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THE    HYMN    LOVER. 
 
BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR. 
 
 THE  POETS'   BIBLE, 
 
 Old  Testament,  Crown  8vo,  622  pp.,  7s.  6d. ;  New  Testament,  Crown  8vo, 
 534  pp.,  6s. 
 
 "It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  more  interesting,  and,  we  might  say,  valuable 
 volume,  than  '  The  Poets'  Bible.'    It  should  be  in  all  libraries."— <Spec(rt<or. 
 
 "A  work  of  exceptional  interest."— >?<.  James's  Gazette. 
 
 "  Two  remarkable  volumes."— <S<ar. 
 
 "A  welcome  addition  to  the  library  of  every*cultured  reader." — Christian 
 World. 
 
 "  A  thoroughly  good  and  careful  "book."— British  Weekly. 
 
 "We  earnestly  commend  the  'book."  —Nonconformist. 
 
 "A  work  never  before  attempted  is  here  successfully  done." — Daily  Neivs. 
 
 "  Will  be  favourite  books  with  ministers."— Eev.  C.  H.  Spuegeon,  in  Sword 
 and  Trowel. 
 
 "Nobly  representative  of  Christian  ^oetij. "Scotsman. 
 
 Wm.  Isbister,  Limited,  15  &  16,  Tavistock  Street,  Covent  Garden,  W.C. 
 
 IS  THERE  A  FUTURE    LIFE? 
 
 Thoughts  for  the  Pei-plexed  and  Troubled.    Crown  8vo,  260  pp.,  2s.  6d. ; 
 Cheap  Edition,  Is. 
 
 "Well  worth  reading." — Church  Times. 
 
 "  A  book  of  special  value." — Christiaii  World. 
 
 "  A  good  and  timely  and  beautiful  book." — Baptist. 
 
 CONGREGATIONAL  HYMNS. 
 
 A  Hymnal  for  the  Free  Churches.  Long  Primer  edition,  from  2s.  to 
 7s.  6d.  ;  Ruby  edition,  8d.  to  5s.  Special  tenns  to  congregations  may 
 be  secured  on  application  to  the  Editor,  St.  John's,  Wood  Green,  N. 
 
 "  An  honour  to  English  hymnology." — Christian  World. 
 
 "  A  very  good  and  interesting  addition  to  the  hymnology  of  the  present 
 century." — Spectator. 
 
 "The  most  notable  British  collection  of  late  years." — New  York  Independent. 
 
 "  An  unrivalled  compendium." — Literary  World. 
 
 "  A  valuable  addition  to  pure  Christian  Psalmody." — Christian. 
 
 "  So  excellent  as  to  be  a  veritable  curiosity  in  HjTnnals." — Christian  Age. 
 
 "The  best  selection  in  the  English  language.  There  is  not  a  poor  verse  or 
 hymn  in  it." — Dundee  Advertiser. 
 
 "  By  far  the  best  which  has  come  under  our  notice."— Dr.  Parker,  in  the 
 Christian  Chronicle. 
 
 "In  our  opinion  the  best  collection  ever  published." — Christian  World  Pulpit. 
 
 Elliot  Stock,  62,  Paternoster  Eow. 
 
THE    HYMN    LOVER 
 
 AN   ACCOUNT    OF    THE    RISE    AND    GROWTH    OF 
 ENGLISH  HYMNODY. 
 
 W.  GAEEETT  HOEDEE, 
 
 Editor  of  "  The  Poets'  Bible,"  "  Congregational  Hymns,"    'The  Book  of  Praise 
 for  Children."    Author  of  " 7s  There  a  Future  Life?" 
 
 ILouDon: 
 
 J.  CURWEN  &  SONS,  8   &  9  WARWICK  LANE,  E.G. 
 
Poetry !  thou  sweet' st  content 
 That  e'er  Heaven  to  mortals  lent! 
 
 I  do  but  sing  because  I  must, 
 And  pipe  but  as  the  linnets  sing. 
 
 George  Wither. 
 
 Alfred  Tennyson. 
 
 The  first  true  worship  of  the  world's  great  King 
 From  private  and  selected  hearts  did  spring. 
 
 Henry  Vaughan. 
 
 The  gift,  whose  office  is  the  Giver's  praise, 
 To  trace  Him  in  His  word,  His  works.  His  ways : 
 Then  spread  the  rich  discovery,  and  invite 
 Mankind  to  share  in  the  divine  delight. 
 
 "William  Cowper. 
 
 God  sent  His  singers  upon  earth 
 "With  songs  of  sadness  and  of  mirth. 
 That  they  might  touch  the  hearts  of  men. 
 And  bring  them  back  to  heaven  again. 
 
 Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow. 
 
 There  are  in  this  loud  stunning  tide 
 
 Of  human  care  and  crime, 
 "With  whom  the  melodies  abide 
 
 Of  the  everlasting  chime  ; 
 "Who  carry  music  in  the  heart. 
 Through  dusky  lane  and  wrangling  mart. 
 Plying  their  lowly  task  with  busier  feet 
 Because  their  secret  souls  a  holy  strain  repeat. 
 
 John  Keble. 
 
 Yet,  when  I  remember  the  tears  I  shed  at  the  Psalmody  of  Thy  Church, 
 in  the  beginning  of  my  recovered  faith ;  and  how  at  this  time  I  am  moved, 
 not  with  the  singing,  but  with  the  things  sung,  when  they  are  sung  with 
 a  clear  voice  and  modulation  most  suitable,!  acknowledge  the  great  use  of 
 this  institution.  Thus  I  fluctuate  between  peril  of  pleasure  and  approved 
 wholesomeness,  inclined  the  rather  (though  not  as  pronouncing  an  irrevoc- 
 able opinion)  to  approve  of  the  use  of  singing  in  the  Church  ;  that  so  by 
 the  delight  of  the  ears,  the  weaker  minds  may  rise  to  the  feeling  of 
 devotion.  Yet  when  it  befalls  me  to  be  more  moved  with  the  voice  than 
 the  words  sung,  I  confess  to  have  sinned  penally,  and  then  had  rather  not 
 hear  music. — Augustine  ("  Confessions  ") . 
 
 "Worship  is  transcendent  wonder— wonder  for  which  there  is  no  limit 
 or  measure  ;  that  is  worship. — Thomas  Carlyle. 
 
 Make  the  Church  full  of  praise,  and  it  will  be  full  of  God.  God  and  His 
 praise  cannot  be  apart.  "O  Thou  that  inhabitest  the  praises  of  Israel." 
 — John  Pulsford. 
 
 A  good  hymn  is  a  more  valuable  contribution  to  Christian  literature 
 than  vast  tomes  of  theology  :  for  it  will  sing  to  the  ages  after  the  tomes 
 are  mouldering  on  the  shelves.— E.  H.  Sears. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 This  book  has  been  written  at  the  request  of  the 
 Publishers,  who,  in  common  with  myself,  discerned 
 the  need  for  a  work  which  should  put  within  the 
 reach  of  the  ever  increasing  number  of  persons 
 interested  in  the  subject,  an  account  of  the  rise  and 
 growth  of  Hjrmnody  in  England.  The  large  number 
 of  enquiries  I  have  received,  especially  from  persons 
 desiring  to  illustrate  the  subject  in  Lectures  or 
 Sermons,  shows  how  widespread  is  the  interest  in 
 regard  to  hymns  ;  whilst  the  difficulty  I  have  felt  in 
 naming  any  one  book  as  likely  to  meet  such  need 
 forced  on  my  own  mind  the  conviction  that  some 
 such  work  as  the  present  was  required.  When  such 
 enquiries  have  reached  me  I  have  been  compelled  to 
 give  the  titles  of  a  considerable  number  of  works 
 which  treat  of  the  subject,  some  of  which  are  out  of 
 print,  and  others  difficult  to  obtain  save  at  con- 
 siderable cost. 
 
 Moreover,  all  existing  books  with  which  I  am 
 acquainted,  either  deal  with  a  portion  only  of  the 
 subject,  or  if  they  deal  with  the  whole,  do  so  more 
 after  the  manner  of  works  for  reference  than  for 
 continuous  reading.  I  am  not  acquainted  with  a 
 single  book  which  even  attempts  to  give  a  connected 
 
VI  PREFACE. 
 
 view  of  the  whole  subject,  in  such  a  way  as  to  serve 
 as  an  introduction  to  the  study  of  Hymnody. 
 This  is  the  task,  which  in  these  pages  I  have  set  before 
 myself ;  with  what  success  must  be  left  to  the 
 judgment  of  my  readers.  I  have,  indeed,  attempted 
 to  provide  such  a  book  as  I  myself  desired,  but 
 failed  to  discover,  when  many  years  ago  turned  my 
 attention  to  the  subject,  and  I  am  not  without  hope 
 that  the  book  thus  written  will  furnish  to  many  an  out- 
 line which  further  reading  and  research  may  enable 
 them  to  fill  in.  I  have  appended  a  list  of  the 
 principal  works  on  the  subject  for  the  benefit  of  those 
 who  may  desire  to  pursue  the  study  still  further. 
 
 Beyond  this  I  have,  in  accordance,  not  only  with 
 the  wishes  of  the  Publishers,  but  my  own  judgment, 
 treated  the  subject  with  such  critical  faculty  as  I 
 possess,  in  the  hope  that  it  may  do  at  least  a  little 
 to  elevate  the  public  taste  in  relation  to  hymns. 
 Doubtless  some  will  differ  from  certain  of  my 
 estimates ;  all  I  can  claim  is  that  they  have  been 
 carefully  and  honestly  formed,  and  whether  sound 
 or  not,  they  may  at  least  lead  to  a  more  careful 
 consideration  of  the  words  sung  in  worship  than 
 has  hitherto  been  usual. 
 
 It  is  strange  that  Hymns,  which  now  form  so 
 large  a  part  of  public  worship,  should  not  have  been 
 made  one  of  the  subjects  of  study  included  in  the 
 course  prescribed  for  theological  students,  as  is  the 
 
PREFACE.  VU 
 
 Prayer  Book  in  that  of  Colleges  connected  with  the 
 Episcopal  Church.  Such  a  study  would  prove  both 
 an  interesting  and  useful  addition  to  the  present 
 course,  and  would  probably  be  pursued  with  avidity 
 by  a  considerable  proportion  of  candidates  for  the 
 ministry. 
 
 Critical  readers  of  these  pages  may  perhaps 
 discern  a  want  of  proportion  in  the  space  given  to 
 various  writers.  This  has  not  been  accidental  but 
 of  set  purpose.  Of  Hymn  -  writers  concerning 
 whom  much  has  been  previously  written,  such 
 as  Isaac  "Watts  or  Charles  Wesley,  I  have  said 
 comparatively  little  ;  only  sufficient  to  indicate 
 their  special  characteristics,  and  the  influence  they 
 exerted.  Of  others,  concerning  whom  little,  if 
 anything,  has  been  written  such  as  T.  H.  G-ill,  and 
 T.  T.  Lynch,  I  have  said  more,  in  the  hope  that 
 their  writings  might  thus  be  made  more  widely 
 known.  My  references  to  hymns  have  proceeded  on 
 the  principle  that  where  they  were  well  known  it 
 was  necessary  to  quote  merely  the  first  line ;  where 
 they  were  little  known  to  quote  more  fully — in  some 
 cases,  the  whole,  in  others,  the  finest  verses. 
 
 Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  give  a  defini- 
 tion of  what  a  good  hymn  should  be.  Definitions 
 are  proverbially  difficult,  and  in  the  case  of  hymns 
 especially  so.  Lord  Selborne  in  the  preface  to  "  The 
 Book  of  Praise,"  says  :  "  A  good  hymn  should  have 
 iiimplicity,    freshness,    and    reality    of    feeling ;    a 
 
X  PREFACE. 
 
 doctrinal,  much  less  a  dogmatic  form.  In  this  respect 
 the  Psalms  are  a  model,  for,  in  them,  the  doctrinal 
 conceptions  of  the  writers  are  transfigured  bj  the 
 depth  and  fervency  of  their  religious  feeling.  A 
 hymn  is  not  versified  dogma.  The  dogma  may  he 
 there,  hut  it  must  take  on  poetic  and  therefore  un- 
 dogmatic  forms.  Many  a  noble  hymn  is  sadly  marred 
 by  the  introduction  in  some  of  its  jDarts  of  theologic 
 phrases,  such  as  "  Grod  in  three  persons,  blessed 
 Trinity,"  in  Heber's  otherwise  splendid  hymn, "  Holy, 
 Holy,  Lord  Grod  almighty."  Not  a  line  analogous  to 
 that  can  be  found  in  the  whole  range  of  the  Psalter. 
 In  this  line,  the  good  Bishop  ceases  to  be  a  poet  and 
 becomes  a  theologian.  Doctrine  should  be  spoken 
 from  the  pulpit,  not  sung  from  the  pew.  The  essence 
 of  poetry  is  that  it  pierces  to  the  heart  of  a  subject — 
 the  true  poet  is  a  See)'  whose  eye  reaches  through  the 
 letter  to  the  spirit.  The  true  hymnist  is  in  his 
 measure  also  a  seer,  and  so  first  discerns  and  then 
 reveals  in  his  verse,  the  hidden  verities  which  lie 
 underneath  the  phrases  in  which  doctrine  is  com- 
 monly expressed.  He,  of  all  men  should  realise 
 that  "the  flesh  profiteth  nothing"  but  only  the  inner 
 spirit  of  which  the  flesh  is  but  the  outward 
 expression.  Thus  the  visible  and  external  is  trans- 
 figured by  that  which  is  unseen  and  eternal. 
 
 It  is  only  another  way  of  stating  the  same  fact  to 
 say  that  the  poetic  element  must  be  present  to  render 
 rhymed  lines  a  hymn.     Ehyme  is  not  poetry,   but 
 
PREFACE.  XI 
 
 only  jingling  prose.  There  must  be  that  unde- 
 finable  element  which  we  call  poetic — ^that  happiness 
 and  compactness  of  phrase  which  catches  the  ear, 
 lingers  in  the  memory,  and  kindles  the  imagination  ; 
 not  in  the  larger  and  freer  sense  in  which  it  is  used  in 
 poetry  of  a  secular  kind ;  but  within  narrower  limits 
 and  of  a  more  sober  type,  the  poetic  element  must  be 
 present,  or  the  verses  remain  prose  and  cannot  rightly 
 be  called  a  Hymn.  The  hymn  belongs  to  Lyric 
 rather  than  Didactic  or  Epic ,,  Poetry,  and  should 
 have  such  aptness  and  melody  of  expression  that  the 
 words  when  said,  as  well  as  when  siing,  shall  be 
 musical,  shall,  as  the  name  '  Lyric  '  implies,  have  the 
 ring  of  the  harp  through  them.  Griven  this  and 
 almost  any  metre  may  be  allowed.  In  recent  years 
 congregations  have  grown  accustomed  to  a  vast 
 variety  of  metres  which  have  been  skilfully  utilised 
 by  hymnists  in  their  verse.  This  has  given  to 
 composers  a  wider  musical  field  in  which  to  work 
 and  has  been  one  great  factor  in  rendering  hymns  so 
 popular  an  element  in  our  modern  worship. 
 
 Perhaps  the  limits  which  are  desirable,  as  to 
 variety  in  metre,  have  now  been  reached  Future 
 hymn- writers  should  find  quite  sufficient  scope  for 
 the  exercise  of  their  gifts  within  the  very  great 
 variety  of  metres  in  which  their  predecessors  have 
 worked.  If  it  should  be  extended  much  farther,  the 
 number  of  tunes  necessary  for  congregations  to 
 learn  in  order  to  sing  the  hymns  included  in  their 
 
XU  PREFACE. 
 
 collections,  will  exceed  the  capacity  of  all  but  select 
 and  exceptionally  musical  ones,  and  perhaps  of  only 
 a  certain  number,  even  in  such  congregations.  It  is 
 not  desirable  that  Psalmody  should  be  thus  restricted  ; 
 it  should  rather  be  within  the  capacity  of  all  wor- 
 shippers to  bear  a  part  therein. 
 
 As  a  general  rule,  it  is  well  that  each  hymn  should 
 be  associated  with  a  particular  tune — not  of  necessity 
 the  same  one  in  every  congregation,  since  taste  and 
 capacity  greatly  differ — but  this  principle  should  not 
 be  made  too  rigid,  since  a  congregation  tires  more 
 quickly  of  a  tune  than  a  hymn,  and  a  change  of 
 tune  will  often  give  a  new  lease  of  life  to,  and  keep 
 in  use,  a  well-loved  hymn,  of  which,  if  it  were 
 always  sung  to  the  same  tune,  the  people  would  tire. 
 
 Those  who  are  responsible  for  the  conduct  of 
 Psalmody  in  the  Church  should  be  as  familiar  with 
 the  Hymn-book  as  the  Tune-book,  so  that,  where  they 
 possess  liberty  to  set  hymns  to  any  tunes  they 
 desire,  their  selection  of  tunes  may  be  determined 
 by  the  substance  and  spirit  of  the  hymns,  and  even 
 where  the  fixed-tune  system  is  in  vogue,  they  may 
 render  the  tune  in  a  style  in  full  sympathy  with 
 the  sentiment  of  each  verse  of  the  hymn. 
 
 The  pleasant  duty  remains  of  acknowledging  the 
 valuable  aid  I  have  received  from  Mr.  W.  T.  Brooke, 
 who  has  read  the  proof  sheets  of  this  volume  as  they 
 were  passing  through  the  press,  and  to  whose  wide 
 
PREFACE.  Xlll 
 
 knowledge  of  Hymnody  I  am  indebted,  both  for 
 valuable  suggestions  and  correction  of  the  proofs. 
 I  am  also  indebted  to  my  friend  the  Rev.  Robert 
 E/icards,  who  has  felt  the  deepest  interest  in  my  task, 
 and  helped  me  greatly  to  make  my  story  more 
 clear  to  its  readers.  For  information  embodied  in 
 the  chapter  on  the  Hymns  of  other  religions,  I  am 
 indebted  to  kind  communications  from  Sir  Wm. 
 Muir,  Professors  Max  MuUer  and  Dr.  James  Legge, 
 of  Oxford,  Professor  Owen,  C.  Whitehouse,  M.A.,  of 
 Cheshunt  College,  the  Bev.  Gr.  0.  Newport,  of  India, 
 and  the  late  Mr.  Paul  Isaac  Hershon.  I  have  to 
 thank  my  friend,  Mr.  Arthur  Boutwood,  for  pre- 
 paring the  Indices. 
 
 Some  small  portions  of  this  book  had  previously 
 made  their  appearance  in  the  pages  of  The  Sunday 
 Magazine,  The  Christian  World,  and  the  Theological 
 Monthly.  I  am  indebted  to  the  proprietors  of  these 
 periodicals  for  permission  to  include  such  portions  in 
 this  work. 
 
 I  trust  that  these  pages  will  lead  many  to  take  a 
 more  intelligent  interest  in  the  hymns  they  so  often 
 sing — and  serve  to  introduce  hitherto  unknown  hymns 
 to  their  notice,  and  even  do  some  little  to  elevate  the 
 public  taste  which  often  has  not  been  any  too  dis- 
 criminating. I  shall  be  abundantly  repaid  for  the 
 labour  expended  on  this  book  if  it  should  bear  a 
 part,  however  small,  in  enabling  any  to  comply  with 
 
XIV  PREFACE. 
 
 the  injunction  of   the  Psahnist,   "  Sing   ye   praises 
 with  understanding." 
 
