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James Ellor

1819 - 1899 Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9 Composer of "DIADEM" in The Worshiping Church James Ellor United Kingdom 1819-1899. Born at Droylesden, Lancashire, England, he was trained as a hat maker. By age 18 he was leading the Methodist Wesleyan Chapel choir. He later worked for the railroad. In 1838 he brought his choir a new tune he had written for the hymn, “All hail the power of Jesus' name”. It became well received and has been used with the hymn ever since. In 1843 he emigrated to America and resumed the hat making trade. He died in New York City. It is the only hymn he is now remembered for. John Perry

Oliver Holden

1765 - 1844 Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9 Composer of "CORONATION" in The Worshiping Church Holden, Oliver, one of the pioneers of American psalmody, was born in 1765, and was brought up as a carpenter. Subsequently he became a teacher and music-seller. He died at Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1844. His published works are American Harmony, 1793; the Worcester Collection, 1797; and other Tune books. One of his most popular tunes is "Coronation." It is thought that he edited a small hymn-book, published at Boston before 1808, in which are 21 of his hymns with the signature "H." A single copy only of this book is known, and that is without title-page. Of his hymns the following are in common use:— 1. All those who seek a throne of grace. [God present where prayer is offered.] Was given in Peabody's Springfield Collection, 1835, No. 92, in a recast form as, “They who seek the throne of grace." This form is in extensive use in America, and is also in a few collections in Great Britain. 2. With conscious guilt, and bleeding heart. [Lent.] This, although one of the best of Holden's hymns, has passed out of use. It appeared, with two others, each bearing bis signature, in the Boston Collection (Baptist), 1808. 3. Within these doors assembled now. [Divine Worship.] [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology

Alexander Robert Reinagle

1799 - 1877 Person Name: Alexander R. Reiinagle Scripture: 1 Peter 2:7 Composer of "[How sweet the name of Jesus sounds]" in Hymns of Faith Alexander Robert Reinagle United Kingdom 1799-1877. Born at Brighton, Sussex, England, gf Austrian descent, he came from a family of musicians, studying music with his father (a cellist), then with Raynor Taylor in Edinburgh, Scotland. Reinagle became a well-known organ teacher. He became organist at St Peter’s Church, Oxford (1823-1853). He was also a theatre musician. He wrote Teaching manuals for stringed instruments as well. He also compiled books of hymn tunes, one in 1830: “Psalm tunes for the voice and the pianoforte”, the other in 1840: “A collection of Psalm and hymn tunes”. He also composed waltzes. In 1846 he married Caroline Orger, a pianist, composer, and writer in her own right. No information found regarding children. In the 1860s he was active in Oxford music-making and worked with organist, John Stainer, then organist at Magdalen College. Reinagle also composed a piano sonata and some church music. At retirement he moved to Kidlington, Oxfordshire, England. He died at Kidlington. John Perry

William Horsley

1774 - 1858 Person Name: William Horsley (1774-1858) Scripture: 1 Peter 2:23-24 Composer of "HORSLEY" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.) Born: November 15, 1774, Mayfair, London, England. Died: June 12, 1858, Kensington, London, England. Buried: Kensal Green Cemetery, London, England. Horsley studied music privately, then became organist of Ely Chapel, Holborn, London, in 1794. He assisted Dr. J. W. Callcott (who encouraged him in persevering at Glee-writing, at which he became successful) as organist of the Asylum for Female Orphans, and married Callcott’s daughter. He succeeded Callcott in 1802, holding that post 52 years. A difference of opinion with the Asylum Committee led to him being dismissed. In 1838 he also became organist of Charterhouse "at a salary of £70 and a room set apart and a fire provided when necessary for his use on those days upon which his duty requires his attendance at the Hospital." He founded the London Philharmonic Society, and in later years was a close friend of Felix Mendelssohn. J. C. Horsley, the eminent painter, relates in his Reminiscences the following experience when he went with his father to one of the services: "When I was four years old my father was organist to the Asylum for Female Orphans, which was a stately building on the Westminster Bridge Road; and one Sunday he took me in with him to the morning service and landed me in the organ-loft. Everything was new and surprising to me, especially the crowd of buxom girls, at least a hundred in number, all dressed alike, ranged right and left of the organ, and who, when the organ had played a bar or two of the opening hymn, sang out with open mouths and such energy that I was positively scared, and in continently accompanied the performance with a prolonged howl; upon which my father, continuing to play the accompaniment with one hand, supplied me promptly with paper out of his capacious pocket, where he always kept a store of backs of letters (envelopes were not invented then), and a silver pencil-case of heroic proportions, thus quieting me." Lightwood, pp. 171-72 --www.hymntime.com/tch/

