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Joseph Addison

1672 - 1719 Person Name: Addison Hymnal Number: 312 Author of "O how shall words with equal warmth" in The Universalist Hymn-Book Addison, Joseph, born at Milston, near Amesbury, Wiltshire, May 1, 1672, was the son of the Rev. Lancelot Addison, sometime Dean of Lichfield, and author of Devotional Poems, &c, 1699. Addison was educated at the Charterhouse, and at Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating B.A. 1691 and M.A. 1693. Although intended for the Church, he gave himself to the study of law and politics, and soon attained, through powerful influence, to some important posts. He was successively a Commissioner of Appeals, an Under Secretary of State, Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Chief Secretary for Ireland. He married, in 1716, the Dowager Countess of Warwick, and died at Holland House, Kensington, June 17, 1719. Addison is most widely known through his contributions to The Spectator, The Toiler, The Guardian, and The Freeholder. To the first of these he contributed his hymns. His Cato, a tragedy, is well known and highly esteemed. Addison's claims to the authorship of the hymns usually ascribed to him, or to certain of them, have been called in question on two occasions. The first was the publication, by Captain Thompson, of certain of those hymns in his edition of the Works of Andrew Marvell, 1776, as the undoubted compositions of Marvell; and the second, a claim in the Athenaeum, July 10th, 1880, on behalf of the Rev. Richard Richmond. Fully to elucidate the subject it will be necessary, therefore, to give a chronological history of the hymns as they appeared in the Spectator from time to time. i. The History of the Hymns in The Spectator. This, as furnished in successive numbers of the Spectator is :— 1. The first of these hymns appeared in the Spectator of Saturday, July 26, 1712, No. 441, in 4 stanzas of 6 lines. The article in which it appeared was on Divine Providence, signed “C." The hymn itself, "The Lord my pasture shall prepare," was introduced with these words:— "David has very beautifully represented this steady reliance on God Almighty in his twenty-third psalm, which is a kind of pastoral hymn, and filled with those allusions which are usual in that kind of writing As the poetry is very exquisite, I shall present my readers with the following translation of it." (Orig. Broadsheet, Brit. Mus.) 2. The second hymn appeared in the Spectator on Saturday, Aug. 9, 1712, No. 453, in 13 st. of 4 1., and forms the conclusion of an essay on " Gratitude." It is also signed " C," and is thus introduced:— “I have already obliged the public with some pieces of divine poetry which have fallen into my hands, and as they have met with the reception which they deserve, I shall, from time to time, communicate any work of the same nature which has not appeared in print, and may be acceptable to my readers." (Orig. Broadsheet, British Museum) Then follows the hymn:—"When all Thy mercies, 0 my God." 3. The number of the Spectator for Tuesday, Aug. 19, 1712, No. 461, is composed of three parts. The first is an introductory paragraph by Addison, the second, an unsigned letter from Isaac Watts, together with a rendering by him of Ps. 114th; and the third, a letter from Steele. It is with the first two we have to deal. The opening paragraph by Addison is:— “For want of time to substitute something else in the Boom of them, I am at present obliged to publish Compliments above my Desert in the following Letters. It is no small Satisfaction, to have given Occasion to ingenious Men to employ their Thoughts upon sacred Subjects from the Approbation of such Pieces of Poetry as they have seen in my Saturday's papers. I shall never publish Verse on that Day but what is written by the same Hand; yet shall I not accompany those Writings with Eulogiums, but leave them to speak for themselves." (Orig. Broadsheet, British Museum

