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William Gaskell

1805 - 1884 Hymnal Number: d716 Author of "Our Father, through the coming year" in The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir Gaskell, William, M.A., son of Mr. William Gaskell, was born at Latchford (a suburb of Warrington, on the Cheshire side of the Mersey), 24 July, 1805. He was educated at Manchester New College and at the University of Glasgow, where he graduated M.A. in 1825. In 1828 he became co-pastor with the Rev. J. G. Robberds at Cross Street Unitarian Chapel, Manchester, a position he held until his death. Mr. Gaskell was a man of cultivated mind and considerable literary ability. His publications include Lectures on the Lancashire Dialect, 1853, a small volume of Temperance Rhymes, 1839, and various theological works. In 1832 he married Elizabeth Cleghorn Stevenson, who afterwards attained celebrity as the authoress of Mary Barton, and of other popular tales. He died June 11, 1884, and is buried at Knutsford. To the second edition, 1856, of the 1st Series of Lyra Germanica Mr. Gaskell contributed "A sure Stronghold our God is He," a translation of Luther's “ Ein' feste Burg" (q.v.), replacing a version by Miss Winkworth in the first edition. He also contributed 79 hymns to Beard's Unitarian Collection of Hymns for Public and Private Worship, 1837. [George Arthur Crawford, M.A.] The following hymns by Gaskell still in common use are found chiefly in Unitarian hymnbooks, including Martineau's Hymns, &c, 1840, and Hymns of Praise and Prayer, 1873; Hedge & Huntington's Hymns for the Church of Christ, Boston, U.S.A., 1853; Longfellow & Johnson's Book of Hymns, Boston, 1848, and their Hymns of the Spirit, Boston, 1864; and the American Unitarian Association's Hymn [& Tune] Book, &c, Boston, 1868 :— 1. Dark, dark indeed the grave would be. Death and Burial. 2. Darkness o'er the world was brooding. The Dayspring. 3. Dark were the paths our Master trod. Sympathy with Christ. 4. Father, glory be to Thee. Doxology. 5. Forth went the heralds of the cross. Power of Faith. 6. How long, O Lord, his brother's blood? In time of War. From this "O hush, great God, the sounds of war," is taken. 7. I am free, I am free, I have broken away. The New Birth. 8. In vain we thus recall to mind. Holy Communion. 9. Mighty God, the first, the last. Infinite Knowledge. 10. No more, on earth no more. Death and Heaven. 11. Not in this simple rite alone. Holy Communion. 12. Not on this day, 0 God, alone. Sunday. 13. O God, the darkness roll away. Missions. 14. O God, to Thee our hearts would pay. Old Year. 15. 0 God, who knowest how frail we are. Seeking Strength. 16. 0 not to crush with abject fear. Christ's Work. 17. Our Father, through the coining year. The original begins, "Father, throughout the coming year." 18. Press on, press on, ye sons of light. Continuance in well-doing. 19. Sleep not, soldier of the cross. Faithfulness. 20. Thanks, thanks unto God! Who in mercy hath spoken. Gratitude for the Gospel. 21. Through all this life's eventful road. Walking with God. 22. To Thee, the Lord Almighty. Doxology. 23. Unto Thy temple, God of Love. Divine Worship. 24. We join to [crave] pray with wishes kind. Holy Matrimony. 25. We would leave, 0 God, to Thee. Original: "We would cast, 0 God, on Thee." Rest in God. 26. When arise the thoughts of sin. Looking to Jesus. These hymns all appeared in Beard's Collection, 1837. In addition there are:— 27. Calmly, calmly lay him down. 28. 0 Father, [gladly] humbly we repose. 29. 0 hush, great God, the sounds of war. For Peace. The dates of these hymns we have not been able to determine. No. 27 is in Hopps's Hymns for Public Worship, 1858 ; and Nos. 28 and 29 are in Hedge & Huntington's Hymns for the Church of Christ, 1853. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Samuel Johnson

