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Joseph Addison

1672 - 1719 Hymnal Number: 14 Author of "The spacious firmament on high" in A Collection of Spiritual Hymns Addison, Joseph, born at Milston, near Amesbury, Wiltshire, May 1, 1672, was the son of the Rev. Lancelot Addison, sometime Dean of Lichfield, and author of Devotional Poems, &c, 1699. Addison was educated at the Charterhouse, and at Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating B.A. 1691 and M.A. 1693. Although intended for the Church, he gave himself to the study of law and politics, and soon attained, through powerful influence, to some important posts. He was successively a Commissioner of Appeals, an Under Secretary of State, Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Chief Secretary for Ireland. He married, in 1716, the Dowager Countess of Warwick, and died at Holland House, Kensington, June 17, 1719. Addison is most widely known through his contributions to The Spectator, The Toiler, The Guardian, and The Freeholder. To the first of these he contributed his hymns. His Cato, a tragedy, is well known and highly esteemed. Addison's claims to the authorship of the hymns usually ascribed to him, or to certain of them, have been called in question on two occasions. The first was the publication, by Captain Thompson, of certain of those hymns in his edition of the Works of Andrew Marvell, 1776, as the undoubted compositions of Marvell; and the second, a claim in the Athenaeum, July 10th, 1880, on behalf of the Rev. Richard Richmond. Fully to elucidate the subject it will be necessary, therefore, to give a chronological history of the hymns as they appeared in the Spectator from time to time. i. The History of the Hymns in The Spectator. This, as furnished in successive numbers of the Spectator is :— 1. The first of these hymns appeared in the Spectator of Saturday, July 26, 1712, No. 441, in 4 stanzas of 6 lines. The article in which it appeared was on Divine Providence, signed “C." The hymn itself, "The Lord my pasture shall prepare," was introduced with these words:— "David has very beautifully represented this steady reliance on God Almighty in his twenty-third psalm, which is a kind of pastoral hymn, and filled with those allusions which are usual in that kind of writing As the poetry is very exquisite, I shall present my readers with the following translation of it." (Orig. Broadsheet, Brit. Mus.) 2. The second hymn appeared in the Spectator on Saturday, Aug. 9, 1712, No. 453, in 13 st. of 4 1., and forms the conclusion of an essay on " Gratitude." It is also signed " C," and is thus introduced:— “I have already obliged the public with some pieces of divine poetry which have fallen into my hands, and as they have met with the reception which they deserve, I shall, from time to time, communicate any work of the same nature which has not appeared in print, and may be acceptable to my readers." (Orig. Broadsheet, British Museum) Then follows the hymn:—"When all Thy mercies, 0 my God." 3. The number of the Spectator for Tuesday, Aug. 19, 1712, No. 461, is composed of three parts. The first is an introductory paragraph by Addison, the second, an unsigned letter from Isaac Watts, together with a rendering by him of Ps. 114th; and the third, a letter from Steele. It is with the first two we have to deal. The opening paragraph by Addison is:— “For want of time to substitute something else in the Boom of them, I am at present obliged to publish Compliments above my Desert in the following Letters. It is no small Satisfaction, to have given Occasion to ingenious Men to employ their Thoughts upon sacred Subjects from the Approbation of such Pieces of Poetry as they have seen in my Saturday's papers. I shall never publish Verse on that Day but what is written by the same Hand; yet shall I not accompany those Writings with Eulogiums, but leave them to speak for themselves." (Orig. Broadsheet, British Museum