Benjamin Beddome

1717 - 1795 Person Name: Beddome Hymnal Number: 306 Author of "God, in the gospel of his Son" in The Universalist Hymn-Book Benjamin Beddome was born at Henley-in Arden, Warwickshire, January 23, 1717. His father was a Baptist minister. He studied at various places, and began preaching in 1740. He was pastor of a Baptist society at Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, until his death in 1795. In 1770, he received the degree of M.A. from the Baptist College in Providence, Rhode Island. He published several discourses and hymns. "His hymns, to the number of 830, were published in 1818, with a recommendation from Robert Hall." Montgomery speaks of him as a "writer worthy of honour both for the quantity and the quality of his hymns." --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872. ========================= Beddome, Benjamin , M.A. This prolific hymnwriter was born at Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, Jan. 23, 1717, where his father, the Rev. John Beddome, was atthat time Baptist Minister. He was apprenticed to a surgeon in Bristol, but removing to London, he joined, in 1739, the Baptist church in Prescott St. At the call of this church he devoted himself to the work of the Christian ministry, and in 1740 began to preach at Bourton-on-the-Water, in Gloucestershire. Declining invitations to remove to London or elsewhere, he continued pastor at Bourton until his death, on Sep. 3, 1795, at the age of 78. Mr. Beddome was for many years one of the most respected Baptist ministers in the West of England. He was a man of some literary culture. In 1770 he received the degree of M.A. from Providence College, Rhode Island. He was the author of an Exposition of the Baptist Catechism, 1752, in great repute at the time, and reprinted by Dr. C. Evans in 1772. It was his practice to prepare a hymn every week to be sung after his Sunday morning sermon. Though not originally intended for publication, he allowed thirteen of these to appear in the Bristol Baptist Collection of Ash & Evans (1769), and thirty-six in Dr. Rippon's Baptist Selection (1787), whence a number of them found their way into the General Baptist Hymn Book of 1793 and other collections. In 1817, a posthumous collection of his hymns was published, containing 830 pieces, with an introduction by the Rev. Robert Hall, and entitled "Hymns adapted to Public Worship or Family Devotion, now first published from the Manuscripts of the late Rev. B. Beddome, M.A." Preface dated "Leicester, Nov. 10, 1817." Some of the early copies bear the same date on the title page. Copies bearing both the 1817 and 1818 dates are in the British Museum. The date usually given is 1818. Some hymns are also appended to his Sermons, seven volumes of which were published l805—1819; and over twenty are given in the Baptist Register of various dates. Beddome's hymns were commended by Montgomery as embodying one central idea, "always important, often striking, and sometimes ingeniously brought out." Robert Hall's opinion is just, when in his "Recommendatory Preface" to the Hymns, &c, he says, p. vii.:— "The man of taste will be gratified with the beauty and original turns of thought which many of them ex¬hibit, while the experimental Christian will often perceive the most secret movements of his soul strikingly delineated, and sentiments pourtrayed which will find their echo in every heart." With the exception of a few composed for Baptisms and other special occasions, their present use in Great Britain is limited, but in America somewhat extensive. One of the best is the Ordination Hymn, "Father of Mercies, bow Thine ear." Another favourite is “ My times of sorrow and of joy," composed, by a singular coincidence, to be sung on Sunday, Jan. 14, 1778, the day on which his son died, most unexpectedly, in Edinburgh. "Let party names no more," is very popular both in Great Brit, and America. "Faith, His a precious gift," "Witness, ye men and angels, now," and the hymn for Holy Baptism, "Buried beneath the yielding wave," are also found in many collections. Beddome's popularity is, however, now mainly in America. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] Beddome is thus seen to be in common use to the extent of about 100 hymns. In this respect he exceeds every other Baptist hymnwriter; Miss Steele ranking second. The authorities for Beddome's hymns are: (1) A Collection of Hymns adapted to Public Worship, Bristol, W. Pine, 1769, the Collection of Ash & Evans; (2) Dr. Rippon's Selections 1787, and later editions; (3) Sermons printed from the Manuscripts of the late Rev. Benjamin Beddome, M.A.,... with brief Memoir of the Author, Dunstable & Lond., 1805-1819; (4) Dr. Rippon's Baptist Register, 1795, &c.; (5) The Beddome Manuscripts, in the Baptist College, Bristol; (6) and Hymns adapted to Public Worship, or Family Devotion now first published, from Manuscripts of the late Rev. B. Beddome, A.M. With a Recommendatory Preface by the Rev. R. Hall, A.M. Lond., 1817. In his Preface, Mr. Hall gives this account of the Beddome Manuscript:— "The present Editor was entrusted several years ago with the MSS, both in prose and verse, with permission from the late Messrs. S. & B. Beddome, sons of the Author, to publish such parts of them as he might deem proper. He is also indebted to a descendant of the Rev. W. Christian, formerly pastor of the Baptist Church at Sheepshead, Leicestershire, for some of the Author's valuable hymns, which had been carefully preserved in the family. From both these sources, as well as others of less consequence, the present interesting volume has been derived." -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ======================= Beddome, Benjamin, pp. 121-124. Other hymns in common use:— 1. Great God, before Thy mercy-seat. (1817). Lent. 2. Great God, oppressed with grief and fear. (1787.) Reading H. Scripture. 3. How glorious is Thy word, 0 God. Holy Scripture. From "When Israel, &c," p. 124, i. 4. In God I ever will rejoice. Morning. From his Hymns, &c, 1817. 5. Jesus, my Lord, divinely fair. (1817.) Jesus the King of Saints. Begins with stanza ii. of “Listen, ye mortals, while I sing." 6. Rejoice, for Christ the Saviour reigns. Missions. Altered form of "Shout, for the blessed, &c," p. 123, ii. 7. Satan, the world, and sin. (1817.) In Temptation. 8. Thou, Lord of all above. (1817.) Lent. 9. Unto Thine altar, Lord. (1787.) Lent. 10. Ye saints of every rank, with joy. (1800.) Public Worship. The dates given above are, 1787 and 1800, Rippon's Selection; and 1817 Beddome's Hymns. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II

