid  young  men  studying  for  the 
ministry.  And,  lastly,  to  give  form  and  practical  application 
to  the  principles  of  brotherhood  in  Christ." 

The  great  St.  Johnland  text  which  makes  the  motto  of 
the  seal  of  the  corporation  is  the  testimony  of  St.  John,  "This 
is  His  Commandment,  that  we  should  believe  on  the  name  of 
His  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  love  one  another,  as  He  gave  us  com- 
mandment." The  Church  of  the  testimony  of  Jesus  is  an 
Episcopal  Church.  The  beautiful  ritual  of  our  Church  is 
heard  there,  its  responsive  liturgy,  its  animating  Te  Deums  and 
Glorias ;  but  its  rights  deserved  by  Dr.  Muhlenberg  were  the 
liberty  of  conscience,  the  liberty  of  prayer,  the  liberty  of  minis- 
terial fellowship. 

One  word  concerning  Dr.  Muhlenberg  as  a  leader  in  the 
Church  Universal.  He  believed  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church. 
His  favorite  designation  for  that  Church  was  that  of  Evangelical 
Catholic.  "It  was  always  a  joy  to  him  to  put  in  action  the 
Christian  brotherhood  with  which  he  was  so  deeply  imbued,  as 
well  as  to  recognize  the  exercise  of  the  same  in  others.  He 
cherished  a  particular  affection  for  Archbishop  Leighton  in  this 
respect.  'Leighton,'  he  said,  'was  a  good  Evangelical  Catholic' 
Here  is  a  little  illustration  of  it.  A  friend  one  day  met  the 
pious  prelate  going  to  visit  a  sick  Presbyterian  minister  on  a 
horse  borrowed  of  a  Roman  Catholic  priest." 

Dr.  Muhlenberg  worked  with  the  Evangelical  Alliance ;  not 
because  he  agreed  with  its  principles  fully,  but  because  the 
language  of  his  heart  always  was,  "Grace  be  with  all  them  that 
love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity." 

Eor  Christian  union  he  was  always  striving,  and  the  pres- 


196  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

ent  hopeful  movement  in  that  direction  owes  more  to  him  than 
to  any  other  man  living  or  dead.  Witness  "The  Memorial 
Papers." 

When  Dr.  Muhlenberg  was  twenty-five  years  old,  he 
printed  his  "Plea  for  Christian  Hymns."  Lacking  immediate 
effect  he  prepared  a  selection  of  psalms  and  hymns  for  the  use 
of  his  own  parish.  His  brethren  were  stirred  by  this  action, 
and  at  the  next  General  Convention  a  committee  on  the  subject 
of  additions  to  the  hymnal  was  appointed.  Of  the  committee 
he  himself  was  a  member.     A  great  forward  step  was  taken. 

One  of  the  hymns  then  first  adopted,  of  his  own  composi- 
tion, had  already  attained  popularity.     It  began : 

I  would  not  live  alway;  I  ask  not  to  stay 
Where  storm  after  storm  rises  dark  o'er  the  way. 

Concerning  this  hymn.  Dr.  William  Wilberforce  ITewton 
says  truly : 

"In  after  years,  when  its  widespread  and  continued  popu- 
larity, together  with  his  own  more  just  and  real  knowledge  of 
life,  gave  him  a  closer  conviction  of  its  faults,  he  strove  by 
repeated  revisions  and  successive  versions  to  give  it  a  higher 
and  more  healthful  tone — one  which  was  more  in  accord  with 
genuine  Christian  faith  and  cheer.  Its  intense  subjectivity, 
its  morbid  depreciation  of  the  joys  of  earthly  existence,  and  its 
failure  to  recognize  any  significance  in  the  discipline  of  life, 
— faults  feebly  atoned  for  by  the  impatient  desire  of  heavenly 
felicity, — were  elements  which  jarred  on  the  sensitive  fiber  of 
his  maturer  piety." 

I  give  this  hymn  in  two  forms.  First,  as  admitted  to  our 
hymnal  in  182 Y,  and  second,  as  written  half  a  century  after- 
wards on  the  eightieth  birthday  of  an  intimate  friend : 


I  would  not  live  alway ;  I  ask  not  to  stay ' 
Where  storm  after  storm  rises  dark  o'er  the  way. 
The  few  lurid  mornings  that  dawn  on  us  here 
Are  enough  for  life's  woes,  full  enough  for  its  cheer. 


G.  W.  DOANE,  W.  A.  MUHLENBERG.  197 


I  would  not  live  alway,  thus  fettered  by  sin. 
Temptation  without,  and  corruption  within: 
E'en  the  rapture  of  pardon  is  mingled  with  fears. 
And  the  cup  of  thanksgiving  with  penitent  tears. 

I  would  not  live  alway ;  no,  welcome  the  tomb : 
Since  Jesus  has  lain  there,  I  dread  not  its  gloom; 
There  sweet  be  my  rest,  till  He  bid  me  arise 
To  hail  Him  in  triumph  descending  the  skies. 

Who,  who  would  live  alway,  away  from  his  God, 
Away  from  yon  heaven,  that  blissful  abode. 
Where  the  rivers  of  pleasure  flow  o'er  the  bright  plains. 
And  the  noontide  of  gloi-y  eternally  reigns; 

Where  the  saints  of  all  ages  in  harmony  meet, 
Their  Saviour  and  brethren,  transported,  to  greet; 
While  the  anthems  of  rapture  unceasingly  roll. 
And  the  smile  of  the  Lord  is  the  feast  of  the  soul? 

II. 

I  would  not  live  alway — I  ask  not  to  stay. 
For  nought  but  to  lengthen  the  term  of  the  way; 
Nay,  fondly  I've  hoped,  when  my  work-days  were  done, 
Then,  soon  and  undim'd,  would  go  down  my  life's  sun. 

But  if  other  my  lot,  and  I'm  destined  to  waic 
Thro'  suffering  and  weakness  in  useless  estate. 
Till  I  gain  my  release,  gracious  Lord,  keep  me  still. 
Unmurmuring,  resigned  to  thy  Fatherly  will. 

Yea,  thus  let  it  be,  so  that  thereby  I  grow 

More  meet  for  His  presence  to  whom  I  would  go. 

More  patient,  more  loving,  more  quiet  within. 

Thoroughly  washed  in  the  Fountain  that  cleanseth  from  sin. 

So  the  days  of  my  tarrying  on  to  their  end. 
Bringing  forth  what  they  may,  all  in  praise  I  would  spend : 
Then,  no  cloud  on  my  faith,  when  called  for  I'd  leave. 
Calm  in  prayer,  "Lord  Jesus,  my  spirit  receive." 

But  inside  the  veil — How,  how  is  it  there? 

Dare  we  ask  for  some  sight,  or  some  sound  to  declare. 

What  the  blessed  are  doing — afar  or  anear? 

Oh,  but  for  a  whisper,  the  darkness  to  cheer! 


198  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN   WRITERS 

Yet,  why  aught  of  darkness?    Light,  light  enough  this. 
The  Paradise  life, — it  can  be  only  bliss; 
And  whatever  its  kind,  or  where'er  its  realm  lies. 
The  Saviour  its  glory.  The  Sun  of  its  skies. 

The  hjmn  is  not  retained  in  our  present  hymnal,  but 
three  of  his  hymns  still  keep  their  place,  one,  a  baptismal  bymn, 
beginning : 

207     Saviour,  who  Thy  flock  art  feeding. 

Another  beginning: 

486    Like  Noah's  weary  dove. 

And  still  a  third  which  can  never  lose  either  popularity 
or  power.  This  is  distinctly  a  Christian  hymn.  Its  language 
is  that  of  faith  and  hope  and  most  buoyant  cheer : 

53     Shout  the  glad  tidings,  exultingly  sing; 
Jerusalem  triumphs,  Messiah  is  king. 

Sion,  the  marvelous  story  be  telling. 

The  Son  of  the  Highest,  how  lowly  His  birth ! 

The  brightest  archangel  in  glory  excelling. 
He  stoops  to  redeem  thee.  He  reigns  upon  earth. 
Shout  the  glad  tidings,  etc. 

Tell  how  He  cometh;  from  nation  to  nation 

The  heart-cheering  news  let  the  earth  echo  round: 

How  free  to  the  faithful  He  offers  salvation, 

How  His  people  with  joy  everlasting  are  crowned: 
Shout  the  glad  tidings,  etc. 

Mortals,  your  homage  be  gratefully  bringing, 
And  sweet  let  the  gladsome  hosanna  arise: 

Ye  angels,  the  full  alleluia  be  singing; 

One  chorus  resound  through  the  earth  and  the  skies : 
Shout  the  glad  tidings,  etc. 

And  of  His  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end. 


XI. 

Sarah  Flower  Adams 
Cecil  Frances  Alexander 
Frances  Ridley  Havergal 

Charlotte  Elliott 

Adelaide  Anne  Procter 

Anne  Steele 

And  Other  "Chief  Women,  Not  a  Few' 


(199) 


He  sendeth  sun,   He  sendeth  shower, 
Alike  they're  needful  for  the  flower ; 
And  joys  and  tears  alike  are  sent 
To  give  the  soul  fit  nourishment. 
As  comes  to  me  or  cloud  or  sun, 
Father,  Thy  will,  not  mine,  be  done! 

Sarah  Flower  Adams. 


O  lonely  tomb  in  Moab's  land ! 

O  dark  Beth-peor's  hill ! 
Speak  to  these  curious  hearts  of  ours. 

And  teach  them  to  be  still. 
God  hath  His  mysteries  of  grace. 

Ways  that  we  cannot  tell, 
He  hides  them  deep,  like  the  secret  sleep. 

Of  Him  He  loved  so  well. 

Cecil  Frances  Alexander. 


Blessed  assurance,  Jesus  is  mine, 
O  what  a  foretaste  of  glory  divine ! 
Heir  of  salvation,  purchase  of  God, 
Born  of  His  spirit,  washed  in  His  blood: 
This  is  my  story,  this  is  my  song, 
Praising  my  Saviour  all  the  day  long. 

Frances  J.  Van  Alstyne. 


(200) 


^v.'^' 


XI. 

SAEAH  FLOWEK  ADAMS, 

CECIL  FKA^CES  ALEXANDER, 

EEANCES  RIDLEY  HAVERGAL, 

CHARLOTTE  ELLIOTT, 

ADELAIDE  AlsTNE  PROCTER, 

ANIHE  STEELE, 

And  Other  "Chief  Women^  N'ot  a  Few." 

Saeah  Flower  Adams  is  best  known  as  the  authoress  of 
"Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee,"  a  hymn  that  has  won  undying 
recognition. 

The  last  words  of  President  McKinley  are  said  to  have 
been,  "  'Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee,  e'en  though  it  be  a  cross  that 
raiseth  me,'  has  been  my  constant  prayer."  "Lead,  kindly 
Light,"  was  one  of  his  urgent  cries ;  "Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee" 
was  another.  Both  hymns  were  sung  on  the  day  of  his  funeral, 
not  only  in  Canton,  Ohio,  but  in  thousands  of  churches  elseM'here 
throughout  our  land.  For  five  minutes  the  busy  heart  of  the 
nation  ceased  to  beat.  Railway  trains  stopped,  telegrams  stood 
still,  there  was  a  silence  as  of  death.  Then,  in  one  place  and 
another,  bands  began  to  play  softly,  "Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee," 
and  human  voices,  the  voices  of  a  great  multitude,  caught  up 
the  touching  prayer. 

"Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee"  is  one  of  the  dozen  great 
hymns  standing  foremost  in  the  churches.  It  was  first  pub- 
lished in  England  in  1841.  James  Freeman  Clarke  brought  it 
across  the  ocean  for  use  in  his  church  in  Boston  in  1844. 
Samuel  Longfellow  gave  it  a  place  in  his  Book  of  Hymns  in 
1846.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  put  it  in  his  "Plymouth  Collec- 
tion" in  1855.  A  year  thereafter  Lowell  Mason  wrote  for  it 
his  tune  "Bethany,"  and  that  swept  it  onward.     By  1866  its 

(201) 


202  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

use  had  been  authorized  by  our  own  Church  and  by  the  Presby- 
terians.    Since  then  its  use  has  become  general. 

Concerning  the  gifted  woman  who  wrote  it,  the  best  sketch 
known  to  me  is  to  be  found  in  a  very  interesting  volume 
entitled  "Studies  of  Familiar  Hymns,"  by  the  Eev.  Dr.  Louis 
F.  Benson.  From  that  sketch  I  venture  to  quote,  with  some 
slight  changes : 

"In  the  year  1S20  there  came  to  Dalston,  then  a  rural 
suburb  of  London,  a  little  family  composed  of  Benjamin  Flower, 
a  widower,  and  his  two  daughters,  the  younger  of  whom  was 
afterward  to  write  this  hymn. 

"Something  of  a  career  lay  behind  Mr.  Flower,  then  an 
elderly  man.  Unsuccessful  in  business  speculations,  as  a  young 
man,  he  had  become  a  traveling  salesman  on  the  Continent. 
There  he  became  an  adherent  of  the  French  Republic,  and  in 
1792  published  a  book  on  the  French  Constitution,  which  was 
really  an  attack  on  that  of  England.  He  was  selected  to  edit 
the  Cambridge  Intelligencer^  an  influential  weekly  of  radical 
principles.  Accused  of  libeling  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  whose 
political  conduct  he  had  censured,  he  was  sentenced  to  six 
months'  imprisonment  in  ISTewgate,  with  a  fine  of  £100.  He 
was  visited  in  prison  by  Miss  Eliza  Gould,  a  lady  who  is  said 
to  have  suffered  for  her  own  liberal  principles,  and  shortly 
after  his  release  he  married  her.  They  settled  at  Harlow,  in 
Essex,  where  Mr.  Flower  became  a  printer,  and  where  Mrs. 
Flower  died  in  1810.  These  facts  of  their  father's  career  help 
us  to  understand  the  atmosphere  in  which  the  motherless  girls 
grew  up. 

"Both  daughters  had  inherited  their  mother's  delicate  con- 
stitution ;  but  both  were  talented  to  an  unusual  degree,  and  they 
attracted  to  the  Dalston  home  many  friends  who  afterward 
became  distinguished.  Among  these  were  Harriet  Martineau 
and  Robert  Browning,  'the  boy  poet,'  as  Eliza  Flower  calls  him 
in  her  letters,  who  came  often  to  discuss  religious  difficulties 
with  her  sister,  Sarah.  Eliza,  the  elder,  was  a  skilful  musician, 
with  a  remarkable  gift  for  musical  composition.  Sarah,  the 
younger  of  the  sisters,  was  also  musical,  and  possessed  of  a  rich 
contralto  voice,  and  was  much  given  to  singing  songs  in  costume. 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  203 

with  appropriate  dramatic  action.  The  elder  sister  always 
furnished  the  accompaniment,  and  sometimes  the  musical  set- 
tings of  these  songs,  in  their  domestic  entertainments. 

"Sarah  Flower  was  bom  at  the  Harlow  home  on  February 
22,  1805.  She  had  the  dramatic  instinct,  and  from  childhood 
cherished  the  ambition  of  adopting  the  stage  as  a  profession. 
She  idealized  the  stage  as  an  ally  of  the  pulpit,  and  held  that  the 
life  of  an  actress  should  be  as  high  and  noble  as  the  great 
thoughts  and  actions  she  was  called  upon  to  express.  In  1829 
her  father  died,  and  in  1834  she  was  married  to  John  Brydges 
Adams,  a  civil  engineer,  and  an  ingenious  inventor  in  the  early 
days  of  railroad  building.  Her  husband  encouraged  her  dra- 
matic ambition,  and  in  1837  she  made  her  first  public  appearance 
at  the  Richmond  Theatre  as  'Lady  Macbeth.'  Her  success  was 
great  enough  to  gain  for  her  an  engagement  at  the  Bath  Theatre. 
But  her  health  gave  way  under  the  strain  of  public  perform- 
ances, and  she  suffered  a  siege  of  illness  at  Bath  which  at  once 
put  an  end  to  all  hope  of  a  dramatic  career. 

"Mrs.  Adams  determined  to  devote  herself  to  literary  work, 
for  she  had  in  addition  a  considerable  literary  gift.  She  wrote 
much  for  the  Monthly  Repository ,  but  her  most  ambitious  effort 
was  'Vivia  Perpetua:  a  Dramatic  Poem,'  published  in  1841. 
It  tells  the  story  of  a  young  mother  who  suffered  a  martyr's 
death  at  Carthage  in  the  year  203  for  her  faith  in  Christ. 
There  is  but  little  doubt  that  her  own  moral  earnestness  and 
intense  feelings  are  set  forth  in  the  character  of  Vivia.  The 
poem  is  often  eloquent,  but  as  a  drama  not  well  constructed, 
and  it  has  taken  no  permanent  place  in  literature.  By  her 
lyrics  she  is  now  chiefly  remembered," 

Mrs.  Adams  is  described  by  her  friend  Mrs.  Bridell  Pox 
as  tall  and  singularly  beautiful,  with  noble  and  regular  features, 
in  manner  gay  and  impulsive,  her  conversation  full  of  sparkling 
wit  and  kindly  humor. 

Mrs.  Pox  also  writes :  "How  she  composed  her  hymns  can 
hardly  be  stated.  She  certainly  never  had  any  idea  of  compos- 
ing them.  They  were  the  spontaneous  expression  of  some 
strong  impulse  or  feeling  at  the  moment;  she  was  essentially 
a  creature  of  impulse.     Her  translations  would  be,  of  course, 


204  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

to  a  certain  extent  an  exception;  also,  perhaps,  when  she  was 
writing  words  for  music  already  in  use  at  South  Place  Chapel. 
Otherwise  she  wrote  when  she  felt  that  the  spirit  moved  her." 

Both  of  the  sisters  died  while  still  in  early  life,  and  within 
less  than  two  years  of  each  other,  Eliza  in  1846  and  Sarah  in 
1848.  At  the  funerals  of  both,  the  hymns  of  the  one  were 
sung  to  music  composed  by  the  other.  Dr.  Benson  says  truly, 
"One  cannot  avoid  a  feeling  of  regret  that  some  foretaste  of  her 
usefulness  and  fame  did  not  come  to  brighten  the  failing  days 
of  the  author  of  'Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee.'  " 

And  now  a  word  as  to  the  hymn  itself.  Its  basis  is  a 
familiar  story,  splendidly  told  in  the  Book  of  Genesis : 

"And  Jacob  went  out  from  Beersheba,  and  went  toward 
Haran.  And  he  lighted  upon  a  certain  place,  and  tarried 
there  all  night,  because  the  sun  was  set;  and  he  took  of  the 
stones  of  that  place,  and  put  them  for  his  pillows,  and  lay  down 
in  that  place  to  sleep.  And  he  dreamed,  and  behold  a  ladder 
set  up  on  the  earth,  and  the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven:  and 
behold  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  on  it.  And, 
behold,  the  Lord  stood  above  it,  and  said,  I  am  the  Lord  God  of 
Abraham  thy  father,  and  the  God  of  Isaac:  the  land  whereon 
thou  liest,  to  thee  will  I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed ;  And  thy  seed 
shall  be  as  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  thou  shalt  spread  broad  to 
the  west,  and  to  the  east,  and  to  the  north,  and  to  the  south :  and 
in  thee  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be 
blessed :  And,  behold,  I  am  with  thee,  and  will  keep  thee  in  all 
places  whither  thou  goest,  and  will  bring  thee  again  into  this 
land ;  for  I  will  not  leave  thee,  until  I  have  done  that  which  I 
have  spoken  to  thee  of. 

"And  Jacob  awaked  out  of  his  sleep,  and  he  said.  Surely 
the  Lord  is  in  this  place ;  and  I  knew  it  not.  And  he  was  afraid, 
and  said.  How  dreadful  is  this  place!  this  is  none  other  but 
the  house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven.  And  Jacob 
rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  took  the  stone  that  he  had 
put  for  his  pillows,  and  set  it  up  for  a  pillar,  and  poured  oil 
upon  the  top  of  it.  And  he  called  the  name  of  that  place 
Bethel,"  that  is.  House  of  God,  because  there  he  had  come  nearer 
to  his  Father  in  heaven. 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  205 

Perhaps  some  would  like  to  see  the  hymn  without  any  of 
the  changes  made  in  our  hymnal  or  elsewhere : 

Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee! 
E'en  though  it  be  a  cross 

That  raiseth  me; 
Still  all  my  song  shall  be, 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee! 

Though  like  the  wanderer. 

The  sun  gone  down. 
Darkness  be  over  me. 

My  rest  a  stone: 
Yet  in  my  dreams  I'd  be 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee! 

There  let  my  way  appear 

Steps  unto  heaven; 
All  that  Thou  send'st  to  me 

In  mercy  given; 
Angels  to  beckon  me 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee! 

Then,  with  my  waking  thoughts 

Bright  with  Thy  praise. 
Out  of  my  stony  griefs 

Bethel  I'll  raise: 
So  by  my  woes  to  be 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee ! 

Or,  if  on  joyful  wing, 

Cleaving  the  sky. 
Sun,  moon,  and  stars  forgot. 

Upwards  I  fly. 
Still  all  my  song  would  be 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee! 

We    select    two    topics    of    inquiry,    suggested    by    these 
words:  First,  the  part  taken  by  women  as  contributors  to  our 


2o6  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

hymnal;  second,  the  part  taken  by  Unitarians.  The  one  to  be 
now  considered  and  the  other  in  our  next  chapter. 

Forty-six  different  women  have  contributed  to  our  hymnal, 
among  whom  Cecil  Frances  Alexander^  Charlotte  Elliott 
and  Frances  Ridley  Havergal  take  the  lead.  Mrs.  Alexan- 
der was  the  wife  of  a  clergyman,  Miss  Havergal  the  daughter 
and  Miss  Elliott  the  granddaughter  and  sister  of  clergymen. 
A  close  relationship  to  rectory  or  parish  work  has  been  charac- 
teristic of  the  writers  of  nearly  all  our  hymns.  These  hymns 
come  either  from  clergymen  themselves  or  from  their  wives  or 
sons  or  daughters. 

The  best  known  poem  of  Mrs.  Alexander  is  her  magnificent 
picture  of  the  burial  of  Moses,  but  her  words  oftenest  sung  are 
these : 

143     Jesus  calls  us;  o'er  the  tumult 
Of  our  life's  wild,  restless  sea, 
Day  by  day  His  sweet  voice  soundeth. 
Saying,  "Christian,  follow  Me." 

As,  of  old.  Saint  Andrew  heard  it 

By  the  Galilean  lake. 
Turned  from  home,  and  toil,  and  kindred. 

Leaving  all  for  His  dear  sake. 

Jesus  calls  us  from  the  worship 

Of  the  vain  world's  golden  store; 
From  each  idol  that  would  keep  us. 

Saying,  "Christian,  love  Me  more." 

In  our  joys  and  in  our  sorrows. 

Days  of  toil  and  hours  of  ease. 
Still  He  calls,  in  cares  and  pleasures, 

"That  we  love  Him  more  than  these." 

Jesus  calls  us:  by  Thy  mercies. 

Saviour,  make  us  hear  Thy  call. 
Give  our  hearts  to  Thine  obedience, 

Serve  and  love  Thee  best  of  all. 

Ten  other  hymns  written  by  Mrs.  Alexander  are  in  our 
hymnal.  The  reason  why  her  hymn  for  St.  Andrew's  Day  has 
become  so  much  more  familiar  than  any  other  one  of  her  hymns 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  207 

is  that  it  has  been  adopted  as  the  hymn  of  our  St.  AndreVs 
Brotherhood.  I  have  heard  it  sung  by  a  dozen  men  at  a 
chapter  meeting,  in  some  little  room.  I  have  heard  it  simg  by 
a  thousand  men,  and  more,  in  the  great  congregation,  and 
always  with  power.  For  enthusiasm  there  is  nothing  in  our 
Church  that  compares  with  a  great  Brotherhood  convention, 
assembled  from  every  part  of  our  land.  How  striking  the  fact 
that  this  multitude  of  mighty  men  should  follow  the  lead  of  a 
woman  in  their  chosen  song!  It  recalls  the  olden  time  when 
the  message  first  came  to  Deborah,  "Awake,  awake,  utter  a 
song,"  and  when  Barak  arose  and  followed  her. 

A  word  as  to  the  life  story  of  Mrs.  Alexander  cannot  fail 
to  be  of  interest.  She  was  the  wife  of  a  very  gifted  man,  who 
was  first  Bishop  of  Derry  and  Raphoe,  and  afterwards  Arch- 
bishop of  Armagh  and  Primate  of  all  Ireland.  Happily,  a 
volume  of  her  poems  has  been  printed  with  a  brief  biographical 
sketch  from  her  distinguished  husband.  We  give  this  sketch 
in  abbreviated  form. 

"Cecil  Frances  Humphreys  was  the  daughter  of  Major 
John  Humphreys,  a  Norfolk  man  by  birth,  who  served  with 
distinction  in  the  Royal  Marines,  and  was  present  at  the  Battle 
of  Copenhagen.  He  used  to  tell  with  pride  how  he  had  seen 
Nelson  move  into  action  and  heard  him  cry  to  Captain  Inman 
as  he  passed  by,  'Well  done,  Harry!'  Major  Humphreys 
became  a  land-owner  in  Wicklow  and  Tyrone,  and  an  extensive 
land-agent  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  where  he  resided  for  many 
years  at  Miltown  House,  near  Strabane.  Whilst  he  was  living 
at  Ballykean,  in  the  county  Wicklow,  a  tender  attachment 
sprang  up  between  the  Ladies  Howard,  daughters  of  the  Earl 
of  Wicklow,  and  Fanny  and  her  sisters.  Lady  Harriet,  in 
particular,  a  girl  of  much  charm  and  talent,  became  a  very 
sister  of  the  heart  to  Fanny,  afterwards  Mrs.  Alexander.  Both 
these  gifted  natures  came  early  under  the  influence  of  the  Ox- 
ford Movement,  and  felt  constrained  to  spread  the  light  that  was 
in  them.  They  conceived  the  idea  of  writing  tracts,  the  prose 
part  of  which  was  to  be  contributed  by  Lady  Harriet,  whilst 
Fanny  was  to  illustrate  the  themes  with  the  tender  and  tinted 
pencil  of  poetry.     For,  indeed,  from  very  early  days  she  had 


2o8  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

'lisped  in  numbers'  and  supplied  a  weekly  periodical,  composed 
and  written  out  in  the  family  circle,  with,  verses  serious  or 
comic.  The  tracts  were  published  separately,  began  to  be 
circulated  in  1842-43,  excited  a  good  deal  of  observation,  and 
were  collected  into  a  volume  in  1848.  In  1843  circumstances 
led  to  an  event  of  importance  in  the  mental  and  spiritual  history 
of  Fanny  Humphreys.  Her  sister  Annie  happened  to  be  at 
Leamington  in  1843,  where  she  became  intimate  with  Miss 
Hook,  and  through  her  with  her  brother,  the  famous  Vicar  of 
Leeds,  afterwards  Dean  of  Chichester.  Fanny  visited  Leam- 
ington in  1847,  and  for  the  first  time  at  Miss  Hook's  house  met 
Dr.  Hook.  The  result  was  that  he  became  the  editor  of  her 
'Verses  for  Holy  Seasons.'  From  this  sane  and  masculine  in- 
fluence arose  one  of  the  elements  which  enabled  her  to  be  in  a 
singular  degree  the  hymnist  of  the  whole  English-speaking 
communion,  and  to  appeal  to  all  its  children.  There  was  in 
her  an  ineradicable  sympathy  with  the  great  evangelical  prin- 
ciples which  in  all  ages  and  in  all  Churches  have  been  the  life 
of  true  religion.  In  her  earliest  years  she  was  imbued  with 
them  by  her  excellent  mother,  and  by  her  first  preceptor  in 
Scripture.  For  many  years  at  Strabane  the  deep  and  burning 
words  of  another  beloved  friend  and  rector  sank  into  her  souL 
Later  on,  Mr.  Keble  edited  her  'Hymns  for  Little  Children,'  and 
endowed  her  with  a  sense  of  the  magic,  of  the  sacred  and  mys- 
terious romance,  of  the  Church  system.  But  to  any  formidable 
exaggeration  of  this  Dr.  Hook  supplied  her  with  an  antidote, 
by  inspiring  her  with  a  lifelong  conviction  of  the  truth,  the 
justice,  the  necessity,  of  the  English  Reformation.       *     *     * 

"In  October,  1850,  Cecil  Frances  Humphreys  was  married 
in  Strabane  Church  to  William  Alexander,  then  Rector  of 
Termonamongan. " 

Her  husband  thus  continues  his  sketch :  "At  that  time  it 
is  not  the  exaggeration  of  affection  which  says  that  she  was  a 
singularly  attractive  person.  Her  frame  was  lithe  and  active. 
Her  face  had  no  pretension  whatever  to  regular  beauty ;  but  it 
possessed  the  sensitive  susceptibility,  the  magic  quickness  of 
transition,  the  sacred  indignation,  the  flash  of  humor,  the 
pathetic  sweetness,  with  which  genius  endows  its  chosen  chil- 


THB  NBW  YORK 
PUBUC  UBFARY 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  209 

dreiL  The  parish  with  which  we  had  to  deal  was  a  wild  one, 
with  a  church  population  of  some  1,500  people,  scattered  over 
bogs  and  mountains  for  many  miles.  According  to  modem 
views  the  church  was  poor  and  mean,  for  the  great  Church 
movement  was  a  distant  portent,  which  had  scarcely  touched 
Ireland.     In  her  own  words : 

Looking  down  the  mountain  bare, 

We  saw  the  white  church  by  the  river. 

And  we  could  hear,  when  winds  were  fair. 
O'er  the  low  porch  the  one  bell  quiver. 

"Her  elastic  step  brushed  the  heath  in  all  weathers,  and 
not  seldom  she  walked  several  miles  to  meet  her  husband  return- 
ing from  some  distant  tramp.     *     *     * 

"In  1855  we  removed  to  the  beautiful  parish  of  upper 
Fahan,  upon  the  shores  of  Lough  Swilly.  The  scenery  of  Fahan 
just  suited  her  taste  and  physical  capacities.  Her  sight,  which 
she  retained  with  singular  clearness  to  the  last  day  of  her  life, 
could  not  take  the  'famesses'  of  which  Isaiah  speaks,  the  vast 
and  distant ;  but  the  inland  ocean-lake,  its  flashing  silver  belts, 
its  dark  interspaces,  its  tender  colors,  the  floating  clouds,  the 
purple  hills,  she  was  observing  all  day  long  and  moulding  into 
images  of  beauty.  Yet  she  was  intensely  practical  and  devoted 
to  all  the  troublesome  minutiae  of  our  rectory  garden,  and  even 
farm.  How  often  have  I  said  on  returning  late  of  an  after- 
noon something  of  this  sort:  'Have  you  sold  the  cow?  Have 
you  shown  the  gardener  how  to  prune  the  roses  ?  Have  you 
given  orders  to  feed  the  pigs  properly  ?  Have  you  finished  that 
poem  ?  Yes  ?  Then  let  us  come  into  the  study.  Read  me  what 
you  have  written,  and  I  will  criticise  it  ferociously.'     *     *     * 

"In  1867  came  her  husband's  call  to  the  Bishopric  of  Derry 
and  Raphoe,  at  that  time  an  opulent  prelacy  with  extensive 
patronage.  Here  she  was  brought  into  contact  with  new  duties 
and  different  minds.  The  political  crusade  against  the  Irish 
Church  Establishment  occupied  our  thoughts  very  much  from 
1867  to  1869.  A  large  number  of  persons  illustrious  for  sta- 
tion and  ability  came  over  to  Ireland  to  see  things  upon  the  spot. 
It  has  always  been  said  of  her  by  those  most  competent  to  judge, 

14 


2IO  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

tliat  she  performed  all  the  duties  of  hospitality  and  reception 
with  an  ease  and  natiiral  dignity  which  made  her  a  first-rate 
hostess.  At  all  times  she  delighted  in  congenial  society.  When 
she  saw  Bishop  Wilberforce,  or  Bishop  Wordsworth,  of  Lincoln 
('Saint  Christopher/  as  she  loved  to  call  him),  her  face  grew 
radiant  with  pleasure.  While  her  sympathies  naturally  were 
with  those  who  shared  her  own  religious  convictions,  she  had  a 
large  measure  of  affection  for  some  others.  She  particularly 
delighted  in  the  society  of  Dean  Stanley,  Mr.  Matthew  Arnold, 
and  Mr.  Lecky,  and  grew  indignant  when  she  heard  a  hard  word 
spoken  of  any  of  the  three.  Her  life  was  always  a  life  of  duty. 
While  her  health  and  strength  were  unbroken  there  was  morning 
service  every  day  at  the  cathedral,  and  weekly  communion ;  in 
her  own  room,  on  her  little  table,  the  much-used  Bible  and  the 
little  book  of  Bishop  Andrews'  devotions.  Those  who  know 
Derry  know  how  she  occupied  herself  with  the  Home  for  Fallen 
Women,  to  which  she  gave  a  tender  and  constant  watchfulness, 
with  other  institutions — especially,  perhaps,  with  the  District 
Nurses'.  In  these  works  she  formed  a  close  and  tender  inti- 
macy with  pious  ladies  not  members  of  our  Church,  for  whom 
she  felt  a  very  deep  affection.     *     *     * 

"Many  of  her  noblest  hymns  were  written  for  one  partic- 
ular occasion,  used  once  only,  and  perhaps  never  thought 
of  again  by  her.  Many  lovely  poems  were  written  to  please  a 
friend,  or  to  soothe  a  sorrower.  To  applause  she  was  more 
utterly  deaf  than  anyone  I  have  ever  met.  Again  and  again  I 
have  read  to  her  words  of  lofty,  of  almost  impassioned  commen- 
dation from  men  of  genius  or  holiness,  of  rank  and  position. 
She  listened  without  a  remark  and  looked  up  almost  with  a 
frown.  Last  year  some  good  man  (I  think  an  English  ISTon- 
conformist  minister)  sent  me  a  little  tract.  It  contained  a  his- 
tory (for  whose  truth  the  writer  vouched)  of  a  great  change  in 
the  heart  and  life  of  a  very  worldly  man.  He  happened  to  hear 
the  hymn,  'There  is  a  Green  Hill  Far  Away.'  That  became  the 
foundation  of  a  new  feeling,  the  creator  of  new  yearnings,  the 
starting  point  of  a  new  life.  Mrs.  Alexander  almost  sprang 
from  her  chair,  looked  me  in  the  face,  and  said:  'Thank  God! 
I  do  like  to  hear  that.'    *     *     * 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  211 

''This  character — based  and  moulded  upon  the  best  teach- 
ing of  the  original  Oxford  Movement  with  its  profound  psy- 
chology of  the  passive  emotions  and  insight  into  the  danger  of 
playing  upon  them — with  its  severe  self-analysis,  its  rigid 
reserve,  its  dislike  of  self -exhibition — might  be  thought  unlikely 
to  win  love.  It  certainly  would  make  it  almost  impossible  to 
paint  her  as  the  heroine  of  a  religious  biography  of  the  ordinary 
kind.  Even  her  letters  contain  few  expressions  of  religious 
emotion,  beyond  hints  full  of  significance  to  those  who  knew 
her  intimately.     *     *     * 

"To  non-communicating  attendance  she  was  opposed.  Her 
husband  never  saw  her  so  near  hysterical  emotion  as  when  at  a 
celebration  at  a  Congress  in  a  very  'high'  church  she  was  pre- 
vented from  communicating  by  the  announcement  (rubrical,  no 
doubt,  in  a  way)  that  no  one  would  be  received  as  a  communicant 
who  had  not  sent  in  notice  the  day  before.  But  she  was  sacra- 
mental to  the  roots  of  her  being,  with  a  reverence  at  once  sweet 
and  awful  for  a  great  gift  and  a  sacred  mystery.  She  loved  a 
large  beauty  in  public  worship,  but  absolutely  disliked  pedantic 
and  unreal  absorption  in  the  minutiae  of  the  service,  or  the 
enforcement  of  ceremonial  distasteful  to  the  worshipers  gen- 
erally. But  she  was  a  Churchwoman  through  and  through, 
reading  Scripture,  and  repeating  the  Psalms  daily  according  to 
the  Church's  use,  and  attending  daily  service,  until  health  and 
strength  began  to  fail;  then  going  over  it  partly  in  private, 
partly  with  her  family.  Up  to  her  last  illness  she  was  a  weekly 
communicant.  If  ever  there  had  been  anything  hard  or  rigid 
in  her  religion,  it  softened  as  years  went  on,  and  as  her  life 
brought  her  much  into  contact  with  pious  ISTonconformists, 
especially  Presbyterians — 'Dear,  good  people  !'  she  would  say ; 
'how  kind  they  are  to  me,  how  ready  to  give  for  Christ's  sake ! 
I  do  like  them.'  One,  therefore,  might  have  been  more  prepared 
for  the  extraordinary  manifestation  of  love  upon  the  day  of  her 
funeral.  It  reminded  one  of  what  is  sometimes  told  of  the 
death  of  Italian  saints — suddenly,  quietly,  noiselessly,  from 
house  to  house,  from  heart  to  heart,  the  announcement  spreads — 
'she  will  be  buried  to-day,  the  beloved  of  the  poor.'  Upon  the 
coffin,  covered  simply  with  purple  pall,  with  plain  cross  em- 


212  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

broidered  in  white,  countless  wreaths  were  piled  from  all  parts 
of  Ireland  and  England.  The  streets  through  which  the  long 
procession  wound  its  way  to  tlie  beautiful  cemetery  were 
thronged  with  crowds  of  people.  The  utter  silence,  the  rever- 
ential hush,  was  something  wonderful.  On  the  hillside  the 
perfect  autumn  day  slept  with  its  rainbow  tints.  The  hearse 
passed  on,  its  coffin  buried  in  flowers.  We  seemed  not  going 
to  a  funeral,  but  lifted  up  out  of  time,  touched  by  a  magic  and 
soothed  by  a  romance  which  were  not  of  earth  but  of  Paradise. 
She  was  laid  in  her  grave  amidst  the  tears  of  a  great  community. 
The  last  words  of  hope  were  spoken  over  her  by  the  voice  she 
loved  best.  So  she  sleeps  sweetly,  until  the  morning  breaks." 
Her  stirring  hjnnn,  "Jesus  Calls  Us  O'er  the  Tumult,"  has 
already  been  quoted.  The  first  lines  of  her  other  hymns  in  our 
hymnal  are: 

117  He  is  risen,  He  is  risen. 

129  The  eternal  gates  lift  up  their  heads. 

160  There  is  one  way,  and  only  one. 

165  For  all  Thy  saints,  a  noble  throng. 

256  Souls  in  heathen  darkness  lying. 

409  The  roseate  hues  of  early  dawn. 

54°  Once  in  royal  David's  city. 

542  Saw  you  never,  in  fhe  twilight. 

544  There  is  a  green  hill  far  away. 

575  O  Lord,  the  Holy  Innocents. 

With  the  life  of  Frances  Hidley  Haveegal  we  are  more 
familiar,  through  her  sister's  well-known  "Memorials."  She 
was  bom  December  14,  1836,  and  died  Jime  3,  1879.  She  was 
a  sensitive  child,  and  her  early  life  was  religiously  clouded. 
She  tells  us  how  a  sermon  on  hell  and  judgment  "haunted" 
her.  Instead  of  taking  to  her  heart  the  thought  that  she  was 
already  a  child  of  God,  she  spent  much  time  and  effort  in  praying 
that  she  might  become  such.  "As  for  trying  to  be  good," 
she  says,  "that  seemed  to  me  of  next  to  no  use;  it  was  like 
struggling  in  a  quicksand,  the  more  you  struggle,  the  deeper 
you  sink."  Light  gradually  dawned  upon  her  darkened  soul. 
Her  confirmation,  when  she  was  seventeen  years  old,  was  a 
notable  event  and  is  thus  described : 


It 

\ 

-?  .,  ,-• 

Cliarlottc  €Uiott 

m 

5i-s- 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  213 

"I  was  the  fourth  or  fifth  on  whom  the  bishop  laid  his 
hands.  At  first,  the  thought  came  as  to  who  was  kneeling 
next  to  me,  but  then  the  next  moment  I  felt  alone,  unconscious 
of  mj  fellow  candidates,  of  the  many  eyes  fixed  upon  us,  and 
of  the  many  thoughts  of  and  prayers  for  me,  alone  with  God  and 
His  chief  minister.  My  feelings  when  his  hands  were  placed 
on  my  head  (and  there  was  solemnity  and  earnestness  in  the 
very  touch  and  manner),  I  cannot  describe,  they  were  too  con- 
fused ;  but  when  the  words,  ^Defend,  O  Lord,  this  Thy  child 
with  Thy  heavenly  grace,  that  she  may  continue  Thine  forever, 
and  daily  increase  in  Thy  Holy  Spirit  more  and  more,  until  she 
come  into  Thy  everlasting  kingdom,'  were  solemnly  pronounced, 
if  ever  my  heart  followed  a  prayer  it  did  then ;  if  ever  it 
thrilled  with  earnest  longing  not  unmixed  with  joy,  it  did  at  the 
words,  'Thine  forever.'  But,  as  if  in  no  feeling  I  might  or 
could  rest  satisfied,  there  was  still  a  longing  'oh,  that  I  desired 
this  yet  more  earnestly,  that  I  believed  it  yet  more  fully.'  We 
returned  to  our  seats,  and  for  some  time  I  wept,  why,  I  hardly 
know ;  it  was  not  grief,  nor  anxiety,  nor  exactly  joy.  About  an 
hour  and  a  quarter  elapsed  before  all  the  candidates  had  been 
up  to  the  rails ;  part  of  the  time  being  spent  in  meditation  on  the 
double  transaction  which  was  now  sealed,  and  in  thinking  that 
I  was  now  more  than  ever  His ;  but  I  still  rather  sadly  wished 
that  I  could  feel  more.  Many  portions  of  Scripture  passed 
through  my  mind,  particularly  part  of  Romans  viii.  *  *  * 
Each  time  that  the  'Amen'  was  chanted  in  a  more  distant  part 
of  the  cathedral,  after  the  'Defend'  had  been  pronounced,  it 
seemed  as  though  a  choir  of  angels  had  come  down  to  witness, 
and  pour  out  from  their  pure  spirits  a  deep  and  felt  'Amen.'  " 

The  story  of  a  subsequent  experience  is  told  by  her  sister 
as  follows : 

"One  day  she  received  in  a  letter  from  N a  tiny  book 

with  the  title,  'All  for  Jesus.'  She  read  it  carefully.  Its  con- 
tents arrested  her  attention.  It  set  forth  a  fulness  of  Christian 
experience  and  blessing  exceeding  that  to  which  she  had  as  yet 
attained.  She  was  gratefully  conscious  of  having  for  many 
years  loved  the  Lord  and  delighted  in  His  service ;  but  there  was 
in  her  experience  a  falling  short  of  the  standard,  not  so  much  of 


214  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

a  holy  walk  and  conversation,  as  of  uniform  brightness  and 
continuous  enjoyment  in  the  divine  life.  *  *  *  Qq^  ^[^ 
not  leave  her  long  in  this  state  of  mind.  He  Himself  had 
shown  her  that  there  were  'regions  beyond'  of  blessed  experience 
and  service;  had  kindled  in  her  very  soul  the  intense  desire 
to  go  forward  and  possess  them ;  and  now,  in  His  own  grace  and 
love,  He  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  led  her  into  the  goodly 
land.  *  *  *  The  'sunless  ravines'  were  now  forever 
passed,  and  henceforth  her  peace  and  joy  flowed  onwards, 
deepening  and  widening  under  the  teaching  of  God  the  Holy 
Ghost.  The  blessing  she  had  received  had  (to  use  her  own 
words)  'lifted  her  whole  life  into  sunshine,  of  which  all  she 
had  previously  experienced  was  but  as  pale  and  passing  April 
gleams,  compared  with  the  fulness  of  summer  glory.'  " 

Miss  Havergal  was  one  of  our  modern  queens  of  hymnody, 
and,  as  such,  worthy  of  all  honor.  Her  testimony  is  that  her 
poems  came  to  her  without  effort,  as  a  breath  from  heaven. 
Her  words  are:  "I  can  never  set  myself  to  write  verse.  I 
believe  my  King  suggests  a  thought  and  whispers  me  a  musical 
line  or  two,  and  then  I  look  up  and  thank  Him  delightedly,  and 
go  on  with  it." 

Eight  of  Miss  Havergal's  hymns  appear  in  our  hymnal. 
The  first  lines  of  these  are : 

134  To  Thee,  O  Comforter  divine. 

20s  From  glory  unto  glory !     Be  this  our  joyous  song. 

317  Thou  art  coming,  O  my  Saviour. 

545  Golden  harps  are  sounding. 

578  God  in  heaven,  hear  our  singing. 

586  Lord,  speak  to  me,  that  I  may  speak. 

603  I  could  not  do  without  Thee. 

604  Thy  life  was  given  for  me. 

Six  of  our  hymns  come  to  us  through  Chaulotte  Elliott. 
Their  first  lines  are : 

84    O  Thou,  the  contrite  sinners'  friend. 
341     Jesus,  my  Saviour,  look  on  me. 
606    Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea. 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  215 

610  0  Holy  Saviour,  Friend  unseen. 
631  With  tearful  eyes  I  look  around. 
667     My  God,  my  Father,  while  I  stray. 

All  of  these  hymns  are  memorable,  one  of  them  particu- 
larly so,  beginning,  "Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea." 

When  Bishop  Mcllvaine  lay  dying  in  Italy,  he  asked  that 
three  hymns  should  be  read  to  him :  "Just  as  I  Am,"  "Eock  of 
Ages,"  and  "Jesus,  Lover  of  My  Soul."  His  previous  testi- 
mony had  been  the  f  olloM^ing : 

"At  the  Convention  of  my  diocese  this  year  (1860),  I  was 
requested  in  writing,  by  a  large  number  of  clergy,  to  rein- 
state the  practice  of  calling  the  clergy,  at  the  close  of  Conven- 
tion, around  the  chancel,  and  making  a  parting  address  to  them. 
This  I  had  been  accustomed  to  do  on  the  Sunday  night,  at  the 
end  of  the  services,  uniting  it  with,  a  hymn  and  extempore 
prayer.  At  the  request  above  mentioned,  I  concluded  to  renew 
it  this  year,  at  an  evening  service  near  the  close  of  the  Conven- 
tion. And  now  I  intend  to  continue  it  as  long  as  God  shall 
enable  me.  It  is  a  good  opportunity  of  leaving  a  solemn, 
devotional,  affectionate  impression  on  the  clergy,  and  of  cement- 
ing bonds  of  spiritual  union. 

"I  had  chosen  a  sweet  hymn  to  be  sung,  and  had  it  printed 
on  cards.  And  I  have  adopted  it  for  all  time  to  come,  as  long 
as  I  shall  be  here,  as  my  hymn,  always  to  be  sung  on  such 
occasions,  and  always  to  the  same  tune.  It  is  that  precious 
hymn  by  Miss  Elliott,  'Just  as  I  Am,  Without  One  Plea,' 
etc.,  which  so  beautifully  expresses  the  very  essence  of  the 
Gospel. 

"That  hymn  contains  my  religion,  my  theology,  my  hope. 
It  has  been  my  ministry  to  preach  just  what  it  contains.  In 
health  it  expresses  all  my  refuge :  in  death  I  desire  that  I  may 
know  nothing  else,  for  support  and  consolation,  but  what  it 
contains.  When  I  am  gone,  I  wish  to  be  remembered  in  asso- 
ciation with  that  hymn.  I  wish  that  all  my  ministry  may  be 
so  associated — 'Just  as  I  am, — without  one  plea, — but  that  Thy 
blood  was  shed  for  me, — and  that  Thou  bidd'st  me  come  to 
Thee, — O  Lamb  of  God,  I  come!'     I  have  no  other  plea.     I 


2i6  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

can  come  in  no  other  way.  O  Lord,  help  me  so  to  come,  in 
more  simplicity  and  strength  of  trust;  in  more  of  that  love 
which  true  faith  always  works  by;  in  more  of  that  'peace  in 
believing'  which  strong  faith  imparts ;  in  more  ability  to  mount 
above  the  sense  of  my  deep  unworthiness,  to  a  full  embracing 
of  Thy  promises ;  not  feeling  the  less  unworthy,  but  resting 
more  in  Thy  merits;  not  the  less  realizing  how  all  my  right- 
eousness is  but  filthy  rags,  but  more  putting  on  by  faith  Thine 
own — Thee,  blessed  Lord,  who  Thyself  art  my  righteousness." 

Miss  Elliott  was  born  March  18,  1789,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 22,  1871. 

For  the  greater  part  of  her  earthly  life,  spent  chiefly  at 
Clapham,  Brighton,  and  Torquay,  she  was  an  invalid.  This 
was  true  of  her  youthful  days,  though  she  always  rallied  during 
the  summer  months,  when  the  companionship  of  gifted  and 
cultivated  literary  friends  was  hers.  Even  this  failed  to  satisfy, 
and  heavy  hours  came  to  her,  followed  by  a  serious  illness  in 
1821.     Concerning  this  her  sister  writes: 

"Then  followed  a  period  of  much  seclusion  and  bodily 
distress,  from  the  continuance  of  feeble  health.  Her  views, 
too,  became  clouded  and  confused,  through  an  introduction 
to  religious  controversy,  and  the  disturbing  influence  of  various 
teachers,  who  held  inadequate  notions  of  the  efficacy  of  Divine 
grace.  She  became  deeply  conscious  of  the  evil  in  her  own 
heart,  and  having  not  yet  fully  realized  the  fulness  and  f reeness 
of  the  grace  of  God  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  she  suffered 
much  mental  distress,  under  the  painful  uncertainty  whether 
it  were  possible  that  such  an  one  as  she  felt  herself  to  be  could 
be  saved." 

At  this  juncture,  she  fell  under  the  friendly  influence  of 
Dr.  Cassar  Malan  of  Geneva,  who  preached  to  her  the  genuine 
gospel.     These  were  some  of  his  words,  written  at  the  time: 

"To  say  to  oneself  that  the  Lord  loves  us,  that  he  is  our 
Father,  that  He  cherishes  us,  that  He  sees,  follows,  guides, 
guards  us ;  to  believe,  but  to  believe  indeed,  that  Jesus  is  our 
friend  each  day,  each  hour;  that  His  grace  surrounds  us,  that 
His  voice  continually  bids  us  be  happy  and  holy  in  Him;  to 
dwell,  child-like,  in  the  joy  of  that  love,  and  to  repeat  to  one's 


^ov.^ 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  217 

soul,  'O  mj  soul,  my  soul,  dwell  thou  in  peace,  and  bless  thy 
God:' — all  this  which  is  life,  and  without  which  there  is  no 
life,  either  here  below,  or  in  the  world  above,  is  not  the  work 
of  our  own  will;  it  is  the  direct  achievement  of  the  merciful 
and  freely  given  power  of  Him  who  is  'over  all,  God  blessed 
forever:'  who  is  love,  and  who  desires  to  be  called  and  recog- 
nized as  the  Father  of  infinite  compassion." 

Mrs.  Babbington  adds:  "The  Spirit  of  God  accompanied 
his  teaching.  The  burden  was  lifted  off  that  weary  spirit; 
and  from  that  ever  memorable  day,  my  beloved  sister's  spiritual 
horizon  became  for  the  most  part  cloudless.  It  is  true  that 
the  suffering  body  would  at  times  weigh  down  her  soul  to  the 
dust;  but  no  doubt  ever  again  assailed  her.  Her  faith  never 
was  shaken.  She  might  shrink  from  present  suffering,  or  from 
unknown  imagined  terrors  as  to  the  circumstances  of  her  dying 
hour.  But  all  beyond  was  light  and  joy.  Her  constant  testi- 
mony was :  'I  know  w^hom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded 
that  He  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  Him 
against  that  day.'  " 

Her  subsequent  religious  experience  was  one  of  growing 
intimacy  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  evident  from 
her  poems  and  other  published  utterances.  Her  sister's  testi- 
mony is:  "She  was  as  the  limpet  on  the  rock  (she  w^ould  often 
say),  so  clinging  to  her  blessed  Saviour  that  any  effort  to  tear 
her  from  Him  was  like  rending  her  soul  asunder;  or,  she 
was  as  the  happy  infant  on  its  mother's  lap,  with  no  strength, 
but  needing  none;  fully  supported  by  those  loving  arms,  and 
only  looking  up  to  the  beam  of  light  and  love  on  that  blessed 
countenance,  when  the  sweetest  joy  would  steal  into  her  soul. 
"Or,  again,  she  would  retrace  in  her  own  mind  all  she 
had  ever  known  or  read  of  worth  and  beauty  in  man  or  nature, 
— all  of  genius  and  glory,  the  highest  and  best  on  earth, — all 
the  loveliest  and  most  notable  characters  that  had  ever  evoked 
admiration  or  esteem.  She  w^ould  review  them  all,  with  a  rich 
unfolding  of  the  several  pictures,  and  a  comparison  of  them  with 
the  portraiture,  in  her  own  mind,  of  Him  'in  whom  are  hid  all 
the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.'  She  would  speak 
of  each  one — Milton,  Dante,  ]S[ewton,  St.  Paul,  etc. — as  but 


2i8  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

a  faint  outline,  a  shadowy  reflection,  of  His  glorious  excellency. 
And  thus,  when  no  one  was  by,  in  the  silent  hours  of  darkness, 
her  solitary  musings,  of  which  she  would  give  an  account  the 
following  day,  often  made  even  wakefulness  to  be  no  weariness, 
and  her  sick  chamber  as  the  pavilion  of  her  Saviour's  presence. 


"At  one  period,  when  her  weakness  made  it  no  longer 
possible  for  her  to  attend  the  public  sanctuary  that  she  so 
dearly  loved,  this  was  the  expression  of  her  mind:  'My  Bible 
is  my  Church.  It  is  always  open,  and  there  is  my  High  Priest 
ever  waiting  to  receive  me.  There  I  have  my  confessional, 
my  thanksgiving,  my  psalms  of  praise,  a  field  of  promises, 
and  a  congregation  of  whom  the  world  is  not  worthy — prophets 
and  apostles,  and  martyrs  and  confessors — in  short,  all  I  can 
want  I  there  find.'  " 

One  of  her  poems,  wrought  out  of  her  own  experience,  and 
which  is  comparatively  unfamiliar,  is  here  given  as  a  specimen 
of  many,  telling  of  her  life  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 

What  is  the  lesson  I  am  taught 
Daily  and  hourly.  Friend  Divine? 

O  could  I  learn  it  as  I  ought! 
To  have  no  will  but  Thine. 


Oft  I  feel  eager  to  fulfil 

Some  right  intent,  as  best  I  may; 
Then  comes  the  mandate  "to  be  still," 

To  work  not,  but  obey. 

I  meekly  plead,  "Life's  little  hour 
For  me,  far  spent,  will  soon  expire ;" 

My  Lord  replies,  "Thou  wilt  have  power 
When  thou  shalt  come  up  higher." 

In  others,  in  myself,  I  see 
Evils  I  long  at  once  to  cure; 

Then  comes  this  gentle  check  to  me : 
"Be  patient,  and  endure." 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  219 

I  think,  if  this  or  that  were  changed, 

I  could  do  better  and  do  more; 
But  is  not  every  step  arranged 

By  Thee,  whom  I  adore? 

That  wisdom  which  can  never  fail, 

That  love  whose  depths  can  ne'er  be  scanned. 

E'en  in  its  most  minute  detail. 
My  daily  life  has  planned. 

Then  let  me  with  implicit  faith. 

In  Thee  confide,  on  Thee  depend, 
And  say,  "Choose  Thou  my  hourly  path. 

E'en  to  the  end." 

Adelaide  Anne  Procter  has  given  us  three  hymns,  of 
which  the  first  lines  are : 

15     The  shadows  of  the  evening  hours. 
624     My  God,  I  thank  Thee,  who  hast  made. 
633    I  do  not  ask,  O  Lord,  that  life  may  be. 

Of  the  second  of  these  hymns  Bishop  E.  H.  Bickersteth 
writes  that  it  touches  the  chord  of  thankfulness  in  trial  as  per- 
haps no  other  hymn  does,  and  is  thus  most  useful  for  the  visita- 
tion of  the  sick. 

Concerning  Miss  Procter  the  following  is  of  more  than 
ordinary  interest: 

"She  was  the  authoress  of  the  well-known  and  delightful 
'Legends  and  Lyrics/  to  which,  after  her  death,  her  friend, 
Charles  Dickens,  prefij^ed  a  beautiful  and  touching  sketch  of 
her  life,  in  which  the  following  incident  is  recorded:  'In  the 
spring  of  the  year  1853,  I  observed,  as  conductor  of  the  weekly 
journal.  Household  Words,  a  short  poem  among  the  proffered 
contributions,  very  different,  as  I  thought,  from  the  shoal  of 
verses  perpetually  seething  through  the  office  of  such  a  period- 
ical, and  possessing  much  more  merit.  Its  authoress  was  quite 
unknown  to  me.  She  was  one  Miss  Mary  Berwick,  whom  I  had 
never  heard  of;  and  she  was  to  be  addressed  by  letter,  if  ad- 
dressed at  all,  at  a  circulating  library  in  the  western  district  of 
London.     Through  this  channel  Miss  Berwick  was  informed 


220  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

that  her  poem  was  accepted,  and  was  invited  to  send  another. 
She  complied,  and  became  a  regular  and  frequent  contributor. 
Many  letters  passed  between  the  journal  and  Miss  Berwick, 
but  Miss  Berwick  herself  was  never  seen.  How  we  came  gradu- 
ally to  establish  at  the  office  of  Household  Words  that  we  knew 
all  about  Miss  Berwick,  I  have  never  discovered.  But  we 
settled  somehow,  to  our  complete  satisfaction,  that  she  was 
governess  in  a  family;  that  she  went  to  Italy  in  that  capacity, 
and  returned ;  and  that  she  had  long  been  in  the  same  family. 
We  really  knew  nothing  whatever  of  her,  except  that  she  was 
remarkably  businesslike,  punctual,  self-reliant,  and  reliable, 
80  I  suppose  we  insensibly  invented  the  rest.  For  myself,  my 
mother  was  not  a  more  real  personage  to  me  than  Miss  Berwick, 
the  governess,  became.  This  went  on  until  December,  1854, 
when  the  Christmas  number,  entitled  "The  Seven  Poor 
Travelers,"  was  sent  to  press.  Happening  to  be  going  to  dine 
that  day  with  an  old  and  dear  friend  distinguished  in  literature 
as  Barry  Cornwall,  I  took  with  me  an  early  proof  of  that 
number,  and  remarked,  as  I  laid  it  on  the  drawing-room  table, 
that  it  contained  a  very  pretty  poem,  written  by  a  certain  Miss 
Berwick.  Next  day  brought  me  the  disclosure  that  I  had  so 
spoken  of  the  poem  to  the  mother  of  its  writer,  in  its  writer's 
presence ;  that  I  had  no  such  correspondent  in  existence  as  Miss 
[Berwick,  and  that  the  name  had  been  assumed  by  Barry  Corn- 
wall's eldest  daughter.  Miss  Adelaide  Anne  Procter.'     *     *     * 

"Those  readers  of  Miss  Procter's  poems  who  should  suppose 
from  their  tone  that  her  mind  was  of  a  gloomy  or  despondent 
cast  would  be  curiously  mistaken.  She  was  exceedingly 
humorous,  and  had  a  great  delight  in  humor.  Cheerfulness  was 
habitual  with  her,  she  was  very  ready  at  a  sally  or  a  reply,  and 
in  her  laugh  (as  I  remember  well)  there  was  an  unusual 
vivacity,  enjoyment,  and  sense  of  drollery.  She  was  perfectly 
unconstrained  and  unaffected;  as  modestly  silent  about  her 
productions  as  she  was  generous  with  their  pecuniary  results. 
She  was  a  friend  who  inspired  the  strongest  attachments;  she 
was  a  finely  sympathetic  woman,  with  a  great  accordant  heart 
and  a  sterling  noble  nature.     *     *     * 

"Always  impelled  by  an  intense  conviction  that  her  life 


-rii- 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  221 

must  not  be  dreamed  awaj,  and  that  her  indulgence  in  her  favor- 
ite pursuits  must  be  balanced  by  action  in  the  real  world 
around  her,  she  was  indefatigable  in  her  endeavors  to  do  some 
good.  Naturally  enthusiastic,  and  conscientiously  impressed 
with  a  deep  sense  of  her  Christian  duty  to  her  neighbor,  she 
devoted  herself  to  a  variety  of  benevolent  objects.  Now,  it  was 
the  visitation  of  the  sick  that  had  possession  of  her ;  now,  it  was 
the  sheltering  of  the  houseless ;  now,  it  was  the  elementary  teach- 
ing of  the  densely  ignorant ;  now,  it  was  the  raising  up  of  those 
who  had  wandered  and  got  trodden  under  foot ;  now,  it  was  the 
wider  employment  of  her  own  sex  in  the  general  business  of 
life ;  now,  it  was  all  these  things  at  once.  Perfectly  unselfish, 
swift  to  sympathize  and  eager  to  relieve,  she  wrought  at  such 
designs  with  a  flushed  earnestness  that  disregarded  season, 
weather,  time  of  day  or  night,  food,  rest.  Under  such  a  hurry 
of  the  spirits,  and  such  incessant  occupation,  the  strongest  con- 
stitution will  commonly  go  down.  Hers,  neither  of  the  strongest 
nor  the  weakest,  yielded  to  the  burden,  and  began  to  sink. 

"To  have  saved  her  life  then,  by  taking  action  on  the  warn- 
ing that  shone  in  her  eyes  and  sounded  in  her  voice,  would  have 
been  impossible  without  changing  her  nature.  As  long  as  the 
power  of  moving  about  in  the  old  way  was  left  to  her,  she  must 
exercise  it,  or  be  killed  by  the  restraint.  And  so  the  time  came 
when  she  could  move  about  no  longer,  and  took  to  her  bed. 

"All  the  restlessness  gone  then,  and  all  the  sweet  patience 
of  her  natural  disposition  purified  by  the  resignation  of  her 
soul,  she  lay  upon  her  bed  through  the  whole  round  of  changes 
of  the  seasons.  She  lay  upon  her  bed  through  fifteen  months. 
In  all  that  time  her  old  cheerfulness  never  quitted  her.  In  all 
that  time  not  an  impatient  or  a  querulous  minute  can  be 
remembered. 

"At  length,  at  midnight,  on  the  2d  of  February,  1864,  she 
turned  down  a  leaf  of  a  little  book  she  was  reading,  and  shut  it 
up. 

"The  ministering  hand  that  had  copied  the  verses  into  the 
tiny  album  was  soon  around  her  neck,  and  she  quietly  asked, 
as  the  clock  was  on  the  stroke  of  one,  'Do  you  think  I  am  dying, 
mamma  V 


222  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

"  ^I  think  you  are  very,  very  ill  to-night,  my  dear.' 

"  'Send  for  my  sister.     My  feet  are  so  cold.     Lift  me  up !' 

"Her  sister  entering  as  they  raised  her,  she  said,  'It  has 

come  at  last!'       And  with  a  bright  and  happy  smile  looked 

upward,  and  departed. 

"Well  had  she  written : 

Why  shouldst  thou  fear  the  beautiful  angel.  Death, 
Who  waits  thee  at  the  portals  of  the  skies, 

Eeady  to  kiss  away  thy  struggling  breath, 
Ready  with  gentle  hand  to  close  thine  eyes? 

Oh,  what  were  life,  if  life  were  all?    Thine  eyes 
Are  blinded  by  their  tears,  or  thou  wouldst  see 

Thy  treasures  wait  thee  in  the  far-off  skies, 
And  Death,  thy  friend,  will  give  them  all  to  thee." 

Miss  Procter  was  born  October  30,  1825,  and  died  Febru- 
ary 2,  1864.     In  religion  she  was  a  Roman  Catholic. 

Anne  Steele  was  the  daughter  of  a  Baptist  minister, 
living  in  England  two  centuries  ago.  She  was  born  in  the 
year  1716,  and  died  in  the  year  1Y78.  Her  life  was  full  of 
trouble.  Illness  was  her  lot,  and  loneliness,  as  her  fiance  was 
drowned  almost  immediately  before  the  day  appointed  for  her 
wedding. 

Under  date  of  !N"ovember  29,  1Y57,  her  father  wrote: 
"This  day  !N"anny  sent  a  poem  of  her  composition  to  London,  to 
be  printed.  I  entreat  a  gracious  God,  who  enabled  and  stirred 
her  up  to  such  a  work,  to  direct  it,  and  bless  it  for  the  good  and 
comfort   of   many."     The   prayer  was    abundantly   answered. 

In  the  year  1808  the  congregation  of  Trinity  Church, 
Boston,  having  grown  tired  of  singing  Tate  and  Brady's  version 
of  the  Psalms,  with  only  twenty-seven  hymns  appended,  the 
vestry  of  that  church  ventured  upon  a  hymnal  for  parochial  use. 
One-third  of  the  hymns  contained  therein  were  written  by  Miss 
Steele,  who  was  the  first  of  her  sex  to  gain  large  recognition  as 
a  writer  of  hymns,  and  who  is  still  the  most  generally  accepted 
hymn  writer  among  millions  of  the  people  called  Baptists. 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  223 

The  compilers  of  our  hymnal  have  given  Miss  Steele  a  place 
to  the  extent  of  accepting  only  five  of  her  popular  hymns. 
The  first  lines  of  these  hymns  are : 

283  Father  of  mercies!  in  Thy  word. 

338  O  gracious  God,  in  whom  I  live. 

451  To  our  Redeemer's  glorious  name. 

644  Great  God,  to  Thee  my  evening  song. 

670  Father,  whate'er  of  earthly  bliss. 

Four  of  ]\Iary  Anist  Thomson's  hymns  have  found  wel- 
come to  our  hymnal. 

One  for  the  Feast  of  the  Annunciation,  beginning : 

157    Now,  the  blessed  Dayspring. 

One  for  All  Saints'  Day,  beginning: 

177     O  King  of  saints,  we  give  Thee  praise  and  glory. 

One  for  the  Burial  of  a  Child,  beginning : 
247     Saviour,  for  the  little  one. 

And  the  last,  her  splendid  Missionary  Hymn,  which  is 
steadily  increasing  in  favor  with  the  best  of  our  people,  of 
which  the  following  is  the  first  stanza : 

249     0  Sion  haste,  thy  mission  high  fulfilling, 

To  tell  to  all  the  world  that  God  is  Light; 
That  He  who  made  all  nations  is  not  willing 
One  soul  should  perish,  lost  in  shades  of  night: 
Publish  glad  tidings; 

Tidings  of  peace; 
Tidings  of  Jesus, 

Redemption  and  release. 

Upon  special  request  Mrs.  Thomson  has  kindly  sent  the 
following  information : 

"I  am  an  English  woman  and  was  born,  baptized,  and 
confirmed  in  London,   and  I  am,  and  for  many  years  have 


224  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

been  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Annunciation,  Phila- 
delphia. 

"I  am  the  wife  of  John  Thomson,  the  Librarian  of  the 
Free  Library  of  Philadelphia,  and  he  is  the  Accounting  Warden 
of  the  Church  of  the  Annunciation. 

"I  wrote  the  greater  part  of  the  hymn,  '0  Sion,  Haste,'  in 
the  year  1868.  I  had  written  many  hymns  before,  and  one 
night,  while  I  was  sitting  up  with  one  of  my  children  who  was 
ill  with  typhoid  fever,  I  thought  I  should  like  to  write  a  Mission- 
ary hymn  to  the  tune  of  the  hymn,  'Hark,  Hark,  My  Soul, 
Angelic  Songs  are  Swelling,'  as  I  was  fond  of  that  tune,  but  as 
I  could  not  then  get  a  refrain  I  liked,  I  left  the  hymn  unfinished 
and  about  three  years  later  I  finished  it  by  writing  the  refrain 
which  now  forms  part  of  it.  By  some  mistake  1891  is  given 
instead  of  1871,  as  the  date  of  the  hymn,  in  the  hymnal. 

"I  wrote  some  lines  of  Hymns  177  and  247  about  the  same 
time,  but  the  greater  part  of  them  and  the  whole  of  the  hymn 
out  of  which  Hymn  157  is  taken,  I  wrote  many  years  later. 
Hymn  177,  for  All  Saints,  and  the  hymn  or  poem  for  the 
Annunciation  from  which  Hymn  157  is  taken,  first  appeared 
in  'The  Living  Church,'  to  which  I  have  contributed  about 
seventy  hymns  and  poems.  The  late  Rev.  John  Anketell  read 
many  of  them  there  and  was  much  pleased  with  them  and  it 
was  through  him  that  several  of  my  hymns  were  sent  to  the 
Hymnal  Commission  and  four  of  them  were  accepted  for  the 
hymnal.  The  whole  of  my  hymn  for  the  Annunciation  was 
reprinted  in  'Lyrics  of  the  Living  Church.' 

"I  do  not  think  my  hymn,  'O  Sion,  Haste,'  is  ever  sung  to 
the  tune  for  which  I  wrote  it.  Mr.  Anketell  told  me,  and  I  am 
sure  he  was  right,  that  it  is  better  for  a  hymn  to  have  a  tune  of 
its  own  and  I  feel  much  indebted  to  the  author  of  the  tune 
'Tidings,'  for  writing  so  inspiriting  a  tune  to  my  words. 

"In  the  first  edition  of  the  hymnal  a  'p'  was  by  mistake 
inserted  in  my  name  Thomson  and  it  is  still  found  in  a  large 
number  of  the  copies  in  use." 

The  entire  poem  from  which  Hymn  157  was  taken  is  as 
follows : 


jai^oclic  Caw 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  225 

The  Annunciation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary. 

Through  the  sins  and  sorrows 

Of  four  thousand  years. 
Earth  has  watched  and  waited. 

Smiling  through  her  tears; 
Watched  to  greet  the  dawning 

Of  a  brighter  morn; 
Waited  for  a  Saviour, 

Man,  of  woman  born. 

