Person Results

Switch back to the old search page.Advanced Search

Showing 1 - 10 of 146Results Per Page: 10 20 50

Aurelius Clemens Prudentius

348 - 410 Person Name: Aurelius Prudentius, 348-413 Author of "The Wingèd Herald of the Day" in The Cyber Hymnal Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, "The Christian Pindar" was born in northern Spain, a magistrate whose religious convictions came late in life. His subsequent sacred poems were literary and personal, not, like those of St. Ambrose, designed for singing. Selections from them soon entered the Mozarabic rite, however, and have since remained exquisite treasures of the Western churches. His Cathemerinon liber, Peristephanon, and Psychomachia were among the most widely read books of the Middle Ages. A concordance to his works was published by the Medieval Academy of America in 1932. There is a considerable literature on his works. --The Hymnal 1940 Companion ============= Prudentius, Aurelius Clemens , with the occasional prefix of Marcus (cf. Migne, vol. lix. p. 593, and Dressel, p. ii. n), is the name of the most prominent and most prolific author of sacred Latin poetry in its earliest days. Of the writer himself we know nothing, or next to nothing, beyond what he has himself told us in a short introduction in verse to his works. From that source we learn that he was a Spaniard, of good family evidently, and that he was born A.D. 348 somewhere in the north of Spain, either at Saragossa, Tarragona, or Calahorra, but at which is left uncertain, by his applying the same expression to all, which if applied only to one would have fixed his place of birth. After receiving a good education befitting his social status he applied himself for some years to practising as a pleader in the local courts of law, until he received promotion to a judgeship in two cities successively:— "Bis legum moderanrine Frenos nobilium reximus urbium Jus civile bonis reddidimus, terruimus reos;" and afterwards to a post of still higher authority: "Tandem militiae gradu Evectum pietas principis extulit." Archbishop Trench considers this last to have been "a high military appointment at court," and such the poet's own words would seem to describe; but it may well be doubted whether a civilian and a lawyer would be eligible for such employment; in which case we may adopt the solution of the difficulty offered in the Prolegomena to our author's works (Migne, vol. lix. p. 601):— "Evectus indeest ad superiorem rnilitia? gradum, nimirum militia? civil is, palatinae, aut praesidialis, non bellicae, castrensis, aut cohortalis; nam ii qui officiis jure consultorum praesidum, rectorum et similium funguntur, vulgo in cod. Theod. militare et ad superiores militias ascendere dicuntur." It was after this lengthened experience at a comparatively early age of positions of trust and power that Prudentius, conscience-smitten on account of the follies and worldliness that had marked his youth and earlier manhood, determined to throw up all his secular employments, and devote the remainder of his life to advancing the interests of Christ's Church by the power of his pen rather than that of his purse and personal position. Accordingly we find that he retired in his 57th year into poverty and private life, and began that remarkable succession of sacred poems upon which his fame now entirely rests. We have no reason however to regard him as another St. Augustine, rescued from the "wretchedness of most unclean living" by this flight from the temptations and engrossing cares of official life into the calm seclusion of a wholly devotional leisure. He had probably rather learnt from sad experience the emptiness and vanity for an immortal soul of the surroundings of even the high places of this world. As he himself expresses it:— "Numquid talia proderunt Carnis post obitum vel bona, vel mala, Cum jam, quicquid id est, quod fueram, mors aboleverit?" and sought, at the cost of all that the world holds dear, those good things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. Beyond the fact of his retirement from the world in this way, and the fruits which it produced in the shape of his voluminous contributions to sacred poetry, we have no further information about our author. To judge from the amount he wrote, his life must have been extended many years after he began his new career, but how long his life was or where he died we are not told. Probably he died circa 413. His works are:— (1) Liber Cathemerinon. "Christian Day, as we may call it" W. S. Lilly, "Chapters in European History," vol. i. p. 208). (2) Liber Peristephanon. "Martyrs' Garlands" (id.). (3) Apotheosis. A work on the Divine Nature, or the Deification of Human Nature in Christ. (4) Hamartigenia. A treatise on the Origin of Sin, directed against the Marcionites. (5) Psychomachia or "The Spiritual Combat"-—an allegorical work. (6) Libri contra Symmachum. A controversial work against the restoration in the Senate House at Rome of the altar of Victory which