 W.  G^AEEETT  HOEDEE. 
 St.  John's, 
 
 Wood  Gtreen,  N. 
 
 October  1st,  18«9. 
 
 Since  the  chapters  on  "  Living  Hymnists  "  were  printed? 
 two  notable  writers  have  passed  away,  viz.,  George  Eawson, 
 in  March,  and  Horatius  Bonar,  in  August,  1889. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 ♦ 
 
 CHAP.  PAGES 
 
 I. — Hymns  of  Other  Eeligions    1-12 
 
 II. — Hymns  of  the  Old  Testament   13-25 
 
 III. — Hymns  of  the  New  Testament 26-33 
 
 IV. — Hymns  of  the  Early  Church    34-45 
 
 Y. — ^Medi-s;val  Hymns 46-63 
 
 VI.— The  Metrical  Psalms 64-70 
 
 VII.— Early  English  Hymns 71-84 
 
 VIII. — Increase  of  the  Hymnic  Facvlty    85-95 
 
 IX. — The  Foundations  of  English  Hymnody 96-108 
 
 X.— The  Lyric  Fire 109-115 
 
 XI.— The  Age  of  Echoes 116-122 
 
 XII.— An  Oasis  in  the  Desert 123-126 
 
 XIII.— Didactic  Hymnists    127-135 
 
 XIV. — Increase  of  Poetic  Elements    136-216 
 
 XV.— Living  Hymnists  :  1 211-258 
 
 XVI.—      „  „  II 259-313 
 
 XVII.—      ,,  ,,  Minor  Contributors   314-335 
 
 XVIII.— German  Hymns 336-37 
 
 XIX.— French  and  Other  Hymns 378-387 
 
 XX. — American  Hymns  388-430 
 
 XXL— Children's  Hymns    431-471 
 
 XXIL— Mission  Hymns 472-477 
 
 XXIIL— Of  Hymn  Alterations 478-486 
 
 XXIV.— The  New  Era  in  Hymnody     487-509 
 
 Bibliography    510-511 
 
 Indices    513-524 
 
ERRATA, 
 
 Page  33,  line  22,  for  declare,  read  declares. 
 
 Page  85,  chapter  heading,  for  Hymnal  read  Hymnic. 
 
 Page  103,  line  11,  iox  pent  read^en. 
 
 Page  159,  last  Une  but  one,  for  hreast  read  hreaJli. 
 
 Page  203,  line  9,  for  Thee  read  Thou. 
 
 Page  275,  Une  33,  for  hroodest  read  broodedst. 
 
 Page  332,  page  numbering,  for  322  read  332. 
 
 Page  339,  Une  6,  omit  But. 
 
 Page  347,  line  7,  for  taken  read  tvhen. 
 
 Page  382,  Une  29,  for  1847  read  1867. 
 
 Page  393,  line  29,  for  the  heart  read  thy  heart. 
 
 Page  401,  line  14,  before  the  MahraMa  insert  and. 
 
 Page  414,  Une  24,  for  a  read  that. 
 
 Page  436,  line  21,  omit  comma  after  Dearest. 
 
 Page  463,  line  5,  for  deserves  read  deserve. 
 
 Page  476,  last  lins  but  one,  for  channles  read  channels. 
 
THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 CHAPTEE  I. 
 
 HYMXS  OF  OTHER  RELIGIONS. 
 
 Hymxs  are  to  be  found  in  the  literature  of  nearly 
 every  religion,  but  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  judge,  save 
 in  the  Hebrew  and  Christian,  they  have  rarely  been 
 used  as  a  constant  and  integral  part  of  worship. 
 
 That  hymns  formed  no  part  of  the  worship  of  the 
 Greeks  is  clear  from  the  fact  that  their  temples  were 
 not  constructed  as  places  of  religious  assembly  or  fur 
 public  devotion,  but  as  a  shelter  for  the  image  of  the  god, 
 and  a  habitation  for  the  deity  supposed  to  be  attached  to 
 his  image.  They  were  generally  confined  localities,  and 
 half-dark  within  on  account  of  the  absence  of  all 
 window-light.  Bright  light  was  not  required,  as,  in 
 fact,  no  religious  observances  ordinarily  took  place  in 
 the  temple.*  "  Greece  never  had  a  sacred  book,  she 
 ncA-er  had  any  symbols,  any  sacerdotal  caste,  organised 
 for  the  preservation  of  dogmas.  Her  poets  and  her 
 artists  were  her  true  theologians."!  Some  small 
 place  was  assigned  to  hymns  in  the  worship  of  Rome. 
 
 *  Doliinger.  "  Gentile  and  Jew,"  I,  239. 
 
 t  Renan,  "  Studies  in  Religious  History."  b 
 
THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 "  Many  prayers  and  hymns  were  taken  np  with  the 
 praise  of  the  gods  and  salutations  to  them.  Amobius 
 speaks  of  morning  serenades  sung  with  an  accompaniment 
 of  fifes  as  a  kind  of  reveille  to  the  sleeping  gods,  and 
 of  an  evening  salutation  in  which  leave  was  taken  of 
 the  deity,  with  the  wishing  him  a  good  night's  rest."^' 
 
 Professor  Max  Muller  has  referred  me  to  his  History 
 of  Sanskrit  Literature  for  information  on  this  point, 
 and  the  conclusion  I  draw  therefi'om  is  that  although 
 the  Hindus  had  much  of  poetry  both  Epic  and  Hymnic, 
 yet  that  the  hymns  were  chiefly  used  for  meditation 
 or  recital.  ''Women  were  not  allowed  to  learn  the 
 Sacred  songs  of  the  Vedas,  the  knowledge  of  which 
 constituted  one  of  the  princi^Dal  requirements  for  a 
 Brahman  before  he  was  admitted  to  the  performance 
 of  the  sacrifices.  As  it  was  necessary,  however,  for  a 
 husband  to  perform  sacrifices  together  with  his  lawful 
 wife,  and  as  passages  of  the  hymns  speak  clearly  of 
 man  and  wife  as  performing  sacrifices  in  common,  it  was 
 laid  down  in  the  Sutras  that  the  husband  or  the  priest 
 should  at  the  sacrificing  itself,  make  his  wife  recite  those 
 hymns  which  were  necessary  for  the  ceremony." 
 
 The  Sametri  who  had  to  slay  the  sacrificial  animals 
 learnt  the  hymns  appointed  by  heart,  and  were  allowed 
 on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  mastering  the  euphonic 
 rules  for  recitation,  to  mutter  them,  so  that  no  one  at 
 a  distance  could  hear  or  understand  them.  Some  part 
 of  the  sacrifice  had  to  be  accompanied  by  songs,  and 
 hence  another  class  of  priests  arose  whose  particular 
 office  it  was  to  act  as  the  chorus,  which  was  more  than 
 
 ,  *  Dollinger,  "  Gentile  and  Jew,"  II,  77. 
 
HYMNS  OF  OTHER  RELIGIONS.  3 
 
 a  mere  chanting.  A  third  class  called  the  Hotres 
 recited  certain  hymns  during  the  sacrifice  in  praise 
 of  the  deities  to  whom  any  particular  act  of  the 
 sacrificer  was  addressed.  Their  recitation  was  loud  and 
 distinct,  and  required  the  most  accurate  knowledge  of 
 the  rules  of  euphony. 
 
 The  Rev.  G.  0.  JN'ewport,  who  for  nearly  a  quarter 
 of  a  century  has  laboured  as  a  missionary  in  India,  has 
 been  good  enough  to  send  me  the  following  note  : — 
 
 "  In  Hindu  worship,  so  far  as  I  have  seen  it  in  South 
 India — and  I  think  it  is  much  the  same  in  this  respect 
 thi'oughout  the  whole  country — there  is  no  periodic 
 gathering  of  the  people  into  the  temples  for  united 
 religious  service.  There  is  no  fixed  hour  for  assembling, 
 nor  is  there  any  regular  priestly  observance  or  ceremony 
 at  any  stated  part  of  the  twenty -four  hours.  Individuals 
 who  are  eligible  for  admission  to  any  particular  temple, 
 may  go  in  and  prostrate  themselves,  and  repeat  their 
 prayers,  &c.,  whenever  they  i)lease.  United  gatherings 
 at  stated  hours  and  seasons  for  religious  service,  as  in 
 our  Christian  worship,  are  unknown.  There  cannot, 
 therefore,  be  any  congregational  singing  or  musical  per- 
 formance in  the  Western  sense  in  these  temples.  And 
 yet  singing  in  connection  with  the  worship  is  not 
 altogether  absent.  On  anniversary  festival  days  and  in 
 proaessions  there  are  always  songs  sung  in  honour  of 
 the  gods.  Some  of  these  songs  are  so  obscene  in  their 
 nature  that  even  respectable  votaries  of  the  Hindu  religion 
 are  taking  active  steps  to  put  down  the  public  singing  of 
 them.  The  female  attendants  on  the  idol,  called  Dhasis 
 in  the  south,  who  are,  in  fact,  temple  prostitutes,  are 
 all   professional   singers   of    these   religious    songs.     The 
 
THE  HYMN  LOVETx. 
 
 priests  also  join  in,  and  the  masses  of  tlie  people  too, 
 according  to  their  knowledge  and  musical  ability.  There 
 must  also  he  certain  times  when  the  priests  and  the 
 Dhasis  practise  together  these  songs  within  the  temple 
 limits ;  and  perhaps  this  may  he  done  as  in  some  way 
 an  act  of  worship,  hut  not  as  part  of  a  public  service 
 in  which  ordinary  worshippers  participate.  I  write  thus, 
 because  on  one  occasion  when  travelling  late  at  night 
 I  heard  a  sound  of  singing  in  a  temple,  and  went  to 
 the  very  wall  within  the  outer  gate  without  being 
 discovered.  The  villagers  were  asleep,  the  temple  was 
 almost  in  darkness,  only  a  dim  lamp  here  and  there 
 flickering  in  the  gloom  ;  there  was  evidently  no  religious 
 observ^ance  going  on,  and  yet  there  was  the  singing 
 of  Hindu  songs  by  various  voices  manifestly  accustomed 
 thereto.  It  was  perhaps  a  kind  of  rehearsal  in  antici- 
 pation of  a  forthcoming  festival.  I  believe  I  am  strictly 
 accurate  when  I  say  there  is  nothing  corresponding  to 
 our  choir  or  congregational  singing  at  the  ordinary 
 every-day  religious  observances  in  Hindu  temples.  "What 
 is  done  on  festival  occasions  would  correspond  largely 
 to  the  singing  of  songs  by  the  choir  when  marching 
 at  the  head  of  a  Sunday  school  procession,  and  would 
 liave  about  as  much  of  religious  worship  in  it. 
 
 "As  to  the  subject  matter  of  the  songs  thus  used, 
 so  far  as  my  knowledge  goes,  it  consists  of  the  names, 
 titles,  epithets,  &c.,  of  the  gods  in  general,  and  of 
 that  god  in  particular  in  whose  honour  the  festival 
 is  being  held.  And  when  it  is  remembered  that  the 
 various  names  of  one  single  god  in  the  Hindu  Pantheon 
 amount  to  a  thousand,  it  will  be  seen  that  a  great 
 deal   of    song   may   be    expended   in   this    one   direction 
 
IIYMXS  OF  OTHER  RELIGIONS.  5 
 
 only.  But  not  the  names  only,  the  traditional  acts 
 and  behaviour,  the  life-scenes  of  the  gods,  are  sung 
 at  length.  It  is  in  the  yery  realistic  description  of  some 
 of  these  unmentionable  incidents  that  the  obscenity, 
 aboye  referred  to,  consists.  Even  when  deeds  and  eyents 
 of  an  innocent  and  pure  character  are  thus  sung,  there 
 is  nothing  more  of  spiritual  worship  in  it  than  in  the 
 recitation  of  an  epic  poem.  The  singer  confesses  no 
 need,  asks  no  blessing,  reveals  no  yearning,  expects  no 
 response.  There  is  no  communion  of  thought  and  feeling, 
 no  aspiration  for  purity,  no  laying  hold  of  moral  strength. 
 In  this  lies  the  great  difference  between  the  religious 
 songs  of  Hindu  worship  and  the  hymnody  of  Christian 
 worship,"* 
 
 Buddhism  was  to  Brahmanism  what  Puritanism  was 
 to  Anglicanism.  Like  Puritanism  it  laid  stress  chiefly 
 on  the  individual,  but  went  far  beyond  it  since  it 
 abolished  the  idea  of  church  and  worship.  Its  hymns, 
 some  of  which  are  of  exceeding  beauty  (in  their  English 
 dress  the  thoughts  but  not  the  form  are  exhibited), 
 were  used  only  for  private  recitation  and  edification. 
 Indeed,  they  have  neither  churches  nor  services  in 
 which  they  could  be  sung. 
 
 "Judged  by  its  primitive  texts,"  says  Kenan,  "  Buddh- 
 ism appears  like  a  simple  doctiine,  without  mythology, 
 devoid  of  tvorship,  giving  scope  to  unlimited  freedom  of 
 thought."  To  offer  prayers  to  the  devas  is  sheer 
 puerility. 
 
 Dr.  Legge  of  Oxford  has  been  good   enough  to   write 
 
 *  cf.  Also  Dean   Church's   lectures   on.   "  The  Sacred   I'oetry  of 
 Early  Eeligions." 
 
THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 me  the  following  interesting  letter,  wliicli  shows  the 
 place  occupied  by  hymns  in  the  Confucian  system. 
 
 "  The  vast  field  of  Chinese  literature  is  remarkable 
 for  the  absence  of  works  on  theology.  There  is  no 
 dogmatic  teaching  of  religion  in  the  Confucian  system ; 
 and  it  is  a  consequence  of  this  that  we  find  in  it  no 
 compositions  which  we  can  properly  designate  as  hymns, 
 having  a  place  and  application  of  their  own,  sung  or 
 chanted  with  or  without  instrumental  accompaniment, 
 in  religious  services. 
 
 "  Yet  the  prayers  used  in  the  worship  of  God  by 
 the  sovereigns  of  China,  and  by  them  and  others  in 
 the  services  of  the  ancestral  temple,  have  very  much 
 of  the  character  of  hymns.  We  have  the  Book  of  Poetry, 
 containing  in  all  305  pieces,  which  Confucius  is  said 
 to  have  selected  from  ten  times  as  many  current  in 
 his  time,  and  *  which  he  sang  over  to  his  lute.'  Forty 
 of  them  are  called  Praise-songs,  or  songs  of  the  Temple 
 and  Altar,  and  were  employed  in  the  royal  worship 
 of  ancestors.  A  favourable  specimen  of  them  is  the 
 following  hymn  (so  I  will  call  it),  addressed  to  Hau-chi, 
 the  Father  of  Agriculture  : — 
 
 0  thou  accomplished,  great,  Hau-chi, 
 
 To  thee  alone  'twas  given 
 To  be  by  what  we  owe  to  thee, 
 
 The  Correlate  of  Heaven. 
 
 On  all  who  dwell  within  our  land, 
 
 Grain-food  did'st  thou  bestow  ; 
 'Tis  to  tiy  wonder-working  hand 
 
 This  gracious  boon  we  owe. 
 
 God  had  the  wheat  and  barley  meant 
 
 To  nourish  all  mankind  ; 
 None  would  have  fathomed  His  intent, 
 
 But  for  thy  guiding  mind. 
 
HYMNS  OF  OTHER  RELIGIONS. 
 
 Man's  social  duties  thou  did'st  show 
 
 To  every  tribe  and  state, 
 From  Thee  the  polished  manners  flow 
 
 That  stamp  our  land  '  The  Great.' 
 
 You  will  observe  that  in  this  hymn,  while  it  is  addressed 
 to  Hau-chi,  he  is  not  confounded  with  God,  but  cele- 
 brated as  His  servant.  And  this  is  a  characteristic  of 
 the  religion  of  China.  Prom  first  to  last  in  the  history 
 of  the  empire,  extending  over  about  5,000  years,  God — 
 now  named  Heaven,  now  Ti  or  Ruler,  and  now  Shang-Ti 
 or  Supreme  Ruler — stands  forth  single  and  supreme, 
 *  "Without  equal  or  second.' 
 
 "The  old  Confucian  Book  of  Poetry  unfortunately 
 does  not  contain  any  of  the  hymnic  prayers  adch'essed 
 at  the  great  royal  or  imperial  services  to  God.  Eut 
 many  such  are  to  be  found  all  along  the  stream  of  history 
 in  accounts  of  the  imperial  sacrifices  since  the  beginning 
 of  our  Christian  era.  The  most  remarkable  group  of 
 them,  which  I  have  met  with,  was  used  on  a  special 
 occasion  in  the  year  1538.  It  consists  of  eleven  addresses 
 to  the  Spirit  of  God,  in  which  the  devotions  of  the 
 worshippers  rose  to  a  high  pitch  of  adoring  reverence. 
 They  are  all  rhymed,  and  in  measure  somewhat  irregular. 
 You  will  find  them  all  translated  in  the  first  of  my 
 lectures  on  'The  Religions  of  China,'  published  by  Hodder 
 and  Stoughton  in  1881." 
 
 Sir  Wm.  Muir  says  that  "the  services  of  the  Mussulmans 
 are  confined  (apart  from  the  sermon  or  address)  to 
 recitations  from  the  Coran  and  corresponding  invocations. 
 They  do  not,  so  far  as  my  knowledge  extends,  use  hymns 
 in  their  worship.  Many  parts  of  the  Coran  are  (like 
 the  Psalms)  nothing  but  hymns.     They  are  not,  however, 
 
8  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 sung,  but  only  repeated  like  the  other  portions.  The 
 Persian  Soofias  have  many  hymns ;  but  whether  they 
 use  them  in  divine  service  or  not,  I  cannot  say." 
 
 My  friend  Prof.  Owen  C.  Whitehouse  (see  the  Addenda 
 to  his  translation  of  Schrader's  "  Cuneiform  Inscriptions 
 and  the  Old  Testament,"  vol.  II),  says: — 
 
 ' '  But,  though  the  ancient  Hebrews  did  not  possess 
 highly-developed  metrical  systems  like  the  Greeks,  it  is  by 
 no  means  improbable  that  they  did  possess  syllabic  metre 
 of  a  certain  kind.  Dr.  Gustav  Bickell  has,  in  fact, 
 made  the  bold,  and  it  appears  to  me  not  unsuccessful 
 attempt  to  show  that  they  did,  in  his  Carmina  veteris 
 Testamenti  metrice.  His  ingenious  theory  involves  certain 
 textual  alterations — some  of  which  are  quite  admissible, 
 and  go  far  to  improve  the  sense.  Canon  Cheyne  of 
 Oxford  seems  disposed  to  accept  not  only  Dr.  Bickell' s 
 views,  but  in  some  cases  the  textual  emendations 
 which  arise  out  of  them.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
 veteran  scholar  of  Leipzig,  Franz  Delitzsch,  in  the  preface 
 to  his  latest  edition  of  the  Psalms,  maintains  a  sceptical 
 attitude  towards  Bickell's  discoveries. 
 
 "  Putting  aside,  however,  debateable  matter  of  this 
 kind  it  may  be  said  broadly  that  the  ancient  Semitic 
 poetry  consisted  in  a  rliytlim  or  assonance  of  similar  or 
 contrasted  ideas.     This  is  usually  designated  parallelism. 
 