Now,  the  blessed  Dayspring 

Cometh  from  on  high; 
Now,  the  world's  Redeemer, 

To  her  aid  draws  nigh; 
Bearer  of  the  tidings 

From  the  throne  of  light. 
To  a  lowly  maiden 

Speeds  an  angel  bright. 

In  the  chosen  daughter 

Of  King  David's  line, 
God  fulfils  the  promise 

Of  King  Ahaz's  sign: 
Gabriel  hath  spoken; 

Mary  hath  believed; 
And,  behold,  a  virgin 

Hath  a  Son  conceived. 

Earthly  sire  He  hath  not; 

For  the  promised  Rod 
Of  the  stem  of  Jesse 

Is  the  Son  of  God; 
Virgin  pure  the  Temple 

Where  he  lies  enshrined. 
Holy  One  of  Jacob, 

Hope  of  all  mankind! 

Though  He  take  our  nature. 

Linked  to  low  estate. 
Though  He  stoop  to  suffer. 

Yet  shall  He  be  great; 
Though  His  crown  and  scepter 

Be  of  thorn  and  reed, 
His  shall  be  the  Kingdom 
Sworn  to  David's  Seed. 

IS 


226  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Light  to  light  the  Gentiles 

Bending  at  His  throne; 
Glory  of  His  people. 

When  His  sway  they  own; 
He  shall  reign  forever, 

King  of  kings  confessed. 
And  all  trihes  and  kindreds 

Shall  in  Him  be  blest. 

Through  the  brightened  ages. 

O'er  the  ransomed  earth. 
All  shall  bless  and  honor 

Her  who  gave  Him  birth; 
Her  of  whom,  Incarnate, 

Came  the  Lord  of  all. 
To  uplift  creation 

From  the  primal  fall. 

Only  a  word  can  be  added  concerning  some  of  the  "chief 
women,  not  a  few,"  when  many  words  would  be  desirable. 

Miss  Harriet  Auber  has  given  us  two  valued  hymns; 
one  (No.  29)  a  "Lord's  Day"  hymn,  and  the  other  beginning 
with  those  exquisite  words : 

375     Our  blest  Redeemer,  ere  He  breathed 
His  tender,  last  farewell, 
A  Guide,  a  Comforter,  bequeathed 
With  us  to  dwell. 

Mrs.  Claudia  Frances  Heristaman  has  given  us  a  strong 
Lenten  hymn,  beginning: 

78    Lord !  who  throughout  these  forty  days. 
For  us  didst  fast  and  pray. 
Teach  us  with  Thee  to  mourn  our  sins. 
And  close  by  Thee  to  stay. 

To  Mrs.  Mary  Fowler  Maude  we  are  indebted  for  one 
of  the  best  Confirmation  hymns  ever  written,  beginning : 

216     Thine  forever !    God  of  love. 

Hear  us  from  Thy  throne  above; 
Thine  forever  may  we  be. 
Here,  and  in  eternity. 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  227 

Mks.  jMakgaeet  Mackay  saw  on  a  tombstone  in  a  country 
churchyard  the  words,  "Asleep  in  Jesus,"  and  at  once  there 
leaped  into  being  the  familiar  hymn,  beginning: 

244     Asleep  in  Jesus  !  blessed  sleep ! 

From  which  none  ever  wakes  to  weep; 
A  calm  and  undisturbed  repose, 
Unbroken  by  the  last  of  foes. 

Mrs.  Mary  Duncan^,  wife  of  a  Scotch  clergyman,  praying 
for  her  own  children,  brought  to  us  the  touching  hymn, 
beginning : 

534     Jesus,  tender  Shepherd,  hear  me; 
Bless  Thy  little  lamb  to-night ; 
Through  the  darkness  be  Thou  near  me; 
Keep  me  safe  till  morning  light. 

To  Mrs.  Jemima  Thompson  Luke,  the  wife  of  an  English 
Congregational  minister,  we  owe  that  most  familiar  children's 
hymn,  beginning: 

562     I  think  when  I  read  that  sweet  story  of  old, 
When  Jesus  was  here  among  men. 
How  He  called  little  children  as  lambs  to  His  fold, 
I  should  like  to  have  been  with  them  then. 

From  the  brain  and  heart  of  a  Canadian  woman,  Miss 
Anna  L.  ^YALKER,  there  came  to  us  the  stirring  hvmn, 
beginning: 

583     Work,  for  the  night  is  coming, 

Work  through  the  morning  hours; 
Work  while  the  dew  is  sparkling. 
Work  'mid  springing  flowers. 

A  plaintive  hymn,  beginning: 

589     Lord,  I  hear  of  showers  of  blessing. 
Thou  art  scattering  full  and  free ! 
Showers  the  thirsty  land  refreshing; 
Let  some  portion  fall  on  me. 
Even  me ! 


228  SOME  HYMNS  AND   HYMN  WRITERS 

has  reached  us  through  Mes.  Elizabeth  Codner^  the  wife  of 
an  English  clergyman.  It  was  born  of  the  revival  in  Ireland  in 
1861,  and  has  touched  many  souls  and  brought  great  blessing. 

Ai^TNA  Shipton  wrote,  for  "Home  Missions,"  a  hymn  that 
akould  move  us  mightily,  beginning: 

619     Call  them  in,  the  poor,  the  wretched. 
Sin-stained  wanderers  from  the  fold; 
Peace  and  pardon  freely  offer ! 

Can  you  weigh  their  worth  with  gold? 

Mrs.  Caroline  Louisa  Smith  has  lifted  up  for  us  that 
pleading  cry: 

642     TaiTy  with  me,  O  my  Saviour! 
For  the  day  is  passing  by ; 
See !  the  shades  of  evening  gather. 
And  tl^  night  is  drawing  nigh. 

Of  the  hvmns  contained  in  our  hymnal,  six  hundred  and 
seventy-nine  in  number,  including  translations,  ninety-three 
wore  written  by  women ;  a  little  more  than  one-seventh  of  the 
whole.  In  the  earlier  period  of  our  modern  hymnody  women 
contributed  but  little.  JSTow  they  are  doing  much  more, 
especially  in  poems  suited  to  "Home  and  Personal  Use." 
Already  we  owe  to  them  some  of  our  chiefest  treasures. 

Of  those  remaining  to  be  considered,  one  came  to  birth  in  a 
novel.  The  story  of  its  first  appearance  and  use  has  been  fre- 
quently narrated.  I  give  it  as  told  by  Dr.  Charles  S.  Robinson 
in  his  volume  of  "Annotations  upon  Popular  Hymns." 

"Some  years  ago,  while  Charles  Dickens  was  the  edit<>r 
of  the  magazine  called  Household  Words,  there  was  issued 
each  season  an  extra  number  especially  appropriate  to  Christ- 
mas and  the  holidays,  filled  with  stories,  often  taken  up  entirely 
with  one  of  good  length  and  fine  skill.  In  1856  there  was  pub- 
lished a  tale  entitled,  'The  Wreck  of  the  Golden  Mary.'  This 
was  written  by  a  lady  who  keeps  herself  in  much  reserve;  she 
then  lived  in  York,  England,  and  was  known  by  the  literary 
name  of  'Holme  Lee,'  but  her  real  name  was  Harriet  Parp« 


^Ul  "^^^ 


TV; 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  229 

Now  in  this  story  some  shipwrecked  sailors  and  passengers  are 
floating  around,  night  and  day,  shelterless,  upon  the  sea  in  an 
open  boat;  the  vessel  struck  an  iceberg  and  had  already  gone 
down ;  no  land,  no  help  in  sight,  no  hope.  They  fall  to  telling 
incidents  of  their  previous  lives,  and  one  of  them,  Dick  Tarrant 
by  name,  a  wild  youth  in  his  history,  breaks  out  with  the  ques- 
tion, 'What  can  it  be  that  brings  all  these  old  things  over  my 
mind  ?  There  is  a  child's  hymn  I  and  Tom  used  to  sing  at  my 
mother's  knee  when  we  were  little  ones,  keeps  running  through 
my  thoughts.  It's  the  stars,  maybe ;  there  was  a  little  window 
by  my  bed  that  I  used  to  watch  them  at,  a  window  in  my  room  at 
home  in  Cheshire;  and  if  I  Avere  ever  afraid,  as  boys  will  be 
after  reading  a  good  ghost-story,  I  would  keep  on  saying  it  until 
I  fell  asleep.'  Then  another  took  up  the  conversation:  'That 
was  a  good  mother  of  yours,  Dick ;  could  you  say  that  hymn  now, 
do  you  think?  Some  of  us  might  like  to  hear  it.'  Then  the 
sailor  replied :  'It  is  as  clear  in  my  mind  at  this  minute  as  if  my 
mother  was  here  listening  to  me.'  And  so  he  repeated  this 
wonderful  little  poem.  It  was  evidently  composed  for  the 
story  in  the  magazine,  for  we  know  of  no  other  religious  song 
by  the  same  writer.  But  it  proved  so  pathetic  and  beautiful 
that  each  reader  was  touched  by  it;  and  at  last  it  was  caught 
up  for  real  use  by  the  compilers  and  transferred  to  their  hymn 
books." 

I  quote  the  whole  of  this  plaintive  hymn : 

647    Hear  our  prayer,  O  Heavenly  Father, 
Ere  we  lay  us  down  to  sleep; 
Bid  Thine  angels,  pure  and  holy. 
Round  our  bed  their  vigils  keep. 

Heavy  though  our  sins.  Thy  mercy 

Far  outweighs  them  every  one; 
Down  before  the  cross  we  cast  them. 

Trusting  in  Thy  help  alone. 

Keep  us  through  this  night  of  peril 

Safe  beneath  its  sheltering  shade; 
Take  us  to  Thy  rest,  we  pray  Thee, 

When  our  pilgrimage  is  made. 


230  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

None  can  measure  out  Thy  patience 

By  the  span  of  human  thought; 
None  can  bound  the  tender  mercies 

Which  Thy  holy  Son  has  bought. 

Pardon  all  our  past  transgressions, 

Give  us  strength  for  days  to  come; 
Guide  and  guard  us  with  Thy  blessing. 

Till  Thine  angels  bear  us  home. 

Frances  Jane  Van  Alstyne^s  "Memories  of  Eighty- 
Years"  is  a  volume  worth  looking  at,  if  onlj  to  find  in  it  this 
testimony:  "When  I  was  six  weeks  of  age  a  slight  cold  caused 
an  inflammation  of  the  eyes,  which  appeared  to  demand  the 
attention  of  the  family  physician ;  but  he  not  being  at  home,  a 
stranger  was  called.  He  recommended  the  use  of  hot  poultices, 
which  ultimately  destroyed  the  sense  of  sight.  When  this  sad 
misfortune  became  known  throughout  our  neighborhood,  the 
unfortunate  man  thought  it  best  to  leave ;  and  we  never  heard  of 
him  again.  But  I  have  not  for  a  moment,  in  more  than  eighty- 
five  years,  felt  a  spark  of  resentment  against  him  because  I 
have  always  believed  from  my  youth  to  this  very  moment  that 
the  good  Lord,  in  His  infinite  mercy,  by  this  means  consecrated 
me  to  the  work  that  I  am  still  permitted  to  do.  When  I  remem- 
ber His  mercy  and  loving  kindness;  when  I  have  been  blessed 
above  the  common  lot  of  mortals ;  and  when  happiness  has 
touched  the  deep  places  of  my  soul, — ^how  can  I  repine  ?" 

"Fanny  Crosby"  is  unsurpassed  in  one  particular.  She 
has  written  more  hymns  than  she  can  remember,  "eight  thousand, 
perhaps."  Most  of  these  are  without  value,  but  a  few  have  met 
with  large  popular  favor. 

One  of  these  which  has  gained  entrance  to  the  "English 
Hymnal"  of  1906,  is  as  follows: 

Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus, 

Safe  on  His  gentle  breast, 
There,  by  His  love  o'ershadowed. 

Sweetly  my  soul  shall  rest. 
Hark!  'tis  the  voice  of  angels 

Borne  in  a  song  to  me. 
Over  the  fields  of  glory. 

Over  the  jasper  sea. 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  231 

Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus, 

Safe  from  corroding  care. 
Safe  from  the  world's  temptations, 

Sin  shall  not  harm  me  there. 
Free  from  the  blight  of  sorrow. 

Free  from  my  doubts  and  fears. 
Free  from  my  daily  trials. 

Free  from  my  frequent  tears. 

Jesus,  my  heart's  dear  Refuge, 

Jesus  has  died  for  me; 
Firm  on  the  Rock  of  ages 

Ever  my  trust  shall  be. 
Here  let  me  wait  with  patience. 

Wait  till  the  night  is  o'er; 
Then  may  I  see  the  morning 

Break  on  the  golden  shore. 


The  one  which  has  been  admitted  to  our  hymnal  is  this; 

618    Revive  Thy  work,  O  Lord, 

Thy  mighty  arm  make  bare; 
Speak  with  the  voice  that  wakes  the  dead. 
And  make  Thy  people  hear. 

Revive  Thy  work,  O  Lord, 

Disturb  this  sleep  of  death; 
Quicken  the  smoldering  embers  now 

By  Thine  almighty  breath. 

Revive  Thy  work,  O  Lord, 

Create  soul-thirst  for  Thee; 
And  hungering  for  the  Bread  of  life. 

Oh,  may  our  spirits  be ! 

Revive  Thy  work,  0  Lord, 

Exalt  Thy  precious  name; 
And,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  our  love 

For  Thee  and  Thine  inflame. 

Revive  Thy  work,  0  Lord, 

And  give  refreshing  showers; 
The  glory  shall  be  all  Thine  own. 

The  blessing,  Lord,  be  ours. 


232  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

An  incident  in  the  varied  life  of  Fanny  Crosby  worthy 
of  special  mention  is  her  early  friendship  with  Grover  Cleve- 
land, afterwards  President  of  the  United  States.  This  friend- 
ship began  in  1853  when  Miss  Crosby  was  "Preceptress"  in  the 
New  York  Institution  for  the  Blind,  William  Cleveland,  the 
principal  teacher,  and  his  brother  "Grove,"  a  private  secretary, 
seventeen  years  of  age.  It  has  continued  for  more  than  half  a 
century.     Witness  the  following  letter : 

"My  Dear  Friend:  It  is  more  than  fifty  years  ago  that  our 
acquaintance  and  friendship  began;  and  ever  since  that  time  I 
have  watched  your  continuous  and  disinterested  labor  in  up- 
lifting humanity,  and  pointing  out  the  way  to  an  appreciation 
of  God's  goodness  and  mercy. 

"Though  these  labors  have,  I  know,  brought  you  abundant 
rewards  in  your  consciousness  of  good  accomplished,  those  who 
have  known  of  your  works  and  sympathized  with  your  noble 
purposes  owe  it  to  themselves  that  you  are  apprized  of  their 
remembrance  of  these  things.  I  am,  therefore,  exceedingly 
gratified  to  learn  that  your  eighty-fifth  birthday  is  to  be  cele- 
brated with  a  demonstration  of  this  remembrance.  As  one 
proud  to  call  you  an  old  friend,  I  desire  to  be  early  in  con- 
gratulating you  on  your  long  life  of  usefulness,  and  wishing 
you,  in  the  years  yet  to  be  added  to  you,  the  peace  and  comfort 
born  of  the  love  of  God. 

"Yours  very  sincerely, 

"Geovee  Cleveland.'^ 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  Mrs.  Van  Alstyne  prizes 
this  letter  among  her  "most  valued  treasures." 

However,  had  she  known  of  it,  she  might  have  prized  even 
more  a  simple  testimony  in  the  Journal  of  James  Hannington, 
first  Bishop  of  Eastern  Equatorial  Africa,  as  follows : 

"They  violently  threw  me  to  the  ground,  and  proceeded 
to  strip  me  of  all  valuables.  Thinking  they  were  robbers,  I 
shouted  for  help,  when  they  forced  me  up  and  hurried  me 
away,  as  I  thought,  to  throw  me  dovni  a  precipice  close  at  hand. 
I  shouted  again,  in  spite  of  one  threatening  to  kill  me  with  a 


anna  Lactitia  laavbaulD 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  233 

club.  Twice  I  nearly  broke  away  from  them,  and  then  grew 
faint  with  struggling,  and  was  dragged  by  the  legs  over  the 
ground.  I  said,  'Lord,  I  put  myself  in  Thy  hands,  I  look  to 
Thee  alone.'  Then  another  struggle,  and  I  got  to  my  feet,  and 
was  thus  dashed  along.  More  than  once  I  was  violently  brought 
into  contact  with  banana  trees,  some  trying  in  their  haste  to 
force  me  one  way,  others  the  other,  and  the  exertion  and 
struggling  strained  me  in  the  most  agonizing  manner.  In  spite 
of  all,  and  feeling  I  was  being  dragged  away  to  be  murdered 
at  a  distance,  I  sang  'Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus,'  and  then 
laughed  at  the  very  agony  of  my  situation." 

It  was  the  hour  of  his  martyrdom,  and  her  (Fanny 
Crosby's)  words  were  dear  to  him  as  sacramental  wine.  To 
comfort  a  dying  saint,  how  great  her  privilege !  To  lift  up  the 
eternal  gates  and  bid  a  Christian  hero  enter  triumphantly, 
how  vast  her  power  and  her  joy !     Earth  knows  no  higher  bliss. 

Alice  and  Phoebe  Cary  were  women  of  rare  intellectual 
gifts  as  well  as  of  great  personal  loveliness.  A  memorial  of  them 
has  been  written  by  Mary  Clemmer  Ames.  Our  final  quota- 
tion at  this  time  will  be  from  this  volume,  giving  first  Phoebe 
Gary's  noteworthy  hymn,  as  follows : 

676    One  sweetly  solemn  thought 
Comes  to  me  o'er  and  o'er; 
I  am  nearer  my  home  to-day 
Than  I  ever  have  been  before; 

Nearer  the  great  white  throne. 

Nearer  the  crystal  sea. 
Nearer  my  Father's  house. 

Where  the  "many  mansions"  be ; 

Nearer  the  bound  of  life. 

Where  we  lay  our  burdens  down; 
Nearer  leaving  the  cross. 

Nearer  gaining  the  crown ; 

But  lying  darkly  between. 

Winding  down  through  the  night. 
Is  the  deep  and  unknown  stream 

To  be  crossed  ere  we  reach  the  light. 


234  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Jesus,  perfect  my  trust. 

Strengthen  the  hand  of  my  faith: 
Let  me  feel  Thee  near  when  I  stand 

On  the  edge  of  the  shore  of  death; 

Feel  Thee  near  when  my  feet 

Are  slipping  over  the  brink ; 
For  it  may  be  I'm  nearer  home. 

Nearer  now  than  I  think. 

Concerning  this  widely  known  and  much  appreciated  hymn 
Mrs.  Ames  says : 

"Yet  like  Alice  with  her  'Pictures  of  Memory,'  she  did  not 
set  a  high  intellectual  value  upon  it.  Until  within  a  year  or 
two  of  her  death  she  was  not  conscious  of  its  universal  popular- 
ity. Before  that  time  this  lovely  pilgrim  of  a  hymn  had 
wandered  over  the  world,  pausing  at  many  thresholds,  filling 
with  'sweetly  solemn  thoughts'  how  many  Christian  hearts ! 
It  had  been  printed  on  Sabbath-school  cards,  embodied  in  books 
of  sacred  song,  pasted  into  scrap-books,  read  with  tearful  eyes 
by  patient  invalids  in  twilight  sick-chambers  and  by  brave 
yet  tender  souls  at  their  heyday,  on  whose  wistful  eyes  faint 
visions  of  their  immortal  home  must  sometimes  dawn,  even 
amid  the  dimness  of  this  clouded  world. 

"Within  the  last  year  of  her  life  Phojbe  heard  of  an  inci- 
dent connected  with  this  hymn,  which  made  her  happier  while 
she  lived : 

"  'A  gentleman  in  China,  intrusted  with  packages  for  a 
young  man  from  his  friends  in  the  United  States,  learned 
that  he  would  probably  be  found  in  a  certain  gambling-house. 
He  went  thither,  but  not  seeing  the  young  man,  sat  down  and 
waited,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  come  in.  The  place  was  a 
bedlam  of  noises,  men  getting  angry  over  their  cards,  and 
frequently  coming  to  blows.  Near  him  sat  two  men — one 
young,  the  other  forty  years  of  age.  They  were  betting  and 
drinking  in  a  terrible  way,  the  older  one  giving  utterance  con- 
tinually to  the  foulest  profanity.  Two  games  had  been  finished, 
the  young  man  losing  each  time.  The  third  game,  with  fresh 
bottles  of  brandy,  had  just  begun,  and  the  young  man  sat  lazily 


CHIEF  WOMEN  NOT  A  FEW  235 

back  in  his  chair  while  the  older  shuffled  his  cards.  The  man 
was  a  long  time  dealing  the  cards,  and  the  young  man,  looking 
carelessly  about  the  room,  began  to  hum  a  tune.  He  went  on, 
till  at  length  he  began  to  sing  the  hymn  of  Phcebe  Gary,  above 
quoted.  The  words,'  says  the  writer  of  the  story,  'repeated 
in  such  a  vile  place,  at  first  made  me  shudder.  A  Sabbath- 
school  hymn  in  a  gambling  den !  But  while  the  young  man  sang, 
the  elder  stopped  dealing  the  cards,  stared  at  the  singer  a 
moment,  and,  throwing  the  cards  on  the  floor,  exclaimed, 
"Harry,  where  did  you  learn  that  tune?"  "What  tune?" 
"Why,  that  one  you've  been  singing." 

"  'The  young  man  said  he  did  not  know  what  he  had  been 
singing,  when  the  elder  repeated  the  words,  with  tears  in  his 
eyes,  and  the  young  man  said  he  had  learned  them  in  a  Sunday- 
school  in  America. 

"  '  "Come,"  said  the  elder  man,  getting  up ;  "come,  Harry ; 
here's  what  I  won  from  you ;  go  and  use  it  for  some  good  pur- 
pose. As  for  me,  as  God  sees  me,  I  have  played  my  last  game, 
and  drank  my  last  bottle.  I  have  misled  you,  Harry,  and  I  am 
sorry.  Give  me  your  hand,  my  boy,  and  say  that,  for  old 
America's  sake,  if  for  no  other,  you  will  quit  this  infernal 
business."  ' 

"The  gentleman  who  tells  the  story  (originally  published 
in  the  Boston  Daily  News)  saw  these  two  men  leave  the 
gambling-house  together,  and  walk  away  arm  in  arm;  and  he 
remarks,  'It  must  be  a  source  of  great  joy  to  Miss  Gary  to 
know  that  her  lines,  which  have  comforted  so  many  Ghristian 
hearts,  have  been  the  means  of  awakening  in  the  breast  of  two 
tempted  and  erring  men,  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe,  a  reso- 
lution to  lead  a  better  life.' 

"It  was  a  great  joy  to  the  writer.  In  a  private  letter  to  an 
aged  friend  in  l^ew  York,  with  the  story  inclosed,  she  added: 
"  'I  inclose  the  hymn  and  the  story  for  you,  not  because  I  am 
vain  of  the  notice,  but  because  I  felt  you  would  feel  a  peculiar 
interest  in  them  when  you  know  the  hymn  was  written  eighteen 
years  ago  (1852)  in  your  house.  I  composed  it  in  the  little 
back  third  story  bedroom,  one  Sunday  morning,  after  coming 
from  church ;  and  it  makes  me  very  happy  to  think  that  any 
word  I  could  say  has  done  a  little  good  in  the  world.'  " 


THE  T^^"^  ^^^^ 
PUBLIC  LIBFAKY 


XII. 

William  Cullen  Bryant 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 

Edmund  Hamilton  Sears 

And  Other  Unitarian  Hymn  Writers 


(237) 


Life!  we've  been  long  together, 

Through  pleasant  and  through  cloudy  weather; 

'Tls  hard  to  part  when  friends  are  dear ; 

Perhaps  'twill  cost  a  sigh,  a  tear ; 

Then  steal  away,  give  little  warning, 

Choose  thine  own  time; 

Say  not  "Good  Night,"  but  in  some  brighter  clime 

Bid  me  "Good  Morning." 

Annie  Laetitia   Barbauld. 


So  live  that  when  thy  summons  comes  to  join 
The  innumerable  caravan  that  moves 
To  that  mysterious  realm  where  each  shall  take 
His  chamber  in  the  silent  halls  of  death, 
Thou  go  not  like  the  quarry-slave  at  night. 
Scourged  to  his  dungeon,  but,  sustained  and  soothed 
By  an  unfaltering  trust,  approach  thy  grave 
Like  one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams. 

William  Cullen  Bryant. 


Lord,  let  War's  tempest  cease, 
Fold  the  whole  Earth  in  peace 

Under  Thy  wings; 
Make  all  Thy  nations  one, 
All  hearts  beneath  the  sun, 
Till  Thou  shalt  reign  alone. 

Great  King  of  kings. 

Oltveb  Wendell  Holmes. 


(238) 


XII. 

WILLIAM  CULLED  BKYA^^t, 

OLIVER  WEKDELL  HOLMES, 

EDMUOT)  HAMILTON  SEARS, 

And  Othek  Unitakian  Hymn  Writers. 

We  have  already  said  that  "jSTearer,  My  God,  to  Thee" 
is  one  of  the  great  hymns  of  the  English  language.  It  does 
not  follow  that  it  is  one  of  the  great  bits  of  poetry,  but  it  is 
one  of  the  great  hymns.  Bishop  Boyd  Carpenter  has  written 
truly  that  "the  great  poet  is  not  necessarily  a  good  hymn- 
writer.  This  will  be  apparent  to  any  one  who  studies  our 
collection  of  hymns.  Two  things  will  strike  such  a  student. 
He  will  find  that  among  the  hymn-writers  there  are  few  men  of 
first-class  literary  rank.  He  will  further  find  that  the  most 
popular  hymns  are  not  from  the  pens  of  these  few.  In  other 
words,  the  highest  poetic  gift  does  not  insure  the  power  of 
writing  a  good  hymn.  Less  gifted  men  succeed  where  men  of 
higher  endowments  fail." 

Dryden  gave  shape  to  one  of  our  hymns,  beginning : 

381     Creator  Spirit,  by  whose  aid. 

Pope  wrote  another,  beginning : 

487    Rise,  crowned  with  light,  imperial  Salem,  rise. 

And  Thomas  Moore  still  another,  beginning: 
637     Come,  ye  disconsolate,  where'er  ye  languish. 

These  are  almost  the  only  noted  poets  from  whom  any  of 
our  hymns  have  come.     Milton  could  write  gloriously  of  "Para- 

(239) 


240  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

dise  Lost,"  and  also  of  "Paradise  Regained,"  but  he  left  us  no 
hymns  that  endure.  Wordsworth  could  give  to  the  world  his 
matchless  "Intimations  of  Immortality,"  but  no  hymn  sprang 
from  his  great  brain  and  heart.  Coleridge  could  also  write 
his  "Hymn  Before  Sunrise  in  the  Vale  of  Chamouni,"  but  no 
hymn  pleading  the  infinite  love  of  Jesus  Christ.  Yet  all  these 
were  deeply  religious  men.  It  falls  to  the  lot  of  lesser  men  and 
women  to  write  the  hymns  of  the  Ages.  "Even  so.  Father,  for 
so  it  seemed  good  in  Thy  sighi,." 

Another  subject,  however,  is  to  engage  our  attention  for 
a  time.  This  may  well  be  introduced  by  a  statement  taken  from 
Dr.  Julian's  great  "Dictionary  of  Hymnology,"  under  the 
heading,  "Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee" : 

"This  hymn  is  a  curious  illustration  of  the  coloring  which 
is  given  to  a  hymn  by  the  antecedents  of  its  author.  In  the 
case  of  Addison's  'When  all  Thy  mercies,  O  my  God,'  and  many 
other  hymns  of  a  like  kind,  no  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to 
alter  its  distinctive  character  as  a  hymn  to  the  Father  alone. 
With  Mrs.  Adams,  being  a  Unitarian,  the  treatment  is 
changed,  notwithstanding  the  redeeming  lines. 

E'en  though  it  be  a  cross 
That  raiseth  me, 

in  the  opening  stanza.  The  following  alterations  and  addi- 
tions have  been  made  to  bring  the  hymn  more  in  harmony  with 
the  views  of  the  editors  by  whom  it  has  been  adopted : 

"1.  The  first  change  with  which  we  are  acquainted  was 
the  addition  of  the  following  stanza : 

Christ  alone  beareth  me 

Where  Thou  dost  shine; 
Joint  heir  He  maketh  me 

Of  the  Divine: 
In  Christ  my  soul  shall  be. 
Nearest,  my  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearest  to  Thee! 

"This  is  bj  the  Rev.  A.  T.  RusseU. 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  241 


''2.  The  second  change  and  addition  are : 

r 

and  the  doxology : 


Though  by  Thy  bitter  cross 
We  raised  be, 


Glory,  O  God,  to  Thee; 

Glory  to  Thee, 
Almighty  Trinity 

In  Unity 
Glorious  mystery. 
Through  all  Eternity 

Glory  to  Thee ! 

"This    addition    is    given    in    Skinner's    'Daily    Service 
Hymnal.' 

"3.  Another  change  in  the  same  direction  is : 

And  when  on  joyful  wing. 

Cleaving  the  sky, 
Unto  the  Light  of  Lights, 

Upward  I  fly, 

by  Dr.  Monsell  in  his  'Parish  Hymnal.' 

"4.  In  Kennedy,  1863,  the  foUovring  is  substituted  for 
Stanza  V. : 

And  when  my  Lord  again 

Glorious  shall  come. 
Mine  be  a  dwelling  place 

In  Thy  bright  home, 
There  evermore  to  be 
Nearer  to  Thee,  my  God; 

Nearer  to  Thee! 

"This   same  stanza   is  repeated   in   the   'Hymns  for  the 
Church  Catholic' 

"5.  In  Bishop  Bickersteth's  note  to  this  hymn  in  his  anno- 
tated edition  of  the  'Hymnal  Companion'  he  says : 
16 


242  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

"  'The  editor  shrunk  from  appending  a  closing  verse  of  his 
own  to  a  hymn  so  generally  esteemed  complete  as  this,  or  he 
would  have  suggested  the  following: 

There  in  my  Father's  home. 

Safe  and  at  rest, 
There  in  my  Saviour's  love 

Perfectly  blest; 
Age  after  age  to  be 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee.' 

"In  addition  to  these  alterations  and  changes,  it  has  been 
entirely  rewritten,  by  Bishop  How,  as  'Nearer,  O  God,  to 
Thee,  hear  Thou  our  prayer.'  " 

Bishop  How's  rendering  is  as  follows : 

Nearer,  O  God,  to  Thee! 

Hear  Thou  our  prayer; 
Ev'n  though  a  heavy  cross 

Fainting  we  bear. 
Still  all  our  prayer  shall  be 
Nearer,  O  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee! 

If,  where  they  lead  the  Lord, 

We  too  are  borne. 
Planting  our  steps  in  His, 

Weary  and  worn; 
There  even  let  us  be 
Nearer,  O  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee ! 

If  Thou  the  cup  of  pain 

Givest  us  to  drink. 
Let  not  the  trembling  lip 

From  the  draught  shrink; 
So  by  our  woes  to  be 
Nearer,  O  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee! 

Though  the  great  battle  rage 

Hotly  around, 
Still  where  our  Captain  fights 

Let  us  be  found: 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  243 

Through  toils  and  strife  to  be 
Nearer,  O  God,  to  Thee, 
Nearer  to  Thee! 

And  when  Thou,  Lord,  once  more 

Glorious  shall  come. 
Oh,  for  a  dwelling  place 

In  Thy  bright  home! 
Through  all  eternity 
Nearer,  O  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee. 

Of  the  thirty-two  "Best  Hymns,"  collated  by  Dr.  Benson, 
"Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee"  is  the  only  one  written  by  a  Uni- 
tarian. Its  immense  popularity,  its  high  prominence,  bave 
invited  attack. 

Now  concerning  this,  what  is  to  be  said  ? 

First:  The  Christian  world  bows  before  the  throne  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  crowns  Him  "Lord  of  All."  It  has,  for 
itself,  settled  the  question  of  the  Deity  of  Jesus  Christ.  Churcb 
historians  tell  us  that  the  highly  metaphysical  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity  had  its  origin,  primarily,  in  a  living  belief,  in  the 
faith  and  feeling  of  the  primitive  Christian  that  Christ  is  the 
co-equal  Son  of  God. 

That  was  the  decision  in  the  early  days  of  the  Christian 
Church.     It  is  the  decision  now. 

I  do  not  know  where  the  general  judgment  is  better  ex- 
pressed than  in  a  fugitive  sermon  of  a  great  popular  preacher, 
who  said: 

"For  when  I  candidly  read  the  New  Testament,  and  see 
how  Christ  ingratiated,  and  sought  to  ingratiate  Himself  with 
every  loving  and  believing  soul,  how  He  taught  me  to  regard 
myself  as  inseparably  united  to  Him  as  the  branch  is  to  the  vine, 
to  accept  Llim  as  my  guiding  star,  bright  and  morning  star,  after 
the  troublous  night  of  unbelief  and  wickedness,  to  believe  Him 
the  beginning,  the  end,  the  Alpha,  the  Omega,  the  First,  the  Last, 
do  I  believe  that  any  result  is  possible,  or  any  result  designed 
by  God,  but  that  I  should  give  to  Christ  all  that  the  human  soul 
can  give  to  any  being?  When  I  have  fulfilled  all  the  acts  of 
reverence,  of  worship,  of  adoration,  and  ecstasy  that  are  com- 


244  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

manded  toward  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  have  exhausted  the 
possibilities  of  my  mind,  I  have  nothing  higher  to  offer  before 
any  other  throne.  And  when  I  have  walked  by  His  strength, 
and  my  life  has  been  hid  with  God  in  Him,  when,  by  His 
conscious  presence,  I  have  trod  down  temptation,  and  walked 
the  appointed  waves  of  trial  unsubmerged,  when  he  has  dwelt 
as  a  light  in  my  dwelling,  and  lit  the  candle  of  love  in  my 
heart  that  never  goes  out,  when  all  my  affections  and  enterprises 
have  been  quickened  by  my  faith  in  Him,  when  sickness  and 
loss  and  disappointment  of  every  varied  kind  by  Him  have  been 
irradiated  as  clouds  are  by  the  sun  and  changed  from  mis- 
fortunes into  gorgeous  decorations  of  life,  when,  leaning  upon 
Him,  I  languish,  I  die,  I  have  no  fear  that  life  will  then  burst 
as  a  bubble,  and  reveal  to  me  that  I  have  been  the  dupe  of  a 
phantasy.  Assuredly  I  shall  behold  Him  as  He  is,  no  whit 
less  the  God,  and  if  then  likewise  also,  before  my  clarified 
vision,  there  shall  arise,  in  equal  proportions  of  majesty,  the 
then  revealed  Father  and  Holy  Ghost,  they  shall  not  overshadow 
my  Christ,  nor  take  one  whit  from  the  glory  of  His  divinity. 
What  this  final  revelation  of  the  majesty  of  God  shall  be  I  am 
content  to  leave  to  that  hour  of  birth  which  men  call  death. 
But  O,  if  then  I  find  that  I  am  left  with  no  Christ  to  adore,  no 
Christ  upon  whom  it  is  lawful  to  put  my  long-trained  worship- 
ing feelings,  with  plaints  more  piteous  than  Mary  gave  in  the 
garden  and  with  worse  despair,  I  shall  call  out  to  the  heavens, 
They  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  thoy 
have  laid  Him !  But  I  fear  no  such  disaster ;  no  such  blackness 
shall  cloud  the  future.  I  shall  behold  Him  as  He  is,  and  shall 
be  satisfied." 

1^0 !  The  Christian  Church  need  not  fear  attack  as  to 
one  of  its  fundamental  verities.  That  being  regarded  as  settled, 
this  is  to  be  said  in  addition : 

Second:  There  are  Unitarians  and  Unitarians. 

In  the  "Life  and  Letters  of  the  Rev.  Frederick  W.  Eobert- 
son"  is  to  be  found  the  following  interesting  passage  concern- 
ing the  foremost  of  all  American  Unitarians,  Dr.  William 
EUery  Channing: 

"He  was   a  Unitarian,   but  that   is   a  very  wide  term, 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  245 


including  a  vast  variety  of  persons  thinking  very  differently 
on  essentials.       I  can  only  say  that  I  should  be  very  glad  if 
half  of  those  who  recognize  the  hereditary  claims  of  the  Son 
of  God  to  worship,  bowed  down  before  His  moral  dignity  with 
an  adoration  half  as  profound,  or  a  love  half  as  enthusiastic, 
as  Dr.  Channing's.     I  wish  I,  a  Trinitarian,  loved  and  adored 
Him,  and  the  divine  goodness  in  Him,  anything  near  the  way 
in   which   that   Unitarian  felt.     A   religious   lady   found   the 
book  on  my  table  a  few  days  ago,  and  was  horror-struck.     I 
told  her  that  if  she  and  I  ever  got  to  heaven,  we  should  find  Dr. 
Channing  revolving  round  the  central  Light  in  an  orbit  immeas- 
urably nearer  than  ours,  almost  invisible  to  us,  and  lost  in  a 
blaze  of  light,  which  she  has  no  doubt  duly  reported  to  the 
Brighton  inquisition  for  heretics.     But,  by  the  bye,  I  began  on 
that  very  day  to  write  out  the  conversation.     Here  it  is,  all 
incomplete : 

"A  lady  called  to-day,  and  when  she  came  into  the  drawing- 
room,  she  put  her  hand  on  Channing's  'Memoirs.'     *I  am  sorry 
to  see  you  read  this  book,  Mr.   Robertson.'     I  replied:   'Dr. 
Channing  was  one  of  the  highest  of  his  species.     For  a  minister 
to  refuse  to  read  such  a  book  would  be  miserable.     I  am  not  so 
sensitively  afraid  of  error  as  that.        I  throw  myself  on  the 
Father  of  Lights,  read  all,  and  trust  that  He  will  answer  a 
desire  for  light.     An  immoral  book  I  refuse  to  read,  but  a 
book  containing  merely  false  doctrine,  or  what  is  supposed  to 
be  false,  I  dare  not  refuse  to  read,  or  else  I  could  not,  with  any 
consistency,  ask  a  Roman  Catholic  to  read  my  book  of  Protes- 
tant heresy.'     'But,  Dr.  Channing  could  not  be  a  good  man, 
because  he  did  not  believe  in  Christ.'     'Pardon  me,  he  did — he 
loved  Christ.       I  wish  I  adored  Him  half  as  much  as  Dr. 
Channing  did.'     'But  he  denied  that  he  adored  Him.'     'I  can- 
not help  that.     If  the  lowliest  reverence  and  the  most  enthu- 
siastic love  constitute  adoration.  Dr.  Channing  worshiped  Christ. 
I  care  not  what  a  man  says.     His  homage  was  more  adoring 
than  that  of  nine  out  of  ten  who  call  Him  God.     Besides,  do 
you  remember  the  story  of  the  two  sons,  one  of  whom  said,  "I 
go,  sir,"  and  went  not,  the  other  refused  to  go  and  went  ?  What 
care  I  if  Dr.  Channing  adores  saying  that  he  does  not  adore  V 


246  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

She  replied,  'I  believe  lie  adored  himself  much  more.'  I  re- 
turned that  some  passages  in  his  diary  expressed  the  deepest 
self-abasement.  ^Well,  probably,  he  had  a  high  ideal:  he  was 
mortified  at  not  attaining  that  before  the  world.'  'Do  you 
recollect,'  I  answered,  'how  the  Pharisees  got  over  a  similar 
difficulty  to  yours  ?  There  was  a  holy  man  before  them,  and 
because  they  could  not  deny  the  beauty  of  His  deeds,  they  found 
out  that  they  were  done  from  diabolical  motives,  for  Beelzebub's 
cause.  Take  care.  Do  you  recollect  what  sin  they  committed 
by  that — seeing  good  and  refusing  to  recognize  it  as  good  ? 
It  is  a  perilous  thing  to  set  out  with  the  assumption  that  a 
doctrine  is  true,  and  that  all  who  do  not  hold  that  doctrine  are 
bad.  Christ  reverses  that  order  of  procedure.  "Believe  Me 
for  the  work's  sake."  I  would  just  as  soon  disbelieve  in  God 
as  contemplate  a  character  like  Dr.  Channing's,  and  hesitate 
to  say  whether  that  was  a  divine  image  or  not:  whether  God 
had  accepted  him  or  not:  whether  those  deeds  and  that  life  were 
the  product  of  evil,  or  the  fruit  of  the  Heavenly  Spirit.'  " 

This  utterance  was  evidently  written  under  deep  feeling, 
and  is  somewhat  unguarded.  But,  fairly  interpreted,  it  is 
undoubtedly  true.  In  December,  1859,  Frederic  Dan  Hunt- 
ington (afterwards  Bishop  of  Central  ISTew  York),  issued  a 
volume  containing  his  famous  sermon,  entitled,  "Life,  Salva- 
tion, and  Comfort  for  Man  in  the  Divine  Trinity."  He  had 
finally  reached  conclusions  which  carried  him  into  the  Epis- 
copal Church;  but  before  that  time  he  had  certainly  been 
doctrinally  an  orthodox  Christian.  Much  of  the  Unitarianism 
about  him  had  been  a  reaction  against  ultra-Calvinism.  With 
that  attitude  he  had  been  in  sympathy.  He  was  right  as  far 
as  he  went.  He  simply  needed  to  go  further.  So  with  a  multi- 
tude of  other  men  and  women ;  and  to-day  there  are  Christian 
Unitarians  as  well  as  agnostic  Unitarians,  just  as  there  are 
unbelieving  Eoman  Catholics,  and  devout  Roman  Catholics 
who  live  in  fellowship  with  our  Master  Christ. 

But,  third:  Even  if  Sarah  Elower  Adams  had  been  no 
more  than  an  ordinary  Unitarian,  it  would  still  seem  wise  to 
sing  her  uplifting  words  because  she  believed  God,  and  that  was 
counted  unto  her  for  righteousness,    and  she  was   called  the 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  247 

friend  of  God.  I  am  not  an  Israelite,  but  a  Christian.  !N"ever- 
tbeless,  I  rejoice  in  the  songs  which  have  come  to  us  through 
Moses  and  David  and  Isaiah ;  and  I  should  have  no  difficulty  in 
joining  with  Jew  and  Mohammedan  in  singing  not  only  "The 
God  of  Abraham  praise"  as  well  as  "J^earer,  My  God,  to  Thee," 
but  many  other  hymns  we  are  wont  to  sing,  without  any  inquiry 
as  to  the  Christian  beliefs  of  the  authors  of  these  hymns.  The 
first  of  our  Thirty-nine  Articles  is  this :  "There  is  but  one  living 
and  true  God,  everlasting,  without  body,  parts  or  passions ;  of 
infinite  power,  wisdom  and  goodness :  the  Maker  and  Preserver 
of  all  things,  both  visible  and  invisible."  The  Jew  believes 
that.  The  Mohammedan  believes  that.  The  Christian  goes  on  to 
add:  "And  in  unity  of  this  Godhead  there  be  three  persons, 
of  one  substance,  power,  and  eternity:  the  Father,  the  Son  and 
the  Holy  Ghost."  If  I  am  to  have  this  Christian  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity  connected  with  every  hymn,  I  will  not  spoil  the 
unity  of  the  hymn  by  bringing  it  in  where  it  does  not  belong, 
rather  will  I  change  the  metre,  and  sing: 

Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow ! 
Praise  Him,  all  creatures  here  below! 
Praise  Him  above,  ye  heavenly  host ! 
Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost! 

Or,  if  not  that,  I  should  try  to  have  it  arranged  that,  at 
the  same  service  at  which  "JSTearer,  My  God,  to  Thee"  were 
sung,  there  should  also  be  sung  that  wonderfully  touching 
distinctively  Christian  hymn  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Payson 
Prentiss : 

654    More  love  to  Thee,  0  Christ! 
More  love  to  Thee! 
Hear  Thou  the  prayer  I  make 

On  bended  knee. 
This  is  my  earnest  plea. 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  Thee, 
More  love  to  Thee! 

Once  earthly  joy  I  craved. 

Sought  peace  and  rest: 
Now  Thee  alone  I  seek: 

Give  what  is  best: 
This  all  my  prayer  shall  be, 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  Thee! 

More  love  to  Thee! 


248  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Let  sorrow  do  its  work, 

Send  grief  and  pain; 
Sweet  are  Thy  messengers. 

Sweet  their  refrain. 
When  they  can  sing  with  me, 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  Thee, 

More  love  to  Thee. 

Then  shall  my  latest  hreath 

Whisper  Thy  praise; 
This  be  the  parting  cry  \ 

My  heart  shall  raise, 
This  still  its  prayer  shall  be. 
More  love,  0  Christ,  to  Thee, 

More  love  to  Thee! 

Two  men,  closely  resembling  each  other  in  lyric  power, 
were  Frederick  W.  Faber  and  John  G.  Whittier — the  one,  when 
his  hymns  were  written,  a  Roman  Catholic,  the  other  a  Quaker, 
certainly  not  altogether  "orthodox."  Let  me  give  you  a  hymn 
from  each.  Faber  was  orthodox,  and  intense  in  his  dis- 
tinctively Christian  beliefs,  yet  an  Israelite  might  join,  with 
him  in  singing, 

My  God,  how  wonderful  Thou  art. 

Thy  majesty  how  bright! 
How  beautiful  Thy  mercy-seat. 

La  depths  of  burning  light! 

How  dread  are  Thine  eternal  years, 

O  everlasting  Lord; 
By  prostrate  spirits  day  and  night 

Incessantly  adored! 

How  wonderful,  how  beautiful. 

The  sight  of  Thee  must  be, 
Thine  endless  wisdom,  boundless  power. 

And  awful  purity! 

Oh,  how  I  fear  Thee,  living  God, 

With  deepest,  tenderest  fears. 
And  worship  Thee  with  trembling  hope 

And  penitential  tears! 


1        R 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  249 

Yet  I  may  love  Thee  too,  O  Lord, 

Almighty  as  Thou  art. 
For  Thou  hast  stooped  to  ask  of  me 

The  love  of  my  poor  heart. 

I  am  willing  to  sing  that  hymn  and  stop  there,  and  yet  to 
me  these  verses  of  Whittier's  hymn  taken  from  *'Our  Master" 
are  much  more  definitely  Christian.  They  form  really  a  hymn 
to  Christ.     Take  a  look  at  a  few  of  its  stanzas : 

Our  Friend,  our  Brother,  and  our  Lord, 

What  may  Thy  service  be? 
Nor  name,  nor  form,  nor  ritual  word. 

But  simply  following  Thee. 

Thou  judgest  us :  Thy  purity 

Doth  all  our  lusts  condemn: 
The  love  that  draws  us  nearer  Thee 

Is  hot  with  wrath  to  them. 

Our  thoughts  lie  open  to  Thy  sight. 

And,  naked  to  Thy  glance. 
Our  secret  sins  are  in  the  light 

Of  Thy  pure  countenance. 

Yet  weak  and  blinded  though  we  be. 

Thou  dost  our  service  own; 
We  bring  our  varying  gifts  to  Thee, 

And  Thou  rejectest  none. 

To  Thee  our  full  humanity. 

Its  joys  and  pains  belong; 
The  wrong  of  man  to  man  on  Thee 

Inflicts  a  deeper  wrong. 

Deep  strike  Thy  roots,  O  heavenly  vine. 

Within  our  earthly  sod. 
Most  human  and  yet  most  divine, 

The  flower  of  man  and  God ! 

Apart  from  Thee  all  gain  is  loss. 

All  labor  vainly  done ; 
The  solemn  shadow  of  Thy  Cross 
Is  better  than  the  sun. 


250  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Alone,  O  love  ineffable! 

Thy  saving  name  is  given; 
To  turn  aside  from  Thee  is  hell. 

To  walk  with  Thee  is  heaven. 

We  faintly  hear,  we  dimly  see, 

In  differing  phrase  we  pray; 
But  dim  or  clear,  we  own  in  Thee 

The  Light,  the  Truth,  the  Way. 

And  now  a  word  as  to  the  hymns  in  our  hymnal  which  have 
been  brought  to  us  from  Unitarian  sources. 

These  have  come,  three  from  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  two 
from  William  Cullen  Bryant,  two  from  Edmund  Hamilton 
Sears,  two  from  Sir  John  Bowring,  one  each  from  Henry 
Ware,  Jr.,  William  Henry  Burleigh,  Anna  Laetitia  Barbauld, 
and  Helen  Maria  Williams. 

Bryant  and  Holmes  stood  as  chiefs  amongst  our  American 
literary  men;  Sears  was  a  Unitarian  minister  of  charming 
personality,  and  exceptional  scholarly  attainments ;  Sir  John 
Bowring,  an  English  statesman,  cultured  and  renowned ;  Henry- 
Ware,  Jr.,  a  preacher  of  power;  William  Henry  Burleigh,  an 
editor  and  reformer ;  Mrs.  Barbauld,  a  well-known  poetess ;  and 
Miss  Williams,  a  woman  of  experience  in  the  Erench  reign 
of  terror,  and  a  political  writer  of  no  inconsiderable  influence. 
To  these,  possibly,  Samuel  Johnson  should  be  added,  as  he  is 
by  some,  on  account  of  his  Unitarian  affiliations ;  yet  Octavius 
B.  Erothingham,  who  knew  him  intimately,  writes  thus  con- 
cerning him : 

"Samuel  Johnson  should  be  known  as  the  apostle  of 
individualism.  The  apostle,  I  say,  for  this  was  with  him  a 
religion,  and  the  preaching  of  individualism  was  a  gospel 
message.  He  would  not  belong  to  any  church,  or  subscribe  to 
any  creed,  or  connect  himself  with  any  sect,  or  be  a  member  of 
any  organization  whatever,  however  wide  or  elastic,  however 
consonant  with  convictions  that  he  held,  with  beliefs  that  he 
entertained,  with  purposes  that  he  cherished,  with  plans  that 
were  dear  to  him.  He  never  joined  the  'Anti-Slavery  Society,' 
though  he  was  an  Abolitionist ;  or  the  Tree  Eeligious  Associa- 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  251 

tion,'  though  its  aims  were  essentially  his  own,  and  he  spoke  on 
its  platform.  He  made  it  a  principle  to  act  alone,  herein  being 
a  tiTie  disciple  of  Emerson,  whose  mission  was  to  individual 
minds." 

Yet  he  gave  us  a  thoroughly  good  hymn,  as  follows : 

620     Onward,  Christian!  though  the  regiom 
Wliere  thou  art  be  drear  and  lone; 
God  has  set  a  guardian  legion 
Very  near  thee ;  press  thou  on ! 

Listen,  Christian!  their  hosanna 

Eolleth  o'er  thee :  "God  is  love :" 
Write  upon  thy  red-cross  banner, 

"Upward  ever;  heaven's  above." 

By  the  thorn-road,  and  none  other. 

Is  the  mount  of  vision  won; 
Tread  it  without  shrinking,  brother! 

Jesus  trod  it;  press  thou  on! 

Be  this  world  the  wiser,  stronger. 

For  thy  life  of  pain  and  peace. 
While  it  needs  thee;  oh,  no  longer 

Pray  thou  for  thy  quick  release ! 

Pray  thou.  Christian,  daily  rather. 

That  thou  be  a  faithful  son; 
By  the  prayer  of  Jesus,  "Father, 

Not  my  will,  but  Thine,  be  done." 

An"]S"a  Laetitia  Bakbauld's  hymn  of  thanksgiving  with 
many  changes  has  been  sung  for  eighty  years  in  our  churches. 
Its  words  are  very  familiar : 

192    Praise  to  God,  immortal  praise. 
For  the  love  that  crowns  our  days; 
Bounteous  source  of  every  joy. 
Let  Thy  praise  our  tongues  employ; 
All  to  Thee,  our  God,  we  owe. 
Source  whence  all  our  blessings  flow. 


252  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

All  the  plenty  summer  pours : 
Autumn's  rich  o'erflowing  stores; 
Flocks  that  whiten  all  the  plain; 
Yellow  sheaves  of  ripened  grain : 
Lord,  for  these  our  souls  shall  raise 
Grateful  vows  and  solemn  praise. 

Peace,  prosperity,  and  health, 
Private  bliss,  and  public  wealth. 
Knowledge  with  its  gladdening  streams, 
Pure  religion's  holier  beams : 
Lord,  for  these  our  souls  shall  raise 
Grateful  vows  and  solemn  praise. 

As  Thy  prospering  hand  hath  blest. 
May  we  give  Thee  of  our  best: 
And  by  deeds  of  kindly  love 
For  Thy  mercies  grateful  prove; 
Singing  thus  through  all  our  days. 
Praise  to  God,  immortal  praise. 


Helen  Maria  Williams'  hymn  has  been  sung  for  an 
equal  length  of  time,  and  is  equally  familiar: 

671     While  Thee  I  seek,  protecting  Power, 

Be  my  vain  wishes  stilled; 

And  may  this  consecrated  hour 

With  better  hopes  be  filled. 

Thy  love  the  power  of  thought  bestowed. 
To  Thee  my  thoughts  would  soar : 

Thy  mercy  o'er  my  life  has  flowed. 
That  mercy  I  adore. 

In  each  event  of  life,  how  clear 

Thy  ruling  hand  I  see; 
Each  blessing  to  my  soul  more  dear, 

Because  conferred  by  Thee. 

In  every  joy  that  crowns  my  days. 

In  every  pain  I  bear, 
My  heart  shall  find  delight  in  praise. 

Or  seek  relief  in  prayer. 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  253 


When  gladness  wings  my  favored  hour. 
Thy  love  my  thoughts  shall  fill ; 

Kesigned  when  storms  of  sorrow  lower. 
My  soul  shall  meet  Thy  will. 

My  lifted  eye,  without  a  tear. 
The  gathering  storms  shall  see; 

My  steadfast  heart  shall  know  no  fear; 
That  heart  will  rest  on  Thee. 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes"  hymns  are  these : 

197     O  Lord  of  Hosts !  Almighty  King! 
Behold  the  sacrifice  we  bring: 
To  every  arm  Thy  strength  impart; 
Thy  Spirit  shed  through  every  heart. 

Wake  in  our  breast  the  living  fires. 
The  holy  faith  that  warmed  our  sires. 
Thy  hand  hath  made  our  nation  free; 
To  die  for  her  is  serving  Thee. 

Be  Thou  a  pillared  flame  to  show 
The  midnight  snare,  the  silent  foe; 
And  when  the  battle  thunders  loud, 
Still  guide  us  in  its  moving  cloud. 

God  of  all  nations!  Sovereign  Lord! 
In  Thy  dread  name  we  draw  the  sword. 
We  lift  the  starry  flag  on  high 
That  fills  with  light  our  stormy  sky. 

From  treason's  rent,  from  murder's  stain. 
Guard  Thou  its  folds  till  peace  shall  reign. 
Till  fort  and  field,  till  shore  and  sea, 
Join  our  loud  anthem,  praise  to  Thee! 

313    Lord  of  all  being;  throned  afar. 

Thy  glory  flames  from  sun  and  star; 
Centre  and  soul  of  every  sphere. 
Yet  to  each  loving  heart  how  near ! 

Sun  of  our  life.  Thy  quickening  ray 
Sheds  on  our  path  the  glow  of  day; 
Star  of  our  hope,  Thy  softened  light 
Cheers  the  long  watches  of  the  night. 


254  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Our  midnight  is  Thy  smile  withdrawn; 
Our  noontide  is  Thy  gracious  dawn; 
Our  rainbow  arch,  Thy  mercy's  sign; 
All,  save  the  clouds  of  sin,  are  Thine. 

Lord  of  all  life,  below,  above. 

Whose  light  is  truth,  whose  warmth  is  love, 

Before  Thy  ever-blazing  throne 

We  ask  no  lustre  of  our  own. 

Grant  us  Thy  truth  to  make  us  free, 
And  kindling  hearts  that  burn  for  Thee, 
Till  all  Thy  living  altars  claim 
One  holy  light,  our  heavenly  flame. 

627     0  love  divine,  that  stooped  to  share 

Our  sharpest  pang,  our  bitterest  tear! 
On  Thee  we  cast  each  earth-born  care; 
We  smile  at  pain  while  Thou  art  near. 

Though  long  the  weary  way  we  tread. 
And  sorrow  crown  each  lingering  year. 

No  path  we  shun,  no  darkness  dread. 

Our  hearts  still  whispering.  Thou  art  near. 

When  drooping  pleasure  turns  to  grief. 
And  trembling  faith  is  changed  to  fear. 

The  murmuring  wind,  the  quivering  leaf, 
Shall  softly  tell  us.  Thou  art  near. 

On  Thee  we  rest  our  burdening  woe, 
O  Love  divine,  forever  dear! 

Content  to  suffer,  while  we  know, 
Living  and  dying.  Thou  art  near. 

William  Cullen  Beyant^'s  hymns  are  as  follows : 

251     Look  from  Thy  sphere  of  endless  day, 
0  God  of  mercy  and  of  might! 
In  pity  look  on  those  who  stray. 
Benighted  in  this  land  of  light. 

In  peopled  vale,  in  lonely  glen. 

In  crowded  mart,  by  stream  or  sea. 

How  many  of  the  sons  of  men 

Hear  not  the  message  sent  from  Thee! 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  255 


Send  forth  Thy  heralds,  Lord,  to  call 

The  thoughtless  young,  the  hardened  old, 

A  scattered,  homeless  flock,  till  all 
Be  gathered  to  Thy  peaceful  fold. 

Send  them  Thy  mighty  word  to  speak. 
Till  faith  shall  dawn  and  doubt  depart. 

To  awe  the  bold,  to  stay  the  weak, 
And  bind  and  heal  the  broken  heart. 

Then  all  these  wastes,  a  dreary  scene 

That  makes  us  sadden  as  we  gaze, 
Shall  grow  with  living  waters  green. 

And  lift  to  heaven  the  voice  of  praise. 

279    When,  doomed  to  death,  the  apostle  lay 
At  night  in  Herod's  dungeon  cell, 
A  light  shone  round  him  like  the  day. 
And  from  his  limbs  the  fetters  fell. 

A  messenger  from  God  was  there. 
To  break  his  chain  and  bid  him  rise; 

And  lo!  the  saint,  as  free  as  air. 
Walked  forth  beneath  the  open  skies. 

Chains  yet  more  strong  and  cruel  bind 

The  victims  of  that  deadly  thirst 
Which  drowns  the  soul,  and  from  the  mind 

Blots  the  bright  image  stamped  at  first. 

O  God  of  love  and  mercy,  deign 
To  look  on  those  with  pitying  eye 

Who  struggle  with  that  fatal  chain. 
And  send  them  succor  from  on  high! 

Send  down,  in  its  resistless  might. 

Thy  gracious  Spirit,  we  implore. 
And  lead  the  captive  forth  to  light, 

A  rescued  soul,  a  slave  no  more! 

Henry  Wake,  Jr.,  has  given  us  a  hymn  characteristic  of 
his  spirit,  for  the  laying  of  a  corner-stone : 

293     O  Thou,  in  whom  alone  is  found 

The  strength  by  which  our  toil  is  blest. 
Upon  this  consecrated  ground 
Now  bid  Thy  cloud  of  glory  rest. 


256  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

In  Thy  great  name  we  place  this  stone; 

To  Thy  great  truth  these  walls  we  rear: 
Long  may  they  make  Thy  glory  known, 

And  long  our  Saviour  triumph  here. 

And  while  Thy  sons,  from  earth  apart, 

Here  seek  the  truth  from  heaven  that  sprung, 

Fill  with  Thy  Spirit  every  heart, 
With  living  fire  touch  every  tongue. 

Lord,  feed  Thy  Church  with  peace  and  love; 

Let  sin  and  error  pass  away, 
Till  truth's  full  influence  from  above 

Rejoice  the  earth  with  cloudless  day. 

His  resurrection  hymn  might  also  well  have  been  used,  for 
its  truth  and  lyric  fire : 

Lift  your  glad  voices  in  triumph  on  high. 
For  Jesus  hath  risen,  and  man  cannot  die; 

Vain  were  the  terrors  that  gathered  around  Him, 
And  short  the  dominion  of  death  and  the  grave ; 

He  burst  from  the  fetters  of  darkness  that  bound  Him, 
Resplendent  in  glory  to  live  and  to  save ; 
Loud  was  the  chorus  of  angels  on  high. 
The  Saviour  hath  risen,  and  man  shall  not  die. 

Glory  to  God,  in  full  anthems  of  joy; 

The  being  He  gave  us  death  cannot  destroy; 

Sad  were  the  life  we  must  part  with  to-morrow. 
If  tears  were  our  birthright  and  death  were  our  end; 

But  Jesus  hath  cheered  the  dark  valley  of  sorrow. 
And  bade  us,  immortal,  to  heaven  ascend. 
Lift,  then,  your  voices  in  triumph  on  high, 
For  Jesus  hath  risen,  and  man  shall  not  diel 

To  William  Henry  Burleigh  we  are  indebted  for  a 
hymn  of  simplicity  and  pleading  fervor: 

422    Lead  us,  O  Father,  in  the  paths  of  peace; 
Without  Thy  guiding  hand  we  go  astray. 
And  doubts  appall,  and  sorrows  still  increase; 
Lead  us  through  Christ,  the  true  and  living  Way. 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC  n-T^AKY 


ASTOR,  LENOX  AND 
TILT3EN  FOUNDATIONS 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  257 

Lead  us,  O  Father,  in  the  paths  of  truth; 

Unhelped  by  Thee,  in  error's  maze  we  grope, 
While  passion  stains,  and  folly  dims  our  youth. 

And  age  comes  on,  uncheered  by  faith  and  hope. 

Lead  us,  O  Father,  in  the  paths  of  right; 

Blindly  we  stumble  when  we  walk  alone. 
Involved  in  shadows  of  a  darksome  night. 

Only  with  Thee  we  journey  safely  on. 

Lead  us,  O  Father,  to  Thy  heavenly  rest. 
However  rough  and  steep  the  path  may  be. 

Through  joy  or  sorrow,  as  Thou  deemest  best, 
Until  our  lives  are  perfected  in  Thee. 

From  Edmund  Hamilton  Sears  have  come  to  us  two 

Christmas  gems  of  rare  and  exquisite  beauty : 

55     Calm  on  the  listening  ear  of  night 
Come  heaven's  melodious  strains. 
Where  wild  Judea  stretches  far 
Her  silver-mantled  plains. 

Celestial  choirs  from  courts  above 

Shed  sacred  glories  there, 
And  angels,  with  their  sparkling  lyres. 

Make  music  on  the  air. 

The  answering  hills  of  Palestine 

Send  back  the  glad  reply. 
And  greet,  from  all  their  holy  heights. 

The  Day- Spring  from  on  high. 

O'er  the  blue  depths  of  Galilee 

There  comes  a  holier  calm. 
And  Sharon  waves,  in  solemn  praise, 

Her  silent  groves  of  palm. 

"Glory  to  God!"  the  sounding  skies 
Loud  with  their  anthems  ring, 

"Peace  to  the  earth,  good-will  to  men. 
From  heaven's  eternal  King!" 

Light  on  thy  hills,  Jerusalem! 

The  Saviour  now  is  bom : 
More  bright  on  Bethlehem's  joyous  plains 

Breaks  the  first  Christmas  morn. 
17 


258  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

59    It  came  upon  the  midnight  clear. 

That  glorious  song  of  old, 
From  angels  bending  near  the  earth 

To  touch  their  harps  of  gold; 
Peace  on  the  earth,  good-will  to  men, 

From  heaven's  all-gracious  King; 
The  world  in  solemn  stillness  lay 

To  hear  the  angels  sing. 

Still  through  the  cloven  skies  they  come, 

With  peaceful  wings  unfurled; 
And  still  their  heavenly  music  floats 

O'er  all  the  weary  world: 
Above  its  sad  and  lonely  plains 

They  bend  on  hovering  wing, 
And  ever  o'er  its  Babel  sounds 

The  blessed  angels  sing. 

0  ye,  beneath  life's  crushing  load. 

Whose  forms  are  bending  low. 
Who  toil  along  the  climbing  way 

With  painful  steps  and  slow ! 
Look  now,  for  glad  and  golden  hours 

Come  swiftly  on  the  wing: 
Oh,  rest  beside  the  weary  road. 

And  hear  the  angels  sing. 

For  lo,  the  days  are  hastening  on. 

By  prophets  seen  of  old, 
When  with  the  ever-circling  years. 

Shall  come  the  time  foretold, 
When  the  new  heaven  and  earth  shall  own 

The  Prince  of  Peace  their  King, 
And  the  whole  world  send  back  the  song 

Which  now  the  angels  sing. 

Let  SiK  John  Bowking  sing  for  all  of  us,  as  follows : 

331     Watchman,  tell  us  of  the  night. 

What  its  signs  of  promise  are. 
Traveler,  o'er  yon  mountain's  height. 

See  that  glory-beaming  star. 
Watchman,  does  its  beauteous  ray 

Aught  of  joy  or  hope  foretell  ? 
Traveler,  yes ;  it  brings  the  day. 

Promised  day  of  Israel. 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  259 

Watchman,  tell  us  of  the  night; 

Higher  yet  that  star  ascends. 
Traveler,  blessedness  and  light. 

Peace  and  truth,  its  course  portends. 
Watchman,  will  its  beams  alone 

Gild  the  spot  that  gave  them  birth? 
Traveler,  ages  are  its  own; 

See,  it  bursts  o'er  all  the  earth. 

Watchman,  tell  us  of  the  night, 

For  the  morning  seems  to  dawn. 
Traveler,  darkness  takes  its  flight; 

Doubt  and  terror  are  withdrawn. 
Watchman,  let  thy  wanderings  cease; 

Hie  thee  to  thy  quiet  home. 
Traveler,  lo !  the  Prince  of  Peace, 

Lo!  the  Son  of  God  is  come. 


Also 


359    In  the  cross  of  Christ  I  glory. 

Towering  o'er  the  wrecks  of  time; 
All  the  light  of  sacred  story 
Gathers  round  its  head  sublime. 

When  the  woes  of  life  o'ertake  me, 
Hopes  deceive,  and  fears  annoy. 

Never  shall  the  cross  forsake  me: 
Lo !  it  glows  with  peace  and  joy. 

When  the  sun  of  bliss  is  beaming 
Light  and  love  iipon  my  way. 

From  the  cross  the  radiance  streaming, 
Adds  new  lustre  to  the  day. 

Bane  and  blessing,  pain  and  pleasure. 
By  the  cross  are  sanctified ; 

Peace  is  there  that  knows  no  measure, 
Joys  that  through  all  time  abide. 

In  the  cross  of  Christ  I  glory. 

Towering  o'er  the  wrecks  of  time; 

All  the  light  of  sacred  story 
Gathers  round  its  head  sublime. 


26o  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

The  great  lesson  of  the  Christian  religion  is  the  lesson 
of  Christian  charity.  Let  us  apply  that  lesson  and  sing,  in 
inward  if  not  in  outward  communion,  even  with  a  Unitarian, 
Stepken  Greenleaf  Bulfincii^  a  hymn  worthy  to  be  sung  by 
all  who  profess  and  call  themselves  Christians : 

We  gather  to  the  sacred  board. 

Perchance  a  scanty  band: 
But  with  us  in  sublime  accord 

What  mighty  armies  stand! 

In  creed  and  rite  howe'er  apart. 

One  Saviour  still  we  own, 
And  pour  the  worship  of  the  heart 

Before  our  Father's  throne. 

A  thousand  spires,  o'er  hill  and  vale. 

Point  to  the  same  blue  heaven: 
A  thousand  voices  tell  the  tale 

Of  grace  through  Jesus  given. 

High  choirs,  in  Europe's  ancient  fanes. 

Praise  Ilim  for  man  who  died; 
And  o'er  the  boundless  Western  plains 

His  name  is  glorified. 

Around  His  tomb,  on  Salem's  height, 

Greek  and  Armenian  bend; 
And,  through  all  Lapland's  months  of  nights. 

The  peasants'  hymns  ascend. 

Are  we  not  brethren.  Saviour  dear? 

Then  may  we  walk  in  love, 
Joint  subjects  of  Thy  Kingdom  here. 

Joint  heirs  of  bliss  above. 

When  James  Freeman  Clarke  lay  dying  at  Lakewood,  he 
asked  that  there  should  be  read  to  him  Henry  Francis  Lyte's 
great  hymn,  "Abide  with  me,  fast  falls  the  eventide."  Was 
that  a  "Unitarian,"  or  an  "orthodox"  request  ?  It  was  both, 
inasmuch  as  it  came  from  a  man  who  was  outwardly  a  Unita- 
rian, but  whose  lifelong  inward  fellowship  had  been  with  the 
Father  and  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ.     He  remembered  his 


SOME  UNITARIAN  HYMN  WRITERS  261 

Master  wlio  had  climbed  the  steep  of  Calvary,  and  so  his  spirit 

cried : 

Hold  Thou  Thy  cross  before  my  closing  eyes : 
Shine  through  the  gloom,  and  point  me  to  the  skies : 
Heaven's  morning  breaks,  and  earth's  vain  shadows  flee: 
In  life,  in  death,  O  Lord,  abide  with  me. 

Let  that  be  the  cry  of  our  spirits  also,  and  for  us  "the 
valley  of  the  shadow"  will  blaze  with  light. 


XIII. 

John  Mason  Neale 

And  Some  Hymns  from  the  Greek  and  Latin 


(263) 


Christ's  own  Martyrs,  valiant  cohort, 
White-robed  and  palmiferous  throng, 

Ye  that  'neath  the  Heavenly  Altar, 
Cry  "How  long,  O  Lord,  how  long?" 

Tell  us  how  the  fiery  struggle 
Ended  in  the  Victor  song? 

"  'Twas  nis  love  that  watch'd  beside  us, 

His  Right  Arm  that  brought  us  through; 

So,  the  fiercer  wax'd  our  torture. 
Sweeter  His  consoling  grew, 

Till  the  men  that  killed  the  body 
Had  no  more  that  they  could  do." 


