My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files
Planning worship?
Check out our sister site, ZeteoSearch.org,
for 20+ additional resources related to your search.
- |
User Links
Search Results
The Churchman's Treasury of Song
Publication Date: 1907 Publisher: E. P. Dutton and Company Publication Place: New York Editors: John Henry Burn; E. P. Dutton and Company
The Churchman's Treasury of Song
I think if thou couldst know
Author: Adelaide Anne Procter Appears in 1 hymnal
I think if thou couldst know
How often on a morning bright
Author: Thomas Toke Lynch Appears in 1 hymnal
How often on a morning bright
How long, great God, how long must I
Author: John Norris Appears in 1 hymnal
How long, great God, how long must I
God bless the calm and holy cheer
Author: John S. B. Monsell Hymnal: CTS1907 #1 (1907) Languages: English
God bless the calm and holy cheer
Throw wide the gate, my heart, and give thy Lord
Author: Lord Kinloch Hymnal: CTS1907 #2 (1907) Languages: English
Throw wide the gate, my heart, and give thy Lord
How long, O Lord, in weariness and sorrow
Author: Jane Borthwick Hymnal: CTS1907 #3 (1907) Languages: English
How long, O Lord, in weariness and sorrow
John S. B. Monsell
1811 - 1875 Hymnal Number: 1 Author of "God bless the calm and holy cheer" in The Churchman's Treasury of Song John Samuel Bewley Monsell (b. St. Colomb's, Londonderry, Ireland, 1811; d. Guilford, Surrey, England, 1875) was educated at Trinity College in Dublin and served as a chaplain and rector of several churches in Ireland after his ordination in 1835. Transferred to England in 1853, he became rector of Egham in Surrey and was rector of St. Nicholas Church in Guilford from 1870 until his death (caused by a construction accident at his church). A prolific poet, Monsell published his verse in eleven volumes. His three hundred hymns, many celebrating the seasons of the church year, were issued in collections such as Hymns and Miscellaneous Poems (1837), Spiritual Songs (1857), Hymns of Love and Praise (1863), and The Parish Hymnal (1873).
Bert Polman
===============================
Monsell, John Samuel Bewley, L.L.D., son of Thomas Bewley Monsell, Archdeacon of Londonderry, was born at St. Columb's, Londonderry, March 2,1811, and educated at Trinity College, Dublin (B.A. 1832, LL.D. 1856). Taking Holy Orders in 1834, "he was successively Chaplain to Bishop Mant, Chancellor of the diocese of Connor, Rector of Ramoan, Vicar of Egham, diocese Worcester, and Rector of St. Nicholas's, Guildford. He died in consequence of a fall from the roof of his church, which was in the course of rebuilding, April 9, 1875. His prose works include Our New Vicar, 1867; The Winton Church Catechist, &c. His poetical works are:—
(1) Hymns and Miscellaneous Poems, Dublin, W. Curry, Jun., & Co., 1837; (2) Parish Musings, or Devotional Poems, 1850; (3) Spiritual Songs for the Sundays and Holy Days throughout the Year. 1857 (People's Ed., 1875); (4) His Presence, not His Memory, 1855, 1858; (5) Hymns of Love and Praise for the Church's Year, 1863 (2nd ed. 1866); (6) The Passing Bell; Ode to The Nightingales, and Other Poems, 1867; (7) Litany Hymns, 1869; (8) The Parish Hymnal after the Order of The Book of Common Prayer, 1873; (9)Watches by the Cross, 1874; (10) Simon the Cyrenian; and Other Poems; (11) Nursery Carols.
In these works several hymns which appeared in the earlier books are repeated in the later, and thus at first sight his compositions seem to be more in number than they really are. The total amounts to nearly 300, and of these about one-fourth are in common use. The most popular of these are, "God is love; that anthem olden"; "God of that glorious gift of grace"; "Holy offerings, rich and rare"; “Lord of the living harvest"; "Mighty Father, Blessed Son"; and "Sing to the Lord a joyful song." In addition to those which are annotated under their respective first lines, the following are in common use:—
i. Appeared in his Hymns and Miscellaneous Poems, Dublin, 1837.