E. E. Hewitt

1851 - 1920 Person Name: Eliza E. Hewitt Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2 Author of "More about Jesus Would I Know" in Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) Pseudonym: Lidie H. Edmunds. Eliza Edmunds Hewitt was born in Philadelphia 28 June 1851. She was educated in the public schools and after graduation from high school became a teacher. However, she developed a spinal malady which cut short her career and made her a shut-in for many years. During her convalescence, she studied English literature. She felt a need to be useful to her church and began writing poems for the primary department. she went on to teach Sunday school, take an active part in the Philadelphia Elementary Union and become Superintendent of the primary department of Calvin Presbyterian Church. Dianne Shapiro, from "The Singers and Their Songs: sketches of living gospel hymn writers" by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (Chicago: The Rodeheaver Company, 1916)

Joachim Neander

1650 - 1680 Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9-10 Author of "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" in The Worshiping Church Neander, Joachim, was born at Bremen, in 1650, as the eldest child of the marriage of Johann Joachim Neander and Catharina Knipping, which took place on Sept. 18, 1649, the father being then master of the Third Form in the Paedagogium at Bremen. The family name was originally Neumann (Newman) or Niemann, but the grandfather of the poet had assumed the Greek form of the name, i.e. Neander. After passing through the Paedagogium he entered himself as a student at the Gymnasium illustre (Academic Gymnasium) of Bremen in Oct. 1666. German student life in the 17th century was anything but refined, and Neander seems to have been as riotous and as fond of questionable pleasures as most of his fellows. In July 1670, Theodore Under-Eyck came to Bremen as pastor of St. Martin's Church, with the reputation of a Pietist and holder of conventicles. Not long after Neander, with two like-minded comrades, went to service there one Sunday, in order to criticise and find matter of amusement. But the earnest words of Under-Eyck touched his heart; and this, with his subsequent conversations with Under-Eyck, proved the turning-point of his spiritual life. In the spring of 1671 he became tutor to five young men, mostly, if not all, sons of wealthy merchants at Frankfurt-am-Main, and accompanied them to the University of Heidelberg, where they seem to have remained till the autumn of 1673, and where Neander learned to know and love the beauties of Nature. The winter of 1673-74 he spent at Frankfurt with the friends of his pupils, and here he became acquainted with P. J. Spener (q.v.) and J. J. Schütz (q.v.) In the spring of 1674 he was appointed Rector of the Latin school at Düsseldorf (see further below). Finally, in 1679, he was invited to Bremen as unordained assistant to Under-Eyck at St. Martin's Church, and began his duties about the middle of July. The post was not inviting, and was regarded merely as a stepping stone to further preferment, the remuneration being a free house and 40 thalers a year, and the Sunday duty being a service with sermon at the extraordinary hour of 5 a.m. Had he lived, Under-Eyck would doubtless have done his best to get him appointed to St. Stephen's Church, the pastorate of which became vacant in Sept., 1680. But meantime Neander himself fell into a decline, and died at Bremen May 31, 1680 (Joachim Neander, sein Leben und seine Lieder. With a Portrait. By J. F. Iken, Bremen, 1880; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, xxiii. 327, &c.) Neander was the first important hymn-writer of the German Reformed Church since the times of Blaurer and Zwick. His hymns appear to have been written mostly at Düsseldorf, after his lips had been sealed to any but official work. The true history of his unfortunate conflict has now been established from the original documents, and may be summarized thus. The school at Düsseldorf was entirely under the control of the minister and elders of the Reformed Church there. The minister from about July, 1673, to about May, 1677, was Sylvester Lürsen (a native of Bremen, and only a few years older than Neander), a man of ability and earnestness, but jealous, and, in later times at least, quarrelsome. With him Neander at first worked harmoniously, frequently preaching in the church, assisting in the visitation of the sick, &c. But he soon introduced practices which inevitably brought on a conflict. He began to hold prayer meetings of his own, without informing or consulting minister or elders; he began to absent himself from Holy Communion, on the ground that he could not conscientiously communicate along with the unconverted, and also persuaded others to follow this example; and became less regular in his attendance at the ordinary services of the Church. Besides these causes of offence he drew out a new timetable for the