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How Firm a Foundation
Meter: 11.11.11.11 Appears in 2,204 hymnals First Line: How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord Lyrics: 1 How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
2 "Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed,
for I am your God and will still give you aid;
I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
3 "When through the deep waters I call you to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow,
for I will be with you in trouble to bless,
and sanctify to you your deepest distress.
4 "When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
my grace all-sufficient shall be your supply;
the flame shall not hurt you; I only design
your dross to consume and your gold to refine.
5 "The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake!"
Topics: Comfort & Encouragement; Deliverance; Temptation & Trial; Rédemption; Assurance; Comfort & Encouragement; Deliverance; Pilgrimage & Conflct; Providence; Rédemption; Temptation & Trial; Word of God Scripture: Isaiah 41:10 Used With Tune: FOUNDATION Text Sources: J. Rippon's Selection of Hymns, 1787, alt.
How Firm a Foundation
FOUNDATION
Meter: 11.11.11.11 Appears in 478 hymnals Tune Sources: Early USA melody; harm. from Tabor, 1866 Tune Key: A Flat Major Incipit: 56161 51131 35561 Used With Text: How Firm a Foundation
FOUNDATION
MONTGOMERY
Meter: 11.11.11.11 Appears in 37 hymnals Composer and/or Arranger: Samuel Jarvis Tune Key: C Major Incipit: 11566 54321 55321 Used With Text: How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints
MONTGOMERY
How Firm a Foundation
Author: G. Keith Hymnal: Ideal Sunday School Hymns #24 (1913) First Line: How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord Refrain First Line: How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord Languages: English Tune Title: [How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord]
How Firm a Foundation
How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints
Hymnal: Hymns of Zion #11 (1958) First Line: How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord Languages: English Tune Title: [How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord]
How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints
How Firm a Foundation
Author: G. Keith Hymnal: The Voice of Praise No. 3 #19 (1912) First Line: How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord Refrain First Line: How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord Languages: English Tune Title: [How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord]
How Firm a Foundation
Anonymous
Author of "How Firm a Foundation" in Rejoice in the Lord In some hymnals, the editors noted that a hymn's author is unknown to them, and so this artificial "person" entry is used to reflect that fact. Obviously, the hymns attributed to "Author Unknown" "Unknown" or "Anonymous" could have been written by many people over a span of many centuries.
Anonymous
K.
Person Name: "K" Author of "How Firm a Foundation" in The New Christian Hymnal In John Rippon's A Selection of Hymns (1787, plus numerous subsequent editions), "How Firm a Foundation" (no. 128) is attributed simply to "K—". Two other hymns in the collection bear the same mark, "In songs of sublime adoration and praise," and "The Bible is justly esteemed." The author of the hymn has never been definitively identified, but the most common candidates are listed below.
I. Robert Keen(e)
The most likely possibility is Robert Keene, who served as precentor at Rippon's church. The evidence for connecting K with Keene comes (1) from his close acquaintance with Rippon, (2) Rippon's tune book, and (3) the testimony (of sorts) of Thomas Walker.
After Rippon started publishing a tune book, A Selection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes (1792), to go with his hymnal, both books were cross-referenced against each other; the tunes suggested for "How Firm a Foundation" were GEARD (no. 156) and BROUGHTON (no. 172). Both GEARD and BROUGHTON first appeared in Rippon's tune book and were probably written for it. BROUGHTON is by T. [Thomas] Walker., and GEARD is by R. [Robert] Keene, thus the association with "K.", but the connection is speculative at best.
Julian, in his article on "How Firm" in the Dictionary of Hymnology, notes that Walker later assisted Alexander Fletcher with his A Collection of Hymns (1822), and in that collection the text is attributed to Keen.
II. George Keith
In Josiah Miller's Singers and Songs of the Church (1869), "How Firm" is attributed to George Keith. According to Julian, the motivation behind this attribution was Daniel Sedgwick—-Miller credits him in the preface with having contributed special hymnological knowledge--yet Julian notes that Sedgwick garnered his information from "an old woman whom Sedgwick met in an almshouse." Keith was a publisher in London, and was the son-in-law of Dr. Gill, Rippon's distinguished predecessor at Carter Lane.