John Pierpont

1785 - 1866 Person Name: Pierpont Hymnal Number: 381 Author of "Now to the God, to whom all might" in The Universalist Hymn-Book Pierpont, John, son of James Pierpont, of Litchfield, Connecticut, was born at Litchfield, April 6, 1785, and educated at Yale College, where he graduated in 1804. After fulfilling engagements as a Tutor in New Haven, and in Charlestown, South Carolina, he was admitted to the Bar in 1812. Shortly after he retired and went into business, only to leave it also, and to pass on to Harvard College as a student in theology. In 1819 he succeeded Dr. Holley as the pastor of the Unitarian congregation in Hollis Street, Boston. At length his zeal against intemperance and slavery caused him to resign his charge in 1840 [sic. 1845] (see Lothrop's Proceedings of an Eccl. Council in the case of the Hollis Street Meeting and the Rev. J. Pierpont). At this date he published his Poems & Hymns, including his anti-slavery and temperance poems and songs. In 1845 he became the pastor of an Unitarian congregation at Troy, New York. This he vacated for another at Medford, Massachusetts, in 1849. That he resigned in 1859. When over 70 years of age he became Chaplain in the United States Army (1862), and was finally a Government clerk in the Treasury Department at Washington. He died suddenly at Medford, Aug. 27, 1866. Pierpont's publications include Airs of Palestine, 1816, some school books, and his Poems & Hymns, 1840 and 1854. His hymns in common use include:— 1. Another day its course hath run. Evening. Appeared in Hymns for Children, Boston, 1825; in Greenwood's Chapel Liturgy, 1827; and in the author's Poems & Hymns, 1840. 2. Break forth in song, ye trees. Public Thanksgiving. Written for the Second Centennial Celebration of the Settlement of Boston, Sept. 17, 1830, and included in the Poems & Hymns, 1840. 3. Break the bread and pour the wine. Holy Communion. In Harris's Hymns for the Lord's Supper, 1820. 4. Father, while we break the bread. Holy Communion. 5. God Almighty and All-seeing. Greatness of the Father. Contributed to Elias Nason's Congregational Hymn Book, Boston, 1857. 6. God of mercy, do Thou never. Ordination. Written for the Ordination of John B. P. Storer at Walpole, Nov. 15, 1826; and published in the author's Poems, &c, 1840. 7. God of our fathers, in Whose sight. Love of Truth desired. This hymn is composed of st. ix., x. of a hymn written for the Charlestown Centennial, June 17, 1830. In this form it was given in the Boston Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, and others. 8. Gone are those great and good. Burial. Written in 1830. Part of No. 2 above. 9. I cannot make him dead. Gone Before. "A part of an exquisitely touching and beautiful poem of ten stanzas, originally printed in the Monthly Miscellany, Oct. 1840." 10. Let the still air rejoice. Praise. 11. Mighty One, Whose name is Holy. Charitable Institutions. Written for the anniversary of the Howard Benevolent Society, Dec. 1826, and included in the author's Poems, &c, 1840. 12. My [0] God, I thank Thee that the night. Morning. Appeared in his Poems, &c, 1840. In Martineau's Hymns, &c, 1873, it begins "O God, I thank Thee," &c. 13. 0 bow Thine ear, eternal One. Opening of Divine Service. This is dated 1823, but was not included in the author's Poems, &c, 1840, although one of his best productions. 14. 0 Thou to Whom in ancient time. Universal Worship. “Written for the opening of the Independent Congregational Church in Barton Square, Salem, Massachusetts, Dec. 7, 1824," and printed at the close of the sermon preached by Henry Colman on that day. It was given in Pierpont's Poems, &c, 1840, and is found in several collections in Great Britain and America. It is widely known. 15. 0 Thou Who art above all height. Ordination. “Written for the Ordination of Mr. William Ware, as Pastor of the First Congregational Church in New York, Dec. 18, 1821," and included in his Poems, &c, 1840. 16. 0 Thou Who on the whirlwind rides. Dedication of a Place of Worship. Written for the opening of the Seamen's Bethel in Boston, Sept. 11, 1833. Sometimes given as “Thou Who on the," &c. 17. O'er Kedron's stream, and Salem's height. Gethsemane. One of eight hymns contributed to Dr. T. M. Harris's Hymns for the Lord's Supper, 1820. It is in Martineau's Hymns, &c, London, 1873, and others. 18. On this stone, now laid with prayer. Foundation-stone Laying. Written for the laying of the cornerstone of Suffolk Street Chapel, Boston, for the Ministry of the Poor, May 23, 1839. 19. With Thy pure dews and rain. Against Slavery. Written for the African Colonization Society, and included in Cheever's American Common Place Book, 1831. Not in the author's Poems, &c, 1840. Pierpont's talents as a hymn-writer, as in other fields, were respectable rather than commanding, but so energetically employed as to make their mark. Thus, although he never wrote a single hymn that can be called a great lyric, yet he has attained to a prominent position in American hymnody. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Thomas Blacklock