school, made alterations on the school buildings, held examinations and appointed holidays without consulting any one. The result of all this was a Visitation of the school on Nov. 29, 1676, and then his suspension from school and pulpit on Feb. 3, 1677. On Feb. 17 he signed a full and definite declaration by which "without mental reservations" he bound himself not to repeat any of the acts complained of; and thereupon was permitted to resume his duties as rector but not as assistant minister. The suspension thus lasted only 14 days, and his salary was never actually stopped. The statements that he was banished from Düsseldorf, and that he lived for months in a cave in the Neanderthal near Mettmann are therefore without foundation. Still his having had to sign such a document was a humiliation which he must have felt keenly, and when, after Lürsen's departure, the second master of the Latin school was appointed permanent assistant pastor, this feeling would be renewed. Neander thus thrown back on himself, found consolation in communion with God and Nature, and in the composition of his hymns. Many were without doubt inspired by the scenery of the Neanderthal (a lovely valley with high rocky sides, between which flows the little river Düssel); and the tradition is probable enough that some of them were composed in a cave there. A number were circulated among his friends at Düsseldorf in MS., but they were first collected and published after his removal to Bremen, and appeared as:— A und Ώ, Joachimi Neandri Glaub-und Liebesübung: — auffgemuntert durch ein fällige Bundes Lieder und Danck-Psalmen, Bremen, Hermann Brauer, 1680; 2nd ed. Bremen, 1683 ; 3rd ed. Bremen, 1687; 4th ed. Frankfurt, 1689. These editions contain 57 hymns. In the 5th ed., Frankfurt and Leipzig, 1691, edited by G. C. Strattner, eight hymns were added as being also by Neander. [The whole of these eds. are in the Royal Library, Berlin. The so-called 3rd. ed. at Wesel, 1686, also found in Berlin, was evidently pirated.] Other editions rapidly followed till we find the complete set (i.e. 57 or 58) formally incorporated as part of a hymnbook, e.g. in the Marburg Reformed Gesang-Buch, 1722, where the first part consists of Lobwasser's Psalter, the second of Neander's Bundeslieder, and the third of other hymns. Neander's Bundeslieder also form a division of the Lemgo Reformed Gesang-Buch, 1722; and of a favourite book used in the meetings conducted by G. Tersteegen, which in the 5th ed., Solingen, 1760, has the title Gott-geheiligtes Harfen-Spiel der Kinder Zion; bestehend in Joachimi Neandri sämtlichen Bundes-Liedern, &c. In this way, especially in the district near Düsseldorf and on the Ruhr, Neander's name was honoured and beloved long after it had passed out of memory at Bremen. Many of Neander's hymns were speedily received into the Lutheran hymnbooks, and are still in universal use. The finest are the jubilant hymns of Praise and Thanksgiving, such as his "Lobe den Herren”, and those setting forth the Majesty of God in His works of beauty and wonder in Nature, such as his "Himmel, Erde", and "Unbegreiflich Gut"; while some of his hymns of Penitence, such as his "Sieh hier bin ich, Ehrenkönig" (q.v.), are also very beautiful. Many are of a decidedly subjective cast, but for this the circumstances of their origin, and the fact that the author did not expect them to be used in public worship, will sufficiently account. Here and there there are doubtless harshnesses, and occasionally imagery which is rather jarring; and naturally enough the characteristic expressions and points of view of German 17th cent. Pietism and of the "Covenant Theology" are easily enough detected. But the glow and sweetness of his better hymns, their firm faith, originality, Scripturalness, variety and mastery of rhythmical forms, and genuine lyric character fully entitled them to the high place they hold. Of the melodies in the original edition of 1680 there are 19 by Neander himself, the best known being those to Nos. viii. and xi. below. The hymns by Neander which have passed into English, and have not already been referred to, are:— Hymns in English common use: i. Meine Hoffnung stehet feste. Thanksgiving. Founded on 1 Tim. vi. 17. 1680 as above, p. 115, in 5 stanzas of 7 lines, entitled "Grace after meat." In the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 712. Translated as:— All my hope is grounded surely. A full and good translation by Miss Winkworth, as No. 8 in her Chorale Book for England, 1863. Another translation is: "All my Hope is fix'd and grounded." By J. C. Jacobi, 1720, p. 17, repeated in his ed., 1732, p. 64, altered and beginning, "All my Hope is firmly grounded." ii. Unbegreiflich Gut, wahrer Gott alleine. Summer. According to tradition this was written in the summer of 1677, in a cave in the Neanderthal near Düsseldorf, while Neander was in enforced absence from his school duties (Koch, vi. 20). It is founded on Ps. civ. 24. 