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Joseph Medlicott Scriven

1819 - 1886 Person Name: Joseph Scriven Hymnal Number: 336 Author of "What a friend we have in Jesus" in Christian Song Joseph M. Scriven (b. Seapatrick, County Down, Ireland, 1819; d. Bewdley, Rice Lake, ON, Canada, 1886), an Irish immigrant to Canada, wrote this text near Port Hope, Ontario, in 1855. Because his life was filled with grief and trials, Scriven often needed the solace of the Lord as described in his famous hymn. Educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, he enrolled in a military college to prepare for an army career. However, poor health forced him to give up that ambition. Soon after came a second blow—his fiancée died in a drowning accident on the eve of their wedding in 1844. Later that year he moved to Ontario, where he taught school in Woodstock and Brantford. His plans for marriage were dashed again when his new bride-to-be died after a short illness in 1855. Following this calamity Scriven seldom had a regular income, and he was forced to live in the homes of others. He also experienced mistrust from neighbors who did not appreciate his eccentricities or his work with the underprivileged. A member of the Plymouth Brethren, he tried to live according to the Sermon on the Mount as literally as possible, giving and sharing all he had and often doing menial tasks for the poor and physically disabled. Because Scriven suffered from depression, no one knew if his death by drowning in Rice Lake was suicide or an accident. Bert Polman ================ Scriven, Joseph. Mr. Sankey, in his My Life and Sacred Songs, 1906, p. 279, says that Scriven was b. in Dublin in 1820, was a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, and went to Canada when he was 25, and died there at Port Hope, on Lake Ontario, in 1886. His hymn:— What a Friend we have in Jesus. [Jesus our Friend] was, according to Mr. Sankey, discovered to be his in the following manner: "A neighbour, sitting up with him in his illness, happened upon a manuscript of 'What a Friend we have in Jesus.' Reading it with great delight, and questioning Mr. Scriven about it, he said he had composed it for his mother, to comfort her in a time of special sorrow, not intending any one else should see it." We find the hymn in H. 1... Hastings's Social Hymns, Original and Selected, 1865, No. 242; and his Song of Pilgrimage, 1886, No. 1291, where it is attributed to "Joseph Scriven, cir. 1855." It is found in many modern collections. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Jane Borthwick

1813 - 1897 Hymnal Number: 344 Translator of "My Jesus, as Thou wilt!" in Christian Song Miss Jane Borthwick, the translator of this hymn and many others, is of Scottish family. Her sister (Mrs. Eric Findlater) and herself edited "Hymns from the Land of Luther" (1854). She also wrote "Thoughts for Thoughtful Hours (1859), and has contributed numerous poetical pieces to the "Family Treasury," under the signature "H.L.L." --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872. ================================= Borthwick, Jane, daughter of James Borthwick, manager of the North British Insurance Office, Edinburgh, was born April 9, 1813, at Edinburgh, where she still resides. Along with her sister Sarah (b. Nov. 26, 1823; wife of the Rev. Eric John Findlater, of Lochearnhead, Perthshire, who died May 2, 1886) she translated from the German Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1st Series, 1854; 2nd, 1855; 3rd, 1858; 4th, 1862. A complete edition was published in 1862, by W. P. Kennedy, Edinburgh, of which a reprint was issued by Nelson & Sons, 1884. These translations, which represent relatively a larger proportion of hymns for the Christian Life, and a smaller for the Christian Year than one finds in Miss Winkworth, have attained a success as translations, and an acceptance in hymnals only second to Miss Winkworth's. Since Kennedy's Hymnologia Christiana, 1863, in England, and the Andover Sabbath Hymn Book, 1858, in America, made several selections therefrom, hardly a hymnal in England or America has appeared without containing some of these translations. Miss Borthwick has kindly enabled us throughout this Dictionary to distinguish between the 61 translations by herself and the 53 by her sister. Among the most popular of Miss Borthwick's may be named "Jesus still lead on," and "How blessed from the bonds of sin;" and of Mrs. Findlater's "God calling yet!" and "Rejoice, all ye believers." Under the signature of H. L. L. Miss Borthwick has also written various prose works, and has contributed many translations and original poems to the Family Treasury, a number of which were collected and published in 1857, as Thoughts for Thoughtful Hours (3rd edition, enlarged, 1867). She also contributed several translations to Dr. Pagenstecher's Collection, 1864, five of which are included in the new edition of the Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1884, pp. 256-264. Of her original hymns the best known are “Come, labour on” and "Rest, weary soul.” In 1875 she published a selection of poems translated from Meta Heusser-Schweizer, under the title of Alpine Lyrics, which were incorporated in the 1884 edition of the Hymns from the Land of Luther. She died in 1897. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ======================== Borthwick, Jane, p. 163, ii. Other hymns from Miss Borthwick's Thoughtful Hours, 1859, are in common use:— 1. And is the time approaching. Missions. 2. I do not doubt Thy wise and holy will. Faith. 3. Lord, Thou knowest all the weakness. Confidence. 4. Rejoice, my fellow pilgrim. The New Year. 5. Times are changing, days are flying. New Year. Nos. 2-5 as given in Kennedy, 1863, are mostly altered from the originals. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) ============= Works: Hymns from the Land of Luther