Cecil Frances Alexander

1818 - 1895 Person Name: Cecil F. Alexander Hymnal Number: 198 Author of "When wounded sore the stricken soul" in A Collection of Spiritual Hymns As a small girl, Cecil Frances Humphries (b. Redcross, County Wicklow, Ireland, 1818; Londonderry, Ireland, 1895) wrote poetry in her school's journal. In 1850 she married Rev. William Alexander, who later became the Anglican primate (chief bishop) of Ireland. She showed her concern for disadvantaged people by traveling many miles each day to visit the sick and the poor, providing food, warm clothes, and medical supplies. She and her sister also founded a school for the deaf. Alexander was strongly influenced by the Oxford Movement and by John Keble's Christian Year. Her first book of poetry, Verses for Seasons, was a "Christian Year" for children. She wrote hymns based on the Apostles' Creed, baptism, the Lord's Supper, the Ten Commandments, and prayer, writing in simple language for children. Her more than four hundred hymn texts were published in Verses from the Holy Scripture (1846), Hymns for Little Children (1848), and Hymns Descriptive and Devotional ( 1858). Bert Polman ================== Alexander, Cecil Frances, née Humphreys, second daughter of the late Major John Humphreys, Miltown House, co. Tyrone, Ireland, b. 1823, and married in 1850 to the Rt. Rev. W. Alexander, D.D., Bishop of Derry and Raphoe. Mrs. Alexander's hymns and poems number nearly 400. They are mostly for children, and were published in her Verses for Holy Seasons, with Preface by Dr. Hook, 1846; Poems on Subjects in the Old Testament, pt. i. 1854, pt. ii. 1857; Narrative Hymns for Village Schools, 1853; Hymns for Little Children, 1848; Hymns Descriptive and Devotional, 1858; The Legend of the Golden Prayers 1859; Moral Songs, N.B.; The Lord of the Forest and his Vassals, an Allegory, &c.; or contributed to the Lyra Anglicana, the S.P.C.K. Psalms and Hymns, Hymns Ancient & Modern, and other collections. Some of the narrative hymns are rather heavy, and not a few of the descriptive are dull, but a large number remain which have won their way to the hearts of the young, and found a home there. Such hymns as "In Nazareth in olden time," "All things bright and beautiful," "Once in Royal David's city," "There is a green hill far away," "Jesus calls us o'er the tumult," "The roseate hues of early dawn," and others that might be named, are deservedly popular and are in most extensive use. Mrs. Alexander has also written hymns of a more elaborate character; but it is as a writer for children that she has excelled. - John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) =============== Alexander, Cecil F., née Humphreys, p. 38, ii. Additional hymns to those already noted in this Dictionary are in common use:— 1. Christ has ascended up again. (1853.) Ascension. 2. His are the thousand sparkling rills. (1875.) Seven Words on the Cross (Fifth Word). 3. How good is the Almighty God. (1S48.) God, the Father. 4. In [a] the rich man's garden. (1853.) Easter Eve. 5. It was early in the morning. (1853.) Easter Day. 6. So be it, Lord; the prayers are prayed. (1848.) Trust in God. 7. Saw you never in the twilight? (1853.) Epiphany. 8. Still bright and blue doth Jordan flow. (1853.) Baptism of Our Lord. 9. The angels stand around Thy throne. (1848.) Submission to the Will of God. 10. The saints of God are holy men. (1848.) Communion of Saints. 11. There is one Way and only one. (1875.) SS. Philip and James. 12. Up in heaven, up in heaven. (1848.) Ascension. 13. We are little Christian children. (1848.) Holy Trinity. 14. We were washed in holy water. (1848.) Holy Baptism. 15. When of old the Jewish mothers. (1853.) Christ's Invitation to Children. 16. Within the Churchyard side by side. (1848.) Burial. Of the above hymns those dated 1848 are from Mrs. Alexander's Hymns for Little Children; those dated 1853, from Narrative Hymns, and those dated 1875 from the 1875 edition of Hymns Ancient & Modern. Several new hymns by Mrs. Alexander are included in the 1891 Draft Appendix to the Irish Church Hymnal. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) ============= Alexander, Cecil F. , p. 38, ii. Mrs. Alexander died at Londonderry, Oct. 12, 1895. A number of her later hymns are in her Poems, 1896, which were edited by Archbishop Alexander. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907) See also in:Hymn Writers of the Church