Gratian had removed. Symmachus had petitioned Valentinian II. for its restoration in 384, but the influence of St. Ambrose had prevailed against him at that time. In 392 the altar was restored, but removed again by Theodosius in 394. After the death of the latter the attempt to restore it was renewed by Arcadius and Honorius, and it was at that time that Prudentius wrote his first book. The second (for there are two) was written in 405. Fague considers that the first may date in 395. (7) The Dittochseon = the double food or double Testament, is a wordy collection of 49 sets of four verses each, on Old and New Testament scenes. Of these different works the most important are the first two, and it is from them that the Liturgical hymns enumerated below have been chiefly compiled. The general character of Prudentius's writings it is not easy fairly to estimate, and to judge by the wholesale laudation he obtains from some of his critics, and the equally unsparing censure of others, his judges have so found it. In venturing upon any opinion upon such a subject, the reader must bear in mind the peculiar position in which the period at which he was writing found the poet. The poetry of classical Rome in all its exact beauty of form had long passed its meridian, and was being replaced by a style which was yet in its infancy, but which burst forth into new life and beauty in the hands of the Mediaeval hymnologists. Prudentius wrote before rhyming Latin verse was thought of, but after attention had ceased to be given to quantities. Under such circumstances it were vain to look for very finished work from him, and such certainly we do not find. But amidst a good deal of what one must confess is tasteless verbiage or clumsy rhetorical ornament-—however varied the metres he employs, numbering some 17—-there are also passages to be found, not unfrequently, of dramatic vigour and noble expression, which may well hold their own with the more musical utterances of a later date. He writes as a man intensely in earnest, and we may gather much from his writings concerning the points of conduct which were deemed the most important in Christian living at a time when a great portion of mankind were still the victims or slaves of a morality which, heathen at the best, was lowered and corrupted the more as the universality of its influence was more and more successfully challenged by the spread of the Gospel of Christ. If, there¬fore, we can scarcely go as far in our author's praise as Barth—-much given to lavish commendation—-who describes him as "Poeta eximius eruditissimus et sanctissimus scriptor; nemo divinius de rebus Christianis unquam scripsit"; or as Bentley—-not given to praise--who calls him the "Horace and Virgil of the Christians," we shall be as loath, considering under what circumstances he wrote, to carp at his style as not being formed on the best ancient models but as confessedly impure; feeling with Archbishop Trench that it is his merit that "whether consciously or unconsciously, he acted on the principle that the new life claimed new forms in which to manifest itself; that he did not shrink from helping forward that great transformation of the Latin language, which it needed to undergo, now that it should be the vehicle of truths which, were all together novel to it." (Sacred Latin Poetry, 1874, p. 121.) The reader will find so exhaustive an account of the various writings of Prudentius in the account given of him and them in Smith and Wace's Dictionary of Christian Biography, and Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, that it is only necessary in this work to refer very briefly to them as above. The poems have been constantly reprinted and re-edited, till the editor who produced the best edition we have of them, Albert Dressel (Leipsic, 1860), is able to say that his is the sixty-third. The use made of Prudentius's poems in the ancient Breviaries and Hymnaries was very extensive. In the form of centos stanzas and lines wore compiled and used as hymns; and it is mainly from these centos, and not from the original poems, that the translations into English were made. Daniel, i., Nos. 103-115, gives 13 genuine hymns as having been in use for "Morning," "Christmas," "Epiphany," "Lent," "Easter," "Transfiguration," "Burial," &c, in the older Breviaries. ….Many more which were used in like manner have been translated into English. When to these are added the hymns and those which have not been translated into English, we realise the position and power of Prudentius in the hymnody of the Church. [Rev. Digby S. Wrangham, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ============== Prudentius, A. C, p. 915, ii. Two somewhat full versions of Prudentius are: (1) The Cathemerinon and other Poems of Aurelius Prudentius Clemens in English Verse, Lond., Rivington, 1845; and (2) Translations from Prudentius. By Francis St. John Thackeray, M.A.. F.S.A. Lond., Bell & Sons, 1890. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Henry Moore

