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S. Preiswerk

1799 - 1871 Person Name: Samuel Preiswerk Hymnal Number: 405 Author of "Wir treten in das neue Jahr" in Deutsches Gesangbuch Preiswerk, Samuel, son of Alexander Preiswerk, pastor at Rümlingen, in the canton of Basel, was born at Rümlingen, Sept. 19, 1799. After studying at the Universities of Basel, Tübingen, and Erlangen, he was for some time curate in charge at Benken, in the canton of Basel. In 1824 he was appointed preacher at the Basel Orphanage, and in 1829 tutor of Hebrew at the Basel mission house. In 1830 he was chosen as pastor of Muttenz, near Basel, but on the outbreak of the Revolution of 1832 had to leave. After being from 1834 to 1837 professor of Old Testament Exegesis and Oriental languages in the Evangelical Theological Institution at Geneva, he returned to Basel, where he was instituted, in 1843, as pastor of St. Leonard's church, and in 1859 as antistes, or highest dignitary in the Cathedral. He died at Basel, Jan. 13, 1871 (0. Kraus, 1879, p. 400; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographiexxvi. 552, &c). Preiswerk was a distinguished preacher. He was one of the editors of the Basel Gesang-Buch, 1854. His hymns were written at various times, generally to be used at Mission and other meetings in which he was to take part. Sixteen were included in a collection edited by two of his friends and published at Basel, 1844, as the Evangelischer Lieder Kranz (271 hymns old and new). Nine of his hymns are in Knapp's Evanglischer Lieder-Schatz, ed. 1850. The only one translation into English is:— Das ist der Gemeine Starke. Missions. In 1844, as above, No. 98, p. 124, in 5 stanzas of 4lines. Included in Knapp's Evanglischer Lieder-Schatz, 1850, No. 1160 (1865, No. 1200). Translated as:— Hark, the Church proclaims her honour. In full by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 2nd ser., 1858, p. 59, and her Chorale Book for England, 1863, No. 104 (she misquotes the first line as Dies ist der Gemeinde Stärke). Repeated in the Psalms & Hymns, Bedford, 1859, and the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Matthias Jorissen

1739 - 1823 Person Name: M. Jorissem Hymnal Number: 287 Author of "O wohl dem Menschen, dem die Schuld vergeben" in Deutsches Gesangbuch