Timothy Dwight

1752 - 1817 Hymnal Number: 238 Author of "I love thy kingdom, Lord" in A Collection of Spiritual Hymns Timothy Dwight (b. Northampton, MA, 1752; d. Philadelphia, PA, 1817) was a grandson of Jonathan Edwards who became a Congregationalist pastor, a Revolutionary War army chaplain, a tutor and professor at Yale College, and president of Yale from 1795 to 1817. As president he continued to teach and serve as chaplain and was instrumental in improving both the academic and the spiritual life of the college. Bert Polman =============== Dwight, Timothy, D.D. This is the most important name in early American hymnology, as it is also one of the most illustrious in American literature and education. He was born at Northampton, Massachusetts, May 14, 1752, and graduated at Yale College, 1769; was a tutor there from 1771 to 1777. He then became for a short time a chaplain in the United States Army, but passed on in 1783 to Fairfield, Connecticut, where he held a pastorate, and taught in an Academy, till his appointment, in 1795, as President of Yale College. His works are well known, and need no enumeration. He died at New Haven, Jan. 11, 1817. In 1797 the General Association of Connecticut, being dissatisfied with Joel Barlow's 1785 revision of Watts, requested Dwight to do the work de novo. This he did liberally, furnishing in some instances several paraphrases of the same psalm, and adding a selection of hymns, mainly from Watts. The book appeared as— "The Psalms of David, &c.... By I. Watts, D.D. A New Edition in which the Psalms omitted by Dr. Watts are versified, local passages are altered, and a number of Psalms are versified anew in proper metres. By Timothy Dwight, D.D., &c….To the Psalms is added a Selection of Hymns," 1800. Dwight's lyrics are all professedly psalms, but they are by no means literal versions. His original compositions number 33. Of these many are still in common use, the most important being:— 1. Blest be the Lord, Who heard my prayer. Psalm xxviii. This is the second part of Psalm xxviii., in 5 stanzas of 4 lines. It is in the English New Congregational Hymn Book, 1859. 2. I Love Thy kingdom, Lord. Psalm cxxxvii. This is version three of Ps. 137, in 8 stanzas of 4 lines, and is in extensive use at the present time throughout the States. It is also included in many English, Irish, and Scottish collections, sometimes in the original form, as in Alford's Year of Praise, 1867; again as, "I love Thy Church, 0 God," which opens with the second stanza, as in the Scottish Evangelical Union Hymnal, 1878, in 3 stanzas, and "We love Thy kingdom, Lord," in the Irish Church Hymnal, 1873. In Cleveland's Lyra Sacra Americana six stanzas only are given from the original. Next to this in popularity are his 2nd and 3rd renderings of Psalm lxxxviii.:— 3. Shall man, 0 God of life and light. (3rd stanza) 4. While life prolongs its precious light. (2nd stanza) Both of which are in extensive use. From his 4th version of the same Psalm (88), the following hymns have been compiled, each opening with the stanza indicated:— 5. Just o'er the grave I hung. Stanza ii. 6. I saw beyond the tomb. Stanza iv. 7. Ye sinners, fear the Lord. Stanza xii. This last is found in Spurgeon's 0ur Own Hymnbook. The original version consists of 13 stanzas. 8. 0 Thou Whose sceptre earth and seas obey. Psalm lxxii. This is his second version of this Psalm, and was given in the Comprehensive Rippon, 1844. The following, most of which are of a more jubilant character, are well known:— 9. How pleasing is Thy voice. Psalm lxv. 10. In Zion's sacred gates. Psalm cl. 11. Lord of all worlds, incline Thy gracious [bounteous] ear. Psalm llii. 12. Now to Thy sacred house. Psalm xliii., st. 3. 13. Sing to the Lord most high. Psalm c. 14. In barren wilds shall living waters spring. Psalm liii. 15. Lord, in these dark and dismal days. Psalm cxxxvii. No. 9 is found in Lyra Sacra Americana, pp. 101-2, the seven stanzas of the original being abbreviated to five. In addition to the Psalms, Dr. Dwight published three poems, "The Conquest of Canaan," 1785; "Greenfield Hill," 1794; "Triumph of Infidelity," 1788. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] - John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Benjamin Beddome