1721 - 1791 Person Name: Blacklock Hymnal Number: 400 Author of "Great God! if nature, weak and frail" in The Universalist Hymn-Book Blacklock, Thomas, D.D., born at Annan, Dumfriesshire, November 10, 1721. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, and was, in 1759, licensed to preach. In 1762 he was ordained pariah minister of Kirkcudbright, but, on account of his blindness, had to resign and retire on an annuity. He went to Edinburgh and there received as boarders University students and boys attending school. In 1767 he received the degree of D.D. from the University of Aberdeen (Marischal College). He was one of the earliest and most helpful literary friends of Robert Burns. He died at Edinburgh July 7, 1791. His Poems were often printed—in 1756 at London, with a Memoir by the Rev. Joseph Spence, Professor of Poetry at Oxford; in 1793, at Edinburgh, with a Memoir by Henry Mackenzie, &c. They include 2 Psalm Versions, and 4 Hymns. "Hail, source of pleasures ever new," is altered from the Hymn to Benevolence, and "Father of all, omniscient mind," is from his version of Psalm 139. No. 16 in the Translations and Paraphrases of 1781, “In life's gay morn," &c, is also ascribed to him. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

John Berridge

1716 - 1793 Person Name: Berridge Hymnal Number: 316 Author of "Thy goodness, Lord, our souls confess" in The Universalist Hymn-Book Berridge, John, born at Kingston, Notis, March 1, 1716, and educated at Clare Hall, Cambridge. In 1749 he was ordained as curate to the parish of Stapleford, near Cambridge, and in 1755 he was preferred to the Vicarage of Everton, where he died Jan. 22, 1793. His epitaph, written by himself for his own tombstone (with date of death filled in), is an epitome of his life. It reads:— " Here lies the remains of John Berridge, late Vicar of Everton, and an itinerate servant of Jesus Christ, who loved his Master and His work; and after running on His errands for many years, was caught up to wait on Him above. Reader! art thou born again? (No salvation without a new birth.) I was born in sin, February, 1716; remained ignorant of my fallen state till 1730; lived proudly on faith and works for salvation till 1754; was admitted to Everton Vicarage, 1755; fled to Jesus for refuge, 1755; fell asleep in Jesus, January 22,1793." The first collection of Berridge's hymns was published as A Collection of Divine Songs, 1760. This was subsequently suppressed. In 1785 his Sion's Songs; or, Hymns composed for the use of them that love and follow the Lord Jesus Christ in Sincerity were published. The work contains 342 hymns, some of which had previously appeared in the Gospel Magazine (from 1775 to 1777, 20 in all), under the signature of "Old Everton" and others were adapted from C. Wesley. The most popular of these in modern collections are, "Jesus, cast a look on me;" "O happy saints who dwell in light;” and "Since Jesus freely did appear." Concerning his hymns published in 1785, he says in his Preface:— “Twelve years ago these hymns were composed in a six months' illness, and have since laid neglected by me, often threatened with the fire, but have escaped that martyrdom." -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================== Berridge, John, p. 138, i. The 1842 edition of his Sion's Songs has an elaborate preface by J. C. Philpot, the editor. From this collection the following additional hymns are in common use:— 1. I ask my dying Saviour dear. Sealed by Christ. 2. Lord Jesus, Who didst once appear. Holy Matrimony. An altered form of "Since Jesus freely did appear," p. 1059, i. 3. Soon as faith the Lord can see. None but Jesus. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