Johann Peter Lange

1802 - 1884 Person Name: Dr. Johann Peter Lange Hymnal Number: 94 Author of "Gott mit uns! Mit uns auf Erden!" in Deutsches Gesangbuch Lange, Johann Peter, D.D., son of Peter Lang or Lange, farmer and carrier on the estate of Bies, near Sonnborn, Elberfeld, was born at the Bies, April 10, 1802. In 1822 he entered the University of Bonn as a student of theology; and in the beginning of 1826 he became assistant to Pastor Emil Krummacher of Langenberg. In June 1826 he was appointed second pastor at Wald near Solingen; in 1828 second pastor of the Reformed church at Langenberg, and in 1832 second pastor at Duisburg. He was then appointed professor of Church History and Dogmatics at Zurich, as successor to D. F. Strauss, and entered on his duties at Easter, 1841; receiving shortly thereafter D.D. from Bonn. After Easter, 1854, he was professor of Systematic Theology at Bonn (also Consistorialrath after 1860), and continued to lecture up to five days before his death. He died at Bonn, July 8, 1884 (Koch, vii. 361; 0. Kraus, 1879, p. 324, &c). Lange is best known as a theologian, and by such works as his Life of Christ, 1844; his Bibel-Werk, 1857, ff., a commentary on the whole Bible which he edited in conjunction with various German scholars (English edition by Dr. P. Schaff and others), &c. During his tenure of office at Zurich, he began the fashion of giving University lectures on hymnology (1842), and published a large hymn-book (Deutsches Kirchenliederbuch, Zürich, 1843) with an elaborate introduction and a considerable body of notes. He is the most important modern hymn-writer of the German Reformed Church. He was, however, a thinker rather than a poet. His productions are primarily thoughtful, picturesque, imaginative, and deeply spiritual poems for private reading; and have little of the popular tone and style fitted for use in the services of the church. They appeared mostly in his (1) Biblische Dichtungen, vol. i., Elberfeld, 1832; vol. ii. Elberfeld, 1834; (2) Gedichte, Essen, 1843; (3) Vom Oelberge, Frankfurt-am-Main, 1852; 2nd edition 1858. Comparatively few of Lange's hymns are in German common use. Those which have passed into English are:— i. Hymns in English common use:-- i. Der Herr ist auferstanden. Easter. In his Biblische Dichtungen, vol. i., 1832, p. 155, in 17 stanzas of 7 lines. In his Vom Oelberge, 1852, p. 28, only st. i., vii., xiv.-xvii., were retained, and this form is No. 517 in Dr. Schaff’s Deutsches Gesang-Buch 1874. Translated as:— The Lord of Life is risen. A good translation of the 1852 text, by Dr. H. Harbaugh, in the German Reformed Guardian, April 1860, p. 106, repeated in Hymns for the [German] Reformed Church in the United States, Philad., 1874; also in Schaff’s Christ in Song, 1869 and 1870. ii. Unsre Lieben sind geschieden. For Mourners. In his Biblische Dichtungen, vol. ii., 1834, p. 172, in 10 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled ,”The Home Going." In F. Seinecke's Evang. Liedersegen, 1862, No. 412. Translated as:— Our beloved have departed. By Mrs. Findlater, omitting stanzas v., vii., ix., in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 2nd Ser., 1855, p. 28 (1884, p. 93). Repeated, in full, in Holy Song, 1869. The translations of stanzas i., ii., viii., x., altered, and beginning, "Do we mourn for friends departed," are in J. A. Johnston's English Hymnal, 1856; and the same cento, varied, and beginning, "Weep we sore for friends departed," is in Kennedy, 1863. iii. Was kein Auge hat gesehen. Eternal Life. A fine hymn, founded on 1 Cor. ii. 9. In his Biblische Dichtunge, vol. ii., 1834, p. 92, in 13 stanzas of 6 lines. A form, in 7 stanzas, is included in Dr. Schaff’s Deutsches Gesang-Buch, 1874. Translated as:— What no human eye hath seen. A good translation, by Miss Borthwick, omitting stanzas ii., viii., xi., xiii., in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 2nd Ser., 1855, p. 73 (1884, p. 130). Repeated, in full, in Holy Song, 1869, and Kennedy, 1863; and abridged in the Methodist New Congregational Hymn Book, 1863, and Flett's Collection, Paisley, 1871. ii. Hymns not in English common use:-- iv. Auf den dunklen Bergen. Passiontide. 1832, p. 145, in 12 stanzas. Translated as: "Upon the mountain dark and drear," by Dr. R. Maguire, 1883, p. 68. v. Es ist noch nichts verbrochen. Encouragement, 1834, p. 103, in 8 stanzas. Translated as: “Sure the Lord thy God hath spoken," by Dr. R. Maguire, 1883, p. 121. vi. Gott mit uns! mit uns auf Erden, Christmas. A fine hymn, written in 1830 on "Immanuel—God with us." 1832, p. 71, in 6 stanzas. Translated as: "God with us! In flesh combining," by C. T. Astley, 1860, p. 27. vii. Hier und dort im wilden Meere. Christ at Bethany. 1832, p. 138, in 9 stanzas. Translated as: "Mid the ocean deep and wide," by Dr. R. Maguire, 1883, p. 52. viii. Ich weiss ein stilles, liebes Land. The Churchyard. 1834, p. 167, in 12 stanzas. Translated as: I know a sweet and silent spot," by Mrs. Findlater, in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1858, p. 54 (1884, p. 174). ix. Lass mich diese Welt verstehen. Cross and Consolation. Gedichte, 1843, p. 61, in 5 stanzas. Translated as: "In the light, Lord, of Thy cross," by J. Kelly, 1885. x. Mein Vater ist der grosse Herr der Welt. Privileges of Christians. Founded on 1 Cor. iii. 21. 1834, p. 106, in 8 stanzas. Translated as:—"My Father is the mighty Lord, Whose arm," by Mrs. Findlater, in Hymns from the Land of Luther. 1854, p. 54(1884, p. 55). xi. Schöne Sonne, kommst du endlich wieder. Trust in God, 1834, p. 90, in 10 st. Translation as: "Sun of comfort, art thou fled forever," by Miss Borthwick, in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1855, p. 10 (1884, p. 77). xii. Sey du mein Freund, und schau in meine Brust. Supplication. Suggested by 1 John ii. I. 1834, p. 88, in 7 stanzas. Translated as: “Be Thou my Friend, and look upon my heart," by Mrs. Findlater, in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1858, p. 41. xiii. So gross ist Gottes Welt. Wonders of Day and Night. Vom Oelberge, 1852, p. 121, in 9 stanzas entitled "Two Worlds." Translated as: "So wide, so richly stored," by Miss Borthwick, in the Family Treasury, 1867. xiv. Wo Lämmer schlafen, wacht die Hirtentreue. Christmas. 1834, p. 23, in 2 stanzas of 4 lines, and 2 of 3 lines. Translated as: "Where the lambs sleep, there shepherds watch around," by Mrs. Findlater, in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1862, p. 17. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Luise Hensel