1717 - 1795 Hymnal Number: 603 Author of "And must I part with all I have" in A Collection of Spiritual Hymns Benjamin Beddome was born at Henley-in Arden, Warwickshire, January 23, 1717. His father was a Baptist minister. He studied at various places, and began preaching in 1740. He was pastor of a Baptist society at Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, until his death in 1795. In 1770, he received the degree of M.A. from the Baptist College in Providence, Rhode Island. He published several discourses and hymns. "His hymns, to the number of 830, were published in 1818, with a recommendation from Robert Hall." Montgomery speaks of him as a "writer worthy of honour both for the quantity and the quality of his hymns." --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872. ========================= Beddome, Benjamin , M.A. This prolific hymnwriter was born at Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, Jan. 23, 1717, where his father, the Rev. John Beddome, was atthat time Baptist Minister. He was apprenticed to a surgeon in Bristol, but removing to London, he joined, in 1739, the Baptist church in Prescott St. At the call of this church he devoted himself to the work of the Christian ministry, and in 1740 began to preach at Bourton-on-the-Water, in Gloucestershire. Declining invitations to remove to London or elsewhere, he continued pastor at Bourton until his death, on Sep. 3, 1795, at the age of 78. Mr. Beddome was for many years one of the most respected Baptist ministers in the West of England. He was a man of some literary culture. In 1770 he received the degree of M.A. from Providence College, Rhode Island. He was the author of an Exposition of the Baptist Catechism, 1752, in great repute at the time, and reprinted by Dr. C. Evans in 1772. It was his practice to prepare a hymn every week to be sung after his Sunday morning sermon. Though not originally intended for publication, he allowed thirteen of these to appear in the Bristol Baptist Collection of Ash & Evans (1769), and thirty-six in Dr. Rippon's Baptist Selection (1787), whence a number of them found their way into the General Baptist Hymn Book of 1793 and other collections. In 1817, a posthumous collection of his hymns was published, containing 830 pieces, with an introduction by the Rev. Robert Hall, and entitled "Hymns adapted to Public Worship or Family Devotion, now first published from the Manuscripts of the late Rev. B. Beddome, M.A." Preface dated "Leicester, Nov. 10, 1817." Some of the early copies bear the same date on the title page. Copies bearing both the 1817 and 1818 dates are in the British Museum. The date usually given is 1818. Some hymns are also appended to his Sermons, seven volumes of which were published l805—1819; and over twenty are given in the Baptist Register of various dates. Beddome's hymns were commended by Montgomery as embodying one central idea, "always important, often striking, and sometimes ingeniously brought out." Robert Hall's opinion is just, when in his "Recommendatory Preface" to the Hymns, &c, he says, p. vii.:— "The man of taste will be gratified with the beauty and original turns of thought which many of them ex¬hibit, while the experimental Christian will often perceive the most secret movements of his soul strikingly delineated, and sentiments pourtrayed which will find their echo in every heart." With the exception of a few composed for Baptisms and other special occasions, their present use in Great Britain is limited, but in America somewhat extensive. One of the best is the Ordination Hymn, "Father of Mercies, bow Thine ear." Another favourite is “ My times of sorrow and of joy," composed, by a singular coincidence, to be sung on Sunday, Jan. 14, 1778, the day on which his son died, most unexpectedly, in Edinburgh. "Let party names no more," is very popular both in Great Brit, and America. "Faith, His a precious gift," "Witness, ye men and angels, now," and the hymn for Holy Baptism, "Buried beneath the yielding wave," are also found in many collections. Beddome's popularity is, however, now mainly in America. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] Beddome is thus seen to be in common use to the extent of about 100 hymns. In this respect he exceeds every other Baptist hymnwriter; Miss Steele ranking second. The authorities for Beddome's hymns are: (1) A Collection of Hymns adapted to Public Worship, Bristol, W. Pine, 1769, the Collection of Ash & Evans; (2) Dr. Rippon's Selections 1787, and later editions; (3) Sermons printed from the Manuscripts of the late Rev. Benjamin Beddome, M.A.,... with brief Memoir of the Author, Dunstable & Lond., 1805-1819; (4) Dr. Rippon's Baptist Register, 1795, &c.; (5) The Beddome Manuscripts, in the Baptist College, Bristol; (6) and Hymns adapted to Public Worship, or Family Devotion now first published, from Manuscripts of the late Rev. B. Beddome, A.M. With a Recommendatory Preface by the Rev. R. Hall, A.M. Lond., 1817. In his Preface, Mr. Hall gives this account of the Beddome Manuscript:— "The present Editor was entrusted several years ago with the MSS, both in prose and verse, with permission from the late Messrs. S. & B. Beddome, sons of the Author, to publish such parts of them as he might deem proper. He is also indebted to a descendant of the Rev. W. Christian, formerly pastor of the Baptist Church at Sheepshead, Leicestershire, for some of the Author's valuable hymns, which had been carefully preserved in the family. From both these sources, as well as others of less consequence, the present interesting volume has been derived." -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ======================= Beddome, Benjamin, pp. 121-124. Other hymns in common use:— 1. Great God, before Thy mercy-seat. (1817). Lent. 2. Great God, oppressed with grief and fear. (1787.) Reading H. Scripture. 3. How glorious is Thy word, 0 God. Holy Scripture. From "When Israel, &c," p. 124, i. 4. In God I ever will rejoice. Morning. From his Hymns, &c, 1817. 5. Jesus, my Lord, divinely fair. (1817.) Jesus the King of Saints. Begins with stanza ii. of “Listen, ye mortals, while I sing." 6. Rejoice, for Christ the Saviour reigns. Missions. Altered form of "Shout, for the blessed, &c," p. 123, ii. 7. Satan, the world, and sin. (1817.) In Temptation. 8. Thou, Lord of all above. (1817.) Lent. 9. Unto Thine altar, Lord. (1787.) Lent. 10. Ye saints of every rank, with joy. (1800.) Public Worship. The dates given above are, 1787 and 1800, Rippon's Selection; and 1817 Beddome's Hymns. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II