 "  The  ancient  Babylono-Assyrian  hymns  are  in  many 
 instances  translations  from  older  non-Semitic  Sumero- 
 Akkadian  lays.  Many  of  these  hymns  are  merely  formulae 
 of  incantation  of  which  numerous  examples  may  be 
 found  in  Lenormant's  Chaldean  Magic.  But  there  are 
 some  remarkable  songs  which  are  of  a  more  exalted 
 character,   and  though  containing  mythological  elements, 
 
HYMNS  OF  OTHER  RELIGIONS. 
 
 nevertheless  express  spiritual  and  devout  thouglit. 
 Most  of  these  belong  to  a  class  called  '  Penitential 
 Psalms,'  of  which  an  interesting  collection  has  recently 
 been  edited  by  Zimuiern.     Here  is  a  specimen  : — 
 
 "  Exalted  mistress,  whose  command  prevails, 
 The  prayer  will  I  utter  :  What  is  good  to  thee  do  to  me, 
 My  Lady,  from  the  days  of  my  youth  I  have  been  fastened  to 
 
 the  yoke  of  sin 
 Food  have  I  not  eaten,  weeping  was  my  refreshment. 
 
 [Water  have  I  not  drunk],  tears  were  my  drink ; 
 
 [My  heart  was  no  longer  merry],  my  disposition  no  longer  bright. 
 
 0  my  Lady,  teach  me  to  know  my  doings,  forgiveness  (or 
 
 peace),  assure  unto  me. 
 
 "Another    example     I    will     cite     in    Prof.     Sayce's 
 rendering : — 
 ' '  My  Lord,  in  the  anger  of  His  heart,  has  punished  me  ; 
 
 God  in  the  strength  of  His  heart  has  taken  me  ; 
 
 Istar,  my  mother,  has  seized  upon  me  and  put  me  to  grief. 
 
 God,  who  knoweth  that  I  knew  not,  has  afflicted  me  ; 
 
 Istar,   my   mother,   who  knoweth  that  I  knew   not  has   caused 
 darkness. 
 
 1  prayed,  and  none  takes  my  hand : 
 I  wept,  and  none  held  my  palm  ; 
 
 I  cry  aloud,  but  there  is  none  that  will  hear  me  ; 
 I  am  in  darkness  and  hiding,  and  dare  not  look  up." 
 
 Here  we  observe  not  only  that  paraUelismus  metyihrortnn 
 
 which   characterizes  Hebrew  poetry  but  also  a  strophic 
 
 arrangement  as  clearly  marked  as  in  the  Psalter. 
 
 "  On  the  subject  of  musical  instruments  we  learn 
 from  Prof.  Sayce  that  the  ancient  Babylonians  had 
 seven  or  eight  different  kinds,  including  the  harp,  the 
 lyre,  and  the  tambourine.  The  lyre  was  employed  in 
 feasts  and  the  haip  in  sacred  music. 
 
 *'The  harp  comes  down  from  very  ancient  times. 
 On  a  fi-agment  of  a  bas-relief,  perhaps  as  old  as  3,000  b.c, 
 
10  TEE  BYMN  LOVER. 
 
 which    I    find   figured   in    Eritz    Hommel's   History    of 
 
 Babylonia   and   Assyria,  there   is  a   representation  of    a 
 
 harp   with   twelve   strings,   and  a   musician    standing  by 
 
 with  outstretched  hand  fingering  the  middle  string. 
 
 "  The  following  citation  from  Mr.  Pinches'  Babylonian 
 
 Texts  shows  that  music  accompanied  the  sacrifices  (Sayce's 
 
 Hibbert  Lectures,  1887,  appendix  iv.,  p.  514) : — 
 
 *  In  the  month  of  life  and  the  festivals  of  sacrifices  may  glad 
 music  be  sounded. 
 
 Let  the  four  zones  behold  his  countenance. 
 
 To  those  that  bring  (?)  his  nourishers  may  he  grant  life  and 
 goodness  of  heart !  '  " 
 Among  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  the  people  were,  as  a 
 rule,  exhorted  to  be  silent  when  the  sacrificial  rite — the 
 slaying  of  the  victim — was  in  actual  process  of  accomplish- 
 ment. JEuphemeite,  or  favete  Unguis  was  the  formula 
 addressed  to  the  crowd  upon  such  solemn  occasions ;  the 
 people  waited  in  prayerful  awe  and  silence,  that  no  ill- 
 starred  utterance  might  mar  the  sacrificial  omens.  There 
 may  have  been  on  special  occasions  the  chanting  of  a 
 solemn  litany.  Great  public  festivals  were  celebrated 
 with  song — the  Dithyrambic  lays  were  sung  at  the  festival 
 in  honour  of  Dionysos.  There  were  also  the  songs  of  the 
 Priests  of  Mars,  and  of  the  Pratres  Arvales,  of  which 
 Mommsen  gives  examples  in  his  "History  of  Rome." 
 Horace's  "  Carmen  Saeculare  "  furnishes  another  illustra- 
 tion of  the  compositions  which  were  probably  used  among 
 the  Romans. 
 
 But  so  far  as  the  material  before  us  enables  us  to  form  an 
 opinion,  it  is  that  hymns,  as  an  essential  of  worship, 
 have  been  mostly  characteristic  of  the  Christian,  and  in 
 less  degree,  of  its  progenitor,  the  Hebrew  religion. 
 Kor  is  this  much  to  be  wondered  at,  since  it  is  the  only 
 
HYMNS  OF  OTHER  RELIGIONS.  11 
 
 religion  calculated  to  di-aw  out  at  once  the  two  elements 
 necessary  to  such  a  form  of  worship — awe  and  love — 
 awe  which  lies  at  the  heart  of  worship,  and  love  which 
 kindles  it  into  adoring  song,  Por  this,  Brahmanism 
 is  too  metaphysical.  Buddhism  too  much  opposed  to  the 
 utterance  of  its  emotion,  if  indeed  it  has  any,  Confu- 
 cianism too  much  of  a  morality — too  little  of  a  religion, 
 Mohammedanism  too  fatalistic  in  its  conception  of  God. 
 For  it  must  never  be  forgotten  that  the  character  of 
 worship  is  determined  by  the  worshipper's  conception 
 of  the  Being  to  whom  it  is  offered.  "Where  the  conception 
 does  not  waken  emotion  there  is  little  song  in  its 
 worship,  for  song  is  the  child  not  of  philosophy  but 
 of  feeling.  E^one  of  these  religions  have  aroused  feelings 
 which  could  only  find  adequate  expression  as  the  wor- 
 shippers exclaimed,  ''  0  come  let  us  sing  unto  the  Lord, 
 let  us  make  a  joyful  noise  to  the  rock  of  our  salvation." 
 But  it  is  to  the  Hebrew  race  that  we  must  turn  to 
 find  the  noblest  conception  of  God,  and  as  a  consequence 
 the  truest  conception  of  worship — a  conception  in  which 
 awe  before  His  greatness  and  emotion  before  His  goodness 
 are  combined.  In  that,  rather  than  in  any  other  race, 
 we  discover  the  true  origin  of  hymnody.  There  the 
 religious  nature  of  man  more  fully  asserts  itself — there 
 the  inner  thought  of  his  heart  gets  earliest  and  best 
 expression.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  this  race 
 so  richly  endowed  with  the  religious  element  should 
 have  been  chosen  for  the  grand  mission  of  giving  to 
 the  world  the  noblest  conception  of  worship.  Their 
 fitness  for  this  mission  sprang  naturally  from  that 
 conception  of  God  as  a  person,  which  the  more  firmly 
 it  is  grasped,  the  more  real  the  worship  becomes ;  whilst 
 
12  TEE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 we  cannot  fail  to  observe  that  their  hymnody  becomes 
 more  tender  as  this  idea  of  the  personality  of  God  is 
 enlarged  by  the  recognition  of  his  gracious  and  lovable 
 attributes.  And  as  this  people  undoubtedly  possessed  a 
 natiu^e  disposed  to  musical  expression,  it  is  not  sui-prising 
 that  we  find  among  them  so  spontaneous  and  early  a 
 development  of  worship-song.  It  is  in  this  Hebrew  race 
 we  find  the  true  rise  and  onward  flow  of  the  river  of 
 song. 
 
13 
 
 CHAPTER  11. 
 
 HYMNS  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAME:^T. 
 
 The  hymns  of  the  Old  Testament  were  not  originated 
 by  Divine  command,  but  were,  as  we  have  indicated,  the 
 spontaneous  outflow  of  the  religious  nature.  'No  form 
 of  worship  requiring  song  was  instituted  by  Moses.  JS'o 
 order  of  singers  is  included  among  the  officers  of  tlie 
 Tabernacle.  Indeed,  the  earliest  history  of  the  cliosen 
 race  is  practically  without  song.  As  it  has  been  said, 
 "  we  read  of  altar  and  prayers  and  accepted  intercessions, 
 and  we  feel  sure  that  those  who  walked  in  the  light 
 like  Enoch  or  Abraham,  must  have  had  their  liearts 
 kindled  with  music ;  but  from  the  green  earth  rising- 
 out  of  the  flood — from  the  shadow  of  the  great  rock 
 at  Mamre,  from  the  fountains  and  valleys  and  upland 
 pastures  of  the  Promised  Land,  where  the  tents  of  the 
 Patriarchs  rose  amidst  their  flocks — from  the  prisons 
 and  palaces  of  Egypt  we  catch  no  sound  of  sacred  song." 
 But  then  this  is  a  subject  with  which  history  did  not 
 concern  itself — and  we  must  not  infer  from  this  silence 
 the  utter  absence  of  song — for  scattered  over  the  earlier 
 history  there  are  traces  of  its  presence.  The  first 
 examples,  as  we  should  expect,  are  of  a  very  informal 
 character — the  product  of  some  crisis  in  the  life  of 
 the  individual  or  the  nation.     Improvised  songs  born  of 
 
14  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 great  occasions,  though  to  our  coklcr  western  temperament 
 almost  impossible,  are  yet  comparatively  common  among 
 Eastern  people  like  the  Hebrews,  even  to  this  day.  It  is 
 a  common  gift  among  the  Italians. •-'  The  first  of  such 
 songs  is  that  of  Miriam  in  celebration  of  the  delivery 
 of  Israel  from  their  Egyptian  pursuers—'*  Sing  ye  to 
 Jehovah,  for  He  hath  triumphed  gloriously,  the  horse 
 and  his  rider  hath  He  thrown  into  the  sea,"  but  although 
 this  is  the  first  recorded,  it  is  almost  certain  that  it 
 was  preceded  by  others ;  since  before  this  we  read  of 
 instruments  of  music.  Eor  since  the  two  greatest  fountains 
 of  song  have  ever  been  love  and  religion,  we  may  feel 
 sure  that  those  who  had  reached  to  the  use  of  musical 
 instruments,  however  rude,  would  employ  them  to 
 accompany  the  words  of  passion  or  devotion,  which  in 
 exalted  moments  would  spring  to  their  lips.  In  Gen.  iv. 
 21,  we  are  told  that  '' Jubal  was  the  father  of  all  such 
 as  handle  the  harp  and  the  pipe,"  that  is,  of  all  string 
 and  wind  instruments.  Whilst  in  verses  23,  24  wo 
 have  Lamech's  song  to  his  wives — the  first  example 
 of  a  song,  though  not  a  sacred  one,  in  the  pages  of 
 Scripture,  yet  possessing  many  of  the  features  of  later 
 Semitic   poetry.     Later   on   we   read    in  the   account  of 
 
 *  Professor  Dowden  records  a  striking  instance  of  this  in  his 
 life  of  Shelley,  when  the  poet  and  his  wife  in  Pisa  listened  to 
 the  improvisation  of  Signer  Sgricci,  an  Italian  of  about  23  years  of 
 age.  Members  of  the  audience  inscribed  subjects  for  poetry  on  slips 
 of  paper  which  were  thrown  into  a  vase  from  which  a  boy  drew  one 
 paper  at  a  time  at  random,  and  the  subject  was  announced,  on  whicli 
 the  Italian  poured  forth  his  unpremeditated  verse.  "  It  seemed,"  says 
 Mary  Shelley,  "  not  the  work  of  a  human  mind,  but  as  if  he  were  the 
 instrument  played  upon  by  the  superhuman  inspiration  of  God." 
 And  is  it  not  true  that  the  highest  poetry  comes,  in  the  first 
 instance,  as  an  improvisation  ?  Is  there  not  a  very  close  connection 
 between  inspiration  and  improvisation  ? 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 
 
 Laban's  interview  with  Jacob  of  ''songs  with  tabret 
 and  with  harp  "  (Gen.  xxxi.  7).  It  is  not  at  all  likely 
 that  such  a  song  as  that  of  Miriam  could  have  been 
 uttered,  if  she  had  not  previously  been  accustomed  to 
 lyric  improvisation.  So  grand  an  outburst  and  so  equal 
 to  its  grand  occasion,  althougli  doubtless  touched  and 
 enlarged  by  the  Editor  of  the  book  which  records  it, 
 implies  not  only  aptitude  but  exercise.  Whilst  the  fact 
 that  she  led  a  procession  of  women  who  chanted  a  chorus 
 to  her  song,  shows  that  songs  had  before  this,  in  the 
 time  of  their  Egyptian  captivity,  been  wedded  to  music. 
 Somewhat  later  in  the  history  we  find  that  when  Moses 
 returned  from  the  mount,  he  heard  the  people,  who 
 had  made  a  calf  for  worship,  joining  aloud  in  a  song 
 to  their  newly  fashioned  God.  It  is  all  but  certain 
 that  the  Lawgiver  himself  was  the  author  of  the  90th 
 Psalm  which  has  aptly  been  called  ''The  swan  song  of 
 Moses."  This  may  have  been  the  first  contribution — 
 the  nucleus,  of  that  wonderful  collection  we  call  "The 
 Book  of  Psalms,"  into  which  were  gathered  the  noblest 
 lyric  utterances  of  widely  severed  times.  We  catch  here 
 and  there  in  the  sacred  history  glimpses  of  the  widening 
 and  deepening  river  of  song  to  which  those  we  have 
 mentioned  were  the  first  tributary  streams.  In  the 
 Book  of  J^umbers,  xxi.  17,  we  have  the  song  which 
 Israel  sang  "  Spring  up,  0  well."  In  the  Book  of 
 Judges  we  meet  with  the  song  of  Deborah  and 
 Barak,  which  was  cast  in  a  distinctly  metrical 
 form,  and  sung  with  a  musical  accompaniment — 
 another  improvisation  by  a  Prophetess,  that  is  one 
 in  a  measure  trained  to  music  and  song.  But  as 
 the  religious  life   of   the  nation  grew  deeper   this  kind 
 
16  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 of  improvised  song  led  the  way  to  a  school  for 
 the  cultivation  of  music  and  sacred  utterance.  This 
 was  a  chief  function  of  the  schools  of  the  prophets 
 which  came  into  such  prominence  in  the  time  of  Samuel. 
 Dean  Stanley  says  *'  "Whatever  be  the  precise  meaning 
 of  the  peculiar  word,  which  now  came  first  into  use 
 as  the  designation  of  these  companies,  it  is  evident  that 
 tlieir  immediate  mission  consisted  in  uttering  religious 
 hymns  or  songs,  accompanied  by  musical  instruments, 
 psaltery,  tabret,  pipe,  and  harp,  and  cymbals.  In  them, 
 as  in  the  few  solitary  instances  of  their  predecessors, 
 the  characteristic  element  was  that  the  silent  seer  of 
 visions  found  an  articulate  voice,  gushing  forth  in  a 
 rhythmical  flow,  which  at  once  riveted  the  attention  of 
 the  hearer.  These,  or  such  as  these,  were  the  gifts 
 which  under  Samuel  were  now  organised,  if  one  may 
 so  say,  into  a  system.  From  Ramah,  the  double  height 
 of  the  watchmen,  they  raiglit  be  seen  descending,  in  a 
 long  line  or  chain,  which  gave  its  name  to  their 
 company,  with  psaltery,  harp,  tabret,  pipe,  and  cymbals." 
 From  this  school  under  Samuel  the  Prophet,  David,  the 
 sweet  singer  of  Israel,  probably  caught  the  inspiration 
 which  afterwards  found  expression  in  the  Psalms,  which 
 form  so  important  a  part  of  the  Psalter,  that  the  book 
 as  a  whole  has  been  known  as  ''  The  Psalms  of  David." 
 It  is  impossible  to  say  with  certainty  what  portions  of 
 the  Psalter  we  owe  "to  his  pen,  probably  they  are  fewer 
 than  is  commonly  supposed;  but  the  impetus  he  gave 
 to  sacred  song  is  indicated  by  the  fact,  that  though 
 some  portions  of  tlie  book  belong  to  an  age  earlier  than 
 his  ;  and  that  the  larger  'portion  came  into  being  long 
 after   he    had   passed    away,  yet   that    the    whole    book 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 
 
 goes  under  his  name.  The  Book  of  Psalms  was  doubt- 
 less thus  ascribed  just  as  the  Book  of  Proverbs  was  to 
 his  son  Solomon,  because,  as  Professor  Cheyne  says, 
 "  Solomon  had  become  the  symbol  of  plain  ethical 
 *  wisdom,'  just  as  David  had  become  the  representative 
 of  religious  lyric  poetry."*  But  then  a  reputation  like 
 this  does  not  grow  out  of  nothing.  David  not  only 
 contributed  to  the  songs  of  the  people,  but 
 through  him  the  service  of  song  was  added  to  the 
 ordinary  worship  of  the  sanctuary,  and  made  a  fixed 
 and  integral  part  of  the  daily  offering  to  Jehovah. 
 Before  his  time,  if  ever  connected  with  the  Tabernacle 
 at  all,  it  had  been  fitful  and  occasional,  depending  to 
 a  large  extent  on  individual  enthusiasm.  'Tor  so 
 mighty  an  innovation  no  less  than  a  David  was  needed. 
 The  exquisite  richness  of  verse  and  music  so  dear  to 
 him — '  the  calves  of  the  lips  ' — took  the  place  of  the 
 costly  offerings  of  animals.  His  harp  or  guitar  was  to 
 him  what  the  wonder-working  staff  was  to  Moses, 
 the  spear  to  Joshua,   or  the  sword  to  Gideon." 
 