1798 - 1876 Hymnal Number: 520 Author of "Immer muß ich wieder lesen" in Deutsches Gesangbuch Text of "Müde bin ich geh zur Ruh" is printed in Lutheran Service Book, 2006 #887 ============= Hensel, Luise, daughter of J. J. L. Hensel, Lutheran pastor at Linum, near Fehrbellin, Brandenburg, was born at Linum, March 30, 1798, Though confirmed as a Lutheran in her fifteenth year, she gradually approximated to Roman Catholicism, and was formally received into that Communion, Dec. 7, 1818. During the remaining years of her life, she devoted herself mainly to the education of the young and the care of the sick. In 1874 she entered the Union of Daughters of Christian Love at Paderborn, and died at Paderborn, Dec. 18, 1876. (O. Kraus, 1879, pp. 204-211; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, xii. 1-3, &c.) Her best hymns were written before she was 23, and in proportion as she became an Ultramontane the poetical value of her productions declined. Her finest productions are distinguished by childlike simplicity, humility, resignation, and deep Christian love. They have won wide acceptance in Germany. The first two of those noted may be regarded as nursery classics. A number of her hymns came into Clemens Brentano's hands as early as 1819, and were by mistake included as his in his posthumous works. A few were printed in F. Förster's Sängerfahrt, 1818, and a good many more in M. Diepenbrock's Geistlicher Blumenstrauss, Sulzbach, 1829. A complete edition of her hymns was published by Professor C. Schlüter of Münster as her Lieder at Paderborn, 1870 (4th ed., 1879). i. Hymns in English common use: i. Immer muss ich wieder lesen. [Holy Scripture.] This beautiful children's hymn on the Life of Christ as narrated in the Gospels, appeared in Diepenbrock, 1829, p. 265, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines (entitled "On the reading of Holy Scripture "); and in her Lieder, 1870, is dated Berlin, 1815. It is repeated in Knapp's Evangelischer Lieder-Schlatz, &, 1837, the Württemberg Gesang-Buch, 1842, &c. Translated as:— Ever would I fain be reading. A good and full translation by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 2nd Ser., 1858, p. 24. It has been included in full in Psalms & Hymns, Bedford, 1859; Kennedy, 1863; Book of Praise for Children, 1881; and in America in Hatfield's Church Hymn Book, 1872, and others. In some collections it is abridged; and in the Unitarian South Place Collection, 1873, it begins, "Ever find I joy in reading." Other translations are:— (1) “O how sweet the wondrous story," by Mrs. Bevan, 1859, p. 142. (2) "In that book so old and holy," in Dr. H. W. Dulcken's Golden Harp, 1864, p. 25. (3) "Still I read, and weary never," by “A. M. A," in the British Herald, Feb. 1868, p. 211. ii. Müde bin ich, geh' zur Ruh. [Evening.] This beautiful child's evening prayer, the most popular of all her hymns, appeared in Diepenbrock, 1829, p. 270, in 4 stanzas of 4 lines. In her Lieder, 1870, p. 54, dated Berlin, Autumn, 1816. Included in the Unverfälscher Liedersegen, 1851, No. 528. Translated as:— 1. Now that o'er each weary head. A free translation of stanzas i.-iii. as No. 22 in C. H. Bateman's Children's Hymns, 1872. 2. Weary now I go to rest. A good translation of stanzas i.-iii. by E. Cronenwett as No. 324 in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal 1880. Other translations are:— (1) "Now I close my tired eyes," by Mrs. Bevan, 1859, p. 147. (2) "I am tir'd, and so I seek," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 126. (3) "Weary now I go to bed," in Dr. H. W. Dulcken's Golden Harp, 1864, p. 40. (4) “Now with weariness opprest," a second translation by Dr. Dulcken, p. 72. (5) “Wearied now I seek repose," by J. Kelly, 1885, p. 111. ii. Hymns not in English common use: iii. Ich liebe einen Königs Sohn. [Love to Christ.] In Diepenbrock, 1829, p. 304, in 9 stanzas, and in her Lieder, 1870, p. 67, dated Berlin, 1817. Translated as "I love a royal only Son," by E. Massie, 1867, p. 174. jv. 0 Sonne, wenn von deinem Licht. [Love to Christ.] In Diepenbrock, 1829, p. 257, in 6 stanzas, and in her Lieder, 1870, p. 128, dated Söndermühlen, 1823. Translated as "O Sun, if from thy light a ray," in J. D. Burns's Memoir and Remains, 1869, p. 270. v. 0 Sorge, die mien niederdrückt. [Encouragement.] In Diepenbrock, 1829, p. 271, in 6 stanzas, and in her Lieder, 1870, p. 13, dated Berlin, 1815. The translations are:—(1l) "O anxious care that weighs me down," by Miss Burlingham, in the British Herald, Sept. 1865, p. 144. (2) "Begone, O load of care, begone," by J. Kelly, 1885, p. 80. vi. Was verlangst du, warumbangst du. [Cross and Consolation.] In Diepenbrock, 1829, p. 261, in 6 stanzas entitled "Suraum corda." In her Lieder, 1870, p. 43, it is dated Berlin, 1816. Translated as "What seekest thou! Why fearest thou," by C. T. Astley, 1860, p. 28. vii. Zu dir, zu dir, hinweg von mir. [Consecration to Christ.] In Diepenbrock, 1829, p. 267, in 5 stanzas In her Lieder, 1870, p. 31, dated Berlin, 1816. Translated as "To Thee, to Thee, away from self," by J. Kelly, 1885, p. 72. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology ===================== Hensel, Luise, p. 510, ii., No. v. "O Sorge," &c, appeared in Förster's Sängerfahrt, 1818, p. 266. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Hans Sachs