1680, p. 165, in 12 stanzas of 6 lines, and entitled, "The Joys of Summer and Autumn in Field and Forest." The following note shows that the "Feeling for Nature" is not entirely modern. “It is also a travelling hymn in summer or autumn for those who, on their way to Frankfurt on the Main, go up and down the river Rhine, where between Cologne and Mainz, mountains, cliffs, brooks and rocks are to be beheld with particular wonder; also in the district of Berg in the rocky region [the ‘Gestein' now called the Neanderthal], not far from Düsseldorf." The hymn is in Knapp's Evangelischer Lieder-Schatz 1850, No. 2163 (1865, No. 2231), omitting st. x. Translated as:-— 0 Thou true God alone. A very good translation, omitting st. x., by Miss Winkworth, in her Christian Singers, 1869, p. 286. Her translation of st. i., iii.-v. altered in metre, and beginning "Thou true God alone," are No. 53 in M. W. Stryker's Christian Chorals, 1885. Hymns not in English common use:—— iii. Auf, auf, mein Geist, erhebe dich zum Himmel. Holy Communion. Founded on Ps. xxiii. 6. 1860, as above, p. 27, in 5 stanzas, entitled, "The soul strengthened and refreshed. After the reception of the Holy Communion." In Porst's Gesang-Buch, ed. 1855, No. 218. In the Moravian London Gesang-Buch, 1753, No. 697, it begins, "Den Himmels-Vorschmack hab' ich auf der Erde," and in the Brüder Gesang-Buch, 1778, No. 1178, it was further recast (by C. Gregor?) and altered to "hab'ich schon hinieden." Translated as "Heav'n's foretaste I may here already have." By F W. Foster & J. Miller, as No. 596, in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789. In the 1801 ed. (1849, No. 1003) it begins, “Since Jesus dy'd, my guilty soul to save." iv. Der Tag ist hin, mein Jesu, bei mir bleibe. Evening. Founded on St. Luke xxiv. 29. 1680, p. 15, in 6 stanzas entitled, "The Christian returning thanks at eventide." In the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 512. The translations are: (1) "The Day is gone, come Jesu my Protector." In the Supplement to German Psalmody, ed. 1765, p. 72. (2) "The day is past, Thou Saviour dear, still dwell my breast within." By H. J. Buckoll, 1842, p. 82. (3) "The day is gone, abide with me tonight." By E. Massie, 1867, p. 192. (4) "The day is gone, abide with me, 0 Jesus." By R. Massie, in the Day of Rest, 1877. v. Grosser Prophete, mein Herze begehret. Love to Christ. Founded on 1 Cor. xvi. 22. 1680, p. 191, in 4 stanzas. Translated as “Heavenly Prophet, my Heart is desiring." By J. C. Jacobi, 1720, p. 40. vi. Jehovah ist mein Licht und Gnadensonne. God's Perfections. Founded on 1 John i. 7. 1680, p. 19 in 4 stanzas, entitled, "Walking in the Light." Translated as, "Jehovah is my light, salvation showing." By Dr. H. Mills, 1845 (1856, p. 6). vii. 0 allerhöchster Menschenhüter. Morning. A hymn of praise to our Almighty Preserver. 1680, p. 11, in 6 stanzas, founded on Ps. lix. 16; and entitled, "The Christian singing at Morning." Translated as, "O Thou Most Highest! Guardian of mankind." By Miss Winkworth, 1858, p. 72. viii. Unser Herrscher, unser König. Thanksgiving. Founded on Acts viii. 2. 1680, p. 147, in 6 stanzas, entitled, "The glorious Jehovah." In the Unverfälschter Liedersegen 1851, No. 344. The well-known melody (in the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Church Hymns called Munich) is also by Neander, and appeared along with the hymn. Translated as, "Sovereign Ruler, King victorious," in the British Herald, Dec, 1865, p. 185, and Reid's Praise Book, 1872. ix. Wie fleucht dahin der Menschenzeit. For the Dying. A powerful hymn on the vanity of the earthly, founded on Ps. xc. 12. 1680, p. 174, in 7 stanzas, entitled, "He that counts his days." In the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 845. The translations are: (1) "This life is like a flying dream" (beginning with st. ii. "Das Leben ist gleich wie ein Traum"). By Mrs. Findlater, in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1858, p. 24 (1884, p. 146). (2) "Though hastening onward to the grave." By E. Massie, 1867, p. 36. x. Wo soil ich hin? wer helfet mir? Lent. Founded on Romans vii. 24. 1680, p. 51, in 5 st. entitled “The distressed one longing for Redemption." In the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 393. The translations are: (1) "For help, O whither shall I flee." By Dr. H. Mills, 1845 (1856, p. 146). (2) "How shall I get there? who will aid?" By Miss Warner, 1858, p. 52. xi. Wunderbarer König. Thanksgiving. Founded on Ps. cl. 6. 1680, p. 159, in 4 stanzas, entitled, "Inciting oneself to the Praise of God." In the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 787. The melody, a very fine one (called by Mr. Mercer Groningen), is also by Neander, and appeared along with the hymn. The translations are: (1) "Wonderful Creator." By J. C. Jacobi, 1722, p. 88. (2) "Wonderful and blessed." By J. D. Burns in his Memoir and Remains, 1869, p. 230. (3) "Wondrous King Almighty." By N. L. Frothingham, 1870, p. 266. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