1822 - 1882 Hymnal Number: d712 Author of "Onward, Christian, though the region" in The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir Johnson, Samuel, M.A, was born at Salem, Massachusetts, Oct. 10, 1822, and educated at Harvard, where he graduated in Arts in 1842, and in Theology in 1846. In 1853 he formed a Free Church in Lynn, Massachusetts, and remained its pastor to 1870. Although never directly connected with any religious denomination, he was mainly associated in the public mind with the Unitarians. He was joint editor with S. Longfellow (q. v.) of A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion, Boston, 1846; the Supplement to the same, 1848; and Hymns of the Spirit, 1864. His contributions to these collections were less numerous than those by S. Longfellow, but not less meritorious. He died at North Andover, Massachusetts, Feb. 19, 1882. His hymns were thus contributed:— i. To A Book of Hymns, 1846. 1. Father [Saviour] in Thy mysterious presence kneeling. Divine Worship. 2. Go, preach the gospel in my name. Ordination. 3. Lord, once our faith in man no fear could move. In Time of War. 4. O God, Thy children gathered here. Ordination. 5. Onward, Christians, [onward] through the region. Conflict. In the Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, it was altered to "Onward, onward through the region." 6. Thy servants' sandals, Lord, are wet. Ordination. 7. When from Jordan's gleaming wave. Holy Baptism. ii. To the Supplement, 1848. 8. God of the earnest heart. Trust. iii. To the Hymns of the Spirit, 1864. 9. City of God, how broad, how far. The Church the City of God. 10. I bless Thee, Lord, for sorrows sent. Affliction— Perfect through suffering. 11. Life of Ages, richly poured. Inspiration. 12. Strong-souled Reformer, Whose far-seeing faith. Power of Jesus. 13. The Will Divine that woke a waiting time. St. Paul. 14. Thou Whose glad summer yields. Prayer for the Church. 15. To light that shines in stars and souls. Dedication of a Place of Worship. Of these hymns No. 8 was "Written for the Graduating Exercises of the Class of 1846; in Cambridge Divinity Schools ; and No. 10 “Written at the request of Dorothea L. Dix for a collection made by her for the use of an asylum." It is undated. A few only of these hymns are in use in Great Britain. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