 Thus  sacred  song  found  its  way  into  the  regular 
 services  of  the  Temple,  and  the  Psalms  became  the 
 liturgical  hymn-book  of  the  Jewish  church.  How  com- 
 pletely the  union  of  song  and  sacrifice  (in  the  national 
 worship)  had  been  effected  and  how  certainly  it  met  the 
 divine  approval  was  made  manifest  at  the  dedication  of 
 the  Temple.  In  the  account  contained  in  2  Chron.  v.  12, 
 we  read  ''Also  the  Levites  which  were  the  singers,  all 
 of  them,  even  Asaph,  Heman,  Jeduthun,  and  their  son, 
 and  their  brethren,  arrayed  in  fine  linen  with  cymbals  and 
 
 *  "  Job  and  Solomon,"  p.  132.  c 
 
18  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 psalteries  and  harps,  stood  at  the  east  end  of  the  altar, 
 and  with  them  an  hundred  and  twenty  priests  sounding 
 their  trumpets :  it  came  even  to  pass  when  the 
 trumpeters  and  singers  were  as  one,  to  make  one 
 sound  to  be  heard  in  praising  and  thanking  the  Lord  ; 
 and  when  they  lifted  up  their  voice  with  the  trumpets 
 and  cymbals,  and  instruments  of  music,  and  praised  the 
 Lord,  saying,  For  he  is  good,  for  his  mercy  endureth 
 for  ever :  that  then  the  house  was  filled  with  a  cloud, 
 even  the  house  of  the  Lord;  so  that  the  priests  could 
 not  stand  to  minister  by  reason  of  the  cloud ;  for  the 
 glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  house  of  God."  Whilst  in 
 the  7th  chapter  of  the  same  book  we  find  that  when 
 Solomon  had  made  an  end  of  praying,  that  all  the 
 children  of  Israel  bowed  themselves  with  their  faces  to 
 the  ground  upon  the  pavement,  and  worshipped,  and 
 gave  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  sayijig,  ''For  he  is  good; 
 for  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever."  Thus,  prayer  and 
 praise — the  two  most  vital  elements  of  a  true  worship, 
 are  found  as  integral  parts  of  the  service.  It  is  some- 
 what difficult  to  say  with  certainty  what  place  was 
 afterwards  held  by  sacred  song  in  the  regular  services 
 of  the  Temple.  Certain  Psalms  have  been  identified  as 
 having  been  used  at  particular  seasons.  Eut  it  is 
 generally  admitted  that  from  this  time  onward,  save 
 when  interrupted  by  the  calamities  which  befell  the 
 nation,  song,  no  less  than  sacrifice,  held  its  ground  as 
 part  of  the  Jewish  worship. 
 
 Mr.  Paul  Isaac  Hershon,  a  distinguished  Rabbinical 
 scholar,  has  been  good  enough  to  furnish  me  with  the 
 following  note  as  to  the  use  of  the  Psalms  : — 
 
 ''  On  all  ritual   occasions  the   position  of   the   Levites 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.  19 
 
 in  the  Temple  was  on  a  raised  platform  technically- 
 called  '  Buchan!"^  This  seems  to  have  been  in  the 
 front  of,  and  considerably  lower  in  height  than  the 
 Duchan  occupied  by  the  Priests,  on  the  east  of  the 
 altar,  from  whence  they  could  see  both  the  Levites 
 and  the  Israelites  when  they  blessed  the  whole  congre- 
 gation present."     (See  JS'umb.  vi.  24-26. )f 
 
 "  The  Levites,  without  the  accompaniment  of  any  of 
 their  usual  musical  instruments,  used  to  sing  in  the 
 Temple  on  each  day  of  the  week  a  different  Psalm. 
 On  the  first  day  of  the  week  they  sung  Ps.  xxiv.  ; 
 on  the  second  day  of  the  week,  Ps.  xlviii;  on  the 
 third,  Ps.  Ixxxii. ;  on  the  fourth,  Ps.  xciv.  ;  on  the 
 fifth,  Ps.  Ixxxi. ;  on  the  sixth,  Ps.  xciii. ;  and  on  the 
 holy  Sabbath-day,  Ps.  xcii."J 
 
 "  On  other  occasions  various  other  Psalms  were 
 8ung,  and  sung  so  loud  that  their  voice  could  be  heard 
 as  far  as  Jericho, §  a  distance  of  about  12  miles.  On 
 such  occasions  the  youngsters  of  the  Levites  were 
 permitted  to  enter  the  Hall  of  the  Sanctuary  in  order 
 to  spice  with  their  fine  'thin  voices'  the  rougher 
 voices  of  the  elder  Levites." || 
 
 "  The    same   Psalms   that   were   sung   in   the  Temple 
 
 are   now  merely   repeated    by    every    orthodox   Jew    in 
 
 his    daily     morning-prayer.      Having    no    Temple,     the 
 
 priest  does  not  sacrifice  and  the  Levite  does  not  sing ! 
 
 '  I-chabod !  the  glory  is  departed  ! ' 
 
 '  How  shall  we  sing  the  Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land  ! '  " 
 
 *  "  Youia,"  tbl.  206. 
 
 t  Dr.  Levy's  "  Rab.  Lex.,"  p.  382,  c.  1. 
 
 X  "  Rosh-hashanah,"  fol.  31a,  and  also  in  Anglo  Jewish  Liturgy. 
 
 \  "  Tamid,"  fol.  306. 
 
 11  "  Erchin,"  fol.  136. 
 
20  THE  HYMN  L  0  VER. 
 
 "  The  Song  of  Moses,  Ex.  xv.,  and  also  Psalms 
 cxlv.-cl.,  are  repeated  at  Morning-Prayer  every  day 
 all  the  year  round.  The  cxlv.  is  repeated  thrice  daily, 
 and  he  who  never  fails  to  do  so  may  be  sure  to  inherit 
 eternal  life  "  ('' Berachoth,"  fol.  4J). 
 
 "The  voice  of  a  woman  is  an  obscenity"  (''Xiddushin," 
 fol.  70«) ;  ''hence  when  men  sing  assisted  by  women,  it 
 is  impudence;  and  when  women  sing  assisted  by  men, 
 it  is  as  fire  applied  to  tow  "  (*'  Sotah,"  fol.  48«). 
 
 Tradition  has  much  to  say  about  musical  instruments, 
 but  now  only  one  or  two  quotations  must  sufiice.  "JS'o 
 man  could  hear  the  voice  of  his  neighbour  in  the  Temple 
 at  Jerusalem  when  the  Magreypha  (organ)  played " 
 C'Tamid,"  fol.  33<?). 
 
 "A  ram  has  but  one  voice  when  alive  but  seven  after 
 he  is  dead.  How  so  ?  His  horns  make  two  trumpets, 
 his  hip-bones  two  pipes,  his  skin  makes  a  drum,  his 
 larger  intestines  make  strings  for  the  lyre,  and  the  smaller 
 chords  for  the  harp  "  ("  Kinnim,"  Chap.  III.  m.  6). 
 
 The  later  history  naturally  tells  only  of  the  special 
 occasions  in  which  the  people  broke  into  song,  but  these 
 serve  to  confirm  the  idea  that  worship  through  song 
 had  become  a  habit  among  the  people.  "  There  is  the 
 song  of  Jehoshaphat  and  his  army,  the  chant  of  victory 
 sung  in  faith  before  the  battle,  and  itself  doing  battles 
 in  that  the  Lord  fought  for  those  who  trusted  Him, 
 and  they  had  nothing  to  do  but  divide  the  spoil  and 
 return  to  Jerusalem,  with  psalteries  and  harps  and 
 trumpets,  into  the  house  of  the  Lord.  There  is  the 
 song  of  Hezekiah,  when  he  recovered  from  his  sickness, 
 and  the  Psalm  of  Jonah  from  the  depths  of  the  sea, 
 made  up    from    the    memory    of    other    Psalms    sung  in 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.  21 
 
 happier  hours.  There  was  many  a  song  by  the  waters 
 of  Babylon,  whispered  low  that  the  oppressors  might 
 not  hear.  There  was  the  song  of  liberated  Israel,  at 
 the  dedication  of  the  wall  of  the  Holy  City  (another 
 witness  to  the  customs  of  the  past),  when  the  singers 
 sang  aloud  and  they  all  rejoiced ;  so  that  the  joy  of 
 Jerusalem  was  heard  afar  off  "  all  these  serve  to  show 
 how  the  lyric  spirit  prevailed  among  the  people,  ready, 
 when  touched  by  any  deep  emotion,  to  give  rhythmic 
 utterance  to  their  prayer  and  praise. 
 
 It  is  with  David,  the  minstrel  King,  however,  that 
 the  stream  of  song  suddenly  grows  broad  and  deep. 
 Around  him  the  chorus  begins  to  gather,  which  has  now 
 grown  to  such  a  glorious  multitude. 
 
 Ewald  truly  says:  "His  harp  was  full-stringed,  and 
 every  angel  of  joy  and  of  sorrow  swept  over  the  chords 
 as  he  passed.  For  the  hearts  of  a  hundred  men  strove 
 and  struggled  together  within  the  narrow  continent  of 
 his  single  heart.  The  Lord  allowed  him  not  to  curtail 
 his  being  by  treading  the  round  of  one  function.  He 
 cultivated  his  whole  being,  and  filled  his  soul  with 
 wisdom  and  feeling.  He  brought  him  up  in  the 
 sheep-pastures,  that  the  groundwork  of  his  character 
 might  be  laid  amongst  the  simple  and  universal  forms 
 of  feeling.  He  took  him  to  the  camp  and  made  him  a 
 conquerer,  that  he  might  be  filled  with  nobleness  of 
 soul  and  ideas  of  glory.  He  placed  him  in  a  palace, 
 that  he  might  be  filled  with  ideas  of  majesty  and 
 sovereign  might.  He  carried  him  to  the  wilderness 
 and  placed  him  in  solitude,  that  his  soul  might  dwell 
 alone  in  the  sublime  conceptions  of  God  and  His  mighty 
 works ;    and  He  kept  him  there  for  years,  with  only  one 
 
22  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 step  between  him  and  death,  that  he  might  be  schooled 
 to  trust  and  depend  upon  the  providence  of  God.'* 
 The  Psalms  formed  at  once  the  justification  and  inspi- 
 ration of  all  the  noble  songs  of  the  later  history  of  Israel, 
 to  say  nothing  of  lyric  notes  which  are  heard  sounding 
 through  the  pages  of  the  Prophets.  Eut  most  remark- 
 able it  is,  that  when  we  reach  the  l^ew  Testament  we 
 find  no  lyric  book  corresponding  to  the  Psalter.  There 
 are  distinct  psalms,  like  the  ''Magnificat"  and  ''Nunc 
 Dimittis,"  kindled  from  the  lyric  fire  of  the  Hebrew 
 Psalter;  and  hints  which  indicate  the  presence  of  the 
 lyric  gift  in  the  Apostolic  Church,  but  there  is  no 
 Christian  Psalter  in  the  New  Testament,  and  the  reason  is 
 not  far  to  seek.  It  is  not  that  the  lyric  fire  has  departed, 
 but  that  the  Old  Testament  Psalter  has  so  sounded  the 
 deepest  notes  of  the  soul  in  joy  and  sorrow,  in  dark- 
 ness and  light,  that  it  is  adequate  to  the  needs,  not 
 only  of  Jewish,  but  Christian  hearts.  Thus  it  was 
 not  for  an  age,  but  for  all  time.  Just  as  the  octave 
 in  music  can  express  the  loftiest  conceptions  of  the 
 composers  of  every  age,  from  the  simple  Gregorian 
 chant  to  the  intricate  music  of  Beethoven,  so  the  Psalter, 
 meeting  the  deepest  needs  of  the  soul,  becomes  the 
 fitting  vehicle  through  which  Christian  as  well  as 
 Jewish  feeling  can  find  expression. 
 
 And  so  we  find,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  that  through  by 
 far  the  greater  part  of  the  history  of  the  Church  the 
 Psalms  have  formed  its  worship-song;  they  have  had  a 
 place  in  the  services  of  every  Church  of  Christendom 
 where  praise  has  been  offered.  They  have  been  said  or 
 sung  in  grand  cathedral  or  lowly  meeting-house,  by 
 white-robed  priests  and  plain-clad  Puritans.     The  hearts 
 
HYMNS  OF  TEE  OLD  7  ESTAMENT.  23 
 
 of  Boman  and  Greek,  Armenian  and  Anglican,  no  less 
 than  Puritan  and  Nonconformist,  have  been  kindled  into 
 praise  by  the  Psalms  of  David  and  his  company. 
 Edward  Irving  says:  "Prom  whatever  point  of  view 
 any  Church  hath  contemplated  the  scheme  of  its  doctrine, 
 by  whatever  name  they  have  thought  good  to  designate 
 themselves,  and  however  bitterly  opposed  to  each  other 
 in  Church  government  or  observance  of  rules,  you 
 will  find  them  all,  by  harmonious  consent,  adopting  the 
 Psalms  as  the  outward  form  by  which  they  shall 
 express  the  inward  feelings  of  the  Christian  life." 
 
 And  even  those  who  refused  to  sing  the  Psalms  in 
 the  form  in  which  they  are  found  in  Scripture — who 
 deemed  it  dangerous  and  even  heretical  so  to  do,  have 
 sung  them  in  metrical  versions  from  which  much  of 
 their  glory  had  departed.  Until  quite  recently  there 
 were  churches  whose  only  hymnal  consisted  of  these 
 versions.  Thus  the  Psalms  have  been  at  once  an  inspi- 
 ration and  a  bondage  :  an  inspiration,  in  that  they  have 
 kindled  the  fire  which  has  produced  the  hymnody  of 
 the  entire  Church ;  a  londage,  because  by  stereotyping 
 religious  expression  they  robbed  the  heart  of  the  right  to 
 express  in  its  own  words  the  fears,  the  joys,  the  hopes 
 that  the  Divine  spirit  had  kindled  in  their  souls.  Had 
 there  been  no  Psalter  in  the  Canon  of  Scripture,  the 
 Church  would  have  had  no  model  for  its  song — no 
 place  at  which  to  kindle  its  worship  fire  ;  but,  on  the 
 other  hand,  its  worshipping  instinct  would  have  compelled 
 it  to  create  a  Psalter  of  its  own,  and  so  there  would 
 have  been  an  earlier  and  fuller  development  of  hymnody 
 in  the  Church.  The  very  glory  and  perfection  of  the 
 Psalter  made    the    Church    for   long    ages  content   with 
 
24  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 the  provision  thus  made  for  its  worship,  and  so  it 
 discouraged  all  who  else  would  have  joined  the  company 
 of  the  singers.  And  even  those  who  at  last  ventured 
 to  join  their  company,  did  so  timidly,  and  chiefly  as 
 adapters  of  the  Psalms  for  public  worship.  George 
 Wither,  Sir  Philip  Sidney  and  his  sister  belong  to  this 
 class.  Even  when  Dr.  Watts  began  to  write,  his  hymns 
 were  used  only  as  supplemental  to  the  Yersions ;  indeed, 
 a  large  part  of  his  compositions  are  themselves  metrical 
 renderings  of  the  Psalms,  though  some  of  them  are  so 
 alive  with  his  peculiar  genius  as  to  deserve  rank 
 as  original  compositions. 
 
 Mighty  indeed  was  the  spell  the  Psalter  exercised 
 over  the  Church,  and  rightly  so,  for  it  is  the  heart- 
 utterance  of  the  noble  men  whose  mission  it  was  to 
 give  the  world  religion.  And  as  we  have  not  outgrown 
 the  art  of  Greece  or  the  laws  of  Rome,  so  neither 
 have  we  out-grown  the  worship-song  of  Israel.  This 
 is  so  deep  and  true  that  it  expresses  the  longings  and 
 praise  even  of  those  who  have  sat  at  the  feet  of  Christ 
 and  learnt  of  Him.  And  as  in  the  most  sacred  moment 
 of  His  life  one  of  these  Psalms  served  to  express  His 
 deepest  feelings,  so  they  have  inspired  and  expressed 
 the  feelings  of  His  followers  in  all  aftertime.  It  has 
 been  well  said,  ''  the  Church  has  been  singing  these 
 Psalms  ever  since,  and  has  not  yet  sung  them  dry," 
 and  she  will  go  on  singing  them  until  she  takes  up  the 
 new  song  in  the  heavenly  city.  It  should  be  frankly 
 admitted  that  there  are  elements  in  the  Psalms  distinctly 
 Jewish,  and  expressive  of  the  feeling  of  earlier  days. 
 There  are  imprecatory  notes  that  are  out  of  harmony 
 with  the  gentler  melody  of   Christ.     These  ought  to  be 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.  25 
 
 dropped  as  unsuitable  to  Christian  worship ;  but  as  a 
 wbole  the  Psalms  form  the  noblest  treasury  of  sacred 
 song,  and  their  inspiration  may  be  discerned  in  every 
 hymn  that  is  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  Church's 
 worship.  Her  hymnody  can  never  be  understood  apart 
 from  the  Psalter,  and  it  will  be  found  that  those  whose 
 hearts  are  steeped  the  most  deeply  therein  have  given 
 to  the  Church  the  songs  that  she  will  not  willingly 
 let  die  * 
 
 *  For  an  admii-able  account  of  the  parallellism  and  strophic 
 arrangement  of  Hebrew  poetry  as  well  as  of  the  music  and  psalmody 
 of  the  Temple,  cf.  Prof.  Frank  Delitzsch's  Commentary  on  the 
 Psalms.     Introduction  (4th  edition). 
 
26 
 
 CHAPTEK  III. 
 
 HYMNS  OP   THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 
 
 We  turn  next  to  the  New  Testament  to  discover  in  what 
 relation  sacred  song  stands  to  the  practice  and  teaching 
 of  the  Church  founded  by  our  Lord  and  His  Apostles. 
 
 Here  at  once  we  may  naturally  expect  that  as 
 Christianity  arose  among  the  Hebrew  race,  and  did  not 
 break  immediately  with  the  past,  neither  ignore  the 
 grand  truths  held  by  the  Fathers,  because  they  were 
 truths  belonging  to  all  time,  so  we  must  expect  to  find 
 some  of  the  old  methods  of  worship,  some  presence  of  the 
 old  lyric  spirit,  showing  themselves,  and  this  more 
 especially  in  the  earlier  days  of  its  history. 
 
 It  cannot,  therefore,  be  deemed  wondei^ful  but  rather 
 a  thing  to  be  looked  for,  that  when  the  hope  of  Israel 
 neared  fulfilment,  a  hope  to  which  their  political  circum- 
 stances caused  them  to  cling  with  a  very  passion  of 
 expectation,  and  which  made  every  line  of  promise  in 
 the  Old  Testament  thiill  with  new  meaning  and  authority  ; 
 if  the  spirit  of  sacred  song  descended  again,  as  we  find 
 it  did  upon  those  who  were  waiting  and  praying  for 
 the  "  Consolation  of  Israel." 
 
 Note. — The  Apocrypha  belonging  to  the  time  between  the  close 
 of  the  Old  Testament  and  the  opening  of  the  Christian  Era,  contains 
 several  notable  examples  of  sacred  song,  such  as  those  of  Tobit  and 
 Judith  and  the  Benedicite. 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT.  27 
 
 Critics,  indeed,  have  refused  to  "believe  that  the 
 **  Magnificat "  could  have  sprung  from  the  lips  of  a 
 simple  peasant  of  Galilee,  they  have  said  the  song  is 
 too  lofty  for  so  lowly  a  source — forgetting  that  some 
 of  the  grandest  strains  of  former  days  came  fi'om  those 
 little  if  anything  superior  in  station  ;  such  as  Hannah,  to 
 whose  song  that  of  Mary  hears  considerable  resemblance. 
 
 But  if  the  lyric  spirit  of  which  we  have  spoken 
 was  a  peculiar  gift  of  the  Hebrew  people,  if  the  power 
 to  improvise  be  a  reality  clearly  discernible  through  their 
 history,  surely  it  is  not  wonderful  that  a  Hebrew  maiden, 
 whose  mind  was  kindled  by  a  prospect  of  the  highest 
 joy  to  which  Hebrew  motherhood  could  attain,  a  joy 
 for  which  every  woman  of  her  nation  had  longed,  the 
 promise,  the  joy,  that  to  her  should  be  given  the 
 surpassing  glory  of  becoming  the  mother  of  Messiah ; 
 that  her  heart  should  break  forth  into  song,  that 
 her  rapture  should  call  forth  all  the  poetiy  of  her 
 nature,  and  cast  it  into  the  forms  consecrated  by  the 
 sacred  usages  and  instincts  of  her  race.  This  song, 
 which  repeats  the  promises  of  the  past  with  the  assurance 
 of  a  present  realisation,  is  a  preluding  note  that  prepares 
 for  the  great  chorus  of  Chiistian  song  one  day  to  be 
 heard,  and  which  will  repeat  through  the  ages  the 
 rapture,  the  trust,  the  praise  of  her  words,  "My  soul 
 doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and  my  spirit  doth  rejoice  in 
 God  my  Saviour." 
 