1. Birds have their quiet nests. Humility of Christ.
2. Dark and dim the day-light rose. Good Friday.
3. Friend of the friendless and the lone. Jesus, the Friend.
4. My God, what wondrous love was Thine. Whitsuntide.
5. O for a heart more fervent. Holiness desired.
6. O for the time when on the world. Missions.
7. The springtide hour brings leaf and flower. Spring.
8. This day the Lord is risen. Easter.
9. When cold our hearts and far from Thee. Teach us to Pray.
10. Why restless, why so weary? Providence.
11. Yes, I do feel, my God, that I am Thine. Assurance.
ii. Appeared in his Parish Musings, 1850.
12. In Thee, my [O] God, will we rejoice. Trust in God.
13. Lord, dependent on Thy promise. Holy Baptism.
14. Members of Christ, Children of God. Confirmation.
15. So teach me, Lord, to number. The Old and New Year.
16. Soon [soon] and for ever. Death anticipated.
17. The broken, contrite heart oppress'd. Promises of God.
18. Thou art near, yes, Lord, I feel it. Divine Support.
19. Would'st thou learn the depths of sin? Passiontide.
iii. Appeared in his Spiritual Songs, 1857.
20. A few bright leaders of her host. All Saints.
21. A happy, happy [merry, merry] Christmas. New Year's Day.
22. Blessed hope, that we the fallen [sinful]. Hope.
23. Heart in heart, and hand in hand. SS. Simon and Jude.
24. Jesus, my loving Lord! I know. Resignation.
25. Last Sunday of the work-day year. Sunday after Christmas Day.
26. Loved by God the Father. Holy Baptism.
27. Mercy, mercy, God the Father. Lent.
28. My head is low, my heart is sad. Confirmation. (Penitential.)
29. Oft doth the Christian's heart inquire. Christian Duty.
30. 0 God, most mighty, listen now. Charities. From "When languid frame or throbbing pulse."
31. 0 holy Sabbath day. Sunday.
32. 0 Lord, what records of Thy love. St. Barnabas. Sometimes, “Lord God, what records of Thy love."
33. 0 love, divine and golden. Holy Matrimony. From this, "Love divine and tender" is taken.
34. One lesson more the Church must learn. Waiting on God. From this, “One lesson Christ His own would teach" is taken.
35. Proudly in his [the] hall of judgment. Tuesday before Easter.
36. Sinful, sighing to be blest. Lent.
37. The Church of God, with equal care. St. James.
38. The journey done; The rest begun. Burial.
39. The simple trust that can confide. Trust.
40. Weary and sad, a wanderer from Thee. Lent.
iv. Appeared, in his Hymns of Love and Praise, 1863, and 2nd ed., 1866.
41. Bounteous blesser of the seedtime. Sexagesima. Seed Time.
42. Brightly hopeful for the future. God's mercy through life.
43. Christ is risen! Alleluia! Easter.
44. Come and deck the grave with flowers. Easter Eve.
45. Fight the good fight with all thy might. Fight of Faith.
46. Holy Spirit, long expected. Whitsuntide.
47. Hours and days and months and years. The Circumcision.
48. I have no comfort but Thy love. The Comfort of Love.
49. I knew Thee in the land of drought. A Song of Love.
60. I think of Thee, my God by night. Evening.
61. Jesu, gentle Sufferer, say. Good Friday.
52. Labouring and heavy-laden. Lent.
53. Light of the world, we hail Thee. Missions.
54. Lord, to whom except to Thee? Holy Communion.
55. My sins, my sins, my Saviour. Ash Wednesday.
56. O'er the distant mountains breaking. Second Advent.
57. Other Name than our dear Lord's. Jesus All and in All.
58. Pity on us, heavenly Father. Litany Hymn for Lent.
59. Praise the Lord, rejoice, ye Gentiles. Advent, or Missions.
60. Rest of the weary, joy of the sad. Jesus, the Saviour and Friend.
61. Shadow of a mighty Rock. Jesus, the Rock of Ages.
62. Sing, 0 heaven; 0 earth rejoice. Ascension.
63. Sweet is the gentle voice of spring. Seed Time.
64. Sweet is Thy mercy, Lord. Divine Mercy.
65. Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee. Divine Teaching.