L. H. Sigourney

1791 - 1865 Person Name: Lydia H. Sigourney Hymnal Number: d89 Author of "Blest Comforter divine, let [whose] rays" in The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir Sigourney, Lydia, née Huntley. This distinguished name stood at the head of the female poets of America a generation ago, and is still well remembered. Born in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1791, she conducted a school in the same town from 1809 to 1814, when she removed to Hartford, where she was married to Charles Sigourney in 1819. Most of her subsequent life was spent at Hartford, and she died there, June 10, 1865. Her first publication was Moral Pieces in Prose and Verse, 1815. This was followed by 58 additional works. A thorough exploration of these, or of such of them are poetical, would be necessary to trace her hymns with accuracy. They, however, are more numerous than important. Many have been used in the older collections; some are still in use, but few are extensively and none are universally so. The principal hymnbooks in which they appeared were the Congregational Village Hymns, 1824; Kipley's Selection, 1829; and the Connecticut Psalms & Hymns, 1845; the Baptist Additional Hymns by Winchell, 1832; and Linsley and Davis's Select Hymns, 1836; and the Universalist's Hymns for Christian Devotion, by Adams & Chapin, 1846. Her best known hymns chronologically arranged are:— 1. When adverse winds and waves arise. In Affliction. A graceful lyric, possibly inspired by Sir R. Grant's " When gathering clouds around I view." 2. Blest Comforter divine. Whitsuntide. This is one of four hymns by Mrs. Sigourney, which appeared in Nettleton's Village Hymns, 1824, under the signature of "H." It is sometimes altered to "Thou Comforter divine." Her best hymn. 3. We mourn for those who toil. Death and Burial. This poem on "Mistaken Grief" appeared in Cheever's Common Place Book, 1831 4. Choose ye His Cross to bear. Holy Baptism. This was given in Ripley's Selection, 1829-31. 5. Saviour, Thy law we love. Holy Baptism. In Winchell's Additional Hymns, 1832. 6. Onward, onward, men of heaven. Missions. This missionary hymn appeared in three different books in 1833, including the Christian Lyre Supplement, &c. 7. Labourers of Christ, arise. Home Missions. This was contributed, with nine others, by Mrs. Sigourney, to Linsley & Davis's Select Hymns, 1836. This is one of the most widely used of her hymns. 8. Pastor, thou art from us taken. Burial of a Minister. Sung at the funeral of the Rev. G. F. Davis, D.D., circa 1836. 9. Go to thy rest, my [fair] child. Death of a Child. From a Selection from her poems published in London in 1841. 10. Not for the summer hour alone. Holy Matrimony. In the same Selection as No. 9. 11. Where wilt thou put thy trust? Leaning upon God. In the Connecticut Cong. Psalms & Hymns, 1845. 12. Lord, may the spirit of this feast. Holy Communion. In the same as No. 11. 13. We praise Thee if one rescued soul. Temperance Anniversary. In Adams and Chapin's Hymns for Christian Devotion, 1846. In addition to these hymns there are several others in the collections named above. As, however, they are not repeated in modern hymnbooks they are omitted from this list. We would add that two hymns, not noted above, "Little raindrops feed the rill" (Power of little things), and "There was a noble ark," are in common use in Great Britain; and that a selection of her pieces is given in the Lyra Sacra Americana, London, 1868. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================== Sigourney, Lydia, p. 1057, ii. Additional hymns are: 1. We thank Thee, Father, for the day. Sunday. This in Stryker's Church Songs, 1889, is dated 1850. 2. When the parting bosom bleeds. For Use at Sea. From Adams and Chapin's Hymns for Christian Devotion, 1846. 3. Prayer is the dew of faith. Prayer. 4. We praise Thee, Lord, if but one soul. An altered form of her hymn on Temperance (No. 13). --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Thomas Campbell

1777 - 1844 Person Name: T. Campbell Hymnal Number: d1000 Author of "When Jordan hushed his [its] waters still" in The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir Campbell, Thomas, the Poet, has little in common with hymnody. A few of his pieces, including," When Jordan hushed its waters still," are found in a limited number of hymnals. His poetical works, The Pleasures of Hope, Gertrude of Wyoming, and others, have been reprinted several times. He was born at Glasgow, 1777; died at Boulogne, 1844, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

George Burder

1752 - 1832 Hymnal Number: d170 Author of "Come, ye that [who] know and fear the Lord" in The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir Burder, George, born in London, June 5, 1752, and trained as an engraver. At the age of 24 he commenced preaching with the Calvinist Methodists, but subsequently joined the Congregationalists,and was pastor sucessively at Lancaster, Coventry, and Fetter Lane, London. He was one of the active founders of the Religious Tract, the London Missionary, and the British and Foreign Bible Societies, and some time editor of the Evangelical Magazine. He died May 29, 1832. His works include Village Sermons, 1704; Sea Sermons, 1821; Cottage Sermons, 1826, and others. He is known to hymnology by his Collection of Hymns from various Authors, intended as a Supplement to Dr. Watts, &c, 1784. (Preface dated Nov. 20, 1784.) It had attained to the 25th edition in 1827. To this collection he contributed 4 hymns, the best known being, "Sweet the time, exceeding sweet" (q.v.), sometimes altered to "Great the joy when Christians meet." The remaining three, all from the 1st edition 1784, are:— 1. Come, dear Desire of nations, come. Missions. 2. Come ye that know and fear the Lord. Love of God. In Dr. Hatfield's Church H. Bk., N.Y., 1872, 5 st. out of 9 are given as No. 236. 3. Lord, solemnize our trifling minds. Before Sermon. Altered to "Great God, impress our trifling minds," in the New Congregational Hymn Book, No. 786, &c. Burder's Collection is of importance in the history of Congregational hymnody. The 1st edition, 1784, contained 187 hymns; 2nd edition, 1784, 211; 9th edition, 1803, 257 hymns; 18th edition, 1820, 277; and the last, the 25th edition, 1827, 294. His son, Henry Foster Burder, published a Collection of Ps. & Hymns, 1826; and another son, the Rev. John Burder, also compiled a Collection published without date. To the 18th edition, 1820, of G. Burder's Collection, the wife of his son H. F. Burder contributed "And will the God Who reigns on high " (Sunday Schools), under the signature “S. M. Burder" [Sophia Maria]. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Edward Denny