Benjamin Schmolck

1672 - 1737 Person Name: Rev. Benjamin Schmolck Hymnal Number: 344 Author of "My Jesus, as Thou wilt!" in Christian Song Schmolck, Benjamin, son of Martin Schmolck, or Schmolcke, Lutheran pastor at Brauchitschdorf (now Chrόstnik) near Liegnitz in Silesia (now Poland) was born at Brauchitschdorf, Dec. 21, 1672. He entered the Gymnasium at Lauban in 1688, and spent five years there. After his return home he preached for his father a sermon which so struck the patron of the living that he made Benjamin an allowance for three years to enable him to study theology. He matriculated, at Michaelmas, 1693, at the University of Leipzig, where he came under the influence of J. Olearius, J. B. Carpzov, and others, and throughout his life retained the character of their teaching, viz. a warm and living practical Christianity, but Churchly in tone and not Pietistic. In the autumn of 1697, after completing his studies at Leipzig (during his last year there he supported himself mainly by the proceeds of occasional poems written for wealthy citizens, for which he was also, crowned as a poet), he returned to Brauchitzchdorf to help his father, and, in 1701, was ordained as his assistant. On Feb. 12, 1702, he married Anna Rosina, daughter of Christoph Rehwald, merchant in Lauban and in the end of the same year was appointed diaconus of the Friedenskirche at Schweidnitz in Silesia. As the result of the Counter-Reformation in Silesia, the churches in the principality of Schweidnitz had been taken from the Lutherans, and for the whole district the Peace of Westphalia (1648) allowed only one church (and that only of timber and clay, without tower or bells), which the Lutherans had to build at Schweidnitz, outside the walls of the town; and the three clergy attached to this church had to minister to a population scattered over some thirty-six villages, and were moreover hampered by many restrictions, e.g. being unable to communicate a sick person without a permit from the local Roman Catholic priest. Here Schmolck remained till the close of his life, becoming in 1708 archidiaconus, in 1712 senior, and in 1714 pastor primarius and inspector. Probably as the result of his exhausting labours he had a stroke of paralysis on Laetare (Mid-Lent) Sunday, 1730, which for a time laid him aside altogether, and after which he never recovered the use of his right hand. For five years more he was still able to officiate, preaching for the last time on a Fastday in 1735. But two more strokes of paralysis followed, and then cataract came on, relieved for a time by a successful operation, but returning again incurably. For the last months of his life he was confined to bed, till the message of release came to him, on the anniversary of his wedding, Feb. 12, 1737. (Koch, v. 463; Bode, p. 144; Goedeke's Grundriss, vol. iii., 1887, p. 306; sketch prefixed to Ledderhose's edition of Schmolck's Geistliche Lieder, Halle, 1857, &c.) Schmolck was well known in his own district as a popular and useful preacher, a diligent pastor, and a man of wonderful tact and discretion. It was however his devotional books, and the original hymns therein contained, that brought him into wider popularity, and carried his name and fame all over Germany. Long lists of his works and of the various editions through which many of them passed are given by Koch, Bode and Goedehe. It is rather difficult to trace the hymns, as they are copied from one book of his into another, &c. Schmolck was the most popular hymnwriter of his time, and was hailed as the "Silesian Rist," as the "second Gerhardt," &c. Nor was he altogether unworthy of such praise. It is true that he did not possess the soaring genius of Gerhardt. Nor had he even Gerhardt's concise, simple style, but instead was too fond of high-sounding