III. Thomas Kirkham
In 19th century editions of Rippon's Selection, the hymn was attributed to "Kirkham." Thomas Kirkham published A Collection of Hymns in 1788, yet "How Firm" was not included. His connection to Rippon is unclear.
IV. Kennedy/Kennady
Still other collections offer a different possiblity: a Kennedy or Kennady. This attribution appears as early as 1826 in Nettleton's Village Hymns. In Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book (1866), he offers "Kirkham or Kennedy, 1787." This person has yet to be identified.
V. John Rippon
In his preface to the Selection, Rippon wrote:
In most places, where the names of the authors were known, they are put at full length, but the hymns which are not so distinguished, or which have only a single letter prefixed to them, were, many of them composed by a person unknown, or else have undergone some considerable alterations.
Since Rippon is known to have significantly altered hymns in his collection ("All hail the power of Jesus' name," being a notable example), Rippon likely deserves at least partial credit for texts bearing the mark "K."
—Chris Fenner
with contributions from Eric Stedfeld, Peter Irvine, and Peter Rehwaldt
See also "How Firm a Foundation".
K.
John Rippon
1751 - 1836 Person Name: John Rippon, 1751-1836 Author of "How Firm a Foundation" in Common Praise (1998) Rippon, John, D.D., was born at Tiverton, Devon, April 29, 1751, and was educated for the ministry at the Baptist College, Bristol. In 1773 he became Pastor of the Baptist church in Carter Lane, Tooley Street (afterwards removed to New Park Street), London, and over this church he continued to preside until his death, on Dec. 17, 1836. The degree of D.D. was conferred on him in 1792 by the Baptist College, Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Rippon was one of the most popular and influential Dissenting ministers of his time. From 1790 to 1802 he issued the Baptist Annual Register, a periodical containing an account of the most important events in the history of the Baptist Denomination in Great Britain and America during that period, and very valuable now as a book of reference. But his most famous work is his Selection of hymns for public worship, which appeared in 1787. The full title of the first edition is A selection of Hymns from the best authors, intended as an Appendix to Dr. Watts's Psalms and Hymns. In 1791 he published a Selection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes from the Best Authors, adapted to Dr. Watts's Psalms and Hymns, and to his own Selection, and from that time the names of tunes were prefixed to the hymns in the successive editions of his hymn-book. In 1800 he published the 10th ed. of his Selections, containing more than sixty additional hymns.
In 1827 it was still further enlarged, and in 1844, after his death, appeared The Comprehensive Edition, commonly known as The Comprehensive Rippon, containing most of the additional hymns, with about 400 then first added, making in all upwards of 1170, in 100 metres. A rival to the Comprehensive was also afterwards published under the old title, somewhat enlarged. In the preparation of the original book, and its subsequent improvement, Dr. Rippon performed an important service to Baptist Hymnody, and also, it is said, gained for himself "an estate" through its immense sale. In the preface to the tenth edition lie claims for himself the authorship of some of the hymns, but as he refrained from affixing his name to any of the hymns it is impossible now to say with certainty which ought to be ascribed to him. There can, however, be no reasonable doubt that hymn 535, 3rd part, "The day has dawned, Jehovah comes" (q.v.), is one of his compositions. Other hymns, probably by him, are, "Amid the splendours of Thy state" (Love of God), 1800; and "There is joy in heaven, and joy on earth" (Joy over the Repenting Sinner), 1787. He also altered the texts of and made additions to several of the older hymns. Some of these altered texts are still in common use. In 1830 the additions given in the 27th ed., 1827, of Rippon's Selections were reprinted, with notes by Dr. Slater, as:—
Hymns Original and Selected; interspersed in the Twenty-seventh edition of the Selection, with Numerous Doxologies, in the Usual, the Peculiar, and in the less Common metres. By John Rippon, D.D.
A second edition of this pamphlet of 82 hymns and doxologies appeared in 1832. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
John Rippon