 Her  song  has  scarcely  died  on  her  lips  ere  another 
 voice  is  heard,  the  voice  of  a  man,  a  priest  whose  lips 
 had  been  closed  through  unbelief,  but  on  whom  when 
 faith  has  sprung  again  in  his  heai-t,  the  spirit  of  praise 
 and  prophecy   descends   with   all   its   accompaniment   of 
 
28  TEE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 lyric  power — the  Song  of  Zachariah,  ' '  Blessed  be 
 the  Lord  Grod  of  Israel.  .  .  .  This  in  turn  is 
 succeeded  by  another,  the  voice  of  one  standing  on 
 the  outermost  edge  of  this  mortal  life,  more  subdued 
 in  tone  but  full  of  quiet  confidence  and  expectant 
 hope,  "Lord,  now  lettest  Thou  Thy  servant  depart 
 in  peace."  ...  A  noble  triad  making  up  by  theii' 
 quality  for  the  silence  of  other  lips. 
 
 The  ^ew  Testament  contains  no  Book  of  Sacred 
 Song ;  but  then  the  fulness  and  spirituality  of  the  Book  of 
 Psalms,  its  adaptations  to  express  in  prayer  and  praise 
 the  deepest  emotions  of  the  religious  mind,  rendered 
 any  other  unnecessary,  and  it  is  not,  therefore,  sui3)rising 
 that  neither  Christ  nor  His  apostles  joined  the  company 
 of  singers,  that  no  Christian  David  was  given  to  the 
 church. 
 
 Indeed,  it  was  scarcely  possible  amid  the  disquiet, 
 the  contention,  the  troubles  of  the  earlier  years,  when 
 as  yet  Christian  worshippers  had  no  churches  of  their 
 own,  but  rather  found  a  place  in  the  Synagogue  or  the 
 Temple.  Ere  Christian  life  had  ciystallised  to  its  proper 
 forms,  it  was  not  possible  that  the  ser\'ice  and  song, 
 the  outcome  and  expression  of  that  life  should  arise. 
 
 In  the  only  two  other  references  to  singing  in  the 
 Gospels — when  Christ  made  His  triumphant  entry  into 
 Jerusalem,  and  ere  He  left  it  for  the  garden  of  Geth- 
 semane — one  (perhaps  the  same  one)  of  the  Psalms 
 was  used,  otherwise  the  Gospels  are  silent  as  to  sacred 
 song. 
 
 There  can  be  little  doubt  that  singing  formed  a  part 
 of  both  the  social  and  public  worship   of   the   Apostolic 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT.  29 
 
 age.  The  disciples  dismissed  by  the  rulers  in  Jerusalem, 
 came  to  their  own  company  and  lifted  up  their  voice 
 Tvith  one  accord  in  a  song,  partly  the  inspiration  of  the 
 moment,  and  partly  fi'om  the  book  of  Psalms  (Acts  iv.  24). 
 In  the  Philippian  dungeon,  Paul  and  Silas  prayed  and 
 sang  praises  to  God.  Paul  exhorts  both  the  Ephesians 
 and  Colossians  to  the  use  of  psalms  and  hymns  and 
 spiritual  songs. 
 
 Dr.  Lightfoot  regards  "Psalms"  as  referring  specially, 
 though  not  exclusively,  to  the  Psalms  of  David,  which 
 would  early  form  part  of  the  religious  worship  of  the 
 Christian  brotherhood.  "Hymns"  would  refer  to  a 
 set  form  of  words  or  spontaneous  effusions  of  the  moment 
 of  the  Christians  themselves,  whilst  the  "  spiritual 
 songs  "  would  extend  the  precept  to  all  forms  of  song 
 provided  they  were  spiritual.  Whilst  St.  Paul,  in  his 
 Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  declares  that  when  they 
 came  together  each  one  hath  a  psalm  (1  Corinthians 
 xiv.  26). 
 
 One  of  the  earliest  descriptions  of  the  Christians 
 contains  the  statement  that  "  they  sang  hymns  to  Christ 
 as  God."  But  whether  such  hymns  were  Psalms  adapted 
 to  the  purpose  and  with  a  Christian  application,  or 
 original  compositions,  we  do  not  know.  There  is  nothing 
 in  the  record  to  decide  the  question,  nor  has  any  hymn 
 of  the  Apostolic  age  come  down  to  us.  The  threefold 
 division  of  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs  may 
 indicate  that  in  addition  to  the  Old  Testament  Psalms, 
 other  compositions  distinguished  by  the  titles  "  hymns  " 
 and  "  spiritual  songs  "  were  used,  but  of  this  we  cannot 
 
30  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 be  certain.^  The  likelihood  is  that  the  new  Christian 
 feeling  found  expression  in  hymns  of  a  simple  kind 
 addressed  to  Christ.  Some  have  maintained  that  the 
 rhythmic  passages  which  are  found  in  the  Epistles  are 
 parts  of  hymns  then  in  use. 
 
 The  principal  of  these  are  the  following  :  "  Wherefore 
 He  saith,  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  and  arise  from 
 the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  shine  upon  thee"  (Ephesians 
 V.  14).  ''And  without  controversy  great  is  the  mystery 
 of  godliness ;  He  who  was  manifested  in  the  flesh, 
 justified  in  the  spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  among 
 the  nations,  believed  on  in  the  world,  received  up  in 
 glory"  (1  Timothy  iii.  16).  "Who  is  the  blessed  and 
 only  Potentate,  the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords, 
 who  only  hath  immortality,  dwelling  in  light  unap- 
 proachable ;  whom  no  man  hath  seen,  nor  can  see  : 
 to  whom  be  honour  and  power  eternal.  Amen  " 
 (1  Timothy  vi.  15).  "Faithful  is  the  saying:  for 
 if  we  died  with  Him,  we  shall  also  live  with  Him ; 
 if  we  shall  deny  Him,  He  also  will  deny  us:  if  we 
 are  faithless.  He  abideth  faitliful,  for  He  cannot  deny 
 Himself"  (2  Timothy  ii.  13).  But  it  is  not  unlikely 
 that    such    passages    are    due    to    impassioned    emotion 
 
 *  Dr.  Morison  {EvangeUcal  Repository,  June,  1856)  says  "hymns" 
 and  "spiritual  songs"  denote  compositions  more  or  less  measured 
 that  were  simply  sung,  whilst  "psalms"  denote  the  Psalms  of 
 David  and  other"  kindred  lyrics  that  were  ivritten  to  be  sung  to  an 
 instrumental  accompaniment.  On  the  authority  of  Ephesians  v.  19, 
 he  claims  that  instrumental  music  (in  worship)  has  the  sanction 
 of  the  New  Testament,  and  that  it  was  practised  in  many  of  their 
 assemhlies,  though  it  was  probably  confined  for  the  most  part  to 
 their  more  private  meetings,  and  as  persecution  increased  gradually 
 disappeared.  Dr.  Neale  says :  —  "  From  the  brief  allusions  we  find 
 to  the  subject  in  the  New  Testament  we  should  gather  that  the 
 hymns  and  spiritual  songs  of  the  apostles  were  written  in  metrical 
 prose." 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT.  31 
 
 wMch  not  unfrequently  rises  to  rhythmic  utterance, 
 whilst  the  passage  in  1  Cor.  xiv.  26,  forms  a  clear 
 indication  that  the  power  to  improvise,  so  apparent  in 
 the  early  history  of  Israel,  prevailed  in  the  times  of 
 the  Apostles. 
 
 Of  course  these  are  utterly  unlike  hymns  as  we 
 know  them ;  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  is  all 
 but  certain  that  metrical  compositions  were  not  used 
 until  about  the  fourth  century.  Indeed,  so  late  as  the 
 ninth  century  Walafrid  Strabo  warns  us  that  by  hymns  he 
 does  not  mean  merely  such  metrical  hymns  as  those 
 of  Hilary,  Ambrose,  Prudentius,  or  Bede,  but  such 
 other  acts  of  praise  as  are  o:ffered  in  fitting  words  and 
 with  musical  sounds.  Augustine  lays  down  the  same 
 rule — any  composition  of  a  rhythmic  character,  whether 
 in  verse  or  not,  which  was  capable  of  being  sung, 
 was  reckoned  a  hymn.  Looked  at  in  the  light  of  this 
 rule,  the  passages  in  the  Epistles  already  quoted  seem 
 likely  to  have  been  parts  of  the  earliest  hymns  of  the 
 Church,  for  they  have  every  quality,  save  metrical 
 form,  fitting  them  for  such  a  use.  The  well-known 
 "Gloria  in  Excelsis  "  may  serve  as  a  specimen  of  the 
 kind  of  composition  first  of  all  used  as  hymns  in  the 
 early  Church. 
 
 The  "Gloria  in  Excelsis"  was  in  all  probability  the 
 morning  hymn  of  the  Christians  of  early  times,  as  the 
 Phos  ilaron  preserved  by  St.  Basil,  which  belongs  to  the 
 first  or  second  century,  was  their  hymn  for  evening 
 use.  The  latter,  though  less  known,  is  as  beautiful, 
 perhaps  in  a  poetic  sense  more  beautiful,  than  the 
 former.  It  has  been  effectively  rendered  in  English  by 
 the  following  translation  by  Mr.  Keble  : — 
 
THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 "  Hail !  gladdening  Light,  of  His  pure  glory  poured, 
 Who  is  th'  Immortal  Father,  heavenly  blest, 
 Holiest  of  Holies — Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  ! 
 
 Now  we  are  come  to  the  sun's  hour  of  rest. 
 The  lights  of  evening  round  us  shine, 
 We  hymn  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit  Divine ! 
 
 Worthiest  art  Thou  at  all  times  to  be  sung, 
 
 With  undefiled  tongue, 
 
 Son  of  our  God,  Giver  of  life,  alone ! 
 
 Therefore  in  all  the  world,  Thy  glories  Lord  we  own."  * 
 
 This  is  still  the  Vesper  Hymn  of  the  Greek  Church. 
 
 How  such  hymns  arose  we  know  not.  * '  Whether 
 they  sprang  first  to  light  in  a  burst  of  choral  song, 
 like  that  inspired  hymn  in  the  Acts  ;  or  were  bestowed 
 on  the  Church  through  the  heavenly  meditations  of 
 a  solitary  believer ;  or  gradually,  like  a  river,  by  its 
 tributary  streams,  rose  to  what  they  are,  we  can  perhaps 
 never  know."t  We  incline,  however,  to  the  idea  that 
 they  were,  in  the  first  instance,  improvised  songs,  and 
 in  aftertime  brought  to  greater  finish. 
 
 Thus  the  river  which  at  first  was  but  a  tiny  rill 
 broadens  and  deepens  until  prophecy  describes  it  as 
 becoming  like  the  mighty  waves  of  the  sea — "And 
 I  heard  as  it  Avere  the  voice  of  a  great  multitude,  and 
 as  the  voice  of  many  waters,  and  as  the  voice  of 
 mighty  thunders  saying  Hallelujah!  for  the  Lord  our 
 God,  the  Almighty  reigneth.  Let  us  rejoice  and  be 
 glad,  and  let  us  give  the  glory  unto  him,  for  the 
 marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come."  "And  I  heard  a 
 voice  from  heaven  as  the  voice  of  many  waters, 
 and   as   the   voice    of    a   great   thunder,    and    the    voice 
 
 *  Lyra  Apostolica,  LXIII. 
 I  "  Voice  of  Christian  Life  in  Song,"  p.  25. 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT.  33 
 
 which  I  heard  was  as  the  voice  of  harpers  harping 
 with  their  harps,  and  they  sang,  as  it  were,  a  new 
 Bong  before  the  throne." 
 
 The  Revelation  of  St.  John  the  Divine  is  full  of 
 glowing  references  to  song  as  the  highest  expression 
 of  worshipping  feeling,  indicating  that  in  the  future 
 as  in  the  past,  song  is  to  be  one  of  the  noblest  mediums 
 for  the  ascription  of  praise.  Do  not  the  pictures  in 
 this  book  seem  like  glorified  representations  of  the 
 Temple  at  Jerusalem  and  its  worship ;  and  do  they 
 not  as  such  justify  the  idea  that  song  was  in  Herod's 
 temple,  as  it  had  been  in  earlier  times  in  Solomon's,  a 
 part  of  its  ritual  ?  So  vivid  a  picture  of  choral  worship 
 would  scarcely  have  risen  in  a  mind  that  had  not  been 
 accustomed  to  its  earthly  counterpart.  Thus  the  Temple 
 worship  may  have  given  form  to  the  inspiration  which 
 moved  in  the  heart  of  the  Beloved  Apostle,  and  led 
 him  to  embody  the  thoughts  kindled  in  his  mind  by 
 means  of  symbols  drawn  therefrom  in  which  song  forms 
 so  conspicuous  an  element.  Whilst  it  is  not  unworthy 
 of  notice  that  at  times  he  rises  above  this  symbolism 
 and  declare  "  I  saw  no  Temple  therein,  for  the  Lord  God 
 Almighty  and  the  Lamb  are  the  Temple  thereof." 
 
34 
 
 CHAPTEE  IV. 
 
 HYMNS  OF  THE  EARLY  CHURCH. 
 
 As  we  have  said  in  the  last  chapter,  the  "  Gloria  in 
 Excelsis  "  gives  us  the  best  idea  of  the  kind  of  hymn 
 used  in  the  age  succeeding  that  of  the  Apostles.  This, 
 and  the  Phos  ilaron  attributed  to  Athenagoras  of  the 
 second  century,  and  still  in  use  in  the  daily  office  of  the 
 Greek  Church,  "  probably  represent  in  their  rhythmic  but 
 unmetrical  structure,  many  Christian  hymns  now  lost.  Of 
 the  existence  of  such  hymns  from  the  time  of  Pliny's 
 well-known  letter  to  Trajan  we  have  abundant  evidence." 
 As  early  as  269  a.d.  it  was  made  a  charge  against 
 Paul  of  Samosata,  that  he  had  ' '  put  a  stop  to  the  psalms 
 that  were  sung  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  being  innova- 
 tions ;  the  work  of  men  of  later  times."  This  establishes 
 the  fact  that  such  psalms  must  have  been  sung  in  the 
 second  century,  and  probably  earlier  still.  The  epilogue 
 of  Clement  of  Alexandiia  to  his  Padagogue  has  usually 
 been  regarded  as  the  first  Chiistian  hymn.  In  Dean 
 Plump tre's  translation,  the  first  verse  runs  thus  : — 
 
 Curb  for  the  stubborn  steed, 
 Making  its  will  give  heed  ; 
 Wing  that  directest  right 
 The  wild  birds'  wandering  flight ; 
 Helm  for  the  ships  that  keep 
 Their  pathway  o'er  the  deep  ; 
 Shepherd  of  sheep  that  own 
 Their  Master  on  the  throne, 
 Stir  up  Thy  children  meek 
 With  gmleless  lips  to  speak, 
 In  hymns  and  songs  Thy  praise, 
 Guide  of  their  infant  ways. 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  EARLY  CHUBCR.  35 
 
 0  King  of   saints,    0  Lord  ! 
 Mighty,  all- conquering  "Word  ; 
 Son  of  the  Highest   God, 
 "Wielding  His  wisdom's  rod  ; 
 Our  stay  when  cares  annoy, 
 Giver  of  endless  joy ; 
 Of   all  our  mortal  race, 
 Saviour  of   boundless  grace, 
 0  Jesus  hear. 
 
 The  fourth  century,  however,  was  the  age  in  which 
 hymns  really  established  themselves  in  the  regular 
 services  of  the  Church.  And,  strange  to  say,  their 
 establishment  was  due  to  the  keen-sightedness  of  great 
 men  belonging  to  the  orthodox  party,  who  discerned  the 
 wide  influence  exerted  by  hymns  in  favour  of  the  teaching 
 of  heretics,  who  made  large  use  of  them  for  the  promulga- 
 tion of  their  views.  Eardesanes  and  his  son  Harmonius 
 had  introduced  into  Syria  both  the  Greek  metres  and 
 music,  and  by  means  of  these  had  given  ^  currency  and 
 secured  popularity  for  their  particular  views.  To 
 counteract^  this,  Ephrem  of  Edessa  wrote  hymns  on 
 the  Nativity,  Baptism,  Easting,  Passion,  and  Eesurrection 
 of  our  Lord,  and  set  them  to  the  music  which  had  already 
 become  popular.  He  trained  choirs  of  virgins  to  sing 
 them,  and  on  Sundays  and  festivals  they  were  gathered  in 
 the  church,  and  led  by  Ephrem  himself,  standing  in  their 
 midst.  Thus  metrical  hymuody  became  rooted  in  the 
 services  of  the  Syriac  Church.  In  Constantinople,  a  like 
 method  was  adopted  against  the  Arians,  who  had  been 
 expelled  from  the  churches  by  Theodosius,  but  who  still 
 met  outside  the  walls,  or  in  the  open  spaces  of  the 
 city,  marching  in  procession  and  singing  their  hymns. 
 Chrysostom  organised  rival  processions,  which  marched, 
 bearing   torches   and  crosses,   and  singing   hymns.      The 
 
36  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Empress  Eudocia  patronised  the  scheme,  and  provided 
 means  for  its  execution.  It  would  seem  that  Chrysostom 
 laid  more  stress,  like  a  certain  modern  sect,  on  the  torches^ 
 the  crosses,  the  music,  than  on  the  words  of  the  hymns. 
 
 Nor  was  it  otherwise  in  the  West.  There,  also,  heresy 
 gave  birth  to  Christian  hymnody.  The  story  is  told  by 
 Augustine,  who,  with  his  mother,  Monica,  was  in  Milan  at 
 the  time.  The  Empress  Justina  ordered  Ambrose,  then 
 the  Bishop  of  the  city,  to  give  up  one  of  the  Basilicas  for 
 Arian  worship.  He  refused,  and  was  sentenced  to  exile — 
 a  sentence  he  refused  to  obey.  The  population  of  Milan,, 
 enthusiastic  for  their  bishop,  supported  him  in  this  refusal,, 
 and  watched  his  house  day  and  night,  to  protect  him  from 
 the  troops  of  the  Empress.  Ambrose  formed  these  troops 
 of  watchers  into  bands  of  worshippers,  and  arranged  for 
 them  a  course  of  offices,  in  which  hymns  played  an 
 important  part.  This  is  the  real  source  of  the  Offices  for 
 the  various  hours  of  the  day  and  night  which  form  so 
 conspicuous  an  element  in  the  Breviaries  of  the  "Western 
 Church. 
 