1796 - 1889 Hymnal Number: d7 Author of "A pilgrim through this lonely world" in The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir Denny, Sir Edward, Bart . Sir Edward Denny, son of Sir E. Denny, 4th baronet, of Tralee Castle, County of Kerry, was born 2 Oct., 1796, and succeeded his father in August, 1831. He is a member of the Plymouth Brethren, and has contributed largely to their hymnody. His first publication, in which many of his hymns appeared, was A Selection of Hymns, Lond. Central Tract Depot, 1839. This was followed by Hymns & Poems , Lond., 1848 (third ed., 1870). He has also published several prose works. Many of his hymns are popular, and are in extensive use as:—" A pilgrim through this lonely world"; "Bride of the Lamb, rejoice, rejoice"; “Bright with all His crowns of glory"; “Light of the lonely pilgrim's heart”; "Sweet feast of love divine," and several others. In addition to these, which are separately annotated, and those which are confined in their use to the congregations of the "Brethren," there are also nearly 20 in limited use in Great Britain and America. Of these the following appeared, first in his Selection of Hymns, 1839; then, in the Appendix to Hymns for the Poor of the Flock, 1841; and then in his Hymns & Poems, 1848-70 :— 1. Break forth, 0 earth, in praises. Praise for Redemption. This is given in several collections in Great Britain and America. 2. Children of God, in all your need. The Great High Priest. In limited use. 3. Children of light, arise and shine. Looking unto Jesus. In numerous hymnals in G. Britain and America. 4. Children of light, awake, awake. Advent . This hymn is an application of the Parable of the Ten Virgins to the Second Coming of Christ. 5. Dear Lord, amid the throng that pressed. The Holy Women at the Cross. The use of this hymn in America is somewhat extensive. 6. Hope of our hearts, 0 Lord, appear. The Second Advent desired. In the Hymns for the Poor of the Flock, 1837; and the author's Hymns & Poems, 1848-60, and various collections in Great Britain and America. 7. Joy to the ransomed earth. Jesus the King. Its use is limited. 8. Lo 'tis the heavenly army. The Second Advent. The original of this hymn is in 4 stanzas of 10 lines and as such it is usually given: but in the Peoples Hymnal, 1867, it is arranged in 4 stanzas of 8 lines, and is also slightly altered. 9. 0 grace divine! the Saviour shed. Good Friday. In limited use. 10. 0 what a bright and blessed world. The New Earth. This hymn is based upon Gen. v. 29, as interpreted from a Millennial point of view. Christ is regarded as the Rest (Noah-Rest) of His people, and the remover of the curse from the earth. 11. Sweet was the hour, 0 Lord, to Thee. Christ at the Well of Sychar. Limited in use. 12. Thou vain deceitful world, farewell. Forsaking the World for Christ. In several collections. 13. Through Israel's land the Lord of all . Mission to the Jews. In addition to its use in its full form, it is also given as: "O Zion, when thy Saviour came," as in Dr. Walker's Psalms & Hymns, 1855-71; Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory, and others. This opens with stanza ii. 14. 'Tis finish'd all—our souls to win. Jesus the Guide and Friend. In several collections. 15. 'Tis He, the Mighty Saviour comes . Missions . Given in Snepp, and one or two others. 16. 'Tis night, but O the joyful morn. Hope. In a few hymnals; also, beginning with stanzas ii., "Lord of our hearts, beloved of Thee," in Dr. Hatfield's Church Hymn Book, N. Y., 1872. 17. To Calvary, Lord, in Spirit now. Good Friday. This is given in several hymnals, including Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book, 1866, &c. The next is in the Selection of 1839, and the Hymns & Poems, 1848-70:— 18. 0 Blessed Lord, Thy feeble Sheep. The Good Shepherd. Its use is limited. The three with which we close are from J. G, Deck's Psalms & Hymns, 1842, Pt. ii., and the Hymns & Poems, 1848-70:— 19. Hark to the trump! behold it breaks . The Resurrection . The design of this hymn is thus described, by the author: "These lines are supposed to be the utterance of the saints at the blessed moment when they are actually ascending to meet the Lord in the air, as described in 1 Cor. xv. 51-57 and 1 Thess. iv. 16-18. It is given in several collections." 20. Isles of the deep, rejoice, rejoice. Missions. 21. Where, in this waste unlovely [and desert] world! Rest for the Weary. Its use is limited. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ===================== Denny, Sir Edward, Bart., p. 287, ii., died in London, June 13, 1889. Additional pieces from his Selection of Hymns, 1839, are in modern collections including:— 1. O wondrous hour! when, Jesus, Thou. Good Friday . 2. 'Tis past, the dark and dreary night. Easter. 3. While in sweet communion feeding. Holy Communion. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Phoebe Cary