All  Christ's  saints,  that  none  may  number, 

Out  of  every  land  and  tongue, 
Ye  that  by  the  fire  and  crystal 

Have  your  crowns  in  worship  flung, 
Tell  us  how  ye  gained  the  region 

Where  the  Unknown  Song  is  sung? 


"Glory,  honor,  adoration 

To  the  Lamb  that  once  was  slain; 
Virtue,  riches,  power,  the  kingdom. 
To  the  Prince  that  lives  again; 
His  entirely.  His  forever. 
His  we  are,  and  His  remain." 

John  Mason  Neale. 


(264) 


PT3BUC  UBP^A^^^ 


XIII. 

JOHE^  MASON  ITEALE, 

And  Some  Hymns  from  the  Greek  and  Latin. 

Many  millions  of  English-speaking  people  owe  to  John 
Mason  ISTeale  an  unspeakable  debt  of  gratitude  for  his  trans- 
lations of  Greek  and  Latin  hymns.  Before  his  time  such 
sacred  work  had  hardly  been  attempted.  By  him  it  was  not 
only  attempted,  but  splendidly  performed. 

His  biographer  tells  us : 

"He  had  great  qualifications  for  the  work;  and  so  far 
as  his  translations  are  concerned,  his  facility  had  no  power  to 
lead  him  astray.  He  had  too  deep  a  reverence  to  touch  the 
work  of  great  saints  and  writers  with  a  rash,  unpracticed  hand. 
Upon  his  translations  he  spent  an  unstinted  and  elaborate  care 
sometimes  lacking  in  the  case  of  his  original  verse.  It  is  one 
striking  evidence  of  his  love  for  the  past,  that  the  old  gems 
which  he  reset  were  neither  dimmed  nor  defaced  in  the  process. 
*  *  *  He  was  no  mere  imitator.  Accuracy  of  expression 
and  perfection  of  form  might  in  themselves  have  failed  to 
preserve  the  beauty  and  the  essence  of  a  poet's  conceptions. 
Like  the  artist  of  whom  ISTathaniel  Hawthorne  writes,  ISTeale's 
translations  had  ^that  evanescent  and  ethereal  life — that  flitting 
fragrance,  as  it  were,  of  the  originals — which  it  is  as  difficult 
to  catch  and  retain,  as  it  would  be  for  a  sculptor  to  get  the 
very  movement  and  varying  color  of  a  living  man  into  hia 
marble  bust.' 

"His  acknowledged  success  was  the  result  of  religious 
endeavor  and  reverent  perceptions.  Archbishop  Trench,  to 
whom  Neale  over  and  over  again  pays  a  grateful  tribute  of 
praise  and  admiration  for  his  labors  in  the  same  field,  speaks 
with  the  authority  of  a  distinguished  expert  as  to  ISTeale's  excep- 
tional gifts  as  a  translator.     In  his  preface  to  his  'Sacred  Latin 

(26s) 


266  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Poetry/  IS 64,  he  affirms,  that,  %y  patient  researches  in  almost 
all  European  lands,  he  has  brought  to  light  a  multitude  of 
hymns  unknown  before;  in  a  treatise  on  sequences  properly 
so  called,  has  for  the  first  time  explained  their  essential  char- 
acter, while  to  him  the  English  reader  owes  versions  of  some  of 
the  best  hymns,  such  as  often  successfully  overcome  the  almost 
insuperable  difficulties  which  some  of  them  present  to  the 
translator.'  " 

He  was  as  familiar  with  Greek  as  he  was  with  Latin, 
and  nearly  as  familiar  with  both  as  with  English.  A  playful 
proof  of  this  statement  is  contained  in  the  story  of  an  incident, 
which  has  often  been  told.  It  is  thus  narrated  by  his  last 
biographer : 

"When  the  Bishop  of  Salisbury  and  Keble  were  compiling 
a  hymn-book,  Neale  was  invited  to  assist  them.  He  called  at 
Hursley  parsonage,  and  after  talking  with  his  guest  Keble 
left  the  room  to  search  for  papers,  and  was  unexpectedly 
detained.  "When  he  returned,  ISTeale  observed  with  a  touch  of 
reproach  that  he  had  always  understood  the  'Christian  Year' 
to  be  entirely  original.  Keble  replied  that  it  most  certainly 
was.  'Then  how  do  you  explain  this  V  and  locale  drew  forth 
a  Latin  version  of  one  of  the  poems,  and  placed  it  before  him. 
Keble,  too  simple-minded  to  be  suspicious,  was  confounded, 
and  could  only  protest  in  distressed  astonishment  that  he  had 
never  seen  the  original  before;  but  though  relieved,  he  can 
hardly  have  been  less  surprised  when  ISTeale  explained  that  he 
had  taken  advantage  of  his  absence  to  turn  the  English  into 
Latin. 

"This  ease,  however,  never  led  him  into  careless  haste; 
and,  in  the  case  of  some  hymns,  he  would  spend  hours  and  even 
days  in  seeking  for  an  English  word  most  faithfully  express- 
ing the  mind  of  the  writer." 

To  John  Mason  INTeale  we  owe  six  hymns  which  have  been 
welcomed  to  our  hymnal,  and  twenty-three  translations.  The 
first  lines  of  these  translations  are  as  follows : 

i6    The  day  is  past  and  over. 
21    Before  the  ending  of  the  day. 


HYMNS  FROM   THE   GREEK  AND  LATIN      267 

45  Oh  come,  oil  come,  Emmanuel. 

52  Of  the  Father's  love  begotten. 

72)  Alleluia,  song  of  gladness. 

81  Christian,  dost  thou  see  them. 

90  All  glory,  laud  and  honor. 

94  The  royal  banners  forward  go. 

no  Come,  ye  faithful,  raise  the  strain. 

IIS  The  day  of  resurrection. 

167  O  wondrous  type !  O  vision  fair. 

170  Stars  of  the  morning,  so  gloriously  bright. 

220  Draw  nigh  and  take  the  Body  of  the  Lord. 

321  To  the  name  of  our  salvation. 

395  Those  eternal  bowers. 

397  Oh,  what  the  joy  and  the  glory  must  be. 

399  Light's  abode,  celestial  Salem. 

400  Blessed  city,  heavenly  Salem. 

405  The  world  is  very  evil. 

406  Brief  life  is  here  our  portion. 

407  For  thee,  0  dear,  dear  country. 

408  Jerusalem,  the  golden. 

461     The  strain  upraise  of  joy  and  praise. 

Of  his  original  hymns  the  first  lines  are : 

92  O  Thou,  who  through  this  holy  week. 

291  O  Lord  of  hosts,  whose  glory  fills. 

326  O  very  God  of  very  God. 

483  Christ  is  made  the  sure  foundation. 

571  Great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep. 

To  these  must  be  added  one,  which  is  sometimes  referred  to 
as  coming  from  St.  Stephen,  the  Sabaite,  but  ought  not  to  have 
been  so  regarded,  and  which  I  must  not  fail  to  give  in  full, 
as  perhaps  his  most  characteristic  utterance : 

342    Art  thou  weary,  art  thou  languid. 
Art  thou  sore  distrest? 
"Come  to  Me,"  saith  One,  "and  coming, 
Be  at  rest." 


268  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Hath  He  marks  to  lead  me  to  Him, 

If  He  be  my  guide? 
"In  His  feet  and  hands  are  wound-prints. 
And  His  side." 

Is  there  diadem,  as  monarch. 

That  His  brow  adorns? 
"Yea,  a  crown,  in  very  surety. 
But  of  thorns." 

If  I  find  Him,  if  I  follow. 
What  His  guerdon  here  ? 
"Many  a  sorrow,  many  a  labor, 
Many  a  tear." 

If  I  still  hold  closely  to  Him, 

What  hath  He  at  last? 
"Sorrow  vanquished,  labor  ended, 
Jordan  past." 

If  I  ask  Him  to  receive  me. 

Will  He  say  me  nay? 
"Not  till  earth,  and  not  till  heaven 
Pass  away." 

Finding,  following,  keeping,  struggling. 

Is  He  sure  to  bless? 
Saints,  apostles,  prophets,  martyrs. 
Answer,  "Yes." 


How  wonderfully  touching  these  words  are,  and  how  won- 
derfully true  and  beautiful !  Besides,  in  lyric  power,  they  are 
as  moving  as  his  translation  of  the  hymn  of  St.  Anatolius,  which 
had  a  place  in  our  hymnal  of  1871. 

Fierce  was  the  wild  billow. 

Dark  was  the  night; 
Oars  labored  heavily, 

Foam  glimmered  white; 
Mariners   trembled. 

Peril  was  nigh: 
Then  said  the  God  of  God, 

"Peace!    It  is  I." 


HYMNS  FROM   THE   GREEK  AND  LATIN      269 

Ridge  of  the  mountain-wave, 

Lower  thy  crest; 
Wail  of  the  tempest-wind. 

Be  thou  at  rest! 
Peril  can  none  be. 

Sorrow  must  fly, 
Where  saith  the  Light  of  light, 

"Peace!    It  is  L" 

Jesus,  Deliverer, 

Come  Thou  to  me; 
Soothe  Thou  my  voyaging 

Over  life's  sea: 
Thou,  when  the  storm  of  death 

Roars,  sweeping  by, 
Whisper,  O  Truth  of  truth— 

"Peace!    It  is  L" 


Of  John  Mason  ISTeale  himself  there  is  this  to  be  said, 
in  brief:  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  London,  January  24,  1818, 
and  died  at  East  Grinstead,  August  6,  1866.  His  father  was 
a  distinguished  Cambridge  graduate,  his  mother  a  saintly 
woman,  who  was  his  teacher  in  his  early  days.  His  college 
career  was,  in  classics,  an  immense  success,  and  in  mathematics 
a  dismal  failure.  Athletics  had  no  attraction  for  him.  Books 
were  his  chiefest  pleasure.  He  was  ordained  deacon  June  6, 
1841,  and  began  work  as  a  chaplain.  This  did  not  long  con- 
tinue. His  only  pastorate  was  at  Crawley,  and  that  also  was 
very  brief.     His  biographer  tells  us  as  to  this  period : 

"During  his  short  residence  at  Crawley  his  power  of  adapt- 
ing himself  to  new  scenes  and  untried  work  was  strikingly 
exemplified.  The  life  of  the  student  and  the  antiquary  was 
left  behind ;  he  had  no  time  to  gratify  his  taste  for  books  and 
manuscripts,  and  rare  chances  of  intellectual  companionship; 
but  to  build  up  the  spiritual  fabric  of  the  Church  in  the  eyes 
of  his  people,  to  dispense  its  treasures  and  make  known  its 
power  was  a  work  for  which  everything  else  might  be  gladly 
and  thankfully  relinquished." 

One  picture  in  the  narrative  stands  out  vividly,  the  picture 
of  an  earnest  parson,  "armed  with  a  hatchet  and  the  churcli- 


270  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

warden's  consent,  hacking  down  pews  as  representing  worldly 
distinctions  out  of  place  in  the  house  of  God." 

Perhaps  this  needs  a  word  of  explanation.  In  England, 
the  Established  Church  is  supported,  through  the  State,  by 
endowments  built  up  in  centuries  long  since  gone  by.  Church 
buildings  are  not  the  property  of  a  favored  class,  intended 
chiefly  for  their  use,  but  a  sacred  trust  suggesting  the  inscrip- 
tion, ''Let  the  people  praise  Thee,  O  God;  yea,  let  all  the 
people  praise  Thee."  For  persons  of  rank  and  position  to 
appropriate  to  themselves  chosen  parts  of  these  sacred  structures, 
Neale  rightly  thought  to  be  an  abomination.  The  churchwar- 
den's consent  made  his  action  legal.  That  action  recalls  a  scene 
in  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  when  the  Master  drove  out  the 
money-changers,  saying,  "Take  these  things  hence." 

He  would  have  been  glad  to  linger  in  faithful  ministerial 
service,  but  ill-health  took  hold  of  him,  and  he  had  to  flee  for 
his  life.  For  three  years  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  was 
spent  in  Madeira,  where  he  found  at  Funchal  an  excellent 
ecclesiastical  library,  and  did  most  studious  work  in  a  balmy 
clime. 

In  1845  he  returned  permanently  to  England,  and  soon 
afterwards  accepted  the  wardenship  of  Sackville  College,  where 
a  house  was  provided  for  him,  and  an  annual  income  of  less 
than  thirty  pounds.  This  institution  was  not  a  college,  as  we 
understand  that  term,  but  more  nearly  an  almshouse,  founded 
in  the  year  1606  to  make  provision  for  the  permanent  support 
of  thirty  poor  and  aged  householders,  which  number  had  been 
much  decreased  by  "interminable  lawsuits."  In  this  humble 
position  he  remained  for  twenty  years,  until  he  died. 

There  was  one  year  of  peace;  then  trouble  came.  The 
common  people  regarded  him  as  a  Romanist  in  disguise. 
The  Bishop  thought  him  to  be  a  purveyor  of  "spiritual  haber- 
dashery," and  so  inhibited  him  from  "the  exercise  of  cleri- 
cal functions"  in  his  diocese.  This  he  resisted,  though  with- 
out success. 

The  great  work  of  his  life  remained  before  him;  first 
in  sacred  literature,  where  his  toil  and  its  results  were  alike 
great,   and  afterwards   in  the  foundation   of  that  Sisterhood 


HYMNS  FROM   THE   GREEK  AND   LATIN      271 

whose  branches  have  spread  over  the  earth.  The  origin  of  the 
Sisterhood  is  thus  stated  by  his  biographer: 

''N^eale's  pitiful  sense  of  the  embittering  contradistinctions 
between  the  condition  of  the  wealthy  and  the  indigent  first 
instigated  what  was  destined  to  be  the  great  practical  work  of 
his  life,  the  foundation  and  supervision  of  St.  Margaret's  Sis- 
terhood, East  Grinstead." 

One  incident  of  his  experiences  is  thus  recorded : 

"On  October  30,  1857,  he  wrote:  'The  success  of  the  Sis- 
terhood is  really  surprising.  *  *  *  Considering  the 
tremendous  opposition  we  have  encountered,  is  not  that  a  tri- 
umph over  prejudice  V  And  then,  only  a  fortnight  later,  the 
Btorm  broke. 

"The  occasion  was  the  death  of  a  Sister  who  had  but  lately 
joined  the  Community,  Her  father  had  been  summoned,  but 
the  end  was  somewhat  sudden,  and  he  arrived  too  late  to  see  her 
alive.  In  the  meantime,  she  had  been  permitted  (perhaps, 
under  the  circumstances,  indiscreetly)  to  make  a  will  in  which 
she  left  the  bulk  of  her  little  property  to  a  favorite  brother,  a 
legacy  to  her  sisters,  and  £400  to  St.  Margaret's.  She  had 
expressed  a  wish  to  be  buried  in  the  family  vault  at  Lewes, 
and  her  father,  on  his  arrival,  at  first  professed  to  be  satisfied 
that  everything  right  and  possible  had  been  done,  and  was 
prepared  to  make  funeral  arrangements  in  accordance  with 
her  request.  Before  the  funeral  (which,  contrary  to  the  wishes 
of  Dr.  ]^eale  and  the  Sisters,  he  had  fixed  for  the  evening),  he 
appears  to  have  conceived  an  unreasonable  hostility  towards 
those  under  whose  care  she  had  died,  a  hostility  possibly 
aggravated  by  natural  distress  and  the  provisions  of  the  will. 
His  displeasure,  unrestrained  and  violent  in  its  expressions, 
set  all  manner  of  exaggerated  reports  afloat  in  the  town ;  and 
by  the  day  fij^ed  for  the  interment  an  adverse  party  had  or- 
ganized a  public  protest.  Carried  out  by  an  uncontrollable 
mob  drawn  from  the  lowest  dregs  of  the  population,  it  assumed 
proportions  and  led  to  actions  it  may  be  trusted  its  promoters 
had  not  anticipated.  A  threatening  crowd  filled  the  church- 
yard, and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  the  mourners  followed  the 
coffin  to  the  vault.     There  was  nothing  unusual  to  excite  angry 


272  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

feelings,  all  arrangements  having  been  left  to  the  Sister's 
family;  but  during  the  service  the  rabble  in  the  churchyard 
raised  turbulent  shouts,  their  attitude  every  moment  becoming 
more  inimical.  In  the  half-darkness  the  worst  characters  had 
no  fear  of  recognition.  They  made  way  for  the  family  to  pass 
out ;  and  then  lights  were  extinguished,  or  flashed  in  the  faces 
of  those  they  attacked,  so  as  to  make  confusion  worse  than  dark- 
ness, and  a  fierce  rush  was  made  upon  the  band  of  Sisters. 
Neale  was  knocked  down  before  he  could  prevent  them  from 
being  hustled  and  insulted,  and  the  whole  company  were  borne 
along  the  street  at  the  mercy  of  the  crowd,  until  at  last  the 
police  gathered  sufficient  force  to  secure  their  retreat — some 
into  the  schoolmaster's  house,  and  some  into  a  friendly  inn, 
where,  at  least,  a  siege  was  less  intolerable  than  a  street  fight. 
It  was  not  until  after  strenuous  police  efforts  that  the .  train 
could  be  reached,  for  the  return  journey  to  East  Grinstead,  the 
rabble  besetting  the  station  to  the  very  last. 

"Still  the  father's  vindictive  instincts  were  not  appeased. 
He  published  a  scandalous  account  of  the  cause  of  the  dis- 
turbance, asserting  that  his  daughter  had  been  entrapped  into 
the  Sisterhood,  purposely  placed  in  the  way  of  infection  (she 
died  from  nursing  scarlet  fever),  and  then  induced  to  make  a 
will  in  favor  of  the  Community." 

This  storm,  however,  passed  over,  and  large  prosperity 
came. 

What  a  conglomerate  man  we  are  considering !  At  once  a 
scholar,  a  hero,  a  child,  a  saint.  Twenty  different  languages 
were  his  ready  servants.  Such  was  his  sturdy  stature  that  he 
feared  no  man  on  earth.  At  the  same  time,  he  had  his  decided 
peculiarities.     We  read  concerning  him: 

"I^eale  had  undeniably  little  worldly  wisdom,  and,  with 
regard  to  money  matters,  very  imperfectly  developed  business 
qualifications.  He  was  culpably  careless  in  regard  to  his  per- 
sonal expenditure;  would  drop  a  check  out  of  his  pocket  and 
never  miss  it,  and  leave  five-pound  notes  scattered  upon  his 
table,  or  simply  thrust  into  a  chimney-piece  ornament  or 
into  a  money  box." 


cntoarti  Cajstoail 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBIJC  LIBRAKY 


X  AND 
■MDATIONB 
L 


HYMNS  FROM  THE   GREEK  AND  LATIN      273 

We  read  also: 

"He  was  ever  ready  to  answer  inquiries,  clear  up  disputed 
points,  and  freely  bestow  information  upon  almost  every  con- 
ceivable subject,  turning  from  one  thing  to  another  with  extraor- 
dinary facility.  His  mind  was  a  labyrinth,  but  it  was  one  to 
which  he  never  lost  the  clue.  All  this  stood  him  in  good  stead 
when  his  conversational  powers  were  put  in  requisition.  On 
the  other  hand,  he  was  deficient  in  those  social  capabilities, 
either  natural  or  acquired,  enabling  a  man  to  take  his  right 
place  in  mixed  company.  As  a  guest  at  a  country  house  or  a 
London  dinner  party,  he  might  easily  have  given  a  poor  or 
wrong  impression  of  his  powers.  Indeed,  on  one  of  his  visits 
to  Lavington,  it  is  recorded  that,  though  he  had  been  expressly 
invited  to  meet  the  Bishop  of  Oxford,  when  the  dinner-hour 
arrived  he  could  nowhere  be  found ;  and  when  a  search  was  insti- 
tuted it  was  discovered  that  in  a  sudden  access  of  shyness  he 
had  gone  to  bed  as  the  only  possible  excuse  for  not  appearing 
at  dinner." 

A  page  or  two  must  be  added  from  the  concluding  para- 
graph of  Miss  Towle's  very  interesting  biography. 

^'Ubiquitous,  aggressive,  persistent,  with  decided  anti- 
pathies and  equally  strong  predilections,  he  went  on  his  way, 
unsparing  of  effort,  indifferent  to  censure,  in  his  sanguine 
search  for  buried  knowledge ;  his  endeavors  sanctified  by  rever- 
ence for  each  manifestation  of  grace  or  truth. 

"But  in  spite  of  his  vigorous  vitality  and  inordinate  efforts, 
there  were  disquieting  symptoms  in  the  early  part  of  1866, 
indicative  of  approaching  disabilities.  The  flesh  would  impose 
limitations,  though,  like  a  recurrent  wave,  the  spirit  beat  against 
the  barriers.  In  very  literal  truth,  he  went  forth  'to  his  work 
and  labor  until  the  evening.' 

"He  had  been  doomed  by  physicians  to  an  early  death, 
yet  their  prognostications  had  remained  unfulfilled.  He  had 
conquered  in  the  first  struggle  against  disease,  and  though  at 
intervals  he  had  suffered  and  failed,  he  had  rarely  experienced 
the  lassitude  and  depression  attending  upon  sickness  in  its 
various  forms ;  and  it  is  possible  that  thus  he  had  unconsciously 
led  others  to  overestimate  his  strength.     It  was  not  a  gift  he 

x8 


274  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

had  even  thought  it  his  duty  to  measure  or  husband.  He  had 
been  a  generous,  if  unwise,  spendthrift  of  his  talents,  his  powers, 
and  his  time.  He  had  let  the  world's  prizes  slip  through  his 
fingers  as  things  of  no  account,  but  he  had  amassed  a  strange 
medley  of  possessions,  for  which  he  counted  them  well  lost. 

"The  journals  of  1866  show  that  he  toiled  as  long  as  he 
was  able,  with  energy  and  hopefulness,  for  the  development  of 
the  Sisterhood.  He  took  no  warning  from  increasing  weak- 
ness and  attacks  of  illness;  in  the  intervals  of  services  and 
other  spiritual  work  he  was  out  in  all  weathers,  superintending 
workmen  and  revising  plans.  He  often  came  back  wet,  chilled, 
and  exhausted ;  and  still,  with  restless  unflagging  courage,  he 
refused  to  abandon  his  post. 

"Nevertheless,  it  was  apparent  to  those  who  knew  him 
that  the  sands  of  life  were  too  rapidly  running  out.  He  was 
only  forty-eight,  and  it  is  possible  that  precautions  might  have 
preserved  his  health  for  many  years.  It  would  have  been, 
however,  hard  if  not  impossible  to  associate  the  passive  serenity 
of  old  age  with  his  unbounded  spirit  of  enterprise  and  insatiable 
love  of  work.  He  had  delighted  in  spiritual  discoveries  and 
literary  adventures,  and  had  climbed  the  hill  of  difficulty  with 
a  light  heart.  Even  in  the  antechamber  of  death  he  would 
have  welcomed  a  reprieve.  He  was  no  tired  traveler  seeking 
repose,  no  weary  warrior  anxious  to  lay  down  his  arms;  the 
world  for  him  was  still  in  its  springtime,  and  the  sunshine  lay 
not  alone  upon  untraveled  realms  of  thought,  but  upon  the 
familiar  roadway  beneath  his  feet.     *     *     * 

"He  had  never  lingered  over  a  task,  and  death  itself  made 
no  long  delay.  The  conflict  was  short  though  sharp ;  but  a  few 
days  of  acute  suffering  and  fever,  and  upon  the  Feast  of  the 
Transfiguration,  August  6,  1866,  his  work  and  life  upon  earth 
were  over. 

"Twenty  years  before,  full  of  young  and  generous  hopes, 
he  had  come  without  a  regret  within  that  remote  enclosure. 
Twenty  years  had  passed  of  strenuous  unremitting  labor. 
Thoughts  and  aspirations  had  been  wrought  into  divers  forms 
in  the  crucible  of  his  restless  brain.  Numerous  schemes  for 
alleviating  the  lot  of  the  poor  and  desolate,  and  bringing  the 


HYMNS  FROM  THE  GREEK  AND  LATIN      275 

light  of  Divine  Truth  to  shine  into  misguided  or  darkened 
understandings,  had  been  evolved.  In  a  patient  study  of  the 
past,  uniting  a  monk's  love  for  an  old  missal  to  a  scholar's 
value  for  the  treasures  of  antiquity,  he  had  unearthed  and 
discovered  jewels  of  great  price — the  crown  jewels  of  the 
Church. 

"IsTow,  when  his  active  brain  was  quiet,  when  the  hot 
pursuit  of  ideals  was  ended,  and  the  pen  had  dropped  from  his 
fingers,  it  was  fitting  that  he  should  rest  in  the  room  next  to 
his  study.  Thence  might  be  seen,  framed  in  the  vine-leaves 
about  the  window,  the  soft  lines  of  woods  and  hills  rising 
against  the  horizon  where  his  eyes  had  so  often  rested,  which 
had  prompted  thought,  silenced  anxieties,  and  brought  peace  to 
his  soul.     *     *     * 

"About  a  mile  away,  amidst  woods  and  lawns  and  sheltered 
gardens,  there  is  a  monument  raised  to  his  memory — the  Mother 
House  of  the  East  Grinstead  Sisterhood.  The  beautiful  pile 
of  gray  stone,  with  its  tiled  roofs  and  belfry  tower  and  long 
double  cloisters  bordering  a  wide  quadrangle;  its  schools  and 
orphanage,  and  guest-chambers,  affording  accommodation  to 
over  sixty  Sisters  and  more  than  two  hundred  inmates ;  and 
the  lofty  dignified  chapel  of  severe  Early  English  design; — 
all  bear  a  striking  silent  witness  to  what  his  life  and  death  have 
wrought.  Faithful  to  that  pitiful  affection  for  the  poor  and 
destitute  so  often  in  life  the  motive  power  of  action,  his  last 
bequest  was  an  annual  dinner  to  the  pensioners  at  Sackville 
College.  But  more  honored  in  his  death  than  in  his  life,  the 
Great  Convent  was  erected  to  his  memory  at  the  cost  of  over 
£70,000. 

"The  quest  was  over.  His  labors  were  end^d.  His 
dreams  had  found  an  interpreter.  Sorrow  and  sickness  and 
poverty  could  no  longer  cast  a  shadow  of  vicarious  suffering, 
for  beside  the  river  there  stood  the  tree  whose  leaves  are  for 
the  healing  of  the  nations.  The  mysterious  problems  of  life 
were  solved,  and  the  perplexing  divisions  of  Christendom  for- 
gotten within  the  walls  of  a  city  at  unity  in  itself,  and  the  un- 
slaked thirst  for  active  service  satisfied  in  that  land  where  the 
servants  of  Gtxi  forever  serve  Him." 


276  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

How  appropriate  that  his  own  hymn  entitled  "The  Return 
Home"  should  have  been  sung  at  his  funeral,  as  follows : 

Safe  home,  safe  home  in  port! 

Rent  cordage,  shattered  deck. 
Torn  sails,  provisions  short. 

And  only  not  a  wreck; 
But  oh,  the  joy  upon  the  shore 
To  tell  our  voyage-perils  o'er! 

The  prize,  the  prize  secure! 

The  athlete  nearly  fell; 
Bare  all  he  could  endure,  . . 

And  bare  not  always  well ; 
But  he  may  smile  at  troubles  gone. 
Who  sets  the  victor-garland  on. 

No  more  the  foe  can  harm: 

No  more  of  leaguered  camp. 
And  cry  of  night-alarm. 

And  need  of  ready  lamp: 
And  yet  how  nearly  he  had  failed — 
How  nearly  had  that  foe  prevailed! 

The  lamb  is  in  the  fold. 

In  perfect  safety  penned: 
The  lion  once  had  hold. 

And  thought  to  make  an  end; 
But  One  came  by  with  wounded  side. 
And  for  the  sheep  the  Shepherd  died. 

The  exile  is  at  home! 

O  nights  and  days  of  tears, 
O  longings  not  to  roam, 

O  sins,  and  doubts,  and  fears, — 
"What  matter  now,  when  (so  men  say) 
The  King  has  wiped  those  tears  away? 

O  happy,  happy  Bride! 

Thy  widowed  hours  are  past. 
The  Bridegroom  at  thy  side. 

Thou  all  His  own  at  last ; 
The  sorrows  of  thy  former  cup 
In  full  fruition  swallowed  up ! 


HYMNS  FROM   THE   GREEK  AND  LATIN      277 

Canon  Overton's  words  concerning  Dr.  I^eale  are  just  and 
true,  as  follows : 

"One  trait  of  his  singularly  lovable  cliaracter  must  not 
pass  unnoticed.  His  charity,  both  in  the  popular  and  in  the 
truer  Christian  sense  of  the  word,  was  unbounded;  he  was 
liberal  and  almost  lavish  with  his  money,  and  his  liberality 
extended  to  men  of  all  creeds  and  opinions.  *  *  *  Jf^ 
however,  success  in  life  depended  upon  worldly  advantages.  Dr. 
!Neale's  life  would  have  to  be  pronounced  a  failure;  for,  as  his 
old  friend.  Dr.  Littledale,  justly  complains,  'he  spent  nearly 
half  his  life  where  he  died,  in  the  position  of  warden  of  an 
obscure  almshouse  on  a  salary  of  £27  a  year.'  But  measured 
by  a  different  standard,  his  short  life  assumes  very  different 
proportions.  JSTot  only  did  he  win  the  love  and  gratitude  of 
those  with  whom  he  was  immediately  connected,  but  he  acquired 
a  world-wide  reputation  as  a  writer,  and  he  lived  to  see  that 
Church  revival,  to  promote  which  was  the  great  object  of  his 
whole  career,  already  advancing  to  the  position  which  it  now 
occupies  in  the  land  of  his  birth." 

It  is  pleasant  to  read  in  Miss  Towle's  biography: 

"In  politics  Neale  was  naturally,  we  had  almost  said 
inevitably,  a  Liberal.  He  was  a  constant  reader  of  newspapers, 
and,  at  the  time  of  the  war  in  America,  absorbed  in  public 
affairs.  He  had  an  unbounded  admiration  for  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, and  felt  his  death  to  be  a  personal  bereavement  as  well 
as  a  national  calamity." 

That  an  Englishman  of  the  favored  class  should  have 
learned  so  quickly  to  bow  before  the  immense  and  genuine 
majesty  of  our  great  Martyr  President  is  greatly  to  his  credit. 
It  was  soul  meeting  soul  in  noble  communion. 

In  reply  to  a  special  request  for  a  characterization  of  Dr. 
Neale,  the  Rev.  Frederic  M.  Bird  has  kindly  written  as  follows : 

"The  fact  that  he  was  poor,  lonely,  almost  friendless  (being 
a  Cambridge,  not  an  Oxford  man),  and  the  victim — partly 
from  his  own  temperament  and  unworldly  courage — of  scandal, 
persecution,  and  continuous  neglect,  excuses  the  suspicion  that 
still  hangs  about  his  memory  only  from  the  viewpoint  of  the 
vulgar  world,  which  distrusts  and  dislikes  anything  not  on 
approved  conventional  lines. 


278  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

"As  to  certain  disparagements :  I  fancy  mucli  of  what  little 
wine  he  could  afford  went  to  that  poor  and  sick  dissenting  minis- 
ter who,  abandoned  by  his  o^vn  people,  was  kept  alive  partly 
by  this  Eomanizer's  charity.  And  how  many  £5  notes  had  one 
to  fling  about  and  lose  whose  official  income  was  less  than  thirty 
pounds,  and  who  labored  long  at  writing  fiction  to  support  his 
family  ? 

"His  literary  results,  however  unequal,  were  vast  and  mem- 
orable. He  preferred  to  produce  learned  w^orks  like  that  on 
the  Eastern  Church,  which  won  highest  praise  from  the  chief 
Russian  authority,  and  devotional  books,  such  as  could  bring  in 
little  money;  but  from  his  potboiling  came  such  a  wonderful 
series  of  tales  from  Church  history  in  every  age  and  land  as 
nobody  else  has  paralleled — I  mean  the  numerous  best,  mostly 
short,  reprinted  in  (I  think)  ten  or  twelve  volumes.  What 
hindered  their  currency  was  Protestant  fears,  for  he  swallowed 
the  hugest  miracles,  and  his  martyrs  were  Roman  Catholics, 
preferably  Jesuits,  and  his  persecutors  Huguenots  or  Dutch 
Calvinists.  xlll  this  amused  me  much  when  I  read  the  tales 
some  thirty  years  ago,  and  seemed  a  fair  set-off  to  the  Cove- 
nanting legends,  etc.,  of  my  Sunday  School  days. 

"If  he  was  a  fighter  it  was  only  in  bearing  testimony;  I 
never  heard  of  his  denouncing  or  attacking  anybody.  When 
that  partisan  bishop,  after  thirteen  years,  took  off  the  inhibition 
with  a  scant  apology,  intimating  that  he  had  mistaken  the  man, 
locale  dedicated  the  next  edition  of  his  Seatonian  poems  to 
him — not  as  tuft-hunting,  but  as  carrying  Christian  forgiveness 
to  the  limit  of  the  New  Testament  or  Marcus  Aurelius.  This 
was  the  man's  spirit.  Read  his  'Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus.' 
You  must  have  seen  that  the  feeling  in  his  best  hymns  is  as 
deep  and  genuine  as  it  ever  is  anywhere.  The  splendid  'Jeru- 
salem the  Golden'  series  came  as  hot  from  his  heart  and  as 
straight  from  his  experience  as  from  the  poor  Cluniac  monk. 

"The  Congregationalist,  Josiah  Miller,  writes  truly  of  him 
when  he  says :  'His  life  was  divided  between  excessive  literary 
toil  and  exhausting  labors  of  piety  and  benevolence.'  What  a 
tribute,  and  how  few  could  deserve  it!  The  words  refer  to 
N'eale'e  outer  life,  but  plainly  imply  the  inner.     It  is  heart 


HYMNS  FROM  THE  GREEK  AND  LATIN      279 

answering  heart — a  good  heart  overleaping  high  hedges  of  doc- 
trinal difference  and  thick  walls  of  ecclesiastical  severance  at  the 
appeal  of  a  great  man's  great  heart." 

To  one  other  man  only,  Edwakd  Caswall,  does  our 
hymnal  owe  a  really  great  debt  for  his  most  acceptable  Latin 
translations.  Suffice  it  to  say  concerning  him  that  he  was  a 
Christian  gentleman  of  many  gifts  and  much  culture,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Oxford,  who  was  first  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of 
England,  and  afterwards  followed  John  Henry  Kewman  into 
the  Church  of  Rome.  He  was  bom  July  15,  1814,  and  died  at 
the  Oratory,  Edgbaston,  January  2,  1878.  He  loved  God  and 
little  children.  His  ministries  of  compassionate  care  were 
expended  chiefly  amongst  the  poor. 

The  first  lines  of  his  translated  hymns  are  as  follows : 

10  The  sun  is  sinking  fast. 

41  Hark!  a  thrilling  voice  is  sounding. 

50  Come  hither,  ye  faithful. 

62  Earth  has  many  a  noble  city. 

98  Sing,  my  tongue,  the  Saviour's  battle. 

103  At  the  cross  her  station  keeping. 

227  O  saving  Victim,  opening  wide. 

362  Glory  be  to  Jesus. 

378  Come,  Thou  Holy  Spirit,  come. 

380  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  Creator  blest. 

434  Jesu,  the  very  thought  of  Thee. 

445  When  morning  gilds  the  skies. 

653  My  God,  I  love  Thee:  not  because. 

There  is  also  an  original  hymn  of  his  composition,  the 
first  line  of  which  is : 

621    Days  and  moments  quickly  flying. 

In  all  there  are  sixty-one  of  our  hymns  which  have  come 
to  us  from  the  Greek  and  Latin,  too  many,  of  course,  for  anno- 
tation here.     I  make  choice  of  seven  to  engage  us  with  a  passing 


28o  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

word ;  and  eight  others,  possibly  the  more  important,  for  fuller 
consideration. 

The  oldest  Christian  hymn  known  to  us  is  to  be  found  in 
the  writings  of  Clement  of  Alexandria^  who  was  bom  about 
the  year  170.  He  was  a  seeker  for  truth,  first  in  schools  of  Greek 
philosophy,  and  afterwards  in  the  school  of  Jesus  Christ.  He 
found  his  Divine  Master,  and  yielded  to  Him  the  homage  of 
his  soul.  Origen  was  one  of  his  pupils,  and  Alexander,  after- 
wards Bishop  of  Jerusalem.  His  theology  was  large  and 
liberal. 

This  is  the  first  stanza  of  his  hymn,  in  all  of  which  we 
rejoice,  translated  for  us  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Henky  M.  Dexter, 
a  New  England  Congregational  minister. 

446     Shepherd  of  tender  youth. 
Guiding  in  love  and  truth 

Through  devious  ways; 
Christ  our  triumphant  King, 
We  come  Thy  name  to  sing; 
Hither  our  children  bring 
Tributes  of  praise. 

Another  ancient  hymn  of  sweetness  and  light  is  that  even- 
ing hymn  probably  written  by  St.  Anatolius,  the  first  stanza 
of  which  is : 

16    The  day  is  past  and  over: 

All  thanks,  O  Lord,  to  Thee  I 
I  pray  Thee  that  offenceless 

The  hours  of  dark  may  be. 
O  Jesu,  keep  me  in  Thy  sight. 
And  save  me  through  the  coming  night! 

Concerning  this  hymn  Dr.  "Neale  writes,  "It  is  to  the  scat- 
tered hamlets  of  Chios  and  Mitylene  what  Bishop  Ken's  hymn, 
is  to  the  villages  of  our  own  land,  and  its  melody  is  singu- 
larly plaintive  and  touching." 

One  of  our  Lenten  hymns,  translated  by  Dr.  I^eale,  is  a 
hymn  to  rouse  and  stir.  How  its  words  ring  out  like  some 
battle  cry: 


,XAMi^ 


HYMNS  FROM   THE   GREEK  AND  LATIN      281 

81     Christian!  dost  thou  see  them 

On  the  holy  ground, 
How  the  powers  of  darkness 

Rage  thy  steps  around? 
Christian!  up  and  smite  them. 

Counting  gain  but  loss; 
In  the  strength  that  cometh 

By  the  holy  cross. 

One  of  onr  great  Easter  hjmns  must  not  go  unnoticed. 
It  thus  begins : 

115     The  day  of  resurrection! 

Earth,  tell  it  out  abroad; 
The  Passover  of  gladness. 

The  Passover  of  God. 
From  death  to  life  eternal. 

From  earth  unto  the  sky, 
Our  Christ  hath  brought  us  over 

With  hymns  of  victory. 

This  hymn  is  sung  every  Easter  day  at  Athens,  in  connec- 
tion with  a  service  of  which  Dr.  ITeale  quotes  this  description : 

"As  midnight  approached,  the  Archbishop,  with  his  priests, 
accompanied  by  the  King  and  Queen,  left  the  church  and 
stationed  themselves  on  the  platform,  which  was  raised  consid- 
erably from  the  ground,  so  that  they  were  distinctly  seen  by  the 
people.  Everyone  now  remained  in  breathless  expectation, 
holding  their  unlighted  tapers  in  readiness  when  the  glad 
moment  should  arrive,  while  the  priests  still  continued  murmur- 
ing their  melancholy  cHant  in  a  low  half --whisper.  Suddenly  a 
single  report  of  a  cannon  announced  that  twelve  o'clock  had 
struck,  and  the  Easter  day  had  begun.  Then  the  old  Arch- 
bishop, elevating  the  cross,  exclaimed  in  a  loud  exulting  tone, 
'Christos  anesti,  Christ  is  risen!'  and  instantly  every  single 
individual  of  all  the  host  took  up  the  cry,  and  the  vast  multitude 
broke  through  and  dispelled  forever  the  intense  and  mournful 
silence  which  they  had  maintained  so  long  with  one  spontaneous 
shout  of  indescribable  joy  and  triumph,  'Christ  is  risen !  Christ 
is  risen !'  At  the  same  moment  the  oppressive  darkness  was  suc- 
ceeded by  a  blaze  of  light  from  thousands  of  tapers,  which,  com- 


282  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

miinicating  one  from  another,  seemed  to  send  streams  of  fire  in 
all  directions,  rendering  the  minutest  objects  distinctly  visible, 
and  casting  the  most  vivid  glovs^  on  the  expressive  faces,  full  of 
exultation,  of  the  rejoicing  crowds;  bands  of  music  struck  up 
their  gayest  strains ;  the  roll  of  the  drum  through  the  town  and, 
further  on,  the  pealing  of  the  cannon  announced  far  and  near 
these  'glad  tidings  of  great  joy;'  while  from  hill  and  plain, 
from  the  seashore  and  the  far  olive  grove,  rocket  after  rocket 
ascending  to  the  clear  sky,  answered  back  with  their  mute  elo- 
quence that  Christ  is  risen  indeed,  and  told  of  other  tongues 
that  were  rejDeating  those  blessed  words,  and  other  hearts  that 
leapt  for  joy;  everywhere  men  clasped  each  other's  hands,  and 
congratulated  one  another,  and  embraced  with  countenances 
beaming  with  delight,  as  though  to  each  one  separately  some 
wonderful  happiness  had  been  proclaimed — and  so  in  truth  it 
was — and  all  the  while,  rising  above  the  mingling  of  many 
sounds,  each  one  of  which  was  a  sound  of  gladness,  the  aged 
priests  were  distinctly  heard  chanting  forth  a  glorious  old  hymn 
of  victory  in  tones  so  loud  and  clear  that  they  seemed  to  have 
regained  their  youth  and  strength  to  tell  the  world  how  'Christ 
is  risen  from  the  dead,  having  trampled  death  beneath  His 
feet,  and  henceforth  the  entombed  have  everlasting  life.'  " 

St.  John  Damascene  was  one  of  the  most  interesting 
figures  of  the  eighth  century.  He  is  thought  to  have  been 
the  greatest  poet  of  the  Grecian  Church.  Born  in  what  is  said 
to  be  the  oldest  city  of  the  world,  he  turned  away  from  scenes 
which  afterwards  so  fascinated  Mohammed,  unmindful  of  the 
music  of  Abana  and  Pharpar,  rivers  of  Damascus,  and  of  the 
hills  round  about  rising  in  their  splendor,  and  sought  that 
desolate  spot  where  stood,  and  still  stands,  the  monastery  of 
St.  Sabas,  between  Jerusalem  and  the  Dead  Sea.  There  he  lived 
in  the  midst  of  the  stony  wilderness  of  Judea.  There  he 
mourned  and  prayed.  We  are  thankful  that  we  can  sing  his 
words  as  follows : 

395    Those  eternal  bowers 
Man  hath  never  trod. 
Those  unfading  flowers 
Round  the  throne  of  God : 


HYMNS  FROM   THE   GREEK  AND  LATIN      283 

Who  may  hope  to  gain  them 

After  weary  fight  ? 
Who  at  length  attain  them. 

Clad  in  robes  of  white? 

Of  Adam  of  St.  Victor^  Archbishop  Trench  writes  thus: 

"His  profound  acquaintance  with  the  whole  circle  of  the 
theology  of  his  time,  and  eminently  with  its  exposition  of 
Scripture ;  the  abundant  and  admirable  use  which  he  makes  of 
it,  delivering  as  he  thus  does  his  poems  from  the  merely  subjec- 
tive cast  of  those,  beautiful  as  they  are,  of  St.  Bernard ;  the  ex- 
quisite art  and  variety  with  which,  for  the  most  part,  his  verse  is 
managed  and  his  rhymes  disposed — their  rich  melody  multi- 
plying and  ever  deepening  at  the  close ;  the  strength  which  he 
often  concentrates  into  a  single  line;  his  skill  in  conducting  a 
narration;  and  most  of  all,  the  evident  nearness  of  the  things 
which  he  celebrates  to  his  own  heart  of  hearts — all  these,  and 
other  excellences,  render  him,  as  far  as  my  judgment  goes,  the 
foremost  among  the  sacred  Latin  poets  of  the  Middle  Ages." 

In  oft-quoted  words,  Dr.  I^Teale  says  also : 

"It  is  a  magnificent  thing  to  pass  along  the  far-stretching 
vista  of  hymns,  from  the  sublime  self-containedness  of  St. 
Ambrose  to  the  more  fervid  inspiration  of  St.  Gregory,  the 
exquisite  typology  of  Venantius  Fortunatus,  the  lovely  painting 
of  St.  Peter  Damiani,  the  crystal-like  simplicity  of  St.  ISTotker, 
the  Scriptural  calm  of  Godescalcus,  the  subjective  loveliness 
of  St.  Bernard,  but  all  culminate  in  the  full  blaze  of  glory 
which  surrounds  Adam  of  St.  Victor,  the  greatest  of  all." 

And  so  our  souls  move  exultingly  as  we  sing  with  him, 
in  Robert  Campbell''s  translation : 

497    Come,  pure  hearts,  in  sweetest  measures 
Sing  of  those  who  spread  the  treasures 

In  the  holy  gospels  shrined ! 
Blessed  tidings  of  salvation. 
Peace  on  earth  their  proclamation. 

Love  from  God  to  lost  mankind. 

Of  one  picture  brought  to  us  by  one  of  Dr.  !N"eale*s  trans- 
lations. Rev.  Dr.  Richard  S.  Storrs  has  thus  sketched  an  outline : 
"In  A.  D.  1118  the  most  distinguished  and  engag;ing  maiden 


284  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

in  Paris  was  Heloise,  niece  of  one  Fulbert,  a  canon  of  the  Cathe- 
dral, and  living  in  his  house.  She  may  not  have  been  in  person 
so  surpassingly  beautiful  as  the  feeling  of  after  times  has  loved 
to  fancy  her.  At  least  Abelard,  writing  afterward,  did  not  so 
describe  her.  But  she  was  intellectually  superior  to  any  other 
woman  of  the  time  whose  name  has  come  to  us,  and  was,  as 
her  subsequent  life  and  letters  abundantly  show,  of  a  remarka- 
bly engaging  and  noble  nature.  She  had  been  educated  by  the 
nuns  in  the  convent  of  Argenteuil,  not  far  from  Paris,  and  had 
now  come  back  to  the  gay  capital,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  to 
become  a  center  of  attraction  and  admiration  to  all  who  knew 
her  rare  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  Her  acquirements  were 
unusual,  her  speech  charming,  her  manner  delightful;  her 
aspirations  were  high,  and  her  peculiarly  winning  and  splendid 
spirit  must  already  have  found  recognition.  To  the  work  of 
seducing  her  from  the  path  and  law  of  feminine  virtue  Abelard 
applied  himself,  with  a  success  which  is  known  of  all.  The 
renown  of  his  learning,  the  fascination  of  his  real  and  striking 
genius  for  letters,  his  fine  and  grand  manners,  and  the  glamour 
of  universal  admiration  with  which  he  was  attended,  made  the 
conquest  more  easy,  as  he  had  foreseen ;  and  he  was  not  long  in 
finally  subduing  the  brilliant  young  girl  to  his  relentless  and 
vehement  passion.  The  birth  of  their  son,  their  subsequent 
marriage,  the  savage  punishment  inflicted  upon  Abelard  by  the 
desperately  enraged  uncle  of  Heloise,  their  final  separation  into 
convents,  and  the  touching  and  memorable  correspondence  be- 
tween them,  which  began  later,  and  never  has  ceased  to  interest 
the  world, — all  these  are  known,  and  upon  them  it  is  not  need- 
ful to  dwell." 

It  is,  however,  needful  to  say  that  in  the  works  of  Abelard 
are  to  be  found  ninety-three  hymns,  written  by  him  for  use  at 
the  Paraclete  by  Heloise  and  her  nuns,  the  first  stanza  of  one 
of  which  is : 

397     Oh,  what  the  joy  and  the  glory  must  be, 

Those  endless  Sabbaths  the  blessed  ones  see! 
Crown  for  the  valiant,  to  weary  ones  rest; 
God  shall  be  all,  and  in  all  ever  blest. 

Dr.  Storrs  adds: 


HYMNS  FROM   THE   GREEK  AND  LATIN      285 

"Reminiscences  and  hopes  blended,  we  may  be  sure,  in 
his  crowding  thoughts,  as  his  quiet  hours  wore  on.  We  may 
believe  that  the  sad  bitterness  of  remembrance  was  merged  and 
lost  in  the  brightening  expectation  which  reached  forward  to 
things  celestial," 

Sorrow  followed  transgression,  bitter  sorrow  and  anguish, 
but  the  light  of  hope  had  not  gone  out  in  despair. 

Coming  now  to  those  few  hymns  of  the  Latin  Church  that 
are  valued  as  great,  we  have  first  what  is  knovni  as  the  Vexilla 
Regis,  written  by  Venantius  Fortunatus,  sometimes  referred 
to  as  the  Troubadour.  Dr.  Julian  says  truly  that,  "to  appre- 
ciate this  hymn  we  must  bear  in  mind  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  written.  The  details  are  of  more  than  usual 
interest,  as  a  short  summary  will  show: 

"Fortunatus  was  then  living  at  Poictiers,  where  his  friend. 
Queen  Rhadegund,  founded  a  nunnery.  Before  the  consecra- 
tion of  the  nunnery  church  she  desired  to  present  certain  relics 
to  it,  and  among  these  she  obtained  from  the  Emperor  Justin 
II.  a  fragment  of  the  so-called  True  Cross.  This  relic  was 
sent  in  the  first  instance  to  Tours,  and  was  left  in  charge  of 
the  Bishop,  in  order  that  he  might  convey  it  to  Poictiers. 

"Escorted  by  a  numerous  body  of  clergy  and  of  the  faith- 
ful holding  lighted  torches,  the  Bishop  started  in  the  midst 
of  liturgical  chants,  which  ceased  not  to  resound  in  honor  of 
the  hallowed  wood  of  the  Redemption.  A  league  from  Poictiers 
the  pious  cortege  found  the  delegates  of  Rhadegund,  Fortunatus 
at  their  head,  rejoicing  in  the  honor  which  had  fallen  to  them ; 
some  carrying  censers  with  perfumed  incense,  others  torches 
of  white  wax.  The  meeting  took  place  at  Mig-ne,  at  the  place 
where,  twelve  centuries  and  a  half  later,  the  cross  appeared 
in  the  air.  It  was  on  this  occasion  that  the  hymn  Vexilla 
Regis  was  heard  for  the  first  time,  the  chant  of  triumph  com- 
posed by  Fortunatus  to  salute  the  arrival  of  the  True  Cross — 
it  was  l^ovember  19,  569. 

"The  hymn  was  thus  primarily  a  Processional  hymn, 
written  for  use  at  the  solemn  reception  of  a  relic  of  the  Holy 
Cross.     Inspired  by  the  occasion,  the  poet  composed  this  poem 


286  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

of  the  Crucified  King,  one  of  the  grandest  hymns  of  the  Latin 
Church,  in  which  in  glowing  accents  he  invites  us  to  contem- 
plate the  mystery  of  love  accomplished  on  the  cross." 
What  a  swing  there  is  to  its  mighty  words : 

94    The  royal  banners  forward  go, 

The  cross  shines  forth  in  mystic  glow; 
"Where  He  in  flesh,  our  flesh  who  made, 
Our  sentence  bore,  our  ransom  paid. 

Another  of  these  hymns  of  power  is  the  only  metrical 
hymn  which  has  found  a  place  in  our  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
the  Veni  Creator  Spiritus,  beginning,  as  translated  by  Bishop 

COSIN, 

289     Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  souls  inspire. 
And  lighten  with  celestial  fire, 

with  an  alternate  rendering, 

Come,  Holy  Ghost,  eternal  God, 
Proceeding  from  above. 

This  is  one  of  the  hymns  of  the  ages.  Its  authorship  is 
uncertain,  but  its  place  in  the  annals  of  the  Church  is  sure. 
It  hasfbeen  sung  for  ten  centuries  in  the  whole  Western  Church, 
at  the  ordination  of  priests,  the  consecration  of  bishops,  and 
the  coronation  of  kings,  as  well  as  at  other  great  ecclesiastical 
assemblies.  Dryden's  version  also  has  become  familiar, 
beginning : 

381     Creator  Spirit,  by  whose  aid 

The  world's  foundations  first  were  laid, 
Come,  visit  every  humble  mind; 
Come,  pour  Thy  joys  on  human  kind; 
From  sin  and  sorrow  set  us  free, 
And  make  Thy  temples  worthy  Thee. 


Another  hymn  of  highest  rank  is  the  Yeni  Sande  Spiritus, 
declared  by  Archbishop  Trench  to  be  "the  loveliest  of  all  the 


HYMNS  FROM   THE   GREEK  AND  LATIN      2^7 

hymns  in  the  whole  circle  of  Latin  sacred  poetry."  He  adds 
that  it  "could  only  have  been  composed  by  one  who  had  been 
acquainted  w'ith  many  sorrows,  and  also  many  consolations," 
Its  authorship  is  not  positively  known,  but  its  sweetness  and 
strength  have  been  thankfully  recognized  by  a  great  multitude 
of  the  faithful.  The  first  stanza  of  Caswall's  translation  reads 
thus: 

37^    Come,  Thou  Holy  Spirit,  come. 
And  from  Thy  celestial  home 

Shed  a  ray  of  light  divine  I 
Come,  Thou  father  of  the  poor, 
Come,  Thou  source  of  all  our  store, 

Come,  within  our  bosoms  shine  I 

Reference  to  two  of  the  greatest  of  all  Latin  hymns  is 
linked  together  in  a  passage  in  Lockhart's  Life  of  Sir  Walter 
Scott  (he  is  writing  of  the  great  man's  dying  hours)  as 
follows : 

"But  commonly  whatever  we  could  follow  him  in  was  a 
fragment  of  the  Bible  (especially  the  Prophecies  of  the  Book 
of  Job)  or  some  petition  in  the  Litany — or  a  verse  of  some 
psalm  (in  the  old  Scotch  metrical  version) — or  of  some  of  the 
magnificent  hymns  of  the  Romish  ritual,  in  which  he  always 
delighted,  but  which  probably  hung  on  his  memory  now  in 
connection  with  the  church  services  he  had  attended  while  in 
Italy.  We  very  often  heard  very  distinctly  the  cadence  of  the 
Dies  Irae;  and  I  think  the  very  last  stanza  that  we  could  make 
out  was  the  first  of  a  still  greater  favorite : 

Stabat  mater  dolorosa, 
Juxta  erueem  lachrymosa, 
Dum  pendebat  Filius." 

The  Stabat  Mater  is  a  hymn  that  must  touch  all  hearts, 
picturing  as  it  does  the  mother  of  our  blessed  Lord  as  she  stood 
by  Calvary,  in  deepest  sorrow.     Another  has  truly  said : 

"This  noble  poem  has  been,  not  unjustly,  styled  the  most 
pathetic  hymn  of  the  Middle  Ages.  The  vividness  with  which 
it  pictures  the  weeping  Mother  at  the  Cross,  its  tenderness,  its 


288  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

beauty  of  rhythm,  its  melodious  double  rhymes  almost  defying 
reproduction  in  another  language,  and  its  impressiveness  when 
sung  either  to  the  fine  plain-song  melody  or  in  the  noble  compo- 
sitions which  many  of  the  great  masters  of  music  have  set 
to  it,  go  far  to  justify  the  place  it  holds,  and  has  long  held  in 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  It  was  not  indeed  officially 
sanctioned  for  general  use,  or  regularly  incorporated  in  the 
Roman  Breviary  or  Missal,  till  by  decree  of  Pope  Benedict 
XIIL,  in  1727 ;  but  long  before  that  date  it  was  in  popular 
use,  especially  after  the  Flagellants  in  the  fourteenth  century 
had  brought  it  into  notice  by  singing  it  on  their  way  from  town 
to  town.  The  passages  of  Holy  Scripture  on  which  it  is  based 
are  St.  John  xix.  25 ;  St.  Luke  ii.  35 ;  Zechariah  xiii.  6 ; 
2  Corinthians,  iv.  10 ;  and  Galatians  vi.  17." 

The  first  stanza  in  our  rendering,  given  to  us  by  Bishop 
Mant  and  altered  by  Edward  Caswall,  is  this : 

103    At  the  cross  her  station  keeping 

Stood  the  mournful  mother  weeping, 

Where  He  hung,  the  dying  Lord; 
For  her  soul,  of  joy  bereaved. 
Bowed  with  anguish,  deeply  grieved. 

Felt  the  sharp  and  piercing  sword. 

Turning  to  another  hymn  of  resistless  strength  I  quote 
from  Frederick  Saunders : 

"Earnest  and  stirring  as  were  those  many-voiced  melodies, 
re-echoed  back  to  us  from  the  far-distant  past,  a  yet  more  stately 
and  majestic  chant  bursts  now  upon  our  ears,  with  its  trumpet- 
like cadences, — in  the  Dies  Irae.  This  grand  outburst  is  the 
kingliest  of  them  all.  A  short  but  significant  silence  preceded 
this  great  hymn  of  the  Mediaeval  Church,  which  seemed  to 
usher  it  in  with  the  greater  solemnity.  Its  tone  is  a  reflex  of 
the  theology  of  the  time, — austere  and  severe,  rather  than  lov- 
ing and  hopeful.  It  is  a  single  voice, — low,  trembling,  and 
penitential ;  yet  it  breaks  the  stillness,  and  spreads  itself  abroad 
over  Christendom,  awakening  and  thrilling  multitudes  of  hearts. 
This  voice  was  lifted  up  by  one  solitary  Franciscan  monk, — 
Thomas  of  Celano^  a  Neapolitan  village, — early  in  the  thir- 


V 


HYMNS  FROM   THE  GREEK  AND  LATIN      289 

teenth  century.  This  celebrated  lyric  forms  a  part  of  the 
Burial  Service  in  the  Eomish  Missal,  and  is  chanted  in  magnifi- 
cent style  at  the  great  Sistine  Chapel  at  Rome ;  while  portions 
of  it  enter  into  the  worship  of  a  large  proportion  of  those  who 
'profess  and  call  themselves  Christians.'  As  a  literary  compo- 
sition, such  is  its  wondrous  fascination  that  it  has  elicited  the 
admiration  of  many  of  the  greatest  scholars,  and  it  has  passed 
into  upwards  of  two  hundred  translations.  This  acknowledged 
masterpiece  of  Latin  poetry  has  been  pronounced  the  most 
sublime  of  all  uninspired  hymns.  Dr.  Philip  Schaff  remarks 
that  the  secret  of  'the  irresistible  power  of  the  Dies  Irae  lies  in 
the  awful  grandeur  of  the  theme,  the  intense  earnestness  and 
pathos  of  the  poet,  the  simple  majesty  and  solemn  music  of 
the  language,  the  stately  metre,  the  triple  rhyme,  and  the 
vowel  assonances  chosen  in  striking  adaptation  to  the  sense, — 
all  combining  to  produce  an  overwhelming  effect,  as  if  we  heard 
the  final  crash  of  the  universe,  the  commotion  of  the  opening 
graves,  the  trumpet  of  the  archangel,  summoning  the  quick  and 
the  dead,  and  saw  the  King  of  "tremendous  majesty,"  seated 
on  the  throne  of  justice  and  mercy,  and  ready  to  dispense  ever- 
lasting life,  or  everlasting  woe.'  Goethe  describes  its  effect 
upon  the  guilty  conscience,  in  the  cathedral  scene  of  'Faust.'  " 
From  another  standpoint,  Archbishop  Trench  says : 
"Nor  is  it  hard  to  account  for  its  popularity.  The  metre 
so  grandly  devised,  of  which  I  remember  no  other  example, 
fitted  though  it  has  here  shown  itself  for  bringing  out  some  of 
the  noblest  powers  of  the  Latin  language — the  solemn  effect 
of  the  triple  rhyme,  which  has  been  likened  to  blow  following 
blow  of  the  hammer  on  the  anvil — the  confidence  of  the  poet 
in  the  universal  interest  of  his  theme,  a  confidence  which  has 
made  him  set  out  his  matter  with  so  majestic  and  unadorned  a 
plainness  as  at  once  to  be  intelligible  to  all — these  merits,  with 
many  more,  have  given  the  Dies  Irae  a  foremost  place  among 
the  masterpieces  of  sacred  song." 

The  rendering  of  the  Dies  Irae  admitted  to  our  hymnal 
is  by  Dr.  William  Josiaii  Ikons.  Its  number  is  36.  As  to 
the  circumstances  which  gave  rise  to  its  translation,  Dr.  Julian 
says: 


290  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

"It  is  well  known  that  the  Revolution  in  Paris  in  1848 
led  to  many  scenes  of  terror  and  shame.  Foremost  was  the 
death  of  Monseigneur  D.  A.  Affre,  the  Archbishop  of  Paris, 
who  was  shot  on  June  25  on  the  barricades  on  the  Place  de  la 
Bastile  whilst  endeavoring  to  persuade  the  insurgents  to  cease 
firing,  and  was  buried  on  July  7.  As  soon  as  it  was  safe  to 
do  so  his  funeral  sermon  was  preached  in  Notre  Dame,  accom- 
panied by  a  religious  service  of  the  most  solemn  and  impres- 
sive kind.  Throughout  the  service  the  Archbishop's  heart  was 
exposed  in  a  glass  case  in  the  Choir,  and  at  the  appointed 
place  the  Dies  Irae  was  sung  by  an  immense  body  of  priests. 
The  terror  of  the  times,  the  painful  sense  of  bereavement  which 
rested  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  through  the  death  of  their 
Archbishop,  the  exposed  heart  in  the  Choir,  the  imposing  ritual 
of  the  service,  and  the  grand  rendering  of  the  Dies  Irae  by  the 
priests,  gave  to  the  occasion  an  unusual  degree  of  impressive- 
ness.  Dr.  Irons  was  present,  and  deeply  moved  by  what  he 
saw  and  heard.  On  retiring  from  the  church  he  wrote  out 
his  translation  of  the  Dies  Irae.  The  surrounding  circum- 
stances no  doubt  contributed  greatly  to  produce  this,  which  is 
one  of  the  finest  of  modern  renderings  of  the  grandest  of 
mediaeval  hymns." 

Under  circumstances  of  somewhat  similar  excitement. 
General  John  A.  Dix  (a  leading  layman  of  Trinity  Church, 
]^ew  York,  and  father  of  its  distinguished  rector.  Dr.  Morgan 
Dix),  put  forth  a 'version  during  our  Civil  War,  "amidst  its 
tumult,"  as  he  informs  us,  and  "as  a  relief  from  its  asperities." 
I  give  his  version: 


t5^ 


Day  of  vengeance,  without  morrow ! 
Earth  shall  end  in  flame  and  sorrow. 
As  from  saint  and  seer  we  borrow. 

Ah!  what  terror  is  impending, 
When  the  Judge  is  seen  descending. 
And  each  secret  veil  is  rending ! 

To  the  throne,  the  trumpet  sounding. 
Through  the  sepulchres  resounding. 
Summons  all,  with  voice  astounding. 


HYMNS  FROM   THE   GREEK  AND  LATIN      291 


Death  and  Nature,  mazed,  are  quaking. 
When,  the  grave's  long  slumber  breaking, 
Man  to  judgment  is  awaking. 

On  the  written  volume's  pages. 
Life  is  shown  in  all  its  stages — 
Judgment-record  of  past  ages ! 

Sits  the  Judge,  the  raised  arraigning. 
Darkest  mysteries  explaining. 
Nothing  unavenged  remaining. 

"What  shall  I  then  say,  unfriended, 

By  no  advocate  attended. 

When  the  just  are  scarce  defended. 

King  of  majesty  tremendous. 
By  Thy  saving  grace  defend  us; 
Fount  of  pity,  safety  send  us. 

Holy  Jesus,  meek,  forbearing. 

For  my  sins  the  death-crown  wearing. 

Save  me  in  that  day,  despairing. 

Worn  and  weary.  Thou  hast  sought  me; 
By  Thy  cross  and  passion  bought  me; 
Spare  the  hope  Thy  labors  brought  me. 

Righteous  Judge  of  retribution. 
Give,  oh,  give  me  absolution 
Ere  the  day  of  dissolution. 

As  a  guilty  culprit  groaning. 
Flushed  my  face,  my  errors  owning. 
Hear,  O  God,  my  spirit's  moaning! 

Thou  to  Mary  gav'st  remission, 
Heard'st  the  dying  thief's  petition, 
Bad'st  me  hope  in  my  contrition. 

In  my  prayers  no  grace  discerning. 

Yet  on  me  Thy  favor  turning. 

Save  my  soul  from  endless  burning  1 

Give  me,  when  Thy  sheep  confiding 
Thou  art  from  the  goats  dividing. 
On  Thy  right  a  place  abiding  1 


292  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

When  the  wicked  are  confounded. 
And  by  bitter  flames  surrounded. 
Be  my  joyful  pardon  sounded! 

Prostrate,  all  my  guilt  discerning. 
Heart  as  though  to  ashes  turning; 
Save,  oh,  save  me  from  the  burning! 

Day  of  weeping,  when  from  ashes 
Man  shall  rise  'mid  lightning  flashes. 
Guilty,  trembling  with  contrition. 
Save  him.  Father,  from  perdition! 

Three  other  great  Latin  hymns  remain  to  be  considered: 
one,  De  Contemptu  Mundi,  by  Beenaed  of  Cluny;  another, 
Jesu  Dulcis  Memoria,  by  Beenaed  of  Claievaux  ;  and  still  a 
third,  0  Deus  Ego  Amo  Te,  by  St.  Feancis  Xaviee.  With 
the  first  of  these  hymns  Dr.  ISTeale  has  made  the  English-speak- 
ing world  familiar  by  his  translation.  The  second  brings  be- 
fore us  one  of  the  giants  of  the  Middle  Ages,  called  by  Luther 
''the  best  monk  that  ever  lived."  The  third  stirs  with  a  blast 
from  one  of  the  greatest  missionary  heroes  the  world  has  ever 
known. 

The  subject  of  the  poem  of  Beenaed  of  Cluny  is  "Con- 
tempt of  the  World."  It  is  strong  in  its  denunciation  of  the 
sins  of  which  the  earth  is  full,  and  in  its  painting  contrasts 
them  with  the  joys  of  heaven.  Four  of  our  hymns  are  taken 
from  it,  numbered  405,  406,  407,  and  408.  A  characteristic 
stanza  is  this: 

408    Jerusalem,  the  golden. 

With  milk  and  honey  blest; 
Beneath  thy  contemplation 

Sink  heart  and  voice  opprest. 
I  know  not,  oh,  I  know  not, 

Wliat  joys  await  us  there. 
What  radiance  of  glory. 

What  bliss  beyond  compare. 

The  recognition  of  the  merits  of  Dr.  IN'eale's  rhythmical 
rendering  of  this  hymn  has  been  very  great,  but  "more  thankful 


.^1.  FOUNDATIONS 


;.^ 


HYMNS  FROM   THE  GREEK  AND  LATIN      293 

still  am  I,"  he  writes,  "that  the  Cluniac's  verses  should  have 
soothed  the  dying  hours  of  many  of  God's  trusting  servants. 
The  most  striking  instance  of  which  I  know  is  related  in  the 
memoir  published  by  Mr.  BroA\Tilow,  under  the  title,  'A  Little 
Child  Shall  Lead  Them;'  where  he  says  that  the  child  of 
whom  he  writes,  when  suffering  agonies  which  the  medical 
attendants  declared  to  be  almost  unparalleled,  would  lie  without 
a  murmur  or  motion,  while  the  whole  four  hundred  lines  were 
read." 

In  turning  to  read,  or  to  write,  about  the  other  Bernard, 
it  is  easy  to  become  enthusiastic.  He  towers  like  a  monument 
in  stature,  the  greatest  man  living  in  Europe  in  the  twelfth 
century.  Amongst  others,  Dr.  Richard  S.  Storrs  has  written 
splendidly  of  ''Beenakd  of  Claievaux/'  so  that  we  can  readily 
see  him  as  he  was.     I  quote : 

"A  great  fame  has  followed  him,  and  it  will  not  fail  or 
be  forgotten  as  the  centuries  pass.  He  certainly  fulfilled  the 
description  of  a  great  man  given  by  Cousin,  representing  what 
was  noblest  in  the  spirit  of  his  age,  while  associating  it  pro- 
foundly with  what  was  pecuKar  in  his  intense  individuality. 
The  monastery  of  Clairvaux,  which  was  his  immediate  monu- 
ment, has  passed  from  existence;  the  many  abbeys  ajfiliated 
with  it  are  generally  in  ruins,  are  all  no  doubt  in  hopeless 
decadence.  The  large  influence  which  he  left  upon  Europe  has 
ceased  to  be  distinguishable,  save  as  one  of  the  commingling 
elements  out  of  which  our  civilization  has  come.  But  his  soon 
canonized  name  has  shone  starlike  in  history  ever  since  he 
was  buried;  and  it  will  not  hereafter  decline  from  its  height, 
or  lose  its  lustre,  while  men  continue  to  recognize  with  honor 
the  temper  of  devoted  Christian  consecration,  a  character  com- 
pact of  noblest  forces,  and  infused  with  self -forgetful  love  for 
God  and  man. 

"But  I  do  not  conceive  that  anything  of  this  was  in  his 
thoughts  as  he  drew  towards  death,  and  as  the  great  shadow, 
illuminated  with  promise,  and  shot  through  with  Ascension 
splendors,  fell  on  his  face.  He  died,  as  he  had  lived,  a  devout 
believer,  humble,  trustful,  hopeful,  faithful;  not  regretting 
the  earth,  expecting  heaven ;  and  I  am  as  certain  as  of  anything 


294  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

not  evolved  in  my  experience  that  in  that  hour,  more  even  than 
ever  before,  he  gave  thanks  to  God  who  had  moved  him  by  His 
Spirit,  and  led  him  by  His  providence,  and  pressed  him  by  his 
mother's  inspirations,  to  accept  and  pursue  in  those  wild  times 
the  holy  contemplations,  the  studious  self-discipline,  the  labors 
of  charity,  the  large  and  manifold  beneficent  activities,  which 
belonged  under  him  to  the  Life  Monastic." 