1732 - 1802 Author of "Supreme and universal Light!" in Services for Congregational Worship. The New Hymn and Tune Book Moore, Henry, 1732-1802. Son of a Presbyterian minister of the same name at Plymouth. Educated at Doddridge's Academy at Northampton, from 1757 to 1788 minister at Modbury, and then at Liskeard. Author of Lyrical and Miscellaneous Poems, published posthumously with a memoir by Dr. Aikin. Of his hymns, which are frequent in the books later than Kippis, the Dukinfield Collection, 1822, gives 5. 1. All earthly charms, however dear. The unfading beauty of holiness. 2. Amidst a world of hopes and fears. A prayer for guidance. 3. Assist us, Lord, to act, to be. Divine Help Solicited. 4. My God, thy boundless love I praise. The divine Love. 5. Soft are the fruitful showers that bring. A song of spring and New Life. 6. Supreme and universal light. Prayer for spiritual excellence. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

William Walsham How

1823 - 1897 Person Name: W. W. How Author of "O Jesus, crucified for man" in The Lutheran Hymnary William W. How (b. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, 1823; d. Leenane, County Mayo, Ireland, 1897) studied at Wadham College, Oxford, and Durham University and was ordained in the Church of England in 1847. He served various congregations and became Suffragan Bishop in east London in 1879 and Bishop of Wakefield in 1888. Called both the "poor man's bishop" and "the children's bishop," How was known for his work among the destitute in the London slums and among the factory workers in west Yorkshire. He wrote a number of theological works about controversies surrounding the Oxford Movement and attempted to reconcile biblical creation with the theory of evolution. He was joint editor of Psalms and Hymns (1854) and Church Hymns (1871). While rector in Whittington, How wrote some sixty hymns, including many for children. His collected Poems and Hymns were published in 1886. Bert Polman =============== How, William Walsham, D.D., son of William Wybergh How, Solicitor, Shrewsbury, was born Dec. 13, 1823, at Shrewsbury, and educated at Shrewsbury School and Wadham College, Oxford (B.A. 1845). Taking Holy Orders in 1846, he became successively Curate of St. George's, Kidderminster, 1846; and of Holy Cross, Shrewsbury, 1848. In 1851 he was preferred to the Rectory of Whittington, Diocese of St. Asaph, becoming Rural Dean in 1853, and Hon. Canon of the Cathedral in 1860. In 1879 he was appointed Rector of St. Andrew's Undershaft, London, and was consecrated Suffragan Bishop for East London, under the title of the Bishop of Bedford, and in 1888 Bishop of Wakefield. Bishop How is the author of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Commentary on the Four Gospels; Plain Words , Four Series; Plain Words for Children; Pastor in Parochia; Lectures on Pastoral Work; Three All Saints Summers, and Other Poems , and numerous Sermons , &c. In 1854 was published Psalms and Hymns, Compiled by the Rev. Thomas Baker Morrell, M.A., . . . and the Rev. William Walsham How, M.A. This was republished in an enlarged form in 1864, and to it was added a Supplement in 1867. To this collection Bishop How contributed several hymns, and also to the S. P. C. K. Church Hymns , of which he was joint editor, in 1871. The Bishop's hymns in common use amount in all to nearly sixty. Combining pure rhythm with great directness and simplicity, Bishop How's compositions arrest attention more through a comprehensive grasp of the subject and the unexpected light thrown upon and warmth infused into facia and details usually shunned by the poet, than through glowing imagery and impassioned rhetoric. He has painted lovely images woven with tender thoughts, but these are few, and found in his least appreciated work. Those compositions which have laid the firmest hold upon the Church, are simple, unadorned, but enthusiastically practical hymns, the most popular of which, "O Jesu, Thou art standing"; "For all the Saints who from their labours rest," and "We give Thee but Thine own," have attained to a