1824 - 1871 Hymnal Number: d706 Author of "One [A] sweetly [sweet] solemn thought comes to me o'er and o'er" in The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir Phoebe Cary, (1824-1871) was born and raised in Mount Healthy in Hamilton County, Ohio. Her family came from Lyme, New Hampshire to Ohio when her grandfather was given land in return for his service in the Continental Army. She was the younger sister of Alice Cary (1820-1871). She and Alice submitted poetry to religious periodicals. Phoebe remained in Ohio and continued to write many hymns, including, "One sweetly solemn thought." Mary Louise VanDyke =========================================== Cary, Phoebe, sister of Alice Cary, born near Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 4, 1824, and died within six months of the death of the same sister at Newport, July 31, 1871. Her works include Poems and Parodies, 1854; and Poems of Faith, Hope and Love, 1868. With Dr. Charles F. Deems she compiled Hymns for all Christians, 1869. Her hymns are:— 1. One sweetly solemn thought. Anticipation of Heaven. This piece was not intended for public use, nor is it a suitable metre for musical treatment, yet it has won universal acceptance and popularity. In some instances this has been attained by change of metre as in the Supplement to the Baptist Psalms & Hymns 1880, No. 1185. Johnson's Encyclopedia is in error in saying it was "written at the age of 17." The Congregational Quarterly for Oct., 1874, says, "it was written, she tells us, in the little back third story bedroom, one Sabbath morning in 1852, on her return from church." This statement shows that it was composed when she was 28, and not 17. The popularity of the hymn in Great Britain arose mainly through its use in the Evangelistic services of Messrs. Moody and Sankey. In the Protestant Episcopal Hymns for Church and Home, Phila., 1860, No. 383, it is given as "A sweetly solemn thought." The following additional pieces by this author are in the Lyra Sacra Americana, 1868:— 2. Go and sow beside all waters. Seed Sowing. 3. Great waves of plenty rolling up. Gratitude. 4. I had drunk, with lips unsated. Living Waters. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Benjamin Francis

