The Bird that Soars On Highest Wing

Author: James Montgomery

James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missio… Go to person page >

The bird that soars on highest wing. J. Montgomery. [Humility.] This poem appeared in his Poet's Portfolio, 1835, p. 179, in 3 stanzas of 6 lines, and headed "Humility." It is given as a hymn in several collections, including Martineau's Hymns, &c, 1840; the Prim. Methodist Sunday School Union Hymn Book, 1879, and others in Great Britain and America.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)