Concerning  his  hymns  Dr.  Storrs  says: 

"I  do  not  overestimate  these  hymns;  but  they  show  his 
profoundly  evangelical  spirit,  how  the  meek  and  sovereign 
majesty  of  the  Lord  continually  attuned  and  governed  his 
thoughts,  and  how  the  same  hand  which  wrote  letters,  treatises, 
notes  of  sermons,  exhortations  to  pontiffs,  reproofs  of  kings, 
could  turn  itself  at  pleasure  to  the  praises  of  Him  in  whose 
grace  was  his  hope,  in  whose  love  was  his  life.  If  these  hymns 
had  not  remained  after  he  was  gone,  we  should  have  missed, 
I  think,  a  lovely  lustre  on  his  work  and  his  fame." 

His  best  known  hymn  is  Jesu  Dulcis  Memorla,  of  which 
in  our  hymnal  there  are  two  translations,  one  by  Dr.  Ray 
Palmer,  the  first  stanza  of  which  is: 

430    Jesu,  Thou  joy  of  loving  hearts ! 

Thou  Fount  of  life !  Thou  Light  of  men ! 
From  the  best  bliss  that  earth  imparts 
We  turn  unfilled  to  Thee  again. 

The  other  by  Edward  Caswall,  with  its  familiar  beginning : 

434     Jesu,  the  very  thought  of  Thee 
"With  sweetness  fills  the  breast; 
But  sweeter  far  Thy  face  to  see. 
And  in  Thy  presence  rest. 

Great  admiration  is  aroused  in  us  at  the  mention  of  the 
name  of  the  next  man,  of  whom  we  are  to  write  briefly,  when 
many  words  might  be  desirable — St.  Francis  Xaviek.  He 
was  indeed  a  saint,  one  of  the  noblest  and  one  of  the  best  men 
who  have  lived  on  earth,  and  a  man  also  of  mighty  deeds  and 
power. 


HYMNS  FROM  THE  GREEK  AND  LATIN      295 

O'er  the  wide  waste  of  watery  waves. 

And  leagues  on  leagues  of  land. 
Amidst  a  wilderness  of  graves. 

With  death  on  every  hand, — 

He  flew  to  woo  and  win  a  world; 

That  men  might  kiss  the  feet 
Of  Him,  whose  banner  he  unfurl'd. 

Father, — Son, — Paraclete ! 

His  tongue,  the  Spirit's  two-edged  sword. 

Had  magic  in  its  blade, — 
For  while  it  smote  with  every  word. 

It  heal'd  the  wounds  it  made! 

His  lips  were  love,  his  touch  was  power. 

His  thoughts  were  vivid  flame, 
The  flashes  of  a  thunder-shower — 

Where'er,  or  when  they  came! 

Around  him  shone  the  light  of  life. 

Before  him  darkness  fell — 
Satan  receded  from  the  strife. 

And  sought  his  native  hell! 

Yet,  who  so  humbly  walk'd  as  he, 

A  conqueror  in  the  field. 
Wreathing  the  rose  of  victory 

Around  his  radiant  shield? 

St.  Francis  Xavier  was  bom  in  Spain  1506,  and  died  in 
the  Far  East  in  1552.  He  came  of  an  illustrious  family,  and 
the  advantages  of  high  culture  were  his ;  but  the  things  that  were 
ordinarily  counted  gain,  he  counted  loss  for  Christ.  Intel- 
lectually he  was  not  above  the  average,  but  spiritually  he  was 
without  a  peer;  and  so  we  do  not  wonder  that  a  competent 
judge  should  write  concerning  him :  "I  know  of  no  one  of  whom 
are  recorded  such  instances  of  communicative  energy  as  of 
Xavier;  no  one  who  seems  to  have  had  such  influence  over 
uncivilized  people  as  he;  none  who  by  this  alone  has  so  thor- 
oughly entitled  himself  to  the  appellation  he  was  known  by 
among  his  own — the  Thaumaturgus  (Wonder-worker)  of  the 
later  ages  of  the  Church." 


296  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

I  can  give  you  the  spirit  of  the  man  in  a  single  passage, 
which  I  gladly  quote: 

"A  scruple  of  casuistry  might  have  kept  him  from  a  per- 
mitted pleasure,  but  no  armed  legion  would  have  kept  him  from 
an  acknowledged  duty.  Think  you  that  there  was  much  that 
could  deter  a  man  who,  on  the  occasion  of  his  friends  trying  to 
dissuade  him  from  going  to  the  Cannibal  Islands  of  Del  Moro, 
writes  thus :  'You  tell  me  that  they  will  certainly  kill  me ;  well, 
I  trust  if  they  do,  it  will  be  gain  for  me  to  die.  But  whatever 
torments  or  death  they  may  prepare  for  me,  I  am  ready  to 
suffer  a  thousand  times  as  much  for  the  salvation  of  one  soul. 
I  remember  the  words  of  Jesus  Christ,  "Whosoever  shall  lose 
his  life  for  My  sake,  shall  find  it."  I  believe  them,  and  am 
content  on  these  terms  to  hazard  my  life  for  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.'  They  urge  other  ills,  Cannibalism;  he  says, 
'though  the  evils  you  speak  of  are  great,  the  evil  of  being  afraid 
of  them  is  greater.  I  leave  it  to  Him  who  has  put  it  into  my 
heart  to  preach  His  Gospel  to  preserve  me  from  them,  or  not, 
as  He  will ;  the  only  thing  I  fear  is  not  to  dare  enough  for  Him 
who  has  endured  so  much  for  me.'  They  tell  him  that  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  cannibals  is  hopeless ;  he  replies,  'Whatever  they 
are,  are  they  not  God's  creatures  ?  Did  not  Christ  die  for 
them  ?  Who  then  shall  dare  to  limit  the  power  of  our  God 
who  is  all-mighty  ?  Or  of  the  love  of  our  Redeemer  who  is 
all-merciful?  Are  there  in  the  world,  think  you,  any  hearts 
hard  enough  to  resist  God's  Spirit,  if  it  shall  please  Him  to  try 
to  soften  and  to  change  thera  ?  Can  they  successfully  oppose 
that  gentle  yet  commanding  influence  which  can  make  even 
dry  bones  live?  Shall  He  who  has  provided  for  subjecting 
the  whole  world  to  the  Cross,  shall  He  exempt  this  petty  comer 
of  the  earth,  that  it  shall  receive  no  benefit  from  His  atone- 
ment ?  Verily,  no.  And  if  these  islands  abounded  in  spices  and 
in  gold.  Christians  would  have  courage  enough  to  go  thither; 
no  danger  would  deter  them  then;  they  are  now  cowardly  be- 
cause there  are  only  souls  to  gain.  Oh,  while  I  can  do  anything 
to  prove  the  contrary,  it  never  shall  be  said  that  charity  is  less 
daring  than  avarice,  or  that  the  love  of  Christ  is  not  as  con- 
straining as  the  love  of  gold.'     Verily  such  a  man  as  this  it  is 


tYlU 


^B^ 


PI^BIXCU^ 


^^'   AV4D 


HYMNS  FROM   THE  GREEK  AND  LATIN      2Cf7 

not  easy  for  the  worldly  to  deal  with.     He  and  they  have  no 
common  measure  of  motive,  of  principle,  or  of  end." 

As  translated  into  English,  the  words  of  St.  Francis 
Xavier's  great  hymn  are  as  follows: 

653    My  God,  I  love  Thee :  not  because 
I  hope  for  heaven  thereby; 
Nor  yet  because  if  I  love  not 
I  must  forever  die. 

But,  O  my  Jesus,  Thou  didst  me 

Upon  the  cross  embrace; 
For  me  didst  bear  the  nails  and  spear. 

And  manifold  disgrace. 

And  griefs  and  torments  numberless. 

And  sweat  of  agony, 
E'en  death  itself;  and  all  for  me 

Who  was  Thine  enemy. 

Then  why,  O  blessed  Jesus  Christ, 

Should  I  not  love  Thee  well? 
Not  for  the  hope  of  winning  heaven. 

Nor  of  escaping  hell; 

Not  with  the  hope  of  gaining  aught; 

Not  seeking  a  reward : 
But  as  Thyself  has  loved  me, 

O  ever-loving  Lord! 

E'en  so  I  love  Thee,  and  will  love. 

And  in  Thy  praise  will  sing; 
Solely  because  Thou  art  my  God, 

And  my  eternal  King. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  quote  the  following 
from  the  second  edition  (1907)  of  Julian's  Dictionary: 

"The  history  of  this  hymn  has  recently  been  investigated 
by  Father  F.  X.  Drebitka,  of  Kalocsa,  in  his  Hyrrmus  Francisci 
Faludi,  Buda-Pest,  1899 ;  and  in  the  Monumenta  Xaveriana, 
Madrid,  1899,  but  it  is  still  rather  obscure.  It  seems  fairly 
certain  that  the  original  was  a  Spanish  or  Portuguese  sonnet, 
and  was  written  by  St.  Francis  Xavier  in  the  East  Indies  about 
1546." 


298  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

What  matters  it  where  this  hymn  was  written,  or  in  what 
language  ?  The  great  questions  we  want  answered  are :  is  there 
back  of  it  the  Spirit  of  the  Most  High  God,  and  will  it  be  sung 
joyously  forever?  It  will  be  so  sung  because  of  the  Spirit  in 
it,  the  Spirit  of  the  blessed  Master.  The  heart  of  the  Gospel 
is  the  source  of  its  might  and  majesty  and  thanksgiving.  We 
love  Him  because  He  first  loved  us. 

In  closing  this  chapter  a  word  may  well  be  said  con- 
cerning a  great  man  who  was  not  a  writer  of  hymns,  but  who 
was  at  once  a  poet,  a  theologian,  a  scholar,  and  a  saint,  Richard 
ChenevixTeench,  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  and  who  deserves  our 
consideration  here  by  reason  of  the  impetus  which  he  gave  to 
the  study  of  "Sacred  Latin  Poetry."  His  book,  bearing  that 
title,  was  heartily  commended  by  Alfred  Tennyson,  and  praised 
by  others  in  the  superlative  degree.  Besides,  it  opened  the  way 
for  John  Mason  Neale  and  his  translations. 

Referring  to  "Jerusalem  the  Golden,"  the  good  Archbishop 
writes :  "A  new  hymn  which  has  won  such  a  place  in  the  affec- 
tions of  Christian  people  is  so  precious  an  acquisition  that  I 
must  needs  rejoice  to  have  been  the  first  to  recall  from  oblivion 
the  poem  which  yielded  it." 

Richard  Chenevix  Trench  was  born  September  5,  1807, 
and  died  March  28, 1886.  As  to  his  college  days  at  Cambridge, 
Bishop  Thirlwall  wrote  to  Bunsen:  "In  a  circle  which  com- 
prised the  strongest  minds  and  noblest  spirits  of  our  youth, 
he  was  distinguished  for  his  fine  literary  taste,  his  poetical 
talent,  and  the  generous  ardor  of  his  character." 

He  afterwards  wrote  many  good  books  and  wrought  many 
good  deeds.  A  friend's  estimate  of  him,  written  just  after  his 
death,  is,  "If  I  was  to  attempt  to  name  his  characteristic  grace, 
I  would  say  it  was  that  which  is  highest  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven — ^humility.  I  think  he  was  the  humblest  man  I  have 
ever  known.  He  suffered  a  prolonged  martyrdom  during 
the  struggles  after  disestablishment,  and  never  was  he  betrayed 
into  saying  a  word  or  doing  an  act  which  the  most  scrupulous 
would  recall.  The  records  of  those  debates  are  records  of  a 
meekness,  a  patience,  and  a  forbearance  which  have  not  often 
been  equaled,  and  could  not  be  surpassed." 


HYMNS  FROM   THE   GREEK  AND  LATIN      299 

No  wonder  that  such  a  good  man,  being  also  a  gifted  man, 
was  led  to  write : 

I  say  to  thee,  do  thou  repeat 

To  the  first  man  thou  mayest  meet 

In  lane,  highway,  or  open  street — 

That  he  and  we  and  all  men  move 

Under  a  canopy  of  love. 

As  broad  as  the  blue  sky  above; 

That  doubt  and  trouble,  fear  and  pain 
And  anguish,  all  are  shadows  vain, 
That  death  itself  shall  not  remain; 

That  weary  deserts  we  may  tread, 
A  dreary  labyrinth  may  thread, 
Through  dark  ways  underground  be  led; 

Yet,  if  we  will  one  Guide  obey. 
The  dreariest  path,  the  darkest  way 
Shall  issue  out  in  heavenly  day. 


^ 

^-        "-s^l 

i^^H 

^^^^■H 

imarttn  Lutl)er 


•    XIV. 

Martin  Luther 
And  Some  Hymns  from  the  German 


(301) 


The  monarch's  sword,  the  prelate's  pride, 
The  Church's  curse,  the  empire's  ban, 

By  one  poor  monli  were  all  defied, 
Who  never  feared  the  face  of  man. 

Half-battles  were  the  words  he  said. 
Each  born  of  prayer,  baptized  in  tears ; 

And,  routed  by  them,  backward  fled 
The  errors  of  a  thousand  years. 

With  lifted  songs  and  bended  knee. 
For  all  Thy  gifts  we  praise  Thee,  Lord; 

But  chief  for  those  who  made  us  free, 
The  champions  of  Thy  holy  word. 

James  Fbeeman  Claeke. 


Give  to  the  winds  thy  fears; 

Hope  and  be  undismayed: 
God  hears  thy  sighs  and  counts  thy  tears, 

God  shall  lift  up  thy  head. 
Through  waves,  through  clouds  and  storms, 

He  gently  clears  thy  way : 
Wait  thou  His  time;  so  shall  the  night 

Soon  end  in  joyous  day. 

Paul  Gebhabdt. 


(302) 


XIV. 

MAKTIN  LUTHER, 
And  Some  Hymns  fkom  the  German. 

The  article  on  German  hymnody,  in  Dr.  Julian's  Diction- 
ary of  Hymnology,  was  written  by  that  great  German- Ameri- 
can scholar,  Dr.  Philip  Schaff.  In  the  study  of  that  subject 
it  is  a  satisfaction  to  follow  so  accomplished,  so  bright-minded 
and  so  great-hearted  a  man. 

"German  hymnody,"  he  says,  "surpasses  all  others  in 
wealth.  The  Church  hymin,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term, 
as  a  'popular  religious  lyric  in  praise  of  God,  to  he  sung  by  the 
congregation  in  public  worship,  was  born  with  the  German 
Reformation,  and  most  extensively  cultivated  ever  since  by 
the  Evangelical  Church  in  Germany.  The  Latin  hymns  and 
sequences  of  Hilary,  Ambrose,  Fortunatus,  Gregory  the  Great, 
N^otker,  St.  Bernard,  Thomas  of  Aquino,  Adam  of  St.  Victor, 
Thomas  of  Celano,  and  others,  were  indeed  used  in  public  wor- 
ship long  before,  but  only  by  the  priests  and  choristers,  not  by 
the  people,  who  could  not  understand  them  any  more  than  the 
Latin  psalms  and  the  Latin  mass.  The  Reformed  (as  the  non- 
Lutheran  Protestant  Churches  are  called  on  the  Continent) 
were  long  satisfied  with  metrical  translations  of  the  Psalter,  and 
did  not  feel  the  necessity  of  original  hymns,  and  some  did  not 
approve  of  the  use  of  them  in  public  worship. 

"The  number  of  German  hymns  cannot  fall  short  of  one 
hundred  thousand.  *  *  *  About  ten  thousand  have  be- 
come more  or  less  popular,  and  passed  into  different  hymn  books. 
Fischer  gives  a  selection  of  about  five  thousand  of  the  best,  many 
of  which  were  overlooked  by  Von  Hardenberg.  We  may  safely 
say  that  nearly  one  thousand  of  these  hymns  are  classical  and 
immortal.  This  is  a  larger  number  than  can  be  found  in  any 
other  language. 

(303) 


304  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

^'To  this  treasury  of  German  song  several  hundred  men 
and  women  of  all  ranks  and  conditions — theologians  and  pas- 
tors, princes  and  princesses,  generals  and  statesmen,  physicians 
and  jurists,  merchants  and  travelers,  laborers  and  private  per- 
sons— have  made  contributions,  laying  them  on  the  common 
altar  of  devotion.  Many  of  these  hymns,  and  just  those 
possessed  of  the  greatest  vigor  and  unction,  full  of  the  most 
exulting  faith  and  the  richest  comfort,  had  their  origin  amid 
the  conflicts  and  storms  of  the  Reformation,  or  the  fearful 
devastations  and  nameless  miseries  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War; 
others  belong  to  the  revival  period  of  the  Spenerian  Pietism 
and  the  Moravian  Brotherhood,  and  reflect  its  earnest  struggle 
after  holiness,  the  fire  of  the  first  love  and  the  sweet  enjoy- 
ment of  the  soul's  intercourse  with  her  Heavenly  Bridegroom ; 
not  a  few  of  them  sprang  up  even  in  the  unbelieving  age  of 
'illumination'  and  rationalism,  like  flowers  from  dry  ground, 
or  Alpine  roses  on  fields  of  snow;  others  again  proclaim,  in 
fresh  and  joyous  tones,  the  dawn  of  reviving  faith  in  the  land 
where  the  Reformation  had  its  birth.  Thus  these  hymns  con- 
stitute a  most  graphic  book  of  confession  for  German  evan- 
gelical Christianity,  a  sacred  band  which  enriches  its  various 
periods,  an  abiding  memorial  of  its  victories,  its  sorrows  and 
its  joys,  a  clear  mirror  showing  its  deepest  experiences,  and 
an  eloquent  witness  for  the  all-conquering  and  invincible  life- 
power  of  the  evangelical  Christian  faith.     *     *     * 

"The  leader  of  the  Reformation  was  also  the  first  evan- 
gelical hymnist.  To  Luther  belongs  the  extraordinary  merit 
of  having  given  to  the  German  people  in  their  own  tongue  the 
Bible,  the  Catechism,  and  the  hymn  book,  so  that  God  might 
speak  directly  to  them  in  His  word,  and  that  they  might  directly 
answer  Him  in  their  songs.  He  was  also  a  musician,  and 
composed  tunes  to  his  best  hymns.  Some  of  them  are  immortal, 
most  of  all  that  triumphant  war-cry  of  the  Reformation  which 
has  so  often  been  reproduced  in  other  languages  (the  best 
English  translation  is  Carlyle's),  and  which  resounds  with 
mighty  effects  on  great  occasions:  'Ein'  feste  Burg  ist  unser 
Gott'     *     *     * 

"Luther    is    the    Ambrose    of    German   hymnody.       His 


SOME  HYMNS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  305 

hymns  are  characterized  by  simplicity  and  strength,  and 
a  popular  churchly  tone.  They  breathe  the  bold,  confident, 
joyful  spirit  of  justifying  faith  which  was  the  beating  heart 
of  his  theology  and  piety.  He  had  an  extraordinary  faculty 
of  expressing  profound  thought  in  the  clearest  language.  In 
this  gift  he  is  not  surpassed  by  any  uninspired  writer;  and 
herein  lies  the  secret  of  his  power." 

It  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  try  to  tell  the  story  of 
Luther's  life,  inasmuch  as  in  its  general  features  it  is  already 
known  and  read  of  all  men;  and  yet  a  rapid  sketch  may  be  of 
value,  I  choose  to  draw  material  for  this  sketch  from  what 
Principal  Tulloch  calls  "a  remarkable  book,"  entitled  "Lectures 
on  Great  Men."  Concerning  its  author,  Frederic  Meyers, 
Dr.  Tulloch  adds:  ''It  is  strange  that  a  thinker  so  really  wise 
and  powerful  should  have  attracted  so  little  attention." 

Writing  of  Maetin"  Luthee,  Frederic  Meyers  says : 

"After  a  patient  study  of  his  character  as  a  whole,  I 
cannot  but  honor  Luther  as  one  of  the  greatest  of  mankind. 
For  to  choose  Pain,  and  Shame,  and  even  if  need  were  Death, 
rather  than  pleasurable  life  lacking  freedom  to  pursue  and 
to  proclaim  the  truth;  in  the  midst  of  the  fulness  of  bodily 
vigor  and  with  adequate  means  of  gratifying  all  cravings  of  the 
senses  and  of  the  mind,  to  put  aside  all  those  things  which  men 
naturally  seek  and  live  for,  and  to  take  up  instead  with  lifelong 
toil  as  his  work  and  only  the  hope  of  a  Better  Resurrection  as 
his  reward — tO'  do  this  firmly  and  calmly  and  consistently 
throughout  the  whole  vigor  and  maturity  of  manhood — not 
with  perpetual  self-applause  but  rather  as  by  an  irresistible 
impulse  from  within — this  is  truly  great." 

In  the  course  of  his  further  characterization  he  asks  ques- 
tions in  part  as  follows : 

First  "What  was  the  work  that  Luther  did?"  And 
this  is  in  part  his  answer: 

"He  emancipated  half  Europe  (I  trust  forever)  from  the 
curse  of  great  errors  on  matters  of  greatest  importance  to  man's 
eternal  interests,  and  diffused  through  the  same  the  light  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  way  of  access  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ 
alone.     He  restored  to  men  a  true  exhibition  of  their  peculiar 


3o6  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

relation  to  God  through  Christ,  which  had  been  obscured  for  a 
thousand  years ;  he  so  proclaimed  the  distinguishing  and  life- 
giving  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  as  that  they  took  effect  upon  the 
hearts  of  men  then,  and  have  lived  in  them  till  now.  He  saw 
with  a  clearness  such  as  none  for  centuries  before  him  had  seen 
the  importance  of  such  truths  as  these:  That  we  can  learn 
little  of  God's  purposes  towards  man  anywhere  but  from  Christ ; 
that  the  desire  to  justify  ourselves,  and  to  depend  upon  our 
own  strength  in  getting  to  heaven,  is  the  misery  and  destruction 
of  man;  that  by  the  most  earnest  striving  to  fulfil  the  moral 
law  we  cannot  obtain  peace  of  heart ;  that  faith  in  Christ  and 
obedience  to  Him  flowing  from  that  love  which  such  faith 
must  inspire,  is  the  only  permanent  source  of  peace  of  heart 
and  purity  of  life;  that  the  principle  from  which  anything  is 
done  can  alone  give  it  worth  in  God's  sight,  and  that  therefore 
we  do  not  become  good  by  doing  good  works,  but  when  we  are 
good  we  do  good  works.  God's  sympathy  with  man,  and  man's 
responsibility  to  God;  the  necessity  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  influ- 
ence, and  the  efficacy  of  prayer;  the  entire  absence  of  merit 
on  the  part  of  man,  and  the  thorough  freeness  of  remission  of 
sin ;  how  strong  and  happy  we  may  be  if  united  to  Christ 
through  faith,  and  how  apart  from  Him  we  can  be  neither — 
these  things  Luther  saw  and  taught  when  no  man  about  him 
did  so.  iSTow,  it  was  the  proclamation  of  such  truths  as  these 
that  gave  Luther  his  power  over  the  hearts  of  his  fellows.  The 
faithful  preaching  of  the  Gospel  of  God — the  earnest,  bold, 
free  assertion  of  the  remission  of  sins  through  the  blood  of 
Christ,  and  through  it  alone — his  knowing  and  stating  the  true 
answer  to  the  question  which  every  earnest  man  must  answer 
somehow.  What  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ? — his  having  and  teaching 
the  true  doctrine  about  those  things  which  all  men  are  most 
interested  in,  repentance  and  regeneration,  belief  and  duty, 
faith,  hope  and  love — this  was  what  gave  Luther  the  lever 
whereby  he  moved  Europe  from  its  old  foundations." 

Second.  "Was  Luther  then  a  perfect  character?"  And 
this  is  in  part  his  answer : 

"N'o,  a  very  imperfect  one.  He  was  a  sincere  Christian, 
but  he  was  not  a  mature  one.     He  was  given  to  see  some  truths 


SOME  HYMNS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  307 

and  to  attain  to  some  virtues,  in  such  degree  as  few  others  have 
been;  but  the  completeness  of  the  Christian  character — its 
symmetry — certainly  was  not  his.  A  good  many  fruits  of 
the  spirit  were  wanting  in  him.  Meekness,  long-suffering, 
gentleness,  these  were  not  his ;  and  without  these  a  man  cannot 
be  a  model  man.  Luther  was  an  instrument  fitted  for  his  work, 
but  not  a  pattern  for  all  time.     *     *     * 

"As  to  his  moral  faults — those  unevennesses  and  patches  on 
his  otherwise  altogether  noble  statue — the  principal  were  vio- 
lence of  temper  and  intemperance  of  language.  *  *  *  He  used 
to  say,  that  he  found  when  he  spoke  smoothly  he  was  admired  and 
forgotten,  but  when  he  spoke  roughly  he  was  hated  and  remem- 
bered; and  he  thought  that,  on  the  whole,  the  latter  was  the 
better.  And  perhaps,  after  all,  with  his  mission,  and  especially 
with  his  own  notion  of  his  mission,  he  could  hardly  have  done 
much  otherwise.  It  was  that  of  a  Boanerges  rather  than  of  a 
Barnabas ;  and  therefore,  if  he  came  in  the  spirit  of  Elias  rather 
than  in  that  of  the  Beloved  Disciple,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
his  lot  lay  amid  false  prophets  and  idol  altars ;  and  that  his 
work  was  emphatically  to  pull  down  and  to  destroy — to  rebuke 
Ahabs  and  to  abolish  Baalists.  He  therefore  thought  that  he 
must  be  a  rough  man  and  a  rude  one;  clothed  in  no  courtier 
robe,  and  using  no  courtier  phrase.  He  seems  to  have  deemed 
his  soul  always  among  lions,  and  that  the  only  way  in  which 
he  could  keep  them  from  devouring  him  was  by  shouting  at 
them.  He  w^as  no  performer  on  the  harp  or  lute  for  the 
entertainment  of  those  who  dwelt  in  kings'  houses ;  his  mission 
was  to  awake  a  nation,  and  that  too  with  a  trumpet  which 
should  give  no  uncertain  sound.  The  first  requisite  for  a  voice 
which  shall  command  in  a  storm  is  that  it  shall  be  heard;  the 
second  only,  or  the  third,  that  it  shall  be  musical.  And  a  man 
who  is  struggling  for  a  hearing,  and  sometimes  for  life  itself, 
with  loud  and  fierce  multitudes — who  must  perish  if  he  is  not 
listened  to,  and  who  cannot  prosper  if  he  does  not  terrify  or 
persuade — such  an  one  of  all  men  surely  must  not  be  made  an 
offender  for  a  word. 

"And  the  fact  is  that  Luther  was  throughout  a  rude,  large, 
ponderous  man ;  with  no  delicacy  of  any  sense,  with  no  fineness 


3o8  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

of  nerve ;  a  born  wrestler  j  a  man  of  war  from  his  youtli ;  over- 
violent,  but  unweariable;  a  passionately  toiling  man,  but  awk- 
ward, with  no  skill  of  any  kind,  so  that  his  chief  chance  of  anni- 
hilating opposition  lay  merely  in  the  weight  and  directness  of 
his  blows.  Strength  even  to  gianthood  was  his ;  and  he  had  a 
giant's  work  to  do  in  his  unceasing  struggle  with  popes  and 
potentates  and  principalities  and  powers ;  and  he  did  it  like  a 
giant — though  not  like  a  tyrant.  *  *  *  And  then  again, 
when  you  see  that  Luther  was  not  free  from  great  blemishes 
both  in  his  animal  and  in  his  spiritual  nature,  you  should  always 
remember  who  he  was  and  how  he  was  bred,  both  ways.  Physi- 
cally, he  came  of  no  gentle  race ;  the  son  of  a  German  peasant 
in  the  fifteenth  century — a  miner  amid  the  hills  of  Saxony; 
poor,  very  poor,  in  youth;  a  wild  hardy  boy,  running  at  large 
when  not  in  school ;  with  no  companions  but  the  rudest ;  brought 
up  to  no  patrimony  or  art  but  that  of  self-help ;  making  his  way 
in  the  world  through  the  throng  of  his  fellows  by  the  strength 
of  his  own  right  arm.  And  spiritually  what  was  he  ?  For 
long  years  a  monk ;  tied  and  bound  with  the  chain  of  profitless 
forms ;  persecuted  and  worn ;  blinded  and  bandaged ;  and  surely 
therefore,  if  he  had  not  lost  all  roughness  nor  acquired  all  polish, 
there  need  be  no  wonder  and  no  reproach.  The  imperfect  vision 
and  unsteady  gait  of  eyes  long  excluded  from  the  light  and 
of  limbs  long  debarred  from  exercise  may  appear  uncouth  to 
us  who  have  been  born  in  light  and  exercised  daily  from  our 
youth;  but  surely  he  who  first  bursts  such  bonds  asunder  and 
then  sets  so  many  of  his  fellow  prisoners  free,  may  be  pardoned 
some  uncouthness  of  manner,  some  irregularity  of  procedure. 
That  Luther  struggled  at  all  out  of  the  rubbish  of  the  massive 
ruins  of  the  Church  of  Rome — this  alone  is  a  presumption 
of  his  possessing  a  strength  all  but  superhuman.  His  coming 
forth  all  bruised  and  maimed  is  a  proof  of  nothing  more  than 
of  the  weakness  of  the  flesh  and  the  hardness  of  the  struggle." 

Surely,  if  he  is  to  be  judged  by  the  results  that  he  so 
splendidly  accomplished,  Martin  Luther  was  a  very  great  man. 

As  to  his  hymns  there  is  this  further  to  be  said.  There 
were  thirty-seven  of  them  in  all,  twelve  of  which  were  render- 
ings from  the  Latin.     They  went  everywhere  throughout  Ger- 


TUB  r.:«  TOf^Y 
pur--- "-'^■'^^^ 


SOME  HYMNS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  309 

many,  and  rose  to  heaven  from  myriads  of  tongues  and  hearts. 
It  is  hardly  to  be  wondered  at  that  Coleridge  should  have  said 
that  Luther  accomplished  as  much  by  his  hymns  as  by  his 
translation  of  the  Bible.  That  is  an  extreme  statement,  and 
yet  not  altogether  wanting  in  plausibility,  inasmuch  as  the 
power  of  the  hymns  was  so  great  and  so  evident.  Two  only 
of  these  hymns  have  found  a  place  in  our  hymnal,  a  place  which 
they  worthily  fill. 

One,  ]S[o.  320,  was  written  for  Christmas  day.  The 
other,  ISTo.  416,  is  said  to  have  been  called  by  Frederick 
the  Great,  "God  Almighty's  Grenadier  March,"  It,  too,  sings 
of  peace,  but  not  the  peace  of  a  placid  lake;  rather  the  peace 
of  a  sure  fortress  in  a  mountain  fastness,  in  days  of  stress  and 
storm. 

The  translation  in  our  hymnal  is  an  excellent  one,  by 
H.  J.  Buckoll.  For  purposes  of  comparison  I  give  the  rugged 
rendering  of  Thomas  Carlyle : 

A  sure  stronghold  our  God  is  He. 

A  trusty  shield  and  weapon; 
Our  help  He'll  be,  and  set  us  free 
From  every  ill  can  happen. 
That  old  malicious  foe 
Intends  us  deadly  woe; 
Armed  with  might  from  hell. 
And  deepest  craft  as  well. 
On  earth  is  not  his  fellow. 

Through  our  own  force  we  nothing  can. 

Straight  were  we  lost  forever; 
But  for  us  fights  the  proper  Man, 
By  God  sent  to  deliver. 
Ask  ye  who  this  may  be  ? 
Christ  Jesus  named  is  He. 
Of  Sabaoth  the  Lord; 
Sole  God  to  be  adored; 
'Tis  He  must  win  the  battle. 

And  were  the  world  with  devils  filled, 

All  eager  to  devour  us. 
Our  souls  to  fear  should  little  yield. 

They  cannot  overpower  us. 


3IO  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN   WRITERS 

Their  dreaded  Prince  no  more 
Can  harm  us  as  of  yore; 
Look  grim  as  e'er  he  may, 
Doomed  is  his  ancient  sway; 
A  word  can  overthrow  him. 

God's  word  for  all  their  craft  and  force 

One  moment  will  not  linger; 
But  spite  of  hell  shall  have  its  course; 
'Tis  written  by  His  finger. 

And  though  they  take  our  life. 
Goods,  honor,  children,  wife; 
Yet  is  their  profit  small: 
These  things  should  vanish  all; 
The  city  of  God  remaineth. 

Heinrich  Heine  called  this  hymn  the  Marseillaise  of  the  \ 
Reformation.     Gustaviis  Adolphus  ordered  it  to  be  sung  before 
the  struggle  at  Leipsic  in  1631.     It  was  sung  again  by  his  army    , 
at  Liitzen  in   1632.     The  king  fell,  but  his   righteous  cause    1 
triumphed  gloriously. 

The  date  of  the  hymn  is  not  certainly  known,  but  the 
German  people  have  the  hymn  itself  in  their  sacred  keeping. 
It  has  become  the  great  national  hymn  of  a  great  music-loving 
people,  and  so  doubtless  will  continue  to  be  sung  until  that 
final  triumphant  hour  when,  as  the  voice  of  a  great  multitude, 
and  as  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of  mighty 
thunderings,  shall  be  carried  everywhere  the  cry,  "Alleluia, 
for  the  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reigncth." 

Eight  hymns  from  the  German,  to  which  we  are  to  give  at 
least  a  glance  of  consideration,  were  translated  by  Catherine 
WiNKWORTii^  who  was  born  in  London,  September  13,  1829, 
and  died  in  Savoy  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of  forty- 
eight.     Dr.  Julian  writes  justly  of  her  when  he  says: 

"Miss  Winkworth,  although  not  the  earliest  of  the  modem 
translators  from  the  German  into  English,  is  certainly  the  fore- 
most in  rank  and  popularity.  Her  translations  are  the  most 
widely  used  of  any  from  that  language,  and  have  had  more  to 
do  with  the  modern  revival  of  the  English  use  of  German  hymns 
than  the  versions  of  any  other  writer." 


SOME  HYMNS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  311 

Concerning  her  most  interesting  book  Dr.  James  Mar- 
tineau  wrote  to  her  under  date  of  September  24,  1869  : 

*'I  received  your  last  precious  volume  at  a  time  when 
unusual  pressure  of  anxiety  and  work  compelled  me  to  accept 
the  dispensation  which  you  considerately  offered  me  from  imme- 
diate acknowledgment.  Eut  I  did  not  think  that,  in  waiting 
till  I  could  read  the  book,  I  should  condemn  myself  to  so  long 
a  silence.  Only  within  the  last  few  days,  however,  have  I  been 
able  to  indulge  myself  with  your  delightful  echoes  of  the 
'Christian  Singers  of  Germany.'  And  most  heartily  do  I 
thank  you  for  the  book.  It  constitutes  a  most  interesting 
chapter  of  religious  history,  and  gives,  in  a  way  eminently 
attractive,  an  insight  into  the  inner  life  of  Europe  during  times 
which  would  seem  to  have  nothing  in  common  with  our  own, 
were  it  not  for  the  undying  trusts  and  aspirations  which  make 
us  one  spiritual  family,  and  which  have  nowhere  such  pure 
utterance  as  in  the  Christmas  hymn.  Congenial  as  such  read- 
ing has  always  been  to  me,  I  am  indebted  to  you  for  an  intro- 
duction to  several  poems  which  I  had  not  met  with  in  the 
original  form,  and  for  the  appropriation  of  one  or  two  known 
pieces  to  their  right  authors.  The  biographical  element  of  the 
volume  immensely  enhances  the  interest  of  the  poems.  Indeed, 
so  insular  is  my  taste  in  regard  to  religious  lyrics,  that  the 
personal  history  of  the  German  hymnology  is  almost  essential 
to  my  thorough  enjoyment  of  it;  and  notwithstanding  some 
few  grand  exceptions,  its  general  type  seems  to  me  considerably 
below  the  standard  of  our  English  hymns.  After  the  Scrip- 
tures, the  Wesley  hymn-book  appears  to  me  the  grandest  instru- 
ment of  popular  religious  culture  that  Christendom  has  ever 
produced.  But  for  the  German  antecedents,  however,  it  would 
never  have  come  into  existence." 

At  the  time  of  Miss  Winkworth's  death.  Dr.  Percival, 
then  Principal  of  Clifton  College,  wrote  concerning  her : 

"She  was  a  person  of  remarkable  intellectual  and  social 
gifts,  and  very  unusual  attainments ;  but  what  specially  dis- 
tinguished her  was  her  combination  of  rare  ability  and  great 
knowledge  with  a  certain  tender  and  sympathetic  refinement 
which  constitutes  the  special  charm  of  the  true  womanly 
character." 


312  SOME  HYMNS  'AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Dr.  Martineau  also  bore  testimony  that  her  religious  life 
afforded  "a  happy  example  of  the  piety  which  the  Church  of 
England  discipline  may  implant.  *  *  *  The  fast  hold  she 
retained  of  her  discipleship  of  Christ  was  no  example  of  femi- 
nine simplicity,  carrying  on  the  childish  mind  into  maturer 
years,  but  the  clear  allegiance  of  a  firm  mind,  familiar  with 
the  pretensions  of  non-Christian  schools,  well  able  to  test  them, 
and  undiverted  by  them  from  her  first  love." 

The  first  of  Miss  Winkworth's  translations  is  a  glorious 
Easter  hymn,  beginning : 

114     Christ  the  Lord  is  risen  again. 

This  hymn  was  written  by  Michael  WeissE;,  one  of 
Luther's  contemporaries,  a  Bohemian  brother,  who  "became 
pastor  of  the  German-speaking  congregations  of  Landskron  and 
Eulnek,  and  for  their  benefit  translated  into  German  the  finest 
of  the  Bohemian  hymns,  adding  some  of  his  own." 

The  second  of  these  translations  begins: 
200    Lord  God,  we  worship  Thee. 

The  author  of  this  hymn  is  Johann  Fbanck^  who  was  born 
June  1,  1618,  and  died  June  18,  1677,  a  lawyer  of  ability 
and  influence,  and  a  hymn  writer  of  exalted  rank. 

To  Albert  Knapp^  a  sacred  poet  of  distinction,  we  owe  the 
hymn  beginning: 

206    Father  of  heaven,  who  hast  created  all. 

The  author  of  this  hymn  was  bom  at  Tiibingen,  July  25, 
1798,  and  died  at  Stuttgart,  June  18,  1864.  The  hymn  itself 
was  written  for  use  upon  the  occasion  of  the  baptism  of  one  of 
his  own  children.  It  is  all  the  more  touching  upon  that 
account.  He  was  a  student  of  hymnology,  a  lover  of  good 
hymns  and  of  good  deeds,  and  a  devout  follower  of  Jesus  Christ. 

To  JoHANisr  WiLHELM  Meinhold  wc  owc  hymxL  248,  be- 
ginning : 

Tender  Shepherd,  Thou  hast  stilled. 


Paul  (Bcrl)arDt 


Tii^  ^^  ^of 

PI^    ^""^^ 


SOME  HYMNS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  313 

Its  author  was  born  rebruary  27,  1797,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 30,  1851.  The  hjmn  was  written  for  the  burial  of  his 
own  little  boy,  fifteen  months  old. 

Another  of  Miss  Winkworth's  translations  is  the  hymn 
beginning : 

361     Christ,  the  Life  of  all  the  living. 

The  author  of  this  hymn,  Eenst  Chkistoph  Hombtjrg, 
was  bom  in  the  year  1605  and  died  in  1681.  I  quote  a  brief 
paragraph  concerning  him  from  Julian's  Dictionary. 

"By  his  contemporaries  Homburg  was  regarded  as  a  poet 
of  the  first  rank.  His  earliest  poems,  1638-53,  were  secular, 
including  many  love  and  drinking  songs.  Domestic  troubles 
arising  from  the  illness  of  himself  and  of  his  wife,  and  other 
afflictions,  led  him  to  seek  the  Lord,  and  the  deliverances  he 
experienced  from  pestilence  and  from  violence  led  him  to 
place  all  his  confidence  on  God." 

One  of  the  greatest  of  German  hymns  is  next  to  be  con- 
sidered.    I  quote  it  in  full : 

466    Now  thank  we  all  our  God, 

With  heart  and  hands  and  voices. 
Who  wondrous  things  hath  done, 

In  whom  His  world  rejoices; 
Who  from  our  mother's  arms 

Hath  blessed  us  on  our  way 
With  countless  gifts  of  love. 

And  still  is  ours  to-day. 

Oh,  may  this  bounteous  God 

Through  all  our  life  be  near  us. 
With  ever  joyful  hearts 

And  blessed  peace  to  cheer  us. 
And  keep  us  in  His  grace, 

And  guide  us  when  perplexed. 
And  free  us  from  all  ills 

In  this  world  and  the  next. 

This  hymn  is  often  called  the  Te  Deum  of  Germany,  inas- 
much as  it  is  sung  upon  all  great  triumphal  occasions.      In 


314  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

1880  it  was  used  at  the  celebration  of  the  completion  of  the 
far-famed  cathedral  at  Cologne,  and  in  1884  at  the  laying  of 
the  comer-stone  of  the  Reichstag  building  in  Berlin  by  the 
Emperor  William.  More  recently  it  was  used  in  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  London,  in  its  English  form,  at  the  celebration  of 
the  completion  of  peace  between  Great  Britain  and  the  Dutch, 
in  South  Africa.  It  was  appropriately  introduced  by  Men-i 
delssohn  into  his  "Hymn  of  Praise."  As  to  its  story  Miss  Wink- 
worth's  words  are  very  interesting.     She  tells  us : 

"This  simple  but  noble  expression  of  trust  and  praise,  with 
its  fine  chorale,  was  composed  by  Martin  Rinkart^  in  1644, 
when  the  hope  of  a  general  peace  was  dawning  on  the  country. 
He  was  one  of  those  provincial  clergymen  to  whom  Germany 
had  so  much  reason  to  be  grateful.  The  son  of  a  poor  copper- 
smith, he  made  his  way  at  the  University  of  Leipsic  by  dint  of 
industry  and  his  musical  gifts,  took  orders,  and  was  precentor 
of  the  church  at  Eisleben,  and  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  was 
offered  the  place  of  archdeacon  at  his  native  town  of  Eilenburg, 
in  Saxony.  He  went  there  as  the  war  broke  out,  and  died  just 
after  the  peace:  throughout  these  thirty-one  years  he  stood 
by  his  flock,  and  helped  them  to  the  utmost,  under  every  kind 
of  distress.  Of  course,  he  had  to  endure  the  quartering  of 
soldiers  in  his  house,  and  frequent  plunderings  of  his  little 
stock  of  grain  and  household  goods.  But  these  were  small 
things.  The  plague  of  1637  visited  Eilenburg  with  extraor- 
dinary severity;  the  town  was  overcrowded  with  fugitives 
from  the  country  districts,  where  the  Swedes  had  been  spread- 
ing devastation,  and  in  this  one  year  eight  thousand  persons 
died  in  it.  The  whole  of  the  town  council  except  three  persons, 
a  terrible  number  of  school  children,  and  the  clergymen  of 
the  neighboring  parish  were  all  carried  off;  and  Rinkart  had 
to  do  the  work  of  three  men,  and  did  it  manfully  at  the  beds 
of  the  sick  and  dying.  He  buried  more  than  four  thousand 
persons,  but  through  all  his  labors  he  himself  remained  perfectly 
well.  The  pestilence  was  followed  by  a  famine  so  extreme  that 
thirty  or  forty  persons  might  be  seen  fighting  in  the  streets 
for  a  dead  cat  or  crow.  Rinkart,  with  the  burgomaster  and  one 
other  citizen,  did  what  could  be  done  to  organize  assistance,  and 


SOME  HYMNS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  315 

gave  away  everything  but  the  barest  rations  for  his  own  family, 
so  that  his  door  was  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  poor  starving 
wretches,  who  found  it  their  only  refuge.  After  all  this  suffer- 
ing came  the  Swedes  once  more,  and  imposed  upon  the  unhappy 
town  a  tribute  of  thirty  thousand  dollars.  Rinkart  ventured 
to  the  camp  to  intreat  the  general  for  mercy,  and  when  it  was 
refused,  turned  to  the  citizens  who  followed  him,  saying,  'Come, 
my  children,  we  can  find  no  hearing,  no  mercy  with  men;  let 
us  take  refuge  with  God.'  He  fell  on  his  knees,  and  prayed 
with  such  touching  earnestness  that  the  Swedish  general  relented 
and  lowered  his  demand  at  last  to  two  thousand  florins.  So 
great  were  Einkart's  own  losses  and  charities  that  he  had  the 
utmost  difficulty  in  finding  bread  and  clothes  for  his  children, 
and  was  forced  to  mortgage  his  future  income  for  several  years. 
Yet  how  little  his  spirit  was  broken  by  all  these  calamities 
is  shown  by  this  hymn  and  others  that  he  wrote ;  some,  indeed, 
speaking  of  his  country's  sorrows,  but  all  breathing  the  same 
spirit  of  unbounded  trust  and  readiness  to  give  thanks." 

Another  of  Miss  Winkworth's  translations  is  to  be  found 
in  that  glorious  Christmas  hymn  for  children,  beginning : 

538     All  my  heart  this  night  rejoices. 

Of  the  author  of  this  hymn,  Paul,  Gekhaedt^  Miss  Wink- 
worth  writes: 

"He  was  bom  in  1606,  in  a  little  town,  Grafinhainichen, 
in  Saxony,  where  his  father  was  burgomaster.  The  whole  of 
his  youth  and  early  manhood  fell  in  the  time  of  war.  That 
it  must  have  been  a  period  full  of  disappointment  and  hope 
deferred  for  him  is  clear  enough  when  we  find  a  man  of  his 
powers  at  the  age  of  forty-five  still  only  a  private  tutor  and 
candidate  for  holy  orders.  In  1651  he  was  living  in  this  capa- 
city in  the  family  of  an  advocate  named  Berthold,  in  Berlin. 
He  had  already  written  many  hymns,  but  was  as  yet  unable 
to  publish  them;  and  he  was  in  love  with  Berthold's  daughter, 
but  had  no  living  to  marry  upon.  About  the  close  of  that  year, 
however,  the  living  of  a  country  place  called  Mittenwalde  was 
offered  him;  he  was  ordained,  and  in  1655  he  at  last  married 


3i6  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN   WRITERS 

Anna  Maria  Bertliold.  At  Mittenwalde  he  passed  six  quiet 
years,  during  wliich  he  began  to  publish  his  hymns,  which 
immediately  attracted  great  attention,  and  were  quickly  adopted 
into  the  hymn  books  of  Brandenburg  and  Saxony.  His  name 
thus  became  known,  and  in  1657  he  was  invited  to  the  great 
church  of  St.  Nicholas,  in  Berlin,  where  his  life  was  soon  both 
a  busy  and  an  honorable  one.  He  worked  most  assiduously 
and  successfully  in  his  pastoral  duties ;  he  brought  out  many 
hymns,  which  were  caught  up  by  the  people  much  as  Luther's 
had  been  of  old;  and  he  was  the  favorite  preacher  of  the  city, 
whom  crowds  flocked  to  hear.  He  is  described  to  us  as  a  man 
of  middle  height,  of  quiet  but  firm  and  cheerful  bearing ;  while 
his  preaching  is  said  to  have  been  very  earnest  and  persuasive, 
and  full  of  Christian  love  and  charity,  which  he  practiced  as 
well  as  preached  by  never  turning  a  beggar  from  his  doors, 
and  receiving  widows  and  orphans  who  needed  help  and  shelter 
into  his  own  house.  His  religion  and  his  temperament  alike 
made  him  cheerful,  and  not  all  the  many  disappointments  of 
his  life  seem  ever  to  have  embittered  his  mood;  but  he  had  a 
very  tender  and  scrupulous  conscience,  and  wherever  a  question 
of  conscience  seemed  to  him  to  be  involved,  he  was  liable  to 
great  mental  conflict,  and  an  exaggerated  estimate  of  trifles," 
His  refuge  and  refreshment  were  in  his  gift  of  song, 
"under  circumstances  which,"  says  one  of  his  contemporaries, 
"would  have  made  most  men  cry  rather  than  sing."  He  died  in 
1676,  in  his  seventieth  year,  and  his  last  words  were  a  line 
from  one  of  his  own  hymns — "Us  no  death  has  power  to  kill." 
"As  a  poet  he  undoubtedly  holds  the  highest  place  among  the 
hymn-writers  of  Germany." 

The  last  of  Miss  Winkworth's  renderings  from  the  German 
that  has  found  admission  to  our  hymnal,  written  by  Samuel 
RoDiGAST,  is  said  to  have  been  composed  for  the  consolation 
of  a  sick  friend.  To  realize  how  immensely  strong  a  hymn 
it  is,  one  needs  to  hear  it  enthusiastically  sung  by  a  great  choir 
and  congregation,  or  perfectly  read.  The  third  Bishop  of  Ohio, 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Bedell,  was  gifted  with  a  voice  that  was  a 
marvelous  musical  instrument^  and  with  great  power  of  expres- 


SOME  HYMNS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  317 

sion  also.  His  imagination  was  much  his  strongest  intellectual 
endowment.  I  once  heard  him  read  this  hymn  from  beginning 
to  end.  His  deeply  religious  nature  asserted  itself,  and  thus 
a  royal  feast  was  spread.  Run  your  eyes  over  the  hymn  with 
the  thought  of  taking  in  its  full  meaning,  and  you  will  know 
more  of  its  power.     I  quote  one  stanza  only. 

668     Whate'er  my  God  ordains  is  right; 
His  will  is  ever  just; 
Howe'er  He  orders  now  my  cause, 
I  will  be  still  and  trust. 
He  is  my  God; 
Though  dark  my  road. 
He  holds  me  that  I  shall  not  fall. 
Wherefore  to  Him  I  leave  it  all. 

Of  the  remaining  eleven  hymns  from  the  German  con- 
tained in  our  hymnal,  three  were  translated  by  John  Wesley. 
He  was  much  influenced  by  his  Moravian  brethren,  and  taught 
his  followers  to  sing  some  of  their  songs.  Of  the  first  of  these, 
ISTicoLAUs  LuDwiG^  CouxT  VON  ZiNZENDOKF^  was  the  author. 
It  begins : 

339     O  Thou  to  whose  all-searching  sight. 

With  this  hymn,  also,  I  have  personal  association,  having 
once  heard  it  read  at  a  church  service  by  a  prelate  of  exalted 
Christian  character  and  great  intellectual  and  moral  strength, 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  ^^^littingham,  third  Bishop  of  Maryland. 
How  little  he  cared  for  human  judgments !  How  much  he 
cared  for  the  approval  of  the  Omniscient  and  Almighty  Ruler 
of  all !  How  readily  he  would  have  gone  to  the  stake  for 
principle !  How  learned  he  was  and  able,  and  how  fervent  in 
spirit  also!  Look  at  this  hymn  and  put  something  of  the 
enthusiasm  of  a  great  Christlike  soul  into  it,  and  "dauntless, 
untired,"  your  heart  will  bum  within  you. 

Another  hymn  written  by  Zinzendokf  begins : 

420    Jesu,  still  lead  on. 


3i8  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

As  to  Zinzendorf  Limself  a  few  words  quoted  from  Miss 
Winkworth  will  be  of  interest : 

"Bom  at  Dresden  in  1700  of  a  noble,  wealthy,  and  relig- 
ious family,  he  had  Spener  for  his  godfather,  and  Francke  for 
his  tutor;  while  his  maternal  grandmother,  the  Baroness  von 
Gersdorff,  whose  house  was  his  home  in  childhood,  was  herself 
a  woman  of  strict  piety  and  a  writer  of  hymns.  From  his 
earliest  years  he  had  strong  religious  impressions;  as  a  child 
his  favorite  amusement  was  playing  at  preaching;  as  a  boy 
at  school  under  Francke,  he  founded  among  his  schoolfellows 
the  'Order  of  the  Mustard-seed,'  the  members  of  which  bound 
themselves  in  an  especial  manner  to  the  service  of  Christ,  and 
above  all  to  promote  the  conversion  of  the  heathen.  Some  of 
his  non-pietistic  relations  insisted  on  his  acquiring  the  accom- 
plishments proper  to  his  station  in  life,  such  as  dancing,  fencing, 
shooting,  etc.,  and  on  his  being  sent  to  the  orthodox  university 
of  Wittenberg  to  study  law.  He  complied  with  their  wishes, 
though  he  himself  would  have  much  preferred  studying  theol- 
ogy; and  after  his  university  course  traveled  for  some  years. 
Once,  in  passing  through  Diisseldorf,  he  saw  in  a  gallery  a 
picture  of  the  Saviour  crowned  with  thorns,  over  which  was 
written,  'All  this  have  I  done  for  thee;  what  dost  thou  for 
me  V  These  words  struck  so  deep  into  his  heart  that  he  never 
lost  the  impression ;  'from  this  time  I  had  but  one  passion,  and 
that  was  He,  only  He.' 

"His  private  life  was  not  without  its  trials;  he  devoted 
the  whole  of  his  large  fortune  to  the  service  of  the  cause  and 
himself  died  poor ;  he  lost  all  his  sons,  and  finally  his  excellent 
wife ;  but  his  courage  never  abated.  He  died  in  1760,  and  by 
that  time  the  United  Brethren  had  not  only  spread  within 
Europe,  but  had  developed  that  remarkable  missionary  activity 
by  which  they  have  always  been  honorably  distinguished,  and 
the  little  Church  had  already  its  stations  in  Greenland,  Lap- 
land, Guinea,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  Persia,  and  various 
parts  of  America." 

He  himself  considered  that  his  was  "a  genius  inclined 
to  extravagances" ;  nevertheless,  he  was  a  good  soldier  of 
Uesus  Christ. 


SOME  HYMNS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  319 

Another  hymn  from  the  German  is   Laueentius   Lau- 
EENTi's  stirring  hymn,  translated  by  Mrs.  Findlater,  beginning; 

43     Rejoice,  rejoice,  believers. 

And  still  another :  Heinrich  Theobald  Schenck's  hymn, 
translated  by  Frances  Elizabeth  Cox,  beginning: 

178    Who  are  these  like  stars  appearing. 

Dr.  Schaff  has  translated  from  an  unknown  writer  a  hymn 
for  the  Holy  Communion,  beginning : 

22:i     O  bread  of  Life  from  heaven. 

And  Edward  Caswall  has  translated,  also  from  an  unknown 
source,  that  splendid  hymn,  beginning: 

445     When  morning  gilds  the  skies. 

Gerhardt's  great  hymn,  translated  by  John  Wesley,  begins : 
625     Jesus,  Thy  boundless  love  to  me. 

Tersteegen's  hymn  was  also  translated  by  John  Wesley. 
It  begins : 

658    Thou  hidden  love  of  God,  whose  height. 

I  quote  part  of  Miss  Winkworth's  story  of  the  author's 
life  and  character : 

"Gekhakd  Teesteegen,  bom  at  Mors  in  Westphalia  in 
1697,  was  the  son  of  a  respectable  tradesman ;  he  was  educated 
at  the  grammar  school  of  his  native  place,  and  then  bound 
apprentice  to  an  elder  brother,  a  shop-keeper  at  Miilheim.  Erom 
his  childhood  he  was  delicate  in  health,  thoughtful,  and  of 
scrupulous  conscience.  At  Miilheim  he  became  acquainted  with 
a  tradesman,  a  very  religious  man,  who  took  much  notice  of 
him,  and  under  his  influence  he  was  converted,  and  resolved 
to  devote  himself  entirely  to  the  service  of  God.  His  days  were 
busy,  but  he  used  to  pass  whole  nights  in  prayer  and  fasting. 


320  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

and  as  soon  as  his  time  was  out  lie  declared  his  intention  of 
leaving  his  brother,  and  choosing  some  more  retired  and  less 
disturbing  mode  of  life.  He  accordingly  removed  to  a  little 
cottage  near  Miilheim,  where  for  some  years  he  supported 
himself  by  weaving  silk  ribbons,  and  lived  quite  alone,  except 
for  the  presence  during  the  day  of  a  little  girl  who  wound  his 
silk  for  him.  His  habits  were  very  simple;  he  usually  took 
nothing  but  milk,  water,  and  meal,  never  touching  tea  or  coffee, 
and  giving  away  in  charity  to  the  poor  the  money  thus  saved. 
His  relations,  who  seem  to  have  been  a  thriving  and  money- 
getting  set  of  people,  were  so  ashamed  of  this  poor  and  peculiar 
member  of  the  family,  that  they  refused  even  to  hear  his  name 
mentioned,  and  when  he  was  sick  he  suffered  great  privations 
for  want  of  proper  care.  Yet  he  was  very  happy  in  his  solitude, 
with  its  opportunities  for  uninterrupted  meditation  and  com- 
munion with  God,  until  that  searching  trial  of  spiritual  dead- 
ness  fell  upon  him,  which  so  many  of  God's  saints  have  had  to 
endure  for  a  time.  For  five  years  he  was  in  a  'state  of  dark- 
ness;' he  had  no  sensible  impression  of  the  love  of  God,  nay, 
there  were  hours  when  he  began  to  doubt  whether  there  was  a 
God  at  all.     It  was  at  this  time  he  sang : 

Lost  in  darkness,  girt  with  dangers. 

Round  me  strangers. 
Through  an  alien  land  I  roam; 
Outward  trials,  bitter  losses. 

Inward  crosses. 
Lord,  Thou  know'st  have  sought  my  home. 

Sin  of  courage  hath  bereft  me. 

And  hath  left  me 
Scarce  a  spark  of  faith  or  hope; 
Bitter  tears  my  heart  oft  sheddeth, 

As  it  dreadeth 
I  am  past  Thy  mercies  scope. 

Peace  I  cannot  find :  O  take  me. 

Lord,  and  make  me 
From  this  yoke  of  evil  free ; 
Calm  this  longing  never  sleeping; 

Still  my  weeping. 
Give  me  hope  once  more  in  Thee. 


SOME  HYMNS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  321 

He  ooTild  obtain  no  lielp  from  outside;  but  at  last  one  day, 
when  he  was  on  a  journey  to  a  neighboring  city,  he  received 
such  an  internal  manifestation  of  the  goodness  of  God  and  the 
sufficiency  of  the  Saviour,  that  all  doubts  and  troubles  vanished 
in  a  moment.  Henceforward  he  had  peace  and  joy,  and  an 
intense  power  of  realizing  the  unseen  which,  combined  with 
the  experience  he  had  lately  gone  through,  gave  him  a  wonderful 
faculty  of  touching  and  strengthening  other  hearts." 

'Teople  came  to  him  from  England,  Holland,  Sweden,  and 
Switzerland;  sick  persons  would  send  for  him,  and  he  would 
pass  hours  or  whole  nights  by  their  bedside;  if  he  went  into 
the  neighboring  country  for  rest,  people  would  watch  for  him 
by  the  roadside,  and  carry  him  off  to  the  nearest  bam,  where  a 
congregation  would  immediately  assemble.  He  had  an  immense 
correspondence,  and  new  editions  of  his  hymns  and  other 
religious  works  were  constantly  demanded.  To  his  quiet  tem- 
perament this  incessant  labor  and  absence  of  solitude  was  most 
uncongenial,  but  he  accepted  it  willingly  as  his  appointed  task. 
'I  love  most  to  be  with  the  Father,  but  I  am  glad  to  be  with 
the  children,'  he  said.  His  intercourse  with  those  who  came 
to  see  him  seems  to  have  been  marked  by  a  most  searching 
insight  into  character,  yet  by  a  gentleness  and  affectionateness, 
an  anxiety  to  cherish  even  the  faintest  spark  of  spiritual  life, 
which  nothing  could  tire  out.^ 

"Tersteegen  was  a  mystic  of  the  purest  type.  In  his 
earlier  days,  as  he  himself  tells  us,  he  laid  too  much  stress  on 
bodily  exercises  and  violent  emotions,  but  in  later  life  he  was 
singularly  free  from  extravagance  or  intolerance.  'My  religion 
is  this,'  he  says,  'that  as  one  reconciled  to  God  by  the  blood  of 
Christ,  I  suffer  myself  to  be  led  by  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  through 
daily  dying,  suffering,  and  prayer,  out  of  myself  and  all  created 
things,  that  I  may  live  alone  to  God  in  Christ ;  and  clinging  to 
this  my  God  by  faith  and  love,  I  hope  to  become  one  spirit  with 
Him,  and  through  His  free  mercy  in  Christ  to  attain  eternal 
salvation.  And  I  feel  myself  to  be  of  the  same  faith  with 
every  one  wHo  believes  thus,  of  whatever  class  or  nation  or 
creed  he  may  be.'  " 


322  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

One  other  German  hymn  remains  to  be  considered  in  a 
final  word;  an  Easter  hymn,  beginning: 

122    Jesus  lives!  thy  terrors  now. 

This  hymn,  translated  by  Miss  Cox,  was  written  by  Cheis- 
TiAN  FiJRCHTEGOTT  Gellert^  a  man  of  much  distinction,  num- 
bering Goethe  and  Lessing  amongst  his  pupils  at  Leipsic.  His 
hymns  are  said,  on  competent  authority,  to  have  met  the  require- 
ments of  his  time,  to  have  won  universal  admiration,  and  to  have 
speedily  passed  into  the  hymn  books  in  use  over  all  Germany, 
Roman  Catholic  as  well  as  Lutheran. 

In  the  account  of  the  funeral  of  the  Right  Rev.  Dr. 
Hopkins,  first  Bishop  of  Vermont,  we  read,  "After  the  blessing 
of  peace,  the  procession  formed  once  more ;  and,  as  the  body  was 
lifted,  the  strains  of  the  triumphant  hymn,  'Jesus  Lives,'  were 
heard,  every  verse  ending  with  an  Alleluia." 

In  the  account  of  the  funeral  of  Dr.  Edward  Steere,  third 
Missionary  Bishop  in  Central  Africa,  we  read : 

"When  in  our  places,  the  service  was  for  a  time  drowned, 
as  was  also  the  sound  of  the  organ,  by  the  sobs  and  wailing  of 
the  densely  packed  congregation.  At  length  we  were  able  to 
get  a  comparative  quiet,  and  the  service  proceeded.  And  so  we 
laid  the  wise  master-builder  to  rest  within  the  temple  that  his 
love  and  skill  combined  to  raise,  and  we  returned  home  singing : 

Jesus  lives!  no  longer  now. 

Can  thy  terrors,  death,  appall  us. 
Jesus  lives!  by  this  we  know 

Thou,  O  grave,  canst  not  enthrall  us. 
Alleluia ! 

This  is  the  language  of  a  sturdy  faith,  and  so  fitted  for  the 
burial  service  of  sturdy  Christian  men.  Such  a  man  was 
Bishop  Hopkins ;  such  a  man  was  Bishop  Steere ;  such  men  were 
Luther  and  Rinkart  and  Gerhardt,  and  Gellert,  and  many 
others  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy.  Let  us  believe 
strongly  as  they  believed,  and  then,  in  the  darkest  hour,  we 
too  can  exultingly  shout.  Alleluia! 


.   XV. 

Isaac  Watts 

Philip  Doddridge 

James  Montgomery 

Horatius  Bonar 

Richard  Baxter 


(323) 


I'll  praise  my  Maker  with  my  breath, 
And,  when  my  voice  is  lost  in  death, 

Praise  shall  employ  my  nobler  powers: 
My  days  of  praise  shall  ne'er  be  past 
While  life,  and  thought,  and  being  last, 

Or  immortality  endures. 

Isaac  Watts. 

"Live  while  you  live,"  the  epicure  would  say, 
"And  seize  the  pleasures  of  the  present  day." 
"Live  while  you  live,"  the  sacred  preacher  cries, 
"And  give  to  God  each  moment  as  it  flies." 
Lord,  in  my  life  let  both  united  be ; 
I  live  in  pleasure,  when  I  live  to  Thee. 

Philip  Doddridge. 

People  of  the  living  God, 

I  have  sought  the  world,  around, 
Paths  of  sin  and  sorrow  trod, 

Peace  and  comfort  nowhere  found. 
Now  to  you  my  spirit  turns — 

Turns,  a  fugitive  unblest; 
Brethren,  where  your  altar  burns, 

Oh,  receive  me  into  rest ! 

James  Montgomebt. 

'Tis  what  I  know  of  Thee,  my  Lord  and  God, 

That  fills  my  soul  with  peace,  my  lips  with  song : 
Thou  art  my  health,  my  joy,  my  staff,  my  rod: 

Leaning  on  Thee,  in  weakness  I  am  strong. 
More  of  Thyself,  Oh  show  me,  hour  by  hour. 

More  of  Thy  glory,  O  my  God  and  Lord ; 
More  of  Thyself,  in  all  Thy  grace  and  power ; 

More  of  Thy  love  and  truth,  Incarnate  Word. 

HOBATIUS   BONAB. 

My  soul,  bear  thou  thy  part ; 

Triumph  in  God  above. 
And  with  a  well-tuned  heart 
Sing  thou  the  songs  of  love! 
Let  all  thy  days 
Till  life  shall  end, 
Whate'er  He  send. 
Be  filled  with  praise! 

RiCHABD    BaXTEB. 


(324) 


wc>; 


Ijsaac  mattjs 


XV. 

ISAAC  WATTS, 

PHILIP  DODDEIDGE, 

JAMES  MOI^TGOMERY, 

HORATIUS  BONAR, 

RICHARD  BAXTER. 

Our  thoughts  are  next  to  pass  to  the  consideration  of  a 
group  of  hymn  writers  who  were  what  is  called  in  England 
^Nonconformists,  that  is,  men  who  failed  to  conform  to  the 
doctrine,  discipline  and  worship  of  the  Church  as  by  civil  law 
established:  Isaac  Watts,  Philip  Doddridge,  James  Mont- 
gomery, Horatius  Bonar,  and  Richard  Baxter.  Four  of  these 
five  take  rank  amongst  the  largest  contributors  to  our  hymnal, 
having  in  all  given  us  fifty-five  of  our  hymns, — Montgomery 
twenty-one,  Watts  sixteen,  Bonar  ten,  and  Doddridge  eight. 
With  Richard  Baxter,  one  of  the  first  and  one  of  the  most 
representative  of  ISTonconformists,  they  are  certainly  entitled 
to  our  cordial  appreciation. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  we  place  Isaac  Watts  at  the  head 
of  the  group,  inasmuch  as,  so  far  as  modem  hymnology  is 
concerned,  he  was  the  first  to  blaze  the  way,  and  for  that  reason, 
among  others,  should  be  honored  with  the  highest  rank. 

James  Montgomery  puts  the  case  with  still  greater  force 
when  he  says:  "Dr.  Watts  may  also  be  called  the  inventor 
of  hymns  in  our  language,  for  he  so  far  departed  from  all  pre- 
cedent that  few  of  his  compositions  resemble  those  of  his  fore- 
runners, while  he  so  far  established  a  precedent  to  all  his  suc- 
cessors that  none  have  departed  from  it  otherwise  than  accord- 
ing to  the  peculiar  turn  of  mind  in  the  writer,  and  the  style 

(325) 


:},2^  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

of  expressing  Christian  truths  employed  by  the  denomination 
to  which  he  belonged;"  and  then  he  goes  on  to  speak  of  "the 
greatest  name  among  hymn  writers,"  adding,  "we  hesitate  not 
to  give  that  praise  to  Dr.  Isaac  Watts,  since  it  has  pleased  God 
to  confer  upon  him,  though  one  of  the  least  of  the  poets  of  this 
country,  more  glory  than  upon  the  greatest  either  of  that  or  of 
any  other,  by  making  his  'Divine  Songs'  a  more  abundant  and 
universal  blessing  than  the  verses  of  any  uninspired  penman 
that  ever  lived." 

Lord  Selboume  is  more  guarded,  but  still  strong  in  his 
commendation  when  he  writes:  "ifo  doubt  his  taste  is  often 
faulty,  and  his  style  very  unequal;  but,  looking  to  the  good, 
and  disregarding  the  large  quantity  of  inferior  matter,  it  is 
probable  that  more  hymns  which  approach  to  a  very  high  stand- 
ard of  excellence,  and  are  at  the  same  time  suitable  for  con- 
gregational use,  may  be  found  in  his  works  than  in  those  of 
any  other  English  writer.  Such  are :  'When  I  Survey  the  Won- 
drous Cross,'  'Jesus  Shall  Reign  Wliere'er  the  Sun,'  'Before 
Jehovah's  Awful  Throne'  (which  first  line,  however,  is  not 
his,  but  Wesley's),  'Joy  to  the  World,  the  Lord  Is  Come,*  'My 
Soul,  Repeat  His  Praise,'  'Why  Do  We  Mourn  Departing 
Friends,'  'There  Is  a  Land  of  Pure  Delight,'  'Our  God,  Our 
Help  in  Ages  Past,'  'Up  to  the  Hills  I  Lift  Mine  Eyes,'  and 
many  more.  It  is  true  that  in  some  of  these  cases  dross  is 
found  in  the  original  poems  mixed  with  gold ;  but  the  process 
of  separation,  by  selection  without  change,  is  not  difficult.  As 
long  as  pure  nervous  English,  unaffected  fervor,  strong  sim- 
plicity, and  liquid  yet  manly  sweetness  are  admitted  to  be  char- 
acteristic of  a  good  hymn,  works  such  as  these  must  command 
admiration." 

In  this  connection  George  Macdonald's  estimate  is  worthy 
of  attention.  "Some  of  his  hymns  will  be  sung,  I  fancy,  so 
long  as  men  praise  God  together;  for  most  heartily  do  I  grant 
that  of  all  hymns  I  know  he  has  produced  the  best  for  public 
use ;  but  these  bear  a  very  small  proportion  indeed  to  the  mass 
of  his  labor.  We  cannot  help  wishing  that  he  had  written  about 
the  twentieth  part.  We  could  not  have  too  much  of  his  best, 
such  as  this: 


GREAT  NONCONFORMIST  HYMN  WRITERS       z^? 

Be  earth  with  all  her  scenes  withdrawn; 

Let  noise  and  vanity  begone; 

In  secret  silence  of  the  mind 

My  heaven,  and  there  my  God,  I  find." 