A. Cleveland Coxe

1818 - 1896 Person Name: Arthur C. Coxe Scripture: 1 Peter 2:21-24 Author of "How Beauteous Were the Marks Divine" in Church Hymnal, Mennonite Coxe, Arthur Cleveland, D.D. LL.D. One of the most distinguished of American prelates, and son of an eminent Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Samuel H. Cox, D.D., was born at Mendham, New Jersey, May 10,1818. Graduating at the University of New York in 1838, and taking Holy Orders in 1841, he became Rector of St. John's, Hartford, Connecticut, in the following year. In 1851 he visited England, and on his return was elected Rector of Grace Church, Baltimore, 1854, and Calvary, New York, 1863. His consecration as Bishop of the Western Diocese of New York took place in 1865. His residence is at Buffalo. Bishop Coxe is the author of numerous works. His poetical works were mostly written in early life, and include Advent, 1837; Athanasion, &c, 1842; Christian Ballads, 1840 (Preface to the English edition, April, 1848); Hallowe'en and Other Poems, 1844; Saul, a Mystery, 1845, &c. Some of Bishop Coxe's hymns are found in the collections of every religious body in America, except the official collections of his own. This is accounted for by his too scrupulous modesty. As a member of the Hymnal Committee, in 1869-71, he refused to permit the insertion of his own lyrics. As he has not preserved memoranda, and has no precise recollection of dates, several dates here given are somewhat uncertain. 1. Behold an Israelite indeed. St. Bartholomew. First appeared in "Poems," published with his Christian Ballads, 1840, and found in an altered form in the People's H. and the Hymnary. 2. Body of Jesus, 0 sweet Food. Holy Communion. Written at St. James's College, Maryland (since broken up by the Civil War), Ascension Day, 1858. It was first printed for private use, and then published in the Cantate Domino, Boston, 1859, No. 53, and again in other American collections. It is also in Schaff’s Christ in Song, 1869, and in The Churchman's Altar Manual, 2nd ed., 1883. 3. Breath of the Lord, 0 Spirit blest.Whitsuntide. Bishop Coxe considers this more worthy of being called a hymn than anything else from his pen. It was written long before it appeared in the New York Independent, Whitsuntide, 1878. It is in the Schaff-Gilman Library of Religious Poetry, 1881, and Brooke's Churchman's Manual of Private and Family Devotion, 1883. 4. Christ is arisen. Easter. This is suggested by, and partly translated from, the famous Easter Chorus in Goethe's Faust, "Christ ist erstanden" (see Goethe), and appeared in Hallowe'en, 1844. 5. He who for Christ hath left behind. St. Matthew. From his Christian Ballads, &c, 1840. 6. In the silent midnight watches. Christ knocking. From his Athanasion, &c, 1842; an impressive moral poem rather than a hymn on Christ knocking at the door, extensively used in America, and sometimes in England. Original text, Schaff's Christ in Song, 1869. 7. Lord, when Thou didst come from heaven. A hymn for Epiphany, on behalf of Western Missions, appeared among the "Lays "appended to Hallowe'en, 1844, and again in later editions of the Christian Ballad. It is sometimes abbreviated, as in Lyra Sac. Amer., " Westward, Lord, the world alluring." 8. Now pray we for our country. National Hymn. A stanza from Chronicles, or meditations on events in the history of England, called up by visiting her abbeys and cathedrals, and appeared in Christian Ballads, 1840. Originally it began, "Now pray we for our mother," and, with the succeeding stanza, was a call upon Americans to pray for their mother country. It is adopted by Dr. Martineau in his Hys., 1873. 9. 0 walk with God, and thou shalt find. Holiness. Appeared in his Hallowe’en, &c, 1844, and is found in Lyra Sac. Amer. 10. 0 where are kings and empires now! Church of God. The 6th stanza of his ballad "Chelsea," which appeared in the Churchman, 1839, and again in his Christian Ballads, 1840. 11. Saviour, sprinkle many nations. Missions. “Begun on Good Friday, 1850, and completed 1851, in the grounds of Magdalen College, Oxford." 1st published. in Verses for 1851, in Commemoration of the third Jubilee of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, edited by the Rev. Ernest Hawkins, 1851. It was subsequently appended to the English edition of his Christian Ballads. It is regarded as Bishop Coxe's best piece, and to many minds it is the loveliest of missionary hymns. Its use in England is very extensive. It is not found in the American Episcopal hymnal for the reason given above. 12. Still as our day our strength shall be. Temptation. Appeared in his Hallowe'en, &c, 1844, and Lyra Sac. Amer. 13. Soldier, to the contest pressing. Christian Conflict. From his Hallowe'en, &c, 1844, and Lyra Sac. Amer. It was written in 1834. 14. There is a land like Eden fair. From Hallowe'en, &c, into a few collections. 15. We are living, we are dwelling. Christian Soldiers. An impressive moral poem rather than a hymn, but extensively used. It appeared in his Athanasion, &c, 1840, and Lyra &xc. 16. Who is this, with garments gory. Passiontide. From his “Lays" appended to Hallowe'en, 1844, and again in his Christian Ballads. It is found in the Child's Christian Year, 4th ed. N.D., the People's Hymns, and other collections. It is in 4 stanza of 8 1. The last stanza is sometimes given as a separate hymn:—"Hail, all hail, Thou Lord of Glory." 17. When o'er Judea's vales and hills. Written cir. 1840, and published in his Hallowe'en, &c, 1844, and again, with the author's final corrections, made in 1869, in Schaff's Christ in Song (1870 ed. p. 112). Also in the English edition of his Christian Ballads. From this "Hymn to the Redeemer," two shorter hymns have been com¬piled : (1) " How beauteous were the marks divine." This is in almost universal American and occasional English use. (2) "O who like Thee, so calm, so bright," in the Hymnary, 1872. Bishop Coxe has also translated the Pange lingua gloriosi corporis (q. v.), and is the author of the beautiful Christmas Carol, "Carol, carol, Christians," given in his Christian Ballads, &c. [Rev. F. M. Bird] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Ignaz Franz