expressions, of plays upon words, of far-fetched but often recurring contrasts, and in general of straining after effect, especially in the pieces written in his later years. In fact he wrote a great deal too much, and latterly without proper attention to concentration or to proportion. Besides Cantatas, occasional pieces for weddings, funerals, &c, he is the author of some 900 hymns, properly so called. These were written for all sorts of occasions, and range over the whole field of churchly, family, and individual life. Naturally they are not all alike good; and those in his first three collections are decidedly the best. A deep and genuine personal religion, and a fervent love to the Saviour, inspire his best hymns; and as they are not simply thought out but felt, they come from the heart to the heart. The best of them are also written in a clear, flowing, forcible, natural, popular style, and abound in sententious sayings, easily to be remembered. Even of these many are, however, more suited for family use than for public worship. Nevertheless they very soon came into extensive use, not only in Silesia, but all over Germany. A number of Schmolck's hymns [that] have passed into English are:— i. Der beste Freund ist in dem Himmel. Love of Jesus. First published in his Heilige Flammen (ed. 1709, p. 100), in 6 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled "The best Friend." The translation in common use is:— A faithful friend is waiting yonder. This is a good translation, omitting stanza v., as No. 293, in Kennedy, 1863. ii. Die Woche geht zum Ende. Saturday Evening. In his Andächtige Hertze, 1714, p. 116, in 10 stanzas of 8 lines, entitled "Evening Hymn," and appointed for Evening Prayer on Saturday. In the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 1158. Translated as:— The week draws near its ending. This is a good translation of stanzas i., vi., vii., x., marked as by "A. G.," as No. 81 in the Dalston Hospital Hymn Book 1848. Other trs. are: (1) “Though now the week is ending," by H. J. Buckoll, 1842, p. 107. (2) “The week at length is over," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 137. iii. Gott du hist selbst die Liehe. Holy Matrimony. Translated as:— O God, "Who all providest. This is a good translation, omitting stanza iii., by J. M. Sloan, as No. 312 in J. H. Wilson's Service of Praise, 1865. iv. Halleluja! Jesus lebt. Easter. In his Bochim und Elim, 1731, p. 67, in 5 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled "Hallelujah! at the grave of Jesus." In the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 296. Tr. as:— Hallelujah! Lo, He wakes. By E. Cronenwett, omitting st. iv., as No. 79 in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal 1880. Another translation is: "Hallelujah! Jesus lives! Life, immortal life, He gives." This is a full and good translation, by Miss Warner, 1858, p. 486, repeated in the Treasury of Sacred Song, Kirkwall, n.d. v. Heute mir und Morgen dir. Funeral Hymn. In his Schmuck und Asche, 1717, p. 252, in 6 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled "Daily Dying". The tr. in common use is:— Today mine, tomorrow thine. This is a good and full translation, by Miss Warner, in her Hymns of the Church Militant, 1858, p. 260. vi. Je grösser Kreuz, je näher Himmel. Cross and Consolation. In his Andächtige Hertz, 1714, p. 273, in 9 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled "Hymn of Cross and Consolation." By its sententiousness and its manifold illustrations of the power of the Cross it has been a favourite with many. Translated as:— 1. Greater the Cross, the nearer heaven. 