foremost rank. His adaptations from other writers as in the case from Bishop Ken, "Behold, the Master passeth by," are good, and his Children's hymns are useful and popular. Without any claims to rank as a poet, in the sense in which Cowper and Montgomery were poets, he has sung us songs which will probably outlive all his other literary works. The more important of Bishop How's hymns, including those already named, and "Lord, Thy children guide and keep"; "O Word of God Incarnate"; "This day at Thy creating word"; "Who is this so weak and helpless"; and others which have some special history or feature of interest, are annotated under their respective first lines. The following are also in common use:— i. From Psalms & Hymns, 1854. 1. Before Thine awful presence, Lord. Confirmation. 2. Jesus, Name of wondrous love [priceless worth]. Circumcision. The Name Jesus . 3. Lord Jesus, when we stand afar. Passiontide. 4. O blessing rich, for sons of men. Members of Christ. 5. 0 Lord of Hosts, the earth is Thine. In time of War. 6. O Lord, Who in Thy wondrous love. Advent. ii. From Psalms & Hymns, enlarged, 1864. 7. Lord, this day Thy children meet. Sunday School Anniversary. iii. From Supplement to the Psalms & Hymns, 1867. 8. Hope of hopes and joy of joys. Resurrection. 9. 0 daughters blest of Galilee. For Associations of Women. 10. O happy feet that tread. Public Worship. 11. With trembling awe the chosen three. Transfiguration. iv. From Parish Magazine, 1871, and Church Hymns, 1871. 12. O Jesu, crucified for man. Friday. 13. Yesterday, with worship blest. Monday. v. From the S. P. C. K. Church Hymns. 1871. 14. Bowed low in supplication. For the Parish. 15. Great Gabriel sped on wings of light. Annunciation, of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 16. O blest was he, whose earlier skill. St. Luke. 17. O God, enshrined in dazzling light. Omnipresence. Divine Worship . 18. O heavenly Fount of Light and Love. Witsuntide. 19. O Lord, it is a blessed thing. Weekdays. 20. 0 One with God the Father. Epiphany. 21. O Thou through suffering perfect made. Hospitals. 22. Rejoice, ye sons of men. Purification of the B. V. M. 23. Summer suns are glowing. Summer. 24. The year is swiftly waning. Autumn. 25. Thou art the Christ, O Lord. St. Peter. 26. To Thee our God we fly. National Hymn. 27. Upon the holy Mount they stood. Transfiguration and Church Guilds. 28. We praise Thy grace, 0 Saviour. St. Mark. vi. From the S. P. C. K. Children's Hymns, 1872. 29. Behold a little child. Jesus the Child's Example. 30. Come, praise your Lord and Saviour. Children's Praises. 31. It is a thing most wonderful. Sunday School Anniversary. 32. On wings of living light. Easter. Bishop How's hymns and sacred and secular pieces were collected and published as Poems and Hymns, 1886. The Hymns, 54 in all, are also published separately. He d. Aug. 10, 1897. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) =================== How, W. W., p. 540, i. He died Aug. 10, 1897. His Memoir, by F. D. How, was published in 1898. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Antoinette Bourignon

1616 - 1680 Person Name: Antoinette Bourignon, 1616-80 Author of "Come, Saviour, Jesus, from above" in The Methodist Hymn-Book with Tunes Bourignon, Antoinette, was born at Lisle in 1616. From a very early period she was under the influence of religion, which took, in course of time, a mystical turn. Undertaking the work of a religious reformer, she visited France, Holland, England, and Scotland; and published several works dealing with The Testimony of Truth; The Renovation of the Gospel Spirit, &c. Her enthusiasm, peculiarity of views, and disregard of all sects raised on the one hand zealous persecutors, and on the other warm adherents. At her death at Franeker, in Friesland, Oct. 30, 1680, she left a large number of followers, especially in Scotland and France. Her works were published in 19 vols. at Amsterdam, 1686. She is known to hymnology through her hymn, "Venez Jesus, mon salutaire" (q.v.). -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Jane Cotterill