1494 - 1576 Hymnal Number: 337 Author of "Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz" in Deutsches Gesangbuch Sachs, Hans, the famous German poet and shoemaker, was born at Nürnberg, Nov. 5, 1494; settled there in 1516 after his journeyman wanderings, and d. there on the evening of Jan. 19,1576 (see full notices in K. Goedeke's Grundriss, vol. ii., 1886, pp. 408-437; Allg. Deutsche Biographie, xxx., 115, &c). His poetical works were collected at Nürnberg in 3 vols., folio, 1558-61 (vol. 4, 1578; vol. 5, 1579); and a complete ed. of his works is now being published by the Literary Union of Stuttgart, of which vol. xvii. appeared in 1888. His pre-Reformation hymns are given by Wackernagel, ii., Nos. 1403-1410 ; and his post-Reformation hymns by Wackernagel, iii., Nos. 83-106. Two of his hymns (Wackernagel, iii., Nos. 83, 97) have been translated by Bp. Coverdale, 1539 (see p. 442, ii., Nos. 16, 27); and two others (Wackernagel, iii., Nos. 86, 82) by Miss Winkworth, 1869, pp. 131,134. See also p. 1234, i., and p. 1543, ii. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

St. Ambrose

340 - 397 Person Name: Ambrose of Milan Hymnal Number: 360 Author of "Du Abglanz von des Vaters Ehr'" in Deutsches Gesangbuch Ambrose (b. Treves, Germany, 340; d. Milan, Italy, 397), one of the great Latin church fathers, is remembered best for his preaching, his struggle against the Arian heresy, and his introduction of metrical and antiphonal singing into the Western church. Ambrose was trained in legal studies and distinguished himself in a civic career, becoming a consul in Northern Italy. When the bishop of Milan, an Arian, died in 374, the people demanded that Ambrose, who was not ordained or even baptized, become the bishop. He was promptly baptized and ordained, and he remained bishop of Milan until his death. Ambrose successfully resisted the Arian heresy and the attempts of the Roman emperors to dominate the church. His most famous convert and disciple was Augustine. Of the many hymns sometimes attributed to Ambrose, only a handful are thought to be authentic. Bert Polman ===================== Ambrosius (St. Ambrose), second son and third child of Ambrosius, Prefect of the Gauls, was born at Lyons, Aries, or Treves--probably the last--in 340 A.D. On the death of his father in 353 his mother removed to Rome with her three children. Ambrose went through the usual course of education, attaining considerable proficiency in Greek; and then entered the profession which his elder brother Satyrus had chosen, that of the law. In this he so distinguished himself that, after practising in the court of Probus, the Praetorian Prefect of Italy, he was, in 374, appointed Consular of Liguria and Aemilia. This office necessitated his residence in Milan. Not many months after, Auxentius, bishop of Milan, who had joined the Arian party, died; and much was felt to depend upon the person appointed as his successor. The church in which the election was held was so filled with excited people that the Consular found it necessary to take steps fur preserving the peace, and himself exhorted them to peace and order: when a voice suddenly exclaimed, "Ambrose is Bishop," and the cry was taken up on all sides. He was compelled to accept the post, though still only a catechumen; was forthwith baptized, and in a week more consecrated Bishop, Dec. 7, 374. The death of the Emperor Valentinian I., in 375, brought him into collision with Justina, Valentinian's second wife, an adherent of the Arian party: Ambrose was supported by Gratian, the elder son of Valentinian, and by Theodosius, whom Gratian in 379 associated with himself in the empire. Gratian was assassinated in 383 by a partisau of Maximus, and Ambrose was sent to treat with the usurper, a piece of diplomacy in which he was fairly successful. He found himself, however, left to carry on the contest with the Arians and the Empress almost alone. He and the faithful gallantly defended the churches which the heretics attempted to seize. Justina was foiled: and the advance of Maximus on Milan led to her flight, and eventually to her death in 388. It was in this year, or more probably the year before (387), that Ambrose received into the Church by baptism his great scholar Augustine, once a Manichaean heretic. Theodosius was now virtually head of the Roman empire, his colleague Valentinian