66. The good old times, how glorious. Advent.
67. The world may in its wealth delight. Rejoicing in the Lord. An altered form of "Let others in their wealth delight."
68. Though Thou slay me, I will trust. Faith.
69. To Christ the Lord! The Incarnate Word. Christmas.
70. When I had wandered from His fold. The Love of God.
v. Appeared in his Litany Hymns, 1869.
71. Lay the precious body, In the quiet grave. Burial.
72. My sins have taken such a hold on me. Litany of Repentance.
vi. Appeared in his Parish Hymnal, 1873.
73. I hunger and I thirst. Septuagesima.
Dr. Monsell’s hymns are as a whole bright, joyous, and musical; but they lack massiveness, concentration of thought, and strong emotion. A few only are of enduring excellence.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology 1907
=====================
Monsell, J, S. B., p. 762, ii. Additional hymns in common use include:—
1. Blessed Lord, Who, till the morning. Holy Scriptures. From his Spiritual Songs, 1857.
2. Christ incarnate in His poor. Christ in His Poor. From his Hymns of Love and Praise, 1863.
3. We ask for life, and mean thereby. Life and Work. From his Hymns of Love and Praise, 1863.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)
====================
Monsell, J. S. B. Since the article on pp. 762-3 was written, copies of the original editions of Dr. Monsell's works have come into our hands, and from them we have to make the following corrections, the numbers following being those given to the first lines of the hymns on pp. 762-3:—
15. So teach me, &c. Hymns and Misc. Poems, 1837, p. 30.
17. The broken, &c. Hymns and Misc. Poems, 1837, p. 49.
18. Thou art near, &c. Hymns and Misc. Poems, 1837, p. 21.
19. Would'st thou, &c. Hymns and Misc. Poems, 1837, p. 14.
26. Loved by God, &c. Parish Hymnal, 1873, No. 181.
27. Mercy, mercy, &c. Prayers and Litanies, 1861,
p. 119.
28. My head is low, &c. Hymns of Love and Praise, 1866,
p. 125.
33. O Love divine, &c. Hymns of Love and Praise, p. 131.
38. The journey done, &c. Hymns of Love and Praise, p. 134.
40. Weary and sad, &c. Parish Hymnal, 1873, No. 209.
41-50. Hymns of Love and Praise, 1863.
51. See "Day of loss," &c, p. 282, i.
52. Labouring, &c. Prayers and Litanies, 1861, p. 116. 53-57. Hymns of Love and Praise, 1863.
58. Pity on us, &c. Prayers and Litanies, 1861, p. 125.
59. Praise the Lord, &c. Hymns of Love and Praise, 1863,
p. 13.
60. 61, 62, 64, 65. Prayers and Litanies, 1861.
63, 66-70. Hymns of Love and Praise, 1863.