1790 - 1825 Person Name: Jane B. Cotterill Author of "O Thou, Who hast at Thy command" in Hymns of the Kingdom of God Cotterill, Jane, née Boak, daughter of Rev. John Boak, and mother of the Right Rev. Henry Cotterill, Bishop of Edinburgh; born in 1790, married 1811 to the Rev. Joseph Cotterill; died 1825. Mrs. Cotterill contributed to the Appendix to the 6th ed. of Cotterill’s Selection, 1815, the following hymns:— 1. "O! from the world's vile slavery," (For Holiness). 2. "O Thou! Who hast at Thy command," (For Resignation). These hymns were repeated in Montgomery's Christian Psalmist, 1825, and Mrs. Cotterill's name was appended thereto for the first time. Their use is not extensive. The first, "O! from the world's," &c, is found in Kennedy, 1863, No. 521, as, "From this enslaving world's control," the alterations being by Dr. Kennedy. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

G. E. L. Cotton

1813 - 1866 Person Name: George E. L. Cotton Author of "We thank thee, Lord, for this fair earth" in Isles of Shoals Hymn Book and Candle Light Service Cotton, George Edward Lynch, D.D., born at Chester, Oct. 29, 1813, was the son of Captain Thomas Cotton, who was killed in action on Nov. 13 in the same year. He was educated at Westminster, and Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating B.A. in 1836. His first appointment was as an assistant master at Rugby. From Rugby he passed to Marlborough as Head Master in 1852. In 1858 he was consecrated Bishop of Calcutta, as successor to Dr. Daniel Wilson. He was drowned, on disembarking from a steamer at Koshtea, Oct. 6, 1866. His hymn, "We thank Thee, Lord, for this fair earth" (q.v.) is deservedly popular. [William T. Brooke] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

