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The newborn child of gospel grace

Author: William Cowper Meter: 8.8.8.8 Appears in 37 hymnals Lyrics: 1 The new-born child of gospel-grace, Like some fair tree when summer's nigh, Beneath Emmanuel's shining face, Lifts up his blooming branch on high. 2 No fear he feels, he sees no foes, no conflict yet his faith employs, Nor has he learned to whom he owes, The strength and peace his soul enjoys. 3 But sin soon darts its cruel sting, And comforts sink from day to day: What seemed his own, a self-fed spring, Proves but a brook that glides away. 4 When Gideon armed his numerous host, The Lord soon made his numbers less; And said, lest Israel vainly boast, "My arm procured me this success." 5 Thus will he bring our spirits down, And draw our ebbing comforts low, That saved by grace, but not our own, We may not claim the praise we owe. The Hartford Selection of Hymns from the most approved authors, 1799

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The newborn child of gospel grace

Author: William Cowper Hymnal: The Young Christian's Companion. 2nd ed. #a24 (1829)

The newborn child of gospel grace

Author: William Cowper Hymnal: Select Hymns from Other Authors, Selected Harmony Together with Directions for Musical Expression. 2nd ed. #a46 (1817)

The newborn child of gospel grace

Author: William Cowper Hymnal: The Young Christian's Companion #24 (1826)