Isaac  Watts  was  born  at  Southampton,  England,  July 
17,  1674.  His  father  was  a  man  of  ability  and  character; 
he  himself  was  intellectually  precocious.  His  opportunities 
for  mental  training  were  good  and  well  improved.  Poetry  took 
hold  of  him  when  he  was  only  seven  years  old,  and  devotional 
verse  then  began  to  grow.  University  life  opened  to  him  on 
condition  that  he  should  enter  the  ministry  of  the  Established 
Church,  but  that  his  conscience  forbade  him  to  do.  He  became 
a  Dissenting  parson,  and  preached  his  first  sermon  on  his 
twenty-fourth  birthday.  His  pastoral  care  was  halted  from 
time  to  time  by  sickness ;  nevertheless,  it  was  influential,  and 
of  decided  value.  In  1703  a  violent  fever  brought  him  to  the 
gate  of  death,  which,  however,  swung  backAvards.  Yet  full 
recovery  never  came.  Sir  Thomas  Abney  became  a  faithful 
friend,  and  so  a  home  of  comfort  and  refinement  opened  to  him, 
',  where  he  spent  the  remaining  thirty-six  years  of  a  comparatively 
uneventful  life.  Increasing  literary  distinction  was  the  chief 
thing  that  came  to  him,  not  only  through  his  "Horae  Lyricae," 
1706-09,  "Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,"  1707-09,  "Imitations 
of  the  Psalms  of  David,"  1719,  and  his  "Divine  and  Moral 
Songs  for  Children,"  1715,  but  also  his  "Treatise  on  Logic," 
his  "Elements  of  Geography  and  Astronomy,"  his  "Philosopbi- 
cal  Essays,"  and  his  "Improvement  of  the  Mind." 

Under  date  of  July  7,  1777,  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  wrote 
to  a  friend  as  follows : 

"To  the  collection  of  English  poets  I  have  recommended 
the  volume  of  Dr.  Watts  to  be  added ;  his  name  has  long  been 
held  by  me  in  veneration,  and  I  would  not  willingly  be  reduced 
to  tell  of  him  only  that  he  was  bom  and  died.  Yet  of  his  life 
I  know  very  little  and  therefore  must  pass  him  in  a  manner 
very  unworthy  of  his  character,  unless  some  of  his  friends 
will  favor  me  with  the  necessary  information ;  many  of  them 
must  be  Icno-^vn  to  you ;  and  by  your  influence  perhaps  I  may 
obtain  some  instruction.     My  plan  does  not  exact  much;  but 


328  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

I  wish  to  distinguish  Watts,  a  man  who  never  wrote  but  for  a 
good  purpose.     Be  pleased  to  do  for  me  what  you  can." 

The  result  was  an  admirable  essay  from  which  I  make 
three  brief  quotations:  "As  his  mind  was  capacious,  his  curi- 
osity excursive,  and  his  industry  continual,  his  writings  are 
very  numerous,  and  his  subjects  various.  With  his  theological 
works  I  am  only  enough  acquainted  to  admire  his  meekness  of 
opposition  and  his  mildness  of  censure.  It  was  not  only  in  his 
book  but  in  his  mind  that  orthodoxy  was  united  with  charity." 

"I  have  mentioned  his  treatises  of  theology  as  distinct 
from  his  other  productions,  but  the  truth  is,  that  whatever  he 
took  in  hand  was,  by  his  incessant  solicitude  for  souls,  converted 
to  theology.  As  piety  predominated  in  his  mind,  it  is  diffused 
over  his  works;  under  his  direction  it  may  be  truly  said, 
Theologiae  Philosophia  ancillatur,  philosophy  is  subservient  to 
evangelical  instruction.  It  is  difficult  to  read  a  page  without ' 
learning,  or  at  least  wishing,  to  be  better.  The  attention  is 
caught  by  indirect  instruction,  and  he  that  sat  down  only  to 
reason  is  on  a  sudden  compelled  to  pray."     *     *     * 

*  *  *  "Few  men  have  left  behind  such  purity  of  char- 
acter or  such  monuments  of  laborious  piety.  He  has  provided 
instruction  for  all  ages,  from  those  who  are  lisping  their  first 
lessons  to  the  enlightened  readers  of  Malebranche  and  Locke; 
he  has  left  neither  corporeal  nor  spiritual  nature  unexamined ; 
he  has  taught  the  Art  of  Reasoning  and  the  Science  of  the 
Stars." 

Of  the  hymns  of  Watts  which  still  hold  a  place  in  our 
hymnal,  the  first  lines  are  as  follows : 

27  Welcome,  sweet  day  of  rest. 

86  O  Thou  that  hear'st  when  sinners  cry. 

loi  When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross. 

141  We  give  immortal  praise. 

261  Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun. 

324  Joy  to  the  world !  the  Lord  is  come. 

353  My  God,  permit  me  not  to  be. 

377  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  heavenly  Dove. 


GREAT  NONCONFORMIST  HYMN  WRITERS    329 

392  Not  to  the  terrors  of  the  Lord. 

418  0  God,  our  help  in  ages  past. 

447  Come,  let  us  join  our  cheerful  songs. 

468  From  all  that  dwell  below  the  skies. 

473  Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne. 

498  How  beauteous  are  their  feet. 

508  Am  I  a  soldier  of  the  cross. 

678  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight. 

Of  these  sixteen  hymns,  all  good,  two  are  destined  to  be 
immortal:  First,  that  favorite  of  Canon  Liddon,  John  Bright, 
and  of  many  other  strong  men,  "O  God,  Our  Help  in  Ages 
Past,"  and,  second,  that  still  greater  hymn  beginning,  "When 
I  Survey  the  Wondrous  Cross." 

Of  this  latter  hymn  Matthew  Arnold's  estimate  is  especially 
noteworthy.  On  the  last  Sunday  of  his  earthly  life  he  attended 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Liverpool,  of  which  Dr.  John 
Watson  (Ian  Maclaren)  was  then  pastor.  ''When  I  Survey  the 
Wondrous  Cross"  was  sung.  Arnold  was  observed  after  the 
service  repeating  to  himself  those  sacred  words,  when  he  was 
i  led  to  speak  of  the  hymn  as  the  greatest  in  the  English 
language,  l^or  was  he  wide  of  the  mark.  There  is  certainly  no 
«  greater  hymn.  There  may  be  a  few  others  equally  great,  but 
there  is  not  one  that  is  greater. 

Philip  Doddridge  was  twenty-eight  years  younger  than 
Isaac  Watts,  whom  he  held  in  high  and  reverent  appreciation. 
As  in  the  case  of  Watts,  a  university  education  was  offered  him 
on  condition  that  he  should  become  a  clergyman  of  the  Church 
of  England,  but  declined,  inasmuch  as  he  preferred  to  enter  a 
ISTonconformist  seminary.  He  was  twenty  years  old  when  he 
preached  his  first  sermon,  and  continued  in  ministerial  service 
and  in  theological  teaching,  until  he  died  thirty  years  after- 
wards, a  good  man  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  faith. 

As  fairly  descriptive,  I  copy  a  page  or  two  from  an  article 

1  in  the  !N^orth  British  Review,  as  follows :  "Much  of  the  strength 

of  Doddridge  was  his  personal  holiness.     During  the  twenty 

years  of  his  l^orthampton  ministry,  it  was  his  endeavor  to 


330  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Valk  with  God.'  And  it  is  a  spectacle  at  once  humbling  and 
animating  to  mark  his  progress,  and  to  see  how  that  divinely- 
planted  principle,  which  once  struggled  so  feebly  with  frivolity 
and  self-indulgence  and  the  love  of  praise,  had  grovni  into 
a  'mighty  tree.'  ISTor  were  his  immediate  hearers  unaware 
of  his  personal  piety  and  his  heavenly-mindedness.  They  knew 
how  unselfish  and  disinterested  he  was ;  how  the  husband  of  an 
heiress,  to  whom  he  had  been  guardian,  made  him  a  handsome 
present  as  an  acknowledgment  for  losses  sustained  by  an  over- 
scrupulous administration  of  her  property;  and  how  all  the 
influence  which  he  possessed  with  noble  and  powerful  person- 
ages was  exerted  only  on  behalf  of  others.  They  knew  his 
pious  industry,  and  how  the  hardest  worker  and  the  earliest 
riser  in  all  their  town  was  the  great  doctor  whom  so  many 
strangers  came  to  see  and  hear.  They  knew  his  zeal  for  God, 
and  how  dear  to  him  was  every  project  which  promised  to 
spread  His  glory  in  the  earth ;  and  how  damping  every  incident 
by  which  he  saw  God's  name  dishonored.  And  in  listening  to 
him  they  all  felt  that  he  was  a  man  of  God.  And  his  readers 
feel  the  same.  They  are  constantly  encountering  thoughts 
which  they  know  instinctively  could  only  have  been  fetched  up 
from  the  depths  of  personal  sanctity.  The  very  texts  which  he 
quotes  are  evidently  steeped  in  his  own  experience ;  and  unlike 
the  second-hand  truisms,  the  dried  rose-leaves,  with  which  so 
many  are  content,  his  thoughts  have  a  dew  still  on  them,  like 
flowers  fresh  gathered  in  fields  of  holy  meditation.  Even 
beyond  his  pathos  there  is  something  subduing  in  his  goodness. 
"Yet  we  would  not  tell  our  entire  belief  unless  we  added 
the  power  of  prayer.  Some  may  remember  the  prayer  at  the 
commencement  of  the  Rise  and  Progress.  'Impute  it  not,  O 
God,  as  a  culpable  ambition,  if  I  desire  that  this  work  may  be 
completed  and  propagated  far  abroad  ;  that  it  may  reach  to  those 
that  are  yet  unborn,  and  teach  them  Thy  name  and  Thy  praise, 
when  the  author  has  long  dwelt  in  the  dust.  But  if  this  petition 
be  too  great  to  be  granted  to  one  who  pretends  no  claim  but 
Thy  sovereign  grace,  give  him  to  be,  in  Thy  almighty  hand, 
the  blessed  instrument  of  converting  and  saving  one  soul; 
and  if  it  be  but  one,  and  that  the  weakest  and  meanest,  it 


GREAT  NONCONFORMIST  HYMN  WRITERS    331 


shall  be  most  thankfully  accepted  as  a  rich  recompense  for  all 
the  thought  and  labor  this  effort  may  cost.'  And  his  secret 
supplications  were  in  unison  with  this  printed  prayer.  Besides 
other  seasons  of  devotion,  the  first  Monday  of  every  month  was 
spent  in  that  'solitary  place/  his  vestry;  and,  deducting  the 
time  employed  in  reviewing  the  past  month,  and  laying  plans 
for  the  new  one,  these  seasons  were  spent  in  prayer  and  in 
communion  with  God.  And  none  the  less,  for  the  accessory 
reasons  already  mentioned,  it  is  our  persuasion  that  the  success 
of  his  ministry,  and  the  singular  good  accomplished  by  his 
writings,  are  an  answer  to  these  prayers.  The  piety  of 
Doddridge  was  as  devout  as  it  was  benevolent ;  and  to  his  power 
with  God  he  owed  no  small  measure  of  his  power  with  men." 
Of  Doddridge's  hymns  used  by  us  the  first  lines  are: 

47  Hark !  the  glad  sound !  the  Saviour  comes. 

186  Ye  servants  of  the  Lord. 

218  O  happy  day,  that  stays  my  choice. 

231  My  God,  and  is  Thy  table  spread. 

269  Fountain  of  good,  to  own  Thy  love. 

417  O  God  of  Bethel,  by  Whose  hand. 

488  Triumphant  Sion,  lift  thy  head. 

503  Awake,  my  soul,  stretch  every  nerve. 

James  Montgomery  was  bom  at  Irvine,  Ayrshire,  Novem- 
ber 4,  1771,  and  died  at  Sheffield,  April  30,  1854.  His  father 
was  a  Moravian  minister.  WT^ien  he  was  six  years  old,  he  was 
sent  to  a  Moravian  school  at  Fulneck,  where  kindness  found 
i  abundant  expression,  and  love  was  an  abiding  principle. 
"Whatever  we  did,"  he  afterwards  said,  "was  done  in  the  name 
and  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  w^hom  we  were  taught  to 
regard  in  the  amiable  and  endearing  light  of  a  friend  and 
brother." 

An  Easter  service  is  thus  described:  "The  next  morning 
found  us  assembled  at  five  o'clock  in  the  chapel,  joined  by  an 
immense  crowd.  The  service  opened  with  a  voluntary  on  the 
organ, — the  congregation  arose,  chanting  as  they  walked,  'The 
Lord  is  risen  indeed.'     On  reaching  their  places,  the  Litany 


332  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

commenced,  the  responses  to  whicb.  were  sung  by  the  choir  and 
congregation.  On  arriving  at  the  part  which  refers  to  the 
church  triumphant,  we  adjourned  to  the  burial-ground,  and 
there  finished  the  service  in  the  open  air. 

"Those  only  who  have  witnessed  it,  can  form  any  notion  of 
its  solemnity.  The  congregation  formed  a  circle,  in  the  center 
of  which  was  the  officiating  clergyman.  The  sun  had  just 
risen,  and  was  lighting  up  that  splendid  scenery,  and  the  mists 
of  the  night  were  rapidly  rolling  away.  In  the  distance,  cover- 
ing the  hill,  were  magnificent  woods ;  over  us  the  morning  birds 
carolled  their  early  matins  and  then  soared  away. 

"It  was  in  such  a  scene  we  offered  this  thrilling  petition 
to  heaven's  God : 

"Minister. — 'And  keep  us  in  everlasting  fellowship  with 
our  brethren,  and  our  sisters  (here  mentioning  the  names  of 
those  who  had  departed  since  the  preceding  Easter),  who  have 
entered  into  the  joy  of  their  Lord,  and  whose  bodies  are  buried 
here;  also  with  the  servants  and  handmaids  of  our  Church, 
whom  Thou  hast  called  home  within  this  year;  and  with  the 
whole  church  triumphant;  and  grant  that  we  may  faithfully 
rest  with  them  in  Thy  presence  from  all  our  labors.     Amen.' 

*' Congregation. — 

They  are  at  rest  in  lasting  bliss. 

Beholding  Christ  their  Saviour; 
Our  humble  expectation  is. 

To  live  with  Him  forever. 

"This  verse  was  sung  by  the  vast  assembly,  echoing  along 
that  beautiful  valley,  and  mingling  with  the  hum  of  bees,  the 
ripple  of  the  waters,  the  music  of  the  wild  bird,  and,  it  may  be, 
with  the  minstrelsy  of  unseen  spirits.  I  have  since  witnessed 
the  religious  ceremonies  of  other  bodies;  and  although  it  has 
been  mine  to  minister  at  the  altar  of  another  communion,  I 
must  confess  I  have  met  with  nothing  so  solemn,  yet  elegantly 
chaste,  as  these  services  of  the  Brethren's  Church. 

"While  these  scenes  could  hardly  fail  to  have  touched  the 
most  unappreciative,  upon  a  child  of  lively  and  tender  suscep- 


GREAT  NONCONFORMIST  HYMN  WRITERS    333 

tibilities  they  awoke,  like  the  winds  sweeping  over  an  air-harp, 
wild  and  mysterious  music  in  the  soul." 

When  he  was  twelve  years  old,  Montgomery's  father  and 
mother  set  sail  for  the  West  Indies,  bent  upon  missionary  labor. 
He  never  saw  them  again.  His  school  career  was  not  successful. 
Listlessness,  inactivity ;  these  seem  to  have  been  its  chief  charac- 
teristics. So  school  was  left  behind,  and  an  apprenticeship 
entered  upon.  From  that  he  soon  ran  away.  Concerning  this 
experience  he  afterwards  wrote :  "Had  I  taken  the  right  instead 
of  the  left-hand  road  to  Wakefield,  had  I  not  crossed  over,  I 
knew  not  why,  to  Wentworth,  and  had  not  Joshua  Hunt  noticed 
me  there,  it  is  quite  certain  that  not  a  single  occurrence  of  my 
future  being,  perhaps  not  a  single  thought,  would  have  been  the 
same.  The  direction  of  life's  after  current  would  have  been 
entirely  changed,  whether  for  the  better  or  the  worse,  who  can 
tell  ?     I  only  know  that  I  did  wrong  in  running  away." 

Then  came  a  comparatively  brief  residence  in  London, 
and  afterwards  a  permanent  settlement  at  Sheffield.  This  soon 
gave  him  work  as  an  editor  and  the  privilege  of  going  to  jail  for 
some  expression  of  opinion  upon  charges  which  he  declared  to 
be  ridiculous  as  well  as  false.  Emigration  to  the  United  States 
was  urged  upon  him.  His  reply  was:  "In  truth,  I  am  not 
partial  to  America,  and  I  believe  I  shall  never  emigrate  thither 
till  banished  by  imperious  necessity;  and  God  grant  that 
moment  may  never  arrive.  I  love  England,  with  all  its  dis- 
advantages, its  cares,  vexations,  horrors, — perhaps  my  misfor- 
tunes themselves  have  only  endeared  me  the  more  to  my  native 
island." 

So  for  a  long  period  of  years  he  continued  to  be  editor 
of  the  Sheffield  Iris.  When  he  gave  up  this  work  his  solemn 
testimony  was:  ''From  the  first  moment  that  I  became  the 
director  of  a  public  journal,  I  took  my  own  ground.  I  have 
stood  upon  it  through  many  years  of  changes,  and  I  rest  by  it 
this  day,  as  having  afforded  me  a  shelter  through  the  far  greater 
portion  of  my  life,  and  yet  offering  me  a  grave,  when  I  shall 
no  longer  have  a  part  in  anything  done  under  the  sun.  And  this 
was  my  ground — a  plain  determination,  come  wind  or  sun, 
come  fire  or  flood,  to  do  what  was  right.     I  lay  stress  on  the 


334  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

purpose,  not  the  performance,  for  this  was  the  polar  star  to 
which  my  compass  pointed,  through  the  considerable  Variation 
of  the  needle.'  " 

When  he  was  forty-three  years  old  he  sought  and  obtained 
readmission  to  the  Moravian  congregation  at  Fulneck,  and 
afterwards  engaged  actively  in  the  support  of  such  organizations 
as  the  Bible  Society,  the  Sunday  School  Union,  and  Missionary 
Societies  of  one  kind  and  another.  One  of  his  biographers  tells 
us:  "From  temperament  and  bodily  infirmities,  Montgomery 
was  prone  to  look  upon  the  dark  side  of  all  events;  and  his 
religious  character,  of  course,  partook  in  some  measure  of  the 
same  element ;  his  soul  struggled  long  in  darkness  and  despair, 
and  only  slowly  did  he  appropriate  to  himself  the  comforts  of 
the  Christian  faith.  In  such  a  state  of  mind,  wrestling  with 
inward  doubts,  and  lingering  under  the  shadows  of  Sinai,  the 
new  religious  organizations  of  the  day,  instinct  with  a  social, 
active,  and  joyous  Christian  life,  were  precisely  what  was 
needed  to  draw  off  and  strengthen  his  religious  affections ;  and 
by  giving  him  a  work  to  do,  enabled  him  to  gain,  through  love 
to  man,  a  more  personal  consciousness  of  love  to  the  Redeemer 
of  men." 

Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler,  who  visited  him  in  1842,  is 
authority  for  the  statement  that  Montgomery,  though  a  Mora- 
vian, was  "a  constant  worshiper  in  St.  George's  Episcopal 
Church  in  Sheffield." 

Two  of  Montgomery's  most  popular  hymns  were  written 
for  missionary  occasions,  the  one  beginning : 

288     O  Spirit  of  the  living  God, 

the  other  beginning: 

323     Hail  to  the  Lord's  Anointed. 

Two  others  are  associated  with  the  life  to  come,  the  one 
beginning : 

675     Forever  with  the  Lord, 

the  other  beginning : 

180    Who  are  these  in  bright  array. 


GREAT  NONCONFORMIST  HYMN  WRITERS    335 

In  the  biography  of  Arthur  Christopher  Benson,  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  we  read  concerning  his  last  hours  at 
Hawarden,  where  he  was  visiting  Mr.  Gladstone:  "The  Lord's 
Prayer  was  beginning  as  they  carried  him  out  of  church,  and 
as  they  went  down  the  path  to  the  rectory  they  saw  the  spirit 
had  passed  without  a  word  or  a  pang. 

"They  laid  him  on  a  wide  sofa  in  the  library,  and  tried, 
as  they  were  bound  to  do,  some  remedies.  After  half  an  hour 
they  ceased  and  went  quietly  out,  leaving  my  mother  alone  with 
him. 

"The  knowledge  of  his  passing  had  come  back  to  the 
church.  Mr.  Stephen  Gladstone  told  it  in  a  few  words,  and 
gave  out  the  appointed  hymn ;  by  a  strange  and  beautiful  coin- 
cidence, it  was  'Forever  with  the  Lord.'  " 

In  the  biography  of  Phillips  Brooks  we  read:  "It  was  a 
custom  of  Mr.  Brooks  through  many  years  to  speak  in  his 
sermons  of  eminent  persons  who  had  died,  whether  in  Church 
or  State.  One  of  his  favorite  hymns  was  'Who  are  These  in 
Bright  Array  ?'  When  he  announced  it,  the  people  knew  that 
he  had  lost  some  friend,  or  was  about  to  commemorate  the 
departure  of  some  one  known  for  distinguished  services." 

Our  other  hymns  for  which  we  are  debtors  to  Montgomery 
(Hymn  235  is  only  partly  his),  begin: 

30  To  Thy  temple  I  repair. 

60  Angels,  from  the  realms  of  glory. 

93  Go  to  dark  Gethsemane. 

183  Lord,  pour  Thy  Spirit  from  on  high. 

233  According  to  Thy  gracious  word. 

23s  Shepherd  of  souls,  refresh  and  bless. 

340  In  the  hour  of  trial. 

402  Jerusalem,  my  happy  home. 

41S  Call  Jehovah  thy  salvation. 

448  Come,  let  us  sing  the  song  of  songs. 

474  Oh,  bless  the  Lord,  my  soul. 

475  Magnify  Jehovah's  name. 

476  Songs  of  praise  the  angels  sancf. 


336  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

513  Oh,  where  shall  rest  be  found. 

547  Glory  to  the  Father  give. 

561  When  Jesus  left  His  Father's  throne. 

649  Lord,  forever  at  Thy  side. 

HoEATius  BoNAK  belonged  to  a  family  of  prominence  in 
Edinburgh^  where  he  was  bom  December  19,  1808,  and  died 
July  31,  1889.  After  graduation  from  the  university  of  his 
native  city  he  became  minister  of  the  North  Parish  (Church 
of  Scotland),  Kelso,  ISTovember  30,  1837,  joined  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland  May  18,  1843,  and  continued  minister  of 
that  church,  at  Kelso.  He  was  admitted  minister  of  the 
Chalmers  Memorial  Church,  Grange,  Edinburgh,  June  7,  1866, 
and  chosen  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland  in  1883. 

This  is  the  short  record  of  a  long  life  full  of  joy  and 
light  and  power. 

The  most  interesting  sketch  of  this  saintly  life  known  to 
me  is  contained  in  a  sermon  printed  in  a  volume  entitled 
"Horatius  Bonar,  D.D.  A  Memorial."  From  this  I  take  a 
few  extracts:  "Beginning  in  Leith,  the  hymns  were  multiplied 
in  Kelso.  The  first  seems  to  have  been,  'I  Was  a  Wandering 
Sheep ;'  the  second,  'I  Lay  My  Sins  on  Jesus ;'  the  third,  "^A  Few 
More  Years  Shall  Roll.'  Leith  and  Kelso  children  loved  them. 
The  children  of  Scotland  and  of  England  heard  and  loved  them. 
Our  sons  in  the  colonies  and  our  brothers  in  America  heard 
and  loved  them.  And  now  children  and  old  people,  too,  on  the 
continent  of  Europe,  from  Spain  to  Russia,  find  in  them,  as 
rendered  into  their  own  tongues,  fitting  utterance  for  their 
spiritual  longings.  Hymn  succeeded  hymn,  and  some  of  them 
are  scattered  over  the  globe  in  millions.  Like  the  richest  of 
our  Scottish  songsters,  which  'Trills  her  thick  warbled  note, 
the  summer  long,'  the  singer  ceased  not  to  pour  his  lays.  Li 
joy  they  welled  up,  not  without  a  shade  of  pathos  in  them,  from 
the  fountain  of  a  thankful  heart.  In  sorrow,  as  they  flowed 
tenderly  and  touchingly,  they  assuaged  the  keenness  of  his  woe. 

"As  he  tells  us,  in  that  exquisite  fragment  of  poetic  auto- 
biography, his  preface  to  'My  Old  Letters' ; 


GREAT  NONCONFORMIST  HYMN  WRITERS    337 

Thou  art  the  lute  with  which  I  sang  my  sadness. 
When  sadness  like  a  cloud  begirt  my  way; 

Thou  art  the  harp  who     strings  gave  out  my  gladness. 
When  burst  the  sunshine  of  a  happier  day, 
Resting  upon  my  soul  with  sweet  and  silent  ray. 

The  sickle  thou  with  which  I  have  been  reaping 
My  great  life-harvest  here  on  earth;  and  now 

'Mid  these  my  sheaves  I  lay  me  down  unweeping. 
Nay,  full  of  joy,  in  life's  still  evening-glow, 
And  wipe  the  reaper's  sweat  from  this  toil-furrowed  brow. 

"A  somewhat  silent  man  in  private  life,  and  markedly 
reticent  as  to  his  own  feelings  and  experiences,  he  had  less  to 
gain  than  many  from  human  sympathy,  in  his  unspoken  heart- 
aches; so  God  gave  him  the  solace  of  his  ever-present  lyre, 
which  yielded  sympathetic  response  to  his  lightest  touch.  He 
recognized,  as  years  ran  on,  that  his  'life-harvest'  was  being 
widely  reaped  by  means  of  the  same  tuneful  lyre." 


"One  cardinal  feature  of  Dr.  Bonar's  hymns  is  that  they 
are  not  merely  sacred  poems  but  hymns  indeed.  That  is,  they 
contain  such  expression  of  adoration,  confession,  aspiration  as 
is  fitting  in  the  devout  worshiper.  And  while  they  express 
they  lend  intensity  to  his  thoughts.  It  needs  no  effort  to  inter- 
pret them ;  a  child  may  understand  them ;  they  flow  limpid  as 
the  mountain  stream;  yet  they  sparkle  with  the  graces  of 
imagination  and  with  felicities  of  expression. 

"The  Churcb  of  God  has  not  been  slow  to  discover  that 
they  minister  to  her  devotion  and  meet  her  spiritual  need. 
Some  of  them  are  found  scattered  in  the  hymnals  of  all  lands. 
Fifty  years  of  sacred  song  give  large  opportunity  for  selection ; 
and  there  are  doubtless  yet  others  of  the  hymns  that  will  receive 
the  stamp  of  general  acceptance.  They  were  written  in  very 
varied  circumstances:  sometimes  timed  by  the  numbers  of  the 
tinkling  brook  that  babbled  near  him;  sometimes  attuned  to 
the  ordered  tramp  of  the  ocean,  whose  crested  waves  broke  on 
the  beach  by  which  he  wandered ;  sometimes  set  to  the  rude 
music  of  the  railway  train  that  hurried  him  to  the  scene  of 


338  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

duty ;  sometimes  measured  bj  the  silent  rhythm  of  the  midnight 
stars  that  shone  above  him. 

"There  are  few  honors  on  earth  equal  to  that  of  giving 
harmonious,  elevating,  enkindling  utterance  to  the  deepest  devo- 
tional thoughts  of  the  children  of  God.  A  sermon  does  its  v^ork 
and  passes.  But  a  true  hymn  is  sung,  and  sung,  and  sung 
again  by  souls  humbled,  animated,  inspired  by  its  breath,  in 
countless  assemblies  of  the  faithful,  in  various  lands,  through 
many  generations.     That  honor  have  not  all  the  saints. 

"The  stir  of  strife  did  not  suit  Horatius  Bonar.  The 
din  of  controversy  was  distasteful  to  him,  his  weapons  were  not 
fashioned  for  such  employ,  and  so  he  says : 

In  days  of  public  strife,  when,  sharp  and  stinging. 
The  angry  words  went  daily  to  and  fro, 

Friend  against  friend  the  polished  missiles  flinging. 
Each  seeking  who  could  launch  the  keenest  blow, 
I  went  to  thee,  my  harp,  and  bade  thy  numbers  flow. 

"When  many  a  keen  controversy  of  the  nineteenth  century 
shall  be  forgotten,  'I  Lay  My  Sins  on  Jesus,'  and  kindred 
strains,  shall  utter  and  shall  swell  the  devotion  of  God's  united 
children.  We  are  not  all  fitted  for  all  work;  and  that  he  felt 
himself.     But  which  of  us  is  fitted  for  his  work  ? 

"It  would  be  interesting  to  know  the  poet's  preference  and 
his  judgment  about  his  own  hymns.  One  little  guide  to  this 
we  are  enabled  to  contribute.  When  a  friend  one  day  said 
to  him,  'My  favorite  among  all  our  hymns  is,  "When  the  Weary 
Seeking  Rest,'  "  he  replied,  'I  think  that  is  my  own  favorite  too ; 
it  has  less  poetry  in  it  than  some  of  them,  but  I  like  it.'  And 
well  he  might.  Its  swell  and  sweep  of  tearful  compassion  for 
sorrow  under  every  form,  and  its  successive  bursts  of  passionate 
pleading  on  behalf  of  the  sorrowing,  may  well  give  it  a  fore- 
most place  in  the  worship  of  the  suffering  sons  of  men.  Per- 
haps the  next  in  the  poet's  own  esteem  was,  'I  Heard  the  Voice 
of  Jesus  Say.'  And  on  this  point  the  judgment  of  the  Church 
will  hardly  differ  from  the  judgment  of  the  author.  Bishop 
Fraser,  of  Manchester,  thought  this  hymn  the  finest  in  the 
English  language. 


GREAT  NONCONFORMIST  HYMN  WRITERS    339 

"The  breath  of  Dr.  Bonar's  poetry  has  wafted  the  message 
of  salvation  to  many  who  do  not  hear  it  in  sermons,  or  who 
might  not  welcome  it  in  tracts  or  in  ordinary  books.  The 
history  would  be  voluminous  and  of  tender  interest,  if  it  could 
be  written,  of  the  dark  souls  enlightened,  the  troubled  souls 
comforted,  the  dying  souls  revived,  by  repeated  or  remembered 
verses  of  Horatius  Bonar's  hymns.  One  present  at  the  funeral 
told  Andrew  Bonar  that  the  hymn  beginning  'I  Hear  the  Words 
of  Love,'  had  led  him  into  clear  light.  How  many  others 
could  bear  such  testimony !" 

One  of  Dr.  Bonar's  hymns,  used  by  us  at  times,  is  for  the 
Holy  Communion  and  begins: 

219    Here,  0  my  Lord,  I  see  Thee  face  to  face. 

The  first  lines  of  his  other  hymns  chosen  for  our  hymnal 
are: 

203  A  few  more  years  shall  roll. 

431  0  love  that  casts  out  fear. 

463  All  praise  to  Him  who  built  the  hills. 

584  Go,  labor  on !  spend  and  be  spent. 

605  I  lay  my  sins  on  Jesus. 

609  When  the  weary,  seeking  rest. 

617  Glory  be  to  God  the  Father. 

632  Thy  way,  not  mine,  O  Lord. 

673  I  heard  the  voice  of  Jesus  say. 

Concerning  another  saintly  man  of  an  earlier  time  George 
Macdonald  has  truly  said:  "In  1615  was  born  Richard  Bax- 
ter^ one  of  the  purest  and  wisest  and  devoutest  of  men — 
and  no  mean  poet  either.  If  ever  a  man  sought  between  con- 
tending parties  to  do  his  duty,  siding  with  each  as  each 
appeared  right,  opposing  each  as  each  appeared  wrong,  surely 
that  man  was  Baxter.  Hence  he  fared  as  all  men  too  wise 
to  be  partisans  must  fare — he  pleased  neither  Royalists  nor 
Puritans.  Dull  of  heart  and  sadly  unlike  a  mother  was  the 
Church  when,  by  the  Act  of  Uniformity  of  Charles  II,  she 


340  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

drove  from  her  bosom  such  a  son,  with  his  two  thousand 
brethren  of  the  clergy." 

Baxter's  life  was  one  of  great  literary  activity  and  of  rare 
pastoral  fidelity.  Kidderminster,  where  he  labored  for  sixteen 
years,  was  transformed  through  his  holy  ministrations.  At  the 
Restoration  he  became,  for  a  brief  period,  chaplain  to  Charles 
II,  and  was  offered  the  bishopric  of  Hereford,  but  declined  it. 
His  conscience  afterwards  carried  him  into  the  ^Nonconformist 
ministry.     He  died  in  1691. 

For  our  day  and  time  some  parts  of  his  writings  seem 
like  the  clothing  of  the  seventeenth  century,  a  little  out  of  date. 
^N^evertheless,  we  can  readily  understand  why  Dr.  Barrow  should 
write,  "His  practical  writings  were  never  mended,  and  his 
controversial  ones  seldom  confuted" ;  why  Archbishop  Usher 
should  urge  him  to  write  more  and  more  concerning  spiritual 
things;  and  why  Robert  Boyle  should  say,  "He  was  the  fittest 
man  of  the  age  for  a  casuist,  because  he  feared  no  man's  dis- 
pleasure, nor  hoped  for  any  man's  preferment." 

His  was  a  life  of  struggle  and  hard  vicissitude,  as  well 
as  of  heavenly  communion.  Out  of  the  depths,  looking  up  to 
glorious  heights,  he  was  led  to  sing : 

66s    Lord,  it  belongs  not  to  my  care 
Whether  I  die  or  live; 
To  love  and  serve  Thee  is  my  share. 
And  this  Thy  grace  must  give. 

If  life  be  long,  oh,  make  me  glad 

The  longer  to  obey; 
If  short,  no  laborer  is  sad 

To  end  his  toilsome  day, 

Christ  leads  me  through  no  darker  rooms 

Than  He  went  through  before; 
And  he  that  to  God's  kingdom  comes 

Must  enter  by  this  door. 

Come,  Lord,  when  grace  hath  made  me  meet 

Thy  blessed  face  to  see: 
For  if  Thy  work  on  earth  be  sweet, 

What  will  Thy  glory  be? 


GREAT  NONCONFORMIST  HYMN  WRITERS    341 

Then  I  shall  end  my  sad  complaints 

And  weary,  sinful  days. 
And  join  with  the  triumphant  saints 

That  sing  my  Saviour's  praise. 

My  knowledge  of  that  life  is  small. 

The  eye  of  faith  is  dim; 
But  'tis  enough  that  Christ  knows  all. 

And  I  shall  be  with  Him. 


,.,..^""'^\ 


XVI. 

Henry  Alford 

Sir  Henry  Williams  Baker 

Sabine  Baring-Gould 

Edw^ard  Henry  Bickersteth 

John  Ellerton 

William  Dalrymple  Maclagan 

John  Samuel  Bew^ley  Monsell 

Edward  Hayes  Plumptre 

Arthur  Penrhyn  Stanley 

Samuel  John  Stone 

Godfrey  Thring 

Henry  Twells 


(343) 


There  is  an  ancient  River, 

Whose  streams  descend  in  light 
From  never-failing  fountains 

Beyond  all  earthly  sight; 
It  ran  through  all  the  ages, 

And  wheresoe'er  it  flowed. 
Up  rose  the  Holy  City, 

The  Lord's  elect  abode. 

The  River  still  is  flowing, 

But  now  with  fuller  stream ; 
And  still  the  light  is  falling. 

But  now  with  brighter  beam : 
Of  old  the  song  of  Moses 

Soared  as  it  swept  along. 
But  now  the  name  of  Jesus 

Is  made  its  sweeter  song. 

Its  radiance  lights  us  onward, 

Its  chanting  waters  cheer ; 
Blest  is  the  eye  beholding, 

Blest  is  the  hearing  ear ; 
For  as  the  earth-clouds  darken 

The  glory  clearer  grows, 
And  gladder  for  life's  tumult 

The  stream  of  music  flows. 


Samuel  John  STomt. 


(344) 


XVI. 

HENRY  ALFORD, 

SIR  HENRY  WILLIAMS  BAKER, 

SABINE  BARING-GOULD, 

EDWARD  HENRY  BICKERSTETH, 

JOHN  ELLERTON, 

WILLIAM  DALRYMPLE   MACLAGAN, 

JOHN   SAMUEL  BEWLEY  MONSELL, 

EDWARD  HAYES  PLUMPTRE, 

ARTHUR  PENRHYN  STANLEY, 

SAMUEL  JOHN  STONE, 

GODFREY  THRING, 

HENRY  TWELLS. 

The  above-named  twelve  men  form  a  group  of  clergymen 
of  the  Church  of  England  to  whom,  in  the  matter  of  hymnodj, 
we  are  much  indebted.  They  were  all  bom  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  and  all  are  now  dead,  excepting  only  the  Rev.  Sabine 
Baring-Gould  and  the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Maclagan,  and  the  latter 
has  passed  his  eightieth  milestone.  Having  served  their  owti  gen- 
eration by  the  will  of  God,  they  have  fallen  asleep,  with  the 
good  hope  to  cheer  them  that  they  will  serve  other  generations 
also  with  their  deathless  songs. 

Heney  Alfoed^  the  eldest  of  this  group  of  gifted  men,  was 
bom  in  London,  October  7,  1810.  His  father  was  a  clergyman, 
and  his  early  training  good.  He  won  distinction  at  Trinity 
College,  Cambridge,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1832.  Among 
the  friends  of  his  youth  he  was  privileged  to  number  Arthur 
Hallam  and  Alfred   Tennyson.     He  was   ordained  in   1833, 

(345) 


346  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

and  continued  in  ministerial  service  until  1871,  when  lie 
died  in  the  high  position  of  Dean  of  Canterbury.  He  was  a 
superior  preacher,  but  his  best  work  was  done  in  the  making  of 
books,  which  carried  his  name  and  fame  around  the  world. 
In  the  "Story  of  My  Life,"  by  Augustus  J.  C.  Hare,  an  enter- 
taining but  not  altogether  admirable  book,  we  may  read,  if  we 
will,  the  following  reference  to  a  visit  made  to  Dean  Alford 
in  his  cottage  in  the  Kentish  hills :  "He  was  more  charming 
than  ever,  and  more  eccentric,  never  wearing  stockings,  and 
shoes  only  when  he  went  out.  *  *  *  It  was  my  last  sight 
of  this  dear  friend,  with  whom  I  have  been  more  really  intimate 
than  with  perhaps  anyone  else,  in  spite  of  the  great  difference 
in  age  and  position.  *  *  *  jjig  grave,  in  St.  Martin's 
churchyard  at  Canterbury,  is  always  a  very  sacred  spot  to  me." 

Mention  of  this  sacred  spot  suggests  the  following  from 
Dean  Alford's  biography : 

"He  had  himself  expressed  a  wish  to  be  buried  in  St. 
Martin's  churchyard.  The  spot  chosen  for  his  grave  is  beneath 
a  yew-tree  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  on  the  south  side  of  the  path 
which  leads  up  from  the  lich-gate  to  the  western  door  of  the 
ancient  church.  At  the  distance  of  about  half  a  mile  to  the 
west  the  towers  of  the  Cathedral  look  down  upon  his  tomb. 

"Among  his  papers  was  found  the  following  memoran- 
dum, which,  of  course,  was  carefully  obeyed :  'When  I  am  gone, 
and  a  tomb  is  to  be  put  up,  let  there  be,  besides  any  indication 
of  who  is  lying  below,  these  words,  and  these  only,  Deversorium 
Yiatoris  Hierosolymam  Proficiscentis,  i.  e.,  the  inn  of  a  trav- 
eler on  his  way  to  Jerusalem.'  " 

There  is  room  for  one  other  quotation,  one  of  the  most 
notable  in  all  sacred  literature,  the  most  exalted  utterance  of 
his  exalted  life,  namely,  the  words  with  which  he  concluded  his 
great  work  on  the  New  Testament  Scriptures,  referring  first 
of  all  to  the  Book  of  the  Revelation. 

"I  have  now  only  to  commend  to  my  gracious  God  and 
Father  this  feeble  attempt  to  explain  the  most  mysterious  and 
glorious  portion  of  His  revealed  Scripture;  and  with  it,  thia 
my  labor  of  now  four-and-twenty  years,  herewith  completed. 
I  do  it  with  humble  thankfulness,  but  with  a  sense  of  utter 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  347 

weakness  before  the  power  of  His  word,  and  inability  to  sound 
the  depths  even  of  its  simplest  sentence.  May  He  spare  the 
hand  which  has  been  put  forward  to  touch  His  Ark;  may  He, 
for  Christ's  sake,  forgive  all  rashness,  all  perverseness,  all  un- 
charitableness,  which  may  be  found  in  this  book,  and  sanctify 
it  to  the  use  of  His  Church,  its  truth,  if  any,  for  teaching;  its 
manifold  defect,  for  warning.  My  prayer  is  and  shall  be,  that 
in  the  stir  and  labor  of  men  over  His  word,  to  which  these 
volumes  have  been  one  humble  contribution,  others  may  arise 
and  teach,  whose  labors  shall  be  so  far  better  than  mine,  that 
this  book,  and  its  writer,  may  ere  long  be  utterly  forgotten." 

When  Henry  Alford  was  twenty  years  old,  he  sent  some 
hymns  to  the  "Church  Observer"  and  "Christian  Guardian," 
which  were  duly  published.  When  he  was  twenty-six  years 
old,  he  issued  a  volume  of  "Hymns  for  the  Sundays  and  Festi- 
vals throughout  the  Year,  with  some  Occasional  Hymns." 
Having  begun  well,  he  continued  his  interest  in  hymn  writing 
until  he  died. 

The  first  lines  of  our  hymns  received  from  him  are  as 
follows : 

77  Thou,  who  on  that  wondrous  journey. 

193  Come,  ye  thankful  people,  come. 

209  In  token  that  thou  shalt  not  fear. 

396  Ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand. 

426  We  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight. 

523  Forward!  be  our  watchword. 

557  When  in  the  Lord  Jehovah's  name. 


In  the  life  of  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Wood,  the  eminent  naturalist, 
the  story  of  the  birth  of  one  of  these  hymns  is  told  in  an  inter- 
esting way.  From  this  it  appears  that  the  musical  festivals 
then  held  at  Canterbury  from  year  to  year  were  not  models 
of  beauty  and  precision.  There  was  pressing  need  of  change. 
Mr.  Wood's  biographer  writes : 

"In  1868  my  father  attended  the  festival,  and  was  much 
shocked  to  see  the  slovenly,  and  even  irreverent,  behavior  of 


34^  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

tJiosc  who,  of  all  men, should  have  known  better.  Walking  up  the 
center  of  the  choir  of  the  catliedral  itself  might  bo  seen  clergy, 
arrayed  in  full  canonicals,  carrying  an  ordinary  tall  hat  in 
one  hand,  and  with  a  gaily  dressed  lady  on  cither  ann."  Think 
of  it,  what  an  amazing  spectacle!  "The  alms  at  the  festival 
sen'icc  itself,  instead  of  being  presontod  at  the  altar,  were 
deliberately  and  openly  placed  in  a  hat,  and  so  carried  off  to 
tlie  Chapter  House.  And  all  else  was  conducted  on  similar 
principles.     *     *     * 

*'In  the  first  festival  which  he  conducted — that  of  1869 — 
he  managed  to  secure  a  great  accession  of  reverence  from  all  con- 
cerned ;  and  in  that  year,  for  the  first  time,  the  alms  were  duly 
and  properly  offered  upon  the  altar  by  the  present  Bishop  of 
Dover,  who  officiated. 

"His  next  st<^p  was  to  arrange  for  a  processional  hymn — 
an  undertaking  in  which  he  met  witli  great  opposition.  Hith- 
erto the  surpliced  portion  of  the  choir,  after  robing  in  the 
Chapter  House,  had  straggled  hurriedly  into  the  choir,  mutely 
and  untidily,  and  a  great  and  impressive  effect  had  been  allowed 
to  slip.  Now  my  father  wished  for  a  systematic  procession, 
singing  some  good  and  solid  processional  hymn. 

''His  chief  difficulty  in  arranging  for  this  lay  in  the 
attitude  of  the  Dean  (Dr.  Alford),  who,  for  a  long  time,  could 
not  be  brought  to  see  that  ordinary  decorum  required  an  orderly 
procession,  while  such  a  procession  was  hardly  possible  unless 
it  were  permitted  to  sing  upon  the  march.  Neither  could  ho 
agree  for  a  while  that  the  impressiveness  of  the  effect  was  at 
all  a  thing  to  be  desired.  By  dint  of  much  perseverance,  how- 
ever, my  father  carried  his  point;  and  then  incontinently  fol- 
lowed up  his  victory  by  suggesting  that  the  Dean  himself  should 
write  a  processional  hymn  for  the  occasion,  and  compose  the 
music  also.  The  Dean,  at  first,  was  a  little  overcome  by  the 
audacity  of  the  proposal,  but  finally  consented;  and  shortly 
afterwards  my  father  received  a  very  admirable  hymn,  with 
the  Dean's  compliments.  This,  however,  good  as  it  was,  was 
by  no  means  the  kind  of  hymn  which  he  wanted;  and  so  he 
wrote  off  again  to  the  Dean,  pointing  out  that  the  hymn,  while 
excellent  in  its  way,  was  not  at  all  adapted  to  be  sung  upon  the 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  349 


march.  Would  he  kindly  go  into  his  cathedral,  walk  slowly 
along  the  course  which  the  procession  would  take,  and  compose 
another  hymn  as  he  did  so  ?  The  result  was  that  grand  hymn 
beginning,  'Forward  be  our  watchword.' 

''The  effect  of  the  hymn,  when  sung  by  the  vast  body  of 
choristers,   was   almost   overwhelming.     From  the   time  when 
the  leaders  of  the  procession  emerged  from  the  cloisters  into 
the  north  aisle  to  that  in  which  the  last  of  the  long  stream 
ascended  the  steps  of  the  choir,  nearly  half  an  hour  elapsed. 
And  throughout  the  whole  of  this  time  the  glorious  strains  of 
Dean  Alford's  hymn  were  taken  up  again  and  again  by  fresh 
bodies  of  voices,  each  pair  of  choristers  joining  in  the  chorus 
as  they  reached  a  specified  spot,  and  ceasing  as  they  set  foot 
on  the  last  step  of  the  ascent  to  the  choir,  and  passed  under 
the  screen  to  their  seats  within.     The  effect  of  such  a  hymn, 
sung  by  such  a  body  of  voices,  in  such  a  building  as  the  grand 
old  Cathedral  of  Canterbury,  was  utterly  beyond  the  power  of 
words  to   describe.     Scarcely   a  member  of  the  congregation 
but  was  visibly  moved,  and  long  before  the  last  of  the  five 
'brigades,'  into  which  the  choristers  were  divided,  had  entered 
the  choir,  it  was  felt  that  no  such  festival  had  ever  before  been 
held  within  the  walls  of  the  stately  ^N^orman  building." 

Making  particular  mention  of  Sir  Henby  Williams 
Baker,  and  the  distinguished  and  useful  work  done  by  him  for 
the  Church,  Henry  Twells'  volume  entitled  "Sermons  on 
Hymns,  and  Other  Addresses,"  begins  on  this  wise : 

"In  the  year  1857  a  company  of  clergy  met  together  in  a 
private  room  in  the  suburbs  of  London  to  consider  the  question 
of  hymnology.  At  that  time  there  were,  at  least,  three  hundred 
different  hymnals  in  the  Church  of  England,  none  of  them 
very  predominant  among  the  others,  and  none  of  them,  in  the 
opinion  of  these  clergy,  altogether  satisfactory.  It  was  resolved 
at  this  meeting  to  compile  a  new  hymnal,  to  be  adopted  by  those 
present,  and  to  be  recommended  to  their  friends. 

"One  of  the  leading  features  of  this  enterprise  was  to  be 
the  policy  of  the  householder  described  by  our  blessed  Lord, 
who  brought  out  of  his  treasury  things  both  new  and  old.     The 


350  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

existing  books  confined  themselves  almost  entirely  to  modem 
hymns:  Watts,  Wesley,  Doddridge,  Cowper,  Newton,  Mont- 
gomery, and  many  other  writers,  to  whom  the  Church  owes 
much,  were  laid  under  contribution,  and  there  was  generally 
added  a  selection  from  Tate  and  Brady's  metrical  Psalter. 
But  the  old  Latin  and  Greek  hymns,  from  the  fourth  century- 
downward,  though  still  extant,  were  practically  ignored.  The 
determination  to  include  these  with  more  recent  productions 
gave  rise  to  the  now  well-known  title  'Hymns  Ancient  and 
Modem.' 

"That  band  of  compilers,  painstaking  and  enthusiastic 
as  they  were,  little  anticipated  the  extent  to  which  their  efforts 
would  affect  the  hymnology  of  the  Church  of  England.  Their 
chairman  told  me,  many  years  afterwards,  that  if  they  could 
have  been  assured  that  this  book  would  have  been  adopted  in 
twenty  churches  besides  their  own,  they  would  have  been  well 
satisfied  and  thankful.  What  was  the  result?  From  the  first 
the  popularity  of  'Hymns  Ancient  and  Modem'  was  undoubted, 
and  at  every  fresh  revision  and  improvement  (of  which  there 
have  been  three)  it  secured  additional  acceptance.  It  is  now 
the  hymnal  of  15,000  churches  and  chapels  of  England  and 
Wales,  out  of  about  20,000.  It  is  the  hymnal  of  the  army  and 
navy.  It  is  the  hymnal  generally  adopted  in  the  Episcopal 
Church  of  Scotland.  It  is  the  hymnal  of  overwhelming  pre- 
ponderance in  the  colonies.  If  I  were  to  say  that  fifty  million 
copies  of  it  have  been  circulated,  I  know  I  should  be  a  long  way 
within  the  mark. 

"The  chairman  of  the  original  committee,  to  whom  I  have 
already  referred,  was  Sir  Henry  Baker,  at  that  time  Eector 
of  Monkland  in  Herefordshire.  I  had  the  privilege  of  knowing 
him.  A  greater  lover  of  hymns  or  a  greater  expert  in  their 
history  and  merits  I  never  met  with.  He  was  himself  a  hymn- 
writer  of  no  slight  merit.  If  I  mention  'Oh,  What  if  We  are 
Christ's  !'  'There  is  a  Blessed  Home,'  'Lord,  Thy  Word  Abideth,' 
the  baptismal  hymn,  'Tis  Done,  That  New  and  Heavenly  Birth,' 
the  wedding  hymn,  'How  Welcome  Was  the  Call,'  the  Com- 
munion hymn,  'I  Am  ISTot  Worthy,  Holy  Lord,'  I  know  that 
many  of  you  will  feel  grateful  to  the  divine  inspirer  of  his 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  351 

song.  But  perhaps  the  best-loved  hymn  is  his  rendering  of 
the  twenty-third  psabn,  'The  King  of  Love  My  Shepherd  Is.' 
Assisted  by  the  sweet  melody  of  Dr.  Dykes,  it  has  quite  super- 
seded Addison's  version,  at  one  time  so  widely  adopted,  'The 
Lord  My  Pasture  Shall  Prepare.'  And  there  is  a  very  touching 
fact  about  it.  When,  in  the  year  1877,  Sir  Henry  Baker 
passed  into  the  paradise  of  perfect  song,  his  last  audible  words 
were  two  lines  from  his  own  hymn.     He  was  heard  to  murmur : 

'And  on  His  shoulders,  gently  laid. 
And  home  rejoicing  brought  me.'  " 

Of  Sib  Henky  Williams  Baker  it  is  needful  to  say  only 
that  he  was  born  in  London,  May  27,  1821 ;  that  he  was  grad- 
uated from  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  in  1844;  that  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  baronetcy  in  1857,  in  which  year  he  became  Vicar 
of  Monkland,  Herefordshire,  where  he  died,  February  12,  1877. 
In  the  field  of  hymnology  he  was  a  great  leader. 

The  first  lines  of  his  hymns  and  translations  contributed 
to  our  hymnal  are  as  follows : 

52  Of  the  Father's  love  begotten. 

99  Now,  my  soul,  thy  voice  upraising. 

102  O  Sacred  Head,  surrounded. 

199  O  God  of  love,  O  King  of  peace. 

234  I  am  not  worthy,  holy  Lord. 

282  Lord,  Thy  word  abideth. 

349  Out  of  the  deep  I  call. 

390  Oh,  what,  if  we  are  Christ's. 

412  The  King  of  love  my  Shepherd  is. 

499  Almighty  God,  whose  only  Son. 

640  My  Father,  for  another  night. 

679  There  is  a  blessed  home. 

Well  may  we  heed  his  cry,  as  borne  to  us  by  the  last  stanza 
of  our  hymnal : 

^'    Look  up,  ye  saints  of  God, 
Nor  fear  to  tread  below 
The  path  your  Saviour  trod 
Of  daily  toil  and  woe. 


352  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Wait  but  a  little  while 

In  uncomplaining  love : 
His  own  most  gracious  smile 

Shall  welcome  you  above. 

Sabine  Baeing-Gould  is  one  of  the  most  versatile  men  of 
our  day  and  generation.  He  is  still  a  clergyman  in  active 
service  in  the  parish  where  his  forefathers  ruled  and  slept.  He 
is  also  himself  squire  and  lord  of  the  manor.  As  an  author 
he  is  most  remarkable,  taking  rank  with  the  most  varied  and 
prolific  writers  of  our  time.  ISTovels  have  leaped  from  his  pen 
in  quick  succession,  and  biographies  and  histories,  and  poetry 
and  curious  myths.  He  wrote  the  "Lives  of  the  Saints,"  in 
fifteen  volumes,  and  "The  Origin  and  Development  of  Religious 
Belief,"  in  two  volumes.  He  has  written  also  of  "Yorkshire 
Oddities,"  and  of  all  sorts  of  out-of-the-way  men  and  things. 
In  ordinary  hands,  the  "Life  of  Robert  Stephen  Hawker"  might 
have  been  a  failure ;  in  his  hands,  "The  Vicar  of  Morwenstow" 
fairly  gleams  with  winsomeness.  His  published  sermons  are 
notable.  As  a  specimen  of  utterance,  large  and  brave  and  full 
of  charity,  I  select  the  following : 

"If  we  were  to  take  the  religions  of  the  world  and  spread 
them  out  before  us,  and  tabulate  their  characteristics,  we  should 
be  able  to  form  a  register  of  the  corresponding  wants  of  the 
human  spirit. 

"Every  religion  marks  the  existence  of  a  want.  And  every 
reformation  indicates  the  awaking,  the  assertion,  of  a  new 
one. 

"To  bring  this  down  to  our  own  experience  and  our  own 
days.  How  is  it  that  England  teems  with  sects  ?  Simply  be- 
cause the  Established  Church  does  not  meet  every  religious 
requirement  of  Christian  souls.  True  wisdom  would  seek  to 
make  her  bands  elastic,  and  vary  her  methods  to  embrace  and 
satisfy  all,  and  not  seek  to  stamp  and  stiffen  and  solidify 
her,  as  the  martyr  Geronimo  was  kneaded  into  a  bed  of  concrete. 

"Much  better  endow  the  Church  of  England  with  centrip- 
etal than  with  centrifugal  force;  and  this  can  only  be  done 
by  allowing  to  grow  together  in  luxuriance  objective  worship 


-^iV 


■,0% 


At^D 


''^^>^' 


?a 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  353 

and  subjective  mysticism ;  by  giving  to  those  who  want  on  either 
side  with  full  hand,  instead  of  measuring  to  each  in  grudged 
pinches." 

Sabine  Baring-Gould  was  bom  at  Exeter,  January  28, 
1834,  and  was  graduated  at  Cambridge.  Of  his  hymns,  four 
are  very  popular,  and  so,  very  frequently  sung.  They  have 
been  gladly  admitted  to  our  hymnal.     One  begins : 

243     On  the  resurrection  morning. 
Another  is  the  familiar  children's  hymn,  beginning : 

535     Now  the  day  is  over, 
Night  is  drawing  nigh. 

Another  is  his  translation  from  the  Danish  of  the  great 
hymn  of  Bernhardt  S.  Ingemann,  beginning: 

521     Through  the  night  of  doubt  and  sorrow. 

While  still  another  has  attained  to  widest  fame : 
516     Onward,  Christian  soldiers. 

As  to  the  origin  of  this  hymn,  its  author  says:  "It  was 
written  in  a  very  simple  fashion,  without  a  thought  of  publi- 
cation. Whit-Monday  is  a  great  day  for  school  festivals  in 
Yorkshire,  and  one  Whit-Monday  it  was  arranged  that  our 
school  should  join  its  forces  with  that  of  a  neighboring  village. 
I  wanted  the  children  to  sing  when  marching  from  one  village 
to  another,  but  couldn't  think  of  anything  quite  suitable,  so 
I  sat  up  at  night  resolved  to  write  something  myself.  'Onward, 
Christian  Soldiers'  was  the  result." 

And  what  a  result!  One  that  will  go  ringing  down  the 
ages. 

Of  this  great  hymn  Dr.  Charles  S.  Robinson  has  truly 
written : 

"It  has  been  taken  up  all  over  the  world,  and  with  either 


354  SOME  HYMNS  ^AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Haydn's  or  Sullivan's  music  set  to  it,  it  constitutes  the  best 
marching  hymn  for  children  or  adults  known  to  this  generation. 
It  meets  the  American  ideal,  mechanically  speaking,  in  that 
it  is  simple,  rhythmical,  lyric,  and  has  a  refrain  at  the  end  of 
each  stanza.  That  has  given  to  it  an  extensive  popularity 
and  use.  The  singing  of  great  masses  of  children  may  be  hated, 
as  it  once  w^as  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  by  those  that  hate 
Christ;  but  it  has  prodigious  power,  and  if  it  were  stopped 
the  very  stones  'would  immediately  cry  out.'  " 

As  to  Edward  Heney  Bickersteth,  the  following  ia 
taken  from  The  Guardian: 

"Edward  Henry  Bickersteth  was  bom  in  Islington  on 
January  25,  1825,  and  died  in  London  May  16,  1906.  His 
father,  the  Rev.  Edward  Bickersteth,  Secretary  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  and  Rector  of  Watton,  belonged  to  a  North 
Country  family,  and  was  one  of  four  brothers  who  became 
eminent  in  their  generation.  The  others  were  Henry  Bicker- 
steth, Lord  Langdale,  John  Bickersteth,  Rector  of  Sapcote,  and 
Robert  Bickersteth,  surgeon,  of  Liverpool.  Never  were  father 
and  son  more  fully  imbued  with  missionary  enthusiasm,  and 
the  one  carried  on  the  influence  which  the  other  had  wielded 
to  the  end  of  his  working  days,  a  period  of  more  than  three- 
quarters  of  a  century.  The  English  Church  owes  a  vast  debt 
of  gratitude  to  God  for  His  gift  of  such  advocates  of  foreign 
missions  during  three  generations  in  Edward  Bickersteth,  of 
Watton ;  his  son,  Edward  Henry  Bickersteth,  Bishop  of  Exeter ; 
and  his  grandson,  Edward  Bickersteth,  Bishop  of  South  Tokyo. 
"Edward  Henry  Bickersteth  was  graduated  at  Trinity,  Cam- 
bridge, in  1847  as  Senior  Optime,  and  in  the  Third  Class  of 
the  Classical  Tripos.  He  was,  moreover,  Chancellor's  medallist 
three  years  in  succession,  a  distinction  which  at  that  time  was 
unique,  thus  giving  evidence  of  the  remarkable  poetic  faculty 
to  which  the  Church  in  his  own  day  was  so  much  indebted. 
Ordained  in  1848  to  the  curacy  of  Banningham,  in  Norfolk, 
he  afterwards  served  for  a  short  time  at  Tunbridge  Wells, 
until  he  was  appointed  Rector  of  Hinton  Martell  in  Dorset. 
In  1855  he  became  Vicar  of  Christ  Church,  Hampstead,  in 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  355 

succession  to  the  Eev.  the  Hon.  J.  T.  Pelham,  subsequently 
Bishop  of  Norwich.  There  he  spent  thirty  years  of  incessant 
and  most  fruitful  ministerial  service,  embracing  in  its  scope 
not  the  parish  alone,  but  the  diocese,  many  parts  of  England, 
and  the  missionary  world.  He  was  called  upon  to  address 
clergy,  to  take  quiet  days,  to  conduct  parochial  missions,  and  to 
speak  for  foreign  missions — a  cause  which  was  a  consuming 
passion  with  him.  ISTor  were  his  interests  confined  to  matters 
religious  and  ecclesiastical.  He  was  deeply  concerned  in  all 
movements — social,  educational,  and  charitable — throughout  his 
career.  The  poor  and  afflicted  ever  found  in  him  a  wise  and 
sympathetic  friend. 

"He  was  one  of  a  small  committee  of  clergy  appointed  by 
Bishop  Jackson  in  1884-85  to  organize  the  London  Mission.  His 
powers  of  influence  and  organization  in  this  work  marked  him 
out  for  preferment,  which  came  in  January,  1885,  when  Mr. 
Gladstone  appointed  him  Dean  of  Gloucester.  But  before  his 
institution  the  offer  was  made  to  him  of  the  see  of  Exeter, 
vacant  by  the  translation  of  Dr.  Temple  to  London.  He  was 
consecrated  on  St.  Mark's  Day,  1885,  and  at  sixty  girded  up 
his  loins  for  the  work  of  an  episcopate  which  lasted  for  fifteen 
years.  His  gifts  were  of  an  order  which  is  higher  than  that 
of  intellectual  brilliancy  and  organizing  faculty,  for  spiritual 
power  is,  after  all,  the  highest  and  most  blessed  of  God's  gifts 
to  His  Church.  All  who  met  Bishop  Bickersteth  were  im- 
pressed by  his  spiritual-mindedness.  Thus  did  he  win  the  way 
for  his  Master  to  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  men.  He  ruled 
with  zeal  and  diligence,  with  meekness  of  wisdom,  winning 
victories  by  his  gentleness  and  fairness,  disarming  prejudice 
and  opposition  by  his  single-mindedness." 

This  also  from  the  London  Times  is  worthy  of  attention: 
"Mr.  Bickersteth's  long  incumbency  at  Hampstead  came 
to  an  end  with  his  appointment  in  1885  to  the  Deanery  of 
Gloucester.  But  in  a  month  or  two  Mr.  Gladstone  nominated 
him  to  succeed  Bishop  Temple  in  the  see  of  Exeter.  Such  an 
appointment,  coming  from  so  'Anglican'  a  premier,  caused  not 
a  little  surprise,  though  a  moment's  consideration  will  suggest 
that  the  choice  was  to  be  taken  in  connection  with  the  contem- 


356         SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

poraneous  and  complementary  selection  of  Dr.  King  for  Lin- 
coln. It  was  at  the  consecration  of  these  two  in  St.  Paul's  that 
Liddon  preached  the  memorable  'manifesto'  on  the  esse  of 
Episcopacy,  much  of  which  would  have  gone  like  a  knife  to  the 
heart  of  old  Edward  Bickersteth  of  Watton.  But  the  reflec- 
tions aroused  by  the  proclamation  of  these  views  at  the  conse- 
cration of  an  Evangelical  such  as  Dr.  Bickersteth  were  not  more 
remarkable  than  those  which  came  to  any  mind  that  saw  the 
contrast  between  him  and  his  predecessor  in  the  see.  The 
superficial  observer  would  say  that  the  diocese  had  now  'honey' 
in  place  of  'the  stony  rock/  and  would  do  wrong  to  both  bishops. 
Every  one  knows  by  this  time  that,  if  there  was  some  granite 
on  the  surface  of  Temple's  personality,  there  was  the  rich  loam 
of  human  kindness  just  beneath.  But  it  has  not,  perhaps,  been 
equally  realized  that  Dr.  Bickersteth.  was  gifted  with  a  certain 
faculty  for  getting  his  way  by  what  Matthew  Arnold  called 
'sweet  reasonableness.'  It  is  true  that  some  corners  of  the 
diocese  wanted  a  harder  broom,  that  there  were  little  but  long- 
lived  rebellions  which  a  firmer  hand  would  have  quelled,  and 
that  each  unit  of  diocesan  organization  was  conscious  in  a 
moment  of  the  departure  to  London  of  the  great  organizer  to 
whose  strong  will  they  had  so  willingly  submitted.  But  Devon- 
shire recognized  in  Dr.  Bickersteth  a  bishop  with,  fatherly 
instincts,  ready  to  spare  the  rod  as  long  as  any  other  expedient 
was  left,  and  determined  to  see  equal  justice  administered  to 
all  his  children.  Probably  the  only  section  of  the  diocese 
that  was  at  all  disappointed  in  him  was  that  of  the  extreme 
Evangelicals,  whose  axes  he  omitted  to  grind.  He  found  the 
eastward  position  at  the  Cathedral  and  took  it,  whereas  Dr. 
Temple,  even  at  St.  Paul's,  always  celebrated  at  the  north  end. 
But  Dr.  Bickersteth  disarmed  criticism  by  the  zeal  with  which 
he  attended  to  the  duties  of  his  office,  and  by  the  unselfish 
and  unobtrusive  generosity  with  which  he  subscribed  to 
diocesan  funds  and  assisted  the  poorer  members  of  his 
clergy.     *     *     * 

"He  was  the  author  of  a  considerable  number  of  poems 
and  volumes  of  sacred  verse,  marked  by  his  own  characteristic 
quality  of  sweetness  rather  than  strength;   of  these  the  best 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  357 

known  and  the  most  ambitious  was  'Yesterday,  To-day,  and 
Forever/  a  poem  in  twelve  books  with  a  suggestion  of  Milton 
about  it.  He  published  it  in  1866,  and  it  has  gone  through 
several  editions.  Another  undertaking  of  importance  was  the 
compilation  of  the  'Hymnal  Companion  to  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer,'  which  has  been  adopted  as  the  recognized  hymn  book 
of  the  Evangelicals.  Issued  in  1870,  it  was  reprinted  in  1876, 
and  again  in  1890.  Its  earlier  editions  contained  the  extraor- 
dinary solecism  of  a  fourth  verse  to  'Lead,  Kindly  Light'  from 
the  editor's  pen,  written  with  the  object  of  providing  a  'happy 
ending'  to  Newman's  immortal  reverie.  In  the  last  edition 
the  verse  was  relegated  to  the  appendix.  But  the  mistake, 
if  mistake  it  must  be  held  to  be,  was  significant  of  the  Bishop's 
whole  character.  A  spirit  of  his  sunny  gentleness  was  ready 
for  anything  that  would  lighten  the  darkness  of  life  and  dissemi- 
nate some  of  the  simple-minded  certainty  which  carried  him 
through  a  long  and  active  career." 

The  first  lines  of  Bishop  Bickersteth's  hymns,  as  chosen 
for  our  hymnal,  are : 

85  O  Jesu,  Saviour  of  the  lost. 

210  Stand,  soldier  of  the  cross. 

307  Almighty  Father,  hear  our  cry. 

579  O  brothers,  lift  your  voices. 

674  Peace,  perfect  peace,  in  this  dark  world  of  sin. 

Of  the  origin  of  the  last  hymn,  the  good  Bishop's  son,  the 
Kev.  Dr.  Bickersteth,  Vicar  of  Leeds,  has  written  as  follows: 

"On  a  Sunday  morning  in  August,  1875,  the  Vicar  of 
Harrowgate,  Canon  Gibbon,  happened  to  preach  from  the  text, 
'Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on 
Thee,'  and  alluded  to  the  fact  that  in  the  Hebrew  the  words  are 
'peace,  peace,'  twice  repeated,  and  happily  translated  in  the 
1611  translation  by  the  phrase,  'perfect  peace.'  This  sermon 
set  my  father's  mind  working  on  the  subject.  He  always 
found  it  easiest  to  express  in  verse  whatever  subject  was  upper- 
most in  his  mind,  so  that  when  on  the  afternoon  of  that  Sunday 
he  visited  an  aged  and  dying  relative.   Archdeacon  Hill,   of 


358  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 


Liverpool,  and  found  him  somewhat  troubled  in  mind,  it  was 
natural  to  him  to  express  in  verse  the  spiritual  comfort  which 
he  desired  to  convey.  Taking  up  a  sheet  of  paper  he  then  and 
there  wrote  down  the  hymn  just  exactly  as  it  stands,  and  read  it 
to  this  dying  Christian. 

"I  was  with  my  father  at  the  time,  being  home  from  school 
for  the  summer  holidays,  and  I  well  recollect  his  coming  into 
tea,  a  meal  which  we  always  had  with  him  on  Sunday  after- 
noons, and  saying,  'Children,  I  have  written  you  a  hymn,'  and 
reading  us  'Peace,  perfect  peace,'  in  which,  from  the  moment 
that  he  wrote  it,  he  never  made  any  alteration. 

"I  may  add  that  it  was  his  invariable  custom  to  expect 
each  one  of  us  on  Sundays  at  tea  to  repeat  a  hymn,  and  he  did 
the  same,  unless,  as  frequently  happened,  he  wrote  us  a  special 
hymn  himself,  in  which  way  many  of  his  hymns  were  first 
given  to  the  Church. 

"It  is  not  always  noticed  that  the  first  line  in  each  verse  of 
'Peace,  perfect  peace,'  is  in  the  form  of  a  question  referring  to 
some  one  or  other  of  the  disturbing  experiences  of  life,  and  the 
second  line  in  each  verse  endeavors  to  give  the  answer.  Some 
years  later  than  18Y5  an  invalid  wrote  to  my  father  pointing 
out  that  he  had  not  met  the  case  of  sickness,  which  induced  him 
to  write  two  lines  which  appropriately  can  be  added,  but  which 
he  himself  never  printed  in  his  own  hymn  book,  so  that  I  do 
not  know  how  far  he  would  wish  them  to  be  considered  part  of 
the  hymn. 

"The  hymn  has  been  translated  into  many  tongues;  and 
for  years  I  doubt  if  my  father  went  many  days  without  receiv- 
ing from  different  people  assurances  of  the  comfort  which  the 
words  had  been  allowed  to  bring  to  them.  The  most  touching 
occasion  on  which,  personally,  I  ever  heard  it  sung  was  round 
the  grave  of  my  eldest  brother,  Bishop  Edward  Bickersteth 
(of  South  Tokyo),  at  Chiselden,  in  1897,  when  my  father 
was  chief  mourner." 