 It  is  a  fact  of  singular  significance  and  great  interest, 
 that  in  the  Syriac,  the  Greek,  and  the  Latin  churches,  the 
 action  of  the  heretics  should  have  given  rise  to  the 
 introduction  of  hymns  as  a  part  of  the  regular  services  of 
 the  Church.  Erom  the  Syriac  Church,  few  hymns  have 
 passed  into  our  English  hymnody  ;*  but  from  the  Greek  ; 
 although  none  of  the  hymns  of  Chiysostom  have 
 come  into  English  use — probably  they  were  not  worthy 
 
 *  "  Glad  sight,  the  Holy  Church,"  No.  351,  in  "  Hymns  Ancient 
 and  Modern,"  last  edition  but  one,  is  from  the  Syriac  ;  whilst  others 
 from  the  same  source  may  be  found  in  "  The  People's  Hymnal,"  in 
 Thrupp's  collection,  and  in  a  recent  volume  by  Dr.  Bonar. 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  EARLY  GHUBGH  37 
 
 enough — the  movement  originated  by  him  gave  birth  to  a 
 later  school  of  hymnists  ;  many  of  whose  hymns,  through 
 the  translations  of  Dr.  ^N'eale,  have  become  deservedly 
 popular  among  us.  The  results  of  the  movement  set  on 
 foot  by  Ambrose,  on  English  hymnody  have  been  far  more 
 direct,  since  several  of  the  hymns  composed  by  him,  in 
 their  English  form,  are  now  sung,  whilst  the  school  of 
 Ambrosian  music  has  had  considerable  influence  on  that  of 
 modern  times. 
 
 Turning  now  from  the  originating  causes  of  these  three 
 schools  of  hymnody  to  the  hymns  themselves;  (1)  as  to  the 
 Syriac  hymns  little  need  be  said,  since  they  have  not 
 exerted  any  perceptible  influence  on  English  hymnody. 
 This  is  probably  due  to  the  language  in  which  they  were 
 written,  which  has  put  them  beyond  the  range  of  all  save 
 those  versed  in  the  tongues  of  the  East.  In  Daniel's 
 great  book,  they  are  represented  in  a  German  form. 
 Dr.  Burgess  has  translated  them  into  English,  and 
 Mrs.  Charles  has  rendered  a  few  from  the  German  version 
 in  Daniel.  But,  as  they  are  seen  in  their  English  dress, 
 they  are  singularly  free  from  the  gorgeous  imagery  so 
 characteristic  of  the  East.  Doubtless  they  have  been 
 toned  down  by  transference  to  our  English  speech.  Some 
 of  them  seem  to  us  not  unworthy  of  a  place  in  our 
 modem  collections,  since  they  are  marked  by  a  freshness 
 and  simplicity  which  are  very  pleasant. 
 
 Here  is  Ephrem's  hymn  on  Palm  Sunday,  as  translated 
 by  Mrs.  Charles  : — 
 
 He  calls  us  to  a  day  of   gladness, 
 
 Who  came  to  us  the  King's  own  Son ; 
 
 Go  forth  with  houghs  of    palm  to  meet  Him, 
 And  Him  with  loud  hosannas  own. 
 
38  THE  HYMN-  LOVEB. 
 
 The  angels  are  with  us  rejoicing, 
 
 Angelic  triumphs  swell  our  song  ; 
 All  nations  in  our  joy  uniting, 
 
 Hosanna  sounds  on  every  tongue. 
 
 To  Thee,  0  Lord,  loud  praise  ascendeth, 
 
 From  every  creature  in  its  kind  ; 
 Thee,  with  an  awed  and  qui v' ring  motion, 
 
 Exalteth  every  waving  wind. 
 
 The  heavens  in  their  quiet  beauty. 
 
 Praise  Thy  essential  majesty  ; 
 The  heights  rejoice  from  which  Thou  camest ; 
 
 The  depths  spring  up  to  welcome  Thee. 
 
 The  sea  exults  to  feel  Thy  footsteps, 
 
 The  land  Thy  tread,  Lord,  knoweth  well ; 
 
 Our  human  nature  brings  thanksgivings, 
 Because  Thy  Godhead  there  doth  dwell. 
 
 To-day  the  sun  rejoicing  shineth, 
 
 With  happy  radiance  tenfold  bright, 
 In  homage  to  the  Sun  of   glory, 
 
 Which  brings  to  all  the  nations  light. 
 
 The  moon  shall  shed  her  fairest  lustre 
 
 O'er  all  the  heavens  her  softest  glow ; 
 Thee  on  her  radiant  heights  adoring, 
 
 Who  for  our  sakes  hast  stooped  so  low. 
 
 And  all  the  starry  hosts  of  heaven, 
 
 In  festive  robes  of  light  array' d. 
 Shall  bring  their  festal  hymns  as  offerings 
 
 To  Him  who  all  so  fair  hast  made. 
 
 To-day  the  forests  are  rejoicing. 
 
 Each  tree  its  own  sweet  anthem  sings, 
 
 Because  we  wave  their  leafy  branches 
 As  banners  for  the  King  of   Kings. 
 
 To-day  let  all  the  brute  creation. 
 
 Rejoicing,  be  no  longer  dumb  ; 
 For  lowly  on  the  foal  He  sitteth, 
 
 The  Heavenly  One  to  us  has  come. 
 
 Let  every  village,  every  city. 
 
 In  happy  tumult  sing  His  name ; 
 Since  even  infant  lips  are  shouting 
 
 Blessed  is  He,  the  King  who  came. 
 
 Those  who  are  curious  as  to  Syriac  hymnody  should 
 consult  Dr.  Burgess's  translations  of  the  hymns  of  Ephrem 
 Syrus  and  other  writers  of  his  school. 
 
 (2)  The  hymns  of  the  Greek  Church,  though  somewhat 
 allied  to  those  of  the  Syiiac,  yet  have  in  them  enough 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  EARLY  CHURCH.  39 
 
 affinity  to  our  Western  ideas  to  be  incorporated  into  our 
 worship.  Like  the  city  in  which  they  first  appeared,  they 
 stand  midway  between  the  East  and  West,  and  have 
 certain  elements  common  to  both  ;  whilst  the  vast  mass  of 
 hymns  produced  by  this  Church — Dr.  Neale  computes  that 
 out  of  the  five  thousand  quarto  pages  of  which  the  Greek 
 office  books  consist,  at  least  four  thousand  are  poetry — has 
 enabled  men  like  Dr.  I^eale  to  select  portions  suited  to  our 
 Western  taste.  Even  then,  however,  it  has  been  found 
 necessary  to  subject  such  portions  to  a  very  free  treatment, 
 and  to  preserv^e  their  ideas  rather  than  the  forms  in  which 
 they  were  cast.  This  is  the  more  necessary  since  the 
 great  mass  of  the  hymns  of  this  Church  are  not  in 
 metrical  form,  but  simply  rhythmic  and  accentuated  like 
 the  earliest  Latin  sequences. 
 
 -N'ot  until  they  fell  under  the  skilful  hand  of  Dr.  IS'eale 
 did  they  contribute  their  share  to  the  now  many -voiced 
 song  of  the  churches  of  England. 
 
 Through  his  centos  from  the  hymns  of  the  Eastern 
 Church,  we  now  have  such  well-known  favourites  as 
 "The  day  is  past  and  over"  (585),  probably  by  St. 
 Anatolius  (a.d.  458),  which  is  to  the  scattered  hamlets  of 
 Chios  and  Mitylene,  what  Bishop  Ken's  evening  hymn  is 
 to  the  villages  of  our  own  land.  "  Christian  dost  thou  see 
 them  "  (413),  a  stichera  for  the  second  week  of  the  great 
 fast,  by  St.  Andrew  of  Crete  (660-732).  "Art  thou 
 weary,  art  thou  languid?"  (520),  by  St.  Stephen  the 
 Sabaite  (725-794).  *"Tis  the  day  of  Eesurrection,"  by 
 St.  John  Damascene  {circa  780).  This  is  the  canon  for 
 Easter  Day,  and  a  modem  traveller  gives  the  following 
 graphic  account  of  its  use  at  Athens.  It  is  quoted  in 
 "  Hymns  of  the  Eastern  Church,"  by  Dr.  Keale. 
 
40  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 **  As  midniglit  approached,  the  Archbishop  with  his 
 priests,  accompanied  by  the  King  and  Queen,  left  the 
 church,  and  stationed  themselves  on  the  platform,  which 
 was  raised  considerably  from  the  ground,  so  that  they 
 were  distinctly  seen  by  the  people.  Everyone  now 
 remained  in  breathless^expectation,  holding  their  unlighted 
 tapers  in  readiness  when  the  glad  moment  should  arrive, 
 while  the  priests  still  continued  murmuring  their  melan- 
 choly chant  in  a  low  half-whisper.  Suddenly  a  single 
 report  of  a  cannon  announced  that  twelve  o'clock  had 
 struck,  and  that  Easter  Day  had  begun  ;  then  the  old 
 Archbishop,  elevating  the  cross,  exclaimed  in  a  loud, 
 exulting  tone:  *  Christos  anesti !  Christ  is  risen!"  and 
 instantly  every  single  individual  of  all  that  host  took  up 
 that  cry,  and  the  vast  multitude  broke  through  and  dis- 
 pelled for  ever  the  intense  and  mournful  silence  which 
 they  had  maintained  so  long,  with  one  spontaneous  shout 
 of  indescribable  joy  and  triumph  :  '  Christ  is  risen  ! — 
 Christ  is  risen ! '  At  the  same  moment,  the  oppressive 
 darkness  was  succeeded  by  a  blaze  of  light  from  thousands 
 of  tapers,  which,  communicating  one  from  another,  seemed 
 to  send  streams  of  fire  in  all  directions,  rendering  the 
 minutest  objects  distinctly  visible,  and  casting  the  most 
 vivid  glow  on  the  expressive  faces,  full  of  exultation,  of 
 the  rejoicing  crowd ;  bands  of  music  struck  up  their 
 gayest  strains  ;  the  roll  of  the  drum  through  the  town, 
 and  further  on  the  pealing  of  the  cannon,  announce  far 
 and  near  these  *  glad  tidings  of  great  joy,'  while  from  hill 
 and  plain,  from  the  sea-shore  and  the  far-off  olive-gi^ove, 
 rocket  after  rocket  ascending  to  the  clear  sky,  answer 
 back  with  their  mute  eloquence  that  Christ  is  risen  indeed, 
 and    told   of    other  tongues   that   were   repeating  those 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  EARLY  CHURCH.  41 
 
 blessed  words,  and  other  hearts  that  leaped  for  joy  ; 
 everywhere  men  clasped  each  other's  hands,  and  con- 
 gratulated one  another,  and  embraced  with  countenances 
 beaming  with  delight,  as  though  to  each  one  separately 
 some  wonderful  happiness  had  been  proclaimed — and  so  in 
 truth  it  was ;  and  all  the  while,  rising  above  the  mingling 
 of  many  sounds,  each  one  of  wliich  was  a  sound  of  glad- 
 ness, the  aged  priests  were  distinctly  heard  chanting  forth 
 a  glorious  old  hymn  of  victory  in  tones  so  loud  and  clear 
 that  they  seemed  to  have  regained  their  youth  and 
 strength,  to  tell  the  world  how  '  Christ  is  riscm  from  the 
 dead,  having  trampled  death  beneath  His  feet,  and  hence- 
 forth they  that  are  in  the  tombs  have  everlasting  life.'  " 
 
 All  these  differ  widely  from  the  hymns  of  the  Latin 
 Church,  in  that  they  are  more  vivid,  and  spring  more 
 directly  out  of  Scripture  events. 
 
 (3)  It  is  generally  admitted  that  the  "Western  Churches 
 owe  the  incorporation  of  metrical  hymnody  into  their 
 services  to  Ambrose,  and  the  movement  originated  by 
 him.  Hymns  may  have  been  in  use,  in  the  West 
 before  his  time,  but  all  previous  attempts  were  sporadic 
 and  fitful.  Ambrose  was  the  founder  of  a  school  of 
 hymnody,  from  which  no  less  than  ninety -two  examples 
 have  come  down  to  us;  of  these  twenty-one,  or,  at 
 the  lowest  computation,  that  of  the  Benedictine 
 Editors,  twelve  are  from  the  pen  of  Ambrose  liimseK. 
 The  hymns  of  this  school,  since  they  are  more 
 akin  to  our  Western  modes  of  thought,  reached  an 
 earlier  popularity  in  our  midst  than  those  from  the 
 Eastern  or  Greek  Church.  The  picturesqueness  of  the 
 Greek  hymns,  and  the  skilfulness  of  Dr.  Scale's  renderings 
 
42  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 have,  however,  brought  them  of  late  into  great  promi- 
 nence, and  rendered  them  even  more  popular  than  those 
 of  the  Latin  Church.  The  strong  ethical  element  in  the 
 hymns  of  the  Ambrosian  school,  whilst  it  makes  them, 
 perhaps,  more  practically  useful  as  aids  to  holy  living,  yet 
 gives  them  a  certain  subdued  tone  which  militates  against 
 their  popularity.  They  are  more  akin  to  statuary — clear, 
 sharp,  cold — than,  as  the  Eastern  hymns  are,  to  painting, 
 with  its  richer  colour  and  more  vivid  mode  of  portrayal, 
 and  so,  like  statuary,  appeal  less  forcibly  to  the  imagina- 
 tion. Professor  F.  M.  Bird  says  : — "  The  Latin  hymns  of 
 Ambrose  and  his  successors  form  a  school  which  may  be 
 said  to  have  held  possession  of  the  Church  of  the  whole  of 
 Europe  for  some  1200  years."  This  reached  its  highest 
 point  of  excellence  in  the  ''Yeni  Creator,"  and  "  Yeni 
 Sancte  Spiritus."  The  most  notable  hymns  of  the 
 school  of  Ambrose  which  have  established  themselves  by 
 means  of  translations  in  our  English  hymnals  are  **  We 
 praise,  we  worship  Thee,  0  God  "  (13),  *'  0  Jesu,  Lord  of 
 heavenly  grace  "  (558),  and  "  IsTow  that  the  daylight  fills 
 the  sky  "  (554).  These  may  suffice  to  indicate  the  subjects 
 and  style  of  this  school.  The  "  Te  Deum  "  has  usually 
 been  ascribed  to  Ambrose  ;  the  well-known  tradition  being 
 that  it  broke  forth  in  sudden  inspiration  from  his  lips  as 
 he  was  baptising  Augustine ;  another  form  of  the  same 
 tradition  being  that  it  was  due  to  an  inspiration  common 
 to  both  Ambrose  and  Augustine,  which  enabled  the  one  to 
 respond  antiphonally  to  the  verses  uttered  by  the  other. 
 This,  like  the  similar  tradition  concerning  the  Septuagint 
 version  of  the  Old  Testament,  can  scarcely  be  regarded  as 
 a  true  account.  The  great  authority,  Daniel,  seems  to 
 regard  it  as  having  sprung  from  an  early  Oriental  hymn, 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  EABLY  CHURCH  43 
 
 or  from  fragments  of  many  such  hymns.  It  is  probably 
 the  work  of  many  minds  and  ages,  in  which  Ambrose  may 
 have  borne  a  part:  it  may  have  been  that  of  arranging 
 and  perfecting  the  scattered  fragments  into  a  compact 
 composition.  The  latest  theory,  however,  respecting  it  is 
 that  it  is  later  than  the  time  of  Ambrose,  and  probably  of 
 Gallican  origin.  Some  there  are  who  ascribe  it  to  Hilary 
 rather  than  Ambrose. 
 
 Spain,  too,  contributed  its  share  to  the  early  hymnody 
 of  the  Church.  The  Mozarabic  Breviary  of  the  fifth 
 century  was  no  unworthy  collection.  Some  idea  of  its 
 contents  may  be  gained  from  Mr.  EUerton's  translation  of 
 one  of  its  hymns  : — 
 
 Sing  HaUelujah  forth  in  duteous  praise, 
 
 0  citizens  of  heaven,  and  sweetly  raise 
 
 An  endless  Hallelujah. 
 
 Ye  next,  who  stand  before  the  Eternal  Light, 
 In  hymning  choirs  re-echo  to  the  height 
 An  endless  Hallelujah. 
 
 The  Holy  City  shall  take  up  your  strain, 
 And  with  glad  songs  resounding  wake  again 
 An  endless  Hallelujah. 
 
 In  hUssful  antiphons  ye  thus  rejoice 
 To  render  to  the  Lord  with  thankful  voice 
 An  endless  Hallelujah. 
 
 Ye  who  have  gained  at  length  your  palms  in  bHss, 
 Victorious  ones,  your  chant  shall  still  be  this, 
 An  endless  Hallelujah. 
 
 There  in  one  glad  acclaim,  for  ever  ring 
 The  strains  which  tell  the  honour  of  your  King, 
 An  endless  Hallelujah. 
 
 This  is  the  rest  for  weary  ones  brought  back, 
 This  is  the  food  and  drink  which  none  shall  lack, 
 An  endless  Hallelujah. 
 
 While  Thee,  by  Whom  were  all  things  made,  we  praise 
 For  ever,  and  tell  out  in  sweetest  lays, 
 An  endless  Hallelujah. 
 
44  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Almighty  Christ,  to  Thee  our  voices  sing  ; 
 Glory  for  evermore  to  Thee  we  bring 
 An  endless  Hallelujah. 
 
 In  these  early,  as  in  later,  times,  however,  conflicts  of 
 considerable  intensity  arose  concerning  the  introduction  of 
 hymns  into  the  services  of  the  Church.  Some  there  were 
 who  doubted  whether  any  but  the  words  of  Scripture 
 should  be  used  in  worship.  Others  had  grown  so  used 
 to  the  Ambrosian  hymns  that,  like  the  devotees  of 
 Watts  or  of  the  Scotch  metrical  psalms  in  a  much  later 
 age,  they  resented  the  introduction  of  hymns  from  other 
 sources.  Indeed,  it  needed  the  decision  of  a  Council  to 
 give  them  sanction;  whilst  in  the  7th  century,  the  Council 
 of  Toledo  threatened  with  excommunication  all  in  Spain 
 or  France  who  resisted  the  use  of  hymns  in  divine 
 worship.  Even  as  late  as  the  9th  century,  there  were 
 churches  which  would  not  admit  metrical  hymns  into 
 their  offices.  Thus  the  conflict  raged,  until  at  last  hymns 
 established  themselves,  either  in  metrical  or  rhythmic 
 forms,  as  an  integral  and  vital  element  in  worship,  and 
 so  played  a  great  part  in  lifting  the  hearts  of  men  to  the 
 Father  of  their  spirits.  The  hymns  of  this  earlier  period 
 are  chiefly  occupied  with  the  events  of  our  Lord's  life  ; 
 special  stress  being  laid  on  His  incarnation.  There  is  an 
 entire  absence  of  that  carnal  element  which  in  later,  and 
 especially  in  the  latest  times,  came  into  prominence;  so 
 that  the  blood  and  wounds  of  Christ  were  regarded  as 
 though  in  themselves  they  possessed  some  mystic  merit. 
 This  is  so  even  in  the  hymns  of  the  Eastern  Church, 
 which  are  so  largely  occupied  with  the  actual  scenes  of 
 our  Lord's  life;  whilst  in  the  Latin  Church,  it  is  the 
 ethical  side  of  the  Christian  faith  which  is  thrown  into 
 
HYMNS  OF  THE  EABLY  CHUBCH.  45 
 
 special  prominence.  Indeed,  the  early  literature  of  the 
 Church — not  only  its  hymns,  but  creeds  and  liturgies,  are 
 singularly  free  from  those  carnal  conceptions  of  our  Lord's 
 work  which  came  in  later  times  into  so  much  prominence, 
 both  in  the  Roman  Church  and  what  may  be  called  the 
 ultra-Evangelical  section  of  the  Protestant  Church.  Our 
 modem  hymnody  is,  to  a  large  extent,  reverting  to  this 
 earlier  type;  occupying  itself  with  the  facts  of  our  Lord's 
 life  as  in  the  Eastern,  and  with  the  ethical  side  of  the 
 Gospel  as  in  the  Latin  Church. 
 
