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Edward Osler

1798 - 1863 Person Name: E. Osler Author of "Blest are the pure in heart" in Worship Song Osler, Edward, was born at Falmouth in January, 1798, and was educated for the medical profession, first by Dr. Carvosso, at Falmouth, and then at Guy's Hospital, London. From 1819 to 1836 he was house surgeon at the Swansea Infirmary. He then removed to London, and devoted himself to literary pursuits. For some time he was associated with the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, both in London and at Bath. In 1841 he became the Editor of the Royal Cornwall Gazette, and took up his residence at Truro. He retained that appointment till his death, at Truro, March 7, 1863. For the Linnaean Society he wrote Burrowing and Boring Marine Animals. He also published Church and Bible; The Voyage: a Poem written at Sea, and in the West Indies, and Illustrated by papers on Natural History, 1830; The Life of Lord Exmouth, 1837, &c. His hymnological work is mainly connected with the Mitre Hymn Book. During 1835-36 he was associated with Prebendary W. J. Hall, the editor, in producing that collection, which was published in 1836 as Psalms and Hymns adapted to The Services of the Church of England. He resided in Mr. Hall's house during the time. From the "hall manuscript" we gather that he contributed 15 versions of the Psalms (5 being rewritten from others), and 50 hymns (a few rewritten). Most of these hymns and Psalm versions, together with others not in the Mitre Hymn Book, were afterwards given in the monthly numbers of his Church and King, from Nov. 1836 to Aug. 1837. The best known of these hymns are, “O God, unseen, yet ever near," and “Worship, honour, glory, blessing." Several of his hymns in common use are:— 1. Father, Whose love and truth fulfil. Holy Baptism. 2. Glory to God! with joyful adoration. Praise to the Father. 3. Great God, o'er earth and heaven supreme. Men the Stewards of God's Bounties. 4. Great God of hosts, our ears have heard. Ps. xliv. Based on the N. Version. 5. Great God, Whose awful mystery. Holy Trinity. 6. I hold the sacred book of God. Martyrs. 7. Jehovah hath spoken, the nations shall hear. Second Advent. 8. Lord, may the inward grace abound. Holy Baptism. 9. May we Thy precepts, Lord, fulfil. Love. 10. Mighty Saviour, gracious King. Advent. 11. 0 God, the help of all Thy Saints. Ps. x. 12. O Thou, the Lord and Life of those. Christ the Life of Men. 13. O Saviour, Who didst come. Easter. 14. Saviour, Whose love could stoop to death. Easter. 15. See, Lord, before Thy mercy seat. For Schools. 16. Set in a high and favoured place. Advent. 17. Wake frem the dead, new life begin. Lent. 18. With trembling awe we come. Lent. Several of these hymns are not in Osier's Church and King. We have ascribed them and others to him on the authority of the "hall MSS." It must be noted also that the text in the Church and King often differs from that in the Mitre. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) Though not mentioned by Julian, perhaps his most enduring contribution to hymnody is the third stanza of "Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens, Adore Him", whose first two stanzas are of anonymous authorship. --Leland Bryant Ross (2019)