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William Cowper

1731 - 1800 Author of "The newborn child of gospel grace" William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper"; b. Berkampstead, Hertfordshire, England, 1731; d. East Dereham, Norfolk, England, 1800) is regarded as one of the best early Romantic poets. To biographers he is also known as "mad Cowper." His literary talents produced some of the finest English hymn texts, but his chronic depression accounts for the somber tone of many of those texts. Educated to become an attorney, Cowper was called to the bar in 1754 but never practiced law. In 1763 he had the opportunity to become a clerk for the House of Lords, but the dread of the required public examination triggered his tendency to depression, and he attempted suicide. His subsequent hospitalization and friendship with Morley and Mary Unwin provided emotional stability, but the periods of severe depression returned. His depression was deepened by a religious bent, which often stressed the wrath of God, and at times Cowper felt that God had predestined him to damnation. For the last two decades of his life Cowper lived in Olney, where John Newton became his pastor. There he assisted Newton in his pastoral duties, and the two collaborated on the important hymn collection Olney Hymns (1779), to which Cowper contributed sixty-eight hymn texts. Bert Polman ============ Cowper, William, the poet. The leading events in the life of Cowper are: born in his father's rectory, Berkhampstead, Nov. 26, 1731; educated at Westminster; called to the Bar, 1754; madness, 1763; residence at Huntingdon, 1765; removal to Olney, 1768; to Weston, 1786; to East Dereham, 1795; death there, April 25, 1800. The simple life of Cowper, marked chiefly by its innocent recreations and tender friendships, was in reality a tragedy. His mother, whom he commemorated in the exquisite "Lines on her picture," a vivid delineation of his childhood, written in his 60th year, died when he was six years old. At his first school he was profoundly wretched, but happier at Westminster; excelling at cricket and football, and numbering Warren Hastings, Colman, and the future model of his versification. Churchill, among his contemporaries or friends. Destined for the Bar, he was articled to a solicitor, along with Thurlow. During this period he fell in love with his cousin, Theodora Cowper, sister to Lady Hesketh, and wrote love poems to her. The marriage was forbidden by her father, but she never forgot him, and in after years secretly aided his necessities. Fits of melancholy, from which he had suffered in school days, began to increase, as he entered on life, much straitened in means after his father's death. But on the whole, it is the playful, humorous side of him that is most prominent in the nine years after his call to the Bar; spent in the society of Colman, Bonnell Thornton, and Lloyd, and in writing satires for The Connoisseur and St. James's Chronicle and halfpenny ballads. Then came the awful calamity, which destroyed all hopes of distinction, and made him a sedentary invalid, dependent on his friends. He had been nominated to the Clerkship of the Journals of the House of Lords, but the dread of appearing before them to show his fitness for the appointment overthrew his reason. He attempted his life with "laudanum, knife and cord,"—-in the third attempt nearly succeeding. The dark delusion of his life now first showed itself—a belief in his reprobation by God. But for the present, under the wise and Christian treatment of Dr. Cotton (q. v.) at St. Albans, it passed away; and the eight years that followed, of which the two first were spent at Huntingdon (where he formed his lifelong friendship with Mrs. Unwin), and the remainder at Olney in active piety among the poor, and enthusiastic devotions under the guidance of John Newton (q. v.), were full of the realisation of God's favour, and the happiest, most lucid period of his life. But the tension of long religious exercises, the nervous excitement of leading at prayer meetings, and the extreme despondence (far more than the Calvinism) of Newton, could scarcely have been a healthy atmosphere for a shy, sensitive spirit, that needed most of all the joyous sunlight of Christianity. A year after his brother's death, madness returned. Under the conviction that it was the command of God, he attempted suicide; and he then settled down into a belief in stark contradiction to his Calvinistic creed, "that the Lord, after having renewed him in holiness, had doomed him to everlasting perdition" (Southey). In its darkest form his affliction lasted sixteen months, during which he chiefly resided in J. Newton's house, patiently tended by him and by his devoted nurse, Mrs. Unwin. Gradually he became interested in carpentering, gardening, glazing, and the tendance of some tame hares and other playmates. At the close of 1780, Mrs. Unwin suggested to him some serious poetical work; and the occupation proved so congenial, that his first volume was published in 1782. To a gay episode in 1783 (his fascination by the wit of Lady Austen) his greatest poem, The Task, and also John Gilpin were owing. His other principal work was his Homer, published in 1791. The dark cloud had greatly lifted from his life when Lady Hesketh's care accomplished his removal to Weston (1786): but the loss of his dear friend William Unwin lowered it again for some months. The five years' illness of Mrs. Unwin, during which his nurse of old became his tenderly-watched patient, deepened the darkness more and more. And her death (1796) brought “fixed despair," of which his last poem, The Castaway, is the terrible memorial. Perhaps no more beautiful sentence has been written of him, than the testimony of one, who saw him after death, that with the "composure and calmness" of the face there “mingled, as it were, a holy surprise." Cowper's poetry marks the dawn of the return from the conventionality of Pope to natural expression, and the study of quiet nature. His ambition was higher than this, to be the Bard of Christianity. His great poems show no trace of his monomania, and are full of healthy piety. His fame as a poet is less than as a letter-writer: the charm of his letters is unsurpassed. Though the most considerable poet, who has written hymns, he has contributed little to the development of their structure, adopting the traditional modes of his time and Newton's severe canons. The spiritual ideas of the hymns are identical with Newton's: their highest note is peace and thankful contemplation, rather than joy: more than half of them are full of trustful or reassuring faith: ten of them are either submissive (44), self-reproachful (17, 42, 43), full of sad yearning (1, 34), questioning (9), or dark spiritual conflict (38-40). The specialty of Cowper's handling is a greater plaintiveness, tenderness, and refinement. A study of these hymns as they stood originally under the classified heads of the Olney Hymns, 1779, which in some cases probably indicate the aim of Cowper as well as the ultimate arrangement of the book by Newton, shows that one or two hymns were more the history of his conversion, than transcripts of present feelings; and the study of Newton's hymns in the same volume, full of heavy indictment against the sins of his own regenerate life, brings out the peculiar danger of his friendship to the poet: it tends also to modify considerably the conclusions of Southey as to the signs of incipient madness in Cowper's maddest hymns. Cowper's best hymns are given in The Book of Praise by Lord Selborne. Two may be selected from them; the exquisitely tender "Hark! my soul, it is the Lord" (q. v.), and "Oh, for a closer walk with God" (q. v.). Anyone who knows Mrs. Browning's noble lines on Cowper's grave will find even a deeper beauty in the latter, which is a purely English hymn of perfect structure and streamlike cadence, by connecting its sadness and its aspiration not only with the “discord on the music" and the "darkness on the glory," but the rapture of his heavenly waking beneath the "pathetic eyes” of Christ. Authorities. Lives, by Hayley; Grimshaw; Southey; Professor Goldwin Smith; Mr. Benham (attached to Globe Edition); Life of Newton, by Rev. Josiah Bull; and the Olney Hymns. The numbers of the hymns quoted refer to the Olney Hymns. [Rev. H. Leigh Bennett, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================ Cowper, W. , p. 265, i. Other hymns are:— 1. Holy Lord God, I love Thy truth. Hatred of Sin. 2. I was a grovelling creature once. Hope and Confidence. 3. No strength of nature can suffice. Obedience through love. 4. The Lord receives His highest praise. Faith. 5. The saints should never be dismayed. Providence. All these hymns appeared in the Olney Hymns, 1779. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) ===================== Cowper, W., p. 265, i. Prof. John E. B. Mayor, of Cambridge, contributed some letters by Cowper, hitherto unpublished, together with notes thereon, to Notes and Queries, July 2 to Sept. 24, 1904. These letters are dated from Huntingdon, where he spent two years after leaving St. Alban's (see p. 265, i.), and Olney. The first is dated "Huntingdon, June 24, 1765," and the last "From Olney, July 14, 1772." They together with extracts from other letters by J. Newton (dated respectively Aug. 8, 1772, Nov. 4, 1772), two quotations without date, followed by the last in the N. & Q. series, Aug. 1773, are of intense interest to all students of Cowper, and especially to those who have given attention to the religious side of the poet's life, with its faint lights and deep and awful shadows. From the hymnological standpoint the additional information which we gather is not important, except concerning the hymns "0 for a closer walk with God," "God moves in a mysterious way," "Tis my happiness below," and "Hear what God, the Lord, hath spoken." Concerning the last three, their position in the manuscripts, and the date of the last from J. Newton in the above order, "Aug. 1773," is conclusive proof against the common belief that "God moves in a mysterious way" was written as the outpouring of Cowper's soul in gratitude for the frustration of his attempted suicide in October 1773. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