Peace,  perfect  peace,  death  shadowing  us  and  ours? 
Jesus  has  vanquished  death  and  all  its  powers. 

It  is  enough:  earth's  struggles  soon  shall  cease. 
And  Jesus  call  us  to  heaven's  perfect  peace. 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  359 

To  JoHx  Elleeton  our  hymnal  is  greatly  indebted. 
Charles  Wesley  outranks  him  in  the  number  of  hymns  acceptedj 
as  also  James  Montgomery  and  John  Mason  ISTeale.  He  is 
equaled  by  Bishop  How.  All  others  are  below  him.  This 
is  largely  owing  to  the  fact  that  so  many  of  his  hymns  were 
written  for  special  days  or  occasions  for  which  only  a  few 
hymns  were  available.  His  only  "general"  hymn  is  a  trans- 
lation, beginning: 

462     Sing  Alleluia  forth  in  duteous  praise. 

Besides,  there  is  an  evening  hymn,  beginning: 
23     Our  day  of  praise  is  done. 

A  hymn  for  the  Lord's  day,  beginning : 
28     This  is  the  day  of  light. 

And  another  beginning : 

32     Saviour,  again  to  Thy  dear  name  we  raise. 

A  hymn  for  St.  Paul's  Day  (150)  ;  for  the  Purification 
(154);  for  St.  Matthias'  Day  (155);  for  St.  Barnabas'  Day 
(161)  ;  for  St.  Bartholemew's  Day  (168)  ;  for  St.  Simon  and 
St.  Jude's  Day  (173);  for  Infant  Baptism  (208);  for  the 
Burial  of  the  Dead  (242)  ;  for  the  Laying  of  a  Comer-stone 
(292)  ;  for  the  Eestoration  of  a  Church  (299)  ;  and  for  the 
Dedication  of  a  Burial  Ground  (302).  He  has  besides  given 
us  one  hymn  for  teachers  (587),  and  a  processional  hymn 
of  power  (517). 

Of  Canon  Ellerton's  hymns  his  biographer  writes : 
"Not  all  have  as  yet  been  incorporated  into  the  great 
hymnals;  some  perhaps  never  will  be,  for  they  vary  much  in 
quality.  Some,  however,  the  Church,  having  once  counted 
them  among  her  jewels  of  praise,  will  keep  and  guard  to 
the  end.  'This  is  the  Day  of  Light'  will  for  many  a  year 
stand  side  by  side  with  Jam  lucis  orto  sidere,   and  Bishop 


36o  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Ken's  'Awake,  My  Soul' ;  'Saviour,  Again  to  Thy  Dear  Name 
We  Kaise,'  has  already  taken  such  deep  root  wherever  through- 
out Christendom  English  hymns  are  sung  that  its  immortality 
is  secured." 

Concerning  the  hymn  beginning,  "!N^ow  the  laborer's  task 
is  o'er,"  this  is  the  testimony;  "It  has  been  sung,  and  will 
continue  to  be  sung,  at  the  grave-side  of  princes,  divines,  states- 
men, poets,  artists,  authors,  as  well  as  of  many  a  Christian 
laborer  in  human  life."  And  where  there  has  been  no  singing 
it  has  often  been  read  with  touching  pathos  as  most  appro- 
priate for  a  funeral  service  in  a  Christian  home. 

This  hymn  is  not  as  widely  used  in  America  as  it  is  in 
England.  On  that  account,  and  by  reason  of  its  shining  merit, 
it  is  here  given  in  full. 

242    Now  the  laborer's  task  is  o'er; 

Now  the  battle  day  is  past; 
Now  upon  the  farther  shore 

Lands  the  voyager  at  last. 
Father,  in  Thy  gracious  keeping 
Leave  we  now  Thy  servant  sleeping. 

There  the  tears  of  earth  are  dried; 

There  its  hidden  things  are  clear; 
There  the  work  of  life  is  tried 

By  a  juster  Judge  than  here. 
Father,  in  Thy  gracious  keeping 
Leave  we  now  Thy  servant  sleeping. 

There  the  penitents,  that  turn 

To  the  cross  their  dying  eyes. 
All  the  love  of  Jesus  learn 

At  His  feet  in  Paradise. 
Father,  in  Thy  gracious  keeping 
Leave  we  now  Thy  servant  sleeping. 

There  no  more  the  powers  of  hell 

Can  prevail  to  mar  their  peace; 
Christ  the  Lord  shall  guard  them  well. 

He  who  died  for  their  release. 
Father,  in  Thy  gracious  keeping 
Leave  we  now  Thy  servant  sleeping. 


OLliUiam  J^alrrmplc  iHaclagan 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  361 


"Earth  to  earth,  and  dust  to  dust/' 

Calmly  now  the  words  we  say. 
Left  behind,  we  wait  in  trust 

For  the  resurrection-day. 
Father,  in  Thy  gracious  keeping 
Leave  we  now  Thy  servant  sleeping. 

How  particularly  appropriate  that  this  hymn  should  have 
been  sung  at  the  burial  of  the  great  Earl  of  Shaftesbury !  He 
was  a  laborer  indeed. 

John  Ellerton  was  bom  in  London,  December  16,  1826, 
and  died  at  Torquay,  June  15,  1893.  His  early  religious 
training  was  somewhat  narrow,  but  enlargement  came  after 
he  had  entered  Trinity  College,  Cambridge.  For  a  time  he 
was  greatly  helped  by  the  writings  of  Frederick  D.  Maurice ; 
he  afterwards  settled  down  to  be  a  conservative  Churchman, 
disliking  partisan  ways.  His  parochial  work  though  large, 
was  not  commanding.  Much  of  his  time  was  given  to  literary 
labor,  particularly  to  the  preparation  of  those  important  hym- 
nals, "Church  Hymns"  and  the  "Children's  Hymn  Book." 
He  was  a  good  man,  well  beloved,  and  so  he  passed  away  from 
earth, 

The  brightness  of  a  holy  death-bed  blending 
With  dawning  glories  of  the  eternal  day. 

William  Dalrymple  Maclagan,  son  of  a  Scotch  pbysi- 
cian,  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  June  18,  1826.  He  first  entered 
the  army,  serving  for  a  while  in  India;  but  the  higher  call  of 
the  Lord  came  to  him,  so  that,  after  graduation  from  St.  Peter's 
College,  Cambridge,  at  the  age  of  thirty  he  entered  the  sacred 
ministry,  counting  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.  With  him  capacity 
and  advancement  kept  steady  and  even  pace.  He  was  a  curate 
first  in  Paddington  and  afterwards  in  Marylebone,  then  Secre- 
tary to  the  London  Church  Building  Society,  then  Rector  of 
IN'ewington,  and  then  Vicar  of  Kensington.  He  was  also  an  hon- 
orary Chaplain  to  the  Queen,  and  a  Prebendary  in  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  London.  In  1878  he  became  Bishop  of  Lichfield. 
He  now  fills  the  exalted  position  of  Archbishop  of  York. 


362  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN   WRITERS 

The  one  volume  bj  whicli  he  is  best  known,  entitled,  ^'Pas- 
toral Letters  and  Synodical  Charges  addressed  to  the  Clergy  and' 
Laity  of  the  Diocese  of  Lichfield,"  written,  as  he  tells  us, ''amidst 
the  incessant  occupations  of  a  busy  life,"  is  very  attractive,  re- 
vealing as  it  does  the  splendid  characteristics  of  a  gifted  and 
noble  Christian  man.  This  book  shows,  first,  a  rare  clarity  of 
intelligence;  second,  an  unusual  sanity  of  judgment;  third, 
great  strength  of  leadership ;  and  fourth,  supreme  consecration 
to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  to  the  work  of  His  Church  on 
earth.  With  such  an  Archbishop,  clergy  and  laity  are  blessed 
indeed. 

He  has  printed  but  little,  whether  in  prose  or  poetry, 
inasmuch  as  his  daily  practical  tasks  have  been  all-absorbing; 
but  what  he  has  written  has  been  good  and  worthy. 

Three  of  his  hymns  have  found  a  place  in  our  hymnal :  one 
for  St.  Luke's  Day,  beginning : 

172    What  thanks  and  praise  to  Thee  we  owe; 

another  for  All  Saints  Day,  beginning : 

175     The  saints  of  God!  their  conflict  past; 

the  third,  for  Confirmation,  beginning: 
213    Holy  Spirit,  Lord  of  love. 

These  words  show  a  noble  bishop  in  prayer  and  praise. 
Other  words  show  him  in  exhortation.  As  a  sample  of  such 
words,  I  give  the  two  paragraphs,  with  which  he  concludes  the 
last  of  his  synodical  charges : 

"I  know  not  how  it  is — whether  it  be  that  some  great  crisis 
or  some  great  opportunity  is  at  hand  for  the  Church — or  whether 
the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh — but  it  seems  to  me  that 
an  overwhelming  necessity  is  laid  upon  us  at  the  present  time 
to  give  ourselves  continually  to  prayer  and  to  the  ministry  of  the 
Word.  From  every  side  there  seems  to  come  the  call  to  be 
up  and  doing,  to  labor  and  to  strive  according  to  His  working 
which  worketh  in  us  mightily,  to  finish  the  work  He  has  given 
us  to  do. 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  363 

''The  unuttered  cry  of  thousands  perishing  for  lack  of 
knowledge ;  the  half -conscious  despair  of  men  and  women  sitting 
in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death;  the  mute  appeal  of  souls 
that  are  thirsting  for  the  living  God ;  the  upturned  faces  of  chil- 
dren hungering  for  the  children's  bread; — these  meet  us  on 
every  side,  and  their  cry  has  entered  into  the  ear  of  the  Lord  of 
Sabaoth.  They  look  to  us  for  help ;  they  claim  our  service,  our 
sympathy,  and  our  prayers.  God  give  us  grace  to  be  faithful 
to  our  trust ;  never,  for  love  of  ease  or  love  of  self,  to  turn  aside, 
or  to  grow  slack,  or  to  be  weary  in  well-doing.  The  time  is 
short,  the  night  cometh,  and  then  the  dawning  of  the  Everlasting 
Day." 

John  Samuel  Bewley  Monsell  was  born  in  London- 
derry, March  2,  1811,  and  was  graduated  from  Trinity  College, 
Dublin.  After  his  entrance  upon  the  work  of  the  Christian 
ministry,  he  was  successively  Chaplain  to  Bishop  Mant,  Chan- 
cellor of  the  diocese  of  Connor,  Rector  of  Ramoan,  Vicar  of 
Egham,  and  Rector  of  St.  ]!»J"icholas,  Guildford.  In  this  latter 
position  it  fell  to  him  to  take  part  in  the  work  of  Church  resto- 
ration. Whilst  he  was  standing  in  the  aisle  below,  some  masonry 
in  the  roof  gave  way,  from  which  death  almost  immediately 
resulted;  and  so  before  his  time  he  went  to  his  rest  and  his 
reward.  Before  his  time  ?  Ah,  no !  ^Neither  before  nor  after. 
In  God's  good  time,  which  is  always  best. 

Of  his  work  as  a  writer  of  hymns,  the  gifted  author  of 
the  "Hymn-Lover"  says:  "Dr.  Monsell  deserves  a  very  high 
place  among  our  modern  hymnists.  His  deep  religiousness, 
his  tenderness  of  spirit,  his  lyric  nature,  all  combined  to  enable 
him  to  give  the  Church  verses  which  have  done  much,  and  will 
probably  do  still  more,  to  express  and  deepen  her  worshiping 
emotion." 

His  hymns  in  our  hymnal  are  eight  in  number.  Their 
first  lines  are : 

46  O'er  the  distant  mountains  breaking. 

285  Lord  of  the  living  harvest. 

343  I  hunger  and  I  thirst. 

347  Sinful,  sighing  to  be  blest. 


364  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

436  Laboring  and  heavy  laden. 

478  Holy  offerings,  rich  and  rare. 

505  Fight  the  good  fight  with  all  thy  might. 

522  On  our  way  rejoicing. 

Edward  Hayes  Plumptke  was  born  August  6,  1821,  and 
died  February  1,  1891.  His  training  at  King's  College,  Lon- 
don, and  at  University  College,  Oxford,  was  thorough,  and  his 
rank  as  a  scholar  distinguished.  He  was  a  great  lover  of  truth, 
as  well  as  a  preacher  of  many  gifts ;  so  that  in  more  ways  than 
one  he  won  favor  and  renown.  Step  by  step,  he  moved  onward, 
until  in  1881  he  became  Dean  of  Wells.  His  occupancy  of  that 
position  is  said  to  have  been  "ideal."  But  the  man  himself  was 
greater  than  any  position  which  he  filled,  whether  as  poet  or 
preacher,  pastor  or  professor.  A  fair  estimate  of  his  most 
noteworthy  book  is  given  by  "the  Rev.  Dr.  William  P.  Lewis 
in  "The  Life  to  Come,"  as  follows : 

"I  come  now  to  the  Spirits  in  Prison,  and  other  studies 
in  the  Life  After  Death  (1884)  by  the  Dean  of  Wells,  Dr. 
Plumptre.  The  spirit  of  the  book  may  be  judged  from  the  fact 
that  it  is  dedicated  to  the  loved  and  honored  memory  of  Fred- 
erick Denison  Maurice.  The  sermon  which  gives  it  its  title 
was  preached  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  April  30,  18Y1.  Of 
course  the  text  was,  'He  went  and  preached  unto  the  spirits 
in  prison.'  What  the  author  of  it  says  of  'Eternal  Hope'  is 
equally  true  of  his  own  sermon.  It  was  'Epoch-making.'  Not 
more  truly  did  Schliemann  excavate  the  ruins  of  Troy,  or  Petrie 
those  of  Thebes,  than  did  this  sermon  disinter  the  buried  Article 
of  the  Apostles'  Creed,  'He  descended  into  Hell.'  Bishop 
Horsley  is  the  only  one  I  am  aware  of  who  had  treated  that 
text  at  all  satisfactorily  in  the  pulpit,  and  he  was  constrained 
by  conventional  trammels  of  interpretation  which  Dr.  Plumptre 
cast  off.     The  sermon  is  a  revelation." 

All  honor  to  the  memory  of  so  great  and  good  a  man ! 

The  first  lines  of  Dean  Plumptre's  hymns  are : 

273  Thine  arm,  O  Lord,  in  days  of  old. 
424  O  Light,  whose  beams  illumine  all. 
520    Rejoice,  ye  pure  in  heart. 


AS 
Til-' 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  365 

Of  another  Dean,  Arthur  Penehyn  Stanley,  it  is  need- 
ful to  write  but  little,  so  widespread  is  his  fame.  His  * 'beautiful 
life"  was  declared  by  Phillips  Brooks  to  have  been  "as 
perfect  a  picture  of  human  living  as  the  world  has  ever  seen." 
"We  shall  not,"  so  wrote  he  to  his  brother,  "see  another  such 
interesting  man  in  our  day."  Stanley's  life  is  associated  with 
Alderley  and  ISTorwich,  with  Oxford  and  Canterbury,  but,  most 
of  all,  with  Westminster  Abbey.  He  was  a  writer  of  great 
books ;  he  was  a  preacher  of  great  truths.  For  what  he  was  and 
what  he  did,  he  owed  much  to  his  distinguished  father,  though 
he  owed  more  to  his  highly  gifted  mother,  who  was. 

Nobly  plann'd 

To  warn,  to  counsel,  to  command. 

He  owed  a  great  deal  also  to  his  noble  wife,  whose  friend- 
ship with  Queen  Victoria  is  known  all  over  the  earth.  In  the 
story  of  his  life  we  must  not  forget  what  he  wrote  of  "the  two 
Ash  Wednesdays" : 

My  Mother — on  that  fatal  day, 

O'er  seas  and  deserts  far  apart. 
The  guardian  genius  passed  away 

That  nursed  my  very  mind  and  heart — 
The  oracle  that  never  failed. 
The  faith  serene  that  never  quailed. 
The  kindred  soul  that  knew  my  thought 
Before  its  speech  or  form  was  wrought. 

My  Wife — when  closed  that  fatal  night. 

My  being  turned  once  more  to  stone. 
I  watched  her  spirit  take  its  flight. 

And  found  myself  again  alone. 
The  sunshine  of  the  heart  was  dead. 
The  glory  of  the  home  was  fled, 
The  smile  that  made  the  dark  world  bright. 
The  love  that  made  all  duty  light. 

Now  that  those  scenes  of  bliss  are  gone. 

Now  that  the  long  years  roll  away. 
The  two  Ash  Wednesdays  blend  in  one. 

One  sad  yet  almost  festal  day; 


366  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

The  emblem  of  that  union  blest, 
When  lofty  souls  together  rest, 
Star  differing  each  from  star  in  glory, 
Yet  telling  each  its  own  high  story. 

Dean  Stanley  was  born  December  13,  1815,  and  died 
July  18,  1881.  Thirteen  of  his  hymns  may  be  found  in  the 
^'Westminster  Abbey  Hymn  Book."  The  one,  thankfully 
accepted  by  us,  on  the  Transfiguration,  begins  as  follows: 

i66    Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 

High  on  the  mountain  here  with  Thee. 

Samuel  John  Stone  was  born  at  Whitmore  Eectory,  in 
Staffordshire,  April  25,  1839.  He  was  trained  in  intellect 
and  soul,  first,  by  his  accomplished  father,  and  afterwards  by 
strong  teachers  at  the  Charterhouse  and  at  Pembroke  College, 
Oxford.  He  was  ordained  September  21,  1862,  by  the  great 
Bishop  Wilberforce — for  whom  he  had  an  almost  unbounded 
admiration — and  began  ministerial  work  as  a  curate  in  Windsor. 
In  this  position  he  continued  for  eight  years,  when  he  turned 
his  steps  towards  the  metropolis,  first  as  assistant  to  his  father, 
and  afterwards  as  his  successor  at  St.  Paul's  Church,  Haggers- 
ton,  one  of  the  most  spiritually  destitute  places  in  the  whole 
of  East  London.  There  he  spent  twenty  years  of  abounding 
zeal  and  devotion,  until  in  1890  he  was  presented  by  the  Lord 
Chancellor  to  the  Eectory  of  All  Hallows',  London  Wall,  where 
he  remained  until  death  came  to  his  release.  He  was  a  good 
man,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  power.  Calls  came  to  him 
to  other  fields  of  labor,  one  to  a  colonial  bishopric,  but  these 
he  resolutely  declined.  He  must  finish  the  work  which,  as  he 
believed,  had  been  given  to  him  to  do.  The  record  is  simple, 
but  it  is  noble.  It  may  seem  commonplace ;  it  is,  nevertheless, 
remembered  in  the  courts  of  heaven. 

Four  sonnets  regarding  the  "Four  Poets"  of  the  nineteenth 
century  whose  influence  upon  him  was  greatest  are  here  given 
as  too  valuable  to  be  omitted : 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  367 

Walter  Scott. 

Master-Magician  of  that  breezy  Spring 

Ere  my  first  decade  died — when  life  awoke 

Within  me  of  the  Mystic  world,  and  broke 
In  such  illuming  flashes  as  still  fling 
Light  on  my  soul — in  bugle-calls  that  ring 

Still  in  mine  ears !  thy  wand  it  was  whose  stroke 

As  swift  in  power  as  April's  on  the  oak, 
Stirred  all  my  life  to  rich  imagining. 
Oh  glamour  not  of  love  or  ladies'  eyes, 

But  of  the  stream,  the  mountain,  and  the  glen. 

Of  war-horse  champing,  clash  of  armoured  men. 
And  song  that,  like  its  subject,  never  dies ! 

Master-Romancer,  not  supreme  to-day. 

Power  yet  was  thine  which  cannot  pass  away. 

Elizabeth  Barrett  Browking. 

Then  with  the  early  summer  came  the  zest 

For  food  not  meet  for  babes — for  old-world  lore 
Ere  "Pan  was  dead" — for  fervent  thought  to  soar 

Where  sang  "The  Seraphim" — or,  in  anxious  quest, 

To  plunge  through  deep  seas  at  the  soul's  behest. 
And  find  with  beating  heart  and  bated  breath 
How  knowledge  is  by  suffering,  life  by  death — 

White  Pearls  of  truth  'neath  Ocean's  darkling  breast, 

Aurora,  from  thine  hand  the  summer  long 

I  drank  the  "Wine  of  Cyprus :"  with  thine  eyes 
I  saw  from  "out  the  depths"  to  the  clear  skies. 

And  heard  thy  voice  sing  true  the  spheric  song. 
More  than  our  "England's  Sappho"  is  thy  due : 
Earth's  Sovereign  Poetess,  as  great  as  true. 


Alfred  Tennyson. 

Ere  this,  and  in  the  fuller  year,  there  fell 
On  mind  and  soul  made  ready  long  ago — 
Receptive  ground  for  such  an  overflow, 

Nile-like,  of  grace  from  Mystic  hills — a  spell 

Of  power  made  sweet  by  music's  miracle. 

That  showed  stern  truth,  high  duty,  steeped  i'  the  glow 
Of  such  fair  trust  my  restless  heart  below 

Answered  far  Heaven  at  last  with  "All  is  well." 


368         SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

I  swear,  O  Poet,  by  thy  "Voices"  twain. 
By  souls  that  cannot  prove  and  yet  believe. 
By  Love  and  Duty,  by  Saint  Agnes'  Eve, 

By  Arthur,  Galahad,  Gareth,  and  their  train. 
Thou  art  the  Master-Prophet  of  this  age : 
Its  sweetest  music-maker,  surest  sage. 

John  Keble. 

"The  richest  glow  sets  round  th'  autumnal  sun :" 

And  so  about  the  later  year  there  grew 

A  light  of  holier  influence,  deeper  hue, 
Than  that  which  fell  so  fresh  on  life  begun. 
Or  that  the  radiant  summer  ever  won, 

A  light  which  brought,  with  all  things  fair  and  new. 

That  spiritual  City  clear  in  view 
Where  the  true  life  begins  "when  life  is  done." 
Priest-Poet, — Phosphor  of  the  Light  of  Light, 

"Sun  of  my  soul" — still  is  the  singing  sweet 

Of  those  high  Poets,  beautiful  their  feet 
Still  on  the  hills  which  darken  toward  the  night. 

But  thy  deep  voice  is  tenderest  in  mine  ear. 

Nearest  thy  saintly  presence  and  most  dear. 

His  hymns,  used  by  us,  are  four  in  number.  Their  first 
lines  are : 

82  Weary  of  earth,  and  laden  with  my  sin. 

262  Lord  of  the  harvest,  it  is  right  and  meet. 

491  The  Church's  one  foundation. 

585  O  Thou  before  Whose  presence. 

Three  passages  from  his  "Memoir,"  by  F.  G.  EUerton,  are 
appended  as  of  special  interest: 

"Whatever  the  flaws  to  be  found  in  some  of  Stone's  hymns, 
their  positive  merits  are  very  considerable.  Their  fire  and 
ardor,  their  tenderness  and  reality  of  devotion,  are  conspicuous. 
The  two  hymns  especially  by  which  he  has  come  to  be  chiefly 
known  as  a  hymn  writer  are  worthy  representatives  of  the  two 
great  types  of  hymns — ^The  Church's  One  Foundation'  of  the 
objective  hymns,  the  hymns  which  sing  of  the  glory  of  God 
and  of  His  great  purposes  for  mankind,  'Weary  of  Earth'  of 
those  of  a  subjective  order,  the  hymns  of  personal  devotion,  in 


YOT^^ 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  369 

which  the  soul  pours  itself  out  before  its  Maker.  Both  classes 
have  their  prototypes  in  the  Psalms,  and  no  better  praise  could 
be  given  to  these  two  hymns  than  to  say  they  breathe  much  of 
the  spirit  of  the  Psalmists.  In  'The  Church's  One  Foundation' 
we  seem  to  hear  the  accents  of  him  who  wrote — 

'God  is  in  the  midst  of  her,  therefore  shall  she  not  be  removed : 
God  shall  help  her,  and  that  right  early.' 

"In  'Weary  of  Earth'  there  is  the  same  cry  of  self- 
abasement  which  has  its  most  perfect  expression  in  the 
Miserere.     *     *     * 

"So  these  two  hymns  represent  the  two  great  aspects  of 
the  Church — the  Church  as  seen  in  her  pastoral  relation,  in 
her  cure  of  souls;  and  the  Church  as  St.  Paul  and  St.  John 
saw  her,  the  'Jerusalem  which  is  above  *  *  *  the  mother 
of  us  all,'  'the  holy  city,  new  Jerusalem,  coming  down  from  God 
out  of  heaven,  prepared  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband.' 
'Weary  of  Earth'  has  whispered  its  message  of  hope  and  of  heal- 
ing in  the  ear  of  many  a  laboring  and  heavy-laden  soul,  while 
the  ringing  lines  of  'The  Church's  One  Foundation'  have 
kindled  an  ideal  of  the  Church  in  ten  thousands  of  hearts  all 
over  the  world.  They  caused  the  Bishop  of  !Nelson  to  apos- 
trophize their  author  in  these  terms : 

'Now  in  the  desert,  now  upon  the  main. 

In  mine  and  forest,  and  on  eitied  plain; 

From  Lambeth's  towers  to  far  New  Zealand  coast. 

Bard  of  the  Church,  thy  blast  inspires  the  host.' 

The  hymn  will  remain  his  best  visible  monument.  *  *  * 
"One  night  in  the  middle  of  ISTovember  he  was  told  that 
the  morning  star  was  shining  with  exquisite  beauty,  and, 
getting  up,  he  looked  at  it  with  the  greatest  joy  and  delight, 
reciting  the  words  of  Jephthah's  daughter  from  'The  Dream  of 
Fair  Women' — 

'  "Glory  to  God,"  she  sang,  and  past  afar, 

Thridding  the  sombre  boskage  of  the  wood. 
Toward  the  morning  star.' 

34 


370  SOME  HYMNS  'AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

And  lie  kept  repeating  the  words  'Glory  to  God'  at  intervals, 
sometimes  loud  and  sometimes  low,  until  the  end,  which  came 
rapidly  and  peacefully  a  few  days  later,  on  Monday,  November 
19,  1900.  Only  the  day  before,  which  was  the  Twenty-third 
Sunday  after  Trinity,  he  had  been  to  All  Hallows'  for  the  last 
time.  On  the  very  day  of  his  death  he  had  written  two  letters, 
one  of  which  contained  the  following  words :  'Sometimes  I  am 
in  such  pain  that  I  can  neither  write  nor  dictate;  at  others, 
as  now,  I  am  just  able  to  write  "with  mine  own  hand."  But 
whether  at  the  worst  or  the  best  in  a  bodily  state,  you  will 
rejoice  with  me  to  hear  that,  spiritually,  I  am  not  only  in 
patience  but  in  joy  of  heart  and  soul.'  Miss  Yonge's  'Hearts- 
ease' was  afterwards  found  on  his  table  lying  open  at  the  second 
chapter,  his  spectacles  upon  the  page.  On  the  table  at  the 
other  side  of  his  chair,  within  reach  of  his  hand,  was  his  favor- 
ite copy  of  Tennyson,  well  used  and  full  of  many  notes.  The 
summons  had  come  quickly  at  the  last.  A  few  hours  of  uncon- 
sciousness, and  one  more  Carthusian  had  answered  Adsum. 

"The  funeral  took  place  four  days  later,  on  Friday,  Novem- 
ber 23d.  The  first  part  of  the  service  was  taken  at  All  Hallows' 
by  the  Bishop  of  Stepney.  Half  an  hour  or  more  before  the 
service  began  a  little  bird  flew  in  at  one  of  the  windows  of 
the  church,  and  in  the  perfect  stillness  trilled  for  a  moment 
or  two  what  fancy  might  deem  the  farewell  dirge  of  the  beasts 
and  birds  for  the  poet  and  lover  of  nature.  It  was  an  incident 
which  Stone  himself  would  have  dearly  loved.  The  little 
church  was  presently  crowded  with  a  sorrowful  congregation, 
where,  besides  his  relations,  old  friends  and  old  curates,  to- 
gether with  numbers  from  his  two  London  parishes,  and  many 
others  who  had  felt  his  influence  in  various  ways,  were  held  in 
the  bonds  of  a  common  and  heartfelt  grief.  The  strains  of 
'The  Church's  One  Foundation'  rang  out,  and  as  the  congrega- 
tion took  up  the  words  the  walls  of  the  little  church  seemed 
to  fall  away  and  the  gloom  of  the  November  day  to  disperse  as 

they  sang  of 

'union 
With  God  the  Three  in  One, 
And  mystic  sweet  conununion 
"With  those  whose  rest  is  won.' 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  371 

'^iSTever  before,  one  would  suppose,  although  the  hymn  has 
been  sung  by  no  less  than  millions  of  Church  people  in  all  lands 
— alike  at  Lambeth  conferences  and  in  mud-walled  African  vil- 
lages, at  great  cathedral  festivals  and  in  tiny  country  churches, 
by  Archbishop  Benson  and  a  party  of  workingmen  in  his  private 
chapel,  and  at  open-air  services  in  the  slums — never  did  it  fall 
on  the  ear  with  more  moving  and  inspiring  meaning  than  when 
it  was  sung  as  his  requiem  over  the  coffin  which  held  all  that 
was  mortal  of  its  author. 

"The  contrast  of  feeling  was  startling  on  passing  from  the 
church  into  the  street.  It  was  high  noon  in  the  city,  and  the 
funeral  procession  came  out  into  the  midst  of  the  swarming 
press  of  hurrying  feet.  The  business  men  remained  arrested 
for  a  moment  by  the  unusual  sight,  and  then  the  human  tide 
surged  on  as  before. 

"A  little  later  the  mourners  met  again  at  ITorwood,  where 
the  service  at  the  graveside  was  said  by  one  of  his  old  curates. 
The  cemetery  at  Norwood  lies,  as  it  were,  between  the  country 
and  the  town,  just  beyond  the  roar  of  London,  which  had  become 
so  dear  to  him,  in  a  spot  from  which  there  is  a  wide  pros- 
pect of  the  Surrey  Hills.  His  grave  is  marked  by  a  tall  lona 
cross." 

In  the  realm  of  hymnology  Godfrey  Thring  is  best  known 
as  the  compiler  and  editor  of  "The  Church  of  England  Hymn 
Book,"  one  of  the  four  collections  of  hymns  most  widely  used 
in  our  Mother  Church.  Of  this  hymnal  Dr.  Julian  writes: 
"Its  literary  standard  is  the  highest  among  modem  hymn 
books,  and  its  poetical  merits  are  great.  *  *  *  Por  practi- 
cal Church  use  from  the  doctrinal  standpoint  which  it  holds, 
it  will  be  difficult  to  find  its  equal  and  impossible  to  name  its 
superior." 

Godfrey  Thring,  brother  of  the  famous  Edward  Thring, 
the  great  schoolmaster  of  Uppingham,  was  born  at  Alford  in 
Somersetshire,  March  25,  1823.  A  few  sentences  from  his 
brother's  biography  may  bring  before  us  clearly  the  surround- 
ings of  his  early  life. 


^^2         SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

"The  old  manor  house  in  which  he  was  horn,  commonly 
known  in  the  family  as  'The  Cottage,'  has  now  disappeared. 
It  was  close  beside  the  ancient  village  church,  and  was  occupied 
by  his  father  as  the  rectory  until  1830,  when,  on  the  death  of 
the  grandfather,  he  removed  to  the  family  mansion,  Alford 
House,  a  short  distance  off.  Here  Thring  and  his  brothers  and 
sisters  grew  up  under  the  mingled  influences  of  what  was  at 
once  an  affluent  English  country  house  and  a  strictly  managed 
English  rectory.     *     *     * 

"The  village  contained  only  a  small  farming  population, 
and  as  country  houses  and  rectories  are  not  very  close  together 
in  rural  Somerset,  in  the  life  at  Alford  there  was  something 
of  that  isolation  which  not  infrequently  makes  for  individu- 
ality of  character  in  those  brought  up  subject  to  its  influences. 
But  as  the  five  brothers  of  the  family  were  not  widely  separated 
in  age,  there  was  within  the  home  itself  abundant  material  for 
a  cheerful  boy  life. 

"Other  companionship  was  not  entirely  wanting.  The 
most  intimate  holiday  playmates  of  the  boys  were  their  cousins 
of  the  Hobhouse  family,  whose  seat,  Hadspen,  is  but  a  few 
miles  distant  from  Alford.  These  cousins  were  also  to  win 
distinction  for  themselves  in  various  walks  of  life.  They 
included  the  present  Lord  Hobhouse,  of  the  Judicial  Committee 
of  the  Privy  Council;  Bishop  Hobhouse,  formerly  of  the  dio- 
cese of  ISTelson,  ISTew  Zealand;  and  the  late  Archdeacon  Hob- 
house, of  Bodmin,  in  the  diocese  of  Cornwall.     *     *     * 

"It  is,  however,  to  his  parents  that  we  must  look  for  the 
most  powerful  of  the  early  influences  which  molded  Thring's 
character.  But  the  respective  influences  of  father  and  mother 
were  in  strong  contrast.  It  was  said  by  a  keen  and  competent 
observer  of  men  who  knew  John  Gale  Thring  (the  father)  inti- 
mately, that  he  applied  to  the  small  details  of  family  and  parish 
government  abilities  which  might  have  made  him  a  great  states- 
man or  a  great  general.  His  own  early  desire  had  been  to 
enter  the  army,  but  he  took  orders  in  deference  to  the  strong 
wish  of  his  mother.  The  duties  thus  assumed  were  not, 
perhaps,  entirely  congenial  to  him,  but  they  were  discharged 
with  conscientious  care  and  fidelity.     *     *     * 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  373 

"If  his  teaching  was  sound  his  rule  was  rigid.  He  was  a 
man  of  strong  and  unbending  will,  and  none  had  better  reason 
to  know  this  than  his  own  family.  His  domestic  government 
was  not  only  strict — it  was  autocratic  and  exacting.  To  the 
children  who  left  home  the  wish  to  escape  from  paternal 
authority  was,  it  may  be  suspected,  a  strong  impulse  to  vigorous 
exertion  in  making  for  themselves  an  independent  place  in  the 
world.  The  children  who  remained  at  home  knew  little  relaxa- 
tion of  this  authority  even  when  they  were  much  beyond  the 
period  of  youth.  'The  fact  that  the  Thrings  as  boys  and 
young  men  did  not  revolt  against  their  father's  arbitrary  inter- 
ference with  the  details  of  their  daily  life  always  seemed  to  me 
a  striking  proof  of  the  depth  and  sincerity  of  their  Christi- 
anity,' was  said  by  an  intimate  friend  and  relative  who  saw 
much  of  the  home  life  at  Alford  in  the  early  days.  'Just, 
but  hard,'  is  the  description  given  by  another." 

The  childhood  was  rugged ;  so  there  was  no  lack  of  strength 
in  the  manhood.  It  had  been  better,  however,  if  there  had  been 
more  gentleness  in  the  training,  even  though  thereby  senti- 
mentality had  been  excluded  from  his  hymnal  with  a  less  un- 
sparing hand. 

Balliol  College,  Oxford,  was  his  Akna  Mater.  His  ser- 
vices as  curate  of  various  parishes  for  twelve  years  followed 
his  graduation,  after  which  he  became  Rector  of  Alford-with- 
Hornblotton.  In  1876  he  was  preferred  as  prebend  of  East 
Harptree  in  Wells  Cathedral.  A  glimpse  of  his  subsequent  life 
is  given  us  in  a  passage  from  a  letter  of  his  more  renowned 
brother,  under  date  of  November  16,  1882. 

"Be  sure  that  no  painting,  no  art  work  you  could  have 
done,  by  any  possibility  could  have  been  so  powerful  for  good, 
or  given  you  the  niche  you  now  occupy.  As  long  as  the  English 
language  lasts,  sundry  of  your  hymns  will  be  read  and  sung, 
yea,  even  to  the  last  day,  and  many  a  soul  of  God's  best  crea- 
tures thrill  with  your  words.  What  more  can  a  man  want? 
Very  likely  if  you  had  had  all  that  old  heathendom  rammed 
into  you,  as  I  had,  and  all  the  literary  artist  slicing  and  pruning, 
and  been  scissored  like  me,  you  would  just  have  lost  the  fresh- 
ness and  simple  touch  which  make  you  what  you  are.     No,  my 


374  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

boy,  I  make  a  tidy  schoolmaster  and  pass  into  the  lives  of  many 
a  pupil,  and  you  live  on  the  lips  of  the  Church.  So  be  satisfied. 
And  what  does  it  matter,  if  vfe  do  the  Master's  work?"  He 
died  September  13,  1903,  after  fourscore  years  of  earthly  life 
and  service. 

To  Prebendary  Thring  we  owe  thirteen  of  our  hymns,  the 
first  lines  of  which  are : 

8  The  radiant  morn  hath  passed  away. 

25  Hail!  sacred  day  of  earthly  rest. 

62  From  the  eastern  mountains. 

133  Hear  us.  Thou  that  broodedst. 

271  O  God  of  mercy,  God  of  might. 

274  Thou  to  whom  the  sick  and  dying. 

276  O  Thou,  Who  madest  land  and  sea. 

290  Heavenly  Shepherd,  Thee  we  pray. 

310  O  Mighty  God,  Creator,  King. 

318  Jesus  came,  the  heavens  adoring. 

356  Heal  me,  O  my  Saviour,  heal. 

519  Saviour,  blessed  Saviour. 

574  Grant  us,  O  our  heavenly  Father. 

Heney  Twells  was  born  at  Ashted,  Birmingham,  March 
13,  1823,  and  died  at  Bournemouth,  January  19,  1900.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  Cambridge,  a  preacher  of  power,  a  builder 
of  churches,  a  helper  of  parochial  missions,  a  defender  of 
country  parsons,  and  altogether  a  friendly  and  wholesome  sort 
of  man.  He  died  as  he  lived,  in  quietness  and  peace.  His 
biographer  tells  us  that  shortly  before  his  death  he  asked  for  the 
gathering  of  his  household  and  the  singing  of  the  hymn  466, 
"Now  Thank  We  All  Our  God,"  and  657,  "When  All  Thy 
Mercies,  O  My  God." 

His  own  hymns  are  sung  wherever  the  English  language 
is  spoken,  notably  the  familiar  one  beginning : 

14    At  even,  ere  the  sun  was  set. 

The  sick,  O  Lord,  around  Thee  lay. 

May  its  prayer  be  ours ! 


TWELVE  ENGLISH  CLERGYMEN  375 


O  Saviour  Christ,  our  woes  dispel; 

For  some  are  sick,  and  some  are  sad. 
And  some  have  never  loved  Thee  well. 

And  some  have  lost  the  love  they  had. 

And  some  have  found  the  world  is  vain. 
Yet  from  the  world  they  break  not  free. 

And  some  have  friends  who  give  them  pain. 
Yet  have  not  sought  a  friend  in  Thee. 

And  none,  O  Lord,  have  perfect  rest. 
For  none  are  wholly  free  from  sin; 

And  they  who  fain  would  love  Thee  best 
Are  conscious  most  of  wrong  within. 

O  Saviour  Christ,  Thou  too  art  Man; 

Thou  hast  been  troubled,  tempted,  tried; 
Thy  kind,  but  searching  glance  can  scan 

The  very  wounds  that  shame  would  hide. 

Thy  touch  has  still  its  ancient  power; 

No  word  from  Thee  can  fruitless  fall; 
Hear,  in  this  solemn  evening  hour. 

And  in  Thy  mercy  heal  us  all. 


ipcnv^  (LtucUjS 


XVII. 
Fragments  Gathered  Up 


(377) 


With  the  music  of  psalms  the  shepherds  and  ploughmen  cheered 
their  toil  in  ancient  Palestine;  and  to  the  same  music  the  Gallic 
boatmen  kept  time  as  they  rowed  their  barges  against  the  swift  current 
of  the  Rhone.  A  psalm  supplied  the  daily  grace  with  which  the  early 
Christians  blessed  their  food ;  and  the  same  psalm  was  repeated  by  the 
communicants  as  they  went  to  the  Lord's  table.  St.  Chrysostom  fleeing 
into  exile;  Martin  Luther  going  to  meet  all  possible  devils  at  Worms; 
George  Wishart  facing  the  plague  at  Dundee ;  Wicliffe  on  his  sick-bed, 
surrounded  by  his  enemies ;  John  Bunyan  in  Bedford  gaol ;  William 
Wilberforce  in  a  crisis  when  all  his  most  strenuous  efforts  seemed  in 
vain,  and  his  noble  plans  were  threatened  with  ruin — all  stayed  their 
hearts  and  renewed  their  courage  with  verses  from  the  psalms.  The 
Huguenots  at  Dieppe  marched  to  victory  chanting  the  sixty-eighth 
psalm ;  and  the  same  stately  war-song  sounded  over  the  field  of  Dunbar. 
It  was  a  psalm  that  Alice  Benden  sung  in  the  darkness  of  her  Canter- 
bury dungeon ;  and  the  lips  of  the  Roman  Paulla,  faintly  moving  in 
death,  breathed  their  last  sigh  in  the  words  of  a  psalm.  The  motto  of 
England's  proudest  university  is  a  verse  from  the  Psalms ;  and  a  sen- 
tence from  the  same  book  is  written  above  the  loneliest  grave  on  earth, 
among  the  snows  of  the  Arctic  Circle.  It  was  with  the  fifth  verse  of 
the  thirty-first  psalm  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  commended  his  soul 
into  the  hands  of  God ;  and  with  the  same  words,  St.  Stephen,  St.  Poly- 
carp,  St.  Basil,  St.  Bernard,  St.  Louis,  Huss,  Columbus,  Luther,  and 
Melanchthon— yea,  and  many  more  saints  of  whom  no  man  knoweth — 
have  bid  their  farewell  to  earth  and  their  welcome  to  heaven. 

Henry  Van  Dyke. 


(378) 


XVII. 

FRAGMENTS  GATHERED  UP. 

There  are  many  fragments  of  hymnody  which  must  remain 
ungathered  by  this  volume.  Only  the  more  conspicuous  can 
it  attempt  to  pick  up.  Of  these,  much  the  most  noteworthy  is 
"Rock  of  Ages,  Cleft  for  Me."  Of  all  hymns  in  our  language 
this  is  the  most  generally  popular.  Concerning  it  Dr.  Julian's 
words  are  not  too  strong:  "No  other  English  hymn  can  be 
named  which  has  laid  so  broad  and  firm  a  grasp  upon  the 
English-speaking  world." 

In  this  connection  the  following  letter,  from  Oliver  Wen- 
dell Holmes  to  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  will  be  read  with 
interest : 

"A  thousand  thanks  for  all  the  trouble  you  have  taken  to 
copy  the  poem.  It  is  a  beautiful  poem  and  a  precious  auto- 
graph. In  an  article  published  many  years  ago  in  the  Foreign 
Quarterly  Review,  I  think — its  title  was  'Hymnology' — 'Rock 
of  Ages'  was  set  down  as  the  best  hymn  in  the  English  lan- 
guage. I  recognize  its  wonderful  power  and  solemnity.  If 
you  asked  me  what  is  the  secret  of  it,  I  should  say  that  of  all 
the  Protestant  hymns  I  remember  it  is  richest  in  material 
imagery.  We  think  in  getting  free  of  Romanism  we  have 
lost  our  love  of  image-worship,  but  I  do  not  think  so  myself. 
Thirty  years  ago  I  remember  seeing  a  great  gilt  cross  put  on 
top  of  the  steeple  of  a  Baptist  meeting  house  in  Pittsfield, 
and  since  that  time  you  know  how  symbolism  has  come  into 
the  Episcopal  Church  and  overflowed  it  into  the  Congrega- 
tional and  other  denominations. 

"The  imagination  wants  help,  and  if  it  cannot  get  it  in 
pictures,  statues,  crucifixes,  etc.,  it  will  find  it  in  words.  That, 
I  believe,  is  the  reason  why  'Rock  of  Ages'  impresses  us  more 

(379) 


380  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

than  any  other  hymn, — for  I  think  it  does.  It  is  the  Protes- 
tant Dies  Irae  ! 

'Quid  sum  miser  tunc  dicturus' — 
'Could  my  tears  forever  flow' — 

the  utter  helplessness  of  the  soul  and  its  passionate  appeal 
are  common  to  both.  Our  hymn  has  more  of  hope  and  less  of 
terror,  but  it  is  perfectly  solid  with  material  imagery,  and 
that  is  what  most  of  us  must  have  to  kindle  our  spiritual 
exaltation  to  its  highest  point." 

In  one  of  his  ''Sermons  on  Hymns,"  Henry  Twells  has 
this  to  say:  "From  time  to  time  attempts  have  been  made  by 
magazines  of  large  circulation  to  tell  the  relative  popularity 
of  hymns.  This  they  have  done  by  requesting  their  readers 
to  forward  them  lists  of  their  favorite  hymns,  in  order  of  merit, 
and  by  carefully  reckoning  up  the  votes.  I  have  seen  the 
results  of  three  such  competitions.  One  in  a  Church  of  Eng- 
land magazine,  one  in  a  Nonconformist,  and  one  circulating 
indiscriminately  among  Churchmen  and  Nonconformists.  The 
verdicts,  as  might  have  been  expected,  differ.  Churchmen 
are  very  fond  of  some  hymns  of  which  Nonconformists  are 
ignorant,  and  Nonconformists  value  others  which  Churchmen 
have  failed  to  notice.  But  there  was  one  hymn  at  the  top  of 
all  three  lists,  'Rock  of  Ages,  Cleft  for  Me.'  And  it  is  just 
as  great  a  favorite,  if  not  more  so,  in  the  United  States  of 
America  as  in  England  and  her  colonies. 

"There  are  two  things  which  make  this  fact  more  notice- 
able, and  perhaps  at  first  sight  a  little  strange.  The  first  is, 
that  it  was  one  of  the  outcomes  of  a  fierce  and  embittered  con- 
troversy between  two  good  men  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
Augustus  Montague  Toplady  and  John  Wesley." 

********* 

"The  other  noticeable  thing  is  that  the  poetic  merits  of 
this  hymn  are  not  high.  If  we  could  suppose  it  to  come  for 
the  first  time  before  a  hymnal  committee  of  the  present  day, 
without  its  grand  history  and  its  traditional  acceptance,  it 
would  stand  no  chance  of  inclusion.     The  bad  rhymes  alone, 


FRAGMENTS  GATHERED  UP  381 

'blood'  and  'flowed,'  'cure'  and  'power,'  'dress'  and  'grace,' 
would  keep  it  out.  And  yet  there  it  is;  not  only  in  almost 
every  hymnal.  Church  and  Nonconformist,  but  probably  more 
often  sung  than  any  other  metrical  composition,  sacred  or 
secular.  It  could  not  have  attained  such  a  position  without 
having  exceptional  qualities  well  worthy  of  careful  attention. 
"My  brethren,  I  believe  its  leading  feature  to  be  this :  That 
it  does  express  the  absolute  dependence  of  the  soul  upon  its 
Saviour  in  a  way  that  has  commended  it  to  countless  thousands, 
and  will  doubtless  commend  it  to  countless  thousands  more.  It  is 
among  hymns  what  the  fifty-first  psalm,  'Have  Mercy,  O  Lord, 
after  Thy  Great  Goodness,'  is  among  psalms ;  it  varies  the  sense 
of  sin,  it  puts  into  simple  words  the  yearning  for  pardon,  of 
which  every  true  penitent  has  constant  experience.  Let  that 
fierce  controversy  between  Toplady  and  Wesley  be  forgotten; 
let  the  bad  rhymes  be  overlooked ;  our  parents  and  grandparents 
loved  this  hymn ;  our  children  shall  love  it ;  we,  attached  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  England,  take  it  as  a  bequest  from  a  Non- 
conformist, who,  we  doubt  not,  with  all  his  faults,  has  found 
in  the  'Rock  of  Ages'  his  safe  and  never-ending  dwelling-place." 

The  following  is  the  hymn  as  originally  written: 

Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me. 

Let  me  hide  myself  in  Thee : 

Let  the  Water  and  the  Blood, 

From  Thy  riven  Side  which  flow'd. 

Be  of  Sin  the  double  Cure, 

Cleanse  me  from  its  Guilt  and  Pow'r. 

Not  the  labors  of  my  hands 
Can  fulfill  thy  Law's  demands : 
Could  my  zeal  no  respite  know. 
Could  my  tears  forever  flow. 
All  for  Sin  could  not  atone: 
Thou  must  save,  and  Thou  alone  I 

Nothing  in  my  hand  I  bring; 
Simply  to  Thy  Cross  I  cling; 
Naked,  come  to  Thee  for  Dress; 
Helpless,  look  to  Thee  for  grace; 
Foul,  I  to  the  fountain  fly: 
Wash  me.  Saviour,  or  I  die  I 


382  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Whilst  I  draw  this  fleeting  breath — 
When  my  eye-strings  break  in  death — 
When  I  soar  through  tracts  unknown — 
See  Thee  on  Thy  Judgment-Throne — 
Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me. 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  Thee. 


Concerning  this  hymn  in  this  form,  a  capable  American 
critic  has  said:  "Toplady  had  a  streak  of  real  poetry  in  him, 
and  it  comes  out  in  'Rock  of  Ages,'  spite  of  the  horrible  rhymes, 
the  doubtful  anatomy,  and  the  basis  of  false  doctrine ;  e.  g.,  you 
can  no  more  'cleanse'  from  'power'  than  make  'power'  rhyme 
with  'cure.'  This  our  compilers  of  1871-74,  in  a  spasm  of 
misdirected  zeal  for  original  texts,  tried  to  do,  with  results  in 
retarding  the  Church's  educating  work  which  can  (luckily) 
never  be  measured.  The  comparatively  good  form  it  bears  now 
is  due  to  the  beneficent  tinkering  of  Thomas  Cotterill  and  James 
Montgomery.  If  ever  a  gem  needed  cutting  and  polishing,  it 
was  this." 

Augustus  Montague  Topladt^  the  author  of  this  hymn  of 
world-wide  renown,  was  bom  November  4,  1740,  and  died 
August  11,  1778.  He  was  graduated  at  Trinity  College,  Dub- 
lin, and  afterwards  ordained  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. It  seems  strange  that  his  greatest  hymn  should  have  been 
written  at  the  close  of  a  fierce  controversial  pamphlet,  "Dis- 
charged as  from  a  Catapult,"  against  John  Wesley.  But  the 
times  were  stem,  and  his  nature  most  intense.  This  was  so  in 
living,  and  in  dying  also.  Witness  the  following  story  of  his 
last  earthly  hours:  "His  death  was  happy  and  triumphant,  as 
his  life  had  been  holy  and  devoted.  When,  in  answer  to  his 
inquiries,  his  doctor  informed  him  that  his  pulse  was  getting 
weaker,  he  replied,  with  a  smiling  countenance,  'Why,  that  is 
a  good  sign  that  my  death  is  fast  approaching.  And,  blessed 
be  God!  I  can  add,  that  my  heart  beats  stronger  and  stronger 
every  day  for  glory.'  He  frequently  called  himself  the  hap- 
piest man  in  the  world.  'Oh,'  said  he,  'how  this  soul  of  mine 
longs  to  be  gone.     Like  a  bird  imprisoned  in  its  cage,  it  longs 


FRAGMENTS  GATHERED  UP  383 

to  take  its  flight.  Oh !  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove !  then  would 
I  fly  away  to  the  realms  of  bliss,  and  be  at  rest  forever.' '' 

Shortly  before  his  death,  waking  from  a  slumber,  he  said : 
"Oh,  what  delights !  Who  can  fathom  the  joys  of  the  third  hea- 
ven ?"  And  when  blessing  and  praising  God  for  continuing  to 
him  his  understanding,  so  that  he  could  still  think  with  clear- 
ness, he  broke  out,  with  rapturous  delight,  "And  what  is  most  of 
all,  in  His  abiding  presence,  and  the  shining  of  His  love  upon 
my  soul.  The  sky  is  clear ;  there  is  no  cloud.  Come,  Lord  Jesus, 
come  quickly !"  Less  than  an  hour  before  his  departure,  he  said : 
"It  will  not  be  long  now  before  God  takes  me,  for  no  mortal 
can  live"  (and  he  burst  into  tears  of  unutterable  joy  as  he 
spoke),  "no  mortal  can  live  after  the  glories  God  has  manifested 
to  my  soul." 

In  this  connection  Eay  Palmer's  words  may  well  be  quoted : 

O  Rock  of  Ages!  since  on  Thee 

By  grace  my  feet  are  planted, 
'Tis  mine  in  tranquil  faith,  to  see 

The  rising  storm,  undaunted; 
When  angry  billows  round  me  rave. 

And  tempests  fierce  assail  me. 
To  thee  I  cling,  the  terrors  brave. 

For  Thou  canst  never  fail  me; 
Though  rends  the  globe  with  earthquake  shock. 
Unmoved  Thou  stand'st.  Eternal  Rock! 

Within  Thy  clefts  I  love  to  hide. 

When  darkness  o'er  me  closes; 
There  peace  and  light  serene  abide. 

And  my  still  heart  reposes ; 
My  soul  exults  to  dwell  secure 

Thy  strong  munitions  round  her; 
She  dares  to  count  her  triumph  sure. 

Nor  fears  lest  hell  confound  her ; 
Though  tumults  startle  earth  and  sea. 
Thou  changeless  Rock,  they  shake  not  Thee  I 

From  Thee,  0  rock  once  smitten!  flow 

Life-giving  streams  for  ever; 
And  whoso  doth  their  sweetness  know. 

He  henceforth  thirsteth  never; 


384  SOME  HYMNS  'AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

My  lips  have  touched  the  crystal  tide. 

And  feel  no  more  returning 
The  fever,  that  so  long  I  tried 
To  cool,  yet  felt  still  burning; 
Ah,  wondrous  WeU-Spring!  brimming  o'er 
With  living  waters  evermore. 

On  that  dread  day  when  they  that  sleep 

Shall  hear  the  trumpet  sounding. 
And  wake  to  praise,  or  wake  to  weep. 

The  judgment-throne  surrounding; 
When  wrapt  in  all-devouring  flame. 

The  solid  globe  is  wasting, 
And  what  at  first  from  nothing  came 

Is  back  to  nothing  hasting; 
E'en  then,  my  soul  shall  calmly  rest, 
O  Rock  of  Ages!  on  Thy  breast. 

Concerning  "Rock  of  Ages"  and  its  renowned  author,  the 
following,  from  a  Church  paper,  written  by  B.  Wistar  Morris, 
Bishop  of  Oregon,  is  worthy  of  preservation : 

"Toplady  is  often  spoken  of  as  a  ISTonconformist,  as  he 
was  an  uncompromising  Calvinist. 

"But  I  happen  to  have  in  my  possession  abundant  evidence 
of  his  being  a  clergyman  of  the  English  Church,  when  he  wrote 
this  hymn. 

"A  copy  of  the  Yorkshire  Weehly  Post  lately  contained 
the  following  letter  of  Sir  W.  H.  Wills,  M.P.,  written  to  Dean 
Lefroy,  of  the  English  Church,  on  this  subject  as  follows: 

"  'Dear  Mr.  Dean:  Reading  with  much  interest  your  very 
appropriate  sermon  at  the  Temple  Church,!  was  struck  with  one 
reference  of  yours  which  I  am  sure  you  will  pardon  me  for 
correcting.  You  allude  to  the  hymns  which  were  specially 
valued  by  my  old  chief,  Mr.  Gladstone,  "Rock  of  Ages," 
"Holy,  Holy,"  etc.,  and  you  add  "Toplady,  the  ISTonconformist, 
Heber  the  Anglican  prelate,"  etc.  May  I  say  that  Toplady 
was  clerk  in  holy  orders,  and  never  a  ITonconformist  minister  ? 
Eor  some  years  he  was  curate  in  sole  charge  of  my  parish  of 
Blagdon,  on  the  Mendips,  about  eight  miles  from  Wells,  and 
four  miles  from  Wrington,  where  Hannah  More  long  resided 
at  Barley  Wood. 


FRAGMENTS  GATHERED  UP  385 

"  'Toplady  was  one  day  overtaken  "by  a  heavy  thunderstorm 
in  Barrington  Coombe,  on  the  edge  of  my  property — a  rocky 
glen  running  up  into  the  heart  of  the  Mendip  range — and  there, 
taking  shelter  between  two  massive  piers  of  our  native  limestone 
rock,  he  penned  the  hymn,  "Rock  of  Ages."  '  " 

As  to  this  latter  statement.  Dr.  Julian  has  recently  written : 

"Toplady  was  curate  at  Blagdon  from  April,  1762,  to 
April,  1764.  This  gives  some  twelve  years  or  more  from  the 
alleged  circumstances  of  its  composition  to  the  printing  of  the 
first  stanza  in  1775,  and  of  the  full  hymn  in  1776  in  the 
Gospel  Magazine.  To  this  element  of  delay  in  the  printing 
of  the  hymn  we  must  add  that  it  was  used  by  Toplady,  not 
as  an  illustration  of  a  providential  deliverance  in  immediate 
danger  in  a  thunderstorm,  but  as  an  argument  against  John 
Wesley's  doctrine  of  the  possibility,  if  not  certainty,  of  absolute 
holiness  in  man.  Its  title — 'A  Living  and  Dying  Prayer  for 
the  Holiest  Believer  in  the  World,'  is  clear  evidence  of  Top- 
lady's  object  in  first  printing  the  hymn. 

"From  another  source  we  are  informed  that  the  tradition 
concerning  its  composition  in  Blagdon  during  Toplady's  resi- 
dence there  from  1762  to  1764,  and  during  a  thunderstorm,  was 
old  and  widespread.  We  have  put  this  to  the  test,  and  find 
that  the  alleged  composition,  as  so  fondly  believed  in,  was  never 
heard  of  in  the  parish  until  the  advent  of  Dr.  John  Swete  as 
rector  in  1850,  that  is,  seventy-five  years  after  its  first  stanza 
appeared  in  the  Gospel  Magazine.  Our  witness  is  the  school- 
mistress who  was  teaching  in  the  parish  school  when  Dr.  Swete 
came  to  the  parish  and  who  is  still  (1907)  alive.  Dr.  H.  B. 
Swete,  now  Begins  Professor  of  Divinity,  Cambridge,  who  was 
curate  to  his  father  at  Blagdon  from  1858  to  1865,  cannot 
trace  the  tradition  beyond  his  father's  statement.  Beautiful 
as  the  tradition  is,  we  must  have  clearer  and  more  definite 
information  concerning  it  before  we  can  accept  it  as  an  un- 
doubted fact." 

Toplady's  other  hymns,  in  our  hymnal,  begin  thus : 

355     Saviour,  ■whom  I  fain  would  love. 
643    Inspirer  and  hearer  of  prayer. 

as 


386         SOME  HYMNS  "AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Hezekiah  Butterwortli  writes  of  Edwakd  Pekeonet  as 
"the  author  of  the  most  inspiring  and  triumphant  hymn  in  the 
English  language."     That  hymn  is,  in  full,  as  follows : 

450    All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name! 
Let  angels  prostrate  fall; 
Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem. 
To  crown  Him  Lord  of  all ! 

Let  high-bom  seraphs  tune  the  lyre. 

And,  as  they  tune  it,  fall 
Before  His  face  who  tunes  their  choir. 

And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all ! 

Crown  Him,  ye  morning  stars  of  light. 

Who  fixed  this  floating  ball; 
Now  hail  the  Strength  of  Israel's  might. 

And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all ! 

Crown  Him,  ye  martyrs  of  your  God, 

Who  from  His  altar  call; 
Extol  the  stems  of  Jesse's  rod. 

And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all ! 

Ye  seed  of  Israel's  chosen  race. 

Ye  ransomed  of  the  fall. 
Hail  Him  who  saves  you  by  His  grace. 

And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all ! 

Hail  Him,  ye  heirs  of  David's  line^ 

Whom  David  Lord  did  call, 
The  God  incarnate,  man  divine  I 

And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all  I 

Sinners,  whose  love  can  ne'er  forget 

The  wormwood  and  the  gall, 
Go,  spread  your  trophies  at  His  feet. 

And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all  1 

Let  every  kindred  and  every  tongue 

That  bound  creation's  call 
Now  shout  in  universal  song. 

The  crowned  Lord  of  all. 


FRAGMENTS  GATHERED  UP  387 

The  best  way  to  tell  the  story  of  Perronet's  life  and  labors 
seems  to  be  to  borrow  from  a  volume  entitled  "The  Epworth 
Singers  and  Other  Poets  of  Methodism,"  by  the  Rev.  S.  W. 
Christophers,  published  in  England  a  third  of  a  century  ago. 
The  extract  is  somewhat  long,  but  it  is  worthy  of  a  careful 
reading. 

"Wliile  the  trained  staff  of  college  Methodists  went  out 
from  Oxford,  distributing  themselves  hither  and  thither,  accord- 
ing to  their  several  gifts,  each  in  his  own  line,  and  all  with  a 
holy  purpose,  every  tuneful  genius  exercising  his  talent  and 
all  singing  to  the  same  Divine  IsTame,  they  were  met  almost 
at  every  turn  by  auxiliary  forces  coming  from  outlying  parishes 
of  the  land,  prepared,  amidst  their  parochial  duties,  by  the 
same  awakening  and  sanctifying  spirit,  for  aiding  in  the  diffu- 
sion of  Gospel  truth  and  grace.  Some  of  them  were  tuneful 
souls;  and  'every  one'  of  these  'had  a  psalm'  as  well  as  a  'doc- 
trine' and  a  'tongue.'  It  seemed  as  if,  from  every  point,  God 
had  chosen  evangelists  who  could  be  song-masters  as  well  as 
preachers.  The  whole  land  was  to  be  taught  to  sing  as  well 
as  to  watch  and  pray.  One  of  the  early  poetic  companions  of 
the  Wesleys  was  in  the  Methodist  Chapel  in  London  one  evening 
when  John  Wesley  was  preaching.  The  preacher  saw  him, 
and,  without  asking  consent,  announced  that  he  would  preach 
there  on  the  next  morning  at  five  o'clock.  Wesley  had  long 
wished  to  hear  him  preach,  and  now  he  thought  he  had  secured 
an  opportunity.  The  preacher,  thus  announced,  would  not 
say  nay,  lest  he  might  disturb  the  public  worship ;  and  because, 
too,  he  could  not  well  seem  to  oppose  Mr.  Wesley's  wish.  At 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  was  in  the  pulpit,  believing,  of 
course,  that  Wesley  would  be  somewhere  among  his  hearers. 
After  singing  and  praying,  he  said  that  as  he  had  been  called 
before  them  contrary tohis  own  wish,  his  consent  to  preach  never 
having  been  asked,  and  that  as  he  had  done  violence  to  his  own 
feelings  in  deference  to  Mr.  Wesley,  and  was  now  expected 
to  preach,  weak  and  inadequate  and  unprepared  as  he  was,  he 
should  give  them  the  best  sermon  that  ever  had  been  delivered. 
Then  opening  the  Eible,  he  read  our  Lord's  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  and  without  a  single  word  of  his  own  in  the  way  of  note 


388  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

or  comment,  he  closed  the  service  with  singing  and  prayer. 
The  effect  was  deeply  impressive.  This  was  Edward  Perronet, 
the  brother  of  Charles,  and  the  son  of  the  Reverend  Vincent 
Perronet  of  Shoreham,  between  whose  family  and  the  Wesleys 
there  were  close  bonds  of  Christian  affection. 

"  ^Mr.  Perronet,'  says  Charles  Wesley,  in  a  letter  to  a 
friend,  'joins  in  hearty  love  and  thanks  for  your  kind  concern 
for  him.  He  grows  apace,  is  bold  as  a  Mon,  meek  as  a  lamb, 
and  begins  to  speak  in  this  Name  to  the  hearts  of  sinners.' 
A  proof  of  his  boldness  and  meekness  in  the  service  of  his 
Divine  Master  was  seen  on  October  15,  1746.  'It  was  past 
eight,'  says  Charles  Wesley,  'when  we  came  to  Pinkridge. 
*  *  *  We  were  hardly  set  down  when  the  sons  of  Belial 
beset  the  house,  and  beat  at  the  door.  I  ordered  it  to  be  set 
open,  and  immediately  they  filled  the  house.  I  sat  still  in 
the  midst  of  them  for  half  an  hour.  Edward  Perronet  I  was 
a  little  concerned  for,  lest  such  rough  treatment  at  his  first 
setting  out  should  daunt  him;  but  he  abounded  in  valor,  and 
was  for  reasoning  with  the  wild  beasts  before  they  had  spent 
any  of  their  violence.  He  got  a  deal  of  abuse  thereby,  and 
not  a  little  dirt,  both  which  he  took  very  patiently.'  A  week 
after  this  the  same  journal  records,  'I  set  out  with  Edward 
Perronet,  and  reached  ]^ewcastle  by  Saturday  noon.  On  Sun- 
day my  companion  was  taken  ill  of  a  fever.  We  prayed  for 
him  in  strong  faith,  nothing  doubting.  Monday  and  Tuesday 
he  grew  worse  and  worse.  On  Wednesday  the  smallpox  ap- 
peared; a  favorable  sort.  Yet  on  Thursday  evening  we  were 
much  alarmed  by  the  great  pain  and  danger  he  was  in.  We 
had  recourse  to  our  never-failing  remedy,  and  received  a  most 
remarkable  answer  to  our  prayer.  The  great  means  of  his 
recovery  was  the  prayer  of  faith.  A  fortnight  from  this  recov- 
ery I  was  sensible,'  says  Wesley,  'of  the  hard  frost  in  riding 
to  Burnup  Field ;  but  did  not  feel  it  while  calling  a  crowd  of 
sinners  to  repentance.  At  my  return  I  found  Edward  Perronet 
rejoicing  in  the  love  of  God.'  This  cheerful  spirit  of  the  young 
poetic  evangelist  was  kept  up,  for  his  Methodist  friend  and 
companion  in  travel  put  a  jotting  in  his  note  book  about  three 
years  afterward:  'I  set  out  for  London  with  my  brother  and 


i^curv  titvfec  mi)itt 


FRAGMENTS  GATHERED  UP  389 

!Ned  Perronet.  We  were  in  perils  of  robbers,  who  were  abroad, 
and  bad  robbed  many  the  night  before.  We  commended  our- 
selves to  God,  and  rode  over  the  heath  singing.'  The  happy 
trio  could,  each  and  all,  write  hymns  as  well  as  sing  them. 
Perronet's  poetic  talent  was  faithfully  consecrated  to  his  Divine 
Master's  service,  and  was  so  exercised  as  to  furnish  holy  excite- 
ment to  a  tuneful  adoration  of  the  glorified  Redeemer  from 
every  following  generation  of  spiritual  Christians.  *  *  * 
His  mortal  course  came  to  an  end  in  Canterbury,  January  2, 
1792,  and  he  departed  crying,  'Glory  to  God  in  the  heights  of 
His  divinity!  Glory  to  God  in  the  depth  of  His  humanity! 
Glory  to  God  in  His  all-sufficiency !  And  into  His  hands  I  com- 
mend my  spirit !' " 

Thomas  Kelly  belonged  to  a  somewhat  later  date.  A  few 
words  concerning  him  may  well  be  taken  from  Miller's  "Singers 
and  Songs  of  the  Church."  "This  hymn  writer  was  the  only 
son  of  Judge  Kelly,  of  Kelly ville,  near  Athy,  Queen's  County, 
Ireland.  He  was  educated  at  Portarlington  and  Kilkenny, 
and  afterwards  passed  with  honors  through  the  Dublin  Univer- 
sity. Being  designed  for  the  bar,  he  entered  at  the  Temple, 
and  while  in  London  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  the  celebrated 
Edmund  Burke. 

"Before  being  called  to  the  bar,  his  reading  of  Hutchin- 
son's 'Moses'  Principia'  led  him  to  study  Hebrew,  and  this  led 
him  to  the  use  of  Romaine's  edition  of  Calasio's  Hebrew  Con- 
cordance, and  subsequently  to  inquire  about  Romaine's  evan- 
gelical doctrines.  While  studying  the  Gospel  doctrine  he  be- 
came convinced  of  sin,  and  was  filled  with  great  anxiety  about 
his  state  before  God.  To  remove  his  distress,  he  made  attempts 
at  self-reformation,  practiced  asceticism,  and  put  his  life  in 
jeopardy  by  fasting.  But  at  length  he  had  peace  with  God 
through  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  that  way  of  'justification 
by  faith'  of  which  he  became  afterwards  so  firm  and  faithful 
an  advocate. 

"In  conjunction  with  several  others  as  evangelical  as  him- 
self, he  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Established  Church  in 
1792.     The  Gospel  was  preached  in  few  churches  in  Ireland 


390  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

at  that  time;  but  Mr.  Kelly  was  encouraged  in  his  evangelistic 
purposes  by  the  visit  of  Rowland  Hill  to  Ireland  in  1793.  For 
a  time  the  young  evangelical  clergymen  gave  the  Sunday  after- 
noon lectures  at  St.  Luke's  Church,  in  Dublin,  till  their  success 
awakened  the  opposition  of  the  rector.  Then  afterwards  they 
preached  on  Sunday  morning  at  the  Episcopal  Church,  at- 
Irishtown;  but  the  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  Dr.  Fowler,  on 
hearing  of  the  new  doctrine,  summoned  Mr.  Kelly  and  his  com- 
panions before  him ;  and  having  reproved  them,  issued  a  decree 
closing  the  Dublin  pulpit  against  them." 

He  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six.  His  last 
words  were,  "ISTot  my  will,  but  Thine  be  done." 

One  of  the  hymns  of  Thomas  Kelly,  translated  into  many 
languages  and  sung  all  over  the  globe,  begins : 

646    Through  the  day  Thy  love  has  spared  us ; 
Hear  us  ere  the  hour  of  rest: 
Through  the  silent  watches  guard  us. 
Let  no  foe  our  peace  molest; 
Jesus,  Thou  our  guardian  be ; 
Sweet  it  is  to  trust  in  Thee. 