Albert Midlane

1825 - 1909 Author of "All Things Are Ready, Come" in Hymns of Grace and Truth Midlane, Albert, was born at Newport, Isle of Wight, Jan. 23, 1825, and was engaged in business in that town for many years. To his Sunday school teacher he ascribes the honour of prompting him to poetic efforts: and the same teacher did much to shape his early life. His first printed hymn, "Hark! in the presence of our God," was written in September, 1842, at Carisbrooke Castle, and printed in the Youth’s Magazine in November of the same year. Since then he has written over 300, and of these a large proportion are in common use. They appeared in magazines and small mission hymn-books, including:— (1) The Youth's Magazine; (2) The British Messenger; (3) The London Messenger; (4) Trotter's Evangelical Hymn Book, 1860; (5) The Ambassador's Hymn Book, 1861; (6) Second edition of the same, 1868; (7)Hymn Book for Youth; (8) Good News for the Little Ones, 1860; (9) William Carter's Gospel Hymn Book, 1862; and several other works of a similar kind. In addition to several small works in prose, Mr. Midlane has gathered his verse together from time to time and published it as:— (1) Poetry addressed to Sabbath School Teachers, 1844; (2) Vecta Garland, 1850; (3) Leaves from Olivet, 1864; (4) Gospel Echoes, 1865; (5) Above the Bright Blue Sky, 1867; (6) Early Lispings, 1880. Of the hymns contained in these works nearly 200 have been in common use from 1861 to 1887, the most popular being "There's a Friend for little children." The hymn-books, however, in which many of them are found are usually very small, are used in what are commonly known as Gospel Missions, and have gradually given way to other and more important collections. We therefore append only those hymns which are at the present time in use in official or quasi-official hymn-books, or such collections as have a wide circulation. Those hymns which are omitted from the following list may be found in the works given above, and especially in the Gospel Echoes. The bracketed dates below are those of the composition of the hymns. i. Given in Trotter's Evangelical Hymn Book, 1860. 1. How sweet the cheering words. (Aug. 1860.) The Gospel. 2. Lord Jesus, save! (July 1860.) Lent. ii. Given in The Ambassador's Hymn Book, 1861. 3. Angels rejoice o'er sinners saved. (Aug. 1860.) Joy in Heaven over Repenting Sinners. 4. Come to the royal feast. (Aug. 1860.) The Gospel Feast. 5. Father, bless the heavenly message. (Aug. 1860.) Divine blessing implored. 6. How vast, how full, how free. (Aug. 1860.) Divine Mercy. 7. I am not told to labour. (June 25, 1860.) Salvation by Faith. 8. Jesus died upon the tree. (Aug. 13, 1860.) Good Friday. 9. Lord, prepare the hearts of sinners. (Aug. 28, 1861.) Preparation of the heart. 10. Not all the gold of all the world. Peace through Jesus. 11. Now we'll render to the Saviour. (Sept. 1, 1861.) Praise for Salvation. 12. O what a gift the Father gave. (Aug. 22, 1860.) The Gift of The Son. 13. O what a Saviour is Jesus the Lord. (Aug. 29, 1861.) Jesus the Saviour. 14. Passing onward, quickly passing. (Sept. 10, 1861.) Prepared? 15. Salvation, Lord, is Thine. (Aug., 1860.) Salvation through Jesus. 16. Sinner, where is room for doubting? (Sept., 1861.) Expostulation. 17. Soft the voice of mercy sounded. Grace. 18. The perfect righteousness of God. (Sept. 21, 1861.) God our Righteousness. 19. There is a throne of grace. (Sept. 14, 1860.) The Throne of Grace. 20. We speak of the mercy of God. (Sept. 19, 1861.) Divine Mercy. iii. Given in W. Carter's Gospel Hymn Book, 1863. 21. Can any say, I do believe ? (Aug., 1860.) Assurance in Christ. 22. If Jesus came to seek and save. (Oct., 1861.) Salvation in Jesus. iv. Given in Leaves from Olivet, 1864. 23. See the blessed Saviour dying. (Oct. 5, 1860.) Good Friday. 24. Sweet the theme of Jesus' love. (April 22, 1862.) The Love of Jesus. v. Given in Gospel Echoes, 1865. 25. Come and welcome to the Saviour. (June 8, 1862) Invitation. 26. God be gracious to a sinner. (May 21, 1861.) Lent. 27. God speaks from heaven; in love He speaks. (July, 1860.) Love and Mercy of God. 28. Hark! the cry, Behold He cometh. (June 8, 1862.) Advent. 29. He saves because He will. (April 20, 1862.) The "I Wills" of Jesus. 30. How solemn are the words. (Aug. 1, 1865.) The New Birth. 31. Himself He could not save. (Sept. 1861.) Good Friday. 32. I once was bound in Satan's chains. Pardon. 33. Jesus lived. He lived for sinners. (Jan. 4, 1862.) Easter. 34. Jesus never answered "Nay." (May 13, 1862.) Jesus always the same. 35. Jesus the blessed centre is. (June 8, 1862). Father glorified in the Son. 36. Jesus, the risen Saviour. (July 31, 1862.) Easter. 37. Jesus, the soul that trusts in Thee. (May 7, 1864.) Salvation through Jesus. 38. Look, poor sinner, look to Calvary. Good Friday. 39. Lord, when I think upon the love. (Oct. 1, 1860.) The Love of Jesus. 40. Peace with God ! How great a treasure (Oct. 18, 1861.) Peace. 41. Salvation! What a precious word. (Nov. 22, 1861.) Salvation. 42. Scripture says Where sin abounded. (March 3, 1862.) Abounding Grace. 43. Shall Jesus' love be spoken? (May 4, 1862.) Love of Jesus. 44. The Lamb was slain, the blood was brought. (Aug. 24,1862.) The Passover. 45. The silver trumpets sounding. (May 7, 1862.) The Year of Jubilee. 46. There is a rest for weary souls. (Dec. 4, 1863.) Rest. Peace in Jesus. 47. 'Tis the voice of mercy calls thee. (Nov. 5, 1861.) Mercy. 48. When the Saviour said "'Tis finished" (Oct. 1861.) Good Friday. 49. When God begins His gracious work. (Dec. 27, 1860.) God Unchangeable. 50. Who can praise the blessed God ? (Oct. 1861.) Praise for Salvation. 51. Why those fears, poor trembling sinner. Safety in Jesus. vi. Given in the Ambassador's Hymn Book, 2nd ed., 1868. 52. Life from the dead, eternal life. (Oct. 11, 1867.) Work of the Holy Spirit. 53. Stern justice cries for blood. (March 2, 1867.) The Atonement. vii. Various. 54. Apart from every worldly care. (June 1866.) Prayer Meetings. Written for Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book 1866. 55. Be not weary, toiling Christian. (Feb. 1857.) Encouragement. In the British Messenger, Sept. 1857. 56. Eighteen hundred years ago. (Aug. 1859.) Fulness of Time. In the London Messenger, April, 1861. 57. Father, for Thy promised blessing. (Feb. 20, 1860.) Outpouring of the Spirit desired. In The Revival, July, 1860. 58. God bless our Sunday School. Sunday School Anniversary. First printed in the Baptist Children's Magazine, July, 1844. It has passed into numerous collections for children, but usually st. ii. is omitted, thus reducing it to 3 st. 59. He comes! He comes! the Bridegroom comes. (Sept. 9, 1850.) Advent. In The Present Testimony, 1851. 60. Kept by the power of God. (May 6 ,1858.) Security in God. In the London Messenger, Sept., 1860. 61. Let the waves of blessing roll. (Jan. 6, 1868.) Missions. In the Enlarged London Hymn Book, 1873. 62. Lord, 'our waiting spirits bow. (June, 1866.) Prayer Meetings. Written for Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book 1866. 63. Love us freely, blessed Jesus. (July 2, 1858.) Lent. In the Churchman's Penny Magazine. Oct., 1858. 64. Never perish! words of mercy. Mercy in Christ. Printed in the monthly Girdle, June, 1857, and in the British Messenger, Aug. 1857, in 4 double st. In the collections it is reduced to the first two stanzas. 65. No separation, O my soul. (May 6, 1863.) Perseverance. In the British Herald, Aug., 1863. 66. Nought but the voice of God can speak. (Jan. 29, 1863.) All things are of God. In the 1873 Appendix to Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory. 67. Now, O joy, my sins are pardoned. Pardon and Peace. (Nov. 9, 1860). Printed in the London Messenger, March, 1861, then in the Gospel Echoes, 1865; and then in several hymn-books. The original began, "Once I sang, but not in earnest." Usually st. ii., iii., of 8 l, are given as "Now, O joy, &c." 68. O art thou an heir of glory? (June 4, 1861.) Cautions. In Hymn Book for Youth, 1862. 69. O what a glorious truth is this. (Aug. 3, 1860.) Jesus Died. In the London Messenger, Sept., 1860. 70. Once it was mine, the cup of wrath. (Aug. 8, 1860.) Wrath and Pardon. In the London Messenger, Oct., 1861. 71. Onward, upward, heavenward. (Feb. 7, 1860.) Pressing Onward. In the London Messenger, March, 186l. 72. Perennial spring of pure delight. (March 17, 1864.) Jesus All in All. In the London Messenger, Jan., 1865. 73. Sheltered by the [Thy] sprinkled blood. (Sept. 23, 1863.) Safety in Jesus. In the London Messenger, Feb. 1864. 74. Showers of blessing, gracious promise. (April 19, 1862.) Missions. In the London Messenger, Aug., 1862, and Leaves from Olivet, 1864. 75. The Church of God, amazing, precious thought. (July 6, 1857.) The Church. In The Present Testimony, 1858, and Leaves from Olivet, 1864. 76. The whispers of Thy love divine. (May 3, 1868.) Love of God. In the Island Greeting, Oct., 1872. 77. Though billows round me roll. (April 2, 1853.) Trust. In Food for Christ's Flock, 1853. 78. 'Tis finished, cried the dying Lamb. (Feb. 21, 1850.) Good Friday. In the Baptist Children's Magazine, 1850). 79. Tis heaven where Jesus is. (Oct. 23, 1862.) Joy and Peace in Jesus. In the Enlarged London Hymn Book, 1873. 80. Together all things work for good. (Aug. 14, 1860.) All work for Good. In the Enlarged London Hymn Book, 1813. 81. Waiting for Jesus, and loving while waiting. (Jan. 9, 1872.) Second Advent desired. In the 1873 Appendix to Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory. 82. Without a cloud between. (Mar. 18,1862.) Jesus, Face to Face. In the London Messenger, June, 1862. 83. Yet awhile; how sweet the thought. (Dec, 1864.) Second Advent desired. In theLondon Messenger, 1865. The collections in which these hymns are mainly found are Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book, 1866; Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory, 1872-3; Hurditch's Enlarged London Hymn Book, 1873, and smaller books for Evangelical mission work. Of Mr. Midlane's hymns as a whole, Miher's estimate that "His hymns are full of spiritual thought, careful in their wording, and often very pleasing without reaching the highest form of poetical excellence " (Singers and Songs, p. 572), is just. A marked feature of these hymns is the constant and happy use of Scripture phraseology. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ======================== Midlane, A., p. 733, ii. Mr. Midlane published in 1901 The Bright Blue Sky Hymn Book, of 315 of his hymns, and the same year The Gospel Hall Hymn Book, for use in the Gospel Hall, Newport, I.W., with 218 additional, making 533 original compositions. A broad-sheet of seven special hymns for Jewish children, in connection with the Mildmay Mission to the Jews, was also issued in December, 1904. Other publications previously noticed give, with these, over 800 hymns to Mr. Midlane as his contribution to the hymnody of the Church. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Catherine Winkworth