II., Justina's son, being a youth of only 17. In the early part of 390 the news of a riot at Thessalonica, brought to him at Milan, caused him to give a hasty order for a general massacre at that city, and his command was but too faithfully obeyed. On his presenting himself a few days after at the door of the principal church in Milan, he was met by Ambrose, who refused him entrance till he should have done penance for his crime. It was not till Christmas, eight months after, that the Emperor declared his penitence, and was received into communion again by the Bishop. Valentinian was murdered by Arbogastes, a Frank general, in 392; and the murderer and his puppet emperor Eugenius were defeated by Theodosius in 394. But the fatigues of the campaign told on the Emperor, and he died the following year. Ambrose preached his funeral sermon, as he had done that of Valentinian. The loss of these two friends and supporters was a severe blow to Ambrose; two unquiet years passed, and then, worn with labours and anxieties, he himself rested from his labours on Easter Eve, 397. It was the 4th of April, and on that day the great Bishop of Milan is remembered by the Western Church, but Rome commemorates his consecration only, Dec. 7th. Great he was indeed, as a scholar, an organiser, a statesman; still greater as a theologian, the earnest and brilliant defender of the Catholic faith against the Arians of the West, just as Athanasius (whose name, one cannot but remark, is the same as his in meaning) was its champion against those of the East. We are now mainly concerned with him as musician and poet, "the father of Church song" as he is called by Grimm. He introduced from the East the practice of antiphonal chanting, and began the task, which St. Gregory completed, of systematizing the music of the Church. As a writer of sacred poetry he is remarkable for depth and severity. He does not warm with his subject, like Adam of St. Victor, or St. Bernard. "We feel," says Abp. Trench, "as though there were a certain coldness in his hymns, an aloofness of the author from his subject. "A large number of hymns has been attributed to his pen; Daniel gives no fewer than 92 called Ambrosian. Of these the great majority (including one on himself) cannot possibly be his; there is more or less doubt about the rest. The authorities on the subject are the Benedictine ed. of his works, the Psalterium, or Hymnary, of Cardinal Thomasius, and the Thesaurus Hymnologicus of Daniel. The Benedictine editors give 12 hymns as assignable to him, as follows:—1. Aeterna Christi munera. 2. Aeterne rerum Conditor. 3. Consors Paterni luminii. 4. Deus Creator omnium. 5. Fit porta Christi pervia, 6. Illuminans Altissimus. 7. Jam surgit hora tertia. 8. 0 Lux Beata Trinitas. 9. Orabo mente Dominum. 10. Somno refectis artubus. 11. Splendor Paternae gloriae. 12. Veni Redemptor gentium. Histories of these hymns, together with details of translations into English, are given in this work, and may be found under their respective first lines. The Bollandists and Daniel are inclined to attribute to St. Ambrose a hymn, Grates tibi Jesu novas, on the finding of the relics of SS. Gervasius and Protasius. These, we know, were discovered by him in 386, and it is by no means unlikely that the bishop should have commemorated in verse an event which he announces by letter to his sister Marcellina with so much satisfaction, not to say exultation.A beautiful tradition makes the Te Deum laudamus to have been composed under inspiration, and recited alternately, by SS. Ambrose and Augustine immediately after the baptism of the latter in 387. But the story rests upon a passage which there is every reason to consider spurious, in the Chronicon of Dacius, Bishop of Milan in 550. There is no hint of such an occurrence in the Confessions of St. Augustine, nor in Paulinue's life of St. Ambrose, nor in any authentic writing of St. Ambrose himself. The hymn is essentially a compilation, and there is much reason to believe, with Merati, that it originated in the 5th century, in the monastery of St. Honoratus at Lerins. [Te Deum.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) Also known as: Ambrotio, Ambrosio de Milán Ambrosius Mediolanensis Ambrosius Saint, Bp. of Milan Ambrosius von Mailand Aurelio Ambrogio, Saint, Bishop of Milan Aurelius Ambrosius, Saint, Bishop of Milan Milan, d. 397