46 
 
 CHAPTER  V. 
 
 MEDIEVAL    HYMNS. 
 
 Theee  are  two  writers  who  form  a  kind  of  connecting 
 link  between  early  and  mediaeval  hymnody — Yenantius 
 Portunatus,  who  was  born  in  530,  and  died  in  609  a.d.; 
 and  Gregory  the  Great,  whose  life  extended  from  550  to 
 604  A.D.  Fortunatus,  a  child  of  the  sunny  south,  in  his 
 early  days  was  a  kind  of  Troubadour:  ''the  fashionable 
 poet  of  his  day,"  who  wandered  from  castle  to  palace, 
 appearing  and  singing  his  songs  at  marriages  and  festivals, 
 fond  of  court  revelry  ;  but  yet,  so  far  as  we  can  judge, 
 one  of  the  few  who  passed  unscathed  through  the  fires, 
 and  they  were  fierce,  of  the  temptations  of  such  a  course 
 in  those  times.  Later  in  life  he  was  consecrated  a  priest, 
 and  became  almoner  of  the  monastery  at  Tours,  founded 
 by  Queen  Ehadegunda,  with  whom  he  had  been  on  very 
 intimate  terms,  and  to  whom  he  addressed  many  of  his 
 poems.  Still  later  in  life  he  became  Bishop  of  Poitiers. 
 His  hymns  are  such  as  we  should  expect  from  such  a 
 nature,  and  from  the  sunny  land  in  which  he  spent  his 
 days.  Three  of  these  attained  to  great  popularity.  They 
 have  more  in  common  with  those  of  the  Eastern  Church 
 than  those  of  Ambrose  and  his  school,  and  are  more  the 
 product   of    the   poet's   imagination   than    of    the   moral 
 
MEm^VAL  HYMNS.  47 
 
 nature  which  found  so  full  an  expression  in  the  Ambrosian 
 hymnody.  One  of  these,  the  '*  Yexilla  Regis  prodeunt," 
 well-known  through  Dr.  jSTeale's  translation,  ''  The  Royal 
 Banners  forward  go,"  who  calls  it  ''one  of  the  grandest 
 in  the  treasury  of  the  Latin  Church,"  was  written  to 
 commemorate  the  reception  of  certain  relics  by  St. 
 Gregory  of  Tours  and  St.  Rhadegund,  at  the  consecration 
 of  a  church  at  Poitiers,  and  was  originally  intended  for 
 use  as  a  processional  hymn.  This  is  Dr.  iNeale's  trans- 
 lation of  it :  — 
 
 The  Royal  Banners  forward  go ; 
 The  Cross  shines  forth  in  mystic  glow ; 
 Where  He  in  flesh,  our  flesh  Who  made, 
 Our  sentence  bore,  our  ransom  paid. 
 
 Where  deep  for  us  the  spear  was  dy'd, 
 Life's  torrent  rushing  from  His  side, 
 To  wash  us  in  that  precious  flood 
 Where  mingled  water  flowed,  and  Blood. 
 
 Fulfilled  is  all  that  David  told 
 
 In  true  Prophetic  song  of  old  ; 
 
 Amidst  the  nations  God,  saith  he, 
 
 Hath  reign'd  and  triumph'd  from  the  Tree. 
 
 O  Tree  of  Beauty!    Tree  of  Light! 
 O  Tree  with  royal  purple  dight ! 
 Elect  on  whose  triumphal  breast 
 Those  holy  limbs  should  find  their  rest ! 
 
 On  whose  dear  arms,  so  widely  flung. 
 The  weight  of  this  world's  ransom  hung: 
 The  price  of  human  kind  to  pay, 
 And  spoil  the  Spoiler  of  his  prey. 
 
 With  fragrance  dropping'  from  each  bough, 
 Sweeter  than  sweetest  nectar  Thou; 
 Decked  with  the  fruit  of  peace  and  praise, 
 And  glorious  with  triumphal  lays. 
 
 Hail,  Altar !  haU,  O  Victim !  Thee 
 Decks  now  Thy  passion's  victory ; 
 Where  Life  for  sinners  death  endured, 
 And  life  by  death  for  man  procured. 
 
 In  the   14th  century,  the  following  verses  were  added 
 when  the  hymn  was  appropriated  to  Passion-tide  : — 
 
48  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 [O  Cross,  our  one  reliance  hail ! 
 This  holy  Passion  tide,  avail 
 To  give  fresh  merit  to  the  Saint, 
 And  pardon  to  the  penitent. 
 
 To  Thee,  Eternal  Three  in  one. 
 Let  homage  meet  by  all  he  done ; 
 Whom  by  the  Cross  Thou  dost  restore, 
 Preserve  and  govern  evermore.] 
 
 Another  is  the  '^  Pange  lingua  gloriosi"  (''Sing,  my 
 tongue,  the  glorious  battle"),  a  hymn  in  which  praise  of 
 the  cross  finds  full  expression,  as  witness  the  following 
 verse : — 
 
 Bend  thy  boughs,  O  Tree  of  Glory ! 
 
 Thy  relaxing  sinews  bend ; 
 For  awhile  the  ancient  rigour 
 
 That  thy  birth  bestowed,  suspend  ; 
 And  the  King  of  Heavenly  Beauty 
 
 On  thy  bosom  gently  tend  ! 
 
 His  "  Salva  festadies"  ("Hail,  festal  day!  ever  exalted 
 
 high  ")  has  for  centuries  been  used  as  a  hymn  for  Easter 
 
 day,  and  is  full  of  poetic  vigour,  as  the  following  verses 
 
 may  show : — 
 
 The  changing  months,  the  pleasant  light  of  days, 
 The  shining  hours,  the  rippling  moments  praise, 
 
 Since  God  hath  conquered  hell,  and  rules  the  starry  sky. 
 
 Countless  the  hosts  Thou  savest  from  the  dead ; 
 They  follow  free  where  Thou,  their  Lord,  hast  led. 
 Hail,  festal  day  !  ever  exalted  high. 
 
 Gregory  the  Great  is  a  personage  of  more  interest  to 
 English  folk  than  his  contemporary  Eortunatus,  since 
 to  him  we  owe  the  mission  of  Augustine,  by  which 
 Christianity  was  introduced  to  our  land  ;  whilst  his 
 name  is  familiar  to  the  youngest  by  the  beautiful  story 
 which  tells  how,  on  going  into  the  slave  market  at  Rome, 
 and  marking  the  beauty  of  certain  fair  English  youths, 
 he  exclaimed,  "  If  they  were  Christians,  they  were  not 
 Angles  but  angels."     A  sight  which  probably  prompted 
 
MEDIJEVAL  HYMNS.  49 
 
 the  despatch  of  the  mission  for  the  conversion  of  England 
 to  Christianity.  Had  our  country  been  won  to  and 
 remained  faithful  to  a  Christianity  such  as  was  seen  in 
 Gregory,  the  Eeformation  would  have  been  little  needed 
 in  our  land.  Gregory  is  one  of  the  noblest  figures  in  the 
 history  of  the  Church.  To  him  we  owe  the  Plain  Song — 
 the  Gregorian  tones  which  for  centuries  held  their  ground 
 in  the  Church,  and  which  to  this  day  find  many  earnest 
 defenders.  Mone,  in  his  great  work,  ''Hymni  Latini 
 Medii  ^vi,"  assigns  to  Gregory  the  "  Yeni  Creator 
 Spiritus,"  usually  assigned  to  Charlemagne.  Wacker- 
 nagel  is  of  the  same  opinion.  Daniel,  however,  ascribes 
 it,  as  it  usually  has  been,  to  the  great  Emperor  of  the 
 West.  The  question  of  its  authorship  must  probably 
 remain  uncertain.  Of  its  high  popularity  there  can  be 
 no  doubt.  Daniel  says  it  was  appointed  for  use  at  the 
 creation  of  a  pope,  the  election  of  a  bishop,  the  corona- 
 tion of  kings,  the  celebration  of  a  synod,  the  elevation 
 and  translation  of  saints.  It  is  the  only  hymn  inserted 
 in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  where  Bishop  Cosin's 
 version  is  adopted.  It  has  been  again  and  again  trans- 
 lated. As  it  is  so  uncertain  whether  Gregory  wrote  it, 
 we  append  another  hymn  by  him,  in  the  translation  of  an 
 anonymous  writer,  which  seems  to  us  very  beautiful :  — 
 
 Now,  when  the  dusky  shades  of  night,  retreating 
 
 Before  the  sun's  red  banner,  swiftly  flee: 
 Now,  when  the  terrors  of  the  dark  are  fleeting, 
 
 O  Lord,  we  lift  our  thankful  hearts  to  Thee, — 
 
 To  Thee,  Whose  word,  the  fount  of  life  unsealing, 
 When  hill  and  dale  in  thickest  darkness  lay. 
 
 Awoke  bright  rays  across  the  dim  earth  stealing, 
 And  bade  the  eve  and  morn  complete  the  day. 
 
 Look  from  the  tower  of  heaven,  and  send  to  cheer  us 
 Thy  light  and  truth  to  guide  us  onward  still ; 
 
 Still  let  Thy  mercy,  as  of  old,  be  near  us, 
 And  lead  us  safely  to  Thy  holy  hill.  e 
 
50  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 So,  when  that  morn  of  endless  light  is  waking, 
 And  shades  of  evil  from  its  splendours  flee. 
 
 Safe  may  we  rise,  the  earth's  dark  breast  forsaking, 
 Through  all  the  long  bright  day  to  dwell  with  Thee. 
 
 This  is,  perhaps,  the  place  to  speak  of  the  Yenerable 
 Bede,  rather  than  in  the  chapter  on  early  English  hymns, 
 since,  although  an  Englishman,  and  resident  in  England, 
 he  wrote  all  his  hymns  in  the  Latin  tongue.      His  life 
 extended  from  about  672  to  735  a.d.     At  seven  years  of 
 age,    he   entered    the   monastery   of    Jarrow,    where   he 
 remained  till  death  called  him  to  higher  service.     ''  There 
 he  read,  wrote,  and  prayed,  sang  hymns  to  his   Saxon 
 harp,    recorded   the   history   of    his   people,    and    corre- 
 sponded with  friends  in  all  parts  of  England  and  Europe ; 
 and  there,  as  the  last  work  of  his  busy  life,  he  translated 
 the  Gospel  of  John  into  Anglo-Saxon,  finishing  it  amid 
 the  sufferings  of  his  last  illness,  and  dying  just  as  he  had 
 concluded  the  last  chapter.       '  Dearest  master,'  said  his 
 Amanuensis  to  him,   'there  is  only  one  thought  left  to 
 write.'     He  answered,  *  Write  quickly.'     Soon  the  writer 
 replied,  'Now  this  thought  also  is  written.'     He  answered, 
 *  Thou  hast  well  said.     It  is  finished.     Eaise  my  head  in 
 thy  hand,  for  it  will   do   me   good   to    sit   opposite   my 
 sanctuary,  where  I  was  wont  to  kneel  down  to  pray ;  that 
 sitting  I  may  call  upon  my  Father.'     So  he  seated  him- 
 self on  the  ground  in  his  cell,  and  sang  the  *  Glory  to 
 Thee,  0  God — Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,'  and  when 
 he  had  named   the   Holy   Ghost,    he   breathed  his   last 
 breath."     He  wrote  a  long  hymn,  comparing  the  six  days 
 of  the  creation  with   the  six  days  of   the  world.      His 
 hymn  on  the  Ascension  is  full  of  quaint  beauty,  as  will 
 be  seen  from  the  following  translation  by  Mrs.  Charles : — 
 
medtjEVal  hymns.  61 
 
 A  hymn  of  glory  let  us  sing : 
 
 New  hymns  throughout  the  world  shall  ring; 
 
 By  a  new  way  none  ever  trod, 
 
 Christ  mounteth  to  the  throne  of  God. 
 
 The  apostles  on  the  mountain  stood, — 
 The  mystic  mount,  in  Holy  Land; 
 They,  with  the  vu-gin-mother,  see 
 Jesus  ascend  in  majesty. 
 
 The  angels  say  to  the  eleven, 
 "Why  stand  ye  gazing  into  heaven? 
 This  is  the  Saviour, — this  is  He ! 
 Jesus  hath  triumphed  gloriously  !  " 
 
 They  said  the  Lord  should  come  again, 
 As  these  beheld  Him  rising  then. 
 Calm  soaring  through  the  radiant  sky. 
 Mounting  its  dazzling  summits  high. 
 
 May  our  affections  tlnther  tend, 
 And  thither  constantly  ascend, 
 Where,  seated  on  the  Father's  throne, 
 Thee  reigning  in  the  heavens  we  owu  ! 
 
 Be  Thou  our  present  joy,    O  Lord  ! 
 Who  wilt  be  ever  our  reward  ; 
 And,  as  the  countless  ages  flee. 
 May  all  our  glory  be  in  Thee ! 
 
 It  is  free  from  the  objectionable  and  unscriptural  elements 
 of  many  hymns  of  the  mediaeval  age,  to  which,  in  spirit, 
 the  monk  of  Jarrow  scarcely  belongs.  Nearly  a  century 
 later  flourished  Theodulph  of  Orleans  (he  died  in  821  a.d.) 
 whose  hymn  on  Christ's  entrance  into  Jerusalem  is 
 animated  by  a  spirit  very  like  to  that  of  the  Venerable 
 Eede's  on  the  Ascension.  It  was  written  at  Metz,  or  as 
 some  say  at  Angers,  during  his  imprisonment  on  a  false 
 accusation.  On  their  way  to  the  cathedral,  the  Emperor 
 Louis  and  his  court  heard  this  hymn  sung  by  choristers 
 instructed  by  Theodulph.  It  procured  his  instant  libera- 
 tion.    In  Dr.  Neale's  translation  it  begins  :  — 
 
 Glory,  and  laud,  and  honour; 
 and   until    the    seventeenth   century,    he   says   that   the 
 following  quaint  verse  was  included  : — 
 
52  THE  HYMN  L  0  VER. 
 
 Be  Thou,  O  Lord,  the  rider, 
 And  we  the  little  ass, 
 
 That  to  God's  holy  city. 
 Together  we  may  pass. 
 
 The  two  hymns  that  are  best  known  beyond  ecclesias- 
 tical circles,  and  that  have  made  the  greatest  impression, 
 both  on  literature  and  music,  are  the  ''Dies  Irae  "  and  the 
 "  Stabat  Mater,''  the  former  the  most  sublime,  the  latter 
 the  most  pathetic  of  mediseval  hymns.  The  "  Dies  Irse  " 
 was  written  for  private  devotion  in  a  lonely  monastic  cell, 
 about  1250,  by  Thomas  of  Celano,  the  friend  and 
 biographer  of  St.  Prancis  of  Assisi.  It  has  been  truly 
 said  :  ''  The  secret  of  the  irresistible  power  of  the  '  Dies 
 Irse '  lies  in  the  awful  grandeur  of  the  theme,  the  intense 
 earnestness  and  pathos  of  the  poet,  the  simple  majesty 
 and  solemn  music  of  its  language,  the  stately  metre,  the 
 triple  rhyme,  and  the  vowel  assonances  chosen  in  striking 
 adaptation  to  the  sense ;  all  combining  to  produce  an 
 overwhelming  effect,  as  if  we  heard  the  final  crash  of  the 
 universe,  the  commotion  of  the  opening  graves,  the 
 trumpet  of  the  archangel  that  summons  the  quick  and 
 the  dead,  and  as  if  we  saw  the  King  of  tremendous 
 majesty  seated  on  the  throne  of  justice  and  mercy,  and 
 ready  to  dispense  everlasting  life  or  everlasting  woe." 
 Goethe  describes  its  effect  upon  the  guilty  conscience  in 
 the  cathedral  scene  of  '-Faust."  Sir  Walter  Scott  in- 
 troduces a  portion  of  it  into  the  "Lay  of  the  Last 
 Minstrel."  It  is  at  once  the  hope  and  despair  of 
 translators.  Probably  more  attempts  have  been  made  to 
 translate  it  than  any  other  hymn.  Dr.  Irons'  translation 
 is  perhaps  the  best,  and  has  been  most  frequently  chosen 
 by  hymnal  editors.     In  our  opinion  it  is  quite  unsuitable 
 
MEDIAEVAL  HYMNS.  53 
 
 — nor  was   it   ever   intended   by   its  author — for  public 
 singing. 
 
 The  "  Stabat  Mater,"  founded  en  John  xix.  25,  and 
 Luke  ii.  35,  is  by  Jacobus  de  Benedictis,  otherwise  called 
 Jacopone  da  Todi,  a  reformer  before  the  Reformation,  who 
 came  into  conflict  with  Pope  Boniface  YIII.,  by  whom  he 
 was  imprisoned,  and  on  whose  death  he  was  released.  It 
 has  become  the  libretto  to  music  by  Palestrina,  Pergolesi, 
 Haydn,  Eossini,  and  others. 
 
 The  "  Pange  lingua  gloriosi,"  by  Thomas  Aquinas, 
 Dr.  iN'eale  says,  contests  the  second  place  among  those  of 
 the  Western  Church  with  the  "  Yexilla  regis,"  the 
 "  Stabat  Mater,"  the  *'  Jesu  dulcis  memoria,"  and  others, 
 leaving  the  "Dies  Irae "  in  its  unapproachable  glory. 
 Its  materialistic  conceptions  are,  in  our  judgment,  fatal  to 
 poetic  thought.  That  our  readers  may  judge  for  them- 
 selves, we  append  the  hymn  as  it  stands  in  Dr.  locale's 
 translation : — 
 
 Of  the  glorious  Body  telling, 
 
 O  my  tongue  its  mysteries  sing ; 
 And  the  Blood,  all  price  excelling, 
 
 Which  for  this  world's  ransoming 
 In  a  generous  womb  once  dwelling, 
 
 ne  shed  forth,  the  Gentiles'  King. 
 
 Given  for  us,  for  us  descending 
 
 Of  a  Virgin  to  proceed, 
 Man  with  man  in  converse  blending 
 
 Scattered  He  the  Gospel  seed : 
 Till  His  sojourn  drew  to  ending, 
 
 Which  He  closed  in  wondrous  deed. 
 
 At  the  last  Great  Supper  seated, 
 
 Circled  by  His  brethren's  band. 
 All  the  Law  required,  completed 
 
 In  the  feast  its  statutes  planned. 
 To  the  Twelve  Himself  He  meted 
 
 For  their  food  with  His  own  hand. 
 
54  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Word  made  Flesh,  by  Word  He  maketh 
 
 Very  Bread  His  Flesh  to  be; 
 Man  in  wine  Christ's  Blood  partaketh, 
 
 And  if  senses  fail  to  see, 
 Faith  alone  the  true  heart  waketh 
 
 To  behold  the  Mystery. 
 
 Therefore  we,  before  it  bending, 
 
 This  great  Sacrament  adore: 
 Types  and  shadows  have  their  ending 
 
 In  the  new  Rite  evermore: 
 Faith,  our  outward  sense  amending, 
 
 Maketh  good  defects  before. 
 