2. The more the cross, the nearer heaven. Another translation is: "The heavier the cross, the nearer heaven," by J. D. Burns, in the Family Treasury, 1859, p. 160. vii. Jesus soil die Losung sein. New Year. The translation in common use is:— Jesus shall the watchword he. Another translation is: "Jesu's name shall be our watchword," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1868, p. 689. viii. Licht vom Licht, erleuchte mich. Sunday Morning. Translated as:— Light of Light, enlighten me. This is a very good tr. omitting stanza vii., by Miss Winkworth, in her Lyra Germanica, 2nd Ser., 1858, p. 66, and thence in her Chorale Book for England, 1863, No. 17. Other translations are: (1) "Light of Light! illumine me," by H. J. Buckoll, 1842, p. 6. (2) "O thou blessed Light of Light," by Miss Dunn, 1857, p. 74. ix. Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht, Ach was wollt ich hessres haben. Love to Christ. Translated as:— I'll with Jesus never part. This is a translation of st. i., ii., iv., as stanzas iii.-v. of No. 378 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789. In the ed. of 1886, No. 452 (see p. 614, i.), the part from Schmolck begins, "He is mine and I am His" (the translation of stanza ii.). Another tr. is: "I'll not leave Jesus—-never, never," by Miss Warner, 1858, p. 509. x. Mein Gott, ich weiss wohl dass ich sterbe. For the Dying. Translated as:— My God! I know that I must die, My mortal. Other trs. are: (1) "That I shall die full well 1 know," by Dr. H. Mills, 1845 (1856, p. 232). (2) "My God! I know full well that I must die," by Miss Warner, 1858, p. 344. (3) "My God, I know that I must die; I know," by G. Moultrie, in his Espousals of S. Dorothea, 1870. xi. Mein Jesus lebt! was soil ich sterben. Easter. Translated as:— My Saviour lives; I shall not perish. xii. 0 wie fröhlich, o wie selig. Eternal Life. Translated as:— Oh how joyous, oh how blessed. Another tr. is: "Oh, how blest beyond our telling." xiii. Schmückt das Fest mit Maien. Whitsuntide. Translated as:— Come, deck our feast today. xiv. Thut mir auf die schöne Pforte. Sunday. Translated as:— 1. Open now thy gates of beauty. This is a good tr., omitting stanza iii., vii., by Miss Winkworth, in her Chorale Book for England, 1863, No. 15. 2. Open wide the gates of beauty. This is a translation of stanzas i., ii., iv., vi.-vii., by H. L. Hastings, dated 1885, as No. 1076, in his Songs of Pilgrimage, 1886. Another tr. is: "Throw the glorious gates wide open," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 146. xv. Weine nicht, Gott lebet noch. Cross and Consolation. Tr. as:— "Weep not,-—Jesus lives on high. Another tr. is: "Weep not, for God, our God, doth live," by Dr. R. Maguire, 1883, p. 59. xvi. Willkommen, Held im Streite. Easter. The translation in common use is:— Welcome Thou victor in the strife. This is a good translation omitting st. ii.—iv., by Miss Winkworth, in her Lyra Germanica, 1st Ser., 1855, p. 91. Hymns not in English common use:-- xvii. Ach wenn ich dich, mein Gott, nur habe. Love to God. Founded on Ps. lxxiii. 25, 26. Translated as "My God, if I possess but Thee," by G. Moultrie, in his Espousals of S. Dorothea, 1870. xviii. An Gott will ich gedenken. Remembering God's Love and Care. In his Heilige Flammen (ed. 1707, p. 59; ed. 1709, p. 131), in 6 stanzas of 8 lines, and Burg's Gesang-Buch, Breslau, 1746, No. 112. Translated as "My God will I remember," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1868. xix. Der Sabbath ist vergangen. Sunday Evening. Tr. as "The Sabbath now is over," by Dr. H. Mills, 1856, p. 226. xx. Du angenehmer Tag. Sunday. In his Lustige Sabbath, 1712, p. 1, in 8 stanzas of 6 lines. Tr. as “Thou ever welcome day," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1868, p. 688. xxi. Endlich, endlich, muss es doch. Cross and Consolation. Translated as "Yes, at last, our God shall make," in the Christian Examiner, Boston, U.S., Sept., 1860, p. 