John Aikin

1747 - 1822 Person Name: Aiken Hymnal Number: 118 Author of "While sounds of war are heard around" in The Universalist Hymn-Book Aikin, John, M.D., 1747-1822. The brother of Mrs. Barbauld,son or Dr. Aikin of the Warrington Academy. As a physician he practised at Warrington and Yarmouth, and from 1798 till the time of his death lived at Stoke Newington. Author (with his sister), of Evenings at Home, editor of the General Biographical Dictionary, and for some time of the Monthly Magazine. His hymn In time of war, "While [what] sounds of war are heard around," was very popular. It is in Kippis and Martineau’s Hymns for the Christian Church and Home. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

James Arbuckle

1700 - 1734 Person Name: Arbuckle Hymnal Number: 196 Author of "My heart, and all my ways, O God!" in The Universalist Hymn-Book

Hosea Ballou

1796 - 1861 Person Name: H. Ballou, 2nd Hymnal Number: 117 Author of "Ye realms below the skies" in The Universalist Hymn-Book Grand nephew of the Universalist denomination leader Hosea Ballou, 1771-1852 Dianne Shapiro

Benjamin B. Mussey

Publisher of "" in The Universalist Hymn-Book Boston

John Cennick

1718 - 1755 Person Name: Cennick Hymnal Number: 92 Author of "Children of the heavenly King" in The Universalist Hymn-Book John Cennick was born at Reading, Berkshire, in the year 1717. He became acquainted with Wesley and Whitefield, and preached in the Methodist connection. On the separation of Wesley and Whitefield he joined the latter. In 1745, he attached himself to the Moravians, and made a tour in Germany to fully acquaint himself with the Moravian doctrines. He afterwards ministered in Dublin, and in the north of Ireland. He died in London, in 1755, and was buried in the Moravian Cemetery, Chelsea. He was the author of many hymns, some of which are to be found in every collection. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872. ======================= Cennick, John, a prolific and successful hymnwriter, was descended from a family of Quakers, but brought up in the Church of England. He assisted J. Wesley and then G. Whitefield in their labours for a time, and then passed over to, and died as a minister of, the Moravian Church. Born at Reading, Dec. 12, 1718, he was for some time a land surveyor at Reading, but becoming acquainted with the Wesleys in 1739, he was appointed by J. Wesley as a teacher of a school for colliers' children at Kingswood in the following year. This was followed by his becoming a lay preacher, but in 1740 he parted from the Wesleys on doctrinal grounds. He assisted Whitefield until 1745, when he joined the Mora¬vians, and was ordained deacon, in London, in 1749. His duties led him twice to Germany and also to the North of Ireland. He died in London, July 4, 1755. In addition to a few prose works, and some sermons, he published:— (1) Sacred Hymns, for the Children of God in the Days of their Pilgrimage, Lond., J. Lewis, n.d. (2nd ed. Lond., B. Milles, 1741), Pts. ii., iii., 1742; (2) Sacred Hymns for the Use of Religious Societies, &c, Bristol, F. Farley, 1743; (3) A Collection of Sacred Hymns, &c, Dublin, S. Powell, 3rd ed., 1749; (4) Hymns to the honour of Jesus Christ, composed for such Little Children as desire to be saved. Dublin, S. Powell, 1754. Additional hymns from his manuscripts were published by his son-in-law, the Rev. J. Swertner, in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789, of which he was the editor. There are also 16 of his hymns in his Sermons, 2 vols., 1753-4, some being old hymns rewritten, and others new. Many of Cennick's hymns are widely known, as, "Lo, He cometh, countless trumpets;" “Brethren, let us join to bless;" "Jesus, my all, to heaven is gone;" "Children of the heavenly King;" "Ere I sleep, for every favour;" "We sing to Thee, Thou Son of God;" and the Graces: " Be present at our table, Lord;" and "We thank Thee, Lord;" &c. Some of the stanzas of his hymns are very fine, but the hymns taken as a whole are most unequal. Some excellent centos might be compiled from his various works. His religious experiences were given as a preface to his Sacred Hymns, 1741. In addition to the hymns named, and others annotated under their first lines, the following are in common use:— 1. Be with me [us] Lord, where'er I [we] go. Divine Protection. [1741.] 2. Cast thy burden on the Lord. Submission. [1743.] 3. Not unto us, but Thee alone. Praise to Jesus. [1743.] 4. Thou dear Redeemer, dying Lamb. Priesthood of Christ. [1743.] 5. We sing to Thee, Thou Son of God. Praise to Jesus. [1743.] 6. When, 0 dear Jesus, when shall I? Sunday Evening. [1743.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)