1827 - 1878 Person Name: Catherine Winkworth, 1829-78 Translator of "Since Jesus is my Friend" in Service Book and Hymnal of the Lutheran Church in America Catherine Winkworth (b. Holborn, London, England, 1827; d. Monnetier, Savoy, France, 1878) is well known for her English translations of German hymns; her translations were polished and yet remained close to the original. Educated initially by her mother, she lived with relatives in Dresden, Germany, in 1845, where she acquired her knowledge of German and interest in German hymnody. After residing near Manchester until 1862, she moved to Clifton, near Bristol. A pioneer in promoting women's rights, Winkworth put much of her energy into the encouragement of higher education for women. She translated a large number of German hymn texts from hymnals owned by a friend, Baron Bunsen. Though often altered, these translations continue to be used in many modern hymnals. Her work was published in two series of Lyra Germanica (1855, 1858) and in The Chorale Book for England (1863), which included the appropriate German tune with each text as provided by Sterndale Bennett and Otto Goldschmidt. Winkworth also translated biographies of German Christians who promoted ministries to the poor and sick and compiled a handbook of biographies of German hymn authors, Christian Singers of Germany (1869). Bert Polman ======================== Winkworth, Catherine, daughter of Henry Winkworth, of Alderley Edge, Cheshire, was born in London, Sep. 13, 1829. Most of her early life was spent in the neighbourhood of Manchester. Subsequently she removed with the family to Clifton, near Bristol. She died suddenly of heart disease, at Monnetier, in Savoy, in July, 1878. Miss Winkworth published:— Translations from the German of the Life of Pastor Fliedner, the Founder of the Sisterhood of Protestant Deaconesses at Kaiserworth, 1861; and of the Life of Amelia Sieveking, 1863. Her sympathy with practical efforts for the benefit of women, and with a pure devotional life, as seen in these translations, received from her the most practical illustration possible in the deep and active interest which she took in educational work in connection with the Clifton Association for the Higher Education of Women, and kindred societies there and elsewhere. Our interest, however, is mainly centred in her hymnological work as embodied in her:— (1) Lyra Germanica, 1st Ser., 1855. (2) Lyra Germanica, 2nd Ser., 1858. (3) The Chorale Book for England (containing translations from the German, together with music), 1863; and (4) her charming biographical work, the Christian Singers of Germany, 1869. In a sympathetic article on Miss Winkworth in the Inquirer of July 20, 1878, Dr. Martineau says:— "The translations contained in these volumes are invariably faithful, and for the most part both terse and delicate; and an admirable art is applied to the management of complex and difficult versification. They have not quite the fire of John Wesley's versions of Moravian hymns, or the wonderful fusion and reproduction of thought which may be found in Coleridge. But if less flowing they are more conscientious than either, and attain a result as poetical as severe exactitude admits, being only a little short of ‘native music'" Dr. Percival, then Principal of Clifton College, also wrote concerning her (in the Bristol Times and Mirror), in July, 1878:— "She was a person of remarkable intellectual and social gifts, and very unusual attainments; but what specially distinguished 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." Dr. Martineau (as above) says 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 ‘feminine 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." Miss Winkworth, although not the earliest of modern translators from the German into English, is certainly the foremost 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. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ============================ See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

Charles Wesley

1707 - 1788 Person Name: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788 Author of "Jesus, my Strength, my Hope" in The Evangelical Hymnal with Tunes Charles Wesley, M.A. was the great hymn-writer of the Wesley family, perhaps, taking quantity and quality into consideration, the great hymn-writer of all ages. Charles Wesley was the youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, and was born at Epworth Rectory, Dec. 18, 1707. In 1716 he went to Westminster School, being provided with a home and board by his elder brother Samuel, then usher at the school, until 1721, when he was elected King's Scholar, and as such received his board and education free. In 1726 Charles Wesley was elected to a Westminster studentship at Christ Church, Oxford, where he took his degree in 1729, and became a college tutor. In the early part of the same year his religious impressions were much deepened, and he became one of the first band of "Oxford Methodists." In 1735 he went with his brother John to Georgia, as secretary to General Oglethorpe, having before he set out received Deacon's and Priest's Orders on two successive Sundays. His stay in Georgia was very short; he returned to England in 1736, and in 1737 came under the influence of Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians, especially of that remarkable man who had so large a share in moulding John Wesley's career, Peter Bonier, and also of a Mr. Bray, a brazier in Little Britain. On Whitsunday, 1737, [sic. 1738] he "found rest to his soul," and in 1738 he became curate to his friend, Mr. Stonehouse, Vicar of Islington, but the opposition of the churchwardens was so great that the Vicar consented that he "should preach in his church no more." Henceforth his work was identified with that of his brother John, and he became an indefatigable itinerant and field preacher. On April 8, 1749, he married Miss Sarah Gwynne. His marriage, unlike that of his brother John, was a most happy one; his wife was accustomed to accompany him on his evangelistic journeys, which were as frequent as ever until the year 1756," when he ceased to itinerate, and mainly devoted himself to the care of the Societies in London and Bristol. Bristol was his headquarters until 1771, when he removed with his family to London, and, besides attending to the Societies, devoted himself much, as he had done in his youth, to the spiritual care of prisoners in Newgate. He had long been troubled about the relations of Methodism to the Church of England, and strongly disapproved of his brother John's "ordinations." Wesley-like, he expressed his disapproval in the most outspoken fashion, but, as in the case of Samuel at an earlier period, the differences between the brothers never led to a breach of friendship. He died in London, March 29, 1788, and was buried in Marylebone churchyard. His brother John was deeply grieved because he would not consent to be interred in the burial-ground of the City Road Chapel, where he had prepared a grave for himself, but Charles said, "I have lived, and I die, in the Communion of the Church of England, and I will be buried in the yard of my parish church." Eight clergymen of the Church of England bore his pall. He had a large family, four of whom survived him; three sons, who all became distinguished in the musical world, and one daughter, who inherited some of her father's poetical genius. The widow and orphans were treated with the greatest kindness and generosity by John Wesley. As a hymn-writer Charles Wesley was unique. He is said to have written no less than 6500 hymns, and though, of course, in so vast a number some are of unequal merit, it is perfectly marvellous how many there are which rise to the highest degree of excellence. His feelings on every occasion of importance, whether private or public, found their best expression in a hymn. His own conversion, his own marriage, the earthquake panic, the rumours of an invasion from France, the defeat of Prince Charles Edward at Culloden, the Gordon riots, every Festival of the Christian Church, every doctrine of the Christian Faith, striking scenes in Scripture history, striking scenes which came within his own view, the deaths of friends as they passed away, one by one, before him, all furnished occasions for the exercise of his divine gift. Nor must we forget his hymns for little children, a branch of sacred poetry in which the mantle of Dr. Watts seems to have fallen upon him. It would be simply impossible within our space to enumerate even those of the hymns which have become really classical. The saying that a really good hymn is as rare an appearance as that of a comet is falsified by the work of Charles Wesley; for hymns, which are really good in every respect, flowed from his pen in quick succession, and death alone stopped the course of the perennial stream. It has been the common practice, however for a hundred years or more to ascribe all translations from the German to John Wesley, as he only of the two brothers knew that language; and to assign to Charles Wesley all the original hymns except such as are traceable to John Wesley through his Journals and other works. The list of 482 original hymns by John and Charles Wesley listed in this Dictionary of Hymnology have formed an important part of Methodist hymnody and show the enormous influence of the Wesleys on the English hymnody of the nineteenth century. -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================== Charles Wesley, the son of Samuel Wesley, was born at Epworth, Dec. 18, 1707. He was educated at Westminster School and afterwards at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated M.A. In 1735, he took Orders and immediately proceeded with his brother John to Georgia, both being employed as missionaries of the S.P.G. He returned to England in 1736. For many years he engaged with his brother in preaching the Gospel. He died March 29, 1788. To Charles Wesley has been justly assigned the appellation of the "Bard of Methodism." His prominence in hymn writing may be judged from the fact that in the "Wesleyan Hymn Book," 623 of the 770 hymns were written by him; and he published more than thirty poetical works, written either by himself alone, or in conjunction with his brother. The number of his separate hymns is at least five thousand. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872.