John Newton

1725 - 1807 Hymnal Number: 56 Translator of "Ob Trübsal uns kränkt" in Deutsches Gesangbuch John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide-surveyor in Liverpool, England, Newton came under the influence of George Whitefield and John and Charles Wesley and began to study for the ministry. He was ordained in the Church of England and served in Olney (1764-1780) and St. Mary Woolnoth, London (1780-1807). His legacy to the Christian church includes his hymns as well as his collaboration with William Cowper (PHH 434) in publishing Olney Hymns (1779), to which Newton contributed 280 hymns, including “Amazing Grace.” Bert Polman ================== Newton, John, who was born in London, July 24, 1725, and died there Dec. 21, 1807, occupied an unique position among the founders of the Evangelical School, due as much to the romance of his young life and the striking history of his conversion, as to his force of character. His mother, a pious Dissenter, stored his childish mind with Scripture, but died when he was seven years old. At the age of eleven, after two years' schooling, during which he learned the rudiments of Latin, he went to sea with his father. His life at sea teems with wonderful escapes, vivid dreams, and sailor recklessness. He grew into an abandoned and godless sailor. The religious fits of his boyhood changed into settled infidelity, through the study of Shaftesbury and the instruction of one of his comrades. Disappointing repeatedly the plans of his father, he was flogged as a deserter from the navy, and for fifteen months lived, half-starved and ill-treated, in abject degradation under a slave-dealer in Africa. The one restraining influence of his life was his faithful love for his future wife, Mary Catlett, formed when he was seventeen, and she only in her fourteenth year. A chance reading of Thomas à Kempis sowed the seed of his conversion; which quickened under the awful contemplations of a night spent in steering a water-logged vessel in the face of apparent death (1748). He was then twenty-three. The six following years, during which he commanded a slave ship, matured his Christian belief. Nine years more, spent chiefly at Liverpool, in intercourse with Whitefield, Wesley, and Nonconformists, in the study of Hebrew and Greek, in exercises of devotion and occasional preaching among the Dissenters, elapsed before his ordination to the curacy of Olney, Bucks (1764). The Olney period was the most fruitful of his life. His zeal in pastoral visiting, preaching and prayer-meetings was unwearied. He formed his lifelong friendship with Cowper, and became the spiritual father of Scott the commentator. At Olney his best works—-Omicron's Letters (1774); Olney Hymns (1779); Cardiphonia, written from Olney, though published 1781—were composed. As rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, London, in the centre of the Evangelical movement (1780-1807) his zeal was as ardent as before. In 1805, when no longer able to read his text, his reply when pressed to discontinue preaching, was, "What, shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak!" The story of his sins and his conversion, published by himself, and the subject of lifelong allusion, was the base of his influence; but it would have been little but for the vigour of his mind (shown even in Africa by his reading Euclid drawing its figures on the sand), his warm heart, candour, tolerance, and piety. These qualities gained him the friendship of Hannah More, Cecil, Wilberforce, and others; and his renown as a guide in experimental religion made him the centre of a host of inquirers, with whom he maintained patient, loving, and generally judicious correspondence, of which a monument remains in the often beautiful letters of Cardiphonia. As a hymnwriter, Montgomery says that he was distanced by Cowper. But Lord Selborne's contrast of the "manliness" of Newton and the "tenderness" of Cowper is far juster. A comparison of the hymns of both in The Book of Praise will show no great inequality between them. Amid much that is bald, tame, and matter-of-fact, his rich acquaintance with Scripture, knowledge of the heart, directness and force, and a certain sailor imagination, tell strongly. The one splendid hymn of praise, "Glorious things of thee are spoken," in the Olney collection, is his. "One there is above all others" has a depth of realizing love, sustained excellence of expression, and ease of development. "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds" is in Scriptural richness superior, and in structure, cadence, and almost tenderness, equal to Cowper's "Oh! for a closer walk with God." The most characteristic hymns are those which depict in the language of intense humiliation his mourning for the abiding sins of his regenerate life, and the sense of the withdrawal of God's face, coincident with the never-failing conviction of acceptance in The Beloved. The feeling may be seen in the speeches, writings, and diaries of his whole life. [Rev. H. Leigh Bennett, M.A.] A large number of Newton's hymns have some personal history connected with them, or were associated with circumstances of importance. These are annotated under their respective first lines. Of the rest, the known history of which is confined to the fact that they appeared in the Olney Hymns, 1779, the following are in common use:— 1. Be still, my heart, these anxious cares. Conflict. 