1719 - 1790 Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9 Author (attributed to) of "Holy God, We Praise Your Name" in Glory to God Ignaz Franz Poland 1719-1790. Born at Protzau, Silesia, he studied in Glaz andf Breslau. In 1742 he became a Roman Catholic priest. He served as chaplain at Gross-Glogau and vicar of Glogau in Silesia. In 1753 he was appointed archpriest at Schlawa, and assessor to the apostolic vicar's office in Breslau in 1766. He also functioned as the Assessor for Theological Affairs at the Apostolic Vicariate. He wrote hymn lyrics and compiled religious music. His works include “Katholisches Gesangbuch” (1744). He died at Breslau. John Perry

Clarence A. Walworth

1820 - 1900 Person Name: Clarence Alphonsus Walworth Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9 Translator of "Holy God, We Praise Your Name" in Glory to God Walworth, Clarence Alphonsus, born in 1820, graduated at Union College, 1838, admitted to the Bar 1841, studied for the ministry of Protestant Episcopal Church, but subsequently was ordained as a priest of the Roman Catholic communion, and became Rector of St. Mary's, Albany, in 1864. He was one of the founders of the Order of the Paulists in the U.S.A. He published The Gentle Skeptic, N.Y., 1863, and Andiatoroctè, or the Eve of Lady Day, &c, N.Y., 1888. His paraphrase of the Te Deum, "Holy God, we. praise Thy name," p. 1133, ii. 7, is in the Catholic Psalmist, Dublin, 1858, p. 170. In the American Episcopal Hymnal, 1892, it begins with stanza ii., slightly altered, as "Hark, the loud celestial hymn." He died in 1900. [Rev. L. F. Benson, D.D.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Augustus Toplady