72. My sins, &c. Hymns of Love and Praise, 1866, p. 34.
73. I hunger, &c. Hymns of Love and Praise, 1866, p. 128.
It will be seen from this list of additions and corrections that Dr. Monsell multiplied his works by giving much the same material under new titles, and that his Prayers and Litanies of 1861 were unknown to us when the original article was written. "We can sincerely add that few hymn writers are so perplexing to the annotator as Dr. Monsell. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)
John S. B. Monsell
Thomas Ken
1637 - 1711 Hymnal Number: 115 Author of "My God, to keep my heart" in The Churchman's Treasury of Song Thomas Ken (b. Berkampstead, Hertfordshire, England, 1637; d. Longleat, Wiltshire, England, 1711) studied at Winchester College, Hart Hall, and New College, Oxford, England. Ordained in the Church of England in 1662, he served variously as pastor, chaplain at Winchester College (1669-1679), chaplain to Princess (later Queen) Mary in The Hague, and bishop of Bath and Wells (1685-1691). He was a man of conscience and independent mind who did not shirk from confrontations with royalty. When King Charles II came to visit Winchester, he took along his mistress, the famous actress Nell Gwynne. Ken was asked to provide lodging for her. The story is told that Ken quickly declared his house under repair and had a builder take off the roof! He later was dismissed from the court at The Hague when he protested a case of immorality. Then, later in 1688, Bishop Ken refused to read King James II's Declaration of Indulgence in the churches, which granted greater religious freedom in England, and he was briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London. A few years later he refused to swear allegiance to King William, and he lost his bishopric.
Ken wrote many hymns, which were published posthumously in 1721 and republished in 1868 as Bishop Ken's Christian Year, or Hymns and Poems for the Holy Days and Festivals of the Church. But he is best known for his morning, evening, and midnight hymns, each of which have as their final stanza the famous doxology “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow.”
Bert Polman
===============
Ken, Thomas, D.D. The bare details of Bishop Ken's life, when summarised, produce these results:—-Born at Berkhampstead, July, 1637; Scholar of Winchester, 1651; Fellow of New College, Oxford, 1657; B.A., 1661; Rector of Little Easton, 1663; Fellow of Winchester, 1666; Rector of Brighstone, 1667; Rector of Woodhay and Prebendary of Winchester, 1669; Chaplain to the Princess Mary at the Hague, 1679; returns to Winchester, 1680; Bishop of Bath and Wells, 1685; imprisoned in the Tower, 1688; deprived, 1691; died at Longleat, March 19, 1711.
The parents of Ken both died during his childhood, and he grew up under the guardianship of Izaak Walton, who had married Ken's elder sister, Ann. The dominant Presbyterianism of Winchester and Oxford did not shake the firm attachment to the English Church, which such a home had instilled. His life until the renewal of his connection with Winchester, through his fellowship, his chaplaincy to Morley (Walton's staunch friend, then bishop of Winchester), and his prebend in the Cathedral, calls for no special remark here. But this second association with Winchester, there seems little doubt, originated his three well-known hymns. In 1674 he published A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College, and reference is made in this book to three hymns, for "Morning," "Midnight," and "Evening," the scholars being recommended to use them. It can scarcely be questioned that the Morning, Evening, and Midnight hymns, published in the 1695 edition of The Manual, are the ones referred to. He used to sing these hymns to the viol or spinet, but the tunes he used are unknown. He left Winchester for a short time to be chaplain to the Princess Mary at the Hague, but was dismissed for his faithful remonstrance against a case of immorality at the Court, and returned to Winchester. A similar act of faithfulness at Winchester singularly enough won him his bishopric. He stoutly refused Nell Gwynne the use of his house, when Charles II. came to Winchester, and the easy king, either from humour or respect for his honesty, gave him not long afterwards the bishopric of Bath and Wells. Among the many acts of piety and munificence that characterised his tenure of the see, his ministration to the prisoners and sufferers after the battle of Sedgmoor and the Bloody Assize are conspicuous. He interceded for them with the king, and retrenched his own state to assist them. He attended Monmouth on the scaffold. James II. pronounced him the most eloquent preacher among the Protestants of his time; the judgment of Charles II. appears from his pithy saying that he would go and hear Ken "tell him of his faults." Among the faithful words of the bishops at Charles's death-bed, none were so noble in their faithfulness as his.