2. Begone, unbelief, my Saviour is near. Trust. 3. By the poor widow's oil and meal. Providence. 4. Chief Shepherd of Thy chosen sheep. On behalf of Ministers. 5. Darkness overspreads us here. Hope. 6. Does the Gospel-word proclaim. Rest in Christ. 7. Fix my heart and eyes on Thine. True Happiness. 8. From Egypt lately freed. The Pilgrim's Song. 9. He Who on earth as man was Known. Christ the Rock. 10. How blest are they to whom the Lord. Gospel Privileges. 11. How blest the righteous are. Death of the Righteous. 12. How lost was my [our] condition. Christ the Physician. 13. How tedious and tasteless the hours. Fellowship with Christ. 14. How welcome to the saints [soul] when pressed. Sunday. 15. Hungry, and faint, and poor. Before Sermon. 16. In mercy, not in wrath, rebuke. Pleading for Mercy. 17. In themselves, as weak as worms. Power of Prayer. 18. Incarnate God, the soul that knows. The Believer's Safety. 19. Jesus, Who bought us with His blood. The God of Israel. "Teach us, 0 Lord, aright to plead," is from this hymn. 20. Joy is a [the] fruit that will not grow. Joy. 21. Let hearts and tongues unite. Close of the Year. From this "Now, through another year," is taken. 22. Let us adore the grace that seeks. New Year. 23. Mary to her [the] Saviour's tomb. Easter. 24. Mercy, 0 Thou Son of David. Blind Bartimeus. 25. My harp untun'd and laid aside. Hoping for a Revival. From this "While I to grief my soul gave way" is taken. 26. Nay, I cannot let thee go. Prayer. Sometimes, "Lord, I cannot let Thee go." 27. Now may He Who from the dead. After Sermon. 28. 0 happy they who know the Lord, With whom He deigns to dwell. Gospel Privilege. 29. O Lord, how vile am I. Lent. 30. On man in His own Image made. Adam. 31. 0 speak that gracious word again. Peace through Pardon. 32. Our Lord, Who knows full well. The Importunate Widow. Sometimes altered to "Jesus, Who knows full well," and again, "The Lord, Who truly knows." 33. Physician of my sin-sick soul. Lent. 34. Pleasing spring again is here. Spring. 35. Poor, weak, and worthless, though I am. Jesus the Friend. 36. Prepare a thankful song. Praise to Jesus. 37. Refreshed by the bread and wine. Holy Communion. Sometimes given as "Refreshed by sacred bread and wine." 38. Rejoice, believer, in the Lord. Sometimes “Let us rejoice in Christ the Lord." Perseverance. 39. Salvation, what a glorious plan. Salvation. 40. Saviour, shine and cheer my soul. Trust in Jesus. The cento "Once I thought my mountain strong," is from this hymn. 41. Saviour, visit Thy plantation. Prayer for the Church. 42. See another year [week] is gone. Uncertainty of Life. 43. See the corn again in ear. Harvest. 44. Sinner, art thou still secure? Preparation for the Future. 45. Sinners, hear the [thy] Saviour's call. Invitation. 46. Sovereign grace has power alone. The two Malefactors. 47. Stop, poor sinner, stop and think. Caution and Alarm. 48. Sweeter sounds than music knows. Christmas. 49. Sweet was the time when first I felt. Joy in Believing. 50. Ten thousand talents once I owed. Forgiveness and Peace. 51. The grass and flowers, which clothe the field. Hay-time. 52. The peace which God alone reveals. Close of Service. 53. Thy promise, Lord, and Thy command. Before Sermon. 54. Time, by moments, steals away. The New Year. 55. To Thee our wants are known. Close of Divine Service. 56. We seek a rest beyond the skies. Heaven anticipated. 57. When any turn from Zion's way. Jesus only. 58. When Israel, by divine command. God, the Guide and Sustainer of Life. 59. With Israel's God who can compare? After Sermon. 60. Yes, since God Himself has said it. Confidence. 61. Zion, the city of our God. Journeying Zionward. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================= Newton, J., p. 803, i. Another hymn in common use from the Olney Hymns, 1779, is "Let me dwell on Golgotha" (Holy Communion). --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) ----- John Newton was born in London, July 24, 1725. His mother died when he was seven years old. In his eleventh year he accompanied his father, a sea captain, on a voyage. For several years his life was one of dissipation and crime. He was disgraced while in the navy. Afterwards he engaged in the slave trade. Returning to England in 1748, the vessel was nearly wrecked in a storm. This peril forced solemn reflection upon him, and from that time he was a changed man. It was six years, however, before he relinquished the slave trade, which was not then regarded as an unlawful occupation. But in 1754, he gave up sea-faring life, and holding some favourable civil position, began also religious work. In 1764, in his thirty-ninth year, he entered upon a regular ministry as the Curate of Olney. In this position he had intimate intercourse with Cowper, and with him produced the "Olney Hymns." In 1779, Newton became Rector of S. Mary Woolnoth, in London, in which position he became more widely known. It was here he died, Dec. 21, 1807, His published works are quite numerous, consisting of sermons, letters, devotional aids, and hymns. He calls his hymns "The fruit and expression of his own experience." --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872 See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church =======================