The  first  lines  of  his  other  hymns,  as  used  by  us,  are : 

100  We  sing  the  praise  of  Him  who  died. 

125  Hark!  ten  thousand  voices  sounding. 

130  Look,  ye  saints;  the  sight  is  glorious. 

264  Speed  Thy  servants.  Saviour,  speed  them. 

372  The  Head  that  once  was  crowned  with  thorns, 

449  Who  is  this  that  comes  from  Edom. 

The  fame  of  Joseph  Addison  has  gone  around  the  earth, 
chiefly  by  reason  of  his  literary  grace  and  power.  He  was  bom 
May  1,  1672,  and  died  June  17,  1719.     Of  him  it  was  written : 

He  taught  us  how  to  live;  and  oh,  too  high 
The  price  of  knowledge !  taught  us  how  to  die. 

We  make  use  of  three  out  of  the  five  hymns  which  he  wrote. 
The  first  lines  of  two  of  these  are : 


FRAGMENTS  GATHERED  UP  391 

464     The  spacious  firmament  on  high. 
659    The  Lord  my  pasture  shall  prepare. 

The  other,  his  best  hymn,  first  appeared  August,  1712,  in 
the  Spectator.  In  the  essay,  to  which  it  was  appended,  he  was 
led  to  say:  "If  gratitude  is  due  from  man  to  man,  how  much 
more  from  man  to  his  maker!  The  Supreme  Being  does  not 
only  confer  upon  us  those  bounties  which  proceed  more  imme- 
diately from  his  hand,  but  even  those  benefits  which  are  con- 
veyed to  us  by  others.  Any  blessing  we  enjoy,  by  what  means 
soever  derived,  is  the  gift  of  Him  who  is  the  great  Author  of 
good,  and  the  Father  of  mercies." 

This  hymn  begins: 

657    When  all  Thy  mercies,  O  my  God, 
My  rising  soul  surveys. 
Transported  with  the  view,  I'm  lost 
In  wonder,  love,  and  praise. 

To  a  man  who,  as  a  poet,  was  still  more  illustrious  than 
Addison,  though  not  half  so  good  a  man,  v/e  owe  one  of  the  most 
stirring  of  our  hymns,  which  begins : 

487    Rise,  crowned  with  light,  imperial  Salem,  rise ! 
Exalt  thy  towering  head  and  lift  thine  eyes ! 
See  heaven  its  sparkling  portals  wide  display. 
And  break  upon  thee  in  a  flood  of  day. 

Alexander  Pope,  its  author,  was  bom  May  21,  1688, 
and  died  May  30,  1744.  He  lived  in  the  days  when  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  was  fed 
upon  Latin  hymns.  Had  he  lived  in  the  days  of  Frederick 
W.  Faber  or  Edward  Caswall,  his  first  gift  of  song  might 
have  been  more  largely  used  for  the  edification  of  the  faith- 
ful and  the  glory  of  our  God.  The  hymn  used  by  us  is  taken 
from  a  sacred  poem  of  one  hundred  and  seven  lines  entitled 
"The  Messiah.'' 

A  word  of  high  appreciation  must  here  be  given  to  two 
men  who  were  hymn  writers  of  distinction,  one  of  them  pos- 


392  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

sessed  of  the  poet's  intuition,  the  other  of  the  statesman's  grasp 
and  power,  horn  in  the  same  year,  1785. 

The  story  of  Henky  Kikke  White  has  often  been  told, 
and  has  touched  many  hearts.  He  was  born  to  a  shining  intel- 
lectual inheritance,  amidst  surroundings  of  poverty.  Through 
one  struggle  and  another  he  made  his  way  to  St.  John's  College, 
Cambridge,  but  death  soon  laid  him  low.  Byron  sang  of  him 
in  melodious  measure,  and  Southey  helped  to  spread  his  fame 
abroad.  For  a  time  he  was  a  skeptic  in  religion,  but  the  clear 
shining  of  the  Bright  and  Morning  Star  soon  came  to  him,  and 
then  he  wrote  that  well-known  hymn  which  had  a  place  in 
our  hymnal  of  1874,  beginning: 

When,  marshaled  on  the  nightly  plain, 
The  glittering  host  bestud  the  sky, 

One  star  alone  of  all  the  train 
Can  fix  the  sinner's  wandering  eye. 

Another  of  his  hymns,  added  to  and  greatly  changed,  re- 
mains to  us,  of  which  I  quote  the  first  stanza : 

So6     Oft  in  danger,  oft  in  woe, 

Onward,  Christians,  onward  go; 
Fight  the  fight,  maintain  the  strife. 
Strengthened  with  the  Bread  of  life. 

SiE  Robert  Grant  had  a  different  history.  His  father 
was  a  member  of  Parliament  for  Inverness,  and  a  director  of 
the  East  India  Company,  a  "canny  Scotchman,"  attracting 
to  himself  both  wealth  and  power.  The  son,  after  his  gradua- 
tion at  Cambridge,  practiced  the  profession  of  the  law,  also 
became  a  member  of  Parliament,  and  afterwards  a  Privy  Coun- 
cillor, and  Governor  of  Bombay. 

Apparently  Grant  lived  in  the  sunshine,  whilst  White  lived 
in  the  gloom.  Yet  not  really  so.  The  sunshine  and  the  gloom 
came  to  both  alike,  the  sadness  and  the  joy.  Deep  religious  ex- 
periences blessed  the  man  who  was  rich  and  the  man  who  was 
poor.  Though  poverty  ordinarily  brings  the  greater  blessings, 
God  is  no  respecter  of  persons.     We  rejoice  to  find  His  light 


THE  NEW  YORK 


ASTOR,  LENOX  AND 

TILDEN  FOUNDATIONS 

R  L 


FRAGMENTS  GATHERED  UP  393 

shining  everywhere — npon  the  high  and  the  low,  the  rich  and 
the  poor  together. 

I  give  the  first  stanza  of  one  of  Sir  Robert  Grant's  hymns, 
and  a  splendid  hymn  it  is : 

459     Oh,  worship  the  King,  all  glorious  above! 
Oh,  gratefully  sing  His  power  and  His  love ! 
Our  shield  and  defender,  the  Ancient  of  days, 
Pavilioned  in  splendor,  and  girded  with  praise. 

Another  of  his  hymns  is  the  familiar  Litany  hymn 
beginning : 

89      Saviour!  when  in  dust  to  Thee. 

Still  another  of  his  hymns  has,  for  many  of  us,  sacred 
associations  with  loved  ones  gone  before,  having  been  sung  in 
our  American  Communion  from  1827  to  1894.  The  reason 
for  its  omission  from  our  present  hymnal  is,  no  doubt,  to  be 
found  in  the  fact  that  it  is  better  adapted  to  personal  use  than 
to  the  worship  of  the  great  congregation. 

I  quote  it  as  found  in  our  older  hymnals : 

When  gathering  clouds  around  I  view, 
And  days  are  dark,  and  friends  are  few. 
On  Him  I  lean,  who  not  in  vain 
Experienced  every  human  pain; 
He  sees  my  wants,  allays  my  fears. 
And  counts  and  treasures  up  my  tears. 

If  aught  should  tempt  my  soul  to  stray 

From  heavenly  wisdom's  narrow  way. 

To  fly  the  good  I  would  pursue. 

Or  do  the  ill  I  would  not  do; 

Still  He  who  felt  temptation's  power. 

Shall  guard  me  in  that  dangerous  hour. 

If  vexing  thoughts  within  me  rise. 
And,  sore  dismayed,  my  spirit  dies; 
Still  He  who  once  vouchsafed  to  bear 
Such  bitter  conflict  with  despair 
Shall  sweetly  soothe,  shall  gently  dry. 
The  throbbing  heart,  the  streaming  eye. 


394  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

When  sorrowing  o'er  some  stone  I  bend. 
Which  covers  what  was  once  a  friend. 
And  from  his  voice,  his  hand,  his  smile. 
Divides  me  for  a  little  while. 
Thou,  Saviour,  mark'st  the  tears  I  shed. 
For  Thou  didst  weep  o'er  Lazarus  dead. 

And  oh,  when  I  have  safely  past 
Through  every  conflict  but  the  last. 
Still,  still,  unchanging,  watch  beside 
My  bed  of  death,  for  Thou  hast  died : 
Then  point  to  realms  of  cloudless  day. 
And  wipe  the  latest  tear  away. 

A  word  must  also  be  written  concerning  William  Chat- 
TEETON"  Dix,  who  was  born  in  1837,  and  died  in  1900.  He 
was  a  business  man  who  lived  near  to  his  Divine  Master,  else 
no  such  hymns  had  ever  risen  from  his  soul  as  have  moved  the 
hearts  of  tens  of  thousands  of  the  saints. 

I  give  the  first  stanza  of  one  of  these  hymns : 

437    "Come  unto  Me,  ye  weary. 

And  I  will  give  you  rest." 
Oh,  blessed  voice  of  Jesus, 

Which  comes  to  hearts  opprest! 
It  tells  of  benediction. 

Of  pardon,  grace,  and  peace. 
Of  joy  that  hath  no  ending. 

Of  love  that  cannot  cease. 

The  first  lines  of  others  of  his  hymns  are : 

65  As  with  gladness  men  of  old. 

191  To  Thee,  O  Lord,  our  hearts  we  raise. 

212  The  cross  is  on  our  brow. 

368  Alleluia!  sing  to  Jesus. 

539  Joy  fills  our  inmost  hearts  to-day. 

594  Only  one  prayer  to-day. 

A  word  also  concerning  the  hymns  of  one  of  our  great 
Church  leaders,  William  Ckoswell  Doane,  Bishop  of  Albany. 


FRAGMENTS  GATHERED  UP  395 

Bisliop  Doane  has  written  a  hymn  for  Holy  Matrimony, 
which  would  have  delighted  the  heart  of  Queen  Victoria^ 
beginning : 

239    To  Thee,  O  Father  throned  on  high. 

He  has  also  written  that  splendid  hymn  of  praise  and 
prayer,  which  is  the  first  of  the  "General"  hymns  of  our  collec- 
tion.    I  give  one  stanza : 

311     Ancient  of  days,  who  sittest,  throned  in  glory. 
To  Thee  all  knees  are  bent,  all  voices  pray; 
Thy  love  has  blest  the  wide  world's  wondrous  story. 
With  light  and  life  since  Eden's  dawning  day. 

And  now  a  word  as  to  two  of  our  hymns  for  "ISTatlonal 
Days."     Of  these,  much  the  most  generally  popular  begins : 

196     Our  fathers'  God!  to  Thee. 

This  hymn  as  we  have  it,  is  the  workmanship  of  three  men. 
One  stanza,  the  first,  is  taken  from  "My  Country,  'Tis  of  Thee," 
which  was  written  by  Db.  Samuel  Fkancis  Smith,  a  Baptist 
minister  of  distinction  who  wrote  many  hymns,  amongst  them 
that  stirring  missionary  hymn  beginning : 

252    The  morning  light  is  breaking. 

The  other  stanzas  were  the  joint  workmanship  of  two 
Unitarian  ministers,  De.  Charles  T.  Brooks  and  De.  John 

S.  DWIGHT. 

"My  Country,  'Tis  of  Thee,"  is  a  great  hymn.  It  has 
been  urged,  however,  that  it  best  suits  the  "rocks  and  rills"  of 
New  England,  rather  than  the  broad  prairies  and  rivers  of  the 
great  West,  and  is  not,  therefore,  sufficiently  "national."  Per- 
haps that  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  it  has  not  been  accepted 
by  us,  as  generally  used ;  for  ours  is  a  national  Church.  If  such 
be  the  case,  a  remedy  will  be  at  hand  in  the  years  to  come,  when 
a  movement — now  unnecessary  and  undesirable — wnll  have 
been  carried  for  changes  in  our  hymnal,  in  the  suggestion  that 


396  SOME  HYMNS  'AND  HYMN  WRITERS 


Dr.  Smith's  exceedingly  popular  and  patriotic  liymn  shall  be 
enlarged  so  as  to  include  Dr.  Henry  Van  Dyke's  stanzas,  and 
thus  to  make  the  whole  hymn  read : 

My  country,  'tis  of  thee. 
Sweet  land  of  liberty. 

Of  thee  I  sing; 
Land  where  my  fathers  died. 
Land  of  the  pilgrims'  pride, 
From  every  mountain  side 

Let  freedom  ring. 

My  native  country,  thee. 
Land  of  the  noble,  free. 

Thy  name  I  love; 
I  love  thy  rocks  and  rills, 
Thy  woods  and  templed  hills; 
My  heart  with  rapture  thrills 

Like  that  above. 

I  love  thine  inland  seas. 
Thy  groves  of  giant  trees. 

Thy  rolling  plains; 
Thy  rivers'  mighty  sweep, 
Thy  mystic  canyons  deep. 
Thy  mountains  wild  and  steep. 

All  thy  domains. 

Thy  silver  Eastern  strands, 
Thy  Golden  Gate  that  stands 

Fronting  the  West; 
Thy  flowery  Southland  fair. 
Thy  sweet  and  crystal  air, — 
O  Land  beyond  compare. 

Thee  I  love  best. 

Let  music  swell  the  breeze. 
And  ring  from  all  the  trees 

Sweet  freedom's  song: 
Let  mortal  tongues  awake; 
Let  all  that  breathe  partake ; 
Let  rocks  tbeir  silence  break. 

The  sound  prolong. 


FRAGMENTS  GATHERED  UP  397 

Our  fathers'  God,  to  Thee, 
Author  of  liberty. 

To  Thee  we  sing: 
Long  may  our  land  be  bright 
With  freedom's  holy  light; 
Protect  us  by  Thy  might, 

Great  God,  our  King. 

The  last  hymn  of  majestic  strength  which  we  mention, — of 
patriotism  also, — was  written  by  one  of  our  own  clergy,  the  Rev. 
Daniel  C.  Robekts,  who  has  ministered  to  one  of  our  congre- 
gations, St.  Paul's,  Concord,  IST.  H.,  for  nearly  thirty  years. 
This  hymn  was  first  sung  on  July  4,  1876,  in  a  little  parish 
in  Vermont.  It  was  again  sung  in  New  York  at  the  great  cele- 
bration of  the  Centennial  of  the  adoption  of  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States.  It  was  used  as  a  Processional  hymn 
at  the  great  Bi-Centenary  of  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  and 
more  recently  (1907)  under  the  leadership  of  the  Oratorio 
Society  of  the  Metropolis  at  tbe  Peace  Congress  at  Carnegie 
Hall.     This  hymn  begins : 

194    God  of  our  fathers,  Whose  almighty  hand 
Leads  forth  in  beauty  all  the  starry  band 
Of  shining  worlds  in  splendor  through  the  skies. 
Our  grateful  songs  before  Thy  throne  arise. 

A  final  word  only  as  to  one  of  the  greatest  of  all  our 
hymns — great  in  its  associations,  great  in  its  simplicity,  great  in 
its  spiritual  power — the  only  hymn  still  remaining  in  our 
hymnal  which  was  sung  by  our  forefathers  in  the  Jamestown 
Colony  established  three  centuries  ago,  the  only  hymn  sung 
continuously  in  our  churches  from  that  day  to  this.*  Its  author 
was  a  Scotchman,  a  clergyman,  for  a  time  an  exile  for  con- 
science' sake  in  Frankfurt  and  in  Geneva.      His  name  was 

•To  make  sure  of  the  entire  accuracy  of  the  above  statement,  'nqu'ry^ya^ 
made  of  our  foremost  hymnologlcal  expert,  the  Rev.  Professor  K  rederlc  M  Bird 
His  reply  was  as  follows:  "No.  470  (ver.  Ps.  100,  probably  W.  Kethe,  1560-61) 
Is  the  oldest  English  hymn  in  our  book.  I  recall  but  one  other,  a  fragment,  from 
'Sternhold  &  Hopkins,'  as  used  anywhere  In  many  years.  I  could  not  say  the 
onlv  one  sung  300  years  ago.  for  No.  403.  'O  Mother  Dear,'  is  in  substance  part 
of  the  Tone  niece  by  'P.  B  P.,'  1601  or  earlier.  To  this  one  of  our  tune  books 
says-  'D  Diokson,  l.^S3,'  D-d!.  was  born  that  year,  and  did  some  tinkering,  aa 
did  many  others,  of  this  original." 


398  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

William  Kethe,  and  the  date  of  the  publication  of  his  ren- 
dering of  the  One  Hundredth  Psalm  was  1560.  The  tune  to 
which  it  has  been  sung  by  many  millions  of  people,  and  around 
which  so  many  memories  cling,  was  of  still  earlier  date,  the 
work  of  Louis  Bourgeois,  editor  of  the  French  Geneva  Psalter 
of  1551. 

With  this  grand  old  hymn  I  close  this  chapter : 

470    All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell. 

Sing  to  the  Lord  with  cheerful  voice : 
Him  serve  with  fear.  His  praise  forth  tell. 
Come  ye  before  Him  and  rejoice. 

Know  that  the  Lord  is  God  indeed; 

Without  our  aid  He  did  us  make: 
We  are  His  flock.  He  doth  us  feed. 

And  for  His  sheep  He  doth  us  take. 

Oh,  enter  then  His  gates  with  praise, 
Approach  with  joy  His  courts  unto; 

Praise,  laud,  and  bless  His  name  always, 
For  it  is  seemly  so  to  do. 

For  why?  the  Lord  our  God  is  good. 

His  mercy  is  forever  sure; 
His  truth  at  all  times  firmly  stood. 

And  shall  from  age  to  age  endure. 


XVIII. 
Historical  and  Hortatory 


(399) 


No  fragment  of  the  glorious  temples  at  Jerusalem  has  survived 
the  lapse  of  time;  but  the  imperishable  hymns  of  the  Jewish  worship 
rule  the  hearts  of  men  with  more  than  their  pristine  power,  and  still 
continue  to  inspire  and  elevate  the  conduct  and  devotions  of  successive 
generations  of  mankind.  Fathers  of  the  early  Church,  like  Origin, 
Athanasius  and  Jerome,  Basil,  Ambrose  and  Augustine — apostles  of 
British  Christianity,  such  as  Columba,  Cuthbert,  Wilfrid,  Dunstan  and 
Bede — mediaeval  saints,  like  Bernard,  Francis  of  Assisi,  or  Thomas  of 
Villanova — statesmen,  like  Ximines,  Burghley  and  Gladstone — have  tes- 
tified to  the  universal  truth  and  beauty  of  the  Psalms.  With  a  psalm 
upon  their  lips  died  Wyclif,  Hus,  and  Jerome  of  Prague,  Luther  and 
Melanchthon.  Philosophers,  such  as  Bacon  and  Locke  and  Hamilton; 
men  of  science,  like  Humboldt  and  Romanes;  among  missionaries, 
Xavier,  Martyn,  Duff,  Livingstone,  Mackay  and  Hannington ;  explorers, 
like  Columbus ;  scholars,  like  Casaubon  and  Salmasius ;  earthly  poten- 
tates, Charlemagne,  Vladimir  Monomachus,  Hildebrand,  Louis  IX,  Henry 
V,  Catherine  de  Medicis,  Charles  V,  Henry  of  Navarre,  and  Mary  Queen 
of  Scots — have  found  in  the  Psalms  their  inspiration  in  life,  their 
strength  in  peril,  or  their  support  in  death. 

Rowland  E.  Prothero. 


(400) 


mc  praijsJc  Ci^ce,  C>  d^oti 


XYIII. 

HISTORICAL  AND  HORTATORY. 

In  addition  to  eighty-four  psalms  in  metre,  selected  from 
the  "New  Version"  of  Tate  and  Brady,  the  "Proposed  Book"  of 
1786  contained  fifty-one  "Hymns  suited  to  the  Feasts  and 
Fasts  of  the  Church,  and  other  Occasions  of  public  Worship, 
to  be  used  at  the  discretion  of  the  Minister."  Some  of  these 
hymns  were  not  well  chosen,  as,  for  example,  the  one  beginning : 

Hark,  my  gay  friend,  that  solemn  toll 
Speaks  the  departure  of  a  soul; 
'Tis  gone — but  where?    There's  none  who  knows. 
Save  God  alone,  to  whom  it  goes. 

It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  proposed  hymnal 
should  have  shared  the  fate  of  the  "Proposed  Book"  itself, 
never  winning  any  substantial  recognition. 

The  Prayer  Book  of  1789  contained  the  "Whole  Book  of 
Psalms  in  Metre,"  with  twenty-seven  hymns,  more  carefully 
selected.  Of  the  psalms  authorized  in  this,  the  first  accepted 
Prayer  Book  of  the  American  Church,  the  first  lines  of  those 
still  in  use  by  us  are  these : 

351  Have  mercy.  Lord,  on  me. 

469  With  one  consent  let  all  the  earth. 

471  Oh,  praise  ye  the  Lord. 

472  O  come,  loud  anthems  let  us  sing. 

479  Oh,  with  due  reverence  let  us  all. 

480  For  Thee,  0  God,  our  constant  praise. 
493     Oh,  'twas  a  joyful  sound  to  hear. 

500  To  bless  Thy  chosen  race. 

648  To  Sion's  hill  I  left  my  eyes. 

655  No  change  of  time  shall  ever  shock. 

662  Let  me  with  light  and  truth  be  blest. 
36  (401) 


402  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Of  the  twenty-seven  hymns,  the  first  lines  of  those  still 
in  use  are: 

54  While  shepherds  watched  their  flocks  by  night. 

231  My  God,  and  is  Thy  table  spread. 

377  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  heavenly  Dove. 

456  Thou,  God,  all  glory,  honor,  power. 

464  The  spacious  firmament  on  high. 

657  When  all  Thy  mercies,  O  my  God. 

659  The  Lord  my  pasture  shall  prepare. 

Three  of  these  hymns  are  by  Addison,  two  by  Tate  and 
[Brady,  one  by  Watts,  and  one  by  Doddridge. 

In  1808  thirty  were  added  to  the  twenty-seven  already 
approved,  making  fifty-seven  in  all.  Of  these  thirty  additional 
hymns,  those  still  in  use  begin  as  follows : 

2  Awake,  my  soul,  and  with  the  sun. 

18  All  praise  to  Thee,  my  God,  this  night. 

27  Welcome,  sweet  day  of  rest. 

47  Hark,  the  glad  sound !  the  Saviour  comes. 

86  O  Thou  that  hear'st  when  sinners  cry. 

132  Our  Lord  is  risen  from  the  dead. 

283  Father  of  mercies,  in  Thy  word. 

287  Father  of  mercies,  bow  Thine  ear. 

451  To  our  Redeemer's  glorious  name. 

473  Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne. 

498  How  beauteous  are  their  feet. 

In  all,  then,  we  are  using  eleven  psalms  and  eighteen 
hymns  out  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  psalms  and  the  fifty- 
seven  hymns  authorized  for  use  by  the  General  Convention 
of  1808. 

Of  the  discussions  of  that  convention  Bishop  White  after- 
wards wrote:  "On  the  subject  of  the  hymns  sanctioned  by 
this  convention,  much  was  said,  as  well  out  of  doors  as  in  the 
House  of  Clerical  and  Lay  Deputies.  Some  members  of  that 
body  had  contemplated  the  matter  previously  to  the  meeting, 


HISTORICAL  AND  HORTATORY  403 

and  had  pressed  it  with  great  earnestness.  The  author  of  these 
remarks  acknowledges  that  it  was  with  pain  he  saw  the  subject 
brought  forward.  This  was  not  because  he  doubted  either  of 
the  lawfulness  of  celebrating  the  praises  of  God  in  other  strains 
than  those  of  David,  or  of  the  expediency  of  having  a  few 
well-selected  hymns  for  the  especial  subjects  of  the  evangelical 
economy;  which  can  no  otherwise  be  celebrated  in  the  psalms, 
than  in  an  accommodated  sense.  ^Nevertheless,  there  is  so  little  of 
good  poetry  except  the  scriptural,  on  sacred  subjects ;  and  there 
was  so  great  danger  of  having  a  selection  accommodated  to  the 
degree  of  animal  sensibility  affected  by  those  who  were  the 
most  zealous  in  the  measure,  that  the  discretion  of  adopting 
it  seemed  questionable.  It  was,  however,  yielded  to  by  the 
bishops,  under  the  hope  that  the  selection  of  a  few,  and  those 
unexceptionable,  although  some  of  them,  perhaps,  are  not  to 
be  extolled  for  the  excellence  either  of  the  sentiments  or  of 
the  poetry,  might  prevent  the  unauthorized  use  of  the  composi- 
tions which  no  rational  Christian  can  approve  of.  The  matter, 
however,  was  executed  with  too  much  haste.  The  bishops  had 
merely  time  to  give  a  cursory  reading  to  the  hymns  proposed; 
the  result  of  which  was  the  acceptance  of  them,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  hymn,  containing  a  verse  that  seemed  a  little  enthu- 
siastic. In  lieu  of  this,  they  proposed  another  hymn,  which 
was  admitted.  They  who  were  the  most  zealous  for  the  meas- 
ure had  pressed  for  the  admission  of  about  two  hundred." 

Instead  of  two  hundred,  they  obtained  thirty.  The  matter, 
however,  did  not  rest  in  peace.  Bishop  White  tells  us  concern- 
ing the  General  Convention  of  1823:  "On  the  subject  of  the 
psalms  and  hymns,  a  joint  committee  was  appointed,  consisting 
of  the  presiding  Bishop,  Bishop  Hobart,  and  Bishop  Croes,  the 
Rev.  William  Meade,  the  Rev.  Samuel  F.  Jarvis,  D.D.,  the 
Rev.  William  A.  Muhlenberg,  the  Rev.  Jackson  Kemper,  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Turner,  D.D.,  the  Rev.  Richard  S.  Mason,  the 
Hon.  Kensey  Johns,  the  Hon.  Robert  H.  Goldsborough,  John 
Read,  Esq.,  Edward  J.  Stiles,  Esq.,  Tench  Tilghman,  Esq., 
Erancis  S.  Key,  Esq.,  and  Peter  Kean,  Esq." 

Of  the  General  Convention  of  1826,  when  the  number  of 
hymns  was  enlarged  to  two  hundred  and  twelve,  Bishop  White 


404  SOME  HYMNS  'AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

afterwards  wrote  (in  his  "Memoirs")  that  there  had  been  many 
meetings  of  the  hymnal  committee  during  the  three  years  in- 
terim, and  great  pains  bestowed  upon  the  work.  He  also  wrote, 
in  further  explanation  of  the  situation :  "Within  the  memory  of 
the  author  of  this  work  there  has  taken  place  a  most  remarkable 
change,  in  reference  to  the  subject  now  noticed.  When  he  was  a 
young  man,  and  in  England,  and  even  when  he  was  there  fifteen 
years  after,  he  never,  in  any  church,  heard  other  metrical  singing 
than  what  was  either  from  the  version  of  Stemhold  and  Hop- 
kins, or  from  that  of  Tate  and  Brady.  In  this  country  it  was 
the  same;  except  on  Christmas  day  and  Easter  Sunday,  when 
there  were  the  two  hymns  now  appropriate  to  those  days, — ^which 
was  strictly  rubrical, — they  being  no  more  than  passages  of 
scripture,  put  into  the  trammels  of  metre  and  rhyme.  Of  late 
years,  in  England,  an  unbounded  license  has  taken  place  in 
this  respect;  and  even  an  archbishop  of  York  had  given  his 
sanction  to  a  collection  of  hymns,  made  by  one  of  his  clergy. 
The  like  liberty  has  crossed  the  ocean  to  this  country,  in  a 
degree. 

"Let  not  the  remark  be  misconstrued.  The  present  writer 
has  no  leaning  to  the  theory  of  those  who  consider  all  singing, 
except  of  David's  Psalms,  as  irreverent  and  irreligious.  On 
the  contrary,  he  is  in  favor  of  the  opinion,  for  the  introducing 
of  some  hymns,  expressly  recognizing  events  and  truths  peculiar 
to  the  New  Testament.  Still,  whether  it  be  the  effect  of  mature 
judgment  or  that  of  feelings  excited  during  the  earliest  of  his 
years  within  his  recollection,  he  declares  that  in  respect  to 
the  ordinary  topics  of  prayer,  of  praise,  and  of  precept,  he 
finds  no  compositions  so  much  tending  to  the  excitement  of 
devotion  as  what  we  have  in  the  Book  of  Psalms ;  and,  as  they 
are  the  effusions  of  inspiration,  he  ought  to  be  excused  for  his 
reluctance  to  doubt  of  the  correctness  of  his  theory. 

"As  chairman  of  the  committee,  he  hopes  his  advice  had 
some  effect  towards  checking  the  multiplicity  deprecated  by 
him,  although  not  to  the  extent  desired." 

The  two  hundred  and  twelve  hymns,  authorized  by  the 
General  Convention  of  1826,  together  with  the  one  hundred 
and  twenty-four  selected  psalms,  set  forth  by  the  General  Con- 


HISTORICAL  AND  HORTATORY  405 

vention  of  1832,  were  bound  up  with,  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  until  the  year  1871. 

Meanwhile  dissatisfaction  was  spreading,  and  good  men 
looked  for  a  brighter  hymnological  day.  The  dawning  of  that 
day  came  with  the  early  spring  of  1857,  when  a  self-constituted 
committee  began  an  admirable  work.  This  committee  consisted 
of  Bishops  Alonzo  Potter  and  George  Burgess,  Rev.  Dr.  Muh- 
lenberg, Rev.  Dr.  (afterwards  Bishop)  Bowman,  Rev.  Dr. 
(afterwards  Bishop)  Howe,  Rev.  Dr.  (afterwards  Bishop) 
Coxe,  and  Mr.  Francis  (afterwards  Rev.  Dr.)  Wharton,  then 
a  professor  in  Kenyon  College. 

The  last  meeting  of  this  committee  was  held  in  the  summer 
of  1859.  Their  collection,  called  "Hymns  for  Church  and 
Home,"  was  first  printed  for  private  circulation,  and  afterwards 
distributed  gratuitously  to  the  members  of  the  General  Conven- 
tion which  met  at  Richmond  in  the  following  October.  A 
"Joint  Committee  on  Metrical  Psalmody  and  Hymnody" 
was  appointed  at  that  convention,  consisting  of  Bishops  A. 
Potter,  Bowman,  Burgess,  Hopkins,  and  Whittingham,  and  the 
Rev.  Drs.  Howe,  W.  B.  Stevens,  A.  C.  Coxe,  J.  C.  Talbot, 
C.  W.  Andrews,  and  W.  A.  Muhlenberg. 

At  the  Convention  of  1862  this  committee  was  somewhat 
changed  and  thereafter  consisted  of  Bishops  Burgess,  Whitting- 
ham, A.  Potter,  H.  Potter,  Talbot  and  Stevens,  and  the  Rev. 
Drs.  Howe,  Coxe,  Young,  Muhlenberg,  and  Wharton,  with 
Professor  Henry  Coppee  and  President  Samuel  Eliot.  In- 
struction was  given  the  committee  "to  prepare  and  report  to  the 
next  General  Convention  a  body  of  additional  hymns,  and  to 
revise  the  psalms  and  hymns  bound  up  with  the  Prayer  Book." 
The  action  of  the  Convention  of  1865  was  more  pronounced. 
Sixty-five  hymns  were  approved  for  use,  and  a  commission 
of  bishops  appointed  to  set  forth  additional  hymns.  This  com- 
mission consisted  of  Bishops  Whittingham,  Burgess,  Williams, 
Potter,  Stevens  and  Coxe. 

Action  was  taken  by  the  Convention  of  1868  allowing  the 
use  in  any  diocese,  after  license  by  the  bishop,  of  any  hymns 
"from  the  volume  entitled  ^Hymns  for  Church  and  Home'  or 
from  that  entitled  'Hymns  Ancient  and  Modem.* "     The  com- 


4o6  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

mission  on  tlie  revision  of  the  psalms  in  metre  and  tlie  hymns, 
as  appointed,  consisted  of  Bishops  Clark,  Bedell  and  Coxe, 
Rev.  Drs.  (afterwards  Bishops)  Huntington  and  Howe,  and  Mr. 
H.  E.  Pierrepont. 

The  reports  of  this  committee,  as  made  to  the  General  Con- 
ventions of  1871  and  1874,  cannot  fail  to  be  read  with  interest 
even  to-day.  They  speak  of  the  difficulties  of  the  undertaking ; 
of  the  labor  performed ;  of  the  opposition  aroused.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  their  work  met  no  little  captious  criticism.  But  the 
good  sense  of  the  Church's  representatives  prevailed,  and  the 
hymnal  of  1871  was  authorized,  to  be  slightly  modified  and 
improved  in  1874.  It  was  at  the  latter  date  that  the  following 
was  adopted:  ^'Resolved,  That  the  House  of  Bishops  desires 
here  to  place  upon  record  their  sense  of  the  singular  zeal  and 
assiduity  of  the  Joint  Committee  in  the  laborious  task  confided 
to  them;  of  the  sound  discretion  which  they  have  exhibited; 
and  of  their  patience  and  kindness  in  considering  objections, 
and  in  endeavoring  to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  Church." 

In  1886  a  new  committee  was  appointed,  with  the  thought 
uppermost  that  a  new  hymnal  should  be  provided.  This  com- 
mittee made  its  first  report  in  1889.  This  report  is  so  admira- 
ble in  method  and  statement,  that  it  is  here  reproduced. 

Repoet  of  the  Hymnal  Committee. 

The  hymnal  revised  is  herewith  offered  to  the  General 
Convention  by  the  committee  appointed  for  this  work. 

The  leading  principles  which  have  guided  the  committee 
in  the  compilation  of  the  book  are  these: 

1.  To  conform  the  contents  and  the  arrangement  of  the 
Hymnal  to  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

2.  To  provide  for  the  present  needs  and  demands  of  the 
Church  in  her  public  worship  and  her  increased  activities,  as 
the  conditions  have  changed  within  the  last  twenty  years. 

3.  To  provide  so  fully  for  hymns  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  Church  life  and  work  as  to  make  unnecessary  the 
purchase  of  additional  books  for  special  occasions. 

4.  To  meet  the  necessities  not  merely  of  the  larger  city 


HISTORICAL  AND  HORTATORY  407 

parishes,  but  to  include  hymns  which  would  satisfy  the  wants 
of  smaller  and  remote  missions  and  the  needs  of  individual  souls 
for  the  deepening,  cultivation,  and  expression  of  their  personal 
devotion. 

5.  To  include,  as  far  as  possible,  the  expression  of  the 
varying  schools  of  theological  thought  and  phases  of  religious 
feeling  in  the  Church. 

6.  To  place  as  many  as  possible  of  the  hymns  for  the 
various  seasons  under  the  heading  of  "general,"  where  they  can 
readily  be  found  by  means  of  the  first-line  references,  and 
where  yet  they  will  naturally  come  into  use  throughout  the  year. 

The  committee  has  had  constantly  in  mind  three  canons  by 
which  to  test  the  value  of  a  hymn : 

(a)  That  while  undoubtedly  one  object  of  a  hymn  is  to 
rouse  devotional  feeling,  as  indicated  by  the  Apostolic  injunc- 
tion, "Speaking  to  one  another  in  psalms  and  spiritual  songs," 
and  as  abundantly  illustrated  by  the  texture  of  the  Psalter ;  yet 
expression  rather  than  impression  should  be  the  chief  character- 
istic of  a  good  hymn  as  a  direct  utterance  of  prayer  or  praise 
to  God. 

(6)  That  it  was  the  duty  of  a  committee  to  criticise  every 
hymn,  and  to  present  only  such  as  come  up  to  the  recognized 
standards  of  the  best  authorities  in  hymnology,  without  too  much 
regard  to  the  prejudices  or  the  associations  of  the  past,  or  to  the 
passing  popularity  of  the  present,  based,  both  of  them,  upon  the 
insecure  and  insufficient  ground  of  sentiment ;  and  also  to  dissever 
the  actual  merits  of  each  hymn  from  the  accident  of  an  attrac- 
tive tune,  which  often  sings  into  favor  words  quite  unmeaning 
and  unworthy  of  use. 

(c)  That  while,  other  things  being  equal,  a  return  to  the 
original  form  of  a  hymn  is  desirable,  it  is  perfectly  legitimate, 
when  the  authors  are  not  named  in  connection  with  the  hymns, 
to  change  the  language  of  a  hymn  which  the  Church  chooses 
to  adopt  as  part  of  its  public  worship. 

Dr.  Martineau,  in  the  preface  to  his  "Hymns  of  Praise 
and  Prayer,"  argues  for  this  liberty  in  the  following  language, 
on  which  the  committee  is  content  to  rest  this  claim : 

"In  common  with  earlier  Christians  who  turned  the  Psalter 


4o8  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

to  their  use,  Watts  altered  David,  and  Wesley  altered  Watts: 
Jeremy  Taylor,  as  well  as  Tate  and  Brady,  was  corrected  by 
Bishop  Heber;  George  Herbert  by  Bishop  Home;  and  the 
Moravian  hymns  appear  in  their  successive  editions  with  various 
transformations.  In  the  absence  of  this  liberty  there  could  be 
no  literature  of  devotion  common  to  Christendom.  The  whole 
hope  of  any  gathering  together  of  Christians  in  a  comprehen- 
sive 'City  of  God'  depends  on  a  gradual  falling  away  of 
transitory  from  permanent  emblems  in  the  sacra  transmitted 
from  the  past;  and  they  can  never  be  sifted  out  and  lay  bare 
the  imperishable  residuum  unless  each  communion  is  free  to 
take  what  it  can  from  the  life  of  the  rest,  and  so  test  the  real 
range  of  possible  sympathy." 

The  increased  number  of  hymns  is  due  to  the  actual 
need  of  meeting  the  exigencies,  emergencies,  and  diversities 
already  alluded  to,  and  is  justified  by  the  size  of  those  hymnals 
which  have  secured  the  largest  use. 

The  writing  of  this  preface  brings  to  an  end  the  work  of 
the  committee,  whose  only  further  duty  is  to  present  the  report 
to  the  body  which  appointed  it.  And  it  brings  to  an  end 
an  association  of  much  labor,  of  mutual  counsel  and  concession, 
of  earnest  interest  and  high  aims,  clouded  by  only  two  events: 
the  removal  from  very  valuable  service  to  our  American 
Church  of  the  Bishop  of  jN^ova  Scotia,  who  brought  most  culti- 
vated taste  and  thought  to  our  labors ;  and,  to  us,  the  far  sadder 
removal,  to  the  rest  of  Paradise,  of  our  beloved  brother,  Albert 
Zabriskie  Gray,  in  whom  a  character  of  most  intense  devoutness 
lent  consecration  to  his  ripe  scholarship,  his  rich  poetic  feeling, 
and  his  rare  and  exquisite  taste. 

W.  C.  DoANE,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Albany, 

Chairman. 
H.  W.  ITelson,  Jk.^  Secretary. 

Final  action  was  taken  in  1892,  when,  after  wise  and 
careful  consideration,  our  present  hymnal  was  adopted.  A  few 
attempts  have  been  made  to  secure  slight  changes  since  then, 
but  without  success. 


HISTORICAL  AND  HORTATORY  409 

For  a  last  word  of  history  nothing  can  be  found  elsewhere 
which  is  quite  so  well  expressed,  and  so  entirely  true,  as  that 
which  Dr.  Tiffany  has  written  in  his  "History  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America,"  as  follows : 

"The  Convention  of  1892,  which  completed  the  revision  of 
the  Prayer  Book,  adopted  also  a  hymnal,  compiled  by  a  com- 
mittee of  singular  culture  and  ability,  under  the  leadership 
of  Bishop  W.  C.  Doane,  of  Albany,  who  both  by  paternal 
heritage  and  native  poetic  gifts  was  fitted  to  be  its  chairman. 

"Lacking  space  for  a  fuller  treatment  of  the  history  of  the 
hymnal,  there  are  a  few  names  especially  which  must  be  grate- 
fully associated  with  it.  Apart  from  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  whose 
service  has  been  before  mentioned  in  this  relation,  the  first  is 
that  of  Bishop  George  Burgess,  of  Maine,  who  was  one  of  the 
best  literary  scholars  the  Church  has  ever  known,  and  who 
brought  his  wide  culture  and  distinct  poetical  talent  to  bear 
upon  the  subject  between  the  years  185Y  and  1865.  His  influ- 
ence was  marked  and  salutary.  Another  name  is  that  of  the 
Et.  Rev.  A.  Cleveland  Coxe,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Western  New 
York,  a  co-laborer  with  Bishop  Burgess,  and  a  poet  likewise, 
who,  by  his  'Christian  Ballads'  has  set  the  church  bells  chiming 
in  many  a  household,  and  who  has  bestowed  a  goodly  heritage 
upon  the  Church  in  his  own  noble  hymns,  which  at  times,  as 
in  that  on  the  Church,  vibrate  with  a  lyric  ring  akin  to  Camp- 
bell's, and  again,  as  in  that  on  Christ's  humility,  recall  the 
meditative  sweetness  of  Keble.  With  these  two  poet  prelates. 
Bishop  Howe,  of  Central  Pennsylvania,  associated  his  ample 
learning  and  cultivated  taste ;  and  in  this  last  hymnal,  compiled 
under  the  supervising  care  of  Bishop  Doane,  all  previous  efforts 
have  found  their  fitting  culmination.  As  regards  both  prayer 
and  praise,  the  Church  in  this  last  decade  has  been  amply 
endowed  for  a  reverent  and  glowing  service  to  Almighty  God." 

"Suffer  briefly  some  final  words  of  exhortation :" 

I.  In  the  life  of  Robert  Bickersteth,  Bishop  of  Ripon, 

we  read :  "After  dinner  on  Sundays  there  was  a  custom,  handed 

down  from  Acton  and  Sapcote  traditions,  and  continued  long 

after  the  elder  children  at  Ripon  had  left  the  parental  roof, 


410  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

on  occasions  when  they  returned  for  a  Sunday  at  home.  Every- 
one, including  any  guests  who  might  be  present,  was  asked 
in  turn  to  repeat  a  hymn,  beginning  with  the  youngest  and 
ending  with  the  Bishop  himself.  By  this  means  my  father 
took  care  that,  from  their  earliest  days,  the  minds  of  his  chil- 
dren should  be  stored  with  a  rich  treasury  of  all  that  was  best 
in  English  hymnody.  Keble's  'Christian  Year,'  Mrs.  Alexan- 
der's 'Hymns  for  Little  Children,'  Kemble's  and  Mercer's 
collections,  Lord  Selborne's  'Songs  of  Praise,'  'Hymns  Ancient 
and  Modern,'  and  the  'Hymnal  Companion  to  the  Book  of 
Common  Prayer,'  were  all  brought  into  constant  requisition; 
but  of  the  hymns  which  my  father  used  to  repeat  himself,  none 
were  oftener  on  his  lips  than  Toplady's  matchless  'Rock  of 
Ages,'  'O  God,  Our  Help  in  Ages  Past,'  a  short  hymn  of  which 
his  own  father  Avas  the  author,  beginning,  'Heaven  Is  Our 
Promised,  Purchased  Home,'  and  (especially  in  later  years) 
'Jesu,  Thou  Joy  of  Loving  Hearts.'  The  same  custom  of 
repeating  hymns  after  dinner  on  Sunday  prevailed  in  the  house 
of  my  father's  life-long  friend,  Mr.  Henry  Thornton." 

In  many  Christian  homes  this  custom  might  to-day  be 
followed  with  nuich  advantage. 

II.  The  apostle  St.  James  declares:  "Behold  wo  count 
them  happy  which  endure.  Ye  have  heard  of  the  endurance 
of  Job,  and  have  seen  the  end  of  the  Lord;  that  the  Lord  is 
very  pitiful  and  of  tender  mercy."  The  brightest  pages 
in  the  stories  of  Washington  and  Lincoln  are  those  which  tell 
of  their  endurance.  The  same  is  true  of  all  other  renowned 
heroes  of  the  earth.  It  is  equally  true  of  many  uncrowned 
men,  who  lived  in  obscurity  or  fought  on  unseen  battle-fields, 
"of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy."  Of  one  maker  of 
hymns,  also  a  writer  of  sermons,  it  is  recorded:  "To  think, 
to  compose,  was  an  unfailing  delight  to  him,  the  treasuries  from 
which  he  drew  his  thoughts  seemed  inexhaustible ;  but  to  write 
was  an  agony  which  no  words  could  fully  utter.  Hardly  was  he 
seated  at  his  desk  before  he  was  assailed  by  the  rending,  suffocat- 
ing pangs  of  his  cruel  disease.  As  the  work  went  on,  the  anguish 
gi'ew,  until  the  intolerable  agony  compelled  him  to  fling  himself 
on  the  floor,  where  ho  lay,  patiently  and  steadfastly  enduring  the 


HISTORICAL  AND  HORTATORY  411 

pressure  of  his  great  pain.  ISTo  sooner  was  the  fierce  spasm  past 
than  he  rose,  seated  himself  once  more  at  his  desk,  and  resumed 
his  labor  till  seized  by  another  intolerable  spasm.  And  thus 
the  day  would  wear  on,  labor  and  anguish  alternating  many 
times ;  until  at  last,  utterly  exhausted  by  the  weary  conflict, 
he  would  lie  still  and  prostrate  on  the  ground." 

This  is  one  story;  there  are  many  others  like  it.  How 
true  is  Shelley's  utterance: 

Most  wretched  men 
Are  cradled  into  poetry  by  wrong. 
They  learn  in  suffering  what  they  teach  in  song. 

The  best  of  our  hymns  tell  of  heavenly  light  and-  strength 
afforded  to  struggling  souls.     Hence  their  power. 

III.  The  stamp  of  truest  catholicity,  the  catholicity  of  the 
heart,  is  upon  our  hymnal.  It  has  welcomed  words  of  celestial 
song  from  writers  belonging  to  the  historic  churches.  It  has 
clasped  to  its  heart  the  lays  of  Methodists,  Baptists,  Presbyte- 
rians, Congregationalists,  and  Lutherans ;  nor  in  doing  so,  has  it 
failed  to  find  a  place  for  the  "Quaker"  poet,  Bernard  Barton,  the 
"Irvingite,"  E.  W.  Eddis,  and  the  "Plymouth  Brother,"  J.  G. 
Deck.  If  a  motto  were  needed  for  "The  hymnal  revised  and 
enlarged,  as  adopted  by  the  General  Convention  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  of  America  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety -two,"  it  might 
well  be,  "Grace  be  with  all  them  that  love  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  sincerity." 

IV.  St.  Paul  declares :  "I  will  pray  with  the  Spirit,  and  I 
will  pray  with  the  understanding  also;  I  will  sing  with  the 
Spirit  and  I  will  sing  with  the  understanding  also."  So,  with 
the  Spirit  and  with  the  understanding  in  happy  unison,  let  us 
devoutly  cry: 

492    One  sole  baptismal  sign. 

One  Lord,  below,  above. 
One  faith,  one  hope  divine. 

One  only  watchword.  Love: 
From  different  temples  though  it  rise. 
One  song  ascendeth  to  the  skies. 


412  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Our  sacrifice  is  one. 

One  Priest  before  the  throne. 

The  slain,  the  risen  Son, 
Redeemer,  Lord  alone! 

And  sighs  from  contrite  hearts  that  spring. 

Our  chief,  our  choicest  offering. 

Head  of  Thy  Church  beneath. 

The  catholic,  the  true. 
On  all  her  members  breathe. 

Her  broken  frame  renew ! 
Then  shall  Thy  perfect  will  be  done. 
When  Christians  love  and  live  as  one. 


^aiut  Cecilia 


XIX. 
Biographical  Notes 


(413) 


XIX. 
BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES.* 

Adam  of  St.  Victoe^  educated  in  Paris,  afterwards  (about 
1130)  becoming  a  monk  in  the  Abbey  of  St.  Victor,  where  he 
passed  the  whole  of  his  subsequent  life.  Archbishop  Trench 
calls  him  "the  foremost  among  the  sacred  Latin  poets  of  the 
Middle  Ages." 

Allen^  Rev.  James,  born  in  Yorkshire  1734 ;  died  1804. 
Josiah  Miller  writes  of  him  as  "a  zealous  and  useful  itinerant 
preacher."  He  became  an  Inghamite,  then  a  Sandemanian, 
and  finally  built  an  independent  chapel  of  his  own,  where  he 
ministered  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

Allen,  Oswald,  bom  in  Westmoreland  1816.  Lived  for 
a  time  at  Glasgow,  afterwards  returning  to  his  early  home, 
where  he  became  a  banker.  He  died  in  1878.  His  best  known 
hymn  is  To-day  Thy  mercy  calls  us. 

Ambeose,  St.,  one  of  the  great  Fathers  of  the  Western 
Church.  Born  in  Gaul  340.  Educated  in  Rome;  afterwards 
becoming  a  distinguished  lawyer  in  Milan.  In  the  midst  of 
dangerous  strife  in  the  Church,  he  was  designated  by  the  voice 
of  a  child  as  Bishop,  immediately  baptized  and  consecrated, 
within  a  week,  when  he  was  thirty-four  years  old.  His  sub- 
sequent career  was  brilliant  and  mighty.  He  was  great  as  a 
theologian,  and  great  as  a  leader  of  men.  In  sacred  music 
he  began  the  work  which  St.  Gregory  afterwards  completed. 

Anatolius,  one  of  the  famous  Greek  hymn  writers,  who 
lived  probably  about  the  eighth  century.  His  only  hymn  in 
our  present  hymnal  is  the  one  widely  known  through  Neale's 
translation.  The  day  is  past  and  over. 

*Dr.  Bodlne's  last  months  and  weeks — almost  to  the  last  day — were  given 
to  this  book,  and  death  overtook  him  with  this  chapter  not  entirely  finished. 

(415) 


4i6  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Andrew,  St.,  of  Crete,  born  in  Damascus  in  660.  Be- 
came a  monk  in  Jerusalem;  raised  to  the  Archiepiscopate  of 
Crete  bj  the  usurper,  Philippus  Bardesanes;  was  for  a  time 
heretical,  but  returned  to  the  faith  of  the  Church.  He  died 
near  Mitylene  in  732.  Author  of  Christian!  dost  thou  see  them, 
widely  known  through  Keale's  translation. 

AuBEE,  Haeeiet,  born  in  London  1773.  A  writer  of 
devotional  poetry  and  other  verses.  She  led  a  quiet  and  se- 
cluded life,  and  was  much  beloved,  until  her  death  in  1862. 

Bakewei.l,  Rev.  John,  an  English  Wesleyan  preacher  of 
earnestness  and  distinction.  Born  1721;  died  1819.  Author  of 
Hail,  Thou  once-despised  Jesus. 

Baebauld,  Anna  L,,  nie  Aikin,  born  in  England  1743 ; 
died  1825.     The  wife  and  daughter  of  dissenting  ministers. 

Baetlett,  Rev.  Eeanklin  W.,  D.D.,  a  clergyman  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  Born  at  Towanda,  Pa.,  1843. 
Was  graduated  at  Union  College ;  afterwards  rector  of  various 
parishes,  and  a  Professor  in  Williams  College.  ISTow  living 
in  Rockport,  Mass. 

Barton,  Beenaed,  born  in  London  1784;  died  at  Wood- 
bridge  1849.  A  merchant  and  banker,  commonly  known  as  the 
"Quaker  Poet." 

Bateman,  Heney,  born  1802;  died  1872.  An  English 
timber  merchant,  who  wrote  many  hymns  for  children. 

Baynes,  Rev.  Robeet  H.,  bom  in  Wellington,  Somerset, 
1831;  died  1895.  An  Oxford  graduate,  ordained  1855;  ap- 
pointed Honorary  Canon  of  Worcester  Cathedral,  and  in  1880 
Vicar  of  Holy  Trinity,  Folkestone;  much  interested  in  sacred 
poetry. 

Beadon,  Rev.  Hyde  W.,  bom  in  1812 ;  died  in  1891.  A 
Cambridge  graduate,  ordained  in  1836;  afterwards  Vicar  of 
Latton ;  Honorary  Canon  of  Bristol,  and  Rural  Dean.  One  of 
the  editors  of  the  Parish  Hymn  Booh. 

Beddome,  Rev.  Benjamin,  D.D.,  an  eminent  Baptist 
minister.  Born  in  Warwickshire  1717 ;  died  in  Gloucestershire 
1795.  A  writer  of  many  hymns,  commended  by  such  able  men 
as  James  Montgomery  and  Robert  Hall. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  417 

Besnault^  Abbe^  a  priest  of  St.  Maurice,  Sens,  in  1726, 
and  one  of  the  contributors  to  the  Cluniac  Breviary  1686,  and 
the  Paris  Breviary  1736. 

Bethune,  Eev.  Geoege  W.,  an  eminent  minister  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church.  Bom  in  New  York  1805 ;  died  in 
Florence,  Italy,  1862.  He  won  a  reputation  for  great  elo- 
quence both  in  Philadelphia  and  Brooklyn,  and  was  much  ad- 
mired as  a  popular  lecturer.  He  was  also  esteemed  as  a  man 
of  much  godliness.  It  is  not  death  to  die  is  his  best  known 
hymn. 

Blomfield,  see  Gurney. 

Bode,  Rev.  John  E.,  born  1816 ;  died  1874.  An  Oxford 
graduate,  ordained  in  1841.  He  was  Bampton  lecturer  in 
1855. 

BoETJiwicK,  Jane,  born  at  Edinburgh  1813 ;  died  1897. 
She  is  best  known  by  her  translations  from  the  German  in 
Hymns  from  the  Land  of  Luther;  author  of  Hasten  the  time 
appointed. 

Bottome,  Rev.  F.,  D.D.,  bom  in  Derbyshire  1823.  Re- 
moved to  the  United  States  in  1850,  where  he  became  a  Metho- 
dist preacher.  His  wife  has  a  national  reputation  in  America 
as  President  of  the  King's  Daughters.  He  has  a  son  in  the  min- 
istry of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.    He  died  1894. 

BouEDiLLON,  Maet,  nSe  Cotteeill,  daughter  of  a  clergy- 
man of  the  Church  of  England.    Born  1819. 

BowEiNG,  SiE  John,  LL.D.,  bom  1792 ;  died  1872.  He 
was  editor  of  the  Westminster  Review,  Member  of  Parliament, 
and  held  several  important  government  positions.  He  knew 
many  languages,  and  was  a  voluminous  writer  and  translator; 
most  of  his  hymns  are  confined  to  Unitarian  hymn  books,  but 
several  are  very  widely  used. 

Beadley,  Rev.  Edwaed  A.,  D.D.,  a  prominent  clergy- 
man in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  ministering  to  various 
parishes  in  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Indiana,  Long  Island,  and 
!N^ew  York.  His  last  work  was  done  as  assistant  minister  of 
Trinity  Church,  ISTew  York,  in  charge  of  St.  Agnes'  Chapel.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  the  Hymnal. 

27 


4i8  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Beady^  Eev.  Nicholas,  D.D.,  born  1659  ;  died  1726.  He 
was  a  Prebendary  of  Cork,  Chaplain  to  the  King,  and  after- 
wards Incumbent  of  Stratford  on  Avon.  He  was  one  of  the 
authors  of  the  New  Version  of  the  Psalter. 

Bridges,  Matthew,  born  1800;  died  1893.  Educated  in 
the  Church  of  England,  but  afterwards  conformed  to  the  Church 
of  Bome. 

Bright,  Bev.  William,  D.D.,  bom  1824.  An  Oxford 
graduate,  ordained  in  1848.  In  1868  became  Begins  Professor 
of  Ecclesiastical  History  and  Canon  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford. 

Bkooks,  Bev.  Charles  T.,  a  Unitarian  minister.  Bom  at 
Salem,  Mass.,  1813;  died  1883  at  Newport,  B.  I.  A  Harvard 
graduate,  who  ministered  to  various  churches  in  New  England. 

Beown-Bokthwick,  Rev.  Bobert,  born  at  Aberdeen 
1840.  After  graduation  from  Oxford  in  1865,  he  was  Vicar 
of  All  Saints',  Scarborough,  where  he  died  in  1894. 

Bryant,  William  C,  born  in  Massachusetts  1794;  died 
1878.  Educated  at  Williams  College.  He  practiced  at  the 
Bar,  but  devoted  most  of  his  life  to  literary  work;  one  of  the 
great  American  poets. 

BucKOLL,  Bev.  Henry  J.,  bom  1803  ;  died  1871.  One  of 
the  masters  of  the  famous  school  at  Bugby,  where  he  was  for 
a  time  associated  with  Dr.  Thomas  Arnold;  much  interested 
in  hymnology. 

Bullock,  Rev.  William,  D.D.,  bom  1798;  died  1874. 
For  many  years  a  missionary  of  the  S.  P.  G.,  and  afterwards 
Dean  of  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia. 

Burleigh,  William  H.,  a  Unitarian,  bom  in  Connecticut 
1812 ;  died  in  Brooklyn  in  1871.  Active  in  laboring  for  much 
needed  reforms. 

Burns,  Bev.  James  D.,  born  1823 ;  died  1864.  Educated 
at  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  he  became  Free  Church  minis- 
ter of  Dunblane.  He  afterwards  took  charge  of  Presbyterian 
churches  in  London  and  at  Eunchal,  Madeira. 

Byrom,  John,  bom  at  Manchester  1691;  died  1763.  A 
Cambridge  graduate,  who  earned  his  living  by  teaching  short- 
hand before  he  succeeded  to  the  family  estates.  His  best  known 
hymn  is  Christians,  awake  !  salute  the  happy  mom. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  419 

Campbell,  Robekt,  a  Scotch  lawyer,  bom  1814;  died 
1868.  Originally  a  Presbyterian,  afterwards  attaching  himself 
to  the  Scotch  Episcopal  Church.  He  gave  much  time  to  Chris- 
tian labors  among  the  poor ;  he  finally  became  a  Roman  Catho- 
lic; best  remembered  as  a  translator  of  Latin  hymns. 

Canitz,  Fbiedeich  R.  L.,  Feeiheee  von,  born  at  Berlin, 
1654;  died  1699.  Appointed  baron  by  the  emperor,  Leopold 
I.  Dr.  Arnold  writes  of  him  as  "a  man  distinguished  alike 
by  genius  and  worldly  distinctions  and  by  Christian  holiness." 
He  was  the  author  of  Come,  my  soul,  thou  must  be  waking, 
well  known  through  Buckoll's  translation. 

Caelyle,  Rev.  Joseph  D.,  born  1758 ;  died  1804.  Pro- 
fessor of  Arabic  in  the  University  of  Cambridge,  and  after- 
wards Vicar  of  Kewcastle-on-Tyne. 

Cawood,  Rev.  John,  born  in  Derbyshire  1775 ;  was  grad- 
uated at  Oxford  in  1801;  died  1852.  He  wrote  Hark!  what 
mean  those  holy  voices. 

Cennick,  Rev.  John,  bom  1718 ;  died  1755.  He  labored 
zealously  with  the  Wesleys  and  Whitefield,  but  finally  became 
a  minister  of  the  Moravian  Church.  His  best  known  original 
hymn  is  Children  of  the  heavenly  King. 

Chandlee,  Rev.  John,  bom  in  Surrey  1806;  died  1876. 
Was  graduated  at  Oxford  in  1827  and  ordained  1831.  His 
translations  of  ancient  hynms  have  given  him  a  wide  reputation. 

Chatfield,  Rev.  Allen  W.,  born  at  Chatteris  1808.  Was 
graduated  at  Cambridge  in  1831,  taking  a  first-class  in  classical 
honors ;  ordained  in  1832  ;  a  translator  of  hymns  from  the  early 
Greek  Christian  poets. 

Chestee,  Heneietta  M.,  nee  Goff,  the  wife  of  a  man 
prominent  in  English  educational  affairs.     Married  1856. 

Choeley,  Heney  F.,  born  in  Lancashire  1808.  Educated 
in  Liverpool ;  afterwards  on  the  staff  of  the  London  Athenaeum,. 
He  died  in  1872. 

Claeke,  Rev.  Samuel  C,  bom  in  1821.  An  Oxford 
graduate.  x\fter  his  ordination  he  continued  in  faithful  labor 
in  Devon  and  in  Exeter,  until  his  death  in  1903. 

CoDNEE,  Elizabeth.  Miller  in  his  Singers  and  Songs 
of  the  Church  writes  concerning  her  that  she  "modestly  courts 


420  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 


obscurity;  but  her  hymns  and  her  little  books  entitled  'The 
Missionary  Ship/  'The  Bible  in  the  Kitchen/  etc.,  are  de- 
servedly known  and  valued." 

Coffin,  Chaeles,  bom  167G;  died  1749.  Principal  of 
the  college  at  Beauvais,  and  Rector  of  the  University  of  Paris. 
In  1727  he  published  some  of  his  hymns  in  Latin,  the  larger 
part  of  which  afterwards  appeared  in  the  Paris  Breviary. 
One  of  his  hymns  is  On  Jordan's  banks  the  Baptist's  cry. 
(Translation  by  Chandler.) 

CooiiiLL,  Anna  L.,  nee  Walkek,  bom  in  Staffordshire 
1836.  Lived  for  a  time  in  Canada,  where  she  wrote  Work  for 
the  night  is  coming.     Married  in  1884. 

Collins,  Rev.  Henry,  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of 
England,  who  entered  the  Roman  communion  in  1860. 

CoLLYEK,  Rev.  William  B.,  D.D.,  born  1782 ;  died  1854. 
An  eminent  English  Congregationalist,  who  preached  the  gospel 
with  much  zeal  and  power. 

CoNDEE,  Josiah,  bom  1789 ;  died  1855.  An  English 
Congregationalist,  eminent  as  a  publisher  and  editor. 

Cooke,  Rev.  William,  born  near  Manchester  1821.  A 
Cambridge  graduate,  ordained  in  1834.  He  afterwards  minis- 
tered in  London  and  Suffolk,  and  in  1854  was  made  an  Hono- 
rary Canon  of  Chester;  joint  editor  with  William  Denton  of 
the  Church  Hymnal. 

Cooper,  Rev.  Edwaed,  born  1770 ;  died  1833.  Was  rector 
in  Staffordshire ;  autlior  of  several  volumes  of  published  sermons. 
CopPEE,  Heney,  eminent  as  a  professor  of  English  litera- 
ture, first  President  of  Lehigh  University;  a  Churchman  of 
distinction,  serving  frequently  as  a  deputy  to  the  General  Con- 
vention of  the  Church. 

CosiN,  Rt.  Rev.  John,  D.D.,  born  1594;  died  1672.  A 
Cambridge  graduate.  He  became  Prebendary  of  Durham 
Cathedral,  and  afterwards  rose  to  distinction.  He  suffered 
much  through  the  Puritans ;  but  after  the  Restoration  he  be- 
came Dean,  and  afterwards  Bishop  of  Durham. 

CoTTERiLL,  Jane,  nee  Boak,  bom  1790 ;  died  1825. 
Mother  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  Cotterill,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  Edin- 
burgh, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  421 

CoTTERiLL,  Rev.  Thomas,  bom  1770;  died  1823.  A 
Cambridge  graduate.  He  became  Incumbent  of  Lane  End, 
Staffordshire,  and  Perpetual  Curate  of  St.  Paul's,  Sheffield. 

Cox,  Frances  E.,  bom  at  Oxford  1812;  died  1807.  A 
successful  translator  of  hymns  from  the  German,  one  of  which 
is  Jesus  lives!  thy  terrors  now. 

Crosswell,  Rev.  William,  D.D.,  bom  1804;  died  1851. 
A  Yale  graduate,  ordained  in  1820.  lie  was  afterwards  rector 
of  Protestant  Episcopal  churches  in  Auburn,  IST.  Y.,  and 
Boston,  and  published  a  volume  of  poems. 

Cummins,  John  J.,  born  in  Cork  1705 ;  died  1867.  In 
1834  he  moved  to  London  and  was  for  many  years  a  director 
of  the  Union  Bank  of  Australia.  He  was  a  diligent  student 
of  the  Bible  and  theology. 

Darby,  Rev.  John  K,  bom  1800;  died  1882.  Educated 
at  Trinity  College,  Dublin.  He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry, 
but  allied  himself  with  the  Plymouth  Brethren,  and  translated 
the  Bible  into  French  and  German. 

Dayman,  Rev.  Edward  A.,  bom  in  Cornwall  1807 ;  died 
1800.  A  graduate  and  tutor  of  Oxford.  He  afterwards  be- 
came Proctor  of  the  University,  and  Honorable  Canon  of  Bitton 
in  Sarum  Cathedral.  He  was  joint  editor,  with  Lord  ISTelson 
and  Bishop  Woodford,  of  the  Sarum  Hymnal. 

Deck,  James  G.,  born  1802 ;  died  1884.  Educated  for 
the  army;  an  officer  in  the  Indian  service.  He  afterwards 
became  a  member  of  the  sect  known  as  the  Plymouth  Brethren. 
In  1852  he  settled  in  ^STew  Zealand ;  his  best  known  hymn  is 
0  Lamh  of  God,  still  keep  me. 

Denton,  Rev.  William,  bom  1815 ;  died  1888.  An  Ox- 
ford graduate.  He  afterwards  became  Vicar  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew's, Cripplegate,  London ;  joint  editor  with  Canon  Cooke 
of  the  Church  Hymnal. 

Dexter,  Rev.  Henry  M.,  D.D.,  bora  1821 ;  died  1800. 
Educated  at  Yale  and  Andover ;  became  a  Congregational  minis- 
ter in  New  Haven  and  Boston,  and  afterwards  editor  of  the 
Congregationalist. 

Dickson,  Rev.  David,  bom  in  Glasgow  1583;  died  1663. 
A  professor  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh.  His  version  of 
0  mother  dear,  Jerusalem  is  well  known. 


422  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

DoBKEE,  Henrietta  O.  de  Lisle^  bom  1831 ;  died  1894. 
Originally  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  she  became  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

DowNTON,  Rev.  Henry,  bom  in  Shropshire  1818;  died 
1885.  A  Cambridge  graduate.  He  was  ordained  in  1843, 
and  afterwards  ministered  on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  in  Chatham 
and  Geneva. 

Deapek,  Rev.  Bourne  H.,  bom  17Y5 ;  died  1843.  A 
well-known  English  Baptist  Pastor;  author  of  Ye  Christian 
heralds,  go  proclaim. 

Dryden,  John,  bom  1631;  died  1701.  Buried  in  West- 
minster Abbey;  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  English 
poets. 

Duncan,  Mart,  nee  Lundie,  bom  in  England  1814;  died 
1840.  A  devoted  wife  and  mother,  and  a  great  help  to  her 
husband  in  his  parish  work. 

DwiGHT,  Rev.  John  S.,  son  of  the  famous  Timothy 
Dwight;  born  1813;  died  1893.  For  many  years  he  was 
editor  of  a  journal  of  music. 

Eastburn,  Rev.  James  W.,  born  in  London  1797.  He 
removed  to  ISTew  York  whilst  still  a  lad ;  a  graduate  of  Colum- 
bia College.  He  was  ordained  in  1818 ;  was  for  a  time  rector 
of  the  parish  in  Accomac,  Va. ;  his  labors  were  cut  short  by  an 
early  death.  He  was  a  brother  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Manton 
Eastburn,  Bishop  of  Massachusetts. 

Eddis,  Edward  W.,  bom  1825.  A  member  of  the  Catho- 
lic Apostolic  Church  founded  by  Edward  Irving;  the  compiler 
of  a  hymnal  for  use  by  that  body. 

Edmeston,  James,  born  in  England  1791 ;  died  1867. 
Eminent  as  an  architect,  and  widely  known  as  a  writer  of 
hymns.  He  was  first  an  Independent,  and  afterwards  a  lay- 
worker  in  the  Established  Church.  Three  of  his  hymns  have 
found  a  place  in  our  hymnal. 

Elliott,  Emily  E.  S.,  born  at  Brighton  1836 ;  died  1897. 
A  near  relative  of  Charlotte  Elliott. 

Elven,  Rev.  Cornelius,  born  1797 ;  died  1873.  Eor  half 
a  century  a  successful  and  beloved  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church 
at  Bury  St.  Edmund's,  Suffolk.  Author  of  the  hymn.  With 
hroTcen  heart  and  contrite  sigh. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  423 

Evans,  Eev.  Albert  E.  An  Oxford  graduate,  he  was 
ordained  in  1864;  after  much  service  of  various  kinds,  he  died 
in  1896.     His  best  known  hjmn  is  Lo!  the  voice  of  Jesus. 

Eawcett,  Rev.  John,  D.D.,  an  English  Baptist  minister 
of  distinction.  Born  1740 ;  died  1817.  After  seven  years  of 
faithful  service,  he  was  called  in  1772  from  Wainsgate  to  a 
church  in  London.  He  accepted  the  call,  made  everything 
ready,  preached  his  farewell  sermon,  and  was  about  to  start 
to  his  new  home,  when  the  manifested  attachment  and  tears 
of  his  people  turned  his  course.  It  is  said  that  his  well-known 
hymn.  Blest  he  the  tie  that  binds,  was  written  at  that  time. 
His  degree  of  D.D.  came  to  him  from  Brown  University,  Prov- 
idence, R.  I. 

FiNDLATER,  Sakah,  uSe  BoRTHWiCK,  a  sistcr  of  Jane 
Borthwick;  bom  1823.  Associated  with  Miss  Borthwick  in  the 
translation  of  hymns  from  the  German. 

FoRTUNATUs,  Venantius  H.  C,  born  in  Italy  about  530 ; 
died  609.  He  labored  chiefly  in  Gaul;  became  Bishop  of 
Poitiers ;  a  hymn  writer  of  distinction. 

Francis,  Rev.  Benjamin,  born  in  Wales  1734 ;  died  1799 
at  Sodbury,  where  he  had  ministered  to  a  Baptist  congregation 
for  forty-two  years. 

Gellert,  Christian  F.,  born  1715 ;  died  1769.  Edu- 
cated at  Leipsic. 

Gibbons,  Rev.  Thomas,  D.D.,  an  English  Congregational 
minister.  Born  1720 ;  died  1785.  The  friend  and  biographer 
of  Isaac  Watts. 

GiLMORE,  Rev.  Joseph  H.,  a  Baptist  minister ;  professor 
in  the  University  of  Rochester.  Bom  in  Boston  1834.  His 
familiar  hymn.  He  leadeth  me,  was  written  immediately  at  the 
close  of  a  lecture  in  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Philadelphia. 

GiSBORNE,  Rev.  Thomas,  a  Cambridge  graduate,  who  be- 
came a  Prebendary  of  Durham.     Born  1760. 