John Leland

1754 - 1841 Hymnal Number: 888 Author of "I set myself against the Lord" in A Collection of Spiritual Hymns Leland, John, an American Baptist minister, was born at Grafton, Massachusetts, on May 15th, 1754, and began to preach at the age of 20. From 1776 to 1790 he was in Virginia, and thereafter in Massachusetts, mostly at Cheshire. He died Jan. 14, 1841. His Sermons, Addresses, Essays and Autobiography were published by his niece, Miss L. F. Greene, at Lanesboro, Massachusetts, in 1845. His influence seems to have been equalled by his peculiarities. We hear of his "restless activity and roving disposition"; his "mad devotion to politics," wherein he had much local and temporary weight; his "ready wit and endless eccentricities;" as also of his high character. Of the hymns which have been ascribed to him, some on doubtful authority, the following are the most important:— 1. The day is past and gone, The evening, &c. Evening. This is in universal American use, and Leland's claim to the authorship has never been disputed, although it is supported by no known particulars. It was first made widely known by the invaluable Hartford Selection (Congregational) of 1799. Its first appearance, so far as known, was in Philomela, or, A Selection of Spiritual Songs, by George Roberts, Petersburg,1792, No. 82. 2. 0 when shall I see Jesus! The Christian Race. This vigorous lyric is ascribed by Dr. Hitchcock, in Hymns and Songs of Praise, 1874, to Leland. It has generally been regarded as anonymous, and is of uncertain date, cir. 1807, or probably earlier. 3. Christians, if your hearts are warm. Holy Baptism. Adult. The only hymn by Leland which can be authenticated by date and circumstances is this familiar doggerel:— "Christians, if your hearts are warm, Ice and snow can do no harm." Dr. Belcher says, in his Historical Sketches of Hymns, &c, 1859, that it was written for one of Leland's large baptisms in Virginia, 1779. [Rev. Frank M. Bird, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