John Wesley

1703 - 1791 Person Name: J. Wesley Translator of "Trust in God" in The Fellowship Hymn Book John Wesley, the son of Samuel, and brother of Charles Wesley, was born at Epworth, June 17, 1703. He was educated at the Charterhouse, London, and at Christ Church, Oxford. He became a Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and graduated M.A. in 1726. At Oxford, he was one of the small band consisting of George Whitefield, Hames Hervey, Charles Wesley, and a few others, who were even then known for their piety; they were deridingly called "Methodists." After his ordination he went, in 1735, on a mission to Georgia. The mission was not successful, and he returned to England in 1738. From that time, his life was one of great labour, preaching the Gospel, and publishing his commentaries and other theological works. He died in London, in 1791, in his eighty-eighth year. His prose works are very numerous, but he did not write many useful hymns. It is to him, however, and not to his brother Charles, that we are indebted for the translations from the German. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872 ====================== John Wesley, M.A., was born at Epworth Rectory in 1703, and, like the rest of the family, received his early education from his mother. He narrowly escaped perishing in the fire which destroyed the rectory house in 1709, and his deliverance made a life-long impression upon him. In 1714 he was nominated on the foundation of Charterhouse by his father's patron, the Duke of Buckingham, and remained at that school until 1720, when he went up, with a scholarship, from Charterhouse to Christ Church, Oxford. Having taken his degree, he received Holy Orders from the Bishop of Oxford (Dr. Potter) in 1725. In 1726 he was elected Fellow of Lincoln College, and remained at Oxford until 1727, when he returned into Lincolnshire to assist his father as curate at Epworth and Wroot. In 1729 he was summoned back to Oxford by his firm friend, Dr. Morley, Rector of Lincoln, to assist in the College tuition. There he found already established the little band of "Oxford Methodists" who immediately placed themselves under his direction. In 1735 he went, as a Missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, to Georgia, where a new colony had been founded under the governorship of General Oglethorpe. On his voyage out he was deeply impressed with the piety and Christian courage of some German fellow travellers, Moravians. During his short ministry in Georgia he met with many discouragements, and returned home saddened and dissatisfied both with himself and his work; but in London he again fell in with the Moravians, especially with Peter Bohler; and one memorable night (May 24, 1738) he went to a meeting in Aldersgate Street, where some one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. There, "About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." From that moment his future course was sealed; and for more than half a century he laboured, through evil report and good report, to spread what he believed to be the everlasting Gospel, travelling more miles, preaching more sermons, publishing more books of a practical sort, and making more converts than any man of his day, or perhaps of any day, and dying at last, March 2, 1791, in harness, at the patriarchal age of 88. The popular conception of the division of labour between the two brothers in the Revival, is that John was the preacher, and Charles the hymnwriter. But this is not strictly accurate. On the one hand Charles was also a great preacher, second only to his brother and George Whitefield in the effects which he produced. On the other hand, John by no means relegated to Charles the exclusive task of supplying the people with their hymns. John Wesley was not the sort of man to depute any part of his work entirely to another: and this part was, in his opinion, one of vital importance. With that wonderful instinct for gauging the popular mind, which was one element in his success, he saw at once that hymns might be utilized, not only for raising the devotion, but also for instructing, and establishing the faith of his disciples. He intended the hymns to be not merely a constituent part of public worship, but also a kind of creed in verse. They were to be "a body of experimental and practical divinity." "In what other publication," he asks in his Preface to the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780 (Preface, Oct. 20,1779), "have you so distinct and full an account of Scriptural Christianity; such a declaration of the heights and depths of religion, speculative and practical; so strong cautions against the most plausible errors, particularly those now most prevalent; and so clear directions for making your calling and election sure; for perfecting holiness in the fear of God?" The part which he actually took in writing the hymns, it is not easy to ascertain; but it is certain that more than thirty translations from the German, French and Spanish (chiefly from the German) were exclusively his; and there are some original hymns, admittedly his composition, which are not unworthy to stand by the side of his brother's. His translations from the German especially have had a wide circulation. Although somewhat free as translations they embody the fire and energy of the originals. It has been the common practice, however for a hundred years or more to ascribe all translations from the German to John Wesley, as he only of the two brothers knew that language; and to assign to Charles Wesley all the original hymns except such as are traceable to John Wesley through his Journals and other works. The list of 482 original hymns by John and Charles Wesley listed in this Dictionary of Hymnology have formed an important part of Methodist hymnody and show the enormous influence of the Wesleys on the English hymnody of the nineteenth century. -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) =================== See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