Gregory,  Rev.  John  G.,  born  1827.  Educated  at  Cam- 
bridge; became  rector  of  a  church  on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and 
held  incumbencies  at  Birmingham,  Chelsea,  and  Brighton. 

Grigg,  Rev.  Joseph,  an  English  Presbyterian  minister. 
Bom  1728 ;  died  1768.     His  early  life  was  spent  in  poverty. 


424  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

At  the  age  of  twentj-five  he  was  able  to  give  up  mechanical 
labors  and  give  himself  entirely  to  religious  pursuits.  His 
hymn  writing  began  whilst  he  was  still  a  boy;  the  author  of 
Jesus,  and  shall  it  ever  be. 

Geiswold,  Rt.  Rev.  Alexander  V.,  D.D.,  born  in  Con- 
necticut in  1776 ;  died  1843.  After  a  rectorship  at  Bristol, 
R.  I.,  he  was  in  1811  consecrated  Bishop  of  the  Eastern  Diocese, 
which  then  embraced  all  of  New  England  excepting  Connecti- 
cut. He  was  pre-eminent  for  wisdom  and  sanctity;  one  of  the 
lights  of  the  American  Church ;  author  of  the  well-known  hymn, 
Holy  Father,  great  Creator. 

GuKNEY,  Rev.  Aeciieb  T.,  born  in  1820 ;  died  1887.  He 
was  for  a  time  a  lawyer,  but  was  ordained  in  1849 ;  well  known 
as  Chaplain  of  the  Court  Church,  Paris. 

GuENEY^  DoEOTHY  F,,  uSe  Blomfield,  bom  at  Finsbury 
Circus  1858.  A  granddaughter  of  the  late  Bishop  Blomfield 
of  London.  Her  hymn  for  Holy  Matrimony,  0  perfect  Love, 
all  human  thought  transcending,  was  written  for  her  sister's 
marriage  in  1883. 

GuENEY,  Rev.  John  H.,  born  1802 ;  died  1862.  A  Cam- 
bridge graduate,  who  afterwards  became  Rector  of  St.  Mary's, 
Marylebone,  and  Prebendary  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral. 

Hamilton^  Rev.  James^  D.D.,  bom  1814;  died  1896. 
He  was  educated  in  Scotland ;  a  Presbyterian  minister,  first 
in  Edinburgh,  and  afterwards  in  London;  a  popular  writer, 
and  a  preacher  of  much  distinction. 

Hamilton^  Rev.  James^  bom  1819.  A  Cambridge  grad- 
uate, ordained  in  1845 ;  afterwards  became  Incumbent  of  St. 
Barnabas',  Bristol,  and  Vicar  of  Doulting. 

Hammond^  Rev.  William^  born  1719 ;  died  1783.  Edu- 
cated at  Cambridge.  He  afterwards  joined,  first,  the  Calvin- 
istic  Methodists ;  and,  in  1745,  the  Moravian  Brethren. 

Haebaugh,  Rev.  Heney^  D.D.,  bom  in  Pennsylvania 
in  1817 ;  died  1867.  Living  as  a  boy  on  a  farm,  he  worked  his 
way  through  the  college  at  Mercersburg;  afterwards  entering 
the  ministry  of  the  German  Reformed  Church,  and  becoming 
professor  of  theology.  He  is  best  known  by  his  books  upon 
the  Heavenly  Home. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  425 

Hakland,  Rev.  Edward,  born  1810;  died  1890.  An 
Oxford  graduate,  who  afterwards  became  Vicar  of  Colwich  and 
Prebendary  in  Lichfield  Cathedral;  author  of  the  Church 
Psalter  Hymnal. 

Haet,  Rev.  Joseph,  bom  1712;  died  1768.  A  Noncon- 
formist minister  of  much  earnestness. 

Hastings,  Thomas,  Mus.  Doc,  born  1784;  died  1872. 
Meeting  obstacles  on  the  frontier  in  early  life,  he  developed 
much  character;  he  afterwards  conducted  a  religious  journal. 
In  1832  he  went  to  New  York,  where  for  nearly  forty  years 
he  was  a  great  musical  leader ;  his  life  was  one  of  activity  and 
much  usefulness. 

ELa-vergal,  Rev.  William  H.,  bom  1793 ;  died  1870.  An 
Oxford  graduate,  who  in  1845  became  Honorary  Canon  in  Wor- 
cester Cathedral.  He  was  much  interested  in  music,  and  help- 
ful in  many  ways  to  his  distinguished  daughter,  Frances  Ridley 
Havergal. 

Haweis,  Rev.  Thomas,  born  1732 ;  died  1820.  A  Cam- 
bridge graduate.  He  first  practiced  medicine,  but  later  took 
Holy  Orders.  Author  of  0  Thou  from  whom,  all  goodness 
flows. 

Hawkins,  Rev.  Ernest,  born  1802 ;  died  1868.  Edu- 
cated at  Oxford.  He  entered  the  ministry,  and  afterwards 
became  Prebendary  of  St.  Paul's,  and  Canon  of  Westminster. 
He  was  much  interested  in  the  work  of  missions. 

Hawks,  Annie  S.,  an  American  Baptist,  bom  1835 ;  died 
1872.  In  this  latter  year  her  touching  hymn,  I  need  Thee 
every  hour,  was  written. 

Heath,  Rev.  George,  an  English  Presbyterian  minister. 
He  published  a  volume  of  hymns  from  which  the  stirring  words. 
My  soul  he  on  thy  guard,  are  taken.     Died  in  1822. 

Hensley,  Rev.  Lewis,  born  1824;  died  1905.  An  hon- 
ored graduate  of  Cambridge.  He  was  ordained  in  1851,  and 
afterwards  served  in  the  ministry  with  zeal  and  success.  His 
stirring  Advent  hymn.  Thy  hingdom,  come,  0  Lord,  is  from  a 
volume  of  his  published  poems. 

Hernaman,  Claudia  F.,  nee  Ibotson,  born  1833.  Mar- 
ried to  an  English  clergyman  prominent  as  Inspector  of  Schools. 


426  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Hodges^  Rev.  Geoege  S.,  bom  1827  ;  died  1899.  A  Cam- 
bridge graduate,  afterwards  Vicar  of  Stubbings ;  best  known  by 
his  hymn,  Hosanna  we  sing  like  the  children  dear. 

Holme,  Rev.  James,  born  1801 ;  died  1882.  A  Cam- 
bridge graduate,  afterwards  ordained  to  the  sacred  ministry. 

Holmes,  Oliver  W.,  LL.D.,  the  son  of  a  Unitarian  min- 
ister. Born  1809  ;  died  1894.  A  Harvard  graduate,  who  after 
practicing  medicine  in  Boston  became  a  Professor  of  Anatomy 
at  Harvard  University;  widely  known  as  a  writer  charming 
and  distinguished.  The  degree  of  D.C.L.  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  the  University  of  Oxford. 

Hopkins,  Rev.  John  H.,  born  1820;  died  1891.  A  son 
of  the  first  Bishop  of  Vermont,  he  was  a  man  of  earnest  char- 
acter and  much  distinction ;  best  known  as  editor  of  the  Church 
Journal  for  many  years,  which  under  his  care  became  a  great 
power  in  the  Church.  He  afterwards  became  Rector  of  Christ 
Church,  Williamsport,  Pa. 

HuRN,  Rev.  William,  bom  1754;  died  1829.  He  re- 
signed an  army  commission  to  enter  the  ministry  of  the  Church 
of  England,  in  which  Church  he  became  Vicar  of  Debenhamm 
Suffolk ;  leaving  that  Church  he  became  pastor  of  a  Congrega- 
tional chapel,  where  he  served  until  his  death. 

Ingemann,  Bernhardt  S.,  bom  1789 ;  died  1862.  A 
poet  of  eminence,  and  professor  of  the  Danish  language  and 
literature  in  Zealand,  Denmark.  His  hymn.  Through  the  night 
of  darh  and  sorrow,  is  widely  known  through  Sabine  Baring- 
Gould's  translation. 

Irons,  Rev.  William  J.,  D.D.,  an  Oxford  graduate,  or- 
dained in  1835  ;  one  of  the  parishes  afterwards  held  by  him  was 
formerly  held  by  his  father's  friend,  John  ISTewton.  Bom  1812  ; 
died  1883.  Was  Bampton  lecturer  in  1870,  and  Prebendary 
of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral ;  his  rank  as  a  hymn  writer  is  very  high. 

John  of  Damascus,  St.,  one  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Greek 
Church,  and  one  of  the  greatest  of  her  poets ;  he  labored  in  the 
eighth  century.  Having  retired  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Sabas, 
near  Jerusalem,  he  lived  there  until  extreme  old  age, 

Johnson,  Rev.  Samuel,  born  1822 ;  died  1882.  A  grad- 
uate of  Harvard  in  arts  and  theology.  He  was  for  a  dozen 
years  pastor  of  a  free  church  in  Lynn,  Mass. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  427 

Joseph^  St.,  The  Hymnogeapher,  a  native  of  Sicily,  who 
in  early  life  lived  as  a  slave  in  Crete,  having  been  captured  by 
pirates.  Being  freed,  he  established  a  monastery  in  Constan- 
tinople; the  most  voluminous  of  the  Greek  hymn  writers. 

Keen, ,  a  man  who  has  been  kept  from  obscurity 

only  by  his  name;  probably  author  of  the  well-kno^vn  hymn, 
How  firm  a  foundation. 

King,  Eev.  John,  known  as  the  author  of  the  hymn. 
When  His  salvation  bringing;  a  Cambridge  graduate;  Incum- 
bent of  Christ  Church,  Hull.     Born  in  1789 ;  died  1858. 

Laukenti,  Laurentius,  in  1864  he  was  cantor  and  direc- 
tor of  the  music  at  the  Cathedral  Church  at  Bremen;  his  best 
known  hymn  begins :  Rejoice,  rejoice,  believers. 

Leeson,  Jane  E.,  bom  1807 ;  died  1882.  A  gifted  Eng- 
lish authoress,  whose  best  known  hymn  begins:  Loving  Shep- 
herd of  Thy  sheep. 

Leland,  Rev.  John,  an  American  Baptist  minister.  Born 
1754;  died  1841.  Rev.  F.  M.  Bird  writes  of  him:  "His  influ- 
ence seems  to  have  been  equaled  by  his  peculiarities.  We 
hear  of  his  'restless  activity  and  roving  disposition:'  his 
'mad  devotion  to  politics,'  wherein  he  had  much  local  and  tem- 
porary weight ;  his  'ready  wit  and  endless  eccentricities ;'  as  also 
of  his  high  character."  His  best  known  hymn  is  The  day  is 
past  and  gone. 

Littledale,  Rev.  Richard  E.,  an  English  clergyman  of 
a  somewhat  advanced  type ;  a  thinker  and  writer  of  great  vigor. 
He  was  bom  in  Dublin  1833;  died  1890.  His  university 
course  in  Dublin  was  distinguished.  Dr.  Littledale's  publi- 
cations amount  to  more  than  fifty,  embracing  chiefly  subjects 
theological,  historical,  liturgical,  and  hymnological. 

Lloyd,  William  E.,  bom  in  1791 ;  died  1853.  Con- 
nected actively  with  Sunday-school  work  in  England  for  many 
years,  and  the  author  of  many  useful  publications, 

LowENSTERN,  Matthaus  A.,  bom  in  Silesia  1594;  died 
1648.  He  rose  to  much  distinction  in  secular  affairs;  his  best 
known  hymn.  Lord  of  our  life  and  God  of  our  salvation,  was 
translated  into  English  by  Philip  Pusey,  brother  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Edward  B.  Pusey. 


428  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Luke,  Jemima,  nee  Thompson,  born  1813  at  Islington; 
died  1906.  She  was  much  interested  in  religious  work.  It  is 
said  that  her  famous  hymn,  I  think  when  I  read  that  sweet 
story  of  old,  was  written  in  a  stage-coach  in  1841. 

MACEA.T,  Makgaeet,  bom  in  Scotland  in  1802.  Married 
to  a  distinguished  officer  of  the  English  army;  best  known  by 
her  hymn,  Asleep  in  Jesus,  blessed  sleep. 

Mackellae,  Thomas,  bom  1812 ;  died  1899.  A  member 
of  a  great  type  foundry  firm  of  Philadelphia,  and  an  elder 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  diligent  in  business, 
and  at  the  same  time  much  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

Madan,  Eev.  Maetin,  born  in  1726;  died  1790.  He 
began  life  as  a  lawyer,  but  was  profoundly  affected  by  a  sermon 
by  John  Wesley,  which  turned  his  course.  His  hymnological 
labors  were  employed  in  altering  and  expanding  the  work  of 
others,  in  which  he  was  most  successful. 

Maean,  Rev.  Henei  A.  C,  bom  at  Greneva  1787;  died 
1864.  Much  impressed  by  the  religious  teaching  of  the  eminent 
Scotchman,  Robert  Haldane,  and  afterwards  becoming  a  great 
Swiss  Evangelical  leader ;  earnest  and  godly.  His  hymns  were 
set  to  his  own  melodies. 

Mant,  Rt.  Rev.  Richard,  D.D.,  born  in  Southampton 
1776.  Educated  at  Winchester  and  Oxford,  he  rose  to  distinc- 
tion in  the  Church,  finally  becoming  Bishop  of  Dromore.  He 
was  also  Bampton  lecturer,  his  published  works  are  many.  In 
hymnology  he  is  best  known  by  his  translations  from  the 
Latin. 

Maeeiott,  Rev.  John,  born  1780;  died  1825.  His  reli- 
gious work  was  done  in  Warwickshire  and  Exeter;  educated 
at  Rugby  and  Oxford.  His  hymn.  Thou  whose  almighty  word, 
was  written  for  missions. 

Maetin,  Rev.  Heney  A,,  bom  1831.  Educated  at  Eton 
and  Oxford.  His  best  known  hymn  begins ;  Sound  aloud  Jeho- 
vah's praises. 

Mason,  Rev.  John,  a  man  eminent  for  religious  earnest- 
ness and  consecration.  Richard  Baxter  calls  him  "the  glory 
of  the  Church  of  England,"  and  says  concerning  him;  "The 
frame  of  his  spirit  was  so  heavenly,  his  deportment  so  humble 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  429 

and  obliging,  his  discourse  of  spiritual  things  so  weighty,  with 
such  apt  words  and  delightful  air,  that  it  charmed  all  that 
had  any  spiritual  relish."     He  died  in  1694. 

Maude^  Mary  F.,  nee  Hooper,  born  1819.  Her  husband 
was  an  English  clergyman,  so  that  she  naturally  was  much 
interested  in  religious  ser\dce.  Her  best  known  hymn,  Thine 
forever  J  God  of  love,  was  written  for  her  class  in  a  Sunday- 
school  on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  has  found  great  favor  as  a 
Confirmation  hymn. 

Maxwell,  Mary  H.,  bom  1814;  died  1853.  An  Ameri- 
can hymn  writer,  whose  hymns  were  first  published  in  New 
York  1849.  The  best  known  of  her  hymns  begins:  Saints  of 
God,  the  dawn  is  brightening.  It  is  a  patriotic  hymn  realizing 
the  situation; — Broad  the  shadow  of  our  nation.  Eager  millions 
hither  roam. 

MiDLANE,  Albert,  bom  on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  in  1825,  and 
continuing  there  as  a  business  man  for  the  remainder  of  his  life ; 
much  interested  in  Sunday-school  work,  and  the  author  of 
many  hymns. 

MiLMAN,  Eev.  Henry  H.,  bom  1791 ;  died  1868.  Grad- 
uated at  Oxford  with  high  honor.  He  was  a  writer  of  note, 
and  successively  Professor  of  Poetry  at  Oxford,  Canon  of  West- 
minster, and  Dean  of  St.  Paul's. 

Mitchell,  Elizabeth  H.,  nee  Rolls,  an  English  woman, 
bom  1833.  Her  hymn,  King  of  glory.  Saviour  dear,  is  a  hymn 
for  children. 

MoNOD,  Eev.  Theodore,  bom  in  Paris  1836.  Educated 
for  the  ministry  in  the  Western  Theological  Seminary,  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa, ;  for  many  years  a  pastor  in  Paris.  His  hymn, 
Oh,  the  hitter  shame  and  sorrow,  is  most  touching. 

Monroe,  Rev.  Edward,  bom  1815 ;  died  1866.  He  was 
educated  at  Oxford,  and  ordained  in  1837  ;  his  best  known  hymn 
is  the  Story  of  the  Cross  (hymn  106). 

Moore,  Thomas,  born  in  Dublin  1779 ;  died  1852.  Edu- 
cated at  Trinity  College,  Dublin;  read  at  the  Middle  Temple 
for  the  Bar,  and  held  a  post  in  the  English  government  for  a 
brief  period.  He  was  one  of  the  best  known  poets;  the  title 
given  to  his  hymn.  Come,  ye  disconsolate,  is  Belief  in  Prayer. 


430  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

MoTE^  Kev.  Edwakd^  born  1797  ;  died  1874.  An  English 
Baptist  minister,  best  known  by  his  hymn,  My  hope  is  huilt  on 
nothing  less,  the  chorus  of  which  came  into  his  mind  whilst  he 
was  one  day  walking  the  streets  of  London.  That  chorus  is  the 
stirring  one :  On  Christ  the  solid  Bock  I  stand.  All  other  ground 
is  sinking  sand.  Bishop  Bickersteth  calls  this  a  grand  hymn  of 
faith ;  Josiah  Miller  puts  it  in  the  class  with  Miss  Elliott's  Just 
as  I  am. 

MouLTEiE,  Rev.  Geeaed,  born  in  Rugby  rectory  in 
1829 ;  died  in  1885.  An  Oxford  graduate,  he  afterwards 
became  Vicar  of  Southleigh  and  "Warden  of  St.  James  College. 
His  hymns  include  translations  from  the  Greek,  Latin,  and  Ger- 
man; his  best  known  hymn  is  the  familiar  processional  hymn, 
We  march,  we  march  to  victory. 

Neele^  Henky^  born  1798  ;  died  1828.  A  London  lawyer. 
Under  the  pressure  of  work  his  mind  gave  way,  and  he  died 
sadly  by  his  own  hand. 

ISTelson,  Hoeatio^  3d  Earl  ISTelson,  bom  1823.  Educated 
at  Eton  and  Cambridge.  He  assisted  in  the  publication  of  the 
Sarum  Hymnal. 

JSTicoLAi^  Rev.  Philipp^  D.D.,  a  popular  and  influential 
Lutheran  preacher,  bom  1556.  Educated  at  Erfurt  and  Wit- 
tenberg; died  1608,  in  Hamburg,  while  pastor  of  St.  Kathe- 
rine's  Church. 

IN'oEL^  Caeoline  M.,  bom  in  London  1817 ;  died  1877. 
She  was  a  great  sufferer,  and  many  of  her  verses  were  the  out- 
come of  days  of  pain ;  best  known  by  her  hymn.  At  the  name  of 
Jesus. 

ISToTKEE;,  St.,  born  in  Switzerland  about  840;  died  912. 
Educated  at  the  Benedictine  Abbey  of  St.  Gall,  where  he  became 
one  of  the  foremost  brethren.  He  was  an  accomplished  musi- 
cian, and  the  first  important  writer  of  sequences. 

Oakly,  Rev.  Eeedeeick,  D.D.,  bom  1802;  died  1880. 
Educated  at  Oxford.  He  became  Prebendary  of  Lichfield 
Cathedral  and  minister  at  Margaret  Chapel,  London.  After- 
wards he  entered  the  Roman  Catholic  Church;  widely  known 
through  his  translation  of  the  Adeste  fideles. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  431 

Oliveks,  Thomas,  born  in  England  1725 ;  died  1799. 
His  early  life  was  spent  in  wretchedness  and  poverty ;  he  worked 
as  a  shoemaker,  and  his  youth  was  one  of  ungodliness,  but  was 
changed  through  a  sermon  preached  by  Whitefield.  He  after- 
wards became  an  evangelist,  working  with  John  Wesley ;  widely 
known  as  the  author  of  The  God  of  Abraham  praise. 

Ondeedonk,  Heney  W.,  D.D.,  born  1789;  died  1858. 
Educated  at  Columbia  College.  He  afterwards  became  Bishop 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  member  of  the  committee  that 
compiled  the  American  Prayer  Book  Collection,  to  which  he 
also  contributed. 

OsLEE,  Edwaed,  bom  in  England  1798.  A  surgeon,  who 
afterwards  became  a  writer  and  editor;  assisted  in  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Mitre  Hymn  Book. 

Paee,  Haeeiet,  born  in  England  1828 ;  died  1900. 

Phillimoee,  Rev.  Geeviele,  born  1821 ;  died  1884.  He 
was  an  Oxford  graduate,  ordained  in  1843 ;  worked  in  Glouces- 
tershire, Henley-on-Thames,  and  Ewelme;  and  was  one  of  the 
editors  of  the  Parish  Hymn  Book. 

Pollock,  Rev.  Thomas  B.,  bom  1836 ;  died  1896.  Grad- 
uated with  honor  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin.  He  was  ordained 
in  1861,  and  ministered  in  London,  Leek,  and  Birmingham;  a 
most  successful  writer  of  metrical  Litanies,  three  of  which  have 
found  a  place  in  our  hymnal. 

Pott,  Rev.  Eeancis,  born  1832.  Educated  at  Oxford, 
and  ordained  1856.  His  best  known  original  hymn  is.  Angel 
voices  ever  singing;  his  translations  have  been  very  successful. 

PoTTEE,  Rev.  Thomas  J.,  born  1828;  died  1873.  In 
1847  he  joined  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  afterwards 
took  Holy  Orders.  He  was  a  writer,  and  for  many  years  a  pro- 
fessor in  the  Foreign  Missionary  College  of  All  Hallows,  Dublin. 

Powell,  Rev.  Thomas  E.,  born  1823.  An  Oxford  grad- 
uate, ordained  in  1846 ;  afterwards  Vicar  of  Bisham. 

Peentiss,  Elizabeth,  nee  Payson,  born  in  Portland,  Me., 
1818;  died  1878.  A  well-known  writer,  married  to  the  Rev. 
George  L.  Prentiss. 

Peudentitjs,  Aueelius  C,  a  prominent  and  prolific  writer 
of  sacred  Latin  poetry,  born  in  Spain  348.    A  lawyer  and  judge. 


432  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Realizing  his  worldliness  and  follj,  lie  retired  into  poverty  and 
private  life.  Died  probably  413.  Author  of  Earth  has  many  a 
noble  city,  which  is  made  familiar  by  Caswall's  translation. 

Peynne,  Eev.  George  E.,  born  1818;  died  1903.  Edu- 
cated at  Cambridge,  and  ordained  in  1841,  he  became  Vicar 
of  St.  Peter's,  Plymouth;  author  of  the  popular  hymn,  Jesu, 
meeh  and  gentle. 

PusEY,  Philip,  born  1799 ;  died  1855.  Brother  of  the 
famous  Dr.  Pusey. 

Eawson,  Geokge,  an  English  lawyer,  born  1807 ;  died 
1889.  A  Congregationalist,  who  wrote  many  excellent  hymns. 
He  assisted  in  the  compilation  of  the  Leeds  Hymn  Book. 

Reed,  Rev.  Andrew,  D.D.,  a  Congregational  minister, 
born  in  London  1787;  died  1862.  His  degree  was  conferred 
by  Yale.  He  was  the  founder  of  several  orphan  asylums,  and 
the  author  of  Spirit  Divine,  attend  our  prayer. 

Robinson,  Rev.  George  W.,  born  in  Cork  1833 ;  died 
1877.  A  Congregational  minister  who  worked  in  Dublin  and 
in  Brighton;  educated  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  and  in  New 
College,  London. 

Robinson,  Rev.  Richard  H.,  bom  1842.  Educated  at 
Kings  College,  London.  He  was  ordained  1866,  and  held  vari- 
ous charges;  in  1884  became  Incumbent  at  Blackheath;  the 
author  of  Holy  Father,  cheer  our  way. 

Robinson,  Rev.  Robert,  born  of  lowly  parentage  in  1735  ; 
died  1790.  Poverty  preventing  his  studying  for  the  ministry, 
he  was  apprenticed  to  a  barber,  but  gave  much  time  to  reading ; 
was  influenced  by  Whitefield  and  Wesley.  He  finally  entered 
the  ministry,  serving  among  the  Methodists,  then  among  Inde- 
pendents, and  afterwards  among  Baptists ;  a  prolific  writer  on 
theological  subjects. 

RoDiGAST,  Rev.  Samuel,  born  in  Germany  1649.  A  grad- 
uate of  the  University  of  Jena,  and  afterwards  on  the  faculty. 
He  became  Rector  of  the  Greyfriars  Gymnasium,  Berlin,  where 
he  died  1708. 

RoRisoN,  Rev.  Gilbert,  LL.D.,  born  1821 ;  died  1869. 
Educated  at  the  Glasgow  University.  He  was  first  a  Presby- 
terian, but  afterwards  joined  the  Scottish  Episcopal  Church, 
and  was  ordained  in  1843. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  433 

EussELL,  Kev.  Arthue  T.,  bom  1806;  died  1874.  Edu- 
cated at  Cambridge,  and  ordained  1829.  He  was  considered  an 
able  writer  on  religious  subjects,  and  also  left  many  good  hynms. 

Eyland,  Eev.  John,  D.D.,  born  1753 ;  died  1825.  The 
son  of  a  Baptist  minister,  with  whom  he  became  co-pastor  at 
Northampton  in  1781.  He  was  afterwards  President  of  the 
Baptist  College  in  Bristol,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Baptist  Missionary  Society. 

Santeijil,  Claude  de,  bom  in  Paris  1628 ;  died  1684. 
A  good  writer  of  Latin  hymns  and  a  contributor  to  the  Paris 
Breviary  and  the  Cluniac  Breviary. 

Santeijil,  Jean  Baptiste  de,  bom  1630;  died  1697.  A 
Canon  of  St.  Victor,  Paris.  He  was  the  younger  brother  of 
Claude,  and  also  contributed  to  the  Paris  Breviary  and  the 
Cluniac  Breviary. 

ScHAFF,  Eev.  Philip,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  bom  in  Switzerland 
1819;  died  1893.  Studied  at  the  Universities  of  Tiibingen, 
Halle,  and  Berlin;  afterwards  professor  in  the  German  Ee- 
formed  Seminary  at  Mercersburg,  Pa.,  and  in  Union  Seminary, 
E'ew  York.  He  wrote  or  edited  various  standard  histories  and 
encyclopedias,  and  had  an  extensive  knowledge  of  hymnology. 

Schence:,  Eev.  Heineich  T.,  bom  1656;  died  1727. 
Educated  at  the  Psedagogium  at  Giessen,  and  at  the  University. 
He  was  afterwards  a  Master  at  the  former  institution,  and 
then  ordained  Town  preacher. 

ScHMOLCK,  Eev.  Benjamin,  born  1672 ;  died  1737. 
After  completing  his  studies  at  Leipsic,  he  returned  to  help  his 
father,  a  Lutheran  pastor  in  Silesia,  and  in  1701  was  ordained 
as  his  assistant.  He  was  a  popular  and  useful  preacher,  and 
his  devotional  books  and  hymns  carried  his  fame  all  over 
Germany. 

Scott,  Eev.  Thomas,  born  1705;  died  1775.  After  a 
short  ministry  at  Lowestoft,  he  removed  in  1734  to  Ipswich 
as  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  meeting  in  Nicholas  Street  Chapel ; 
author  of  the  hymn.  Angels,  roll  the  rock  away. 

Seageave,  Eev.  Egbert,  born  1693.  Educated  at  Cam- 
bridge, Having  been  ordained  he  entered  earnestly  into  the 
movement  carried  on  by  the  Wesleys  and  Whitefield,  and  issued 


434  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

numerous  pamphlets ;  also  preached  at  Whitefield's  Tabernacle. 
His  best  known  hymn  is  Rise,  my  soul,  and  stretch  thy  wings. 

Seahs,  Rev.  Edmund  H.,  D.D.,  bom  in  Massachusetts 
1810;  died  1876.  Educated  at  Union  College  and  Cambridge 
Theological  School;  nominally  a  Unitarian,  but  in  theology  a 
Swedenborgian. 

Shipton,  Anna,  born  1815  ;  died  1901. 

Shikley,  Hon.  Waltee,  born  1725 ;  died  1786.  A  friend 
of  Whitefield  and  the  Wesleys,  and  Chaplain  to  the  Countess  of 
Huntingdon. 

Shrubsole,  William,  bom  1759 ;  died  1829.  In  early 
life  a  shipwright  in  the  dockyard  in  Kent.  He  was  afterwards 
a  clerk  in  the  Bank  of  England  and  secretary  to  the  Committee 
of  the  Treasury;  a  director  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 

Smith,  Cakoline  L.,  nee  Sprague,  born  in  Salem,  Mass., 
1827 ;  died  1886.  Married  to  the  Rev.  Charles  Smith,  a  Con- 
gregational minister.  She  is  best  known  by  her  hymn.  Tarry 
with  me,  0  Tmj  Saviour. 

Smith,  Rev.  Joseph  D.,  born  1816.  A  Congregational 
minister  in  Dublin.  He  also  did  evangelistic  work  in  England 
and  Ireland ;  published  a  number  of  tracts  and  gospel  hymns. 

Smith,  Rev.  Samuel  E.,  bom  in  Boston  1808  ;  died  1895. 
A  Harvard  graduate;  editor  of  the  Baptist  MissioTiary  Maga- 
zine, and  a  contributor  to  the  Encyclopcedia  Americana.  He 
wrote  many  hymns,  and  aided  in  the  preparation  of  the  Baptist 
collection,  the  Psalmist. 

Smith,  Rev.  Wharton  B.,  bom  1848.  Educated  at 
Kings  College,  London,  and  Trinity  College,  Dublin;  ordained 
1871,  and  afterwards  Chaplain  to  the  Bishop  of  Grahamston. 

Smyttan,  Rev.  George  H.,  born  in  England  about  1822 ; 
died  1870.  Educated  at  Cambridge,  and  ordained  1848 ;  best 
known  by  his  hymn,  Forty  days  and  forty  nights. 

Stammers,  Joseph,  bom  1801;  died  1885.  A  London 
lawyer;  best  remembered  by  his  hymn.  Breast  the  wave.  Chris- 
tian. 

Stowell,  Rev.  Hugh,  born  in  the  Isle  of  Man  1799  ;  died 
1865.  An  Oxford  graduate,  ordained  1823.  He  became  Hono- 
rary Canon  in  Chester  Cathedral,  and  afterwards  Chaplain  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  435 

the  Bishop  of  Manchester  and  Rural  Dean  of  Eccles ;  a  popular 
and  effective  preacher,  whose  best  known  hymn  is,  From  every 
stormy  wind  that  blows. 

Synesius,  a  Greek  writer,  born  about  375  in  Cyrene ;  died 
430.  Of  illustrious  descent.  He  was  distinguished  for  his 
eloquence  and  philosophy,  and  in  410  was  made  Bishop  of 
Ptolemais. 

Tate,  Kahum,  born  in  Dublin  1652 ;  died  1715.  One  of 
the  authors  of  the  New  Version  of  the  Psalter.  He  moved  to 
London,  and  there  became  Poet-laureate  in  1692. 

Tayloe,  Rev.  Thomas  R.,  born  1807 ;  died  1835.  Edu- 
cated in  Bradford  and  Manchester;  became  a  Congregational 
minister  in  Sheffield,  and  was  the  author  of  the  popular  hymn, 
I'm  hut  a  stranger  here. 

Theodulf  of  Oeleans,  probably  bom  in  Italy;  brought 
to  France  by  Charles  the  Great  about  781 ;  became  Bishop  of 
Orleans,  and  afterwards  Abbot  of  Fleury.  In  the  reign  of  the 
Emperor  Louis  he  was  suspected  of  connection  with  a  political 
plot,  and  imprisoned  at  Angers,  where  he  died  about  821.  His 
most  famous  hymn  is.  All  glory,  laud  and  honor,  widely  known 
through  ISTeale's  translation. 

Thomas  of  Aquino,  a  learned  and  saintly  Dominican 
monk  who  lived  in  the  thirteenth  century;  a  voluminous  writer 
of  great  ability.  His  best  known  hymn  is,  0  Saving  Victim, 
opening  wide,  made  familiar  by  Caswall's  translation. 

Thomas  of  Celano,  driven  from  Celano  in  1223  by 
Frederick  II,  he  became  a  monk  at  Assisi  in  the  lifetime  of 
St.  Francis,  whose  biographer  he  was;  died  about  1255.  He 
was  probably  the  author  of  the  Dies  irae. 

Thrupp,  Dorothy  A.,  born  in  London  1779 ;  died  1847. 

Thrupp,  Rev.  Joseph  F.,  bom  in  1827;  died  in  1867. 
Educated  at  Winchester  and  Cambridge,  where  he  took  many 
honors.  He  was  ordained  1852,  became  Vicar  of  Barrington, 
Cambridge,  and  was  select  preacher  before  the  University  in 
1865 ;  was  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Theological  Studies. 
He  contributed  to  Smith's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible  and  to  the 
Speaker's  Commentary. 

ToKE,  Emma,  nee  Leslie,   daughter  of  the  Bishop  of 


436  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

Kilmore,  born  at  Belfast  1812;  died  1878.  Married  to  the 
Rev.  Nicholas  Toke ;  authoress  of  Thou  art  gone  up  on  high. 

TouENEUx^  Rev.  Nicholas  le,  bom  of  poor  parents  at 
Rouen  1640;  died  1686.  Educated  at  the  Jesuits'  College  in 
Paris.  He  was  admitted  to  priests'  orders  by  special  dispensa- 
tion, though  under  canonical  age,  and  later  became  Prior  of 
Villiers  sur  Fere ;  wrote  for  the  Paris  Breviary  and  the  Cluniac 
Breviary. 

TuKTON",  W.  H.,  a  lieutenant  in  the  Royal  Engineers ;  pub- 
lished several  volumes  of  hymns  1880-1883. 

TuTTiETT,  Rev.  Lawrence^  born  1825  ;  died  1897.  Edu- 
cated at  Christ's  Hospital  and  Kings  College,  London;  having 
abandoned  the  medical  profession,  he  was  ordained  in  1868. 
He  was  vicar  in  Warwickshire,  Incumbent  of  St.  Andrew's, 
Scotland,  and  Prebendary  in  St.  Ninian's  Cathedral,  Perth; 
author  of  Go  forward.  Christian  soldier. 

Walkek^  see  Coghill. 

Walwoeth,  Rev.  Clare]S"Ce  A.,  born  1820 ;  died  1900. 
A  graduate  of  Union  College,  and  admitted  to  the  Bar.  He 
studied  for  the  ministry  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
but  became  a  Roman  Catholic  priest ;  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Paulists  in  the  United  States. 

Waee,  Rev.  Heney,  D.D.,  bom  1794;  died  1843.  Was 
graduated  at  Harvard  with  high  honors,  and  ordained  in  1817. 
He  was  co-pastor  with  Emerson  in  Boston,  and  professor  at  the 
Cambridge  Theological  School;  ranks  high  as  a  hymn  vmter 
among  Unitarians. 

Weissel,  Geoeg^  bom  in  Konigsberg  1590 ;  died  1635. 
He  studied  at  the  university  there  and  also  at  Wittenberg  and 
Leipsic ;  one  of  the  important  hymn  writers  of  Prussia. 

Whately,  Rev.  Richard,  D.D.,  bom  1787;  died  1863. 
Educated  at  Oxford,  and  Bampton  lecturer  in  1822 ;  became 
Archbishop  of  Dublin.     His  connection  with  hymnody  is  slight. 

Whitfield,  Rev.  Eeedeeick,  an  English  clergyman,  born 
1829 ;  died  1904.     Educated  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin. 

Whiting,  William,  born  in  London  1825.  For  several 
years  Master  of  the  Winchester  College  Choristers'  School; 
known  chiefly  by  his  hymnj  Eternal  Father,  strong  to  save. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES  437 

WiGLESwoETH^  EsTHEK^  bom  in  Middlesex  1827 ;  died 
1904.  Matron  of  the  Magdalen  Asylum,  Streatham;  wrote 
hymns  for  children. 

Williams^  Helen  M.,  an  English  woman,  bom  1762. 
She  became  known  as  a  writer  of  strong  republican  sympathies, 
and  was  imprisoned  by  Robespierre  in  Paris.  She  died  in  Am- 
sterdam 1827. 

Williams,  Rev.  Isaac,  born  1802 ;  died  1865.  Edu- 
cated at  Harrow  and  Oxford,  where  he  won  the  prize  for  Latin 
verse ;  was  intimate  with  Keble.  He  was  ordained  in  1829, 
and  afterwards  became  JSTewman's  curate  at  St.  Mary's,  Ox- 
ford.    As  a  devotional  writer  he  stands  very  high. 

Williams,  Rev.  William,  bom  1717 ;  died  1791.  Or- 
dained deacon  in  1740.  He  was  known  as  the  Sweet  Singer 
of  Wales,  and  held  in  great  esteem  as  a  preacher ;  widely  known 
through  his  hymn.  Guide  me,  0  Thou  great  JeJiovali. 

WoLCOTT,  Rev.  Samuel,  D.D.,  born  in  Connecticut  1813  ; 
died  1886.     He  was  for  a  time  a  missionary  in  Syria. 

Woodford,  Rev.  James  R.,  D.D.,  bom  1820 ;  died  1885. 
He  graduated  with  honor  at  Oxford,  was  ordained  1843,  and 
afterwards  became  Vicar  of  Leeds,  Honorary  Chaplain  to  the 
Queen,  and  in  1873  Bishop  of  Ely.  He  was  one  of  the  editors 
of  the  Parish  Hymn  Booh. 

Woodhouse,  Rev.  Charles  G.,  born  1835 ;  died  1876. 
An  Oxford  graduate  who  ministered  in  the  diocese  of  Hereford. 


XX. 
Indices 


(439) 


XX. 

INDEX  OF  AUTHORS. 

[The  asterisk  (*)  denotes  the  page  on  which  reference  occurs 
in  the  Biographical  Notes.] 

PAGE 

Abelard   284 

Adam  of  St.  Victor 283,  *415 

Adams^  Sakah  r 201 

Addison,  Joseph 240,  390 

Alexander,  Cecil  F 206 

Alford,   Henry    345 

Allen,  James  *415 

Allen,  Oswald    *415 

Ambrose,  St 283,  *415 

Anatolius 280,  *415 

Andrew,  St.,  of  Crete *416 

Auber,  Harriet 226,  *416 

Baker,  Sir  Henry  W 349 

Bakewell,  John   *416 

Barbauld,  Anna  L 250,  251,  *416 

Baring-Gould,  Sabine 352 

Bartlett,  Franklin  W *416 

Barton,  Bernard *416 

Bateman,  Henry  *416 

Baxter,  Kichard   339 

Baynes,  Robert  H *416 

Beadon,  Hyde  W *416 

Beddome,  Benjamin *416 

Bernard  of  Clairvaux 292,  293 

Bernard  of  Cluny  292 

Besnault,  Abbe  *417 

Bethune,  George  W *417 

BiCKERSTETH,  Edward  H 241,  354 

Blomfield    *417 

Bode,  John  E *417 

bonar,  horatius  336 

BoRTHWicK,  Jane *417 

BOTTOME,  F *417 

BouRDiLLON,  Mary,  nee  Cotterill *417 

BowRiNG,  Sm  John 250,  *417 

(441) 


442  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

PAGE 

Bradley,  Edward  A *417 

Brady,  Nicholas *418 

Bridges,  Matthew *418 

Bright,  Willlam   *418 

Brooks,  Charles  T 395,  *418 

Brooks,  Phillips  149 

Brown-Borthwick,  Kobert *418 

Bryant,  Willlvm  C 250,  254,  *418 

BucKOLL,  Henry  J *418 

Bullock,  William *418 

Burgess,  George 154 

Burleigh,  William  H 250,  256,  *418 

Burns,  James  D *418 

Byrom,  John *418 

Campbell,  Egbert 283,  *419 

Canitz,  Friedrich  R.  L.,  von *419 

Carlyle,  Joseph  D *419 

Cary,  Phoebe  233 

Caswall,  Edward 279,  287,  319 

Cawood,  John *419 

Cennick,  John 31,  *419 

Chandler,  John *419 

Chatfield,  Allen  W *419 

Chester,  Henrietta  M.,  nee  Goff *419 

Chorley,  Henry  F *419 

Clarke,  Samuel  C *419 

Clement  of  Alexandria 280 

Codner,  Elizabeth  228,  *419 

Coffin,  Charles *420 

CoGHiLL,  Anna  L,,  nee  Walker 227,  *420 

Collins,  Henry *420 

CoLLYER,  William  B *420 

Conder,  Josiah *420 

Cooke,  William  *420 

Cooper,  Edward *420 

CoppEE,  Henry  *420 

CosiN,  John  286,  *420 

CoTTERiLL,  Jane,  nee  Boak *420 

Cotterill,  Thomas  *421 

Cowper,  William    46 

Cox,  Frances  E *421 

Coxe,  Arthur  C 157 

Crosswell,  William  *421 

Cummins,  John  J *421 


INDEX  OF  AUTHORS  443 

PAGE 

Darby,  John  N *421 

Dayman,  Edward  A *421 

Deck,  James  G *421 

Denton,  William  *421 

Dexter,  Henry  M 280,  *421 

Dickson,  David *421 

Dix,  William  C 394 

Doane,  George  W 175 

DoANE,  William  C 394 

DoBREE,  Henrietta  O.  de  Lisle *422 

Doddridge,  Philip   329 

DowNTON,  Henry  *422 

Draper,  Bourne  H *422 

Dryden,  John  239,  286,  *422 

Duffield,  George   169 

Duncan,  Mary  227,  *422 

DwiGHT,  John  S 395,  *422 

Dwight,  Timothy   161 

Dykes,  John  B 110 

Eastburn,  James  W *422 

Eddis,  Edward  W *422 

Edmeston,  James *422 

Ellerton,  John   359 

Elliott,  Charlotte  206,  214 

Elliott,  Emily  E.  S *422 

Elven,  Cornelius *422 

Evans,  Albert  E *423 

Faber,  Frederick  W 134,  248 

Eawcett,  John *423 

FiNDLATER,  Sarah,  n^e  Borthwick *423 

FoRTUNATUS,  Venantius 285,  *423 

Francis,  Benjamin *423 

Franck,  Johann 312 

Gellert,  Christian  F 322,  *423 

Gerhardt,  Paul  315,  319 

Gibbons,  Thomas  *423 

GiLMORE,  Joseph  H *423 

Gisborne,  Thomas  *423 

Grant,  Sir  Robert  392 

Gregory,  John  G *423 

Grigg,  Joseph *423 

Griswold,  Alexander  V *424 


444  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

PAGE 

GuRNEY,  Archer  T *424 

GuRNEY,  Dorothy  F.,  nee  Blomfield *424 

GuRNEY,  John  H *424 

Hamilton,  James *424 

Hamilton,  James  *424 

Hammond,  William  *424 

Harbaugh,  Henry  *424 

Harland,  Edward *425 

Hart,  Joseph *425 

Hastings,  Thomas  *425 

Havergal,  Frances  R 206,  212 

Havergal,  William  H *425 

Haweis,  Thomas *425 

Hawkins,  Ernest *425 

Hawks,  Annie  S *425 

Heath,  George *425 

Heber,  Reginald  63 

Hensley,  Lewis  *425 

Hernaman,  Claudia  F 226,  *425 

Hodges,  George  S *426 

Holme,  James *426 

Holmes,  Oliver  W 250,  253,  379,  *426 

Homburg,  Ernst  C 313 

Hopkins,  John  H *426 

How,  William  W 138,  242 

HuRN,  William *426 

Ingemann,  Bernhardt  S *426 

Irons,  William  J 289,  *426 

John  op  Damascus 282,  *426 

Johnson,  Samuel  250,  *426 

Joseph,  St *427 

Keble,  John  77 

Keen,  154,  *427 

Kelly,  Thomas 389 

Ken,  Thomas   4 

Kethe,  Willl\m 398 

Key,  Francis  S 158 

King,  John  *427 

Knapp,  Albert  312 

Laurenti,  Laurentius  319,  *427 

Leeson,  Jane  E *427 


INDEX  OF  AUTHORS  445 

PAGE 

Leland,  John  *427 

LlTTLEDALE,  RlCHARD  F *427 

Lloyd,  William  F *427 

LowENSTERN,  Matthaus  A *427 

Luke,  Jemima  T 227,  *428 

Luther,  Martin  304 

Lyte,  Henry  F 115 

Mackay,  Margaret 227,  *428 

Mackellar,  Thomas  *428 

Maclagan,  William  D 361 

Madan,  Martin  *428 

Malan,  Henri  A.  C *428 

Mant,  Richard  *428 

Marriott,  John   *428 

Martin,  Henry  A *428 

Mason,  John *428 

Maude,  Mary  F 226,  *429 

Maxwell,  Mary  H *429 

Meinhold,  Johann  W 312 

Midlane,  Albert *429 

Milman,  Henry  H 71,  *429 

Mitchell,  Elizabeth  H *429 

MoNOD,  Theodore   *429 

Monroe,  Edward  *429 

Monsell,  John  S.  B 241,  363 

Montgomery,  James   331 

Moore,  Thomas 239,  *429 

Mote,  Edward *430 

Moultrie,  Gerard  *430 

Muhlenberg,  William  A 186 

Neale,  John  M 265 

Neele,  Henry *430 

Nelson,  Horatio *430 

Newman,  John  H 95 

Newton,  John 43,  52 

NicoLAi.  Philipp *430 

Noel,  Caroline  M *430 

Notker,  St 283,  *430 

Oakly,  Frederick  *430 

Olivers,  Thomas   *431 

Onderdonk,  Henry  W *431 

OsLER,  Edward *431 


446  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

PAGE 

Palmer,  Eay  1G5,  294,  383 

Parr,  Harriet  228,  *431 

Perronet,  Edward 386 

Phillimore,  Greville *431 

Plumptre,  Edward  II 364 

Pollock,  Thomas  B *431 

Pope,  Alexander 239,  391 

Pott,  Francis  *431 

Potter,  Thomas  J *431 

Powell,  Thomas  E *431 

Prentiss,  Elizabeth  P 247,  *431 

Procter,  Adelaide  A 219 

Prudentius,  Aurelius  C *431 

Prynne,  George  R *432 

PusEY,  Philip  *432 

Rawson,  George *432 

Reed,  Andrew *432 

RiNKART,  Martin   314 

Roberts,  Daniel  C 397 

Robinson,  George  W *432 

Robinson,  Richard  II *432 

Robinson,  Robert *432 

RoDiGAST,  Samuel 316,  *432 

RoRisoN,  Gilbert  *432 

Russell,  Arthur  T 240,  *433 

Ryland,  John  *433 

Santeuil,  Claude  de  *433 

Santeuil,  Jean  Baptiste  de *433 

Schaff,  Philip 303,  319,  *433 

Schenck,  Heinrich  T 319,  *433 

ScHMOLCK,  Benjamin  *433 

Scott,  Thomas *433 

Seagrave,  Robert *433 

Sears,  Edmund  H 250,  *434 

Shipton,  Anna 228,  *434 

Shirley,  Walter  *434 

Shrubsole,  William  *434 

Smith,  Caroline  L,,  nee  Sprague 228,  *434 

Smith,  Joseph  D *434 

Smith,  Samuel  E 395,  *434 

Smith,  Wharton  B *434 

Sm yttan,  George  H *434 

Stammers,  Joseph  *434 


INDEX  OF  AUTHORS  447 


PAGE 

Stanley,  Arthur  P 365 

Steele,  Anne   222 

Stone,  Samuel  J 366 

Stowell,  Hugh   *434 

Synesius    *435 

Tate,  Nahum *435 

Taylor,  Thomas  R *435 

Tersteegen,  Gerhard  319 

Theodulf  of  Orleans  *435 

Thomas  of  Aquino *435 

Thomas  of  Celano 288,  *435 

Thomson,  Mary  A 223 

Thring,  Godfrey  371 

Thrupp,  Dorothy  A *435 

Thrupp,  Joseph  F *435 

Toke,  Emma,  nee  Leslie  *435 

ToPLADY,  Augustus  M 382 

Tourneux,  Nicholas  le  *436 

Trench,  Richard  C 298 

Turton,  W.  H *436 

Tuttiett,  Lawrence  *436 

Twells,  Henry 374 

Van  Alstyne,  Frances  J 230 

Walker,  *436 

Walworth,  Clarence  A *436 

Ware,  Henry 250,  255,  *436 

Watts,  Isaac 325 

Weissel,  Georg  *436 

Weisse,  Michael  312 

Wesley,  Charles  23,  27 

Wesley,  John  24,  27 

Whately,  Richard    *436 

Whitfield,  Frederick   *436 

White,  Henry  K 392 

White,  William  402 

Whiting,  William  *436 

WiGLESWORTH,    EsTHER    *437 

Williams,  Helen  M 250,  252,  *437 

Williams,  Isaac  *437 

Williams,  William   *437 

WiNKWORTH,  Catherine  310 

WoLCOTT,  Samuel   170,  *437 


448  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

PAGE 

Woodford,  James  R *437 

WooDHOusE,  Charles  G *437 

Wordsworth,  Christopher  131 

Xavier,  St.  Francis  292,  294 

Zinzendorf,  Nicolaus  L,,  Count  von  317 


IJSTDEX  OF  FIKST  LIKES. 

PAGE 

A  charge  to  keep  I  have 33 

A  few  more  years  shall  roll   336,  339 

A  tower  of  strength  our  God  doth  stand 309 

Abide  with  me ;  fast  falls  the  eventide 119,  121 

According  to  Thy  gracious  word  335 

All  glory,  laud  and  honor   267 

All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name   386 

All  my  heart  this  night  rejoices   315 

All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell 398 

All  praise  to  Him  who  built  the  hills 339 

All  praise  to  Thee,  my  God,  this  night 15,  402 

Alleluia,  Alleluia !  134 

Alleluia !  sing  to  Jesus   394 

Alleluia,  song  of  gladness   267 

Almighty  Father,  hear  our  cry   357 

Almighty  God,  whose  only  Son  351 

Am  I  a  soldier  of  the  cross  ?  329 

Ancient  of  days,  who  sittest  throned  in  glory 395 

Angels,  from  the  realms  of  glory 335 

Approach,  my  soul,  the  mercy  seat  53 

Art  thou  weary,  art  thou  languid  268 

As  when  the  weary  traveler  gains 53 

As  with  gladness  men  of  old 394 

Ashamed  of  Thee,  O  dearest  Lord  142 

Asleep  in  Jesus,  blessed  sleep 227 

At  even  ere  the  sun  was  set 374 

At  the  cross  her  station  keeping  279,  288 

Awake,  my  soul,  and  with  the  sun 14,  402 

Awake,  my  soul,  stretch  every  nerve   331 

Before  Jehovah's  awful  throne   329,  402 

Before  the  ending  of  the  day  267 

Blessed  city,  heavenly  Salem 267 

Blessing,  honor,  thanks,  and  praise   34 

Blest  are  the  pure  in  heart  90 

Blow  ye  the  trumpet,  blow   32 

Bread  of  the  world,  in  mercy  broken 72 

Brief  life  is  here  our  portion  267 

(449) 


450  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

PAGE 

Brightest  and  best  of  the  sons  of  the  morning 72 

By  cool  Siloam's  shady  rill  72 

Call  Jehovah  thy  salvation   335 

Call  them  in,  the  poor,  the  wretched  228 

Christ  for  the  v^orld  we  sing 170 

Christ  is  made  the  sure  foundation   267 

Christ,  the  Life  of  all  the  living 313 

Christ  the  Lord  is  risen  again  312 

Christ  the  Lord  is  risen  to-day  32 

Christ  whose  glory  fills  the  skies  34 

Christian !  dost  thou  see  them   110,  267,  281 

Come  hither,  ye  faithful   279 

Come,  Holy  Ghost,  Creator  blest  279 

Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  souls  inspire  286 

Come,  Holy  Spirit,  heavenly  Dove 328,  402 

Come,  Jesus,  from  the  sapphire  throne 165 

Come,  let  us  join  our  cheerful  songs 329 

Come,  let  us  sing  the  song  of  songs 335 

Come,  my  soul,  thy  suit  prepare 53 

Come,  praise  your  Lord  and  Saviour 142 

Come,  pure  hearts,  in  sweetest  measures 283 

Come,  Thou  Holy  Spirit,  come 279,  287 

Come,  Thou  long-expected  Jesus 31 

Come  unto  me,  ye  weary 110,  394 

Come,  ye  disconsolate   239 

Come,  ye  faithful,  raise  the  strain 267 

Come,  ye  thankful  people,  come  347 

Creator  Spirit,  by  whose  aid 239,  286 

Day  of  wrath !  oh  day  of  mourning 288 

Days  and  moments  quickly  flying 279 

Dear  Jesus,  ever  at  my  side 135 

Draw,  Holy  Ghost,  Thy  sevenfold  veil 90 

Draw  nigh  and  take  the  Body  of  the  Lord 267 

Earth  has  many  a  noble  city 279 

Far  from  my  heavenly  home 124 

Father  of  all,  from  land  and  sea 134 

Father  of  heaven,  who  hast  created  all  312 

Father  of  mercies,  bow  Thine  ear 402 

Father  of  mercies,  in  Thy  word 223,  402 

Father,  whate'er  of  earthly  bliss 223 

Fight  the  good  fight  with  all  thy  might 364 


INDEX  OF  FIRST  LINES  451 

PAGK 

Fling  out  the  banner !  let  it  float 181 

For  all  the  saints,  who  from  their  labors  rest 142,  143,  145 

For  all  Thy  saints,  a  noble  throng 212 

For  thee,  O  dear,  dear  country 267 

For  Thee,  O  God,  our  constant  praise 401 

Forever  with  the  Lord 334 

Forth  in  Thy  name,  0  Lord,  I  go 35 

Forward !  be  our  watchword 347 

Fountain  of  good,  to  own  Thy  love 331 

From  all  that  dwell  below  the  skies 329 

From  glory  unto  glory   214 

From  Greenland's  icy  mountains    67 

From  the  eastern  mountains 374 

Glorious  things  of  thee  are  spoken 54 

Glory  be  to  God  the  Father 339 

Glory  be  to  Jesus    279 

Glory  to  the  Father  give 336 

Go,  labor  on,  spend  and  be  spent 339 

Go  to  dark  Gethsemane 335 

God  in  heaven,  hear  our  singing 214 

God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 50 

God  of  mercy,  God  of  grace 124 

God  of  our  fathers,  whose  almighty  hand 397 

Golden  harps  are  sounding 214 

Gracious  Spirit,  Holy  Ghost  134 

Grant  us,  O  our  heavenly  Father 374 

Great  God,  to  Thee  my  evening  song 223 

Great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep 267 

Hail !  sacred  day  of  earthly  rest 374 

Hail  the  day  that  sees  Him  rise 34 

Hail  to  the  Lord's  Anointed  334 

Hark,  a  thrilling  voice  is  sounding 279 

Hark !  hark,  my  soul,  angelic  songs  are  swelling 135 

Hark,  my  soul,  it  is  the  Lord 50 

Hark !  ten  thousand  voices  sounding 390 

Hark !  the  glad  sound,  the  Saviour  comes 331,  402 

Hark !  the  herald  angels  sing 31 

Hark,  the  sound  of  holy  voices 134 

Have  mercy.  Lord,  on  me 401 

He  is  risen.  He  is  risen 212 

Heal  me,  O  my  Saviour,  heal 374 

Hear  our  prayer,  O  heavenly  Father 229 

Hear  us,  Thou  that  broodedst 374 


452  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

PAGE 

Heavenly  Father,  send  Thy  blessing 134 

Heavenly  Shepherd,  Thee  we  pray 374 

Here,  O  my  Lord,  I  see  Thee  face  to  face 339 

Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord 134 

Holy,  holy,  holy!  Lord  God  Almighty 72,  110 

Holy  offerings,  rich  and  rare 364 

Holy  Spirit,  Lord  of  love 362 

Hosanna  to  the  living  Lord !  72 

How  beauteous  are  their  feet 329,  402 

How  firm  a  foundation 153 

How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds 53 

I  am  not  worthy,  holy  Lord 351 

I  could  not  do  without  Thee 214 

I  do  not  ask,  O  Lord,  that  life  may  be 219 

I  heard  the  voice  of  Jesus  say 338,  339 

I  hunger  and  I  thirst  363 

I  lay  my  sins  on  Jesus 336,  339 

I  love  Thy  kingdom.  Lord 165 

I  think  when  I  read  that  sweet  story  of  old 227 

In  the  cross  of  Christ  I  glory 259 

In  the  hour  of  trial 335 

In  token  that  thou  shalt  not  fear 347 

Inspirer  and  hearer  of  prayer 385 

Jerusalem,  my  happy  home  335 

Jerusalem,  the  golden   267,  292 

Jesus  calls  us ;  o'er  the  tumult 206 

Jesus  came,  the  heavens  adoring 374 

Jesus,  gentlest  Saviour  135 

Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  taken 124,  126 

Jesus  lives !  thy  terrors  now 322 

Jesu,  lover  of  my  soul  23,  34,  110 

Jesus,  my  Saviour,  look  on  me 214 

Jesus,  my  strength,  my  hope  33 

Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun 328 

Jesu,  still  lead  on 317 

Jesus,  tender  Shepherd,  hear  me   227 

Jesu,  the  very  thought  of  Thee 279,  294 

Jesu,  Thou  joy  of  loving  hearts 165,  294 

Jesus,  Thy  boundless  love  to  me 319 

Joy  fills  our  inmost  heart  to-day 394 

Joy  to  the  world,  the  Lord  is  come 328 

Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea 214,  215 


INDEX  OF  FIRST  LINES  453 

PAGE 

Laboring  and  heavy  laden  364 

Lamb  of  God,  I  look  to  Thee 35 

Lead,  kindly  Light,  amid  the  encircling  gloom 97,  104,  109 

Lead  us,  O  Father,  in  the  paths  of  peace 256 

Let  me  with  light  and  truth  be  blest 401 

Light  of  those  whose  dreary  dwelling 34 

Light's  abode,  celestial  Salem 267 

Like  Noah's  weary  dove  198 

Lo !  He  comes  with  clouds  descending 31 

Look  from  Thy  sphere  of  endless  day 254 

Look,  ye  saints ;  the  sight  is  glorious   390 

Lord,  forever  at  Thy  side 336 

Lord  God,  we  worship  Thee 312 

Lord,  I  hear  of  showers  of  blessing 227 

Lord,  in  Thy  name  Thy  servants  plead 90 

Lord,  it  belongs  not  to  my  care 340 

Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 366 

Lord  of  all  being ;  throned  afar    253 

Lord  of  mercy  and  of  might 72 

Lord  of  the  harvest,  hear 34 

Lord  of  the  harvest,  it  is  right  and  meet 368 

Lord  of  the  living  harvest 363 

Lord,  pour  Thy  Spirit  from  on  high 335 

Lord,  speak  to  me,  that  I  may  speak 214 

Lord,  Thy  children  guide  and  keep 142 

Lord,  Thy  Word  abideth 351 

Lord,  who  through  these  forty  days 226 

Lord,  with  glowing  heart  I'd  praise  Thee   160 

Love  divine,  all  love  excelling 32 

Magnify  Jehovah's  name   335 

More  love  to  Thee,  O  Christ 247 

My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee 166 

My  Father,  for  another  night  351 

My  God,  and  is  Thy  table  spread 331,  402 

My  God,  how  wonderful  Thou  art 135,  248 

My  God,  I  love  Thee;  not  because 279,  297 

My  God,  I  thank  Thee,  who  hast  made 219 

My  God,  my  Father,  while  I  stray 215 

My  God,  ]>ermit  me  not  to  be 328 

My  spirit,  on  Thy  care 124 

Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee 201,  204,  240 

New  every  morning  is  the  love 90 

No  change  of  time  shall  ever  shock 401 


454  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

PAGE 

Not  to  the  terrors  of  the  Lord 329 

Now,  my  soul,  thy  voice  upraising 351 

Now  thank  we  all  our  God 313 

Now,  the  blessed  Dayspring 223 

Now  the  day  is  over  353 

Now  the  laborer's  task  is  o'er 360 

Oh,  bless  the  Lord,  my  soul 335 

O  Bread  of  Life  from  heaven 319 

O  brothers,  lift  your  voices   357 

Oh  come  and  mourn  with  me  awhile 135 

O  come,  loud  anthems  let  us  sing 401 

O  come,  O  come,  Emmanuel 267 

O  day  of  rest  and  gladness 133 

O  for  a  closer  walk  with  God 49 

O  for  a  heart  to  praise  my  God 32 

Oh  for  a  thousand  tongues  to  sing 33 

O  God,  in  whose  all-searching  eye 134 

O  God  of  Bethel,  by  whose  hand 331 

O  God  of  love,  O  King  of  peace 351 

O  God  of  mercy,  God  of  might 374 

O  God,  our  help  in  ages  past  329 

O  gracious  God,  in  whom  I  live 223 

O  happy  day  that  stays  my  choice 331 

Oh  help  us,  Lord,  each  hour  of  need 72 

O  Holy  Saviour,  friend  unseen 215 

O  Jesu,  Saviour  of  the  lost 357 

O  Jesu,  Thou  art  standing   142 

O  King  of  saints,  we  give  Thee  praise  and  glory 223 

O  Light,  whose  beams  illumine  all 364 

O  little  town  of  Bethlehem 151 

O  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  and  sea 134 

O  Lord  of  Hosts,  Almighty  King 253 

O  Lord  of  Hosts,  whose  glory  fills 267 

O  Lord,  our  strength  in  weakness 134 

O  Lord,  the  holy  innocents   212 

O  love  that  casts  out  fear 339 

O  mighty  God,  Creator,  King 374 

O  Paradise,  O  Paradise   135 

O  praise  ye  the  Lord 401 

O  sacred  head  surrounded   351 

O  saving  Victim,  opening  wide 279 

0  Sion,  haste,  thy  mission  high  fulfilling 223 

O  Spirit  of  the  living  God 334 

Oh  that  the  Lord's  salvation 124 


INDEX  OF  FIRST  LINES  455 

PAGB 

O  Thou  before  the  world  began 34 

O  Thou  before  whose  presence 368 

O  Thou,  in  whom  alone  is  found 255 

O  Thou  that  hear'st  when  sinners  cry 328,  402 

O  Thou,  the  contrite  sinners'  friend 214 

O  Thou  through  suffering  perfect  made 142 

O  Thou  to  whose  all-searching  sight 317 

O  Thou,  who  gav'st  Thy  servant  grace 72 

O  Thou,  who  madest  land  and  sea 374 

O  Thou,  who  through  this  holy  week 267 

Oh,  'twas  a  joyful  sound  to  hear 401 

O  very  God  of  very  God 267 

Oh,  what  if  we  are  Christ's 851 

Oh,  what  the  joy  and  the  glory  must  be 267,  284 

Oh,  where  shall  rest  be  found 336 

Oh,  who  like  Thee,  so  calm,  so  bright 158 

Oh,  with  due  reverence  let  us  all 401 

O  wondrous  type,  O  vision  fair 267 

O  Word  of  God  incarnate    142 

Oh,  worship  the   King    393 

O'er  the  distant  mountains  breaking   363 

Of  the  Father's  love  begotten 267,  351 

Oft  in  danger,  oft  in  woe 392 

On  the  resurrection  morning 353 

On  our  way  rejoicing  364 

Once  in  royal  David's  city 212 

Once  more,  O  Lord,  Thy  sign  shall  be 181 

One  sole  baptismal  sign  411 

One  sweetly  solemn  thought 233 

Only  one  prayer  to-day   394 

Onward,   Christian   soldiers    353 

Onward,  Christian,  though  the  region 251 

Our  blest  Redeemer,  ere  He  breathed 226 

Our  day  of  praise  is  done  359 

Our  fathers'  God!  to  Thee  395 

Our  Lord  is  risen  from  the  dead 32,  402 

Out  of  the  deep  I  call 351 

Peace,  perfect  peace,  in  this  dark  world  of  sin 357 

Pleasant  are  Thy  courts  above   124 

Praise,  my  soul,  the  King  of  heaven 124 

Praise  to  God,  immortal  praise 251 

Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height 107 

Eejoice,  rejoice,  believers   319 


456  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 


PAGE 

Rejoice,  the  Lord  is  King 34 

Rejoice,  ye  pure  in  heart 364 

Revive  Thy  work,  O  Lord  231 

Ride  on,  ride  on  in  majesty 72 

Rise  crowned  with  light 239,  391 

Rock  of  ages,  cleft  for  me  379 

Saviour,  a^ain  to  Thy  dear  name  we  raise 359 

Saviour,  blessed   Saviour    374 

Saviour,  for  the  little  one 223 

Saviour,  sprinkle  many  nations 158 

Saviour,  when  in  dust  to  Thee 393 

Saviour,  who  Thy  flock  art  feeding 198 

Saviour,  whom  I  fain  would  love 385 

Saw  you  never  in  the  twilight 212 

See  the  Conqueror  mounts  in  triumph 134 

Shepherd  of  souls,  refresh  and  bless 335 

Shepherd  of  tender  youth 280 

Shout  the  glad  tidings,  exultingly  sing 198 

Sinful,  sighing  to  be  blest 364 

Sing  Alleluia  forth  in  duteous  praise 359 

Sing,  my  tongue,  the  Saviour's  battle 279 

Sing,  oh  sing,  this  blessed  morn 133 

Softly  now  the  light  of  day 180 

Soldiers  of  Christ  arise   33 

Songs  of  praise  the  angels  sang 335 

Songs  of  thankfulness  and  praise   134 

Souls  in  heathen  darkness  lying 212 

Speed  Thy  servants,  Saviour,  speed  them 390 

Stand,  soldier  of  the  cross 357 

Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus  168 

Stars  of  the  morning,  so  gloriously  bright 267 

Sun  of  my  soul.  Thou  Saviour  dear 91 

Sweet  Saviour,  bless  us  ere  we  go 135 

Tarry  with  me,  O  my  Saviour 228 

Ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand 347 

Tender  Shepherd,  Thou  hast  stilled  312 

The  Church's  one  foundation  368 

The  cross  is  on  our  brow 394 

The  day  is  gently  sinking  to  a  close 133 

The  day  is  past  and  over 267,  280 

The  day  of  resurrection    267,  281 

The  eternal  gates  lift  up  their  heads 212 

The  grave  itself  a  garden  is  134 


INDEX  OF  FIRST  LINES  457 

PAGE 

The  Head,  that  once  was  crowned  with  thorns 390 

The  King  of  love  my  Shepherd  is 351 

The  Lord  my  pasture  shall  prepare 391,  402 

The  morning  light  is  breaking 395 

The  radiant  morn  hath  passed  away  374 

The  roseate  hues  of  early  dawn 212 

The  royal  banners  forward  go 267,  286 

The  saints  of  God,  their  conflict  past 362 

The  shadows  of  the  evening  hours 219 

The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war 72 

The  spacious  firmament  on  high 391,  402 

The  strain  upraise  of  joy  and  praise 267 

The  sun  is  sinking  fast 279 

The  voice  that  breathed  o'er  Eden 90 

The  world  is  very  evil  267 

There  is  a  blessed  home  351 

There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood 48 

There  is  a  green  hill  far  away 212 

There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight  329 

There  is  one  way,  and  only  one 212 

Thine  arm,  O  Lord,  in  days  of  old 364 

Thine  forever,  God  of  love 226 

This  is  the  day  of  light 359 

Those  eternal  bowers   267,  282 

Thou  art  coming,  O  my  Saviour 214 

Thou  art  the  way,  to  Thee  alone 181 

Thou,  God,  all  glory,  honor,  power 402 

Thou  hidden  love  of  God,  whose  height 319 

Thou  to  whom  the  sick  and  dying 374 

Thou,  who  on  that  wondrous  journey 347 

Through  Him,  who  all  our  sickness  felt 35 

Through  the  day  Thy  love  hast  spared  us 390 

Through  the  night  of  doubt  and  sorrow 353 

Thy  life  was  given  for  me 214 

Thy  way,  not  mine,  0  Lord 339 

To  bless  Thy  chosen  race 401 

To  our  Redeemer's  glorious  name 223,  402 

To  Sion's  hill  I  lift  my  eyes 401 

To  the  name  of  our  salvation 267 

To  Thee,  O  Comforter  divine 214 

To  Thee,  O  Father,  throned  on  high 395 

To  Thee,  O  Lord,  our  hearts  we  raise 394 

To  Thee  our  God  we  fly 142 

To  Thy  temple  I  repair 335 

Triumphant  Sion,  lift  thy  head 331 


458  SOME  HYMNS  AND  HYMN  WRITERS 

PAGE 

We  give  immortal  praise 328 

We  give  Thee  but  thine  own 142 

We  sing  the  praise  of  Him  who  died 390 

We  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight 347 

Weary  of  earth,  and  laden  with  my  sin 368 

Weary  of  wandering  from  my  God 34 

Welcome,  sweet  day  of  rest 328,  402 

Whate'er  my  God  ordains  is  right 317 

What  thanks  and  praise  to  Thee  we  owe 362 

When  all  Thy  mercies,  O  my  God 240,  391,  402 

When  at  Thy  footstool.  Lord,  I  bend 124 

When  in  the  Lord  Jehovah's  name 347 

When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross 328 

When  Jesus  left  his  Father's  throne 336 

When  morning  gilds  the  skies 279,  319 

When  our  heads  are  bowed  with  woe 72 

When  the  weary,  seeking  rest 338,  339 

While  o'er  the  deep  Thy  servants  sail 156 

While  shepherds  watched  their  flocks  by  night 402 

While  Thee  I  seek,  protecting  power 252 

Who  are  these  in  bright  array 334 

Who  are  these  like  stars  appearing 319 

Who  is  this  that  comes  from  Edom 390 

With  one  consent  let  all  the  earth 401 

With  tearful  eyes  I  look  around 215 

Work,  for  the  night  is  coming 227 

Ye  servants  of  the  Lord 331