He was one of the Seven Bishops who refused to read the Declaration of Indulgence, and were imprisoned in the Tower by James for their refusal, but triumphantly acquitted on their trial. At the accession of William III, he refused, after some doubt on the subject, to take the oaths, and was at length (1691) deprived of his see. His charities had left him at this time only seven hundred pounds, and his library, as a means of subsistence; but he received hospitality for his remaining years with his friend Lord Weymouth, at Longleat. The see of Bath and Wells was again offered him, but in vain, at the death of his successor, Bishop Kidder. He survived all the deprived prelates. His attitude as a nonjuror was remarkable for its conciliatory spirit. The saintliness of Ken's character, its combination of boldness, gentleness, modesty and love, has been universally recognised. The verdict of Macaulay is that it approached "as near as human infirmity permits to the ideal perfection of Christian virtue." The principal work of Ken's that remains is that on the Catechism, entitled The Practice of Divine Love. His poetical works were published after his death, in four volumes. Among the contents are, the Hymns for the Festivals, which are said to have suggested to Keble the idea of The Christian Year; the Anodynes against the acute physical sufferings of his closing years; and the Preparatives for Death. Although many passages in them are full of tender devotion, they cannot rank either in style or strength with the three great hymns written at Winchester. The best biographies of Ken are he Life of Ken by a Layman, and, specially, his Life, by the Very Rev. E. H. Plumptre, Dean of Wells, 1888. [Rev. H. Leigh Bennett, M.A.]
Bishop Ken is known to hymnody as the author of the Morning, Evening, and Midnight Hymns, the first and second of which at least have found a place in almost every English collection for the last 150 years. The general history of these hymns, as we now know it, is as follows:—
1. In 1674 Ken published his Manual of Prayers for Winchester Scholars as
A Manual of Prayers For the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College [here arms of William of Wykeham within a border]. London, Printed for John Martyn, 1674, 12 mo, pp. 69.
From a passage in this work it may fairly be inferred that the author had already composed hymns for the use of the scholars. He says:—
“Be sure to sing the Morning and Evening Hymn in your chamber devoutly, remembering that the Psalmist, upon happy experience, assures you that it is a good thing to tell of the loving kindness of the Lord early in the morning and of his truth in the night season."
Two hymns only seem to be here referred to, but the expression "night season" may include both the Evening and Midnight hymns, and the latter would be only used occasionally. The hymns are not given in the Manual of 1674, or succeeding editions, until that of 1695, when the three hymns are added as an Appendix. The title of this edition is:—
A Manual of Prayers For the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College. And all other Devout Christians. To which is added three Hymns for Morning, Evening, and Midnight; not in former Editions: By the Same Author. Newly Revised. London, Printed for Ctarles Brome at the Ovn, at the West end of St. Paul's Church, 1695.
2. In 1704 Richard Smith, a London publisher, issued a book similar in appearance to the Manual, and entitled Conference between the Soul and Body concerning the Present and Future State. This edition contained a strong recommendation by Dodwell, an intimate friend of Ken, but no hymns. To the 2nd edition, however (1705), were added two (Morning and Evening) hymns, with Ken's name appended, but containing two additional verses to the Evening hymn, and differing in several other respects from the text of the Manual. Thereupon Charles Brome, to whom the copyright of the latter belonged, issued a new edition with an Advertisement stating that Ken "absolutely disowned" the hymns appended to the Conference, "as being very false and uncorrect," and that the genuine text was that given in the Manual only. Brome's Advertisementreads:—
"Advertisement—-Whereas at the end of a Book lately Publish'd call'd, 'A Conference between the Soul and Body,' there are some Hymns said to be writ by Bishop Ken, who absolutely disowns them, as being very false and uncorrect; but the Genuine ones are to be had only of Charles Brome, Bookseller, whose just Propriety the Original copy is."
3. In 1709, however, the spurious hymns were again published as Ken's in a book entitled A New Year's Gift: in Two Parts: to which is added A Morning and Evening Hymn. By Thomas, late L. B. of Bath and Wells. The Third Edition with additions. London Printed by W. Olney. 1709.