251. xxii. Gedenke mein, mein Gott, gedenke mein. For the Dying. Translated as "Remember me, my God! remember me," by Miss Borthwick, in Hymns from the Land of Luther 1854, p. 9. xxiii. Geh, müder Leib, zu deiner Euh. Evening. Translated as "Go, wearied body, to thy rest," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1868. In his Lustige Sabbath, 1712, p. 35, in 10 stanzas of 6 lines, and Burg’s Gesang-Buch, Breslau, 1746, No. 403. Translated as "King, to Jews and Gentiles given," by Dr. H. Mills, 1845. xxiv. Gott der Juden,Gott der Heiden. Epiphany. Translated as “King, to Jews and Gentiles given,” by Dr. H. Mills, 1845. xxv. Gott lebt, wie kann ich traurig sein. Trust in God. Translated as "God lives! Can I despair," by Miss Warner, 1869, p. 44. xxvi. Gott mit uns, Immanuel. New Year. Translated as "God with us! Immanuel, Open with the year before us," by Dr. R. P. Dunn, in Sacred Lyrics from the German, Philadelphia, U.S., 1859, p. 166. xxvii. Hier ist Immanuel! New Year. Translated as "Here is Immanuel!" by Miss Manington, 1864, p. 24. xxviii. Hilf, Heifer, hilf! ich muss verzagen. Cross and Consolation. Translated as "Help, Saviour, help, I sink, I die,” in the Monthly Packet, vol. xviii., 1859, p. 664. xix. Ich habe Lust zu scheiden. For the Dying. Tr. as "Weary, waiting to depart," by Mrs. Findlater, in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 1855, p 130. xxx. Ich sterbe täglich, und mein Leben. For the Dying. Translated as "Both life and death are kept by Thee" (st. iv.), by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1868, p. 689. xxxi. Mein Gott, du hast mich eingeladen. Sunday. Translated as "My God, Thou hast the invite given," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 150. xxxii. Mein Gott! du wohnst in einem Lichte. Holy Scripture. Translated as "In glory bright, O God, Thou dwellest," by Dr. H. Mills, 1845. xxxiii. Mein Gott, ich klopf an deine Pforte. Supplication. Tr.Translated as "given as "Mein Gott, mein Erstes und mein Alles." Translated as "My God! the Source of all my blessing," in the British Herald, August, 1866, p. 312; repeated in Reid's Praise Book, 1872. xxxv. Mein Gott, weil ich in meinem Leben. The ChristiaWho, Lord, has any good whatever," by Dr. H. Mills, 1845, p. 91. xxxiv. Mein Gott, mein Alles Uber Alles. Trust in God. Sometimes n Life. Translated as "Most High! with reverence to fear Thee," by Dr. H. Mills, 1845, p. 114.). xxxvi. Nun hab ich überwunden; Zu guter Nacht, o Welt. For the Dying. Translated as "Now soon I shall have conquer'd," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 87. xxxvii. Seht welch ein Mensch ist das. Passiontide. The translations are (1) "See, what a man is this! How tearful is His glance," by J. Kelly, in the British Messenger, Feb., 1S68; repeated in the Family Treasury, 1868, p. 691. (2) "See what a man is this, O glances," by Miss Warner, 1869, p. 32. xxxviii. Sei getreu bis in den Tod. Christian Faithfulness. Translated as "Be thou faithful unto death! Let not troubles nor distresses," by R. Massie, in the Day of Rest, 1878, vol. ix. p. 219. xxxix. Theures Wort aus Gottes Munde. Holy Scripture. Translated as "Word by God the Father spoken," by Miss Manington, 1863. xl. Was Gott thut das ist wohlgethan! Er giebt und nimmt auch wieder. On the Death of a Child. The trs. are (1) "What God does is well done, "Who takes what He gave," by W. Graham, in his The Jordan and the Rhine, London, 1854, p. 251. (2) "Whatever God doth is well done, He gives, &c," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1868, p. 688. xli. Wer will mich von der Liebe scheiden. Faith. Translated as "Who can my soul from Jesus sever," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 39. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Robert Robinson