E. Cronenwett

1841 - 1931 Person Name: Emanuel Cronenwett Author of "The newborn child of gospel grace" in Book of Hymns for the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Wisconsin and Other States Cronenwett, Emmanuel, a Lutheran Pastor at Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., contributed to the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal, Published by Order of the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio and other States, 1880, in addition to 20 translations from the German, the following original hymns, some of which rank with the best in the collection:— 1. A holy state is wedded life. Domestic Worship. 2. Faith is wisdom from on high. Faith. 3. Heavenly Father, Jesus taught us. Prayer. 4. Lord, Thine omniscience I adore. Omniscience. 5. O Triune God, Thy blessing great. Domestic Worship. 6. Of omniscient grace I sing. Omniscience. 7. Of Zion's honour angels sing. Ordination. 8. The precepts of the word are pure. Holy Scripture. 9. The Spirit's fruits are peace and love. Fruits of the Spirit. 10. 'Tis a marvel in our eyes. Foundation Stone laying of a Church. 11. To Thee, our fathers' God, we bow. Domestic Worship. 12. Unto Caesar let us render. National Thanksgiving. 13. We have a sure, prophetic word. Holy Scripture. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Cyriacus Schneegass

1546 - 1597 Author of "The newborn child of gospel grace" in Evangelical Lutheran Hymnbook (Lutheran Conference of Missouri and Other States) Sehneegass, Cyriacus, was born Oct. 5, 1546, at Buffleben, near Gotha. He studied and graduated M.A. at the University of Jena. In 1573 he became pastor of the St. Blasius church at Friedrichroda, near Gotha. He was also adjunct to the Superindendent of Weimar, and in this capacity signed the Formula of Concord in 1579. He died at Friedrichroda, Oct. 23, 1597 (Koch, ii. 252, &c). Schneegass was a diligent pastor, a man mighty in the Scriptures, and firm and rejoicing in his faith. He was also an excellent musician and fostered the love of music among his people. His hymns reflect his character, and are good and simple, setting forth in clear and intelligible style the leading ideas of the festivals of the Christian year, &c.; and his Psalm versions are also of considerable merit. They appeared principally in his (l) xv. Psalmi graduum, &c, Erfurt, 1595 [Gotha Library], This contains the Psalms of Degrees (120-134) also Ps. 82 and 85, and three hymns. (2) Weihenacht und New Jahrs-Gesäng, Erfurt, 1595. Koch speaks of this as containing 9 hymns. The present writer has been unable to trace a copy of the book. (3) Geistliche Lieder und Psalmen. Für Einfeltigefrome Herzen zugerichtet, Erfurt, 1597 [Berlin Library]. This is the complete edition of his psalms and hymns, containing 72 in all. Of his hymns those which have passed into English are:— i. Das neugeborne Kindelein. Christmas. Probably first published in No. 2 above. Included in 1597 as above, No. 1, in 4 stanzas of 4 lines, entitled "A beautiful little Christmas hymn on the dear little Jesus." Repeated in Wackernagel, v. p. 138, and as No. 65 in the Unverfälschter Liedersegen1851. The translations in common use are:— 1. The holy Son, the new-born Child, A good and full tr. by A. T. Russell, as No. 60 in his Psalms & Hymns, 1851. 2. The new-born Child this early morn. In full as No. 46 in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal 1880. Another tr. is (3) "The new-born Babe, whom Mary bore," as No. 439 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book , 1754. ii. Herr Gott Vater, wir preisen dich. New Year. Probably first published in No. 2 above. Included in 1597 as above, No. 7, in 4 stanzas of 7 lines, entitled "A New Year's Hymn." Repeated in Wackernagel, v. p. 139, in the Pfalz Gesang-Buch 1859, No. 129, and the Ohio Gesang-Buch, 1870, No. 54. The translation in common use is:— O Lord our Father, thanks to Thee. In full, by A. Crull, in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)