John Keble

1792 - 1866 Person Name: J. Keble Author of "Blest are the pure in heart" in The Lutheran Hymnary Keble, John, M.A., was born at Fairford, in Gloucestershire, on St. Mark's Day, 1792. His father was Vicar of Coln St. Aldwin's, about three miles distant, but lived at Fairford in a house of his own, where he educated entirely his two sons, John and Thomas, up to the time of their entrance at Oxford. In 1806 John Keble won a Scholarship at Corpus Christi College, and in 1810 a Double First Class, a distinction which up to that time had been gained by no one except Sir Robert Peel. In 1811 he was elected a Fellow of Oriel, a very great honour, especially for a boy under 19 years of age; and in 1811 he won the University Prizes both for the English and Latin Essays. It is somewhat remarkable that amid this brilliantly successful career, one competition in which the future poet was unsuccessful was that for English verse, in which he was defeated by Mr. Rolleston. After his election at Oriel, he resided in College, and engaged in private tuition. At the close of 1813 he was appointed Examining Master in the Schools, and was an exceedingly popular and efficient examiner. On Trinity Sunday, 1815, he was ordained Deacon, and in 1816 Priest, by the Bishop of Oxford, and became Curate of East Leach and Burthorpe, though he still continued to reside at Oxford. In 1818 he was appointed College Tutor at Oriel, which office he retained until 1823. On the death of his mother in the same year, he left Oxford, and returned to live with his father and two surviving sisters at Fairford. In addition to East Leach and Burthorpe, he also accepted the Curacy of Southrop, and the two brothers, John and Thomas, undertook the duties between them, at the same time helping their father at Coln. It should be added, as an apology for Keble thus becoming a sort of pluralist among "the inferior clergy," that the population of all his little cures did not exceed 1000, nor the income £100 a year. In 1824 came the only offer of a dignity in the Church, and that a very humble one, which he ever received. The newly-appointed Bishop of Barbadoes (Coleridge) wished Keble to go out with him as Archdeacon, and but for his father's delicate state of health, he would probably have accepted the offer. In 1825 he became Curate of Hursley, on the recommendation of his old pupil, Sir William Heathcote; but in 1826, on the death of his sister, Mary Ann, he returned to Fairford, feeling that he ought not to separate himself from his father and only surviving sister. He supplied his father's place at Coln entirely. 1827 was memorable for the publication of The Christian Year, and 1828 for the election to the Provostship of Oriel, which his friends, rather than himself, seem to have been anxious to secure for him. In 1829 the living of Hursley was offered to him by Sir William Heathcote, but declined on the ground that he could not leave his father. In 1830 he published his admirable edition of Hooker's Works. In 1831 the Bishop of Exeter (Dr. Philpotts) offered him the valuable living of Paignton, but it was declined for the same reason that Hursley had been declined. In the same year he was also elected to the Poetry Professorship at Oxford. His Praelectiones in that capacity were much admired. In 1833 he preached his famous Assize Sermon at Oxford, which is said by Dr. Newman to have given the first start to the Oxford Movement. Very soon after the publication of this sermon the Tracts for the Times began to be issued. Of these Tracts Keble wrote Nos. 4, 13, 40, and 89. In 1835 his father died, and Keble and his sister retired from Fairford to Coln. In the same year he married Miss Clarke and the Vicarage of Hursley, again becoming vacant, was again offered to him by Sir W. Heathcote, and as the reason for his previous refusal of it no longer existed, he accepted the offer, and in 1836 settled at Hursley for the remainder of his life. That life was simply the life of a devoted and indefatigable parish priest, varied by intellectual pursuits. In 1864 his health began to give way, and on March 29, 1866, he passed away, his dearly loved wife only surviving him six weeks. Both are buried, side by side, in Hursley churchyard. In his country vicarage he was not idle with his pen. In 1839 he published his Metrical Version of the Psalms. The year before, he began to edit, in conjunction with Drs. Pusey and Newman, the Library of the Fathers. In 1846 he published the Lyra Innocentium, and in 1847 a volume of Academical and Occasional Sermons. His pen then seems to have rested for nearly ten years, when the agitation about the Divorce Bill called forth from him in 1851 an essay entitled, An Argument for not proceeding immediately to repeal the Laws which treat the Nuptial Bond as Indissoluble; and in the same year the decision of Archbishop Sumner in the Denison case elicited another essay, the full title of which is The Worship of Our Lord and Saviour in the Sacrament of the Holy Communion, but which is shortly entitled, Eucharistical Adoration. In 1863 he published his last work, The Life of Bishop Wilson (of Sodor and Man). This cost him more pains than anything he wrote, but it was essentially a labour of love. In the popular sense of the word "hymn," Keble can scarcely be called a hymnwriter at all. Very many of his verses have found their way into popular collections of Hymns for Public Worship, but these are mostly centos. Often they are violently detached from their context in a way which seriously damages their significance. Two glaring instances of this occur in the Morning and Evening hymns. In the former the verse "Only, O Lord, in Thy dear love, Fit us for perfect rest above," loses half its meaning when the preceding verse, ending "The secret this of rest below," is excised, as it generally is in collections for public worship, and the same may be said of that most familiar of all Keble's lines, "Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear," which has of course especial reference to the preceding verse, "'Tis gone, that bright and orbed blaze," &c. The Lyra Innocentium has furnished but few verses which have been adopted into hymn collections; the Psalter has been more fortunate, but the translations from the Latin are almost unknown. Taking, however, the word "hymn" in the wider sense in which Dr. Johnson defines it, as "a song of adoration to some superior being," Keble stands in the very first rank of hymnwriters. His uneventful life was the very ideal life for such a poet as Keble was, but not the sort of life which would be best adapted to train a popular hymnwriter. The Christian Year and the Lyra Innocentium reflect in a remarkable degree the surroundings of the writer. They are essentially the works of a refined and cultured mind, and require a refined and cultured mind to enter into their spirit. Keble, all his life long, and never more than in the earlier portion of it, before he wrote, and when he was writing The Christian Year, breathed an atmosphere of culture and refinement. He had imbibed neither the good nor the evil which the training of a public or even of a private, school brings. It was not even the ordinary home education which he had received. He had been trained, up to the very time of his going to college, by his father, who was clearly a man of culture and refinement, and had been himself successively Scholar and Fellow of Corpus. When he went to Oxford, he can scarcely be said to have entered into the whirl of university life. The Corpus of those days has been admirably described by Keble's own biographer, Sir John Coleridge, and by Dean Stanley in his Life of Dr. Arnold; and the impression which the two vivid pictures leave upon the mind is that of a home circle, on rather a large scale, composed of about twenty youths, all more or less scholarly and refined, and some of them clearly destined to become men of mark. When he removed across the road to Oriel, he found himself in the midst of a still more distinguished band. Whether at home or at college he had never come into contact with anything rude or coarse. And his poetry is just what one would expect from such a career. Exquisitely delicate and refined thoughts, expressed in the most delicate and refined language, are characteristic of it all. Even the occasional roughnesses of versification may not be altogether unconnected with the absence of a public school education, when public schools laid excessive stress upon the form of composition, especially in verse. The Christian Year again bears traces of the life which the writer led, in a clerical atmosphere, just at the eve of a great Church Revival, "cujus pars magna fuit." “You know," he writes to a friend, “the C. Y. (as far as I remember it) everywhere supposes the Church to be in a state of decay." Still more obviously is this the case in regard to the Lyra Innocentium. It was being composed during the time when the writer was stricken by what he always seems to have regarded as the great sorrow of his life. Not the death of his nearest relations—-and he had several trials of this kind—-not the greatest of his own personal troubles dealt to him so severe a blow as the secession of J. H. Newman to the Church of Rome. The whole circumstances of the fierce controversy connected with the Tract movement troubled and unsettled him; and one can well understand with what a sense of relief he turned to write, not for, but about, little children, a most important distinction, which has too often been unnoticed. If the Lyra had been written for children it would have been an almost ludicrous failure, for the obscurity which has been frequently complained of in The Christian Year, is still more conspicuous in the latter work. The title is somewhat misleading, and has caused it to be regarded as a suitable gift-book for the young, who are quite incapable of appreciating it. For the Lyra is written in a deeper tone, and expresses the more matured convictions of the author; and though it is a far less successful achievement as a whole, it rises in places to a higher strain of poetry than The Christian Year does. Another marked feature of Keble's poetry is to a great extent traceable to his early life, viz. the wonderful accuracy and vividness of his descriptions of natural scenery. The ordinary schoolboy or undergraduate cares little for natural scenery. The country is to him a mere playing field. But Keble's training led him to love the country for its own sake. Hence, as Dean Stanley remarks, “Oxford, Bagley Wood, and the neighbourhood of Hursley might be traced through hundreds of lines, both in The Christian Year and the Lyra Innocentium.” The same writer testifies, with an authority which no other Englishman could claim, to "the exactness of the descriptions of Palestine, which he [Keble] had never visited.” And may not this remarkable fact be also traced to some extent to his early training? Brought up under the immediate supervision of a pious father, whom he venerated and loved dearly, he had been encouraged to study intelligently his Bible in a way in which a boy differently educated was not likely to do. Hence, as Sir John Coleridge remarks, "The Christian Year is so wonderfully scriptural. Keble's mind was, by long, patient and affectionate study of Scripture, so imbued with it that its language, its train of thought, its mode of reasoning, seems to flow out into his poetry, almost, one should think, unconsciously to himself." To this may we not add that the same intimate knowledge of the Bible had rendered the memory of the Holy Land so familiar to him that he was able to describe it as accurately as if he had seen it? One other early influence of Keble's life upon his poetry must be