1735 - 1790 Person Name: Rev. Robert Robinson Hymnal Number: 346 Author of "Saviour, Source of every blessing" in Christian Song Robert Robinson was born at Swaffham, Norfolk, in 1735. In 1749, he was apprenticed to a hairdresser, in Crutched Friars, London. Hearing a discourse preached by Whitefield on "The Wrath to Come," in 1752, he was deeply impressed, and after a period of much disquietude, he gave himself to a religious life. His own peculiar account of this change of life is as follows:--"Robertus Michaelis Marineque Robinson filius. Natus Swaffhami, comitatu Norfolciae, Saturni die Sept. 27, 1735. Renatus Sabbati die, Maii 24, 1752, per predicationem potentem Georgii Whitefield. Et gustatis doloribus renovationis duos annos mensesque septem, absolutionem plenam gratuitamque, per sanguinem pretiosum i secula seculorum. Amen." He soon after began to preach, and ministered for some time in connection with the Calvinistic Methodists. He subsequently joined the Independents, but after a short period preferred the Baptist connection. In 1761, he became pastor of a Baptist congregation at Cambridge. About the year 1780, he began to incline towards Unitarianism, and at length his people deemed it essential to procure his resignation. While arrangements for this purpose were in progress he died suddenly at Bingham, in June 1790. He wrote and published a good many works of ability. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872. ============================= Robinson, Robert, the author of "Come, Thou fount of every blessing," and "Mighty God, while angels bless Thee," was born at Swaffham, in Norfolk, on Sept. 27, 1735 (usually misgiven, spite of his own authority, as Jan. 8), of lowly parentage. Whilst in his eighth year the family migrated to Scarning, in the same county. He lost his father a few years after this removal. His widowed mother was left in sore straits. The universal testimony is that she was a godly woman, and far above her circumstances. Her ambition was to see her son a clergyman of the Church of England, but poverty forbade, and the boy (in his 15th year) was indentured in 1749 to a barber and hairdresser in London. It was an uncongenial position for a bookish and thoughtful lad. His master found him more given to reading than to his profession. Still he appears to have nearly completed his apprenticeship when he was released from his indentures. In 1752 came an epoch-marking event. Out on a frolic one Sunday with like-minded companions, he joined with them in sportively rendering a fortune-telling old woman drunk and incapable, that they might hear and laugh at her predictions concerning them. The poor creature told Robinson that he would live to see his children and grandchildren. This set him a-thinking, and he resolved more than ever to "give himself to reading”. Coincidently he went to hear George Whitefield. The text was St. Matthew iii. 7, and the great evangelist's searching sermon on "the wrath to come" haunted him blessedly. He wrote to the preacher six years later penitently and pathetically. For well nigh three years he walked in darkness and fear, but in his 20th year found "peace by believing." Hidden away on a blank leaf of one of his books is the following record of his spiritual experience, the Latin doubtless having been used to hold it modestly private:— "Robertus, Michaelis Mariseque Robinson filius. Natus Swaffhami, comitatu Norfolciae, Saturni die Sept. 27, 1735. Renatus Sabbati die, Maii 24,1752, per predicationem potentem Georgii Whitefield. Et gustatis doloribus renovationis duos annosque septem absolutionem plenam gratuitamque, per sanguinem pretiosum Jesu Christi, inveni (Tuesday, December 10, 1755) cui sit honor et gloria in secula seculorum. Amen." Robinson remained in London until 1758, attending assiduously on the ministry of Gill, Wesley, and other evangelical preachers. Early in this year he was invited as a Calvinistic Methodist to the oversight of a chapel at Mildenhall, Norfolk. Thence he removed within the year to Norwich, where he was settled over an Independent congregation. In 1759, having been invited by a Baptist Church at Cambridge (afterwards made historically famous by Robert Hall, John Foster, and others) he accepted the call, and preached his first sermon there on Jan. 8, 1759, having been previously baptized by immersion. The "call" was simply "to supply the pulpit," but he soon won such regard and popularity that the congregation again and again requested him to accept the full pastoral charge. This he acceded to in 1761, alter persuading the people to "open communion." In 1770 he commenced his abundant authorship by publishing a translation from Saurin's sermons, afterwards completed. In 1774 appeared his masculine and unanswerable Arcana, or the Principles of the Late Petitioners to Parliament for Relief in the matter of Subscription. In 1776 was published A Plea for the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ in a Pastoral Letter to a Congregation of Protestant Dissenters at Cambridge. Dignitaries and divines of the Church of England united with Nonconformists in lauding this exceptionally able, scholarly, and pungently written book. In 1777 followed his History and Mystery of Good Friday. The former work brought him urgent invitations to enter the ministry of the Church of England, but he never faltered in his Nonconformity. In 1781 he was asked by the Baptists of London to prepare a history of their branch of the Christian Church. This resulted, in 1790, in his History of Baptism and Baptists, and in 1792, in his Ecclesiastical Researches. Other theological works are included in the several collective editions of his writings. He was prematurely worn out. He retired in 1790 to Birmingham, where he was somehow brought into contact with Dr. Priestley, and Unitarians have made much of this, on exceedingly slender grounds. He died June 9, 1790. His Life has been fully written by Dyer and by William Robinson respectively, both with a bias against orthodoxy. His three changes of ecclesiastical relationship show that he was somewhat unstable and impulsive. His hymns are terse yet melodious, evangelical but not sentimental, and on the whole well wrought. His prose has all…that vehement and enthusiastic glow of passion that belongs to the orator. (Cf. Dyer and Robinson as above, and Gadsby's Memoirs of Hymn-Writers(3rd ed., 1861); Belcher's Historical Sketches of Hymns; Millers Singers and Songs of the Church; Flower's Robinson's Miscellaneous Works; Annual Review, 1805, p. 464; Eclectic Review, Sept. 1861. [Rev. A. B. Grosart, D.D., LL.D.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