1734 - 1799 Hymnal Number: d564 Author of "My gracious Redeemer I [I'll] love" in The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir Francis, Benjamin , M.A., was born in Wales in 1734. He was baptized at the age of 15, and began to preach at 19. He studied at the Bristol Baptist College, and commenced his ministry at Sodbury. In 1757 he removed to Horsley (afterwards called Shortwood), in Gloucestershire. There he remained, through a happy and very successful ministry of 42 years, until his death in 1799. He was the author of many poetical compositions :— (1) Conflagration, a Poem in Four Parts, (1770); (2) Elegies on the Deaths of the Revs. George Whitefield , Caleb Evans, Robert Day, and Joshua Thomas; (3) The Association, a Poem (1790); (4) a Poetical Address to the Stockbridge Indians (5) two satirical pieces on the Baptismal controversy; The Salopian Zealot; and The Oracle, the former passing through several editions and being reprinted in America. Francis was the author of five hymns in Rippon's Selections, 1787, all of which are still in common use :— 1. Before Thy throne, eternal King . Meetings of Ministers: or Church Conferences. 2. Glory to the eternal King. Majesty of God. In Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory for Private, Family and Public Worship, 1872. 3. In tweet [loud] exalted strains . Opening of a Place of Worship . This was given in Rippon, No. 338, in 6 st. of 6 1. with the note:—“Sung on opening the Meeting House at Horsley, Gloucestershire, [his Chapel,] September 18, 1774; and also at the opening of the New Meeting House, at Downend, near Bristol, October 4, 1786."This hymn is abbreviated in the Baptist Hymnal, 1879, to 4 stanzas, and begins with st. iii. which is altered to "Come, King of glory, come." No. 1020 in Spurgeon's Our Own Hymnbook is the same arrangement of stanzas altered by Mr. Spurgeon to "Great King of Zion, now." In several American hymnals it reads: "Great King of glory, come." 4. My gracious Redeemer, I love. The love of Christ to Men. In various collections. 5. Praise the Saviour, all ye nations . Offertory. In Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory, 1872, No. 739, "With my substance I will honour," is a cento from this hymn. 6. Ye objects of sense and enjoyments of time . Death. A long hymn of 16 st. of 4 l. given in the new and improved edition of Rippon, 1837, No. 553, Pt. ii. with the heading, "The dying Christian bidding adieu to the world." This hymn had previously appeared in the Baptist Register, 1795. It was as a writer of Welsh hymns, however, that Francis excelled. In 1774 he published his Alleluia, neu Hymnau perthynol i Addoliad Cyhoeddus (Hymns pertaining to Public Worship) To this he contributed 103 hymns. A second volume appeared in 1786, to which he contributed 91 hymns, being a total of 194 in all [D. Sedgwick’s Manuscript]. Of these many are still in common use in Wales, the most popular being:— 1. Clod i'r bendigedig Oen—-a oddefodd. 2. Deffro 'nghalon, deffro 'nghan—-i ddyrchafu. 3. Gwyn fyd y dyn a gred yn Nuw. 4. Arglwydd grasol, clyw fy nghri—-a'm griddfanau. 5. Wele gadarn sylfaen Sion. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

James Elwin Millard

1823 - 1894 Person Name: J. E. Millard Hymnal Number: d259 Author of "God eternal, Lord of all" in The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir

