Moses Browne

Browne, Moses, was born in humble circumstances in 1703, and was distinguished as a poet and miscellaneous writer. He was Vicar of Olney, Bucks, and for some time Chaplain of Morden College, Blackheath, Kent, where he died Sept. 13, 1787. His poetical works were:—
(1) Poems, 1739; (2) The Works, and Rest of the Creation,in two parts. Pt. i. An Essay on the Universe; Pt. ii. Sunday Thoughts, &c, 1752 (6th edition, 1805). His hymns are contained in Pt. iv. of the Sunday Thoughts, together with versions of Ps. 130 and 139. He is known chiefly through his hymn "When with a mind devoutly pressed" (Penitence), which is "Night Song, No. viii.," in 5 stanzas of 4 lines, of the Sunday Thoughts, having originally appeared in his Poems, 1739, p. 457. He complains in a note of editors of hymn-books printing this hymn "from an imperfect copy." It has been ascribed from time to time to various authors. (3) He also published in 1772, a translation of J. L. Zimmerman's Excellency of the Knowledge of Jesus Christ, 1732, from which the hymn, "Tis not too hard, too high an aim," is taken. It is annotated under "Es ist nicht schwert."

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)