George Duffield

1818 - 1888 Person Name: Rev. George Duffield Hymnal Number: 351a Author of "Stand up for Jesus" in Christian Song Duffield, George, Jr., D.D., son of the Rev. Dr. Duffield, a Presbyterian Minister, was born at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Sept. 12, 1818, and graduated at Yale College, and at the Union Theological Seminary, New York. From 1840 to 1847 he was a Presbyterian Pastor at Brooklyn; 1847 to 1852, at Bloomfield, New Jersey; 1852 to 1861, at Philadelphia; 1861 to 1865, at Adrian, Michigan; 1865 to 1869, at Galesburg, Illinois; 1869, at Saginaw City, Michigan; and from 1869 at Ann Arbor and Lansing, Michigan. His hymns include;— 1. Blessed Saviour, Thee I love. Jesus only. One of four hymns contributed by him to Darius E. Jones's Temple Melodies, 1851. It is in 6 stanzas of 6 lines. In Dr. Hatfield's Church Hymnbook it is given in 3 stanzas. The remaining three hymns of the same date are:— 2. Parted for some anxious days. Family Hymn. 3. Praise to our heavenly Father, God. Family Union. 4. Slowly in sadness and in tears. Burial. 5. Stand up, stand up for Jesus. Soldiers of the Cross. The origin of this hymn is given in Lyra Sac. Americana, 1868, p. 298, as follows:— "I caught its inspiration from the dying words of that noble young clergyman, Rev. Dudley Atkins Tyng, rector of the Epiphany Church, Philadelphia, who died about 1854. His last words were, ‘Tell them to stand up for Jesus: now let us sing a hymn.' As he had been much persecuted in those pro-slavery days for his persistent course in pleading the cause of the oppressed, it was thought that these words had a peculiar significance in his mind; as if he had said, ‘Stand up for Jesus in the person of the downtrodden slave.' (Luke v. 18.)" Dr. Duffield gave it, in 1858, in manuscript to his Sunday School Superintendent, who published it on a small handbill for the children. In 1858 it was included in The Psalmist, in 6 stanzas of 8 lines. It was repeated in several collections and in Lyra Sac. Amer., 1868, from whence it passed, sometimes in an abbreviated form, into many English collections. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] - John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

John S. B. Monsell

1811 - 1875 Person Name: Rev. John S. B. Monsell Hymnal Number: 355 Author of "Fight the good fight" in Christian 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)

Sarah Flower Adams

1805 - 1848 Person Name: Mrs. Sarah F. Adams Hymnal Number: 360 Author of "Nearer, my God, to Thee" in Christian Song Adams, Sarah, nee Flower. born at Harlow, Essex, Feb. 22nd, 1805; died in London, Aug. 14, 1848, and was buried at Harlow, Aug. 21,1848. She was the younger daughter of Mr. Benjamin Flower, editor and proprietor, of The Cambridge Intelligencer; and was married, in 1834, to William B. Adams, a civil engineer. In 1841 she published Vivia Perpetua, a dramatic poem dealing with the conflict of heathenism and Christianity, in which Vivia Perpetua suffered martyrdom; and in 1845, The Flock at the Fountain; a catechism and hymns for children. As a member of the congregation of the Rev. W. J. Fox, an Unitarian minister in London, she contributed 13 hymns to the Hymns and Anthems, published by C. Fox, Lond., in 1841, for use in his chapel. Of these hymns the most widely known are— "Nearer,my God,to Thee," and "He sendeth sun, He sendeth shower." The remaining eleven, most of which have come into common use, more especially in America, are:— Creator Spirit! Thou the first. Holy Spirit. Darkness shrouded Calvary. Good Friday. Gently fall the dews of eve. Evening. Go, and watch the Autumn leaves. Autumn. O hallowed memories of the past. Memories. O human heart! thou hast a song. Praise. O I would sing a song of praise. Praise. O Love! thou makest all things even. Love. Part in Peace! is day before us? Close of Service. Sing to the Lord! for His mercies are sure. Praise. The mourners came at break of day. Easter. Mrs. Adams also contributed to Novello's musical edition of Songs for the Months, n. d. Nearly all of the above hymns are found in the Unitarian collections of Great Britain, and America. In Martineau's Hymns of Praise & Prayer, 1873, No. 389, there is a rendering by her from Fenelon: —" Living or dying, Lord, I would be Thine." It appeared in the Hymns and Anthems, 1841. -John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

William Cowper

1731 - 1800 Hymnal Number: 375 Author of "O for a closer walk with God" in Christian Song 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)