William Hiley Bathurst

1796 - 1877 Person Name: William H. Bathurst Hymnal Number: 420 Author of "How sweet the hour of closing day" in A Collection of Spiritual Hymns Bathurst, William Hiley , M.A., son of the Rt. Hon. Charles Bragge (afterwards Bathurst) some time M.P. for Bristol, born at Clevedale, near Bristol, Aug. 28, 1796, and educated at Winchester, and Christ Church, Oxford, graduating B.A. in 1818. From 1820 to 1852 he held the Rectory of Barwick-in-Elmet, near Leeds. Resigning the Rectory in the latter year, through his inability to reconcile his doctrinal views with the Book of Common Prayer, he retired into private life, and died at Lydney Park, Gloucestershire, Nov. 25, 1877. His works include, The Georgics of Virgil: Translated by W. H. B., 1849; Metrical Musings; or, Thoughts on Sacred Subjects in Verse, 1849; and Psalms and Hymns for Public and Private Use, 1831 (2nd ed. 1842). This last contains 141 versions of Psalms, and 206 hymns. All the latter, and many of the former are original. Of his hymns, those in most extensive use are, "Hark! the distant isles proclaim," "Holy Spirit from on high,” "Jesus, Thy Church with longing eyes,” "Eternal Spirit, by whose power," "O for a faith that will not shrink” and “O Saviour, may we never rest." In addition to these and a few others (all of which are annotated under their first lines), the following are in common use, but mainly in America:— 1. Before Thy cross, my dying Lord. Faith. 2. Before Thy mercy-seat, O Lord. Holy Scriptures. 3. Behold what unspeakable love. Heaven. 4. Does the Lord of Glory speak? Holy Scripture. 5. Ere the world with light invested. Holy Spirit. 6. Except the Lord our labours bless. Ps. cxxvii. 1. Full of weakness and of sin. The Creator Spirit desired. 8. Glory to the Almighty Father. Praise. 9. Holy Lord, our hearts prepare. Preparation for Prayer. 10. Holy Spirit from on high. Holy Spirit's direction implored. 11. How blest are they who feel the weight. Repentance. 12. How strange that souls whom Jesus feeds. Conflict. 13. How sweet it is in early youth. Youthful Piety. 14. How sweet the hour of closing day. Death. 15. Led by a Father's gentle hand. Communion of Saints 16. Lord, a better heart bestow. Lent. 17. Lord, bid the light arise. To the Holy Spirit. 18. Lord, shed Thy glory as of old. Whitsuntide. 19. Lord, what blessed consolation. Safety of the Church. 20. Lord, when our offerings we present. Offertory. 21. 0 for a beam of heavenly light. Lent. 22. 0 for that flame of living tire. Holy Spirit. 23. 0 give thanks unto the Lord. Ps. cv. 24. Shepherd of Israel, from above. On behalf of Children. 25. This day the Lord hath called His own. Sunday. 26. When the world my heart is rending. Heaven. 27. Why search ye in the narrow tomb? Ascension. 28. Ye servants of the living God. Praise. All these hymns were given in his Psalms & Hymns , &c, 1831 (Preface dated November 15th, 1830), and repeated, without alteration, in the 2nd ed., 1842. They are characterized by simplicity of language, and directness of aim; but do not in any instance rise above the ordinary level of passable hymn-writing. In some American collections Bathurst's name is contracted to "Bath," and this is regarded either as a complete surname or as a Bath Collection. The contraction was given by Bickersteth in his Christian Psalmody, 1833. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) =================== Bathurst, William H., p. 117, ii. Additional hymns from his Psalms & Hymns, 1831, are in common use as follows:— 1. Great God, when I approach Thy throne. Redemption. 2. How bright a day was that which saw. The First Sabbath. 3. How frail and fallible I am. Jesus Unchangeable. 4. In Jesus' name with one accord. Divine Worship. 5. Lord, I claim Thee for my own. Ps. lxiii. 6. Lord shew Thy glory as of old. This is not "Lord shed Thy glory, &c," as stated at p. 118, i., 18. 7. Lord, when I lift my voice to Thee. Ps. ci. 8. O Lord, defend us as of old. Ps. lxxiv. 9. O Lord, how long shall heathens hold. Ps. lxxix. 10. 0 Lord, look down with pitying eye. Intercession for the Jews. Begins with st. iv. of “0 how is Zion's glory gone." 11. Praise God, O my soul. Ps. cxlvi. 12. Saviour, at Thy feet we bow. United Prayer. 13. 'Tis past, that agonizing hour. Ascension. 14. The Lord look'd all around. Universal Corruption. 15. To the Source of every blessing. Praise to the Father. 16. What can relieve the troubled soul? Christ the Comforter. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Elizabeth Mills