1740 - 1778 Person Name: Rev. Augustus Montague Toplady (1740-1778) Scripture: 1 Peter 2:22-24 Author of "The Prayer of Faith" in Songs of Praise with Tunes Toplady, Augustus Montague, the author of "Rock of Ages," was born at Farnham, Surrey, November 4, 1740. His father was an officer in the British army. His mother was a woman of remarkable piety. He prepared for the university at Westminster School, and subsequently was graduated at Trinity College, Dublin. While on a visit in Ireland in his sixteenth year he was awakened and converted at a service held in a barn in Codymain. The text was Ephesians ii. 13: "But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." The preacher was an illiterate but warm-hearted layman named Morris. Concerning this experience Toplady wrote: "Strange that I, who had so long sat under the means of grace in England, should be brought nigh unto God in an obscure part of Ireland, amidst a handful of God's people met together in a barn, and under the ministry of one who could hardly spell his name. Surely this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous." In 1758, through the influence of sermons preached by Dr. Manton on the seventeenth chapter of John, he became an extreme Calvinist in his theology, which brought him later into conflict with Mr. Wesley and the Methodists. He was ordained to the ministry in the Church of England in 1762, and in 1768 he became vicar of Broadhembury, a small living in Devonshire, which he held until his death. The last two or three years of his life he passed in London, where he preached in a chapel on Orange Street. His last sickness was of such a character that he was able to make a repeated and emphatic dying testimony. A short time before his death he asked his physician what he thought. The reply was that his pulse showed that his heart was beating weaker every day. Toplady replied with a smile: "Why, that is a good sign that my death is fast approaching; and, blessed be God, I can add that my heart beats stronger and stronger every day for glory." To another friend he said: "O, my dear sir, I cannot tell you the comforts I feel in my soul; they are past expression. . . . My prayers are all converted into praise." He died of consumption August 11, 1778. His volume of Psalms and Hymns for Public and Private Worship was published in 1776. Of the four hundred and nineteen hymns which it contained, several were his own productions. If on a quiet sea 446 Rock of ages, cleft for me 279 Hymn Writers of the Church, 1915 by Charles S. Nutter =============================================== Toplady, Augustus Montague, M.A. The life of Toplady has been repeatedly and fully written, the last, a somewhat discursive and slackly put together book, yet matterful, by W. Winters (1872). Summarily, these data may be here given: he was born at Farnham, in Surrey, on November 4, 1740. His father, Richard Toplady, was a Major in the British array, and was killed at the siege of Carthagena (1741) soon after the birth of his son. His widowed mother placed him at the renowned Westminster school, London. By-and-by circumstances led her to Ireland, and young Augustus was entered at Trinity College, Dublin, where he completed his academical training, ultimately graduating M.A. He also received his "new birth" in Ireland under remarkable conditions, as he himself tells us with oddly mixed humility and lofty self-estimate, as "a favourite of heaven," common to his school:— "Strange that I who had so long sat under the means of grace in England should be brought right unto God in an obscure part of Ireland, midst a handful of people met together in a barn, and by the ministry of one who could hardly spell his own name. Surely it was the Lord's doing and is marvellous. The excellency of such power must be of God and cannot be of man. The regenerating spirit breathes not only on whom but likewise, when and where and as He listeth." Toplady received orders in the Church of England on June 6, 1762, and after some time was appointed to Broadhembury. His Psalms and Hymns of 1776 bears that he was then “B.A." and Vicar of Broadhembury. Shortly thereafter be is found in London as minister of the Chapel of the French Calvinists in Leicester Fields. He was a strong and partizan Calvinist, and not well-informed theologically outside of Calvinism. We willingly and with sense of relief leave unstirred the small thick dust of oblivion that has gathered on his controversial writings, especially his scurrilous language to John Wesley because of his Arminianism, as we do John Wesley's deplorable misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Calvinism. Throughout Toplady lacked the breadth of the divine Master's watchword "Forbid him not, for he that is not against us is for us" (St. Luke ix. 50). He was impulsive, rash-spoken, reckless in misjudgment; but a flame of genuine devoutness