John Wesley

1703 - 1791 Person Name: John Wesley, 1703-1791 Translator of "Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness" in The Book of Praise John Wesley, the son of Samuel, and brother of Charles Wesley, was born at Epworth, June 17, 1703. He was educated at the Charterhouse, London, and at Christ Church, Oxford. He became a Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and graduated M.A. in 1726. At Oxford, he was one of the small band consisting of George Whitefield, Hames Hervey, Charles Wesley, and a few others, who were even then known for their piety; they were deridingly called "Methodists." After his ordination he went, in 1735, on a mission to Georgia. The mission was not successful, and he returned to England in 1738. From that time, his life was one of great labour, preaching the Gospel, and publishing his commentaries and other theological works. He died in London, in 1791, in his eighty-eighth year. His prose works are very numerous, but he did not write many useful hymns. It is to him, however, and not to his brother Charles, that we are indebted for the translations from the German. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872 ====================== John Wesley, M.A., was born at Epworth Rectory in 1703, and, like the rest of the family, received his early education from his mother. He narrowly escaped perishing in the fire which destroyed the rectory house in 1709, and his deliverance made a life-long impression upon him. In 1714 he was nominated on the foundation of Charterhouse by his father's patron, the Duke of Buckingham, and remained at that school until 1720, when he went up, with a scholarship, from Charterhouse to Christ Church, Oxford. Having taken his degree, he received Holy Orders from the Bishop of Oxford (Dr. Potter) in 1725. In 1726 he was elected Fellow of Lincoln College, and remained at Oxford until 1727, when he returned into Lincolnshire to assist his father as curate at Epworth and Wroot. In 1729 he was summoned back to Oxford by his firm friend, Dr. Morley, Rector of Lincoln, to assist in the College tuition. There he found already established the little band of "Oxford Methodists" who immediately placed themselves under his direction. In 1735 he went, as a Missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, to Georgia, where a new colony had been founded under the governorship of General Oglethorpe. On his voyage out he was deeply impressed with the piety and Christian courage of some German fellow travellers, Moravians. During his short ministry in Georgia he met with many discouragements, and returned home saddened and dissatisfied both with himself and his work; but in London he again fell in with the Moravians, especially with Peter Bohler; and one memorable night (May 24, 1738) he went to a meeting in Aldersgate Street, where some one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. There, "About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." From that moment his future course was sealed; and for more than half a century he laboured, through evil report and good report, to spread what he believed to be the everlasting Gospel, travelling more miles, preaching more sermons, publishing more books of a practical sort, and making more converts than any man of his day, or perhaps of any day, and dying at last, March 2, 1791, in harness, at the patriarchal age of 88. The popular conception of the division of labour between the two brothers in the Revival, is that John was the preacher, and Charles the hymnwriter. But this is not strictly accurate. On the one hand Charles was also a great preacher, second only to his brother and George Whitefield in the effects which he produced. On the other hand, John by no means relegated to Charles the exclusive task of supplying the people with their hymns. John Wesley was not the sort of man to depute any part of his work entirely to another: and this part was, in his opinion, one of vital importance. With that wonderful instinct for gauging the popular mind, which was one element in his success, he saw at once that hymns might be utilized, not only for raising the devotion, but also for instructing, and establishing the faith of his disciples. He intended the hymns to be not merely a constituent part of public worship, but also a kind of creed in verse. They were to be "a body of experimental and practical divinity." "In what other publication," he asks in his Preface to the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780 (Preface, Oct. 20,1779), "have you so distinct and full an account of Scriptural Christianity; such a declaration of the heights and depths of religion, speculative and practical; so strong cautions against the most plausible errors, particularly those now most prevalent; and so clear directions for making your calling and election sure; for perfecting holiness in the fear of God?" The part which he actually took in writing the hymns, it is not easy to ascertain; but it is certain that more than thirty translations from the German, French and Spanish (chiefly from the German) were exclusively his; and there are some original hymns, admittedly his composition, which are not unworthy to stand by the side of his brother's. His translations from the German especially have had a wide circulation. Although somewhat free as translations they embody the fire and energy of the originals. It has been the common practice, however for a hundred years or more to ascribe all translations from the German to John Wesley, as he only of the two brothers knew that language; and to assign to Charles Wesley all the original hymns except such as are traceable to John Wesley through his Journals and other works. The list of 482 original hymns by John and Charles Wesley listed in this Dictionary of Hymnology have formed an important part of Methodist hymnody and show the enormous influence of the Wesleys on the English hymnody of the nineteenth century. -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) =================== See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