noticed. Circumstances brought him into contact with the "Lake poets." The near relation of one of the greatest of them had been his college friend, and John Coleridge introduced him to the writings not only of his uncle, S. T. Coleridge, but also of Wordsworth, to whom he dedicated his Praelectiones, and whose poetry and personal character he admired enthusiastically. To the same college friend he was indebted for an introduction to Southey, whom he found to be "a noble and delightful character," and there is no doubt that the writings of these three great men, but especially Wordsworth, had very much to do with the formation of Keble's own mind as a poet. It has been remarked that in Keble's later life his poetical genius seemed to have, to a great extent, forsaken him; and that the Miscellaneous Poems do not show many traces of the spirit which animated The Christian Year and the Lyra Innocentium. Perhaps one reason for this change may be found in the increased interest "which Keble took in public questions which were not conducive to the calm, introspective state of mind so necessary to the production of good poetry. The poet should live in a world of his own, not in a world perpetually wrangling about University Reform, about Courts of Final Appeal, about Marriage with Deceased Wife's Sister, and other like matters into which Keble, in his later years, threw himself—heart and soul. It is not needful to say much about Keble's other poetical works, The Psalter was not a success, and Keble did not expect it to be. It was undertaken," he tells us, "in the first instance with a serious apprehension, which has since grown into a full conviction, that the thing attempted is, strictly speaking, impossible." At the same time, if Keble did not achieve what he owned to be impossible, he produced a version which has the rare merit of never offending against good taste; one which in every line reflects the mind of the cultured and elegant scholar, who had been used to the work of translating from other languages into English. Hymnal compilers have hitherto strangely neglected this volume; but it is a volume worth the attention of the hymn compiler of the future. There is scarcely a verse in it which would do discredit to any hymnbook; while there are parts which would be an acquisition to any collection. His translations from the Latin have not commended themselves to hymnal compilers. Some of his detached hymns have been more popular. But it is after all as writer of The Christian Year that Keble has established his claim to be reckoned among the immortals. It would be hardly too much to say that what the Prayer Book is in prose, The Christian Year is in poetry. They never pall upon one; they realise Keble's own exquisite simile:— "As for some dear familiar strain Untired we ask, and ask again; Ever in its melodious store Finding a spell unheard before." And it would hardly be too bold to prophesy that The Christian Year will live as long as the Prayer Book, whose spirit Keble had so thoroughly imbibed, and whose "soothing influence" it was his especial object to illustrate and commend. [Rev. John H. 0verton, D.D.] Keble's hymns, poetical pieces, and translations appeared in the following works :— (1.) The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holy days Throughout the Year. Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1827. Preface dated "May 30th, 1827." The last poem, that on the “Commination," is dated March 9, 1827. The poems on the "Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea," "Gunpowder Treason," "King Charles the Martyr," "The Restoration of the Royal Family," "The Accession," and "Ordination," were added to the 4th edition, 1828. The Messrs. Parker have pub. a large number of editions to date, including a facsimile reprint of the first edition, and an edition with the addition of the dates of composition of each poem. A facsimile of Keble's manuscript as it existed in 1822 was also lithographed in 1882, by Eliot Stock, but its publication was suppressed by a legal injunction, and only a few copies came into the hands of the public. Since the expiration of the first copyright other publishers have issued the work in various forms. (2.) Contributions to the British Magazine, which were included in Lyra Apostolica, 1836, with the signature of "γ." (3.) The Psalter or Psalms of David; In English Verse; By a Member of the University of Oxford. Adapted for the most part, to Tunes in Common Use; and dedicated by permission to the Lord Bishop of Oxford. . . . Oxford, John Henry Parker: J. G. & F. Rivington, London, MDCCCXXXIX. Preface dated “Oxford, May 29, 1839." (4.) The Child's Christian Year: Hymns for every Sunday and Holy-Day. Compiled for the use of Parochial Schools. Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1841. This was compiled by Mrs. Yonge. Keble wrote the Preface, dated “Hursley, Nov. 6, 1841," and signed it “J. K." To it he contributed the four poems noted below. (5.) Lyra Innocentium: Thoughts in Verse on Christian Children, their Ways and their Privileges . . . Oxford: John Henry Parker : F. & J. Rivington, London, 1846. The Metrical Address (in place of Preface) “To all Friendly Readers," is dated "Feb. 8, 1846." (6.) Lays of the Sanctuary, and otter Poems. Compiled and Edited by G. Stevenson de M. Rutherford... London: Hamilton, Adams & Co., 1859. This was a volume of poems published on behalf of Mrs. Elizabeth Good. To it Keble contributed the three pieces noted below. (7.) The Salisbury Hymn-Book 1857. Edited by Earl Nelson. To this be contributed a few hymns, some translations from the Latin, and some rewritten forms of well-known hymns, as "Guide me, 0 Thou great Jehovah," &c. (8.) Miscellaneous Poems by the. Rev. J. Keble, M.A., Vicar of Hursley. Oxford and London: Parker & Co., 1869. The excellent Preface to this posthumous work is dated "Chester, Feb. 22, 1869," and is signed "G.M," i.e. by George Moberly, late Bishop of Salisbury. This volume contains Keble's Ode written for the Installation of the Duke of Wellington as Chancellor of the University of Oxford, in 1834, his poems from the Lyra Apostolica, his hymns named above, his translations from the Latin, and other pieces not published in his works. The most important centos from The Christian Year, which are in common use as hymns, and also the hymns contributed to the Salisbury Hymn Book, 1857, are annotated in full under the first lines of the original poems. The translations from the Latin and Greek are given under the first lines of the originals. There are also several of his more important pieces noted in the body of this work. Those that …have no special history, are the following (the dates given being those of the composition of each piece):— i. From The Christian Year, 1827 and 1828. 1. Creator, Saviour, strengthening Guide. Trinity Sunday. (March 3, 1826.) 2. Father, what treasures of sweet thought. Churching of Women. (March 13, 1827.) 3. God is not in the earthquake: but behold. 9th Sunday after Trinity. The still mall voice. (Aug. 13,1822.) 4. In troublous days of anguish and rebuke. 9th S. after Trinity. The still small voice. (Aug. 13, 1822.) 5. Lessons sweet of spring returning. 1st Sunday after Epiphany. Spring. (May 17,1824.) 6. My Saviour, can it ever be? 4th Sunday after Easter. The promised Comforter. 7. 0 Father of long suffering grace. 18th Sunday after Trinity. God's longsuffering. (Oct. 6, 1823.) 8. 0 God of mercy, God of might, How should, &c. Holy Communion. (Jan. 31, 1827.) 9. 0 Lord my God, do Thou Thy holy will. Wednesday before Easter. Resignation. (Aug. 13, 1821.) 10. 0 say not, dream [think] not, heavenly notes. Catechism. (Feb. 16, 1827.) 11. 0 shame upon thee, listless heart. SS. Philip & James. (Aug. 3, 1825.) 12. 0 who shall dare in this frail scene? St. Mark's Day. (1820.) 13. Red o'er the forest peers the setting sun. 23rd Sunday after Trinity. The Resurrection of the body. (Nov. 12, 1825.) 14. Spirit of Christ, Thine earnest give. Ordination. (March 28, 1828.) 15. Spirit of light and truth, to Thee. Ordination. (March 28, 1828.) 16. Spirit of might and sweetness too. Confirmation. (Feb. 21, 1827.) 17. Sweet nurslings of the vernal skies. 15th S. after Trinity. Consider the lilies. Live for today. (Feb. 3, 1826) 18. The days of hope and prayer are past. 4th Sunday after Easter. The promised Comforter. 19. The live-long night we've toiled in vain. 5th Sunday after Trinity. Miracle of the Fishes. (1821.) 20. The midday sun with fiercest glare. Conversion of St. Paul. (Mar. 2,1822.) 21. The shadow of the Almighty's cloud. Confirmation. (Feb. 22, 1827.) 22. The silent joy that sinks so deep. 2nd Sunday after Epiphany. Turning Water into Wine. 23. Then, fainting soul, arise and sing. 4th Sunday after Easter. The promised Comforter. 24. When brothers part for manhood's race. St. Andrew's Day. (Jan. 27, 1822.) 25. Who is God’s chosen priest ? St. Matthias's Day. 26. Why doth my Saviour weep? 10th Sunday after Trinity. Christ weeping over Jerusalem. (1819.) 27. Why should we faint and fear to live alone? 24th Sunday after Trinity. God's goodness in veiling the future. (June 7, 1825.) 28. Wish not, dear friends, my pain away. 16th Sunday after Trinity. Resignation. (1824.) ii. From The Psalter, 1839. 29. From deeps so wild and drear. Ps. cxxx. 30. God our Hope and Strength abiding. Ps. xlvi. 31. How pleasant, Lord of hosts, how dear. Ps. lxxxiv. 32. Lord, be my Judge, for I have trod. Ps. xxvi. 33. Lord, Thy heart in love hath yearned. Ps. lxxxv. 34. Lord, Thou hast search'd me out and known. Ps. cxxxix 35. My God, my God, why hast Thou me? Ps. xxii. 36. My Shepherd is the living God. Ps. xxiii. 37. My Shepherd is the Lord; J know. Ps. xxiii. 38. Praise the Lord, for He is love. Ps. cxxxvi. 39. Praise ye the Lord from heaven. Ps.cxlviii. 40. Sing the song unheard before. Ps. xcvi. 41. Sound high Jehovah's Name. Ps. cxxxv. 42. The earth is all the Lord's, with all. Ps. xxiv. 43. The mercies of the Lord my God. Ps. lxxxix. 44. The seed of Jacob, one and all. Ps. xxii. iii. From The Child's Christian Year, 1841, and later editions. 45. Bethlehem, above all cities blest. Innocents’ Day. 46. Lo, from the Eastern hills the Lord. l0th Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel. (Late editions.) 47. Our God in glory sits on high. 1st Sunday after Easter. The Epistle. 48. When Christ to village comes or town. 16th Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel. (Late editions.) iv. From Lyra Innocentium, 1846. 49. Christ before thy door is waiting. Presence of Christ in His poor; or, Offertory. 50. How [When] the new-born saints, assembling. Offertory. 51. Once in His Name Who made thee. Holy Baptism. 52. Who for the like of me will care? Naamans' Servant-maid v. From Lays of the Sanctuary, 1859. 53. Lord, lift my heart to Thee at morn. Emigrant's Midnight Hymn. 54. O Love unseen, we know Thee nigh. Cento from No. 53. 55. Slowly the gleaming stars retire. Morning Hymn for Emigrants at Sea. 56. The twilight hour is sweet at home. Evening hymn for Emigrants at Sea. The editor of Keble's Miscellaneous Poems says concerning Nos. 53, 55, and 56:— "The three hymns for Emigrants, for use at Midnight, Morning, and Evening, were written at the request of his friend Sir Frederic Rogers, at that time Emigration Commissioner. They were printed in the first edition of the ‘Prayers for Emigrants, which he had compiled, but were subsequently omitted, perhaps as being thought not sufficiently simple for the class of people for whose use the Book of Prayers was chiefly intended." Preface, p. vi. It is found that nearly 100 hymns (counting centos as such) 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. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