burned in the fragile lamp of his overtasked and wasted body. He died on August 11, 1778. The last edition of his works is in 6 vols., 8 vo., 1825. An accurate reproduction of most of his genuine hymns was one of the reprints of Daniel Sedgwick, 1860. His name occurs and recurs in contemporary memoirs and ecclesiastical histories, e.g., in Tyerman's Life of John Wesley. The reader will find in their places annotations on the several hymns of Toplady, and specially on his "Rock of Ages,” a song of grace that has given him a deeper and more inward place in millions of human hearts from generation to generation than almost any other hymnologist of our country, not excepting Charles Wesley. Besides the "Rock of Ages" must be named, for power, intensity, and higher afflatus and nicer workmanship, "Object of my first desire,” and "Deathless principle arise." It is to be regretted that the latter has not been more widely accepted. It is strong, firm, stirring, and masterful. Regarded critically, it must be stated that the affectionateness with which Toplady is named, and the glow and passion of his faith and life, and yearning after holiness, have led to an over-exaltation of him as a hymnwriter. Many of his hymns have been widely used, and especially in America, and in the Evangelical hymnbooks of the Church of England. Year by year, however, the number in use is becoming less. The reason is soon found. He is no poet or inspired singer. He climbs no heights. He sounds no depths. He has mere vanishing gleams of imaginative light. His greatness is the greatness of goodness. He is a fervent preacher, not a bard. [Rev. A. B. Grosart, D.D., LL.D.] Toplady's hymns and poetical pieces were published in his:— (1) Poems on Sacred Subjects wherein The Fundamental Doctrines of Christianity, with many other interesting Points, are occasionally introduced. . . Dublin: Printed by S. Powell, in Crane-lane, MDCCLIX.; (2) his Psalms & Hymns for Public and Private Worship, 1776; (3) in The Gospel Magazine, 1771-1776; and (4) in Hymns and Sacred Poems on a variety of Divine Subjects, &c. D. Sedgwick's reprint, 1860. His Works, with a Memoir by W. Row, were published in 6 volumes, in 1794. Walter How was also the editor of the 2nd and some later editions of the Psalms & Hymns. He was a most careless editor, and attributed several hymns by C. Wesley and others to Toplady. The following additional hymns in common use together with centos indicated in the sub-lines, are from:— i. His Poems on Sacred Subjects, 1759. 1. Can my heaven-born soul submit? All for Christ. 2. Come from on high, my King and God. Holiness desired. (1.) 0 might this worthless heart of mine. 3. Earnest of future bliss. The Witness of the Spirit. 4. From Thy supreme tribunal, Lord. Christ's Righteousness a Refuge. (1.) The spotless Saviour lived for me. 5. Great God, Whom heaven, and earth, and sea. For Peace. 6. I saw, and lo! a countless throng. Saints' Days. Revised form in the Gospel Magazine, 1774, p. 449. 7. Immovable our hope remains. Divine Faithfulness. 8. Jesus, God of love, attend. Divine Worship. Pt. ii. is "Prayer can mercy's door unlock." 9. Jesus, Thy power I fain would feel. Lent. 10. Lord, I feel a carnal mind. Mind of Christ desired. 11. My yielding heart dissolves as wax. On behalf of Arians, &c. (1.) 0 Jesus, manifest Thy grace. 12. Not to myself I owe. Praise for Conversion, (1.) Not to ourselves we owe. (2.) The Father's grace and love. 13. 0 that my heart was right with Thee. Dedication to God desired. 14. 0 Thou that hearest the prayer of faith. Christ the Propitiation. 15. 0 Thou Who didst Thy glory leave. Thanksgiving for Redemption. 16. 0 when wilt Thou my Saviour be. Trust in Jesus. (1.) Jesus, the sinner's Rest Thou art. 17. Redeemer, whither should I flee? Safety in the Cross. 18. Remember, Lord, that Jesus bled. Pardon. 19. Surely Christ thy griefs hath borne. Redemption. Revised text in Gospel Magazine, 1774, p. 548. (1.) Weary sinner, keep thine eyes. (2.) Weeping soul, no longer mourn. ii. From the Gospel Magazine. 20. Compared with Christ, in all besides. Christ All in All. Feb. 1772. 21. Eternal Hallelujahs Be to the Father given. Holy Trinity, Dec. 1774. 22. From whence this fear and unbelief. Reviving Faith, Feb. 1772. 23. How vast the benefits divine. Redemption. Dec. 1774. From this "Not for the works which we have done" is taken. 24. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? Christ All and in All, Feb. 1772. From this "If my Lord Himself reveal" is taken. 25. Jesus, immutably the same. Jesus, the True Vine. June, 1771. All these hymns, together with "O precious blood, 0 glorious death" (Death of Christ), are in D. Sedgwick's reprint of Toplady's Hymns, &c, 1860. We have met with several other hymns to which Toplady's name is appended, but for this we can find no authority whatever. -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)