John Bowring

1792 - 1872 Person Name: Sir John Bowring Author of "Upon the Gospel's sacred page" in The Brethren Hymnal James Bowring was born at Exeter, in 1792. He possessed at an early age a remarkable power of attaining languages, and acquired some reputation by his metrical translations of foreign poems. He became editor of "The Westminster Review" in 1825, and was elected to Parliament in 1835. In 1849, he was appointed Consul at Canton, and in 1854, was made Governor of Hong Kong, and received the honour of knighthood. He is the author of some important works on politics and travel, and is the recipient of several testimonials from foreign governments and societies. His poems and hymns have also added to his reputation. His "Matins and Vespers" have passed through many editions. In religion he is a Unitarian. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872 ======================================= Bowring, Sir John, LL.D., a distinguished man of letters, was born at Exeter, Oct. 17, 1792. His studies extended to philology, poetry, politics, and other branches of learning, whilst as editor of the Westminster Review for some years (he received the appointment in 1825) he did considerable work as a reviewer. He held several official appointments under the Government as Commissioner to France on commercial matters (1831-5); British Consul at Hong Kong (1849); and Governor of Hong Kong (1854). He was twice Member of Parliament, and was knighted in 1854. He died Nov. 23rd, 1872. His published works are very numerous, and display an astonishing acquaintance with various languages. Those specially bearing on poetry include:— (1) Russian Anthology, with Biographical and Critical notices of the Poets of Russia, 1821; (2) Specimens of the Russian Poets, 1823; (3) Ancient Poetry and Romance of Spain, 1824; (4) Batavian Anthology, or Specimens of Dutch Poets, 1824; (5) Servian Popular Poetry, 1821; (6) Specimens of Polish Poets, 1827; (1) Poetry of the Magyars, 1830; (8) History of the Poetical Literature of Bohemia, 1832, &c. In addition to these works, which are mainly translations, Sir John Bowring wrote original verse. This was published interspersed with a few translations, as follows:— (1) Matins and Vespers with Hymns and Occasional Devotional Pieces, Lond., 1823; 2nd edition, enlarged, 1824; 3rd edition, again enlarged, 1841; and the 4th, still further enlarged, in 1851. (2) Hymns: as a Sequel to the Matins, 1825. In addition he contributed to a few Unitarian hymnals, especially that of the Rev. J. R. Beard of Manchester, 1837. In that Collection many of the hymns added to the 3rd edition of Matins, &c, 1841, were first published A selection from these, together with a biographical sketch, was published by Lady Bowring in 1873, as a Memorial Volume of Sacred Poetry. This work contains hymns from the Matins and Vespers, together with others from Periodicals, and from his manuscripts. Of his hymns a very large percentage have come into common use. A few have been adopted by almost all denominations, as, "God is love, His mercy brightens;" "How sweetly flow'd the gospel sound;" "In the Cross of Christ I glory;" "Watchman, tell us of the night;"; and others, but the greater portion are confined to the Unitarian collections of Great Britain and America, of which denomination he was a member. In addition to the more important, which are annotated under their first lines, there are also the following in common use:—- 1. Clay to clay, and dust to dust. Burial. From his Hymns, 1825, into the Hymn & Tune Book, Boston, U.S., 1868, &c. 2. Come the rich, and come the poor. Divine Worship. Contributed to Beard's Collection, 1837, No. 290, and repeated in Bowring's Matins, &c., 3rd edition, 1841. It is in a few American collections. 3. Drop the limpid waters now. Holy Baptism. From Matins and Vespers, 3rd edition, 1841, into Kennedy, 1863. 4. Earth's transitory things decay. The Memory of the Just. From his Hymns, 1825, into Beard, 1837; the American Plymouth Collection, 1855; and the Songs for the Sanctuary, N.Y., 1865, &c. 5. Father, glorify Thy name. The Father glorified. Also from Hymns, 1825, into Beard, 1837; the Hymns of the Spirit, Boston, U.S., 1864, &c. 6. Father and Friend, Thy light, Thy love. Omnipresence. From Matins and Vespers, 2nd edition, 1824, into several collections, and sometimes in an abbreviated form. 7. Father of Spirits, humbly bent before Thee. Also in Hymns, 1825, and Dr. Martineau's Hymns of Praise & Prayer, 1873. In Longfellow and Johnson's Hymns of the Spirit, Boston, U.S., 1864, it is given as, "Father of Spirits, gathered now before Thee." 8. From all evil, all temptation. Preservation implored. Contributed to Beard's Collection, 1837. 