1805 - 1829 Person Name: Elizabeth K. Mills Hymnal Number: 306 Author of "O [Sweet] land for [of] rest for thee I sigh" in A Collection of Spiritual Hymns Mills, Elizabeth, née King, daughter of Philip King, was born at Stoke Newington in 1805; married to Thomas Mills, M.P., and died at Finsbury Place, London, April 21, 1829. Her popular hymn:— We speak of the realms of the blest. [Heaven] is thus annotated in Miller's Singers and Songs, &c, 1869, p. 483: "We are much indebted to John Remington Mills, Esq., M.P. for information about this hymn, written by his accomplished relative. The original has 6 st. and was composed after reading ‘Bridges on the 119th Psalm' (on ver. 44, p. 116), ‘We speak of heaven, but oh! to be there.' . . . Already deservedly a favourite, new interest will be added to this hymn when we know that the authoress was early called to ‘the realms of the blest,' of which she sang so sweetly, and that she wrote this hymn a few weeks before her death." The text of this hymn is usually given in an imperfect form. The corrections are supplied by W. F. Stevenson in his Hymns for Church and Home, 1873, "Children's Hymns," No. 151, and the note thereon. Few children's hymns have been received with more favour. It is found in almost every hymn-book published for Children in Great Britain and America during the last fifty years. In some collections it begins, "We sing of the land of the blest"; and in others,"We talk of the land of the blest," --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Ellen M. H. Gates