Alexander Pope

1688 - 1744 Hymnal Number: d958 Author of "Vital spark of heavenly flame" in The Church of God Selection of Spiritual Songs for the Church and Choir Alexander Pope was born in London, in 1688. His parents were Roman Catholics. He had a feeble constitution, was deformed in person, and attained the age of only fifty-six. He early acquired the means of independence by his literary gifts, and purchased his celebrated villa at Twickenham, whither he went to reside at the age of thirty. Of his many published works, his translation of the "Iliad" and "Odyssey" of Homer has given him the greatest reputation. As an English satirist, also, he stands very high. Nearly all his works, however, are imitations. He died at Tickenham, in 1744. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872 ======== Pope, Alexander, the poet, son of a wholesale linen merchant in Lombard Street, London, was born in Plough Court, Lombard Street, May 21, 1688. His father being a Roman Catholic, he was first placed under the charge of Father Taverner, who taught him the rudiments of Greek and Latin. Later he attended a school at Winchester, and then at Hyde Park Corner. When about twelve he retired with his parents to Binfield, in Windsor Forest, and from thenceforth his education was mainly in his own hands. His subsequent success as a writer and poet is a matter of history, and has been dealt with in detail by Dr. Johnson in his Lives of the Poets, and by others. He died May 30, 1744, and was buried in a vault in Twickenham Church. For distinct public use, so far as we are aware, Pope wrote no hymns. His "Messiah"; his "Universal Prayer"; and his "Vital Spark" (q.v.), have been made use of for congregational purposes, but as a Roman Catholic he had no object in writing a hymn in a language which, at that time, his Church would refuse to use. In modern hymn-books his name is identified with the following pieces:-- 1. Father of all, in every age. Universal Prayer. The Lord's Prayer. This Prayer was published in 1738, as a conclusion to his Essay on Man, in 13 st. of 4 1. Warburton in his Advertisement of the 1748 ed. of the Essay, says:— "Concerning the Universal Prayer which concludes the Essay, it may be proper to observe that some pas¬sages in the Essay having been unjustly suspected of a tendency towards Fate and Naturalism, the author composed that Prayer as the sum of all, to show that hi a system was founded in Freewill, and terminated in Piety: that the First Cause was as well the Lord and Governor as the Creator of the Universe; and that by submission to His will (the great principle enforced throughout the Essay) was not meant the suffering ourselves to be carried along with a blind determination; but a religious acquiescence, and confidence full of hope and immortality. To give all this the greater weight and reality, the Poet chose for his model The Lord's Prayer, which of all others best deserves the title prefixed to his Paraphrase." The title here referred to is "The Universal Prayer, Deo Opt. Max." The hymn is found in common use in the following forms:— (1.) Father of all in every age. This is an abbreviated form, and has been in use, especially in Unitarian hymnbooks, from an early date. (2.) Father of all, [and] Thou God of love. This cento was given in 6 st. of 4 1. in the 1815 edition of Cotterill's Selections, No. 2; again in the 1819 ed., 141; in Stowell's Psalms & Hymns, 1831, No. 179; and again in later collections. (3.) Not to this earth's contracted span. In Collyer's Collection 1812, No. 629, in 4 st. of 4 1., and others. (4.) Teach me to feel another's woe. Also in Collyer's Collection, 1812, No. 630, in 4 st. of 4 1., and others. (5.) Thou Great First Cause, least understood. Also in Collyer's Collection, 1812, No. 628, in 4 st. of 4 1., and later hymnals. (6.) When I am right Thy grace impart. Given in Kennedy, 1863, No. 1166. 2. Ye nymphs of Solyma! begin the song. The Messiah. In No. 378 of the Spectator for Wednesday, May 14, 1712, Addison gave this poem with the introduction :— "I will make no apology for entertaining the reader with the following poem, which is written by a great genius, a friend of mine, in the country, who is not ashamed to employ his wit in the praise of his Maker." Then follows the poem with the heading, “Messiah. A Sacred Eclogue, composed of several passages of Isaiah the Prophet. Written in imitation of Virgil's Pollio." It consists of 107 lines. When republished by Pope this heading was expanded into a paragraph as an "Advertisement." As a poem it is unknown to the hymn-book; but from it the following centos have passed into common use:-- (1.) As the Good Shepherd tends his fleecy care. This was given in Collyer's Collection, 1812, No. 626, in 6 st. of 4 1., and has been repeated in later hymnals, but usually in an abridged form. (2.) From Jesse's root, behold a branch arise No. 624 in Collyer's Collection, 1812, in 5 st. of 4 1.; and again in later hymnals. (3.) Hark! a glad voice the lonely desert cheers. No. 625 in Collyer's Collection, 1812, in 4 st. of 4 1.; in Bishop Heber's posthumous Hymns, &c, 1827, p. 106; and again in later collections. (4.) Rise crowned with light, imperial Salem rise. In the Leeds Hymn Book, 1853, No. 687, in 3 st. of 8 1., and several later collections. (5.) The Saviour comes! by ancient seers foretold. In Mercer's Church Psalm & Hymn Book, 1864, and others. It may be noted that 1. 46 of The Messiah reads in the original "He wipes the tears for ever from our eyes." This was altered by Pope at the suggestion of Steele, made to Pope in a letter dated June 1, 1712, to "From every face He wipes off every tear." This latter is the poet's authorized reading, is given in his Works, and is found also in the book form reprints of the Spectator. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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