John Kent

1766 - 1843 Author of "What cheering words are these!" in Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church Kent, John, was born at Bideford, Devonshire, Dec. 1766, and died Nov. 15, 1843. As a working shipwright his opportunities for acquiring the education and polish necessary for the production of refined verse were naturally limited. His hymns are strongly worded, very earnest and simple, and intensely Calvinistic. A few were published in Samuel Reece's Collection, 1799. The first edition of his Collection of Original Gospel Hymns, was published in 1803, and the 10th edition, with "The Author's Experience," in verse, 264 hymns, 15 longer pieces, and a Life by his Son in 1861. The Calvinistic teaching so prominent in his hymns has restricted their use to a limited number of collections. The greatest use made of them in modern hymnbooks has been by Mr. Spurgeon (Our Own Hymn Book, 1866) and Mr. Snepp (Songs of Grace & Glory, 1872). In the following list the dates in brackets indicate the dates of publication:— 1. Before the Almighty began (1841). Election. 2. Betroth'd in love, ere time began (1803). Election. 3. Christ exalted is our song (1803). Christ the sin tier's Surety. 4. Come saints, and sing in sweet accord (1803). Stability of the Covenant. 5. Hark, how the blood-bought host above (1803). Election. 6. How sweet the notes of yonder choir (1841). Christmas. 7. In types and shadows we are told (1803). Pardon. 8. Indulgent God, how kind (1803). Electing Love. 9. Let Zion in her songs record (1803). Pardon--Grace exalted. 10. Love was the great self-moving cause (1803). Free Grace. 11. Precious is the Name of Jesus (1841). The Precious Name. 12. Salvation by grace, how charming the song (1803). Free Grace. 13. Saved from the damning power of sin (1803). Eternal Love. 14. Sons of God, in tribulation (1803). Affliction. 15. Sons of peace, redeemed by blood (1803). Good Friday. 16. Sovereign grace o'er sin abounding (1827). Perseverance of the faint. 17. 'Tis the Church triumphant singing (1803). Praise. 18. 'Twas not to make Jehovah's love (1803). Election. 19. 'Twas with an everlasting love (1803). Election. 20. What cheering words are these (1803). Safety in God. 21. With David's Lord, and ours (1803). The Divine Covenant. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