1835 - 1920 Hymnal Number: 868 Author of "I will sing you a song of that [a] [the] beautiful" in A Collection of Spiritual Hymns Gates, Ellen, née Huntingdon, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, is the author of several popular pieces in the American Mission and Sunday School hymn-books. Of these the following have passed from the American books into Sankey's Sacred Songs and Solos:— 1. Come home, come home, you are weary at heart. Invitation. 2. I am now a child of God. Saved through Jesus. 3. I will sing you a song of that beautiful land. Concerning Heaven. 4. O the clanging bells of time. Yearning for Heaven. 5. Say, is your lamp burning, my brother. Watching and Waiting. Concerning her poem which is used as a hymn in America, "If you cannot on the ocean" (Duty), Duffield says her account of its origin is as follows:—"The lines were written upon my slate one snowy afternoon in the winter of 1860. I knew, as I know now, that the poem was only a simple little thing, but somehow 1 had a presentiment that it had wings, and would fly into sorrowful hearts, uplifting and strengthening them." (English Hymns, 1886, p. 257.) --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) ====================== Gates, Ellen, p. 1565, i., now (1906) of New York city, was born at Torrington, Conn., and married to Isaac E. Gates. Her poems, &c, were published as Treasures of Kurium, 1895. Concerning Dr. March's hymn, "Hark! the voice of Jesus crying" (q.v.), and Mrs. Gates's "If you cannot on the ocean," some confusion has arisen, mainly, we think, from the fact that the opening line of Mrs. Gates's hymn, written in 1860, and the first line of Dr. March's second stanza are nearly the same, i.e., "If you cannot on the ocean," and "If you cannot cross the ocean." The incident which associates the late President Lincoln's name with this hymn is thus set forth by Mr. Philip Phillips in his Singing Pilgrim, 1866, p. 97:— "The words of this truly beautiful song ['If you cannot on the ocean'] were written by Mrs. Ellen H. Gates . . . When our lamented President Lincoln heard Mr. Phillips sing it at the Hall of Representatives in Washington, Feb. 29, 1865, he was overcome with emotion, and sent up the following written request [given in facsimile on p. 97] to Hon. Wm. H. Seward, Chairman, for its repetition:—' Near the end let us have "Your Mission" [the title of the hymn] repeated by Mr. Phillips. Don't say I called for it. A. Lincoln.' " It was through this incident that the hymn became known through America as " President Lincoln's favourite hymn." [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

I. B. Woodbury

1819 - 1858 Person Name: Isaac B. Woodbury Hymnal Number: 811 Author of "Ho reapers of life's harvest why stand with rested blade" in A Collection of Spiritual Hymns Woodbury, Isaac Baker. (Beverly, Massachusetts, October 23, 1819--October 26, 1858, Columbia, South Carolina). Music editor. As a boy, he studied music in nearby Boston, then spent his nineteenth year in further study in London and Paris. He taught for six years in Boston, traveling throughout New England with the Bay State Glee Club. He later lived at Bellow Falls, Vermont, where he organized the New Hampshire and Vermont Musical Association. In 1849 he settled in New York City where he directed the music at the Rutgers Street Church until ill-health caused him to resign in 1851. He became editor of the New York Musical Review and made another trip to Europe in 1852 to collect material for the magazine. in the fall of 1858 his health broke down from overwork and he went south hoping to regain his strength, but died three days after reaching Columbia, South Carolina. He published a number of tune-books, of which the Dulcimer, of New York Collection of Sacred Music, went through a number of editions. His Elements of Musical Composition, 1844, was later issued as the Self-instructor in Musical Composition. He also assisted in the compilation of the Methodist Hymn Book of 1857. --Leonard Ellinwood, DNAH Archives

Thomas Shepherd

1665 - 1739 Hymnal Number: 343 Author of "Must Jesus bear the [his] cross alone" in A Collection of Spiritual Hymns Shepherd, Thomas, son of William Shepherd, sometime Vicar of Tilbrook, Bedfordshire, and subsequently a Nonconformist Minister at Oundle, and at Kettering, was born in 1665. Taking Holy Orders he held for some time preferment in Huntingdonshire, and in Buckinghamshire. Seceding from the Church of England, he became, in 1694, pastor of the Castle Hill Meeting House (Independent), Nottingham, of which Dr. Doddridge was subsequently pastor. In 1700 he removed to Bocking, near Braintree, Essex, where he began his work in a barn. A chapel was erected for his congregation in 1707. He died Jan. 29, 1739. His publications consisted chiefly of Sermons, His Penitential Cries were a continuance of those by John Mason, who wrote the first six and the version of Ps. 86, and were published with Mason's Songs of Praise in 1693. It must be noted that in D. Sedgwick's reprint of the Songs, and the Penitential Cries, in 1859, Mason's Cries are under the head of Songs, &c, pp. 49-61, and those under Penitential Cries, are all by Shepherd. Some of these Cries are still in common use including, "My God, my God, my Light, my Love " (Longing for God) ; and "When wilt Thou come unto me, Lord" (Communion with God desired). -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)