A. R. Cousin

1824 - 1906 Person Name: Mrs. Annie R. Cousin Hymnal Number: 385 Author of "The sands of time are sinking" in Christian Song Cousin, Anne Ross, née Cundell, is the only daughter of David Ross Cundell, M.D., Leith, and is the widow of the Rev. William Cousin, late Minister of the Free Church of Melrose. She has contributed many poems to various periodicals; 7 hymns to The Service of Praise, 1865, edited by the Rev. J. H. Wilson, of Edinburgh; and 1 to the Psalms and Hymns for Divine Worship, 1866, the Hymnal of the English Presbyterian Church. Four of her hymns are included in the Scottish Presbyterian Hymnal, 1876. Her most popular hymn, "The sands of time are sinking," was first published in The Christian Treasury for 1857, and gives its title to the collected edition of her poems published in 1876, as Immanuel’s Land and other Pieces by A. R. C. This is a collection of 107 hymns and poems, many of which are very beautiful. In general they are, however, rather meditations than hymns suited for public worship. Of these the following, in addition to those annotated under their first lines, are in common use:— 1. King Eternal, King Immortal. Christmas. 2. O Christ, what burdens bowed Thy head. Good Friday. 3. To Thee, and to Thy Christ, O God. Praise. 4. To thy father and thy mother. Filial Duty. [Rev. J. Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ===================== Cousin, Anne K., p. 264, ii. Other hymns are:— 1. None but Christ; His merit hides me. None but Christ. From her Immanuel's Land, &c, 1876, into Laudes Domini, 1884, &c. 2. O! Christ, He is the Fountain. This begins with stanza iii. of "The sands of time are sinking," p. 264, ii. 3. Saviour, shed Thy sweetest [richest] blessing. On behalf of Missioriaries. Published in Wilson's Service of Praise, 1865. 4. When we reach our peaceful dwelling. Heaven Anticipated. In her Immanuel's Land, &c. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) ================= Cousin, A. R., p. 264, ii, Other hymns that have passed into use are:— 1. In the songless night, the daylight dreary. Jesus near. 2. Lord, mine must be a spotless dress. Christ our Righteousness. 3. O now is the time. Seek the Lord. 4. O Thou that on the billow. Jesus near. Of these No. 4 appeared in J. H. Wilson's Songs of Zion, 1862; Nos. 1 and 3 in J. H. Wilson's Service of Praise, 1865 ; and No. 2 in her own Immanuel’s Land, 1876. Mrs. Cousin died at Edinburgh Dec. 6, 1906, in her 83rd year. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

William Whiting

1825 - 1878 Hymnal Number: 398 Author of "Eternal Father, strong to save" in Christian Song William Whiting was born in Kensington, November 1, 1825, and was educated at Clapham and Winchester Colleges. He was later master of Winchester College Choristers' School, where he wrote Rural Thoughts and Other Poems, 1851. He died at Winchester. --The Hymnal 1940 Companion =============== Whiting, William, was born in Kensington, London, Nov. 1, 1825, and educated at Clapham. He was for several years Master of the Winchester College Choristers' School. His Rural Thoughts and other poems were published in 1851; but contained no hymns. His reputation as a hymnwriter is almost exclusively confined to his “Eternal Father, strong to save". Other hymns by him were contributed to the following collections:— i. To the 1869 Appendix to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Psalms & Hymns 1. O Lord the heaven Thy power displays. Evening. 2. Onward through life Thy children stray. Changing Scenes of Life. ii. To an Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern issued by the Clergy of St. Philip's, Clerkenwell, 1868. 3. Jesus, Lord, our childhood's Pattern. Jesus the Example to the Young. 4. Lord God Almighty, Everlasting Father. Holy Trinity. 5. Now the harvest toil is over. Harvest. 6. 0 Father of abounding grace. Consecration of a Church. 7. We thank Thee, Lord, for all. All Saints Day. iii. To The Hymnary, 1872. 8. Amen, the deed in faith is done. Holy Baptism. 9. Jesus Christ our Saviour. For the Young. 10. Now the billows, strong and dark. For Use at Sea. 11. 0 Father, Who the traveller's way. For Travellers by Land. 12. When Jesus Christ was crucified. Holy Baptism. Mr. Whiting's hymns, with the exception of his “Eternal Father," &c, have not a wide acceptance. He died in 1878. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)