E. H. Plumptre

1821 - 1891 Person Name: Rev. E. H. Plumptre Author of "Rejoice, ye pure in heart!" in The Hymnal, Revised and Enlarged, as adopted by the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the year of our Lord 1892 Edward H. Plumptre (b. London, England, August 6, 1821; d. Wells, England, February 1, 1891) was an eminent classical and biblical scholar who gained prominence in both church and university. Educated at King's College, London, and University College, Oxford, he was ordained in the Church of England in 1846. Plumptre served as a preacher at Oxford and a professor of pastoral theology at King's College, and held a number of other prestigious positions. His writings include A Life of Bishop Ken (1888), translations from Greek and Latin classics, and poetry and hymns. Plumptre was also a member of the committee that produced the Revised Version of the Bible. Bert Polman ==================== Plumptre, Edward Hayes, D.D., son of Mr. E. H. Plumptre, was born in London, Aug. 6, 1821, and educated at King's College, London, and University College, Oxford, graduating as a double first in 1844. He was for some time Fellow of Brasenose. On taking Holy Orders in 1846 he rapidly attained to a foremost position as a Theologian and Preacher. His appointments have been important and influential, and include that of Assistant Preacher at Lincoln's Inn; Select Preacher at Oxford; Professor of Pastoral Theology at King's College, London; Dean of Queen's, Oxford; Prebendary in St. Paul's Cathedral, London; Professor of Exegesis of the New Testament in King's College, London; Boyle Lecturer; Grinfield Lecturer on the Septuagint, Oxford; Examiner in the Theological schools at Oxford; Member of the Old Testament Company for the Revision of the A.V. of the Holy Scriptures; Rector of Pluckley, 1869; Vicar of Bickley, Kent, 1873; and Dean of Wells, 1881. Dean Plumptre's literary productions have been very numerous and important, and embrace the classics, history, divinity, biblical criticism, biography, and poetry. The list as set forth in Crockford's Clerical Directory is very extensive. His poetical works include Lazarus, and Other Poems, 1864; Master and Scholar, 1866; Things New and Old, 1884; and translations of Sophocles, Æschylus, and Dante. As a writer of sacred poetry he ranks very high. His hymns are elegant in style, fervent in spirit, and broad in treatment. The subjects chosen are mainly those associated with the revived Church life of the present day, from the Processional at a Choral Festival to hospital work and the spiritual life in schools and colleges. The rhythm of his verse has a special attraction for musicians, its poetry for the cultured, and its stately simplicity for the devout and earnest-minded. The two which have attained to the most extensive use in Great Britain and America are: Rejoice, ye pure in heart," and "Thine arm, O Lord, in days of old." His translations from the Latin, many of which were made for the Hymnary, 1871 and 1872, are very good and musical, but they have not been used in any way in proportion to their merits. His original hymns in common use include:— 1. Behold they gain the lonely height. The Transfiguration. Written for and first published in the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Church Hymns, 1871. 2. For all Thy countless bounties. National Hymns. Written for the Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 1887, and set to music by C. W. Lavington. It was printed, together with the National Anthem adapted for the Jubilee, in Good Words, 1887. 3. Lo, summer comes again! Harvest. Written in 1871 for use at the Harvest Festival in Pluckley Church, Kent, of which the author was then rector, and published in the same year in the Hymnary, No. 466. 4. March, march, onward soldiers true. Processional at Choral Festivals. Written in 1867 for the tune of Costa's March of the Israelites in the Oratorio of Eli, at the request of the Rev. Henry White, Chaplain of the Savoy, and first used in that Chapel. It was subsequently published in the Savoy Hymnary, N.D. [1870], in 4 stanzas of 4 lines; in a Choral Festival book at Peterborough, and in the S. P. C. K. Church Hymns, 1871. 5. 0 Light, Whose beams illumine all. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. Written in May 1864, and published in his Lazarus, and Other Poems, 1864, as one of five Hymns for School and College. It passed into the 1868 Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern, and again into other collections. 6. 0 Lord of hosts, all heaven possessing. For School or College. Written in May, 1864, and published in his Lazarus and other Poems, 1864, in 5 stanzas of 6 lines. 7. 0 praise the Lord our God. Processional Thanksgiving Hymn. Written May 1864, and published in his Lazarus, and other Poems, 1864, in 4 stanzas of 8 lines. It is a most suitable hymn for Sunday school gatherings. 8. Rejoice, ye pure in heart. Processional at Choral Festival. Written in May 1865, for the Peterborough Choral Festival of that year, and first used in Peterborough Cathedral. In the same year it was published with special music by Novello & Co; and again (without music) in the 2nd edition of Lazarus, and Other Poems, 1865. It was included in the 1868 Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern with the change in stanza i., line 3, of "Your orient banner wave on high," to "Your festal banner wave on high." It is more widely used than any other of the author's hymns. Authorized text in Hymns Ancient & Modern. 9. Thine arm, 0 Lord, in days of old. Hospitals. Written in 1864 for use in King's College Hospital, London, and first printed on a fly-sheet as "A Hymn used in the Chapel of King's College Hospital." It was included in the 2nd edition of Lazarus, and Other Poems, 1865; in the 1868 Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern; the S. P. C. K. Church Hymns, 1871; Thring's Collection, 1882; and many others. 10. Thy hand, 0 God, has guided. Church Defence. Included in the 1889 Supplemental Hymns to Hymns Ancient & Modern The closing line of each stanza, "One Church, one Faith, one Lord," comes in with fine effect. Dean Plumptre's Life of Bishop Ken, 1888, is an exhaustive and excellent work. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) =============== Plumptre, E. H., p. 897, i. Died at the Deanery, Wells, Feb. 1, 1891. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

George Heath

1745 - 1822 Author of "My soul, be on thy guard" in College Hymnal Rv George Heath DD United Kingdom 1745-1822. Born at Exeter, Devon, England, he was educated at the Dissenting Academy and King’s College, Cambridge. He married Mary Ann Kean, and they had 4 children: Louisa, John, Charles, and Benjamin (also a minister). He served as pastor of the Honiton, Devonshire, Presbyterian Church, but proved unworthy and was dismissed for cause. He later became a Unitarian minister. In 1781 he published “Hymns & poetic essays sacred to the worship of the Deity”. He also authored a “History of Bristol”. He became Headmaster of Eton College (1792-1802). He joined the Anglican Church and became Canon of Windsor (1800-1822), Rector of Monks Risborough, Vicar of Sturminster Marshall, Dorset, Vicar of Piddletown, Vicar of East Beachsworth (1805-1814), and Fellow of the Royal Society (1795-1822). He was appointed to the 4th stall in St. George’s Chapel in 1800, Windsor Castle, and died at his residence in the Cloisters, Windsor Castle. John Perry ======================= Heath, George, became pastor of a Presbyterian Church at Honiton, Devon, in 1770, and died in 1822. He published a History of Bristol, 1797. Also Hymns and Poetic Essays Sacred to the Public and Private Worship of the Deity, &c, Bristol, 1781, from which "My soul, be on thy guard" (Steadfastness), is taken. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Edwin Hatch

1835 - 1889 Person Name: Edwin Hatch, 1835-1889 Author of "O Master of my soul" in University Hymn Book for use in the Chapel of Harvard University Hatch, Edwin, D.D., was born at Derby, Sep. 4, 1835, and educated at Pembroke College, Oxford, B.A., in honours, in 1857. After holding important appointments in Canada, he returned to England and became Vice-Principal of St. Mary Hall, Oxford, 1867; and Rector of Purleigh, 1883. (See also Crockford). He died Nov. 10, 1889. His hymn-writing was limited. One, and that a very spirited lyric, is in Allon's Congregational Psalmist Hymnal, 1886 "Breathe on me, Breath of God." (Whitsuntide.) Dr. Hatch's hymns were published in his posthumous Towards Fields of Light, London 1890. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)