Brome met this, as before, with a new edition of the Manual, in which the Advertisement of 1705 as above was repeated, but the text of the hymns considerably revised. This revised text was followed in all subsequent editions of the Manual, but as, until lately, it was thought to have appeared first in the edition of 1712, published soon after Ken's death, its genuineness was suspected by many. The question as it then stood was fully discussed in an able letter by Sir Roundell Palmer (Lord Selborne), prefixed to the reprint of Ken's Hymns, published by D. Sedgwick in 1864. Since that time the discovery in the Bodleian Library of a copy of the Manual of 1709 shows that the revision was made in that year, and confirms the conclusion at which Lord Selborne had previously arrived, that it was Ken's genuine revised text. The title of this edition is:—
A Manual of Prayers For the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College, And all other Devout Christians, To which is added three Hymns for Morning, Evening, and Midnight; By the same Author. Newly Revised. London: Printed for Charles Brome at the Gun, the West end of St. Paul's Church, 1709.
The Advertisement before referred to is at p. 130. The alterations of 1709 may therefore be accepted as being made by Ken himself, and it seems not improbable that the revision was suggested by the recent republication of the spurious text in spite of Brome's disclaimer in 1705, and possibly by adverse criticism of the original text. Lord Selborne pointed out in his Letter that Ken altered a passage in his Practice of Divine Love (1st ed., 1685) because "some Roman Catholic writer professed to discover the doctrine of Transubstantiation" therein. This alteration was made in the 2nd ed., 1686, and explained in the Preface to have been made "to prevent all misunderstanding for the future." A passage also in the Manual—-"Help me, then, ye blessed Hosts of Heaven, to celebrate that unknown sorrow, &c." — was claimed in a Roman Catholic pamphlet as a passage which taught the scholars of Winchester to invocate the whole Court of Heaven." This passage Ken altered "to prevent all future misinterpretations," and prefixed an Advertisement to the 1687 edition of the Manual explaining why he had done so. In looking through the texts of the three hymns for 1695, and 1709, and especially at the doxologies, and at st. x. and xi. in the Evening Hymn, "You my Blest Guardian, whilst I sleep," &c. (1695); and "O may my Guardian while I sleep," &c. (1709), do we not see a good and sufficient reason to account for the revision of the hymns?
4. With regard to the text given in the Conference, Lord Selborne observes that it is not improbable that alterations and various readings, originating with Ken himself, might have obtained private circulation among his friends, long before he had made up his own mind to give them to the public; a suggestion which may possibly help to explain the fact, that a writer, patronised by Dodwell, was misled into believing (for such a writer ought not lightly to be accused of a wilful fraud) that the text, published in the Conference in Ken's name was really from his hand. That Ken occasionally altered passages in his writings when for any reason he considered it necessary, is certain ; and there can be little doubt that the text of the three Winchester hymns was more or less unsettled before 1695. At any rate, before their first appearance in that year in the Manual the Evening hymn had found its way into print. It was published in
”Harmonia Sacra; or Divine Hymns and Dialogues .. . Composed by the Best Masters . . . The Words by several Learned and Pious Persons. The Second Book," London, Henry Playford, 1693.
The first volume, of this work appeared in 1688, and was dedicated to Ken. It is not improbable therefore that Playford, when collecting materials for his second volume, obtained the words of the Evening Hymn directly from the author.
The hymn was set by Clarke as a Cantata for a solo voice, with the Doxology as a chorus in four parts.
5. The various Morning Hymns by Ken which have appeared in the Appendix to Tate and Brady's Version of the Psalms, and in most hymnals published during the past 150 years are compilations from this hymn, with, in many instances, slight alterations of the text either of 1695 or of that of 1709. In some modern hymnals the difficulty of the length of the hymn is overcome by dividing it into two or more parts.
A reference to the text given in Harmonia Sacra shows that the change from "Glory" to "All praise" in line 1. is only a restoration of the original reading; and without being aware of this fact, Lord Selborne points out that the expression "All praise" is remarkably consistent with Ken's frequent use of it in other writings. The same alteration was made in 1709 in the Morning Hymn, stanza 9, and in the Midnight Hymn, st. 7; while at the same time "Glory" in the Morning Hymn, st. v. 1. 4, is changed to "High Praise."