9. From the recesses of a lowly spirit. Prayer of trust. From Matins and Vespers, 1st edition, 1823, into several American collections. 10. Gather up, 0 earth, thy dead. Published in his Matins & Vespers, 3rd ed., 1841, in 3 stanzas of 8 lines and repeated, slightly altered, in Kennedy, 1863, No. 753. 11. Gently the shades of night descends Evening. A cento from his poem on "Sunday Evening," in the Matins, &c, 1st edition, 1823, p. 6. It is given in the Boston Hymns of the Spirit, 1864; the Boston Hymn & Tune Book, 1868, and other collections. 12. How dark, how desolate. Hope. 1st published in his Matins, &c, 1823, p. 246. In Dr. Martineau's Hymns of Praise & Prayer, 1873, it is No. 515. 13. How shall we praise Thee, Lord of Light! Evening. A cento from the same poem as No. 7 above. It is given in the Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, and other American collections. 14. Lead us with Thy gentle sway. Divine Guidance desired. Hymns, 1825, into Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, and others. 15. Lord, in heaven, Thy dwelling-place. Praise. Contributed to Beard's Collection, 1837, No. 70, repeated in the author's Matins, &c, 3rd edition 1841, p. 235, and given in a few American collections. In the Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, it is altered to "Lord of every time and place." 16. 0 let my [thy] trembling soul be still. Resignation. From the 1st edition of the Matins, &c, 1823, p. 251, in 3 stanzas of 6 lines, into Beard's Collection, 1837; the Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, and others. It is sometimes given as, "0 let thy," &c. 17. 0, sweet it is to feel and know. Monday Morning. A poem in 16 stanzas of 4 lines, given in his Matins, &c, 1823, p. 60. In 1837 stanzas i.-iii. were given in Beard's Collection as No. 448, and entitled "God near in sorrow." In the 3rd edition of the Matins, &c, 1841, this cento was repeated (p. 245), with the same title, notwithstanding the full poem was in the same book. 18. On the dust I'm doomed to sleep. Resurrection. Appeared in his Matins, &c, 1st edition, 1823, p. 252, in 2 stanzas of 8 lines. In the 2nd edition, 1824, p. 232, it was altered to "In the dust," &c. This was repeated in 1841. In some hymnals it reads:— 19. The heavenly spheres to Thee, 0 God. Evening. This "Hymn to the Deity" appeared in the 2nd edition of his Matins, &c, 1824, pp. 235-6, in 4 stanzas of 4 double lines. It is also in the 3rd edition, 1841; the Boston Hymns of the Spirit, 1864 and other American collections. 20. When before Thy throne we kneel. Divine Worship. From his Hymns, 1825, into Beard's Collection, 1837, No. 93; the Boston Hymn & Tune Book, 1868, No. 21, and others. 21. Where is thy sting, 0 death! Death. Also from the Hymns, 1825, into the same collections as No. 20 above. It will be noted that Beard's Collection, 1837, is frequently named above. The full title of that hymnal is— A Collection of Hymns for Public and Private Worship. Compiled by John R. Board, Lond., John Green, 1837. The Rev. John Relly Beard was an Unitarian Minister in Manchester, and the collection is dedicated "To the Manchester Meeting of Ministers." It contained a large number of original hymns. Bowring contributed 82, of which 33 were published therein for the first time. Some of his hymns are of great merit, and most of them are characterised by great earnestness and deep devotion. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================== Bowring, Sir John, p. 166, i. In the article on Bowring the hymns numbered therein as 4 and 20 are stated to have appeared in his Hymns, 1825, but in error. The earliest date to which we can positively trace them is Beard's Collection, 1837. From the Hymns, 1825, we find, however, that the following are in modern hymnals:— 1. Our God is nigh. Divine Presence. 2. 'Tis not the gift; but 'tis the spirit. Outward and Inward Virtue. 3. When the storms of sorrow gather. God our Guide. From the various editions of his Matins and Vespers additional hymns arc also in modern use:— 4. If all our hopes and all our fears. Heaven Anticipated. (1823.) 5. In Thy courts let peace be found. Public Worship. (1841.) 6. The offerings to Thy throne which rise. Heart Worship. (1824.) 7. Who shall roll away the stone? Easter. In Beard's Collection, 1837, and Matins & Vespers, 1841. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Thomas Ken

1637 - 1711 Person Name: Thomas Ken, 1637-1711 Author of "Awake, My Soul, and with the Sun" in Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church 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)

Anonymous

Person Name: Anon. Author of "Star of Our Hope" in The Church Hymnal 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.