Johann Baptist von Albertini

1769 - 1831 Hymnal Number: 354 Author of "Geh und säe Thränensaat" in Deutsches Gesangbuch Albertini, Johann Baptist. s. of Jakob Ulrich v. Albertini, a native of the Grisons, Switzerland, who had joined the Moravians, and settled among them at Neuwied, near Coblenz, b. at Neuwied Feb. 17, 1769. After passing through the Moravian school at Niesky, and their Theological Seminary at Barby, in both of, which he had Friedrich Schlciermacher as a fellow-student, he was, in 1788, appointed one of the masters in the Moravian school at Niesky, and in 1789 at Barby. In 1796, he was appointed tutor at the Theological Seminary at Niesky, and ordained as diaconus of the Moravian Church. Up to this time he had devoted himself chiefly to the study of the Oriental languages, and of botany, but now his studies of Holy Scripture for his theological lectures and for the pulpit, brought him to the feet of Christ, whose earnest and devoted disciple and witness he henceforth became. In 1804 he relinquished his tutorial work to devote himself entirely to ministerial labour in Niesky, where he was, in 1810, ordained presbyter. In Feb. 1814 he went to Gnadenberg, near Bunzlau, Silesia, as head of the Girls' School, and preacher; and while on a visit to Herrnhut, was, Aug. 24, 1814, constituted a bishop of the Moravian Church. By the synod of 1818, he was appointed to Gnadenfrei, near Reichenbach, Silesia, and after three years of faithful and successful labour, was chosen one of the heads of the Moravian Church (one of the UnitatS'Aeltesten-Conferenz), his special department being the oversight of their charitable and educational establishments ; and in 1824 President of the Conference. In love and meekness he ruled and visited the churches till, in Nov. 1831, an illness seized him, which terminated fatally at Berthelsdorf, near Herrnhut, Dec. 6, 1831. (Koch, vii. 330-334; Allg. Deutsche Biog., i. 216-217.) Distinguished as a preacher beyond the bounds of his church, he was, in the estimation of Koch, apart from Novalis, the most important hymn-writer of his time— spiritual, simple, and childlike. Yet it must be said that his brother Moravian, G. B. Garve, and E. M. Arndt, are more fully represented in hymnals since 1820. Albertini's hymns appeared to the number of 400, (many, however, being single verses,) in his Geistliche Lieder fur Mitglieder und Freunde der Bruder-yemeine, Bunzlau, 1821 (2nd ed. 1827). None of them have passed into English common use, and the only three we have to note are:— i. Brenne hell, du Lampe meiner Seele. [Second Advent.] On the Lamp of the Wise Virgin. 1st pub. 1821, as above, p. 139, in 3 stanzas of 8 lines. The only translation is, "Lamp within me! brightly burn and glow," by Miss Winkworth, 1869, p. 311. ii. Freund, komm in der Fruhe. [Morning.] 1st pub. 1821, as above, p. 273, in 5 st. of 10 1. Tr. as, " Come at the morning hour," by Miss Borthwick in Hymns from the Land of Luther 1862 (cd. 1862, p. 256; 1884, p. 190). iii. Langst suchtest du, mein Geist! ein nahes Wesen. [Christmas.] 1st pub. 1821, as above, p. 9, in 5 stanzas of 6 lines. Translated as, "Long in the spirit world my soul had sought," by Miss Winkworth, 1855, p. 191 (later eds. p. 193), assigned to St. Thomas's Day. -John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Gottlob Baumann

1794 - 1856 Hymnal Number: 226 Author of "Der im Heiligthum Du wohnest" in Deutsches Gesangbuch

Martin Rutilius

1550 - 1618 Hymnal Number: 279 Author of "Ach Gott und Herr, wie groß und schwer" in Deutsches Gesangbuch Rutilius, Martin, son of Gregorius Rüdel or Rutilius (who in 1548 was diaconus at Salza, near Magdeburg, and in 1551 became pastor at Düben on the Mülde, in Saxony), was born Jan. 21, 1550. After studying at the Universities of Wittenberg and Jena, he was appointed, in 1575, pastor at Teutleben, near Gotha. In 1586 he became diaconus at Weimar, where, after being for some time archidiaconus, he died Jan. 18, 1618. The translations [of his hymns] in common use are:— 1. 0 God my Lord! How great's the Hoard. In full by J. C. Jacobi, in his Psalter Germanica, 1722, p. 56. In his edition 1732, p. 89, it was greatly altered, and st. 1.—ill., viii., x. of this form were included in the Evangelical Union Hymn Book, 1856. 2. When rising winds, and rain descending. This is a free translation in 8 lines, of st. vii.-x. by T. Dutton, as No. 250 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789 (1886, No. 314). Included in Dr. Martineau's Hymns of Praise and Prayer, 1873. 3. Alas! my God! My sins are great. A good translation of st. i.-vi., by Miss Winkworth, as No. 107 in her Chorale Book for England , 1863. Repeated, omitting st. iv., in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal , 1880. Other translations are: — (1) "As small birds use A hole to chuse" (st. vii.-x.) as No. 445, in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. (2) "Alas! my Lord and God." By Miss Winkworth, 1858, p. 130. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)