As in the case of "Awake my soul," this hymn has been divided, subdivided, and rearranged in a great many ways during the last 150 years. In one form or another it will be found in most hymnals published during that period.
Like the Morning and Evening Hymns, this hymn has been divided and rearranged in various ways, and is found in one form or another in most hymnals published during the last 150 years.
6. The various centos from these hymns which are in common use in English-speaking countries are:—
i. From the Morning Hymn.
1. All praise to Thee Who safe hast kept.
2. Awake, my soul, and with the sun.
3. Glory to Thee Who safe hast kept.
4. I wake, I wake, ye heavenly choirs.
5. I would not wake nor rise again.
6. Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart.
ii. From the Evening Hymn.
1. All praise to Thee, my God, this night.
2. Glory to Thee, my God, this night.
iii. From the Midnight Hymn.
1. All praise to Thee in light array'd.
2. Glory to Thee in light array'd.
3. Lord, now my sleep doth me forsake.
4. My God, now [when] I from sleep awake.
7. Bishop Ken has not escaped the not unusual charge of plagiarism, in connection with his celebrated hymns. Charges of this kind have been made from time to time, the nature and value of which we will endeavour to summarize. These are: (1) he borrowed from Sir Thomas Browne; (2) he did the same from Thomas Flatman; (3) he did neither, but Paraphrased from the Latin.
8. The title of Bishop Ken's hymns on the Festivals of the Church, published posthumously in 1721, is: Hymns for all the Festivals of the Year. They were republished by Pickering as: Bishop Ken's Christian Year or Hymns and Poems for the Holy Days and Festivals of the Church, Lond., 1868. From this work the following centos have come into common use:—
1. All human succours now are flown. Visitation of the Sick.
2. I had one only thing to do. A New Creature.
3. O purify my soul from stain. 10th Sunday after Trinity, or A Prayer for Purity.
4. 0 Lord, when near the appointed hour. Holy Communion.
5. Unction the Christian name implies. Confirmation. [George Arthur Crawford, M.A.]
-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
========================
Ken, T. , p. 422, i. Since this article was electrotyped the following details concerning Bishop Ken's three hymns have come to light:—In a Catalogue of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, published in 1707, there appears an entry of a tract entitled, Three Hymns for Morning, Evening; and Midnight, by the Author of the Manual of Prayers for Winchester Scholars. A copy of this hitherto unknown tract has lately come into the hands of Mr. W. T. Brooke, and by him has been passed on to the British Museum Library. It is bound up in a volume with two other pamphlets, of which the respective titles are:
(1) An Exposition on the Church Catechism, or the Practice of Divine Love. Revised. Composed for the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Printed for Charles Brome, at the Gun of the West end of St. Paul's Churchyard, 1703; (2) Directions for Prayer for the Dioceses of Bath and Wells. Price 2d. pp. 16; (3) A Morning, Evening, and Midnight Hymn by the Author of the Manual of Prayers for Winchester Scholars. Nos. 2 and 3 have no title, but on the last page of No. 3 is "London, Printed at the Gun, at the West End of St. Paul's Church."
The text of this tract of the "Three Hymns" agrees absolutely with that of 1709, except that in the 10th stanza of the Morning Hymns it reads "not rise again," as in 1705. We may therefore conclude that Ken's revisions, with this exception, were made between 1705 and 1707, the date of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Catalogue.
We may add that another cento from Ken's Midnight Hymn is "Blest Jesu! Thou, on heaven intent." in Rice's Hymns, 1870.
The Life of Bishop Ken by the late Dean Plumptre was published in 1888, in 2 volumes. It is by far the best and most exhaustive life of the Bishop, and is worthy of the author's great reputation. [George Arthur Crawford, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix I (1907)
Thomas Ken
John Newton
1725 - 1807 Hymnal Number: 131b Author of "My soul once had its plenteous years" in The Churchman's Treasury of Song 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
=======================
John Newton