 Honour,  laud,  and  praise  addressing 
 
 To  the  Father  and  the  Son, 
 Might  ascribe  we,  virtue,  blessing, 
 
 And  eternal  benison : 
 Holy  Ghost,  from  Both  progressing. 
 
 Equal  laud  to  Thee  be  done !    Amen. 
 
 In  the  following  hymn,  ''Adore  te  devote,  latens 
 Deltas,"  Aquinas  seems  to  take  a  more  spiritual  view 
 of  the  Eucharist — it  was  probably  the  product  of  a 
 higher  mood:  — 
 
 Humbly  I  adore  Thee,  hidden  Deity, 
 
 "Which  beneath  these  figures  art  concealed  from  me ; 
 
 Wholly  in  submission  Thee  my  spirit  hails, 
 
 For  in  contemplating  Thee  it  wholly  fails. 
 
 Taste  and  touch  and  vision  in  Thee  are  deceived: 
 But  the  hearing  only  may  be  well  believed : 
 I  believe  whatever  God's  own  Son  declared ; 
 Nothing  can  be  truer  than  Truth's  very  "Word. 
 
 On  the  Cross  lay  hidden  but  Thy  Deity  : 
 Here  is  also  hidden  Thy  humanity : 
 But  in  both  believing  and  confessing.  Lord, 
 Ask  I  what  the  dying  thief  of   Thee  implored. 
 
 Though  Thy  Wounds,  like  Thomas,  I  behold  not  now, 
 Thee  my  Lord  confessing,  and  my  God,  I  bow  : 
 Give  me  ever  stronger  faith  in  Thee  above, 
 Give  me  ever  stronger  hope  and  stronger  love. 
 
 0  most  sweet  memorial  of   His  death  and  woe, 
 Living  Bread,  Which  givest  life  to  man  below. 
 Let  my  spirit  ever  eat  of   Thee  and  live. 
 And  the  blest  fruition  of  Thy  sweetness  give  ! 
 
MEDIJ^VAL  HYMNS.  65 
 
 Pelican  of   Mercy,  Jesu,  Lord  and  God, 
 Cleanse  me,  wretched  sinner,  in  Thy  Precious  Blood : 
 Blood,  whereof   one  drop  for  humankind  outpoured 
 Might  from  all  transgression  have  the  world  restored. 
 
 Jesu,  Thou,  whom  thus  veil'd,  I  must  see  below, 
 "When  shall  that  he  given  which  I  long  for  so, 
 That  at  last  beholding  Thy  uncover' d  Face, 
 Thou  wouldst  satisfy  me  with  Thy  fullest  grace  ? 
 
 And  of  this  whole  period  we  may  say,  that  where  the 
 writers  depart  from  the  spirituality  of  the  Gospels,  their 
 muse  fails  them ;  where  they  are  most  spiritual  they  are 
 most  poetic.  When  they  strive  to  express  ideas  foreign 
 to  the  spirit  of  Christ — carnal  conceptions  of  His  work, 
 veneration  for  His  cross,  the  glory  of  His  mother,  the 
 worship  of  relics — the  poetic  fire  burns  low,  even  if  it 
 does  not  quite  expire.  When  they  express  ideas  common 
 to  all  Christian  hearts,  they  rise  to  the  truest  poetry, 
 since  sacred  poetry  of  the  highest  kind  is  but  the 
 expression  of  universal  ideas. 
 
 The  greatest  of  the  mediaeval  hymn-writers,  however, 
 was  Adam  of  St.  Victor,  who,  if  not  a  native  of  England, 
 was  of  Erittany.  It  is  impossible  to  say  which,  since  he 
 is  described  as  ''Brito,"  and  this  title  may  refer  either  to 
 Brittany  or  Britain.  The  probability  is,  since  he  belonged 
 to  a  monastery  in  Prance,  and  that  most  of  the  famous 
 hymnists  of  the  age  were  French,  that  he  was  also  of 
 that  nation.  At  all  events  he  studied  in  France.  It  is 
 only  quite  recently  that  the  great  mass  of  his  hymns 
 was  brought  to  light.  For  nearly  seven  centuries,  a  large 
 part  remained  buried  among  forgotten  manuscripts  in  the 
 Abbey  of  St.  Victor,  in  Paris.  At  the  French  Ee volution, 
 this  abbey  was  dissolved  as  a  religious  foundation,  its 
 inmates  dispersed,  and  its  precious  manuscripts  removed 
 
56  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 to  the  N'ational  Library  in  the  Louvre.  Till  the  middle 
 of  the  present  century,  only  thirty-seven  of  his  hymns 
 had  found  their  way  into  circulation;  but  then  M.  Gautier 
 discovered  about  forty-eight  in  the  Louvre  Library,  and 
 published  them ;  but  as  many  of  the  great  events  of  our 
 Lord's  life  have  no  hymn  to  celebrate  them,  it  is  possible, 
 and  even  likely,  that  many  yet  remain  undiscovered,  or 
 have  been  either  destroyed  or  lost.  Adam  of  St.  Victor 
 is  little  known  through  English  hymnals,  and  the  reason 
 is  this — no  translation  can  adequately  represent  his 
 hymns.  They  abound  in  rhymes  which  cannot  be 
 rendered  into  English.  Their  glory  is  in  their  style ;  not 
 in  the  variety  of  their  subject,  or  picturesqueness  of 
 manner,  but  in  the  marvellously  beautiful  expression  of 
 his  thought.  But  some  idea  may  be  gained  of  his  merit 
 from  the  praise  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  most  competent 
 judges.  Eambach  calls  him  ''  the  Schiller  of  the  Middle 
 Ages  ;"  Dr.  I^eale,  ''  the  greatest  Latin  poet,  not  only  of 
 mediaeval,  but  of  all  ages,"  whilst  in  the  preface  to  his 
 ''Mediaeval  Hymns"  (to  which  I  am  much  indebted  in 
 this  work),  he  says,  "It  is  a  magnificent  thing  to  pass 
 along  the  far-stretching  vista  of  hymns,  from  the  sublime 
 self-containedness  of  St.  Ambrose  to  the  more  fervid 
 inspiration  of  St.  Gregory,  the  exquisite  typology  of 
 Yenantius  Fortunatus,  the  lovely  painting  of  St.  Peter 
 Damiani,  the  crystal-like  simplicity  of  St.  JN'otker,  the 
 Scriptural  calm  of  Godescalcus,  the  subjective  loveliness 
 of  St.  Bernard,  but  all  culminate  in  the  full  blaze  of  glory 
 which  surrounds  Adam  of  St.  Victor,  the  greatest  of  all." 
 I  give  below  a  translation  of  one  by  him  for  St.  Stephen's 
 day,  which  is  generally  regarded  as  the  finest  he  ever 
 wrote  : — 
 
MEDIEVAL  HYMNS.  57 
 
 Yesterday,  with  exultation, 
 Join'd  the  world  in  celebration 
 
 Of  her  promised  Saviour's  birth: 
 Yesterday  the  Angel-nation 
 Poured  the  strains  of  jubilation 
 
 O'er  the  Monarch  born  on  earth. 
 
 But  to-day,  o'er  death  victorious, 
 By  his  faith  and  actions  glorious, 
 
 By  his  miracles  renown'd. 
 Dared  the  Deacon  Proto-martyr, 
 Eai-thly  life  for  Heaven  to  barter, 
 
 Faithful  midst  the  faithless  found. 
 
 Forward,  champion,  in  thy  quarrel ! 
 Certain  of  a  certain  laurel, 
 
 Holy  Stephen,  persevere  !^ 
 Perjur'd  witnssses  confounding, 
 Satan's  Synagogue  astounding 
 
 By  thy  doctrine  true  and  clear. 
 
 Lo !  in  heaven  thy  Witness  liveth : 
 Bright  and  faithful  proof  He  giveth 
 
 Of  His  martyr's  blamelessness. 
 Thou  by  name  a  Crown  impliest; 
 Meetly  then  in  pangs  thou  diest 
 
 For  the  Crown  of  Righteousness! 
 
 For  a  crown  that  fadeth  never, 
 Bear  the  torturer's  brief  endeavour; 
 
 Victory  waits  to  end  the  strife. 
 Death  shall  be  thy  birth's  beginning, 
 And  life's  losing  be  the  winning 
 
 Of  the  true  and  better  life. 
 
 Whom  the  Holy  Ghost  endueth, 
 Whom  celestial  sight  embueth, 
 
 Stephen  penetrates  the  skies; 
 There  God's  fullest  glory  viewing. 
 There  his  victor  strength  renewing. 
 
 For  his  near  reward  he  sighs. 
 
 See,  as  Jewish  foes  invade  thee, 
 See  how  Jesus  stands  to  aid  thee: 
 
 Stands  to  guard  His  champion's  death 
 Cry  that  opened  heaven  is  shown  thee, 
 Cry  that  Jesus  waits  to  own  thee. 
 
 Cry  it  with  thy  latest  breath. 
 
 As  the  dying  martyi*  kneeleth, 
 For  his  murderers  he  appealeth. 
 And  his  prayer  their  pardon  sealeth, 
 For  their  madness  grieving  sore; 
 
58  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Then  in  Clirist  he  sleepeth  sweetly, 
 Who  His  pattern  kept  completely, 
 And  with  Christ  he  reigneth  meetly. 
 Martyr  first-fruits,  evei-more ! 
 
 To  the  end  of  the  11th  and  the  first  half  of  the  12th 
 century  (1091-1153)  belongs  Bernard  of  Clairvaux,  who 
 has  been  called  ''the  last  of  the] Apostles,"  and  "the 
 holiest  monk  that  ever  lived."  To  him  we  probably 
 owe  the  long  poem  on  the  IName  of  Jesus  which  generally 
 goes  by  the  name  "  Jesus  dulcis  memoria."  It  is  some- 
 times called  the  ''Jubilus  of  St.  Bernard,"  and  by 
 mediaeval  writers,  the  "Rosy  Hymn."  From  this  we 
 have  the  three  centos  "  Jesu,  the  very  thought  of  Thee ;  " 
 and  "  0  Jesu  King  most  wonderful,"  translated  by  Father 
 Caswall;  and  "Jesu,  Thou  joy  of  loving  hearts,"  trans- 
 lated by  Dr.  Eay  Palmer — a  well-loved  trilogy ;  whilst 
 Paul  Gerhardt's  hymn  which  begins  in  Dr.  J.  W- 
 Alexander's  translation  "  0  Sacred  Head,  once  wounded" 
 is  drawn  from  his  "  Salve  Caput  cruentatum,"  a  poem 
 of  350  lines,  in  which  50  lines  are  devoted  to  each  of 
 the  limbs  of  our  Lord.  It  is  not  absolutely  certain 
 that  these  and  other  poems  ascribed  to  Bernard  of 
 Clairvaux  were  actually  written  by  him ;  even  Mabillon, 
 the  editor  of  his  works,  is  doubtful  as  to  his  authorship 
 of  them,  and  many  have  shared  his  doubt;  but  Archbishop 
 Trench,  the  editor  of  "Sacred  Latin  Poetry,"  a  critic 
 of  large  knowledge  and  fine  insight,  gives  it  as  his 
 opinion  that  they  are  from  his  pen,  and  says — "  if  he 
 did  not  write  them  it  is  not  easy  to  guess  who  could 
 have  written  them;  and,  indeed,  they  bear  profoundly 
 the  stamp  of  his  mind,  being  only  inferior  in  beauty 
 to  his  prose."  Positive  proof  may  indeed  be  lacking, 
 but  the  internal  evidence  is  very  strong  for  the  authorship 
 
MEDIEVAL  HYMNS.  59 
 
 of  tlie  saintly  Abbot  of  Clairvaux ;  and  whilst  the 
 controversies  in  which  he  engaged  with  Abelard,  the 
 part  he  played  in  the  Crusades,  and  his  mystical  sermons 
 on  the  Canticles  are  well  nigh  forgotten  save  by  students 
 of  ecclesiastical  history,  yet  his  hymns  (if  they  are  really 
 his)  are  familiar  and  full  of  inspiration  to  multitudes, 
 even  of  the  most  unlettered  in  our  day.  Thus  the  sacred 
 Poet  whose  verses  appeal  to  the  heart  is  far  surer  of 
 remembrance  than  the  Theologue  who  discourses  of 
 doctrine  which  appeals  only  to  the  intellect,  and  is  ever 
 changing  its  forms. 
 
 To  a  period  a  little  later  belongs  Bernard  of  Morlaix 
 (the  place  of  his  birth),  or  as  he  is  sometimes  styled, 
 of  Clugny  (the  name  of  his  monastery).  Born  though 
 he  was  at  Morlaix  in  Bretagne,  he  yet  came  of  English 
 parentage.  Of  his  life,  little  is  known  save  that  he 
 entered  the  Abbey  of  Clugny,  of  which  Peter  the 
 Yenerable  was  the  head.  To  him  we  owe  the  hymn 
 of  three  thousand  lines,  called  sometimes  "  De  contemptu 
 mundi,"  and  sometimes  "  Hora  I^ovissima,"  from  which 
 so  many  centos  have  been  drawn — the  best  known 
 being  ^'  Jerusalem  the  golden,"  To  Thee,  0  dear, 
 dear  country,"  and  "Brief  life  is  here  our  portion." 
 Bernard  attributed  to  a  special  inspiration  of  the  Spirit 
 of  Go(^  the  power  to  write  so  extended  a  hymn  in  such 
 a  difficult  metre.  It  was  written,  strange  to  say,  as  a 
 satire  against  the  vices  and  follies  of  his  age.  It  is 
 remarkable  that  a  satire  should  have  given  to  the  church 
 some  of  her  most  popular  hymns.  The  case  is  probably 
 unique.  The  portions  taken  for  translation  by  Dr.  N^eale 
 are  the  more  jubilant  ones,  and  give  no  idea  of  the 
 sadness   and   self   abasement   of  the   poem   as   a   whole. 
 
60  THE  HYMN  LOVEB, 
 
 Of  it,  Dr.  Neale  says :  '*  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying 
 that  I  look  on  these  verses  of  Bernard  as  the  most  lovely, 
 in  the  same  way  that  the  *  Dies  Iras '  is  the  most 
 sublime,  and  the  *  Stabat  Mater '  the  most  pathetic  of 
 me  .iaeval  poems." 
 
 It  is  curious  that  to  one  Bernard  (of  Clairvaux)  we 
 should  owe  some  of  the  most  prized  of  our  hymns 
 concerning  Christ,  and  to  another  Bernard  (of  Morlaix 
 or  Clugny)  the  hymns  most  frequently  sung  concerning 
 Heaven. 
 
 The  '' Yeni  Sancte  Spiritus  "  (''Holy  Spirit,  Lord  of 
 Light "),  the  loveliest,  in  Archbishop  Trench's  opinion,  of 
 all  the  hymns  in  the  whole  circle  of  sacred  Latin  poetry, 
 is  admitted  by  all  the  great  authorities  to  be  by  King 
 Eobert  II.  of  Prance  (997-1031),  who  was  singularly 
 addicted  to  church  music,  which  he  enriched,  as  well  as 
 hymnody,  with  many  compositions  of  his  own.  It  is  said 
 that  *'he  placed  himself,  robed  and  crowned,  among  the 
 choristers  of  St.  Denis,  and  led  the  musicians  in  singing 
 psalms  and  hymns  of  his  own  composition." 
 
 To  this  period  belong  those  forms  of  hymns  called 
 Sequences.  A  specimen  of  these,  familiar  to  all,  may  be 
 found  in  the  well-known  ''  The  strain  upraise  of  joy  and 
 praise,"  translated  from  Godescalcus  by  Dr.  Neale.  I 
 cannot  do  better  than  give  Dr.  IS'eale's  beautiful  account 
 of  the  origin  of  Sequences  : — 
 
 ''It  is  well  known  that  the  origin  of  sequences 
 themselves  is  to  be  looked  for  in  the  Alleluia  of  the 
 Gradual,  sung  between  the  Epistle  and  Gospel.  During 
 this  melody  it  was  necessary  that  the  deacon  should  have 
 time  to  ascend  from  his  place  at  the  altar  to  the  rood-loft, 
 
MEDIEVAL  HYMNS.  61 
 
 that  he  might  thence  sing  the  Gospel.  Hence  the  pro- 
 longation of  the  last  syllable  in  the  Alleluia  of  the 
 Gradual,  in  thirty,  forty,  fifty,  or  even  a  hundred  notes  ; 
 the  neuma  of  which  ritualistic  writers  speak  so  much. 
 True,  there  was  no  sense  in  this  last  syllable  and  its 
 lengthening  out,  but  the  mystical  interpreters  had  their 
 explanation:  'the  way  in  which  we  praise  God  in  our 
 country  is  yet  unknown.' 
 
 "  And  good  people  were  content  for  some  three 
 hundred  years  with  this  service;  and,  as  it  has  been 
 very  truly  observed,  the  attempt  itself,  if  one  may  use 
 the  expression,  to  explain  the  sound  into  sense,  manifests 
 a  little  of  the  rationalism  with  which  the  Eastern  has- 
 always  taunted  the  "Western  Church.  But,  towards  the 
 beginning  of  the  eleventh  century,  there  was  a  certain 
 Swiss  monk,  by  name  Kotker.  The  defects  of  every 
 religious  person  were  well  known  in  the  house  wuere  he 
 resided,  and  a  slight  lisp  in  his  speech  gave  him  the 
 surname  of  Balhulus.  He  had  resided  for  some  years  in 
 that  marvellous  monastery  of  S.  Gall ;  the  church  of 
 which  was  the  pattern  of  all  monastic  edifices,  till  it  was 
 eclipsed  by  a  church,  the  description  of  which  now  reads 
 like  a  most  glorious  dream — 'Clugny.  "While  watching 
 the  samphire  gatherers  on  the  precipitous  cliffs  that  sur- 
 rounded S.  Gall,  Kotker  had  [composed  the  world-famous 
 hymn,  '  In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death.'  But 
 desirous  of  obtaining  the  best  education  which  Christen- 
 dom could  afford,  he  afterwards  betook  himself  to  the 
 monastery  of  Jumieges,  and  there  formed  an  acquaintance 
 with  many  of  its  monks.  With  one  of  them  he  had,  it 
 seems,  a  friendly  discussion,  whether  the  interminable  ia 
 
62  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 of  the  Alleluia  might  not  be  altered ,  into  a  religious 
 sense;  a  discussion  which,  for  the  time,  had  no  result. 
 But  Jumieges,  in  common  with  so  many  other  French 
 monasteries,  was  desolated  by  the  barbarian  Normans. 
 Whereupon  Notker's  friend,  bethinking  himself  of  S. 
 Gall,  took  refuge  in  that  great  house  ;  and  the  discussion 
 which,  years  before,  had  commenced,  was  again  carried 
 on  between  the  two  associates.  At  length  I^otker  deter  -^ 
 mined  to  put  words  to  the  notes  which  had  hitherto  only 
 interminably  prolonged  the  Alleluia.  He  did  so  ;  and,  as 
 a  first  attempt,  produced  a  sequence  which  began  with 
 the  line — 
 
 '  Laudes  Deo  concinat  orbis  universus,' 
 
 and  which  has  lately  been  republished.  He  brought  this, 
 notes  and  all,  on  a  parchment  rolled  round  a  cylinder  of 
 wood,  to  Yso,  precentor  of  what  we  should  now  call  the 
 Cantoris  side.  Yso  looked  kindly  on  the  composition, 
 but  said  that  he  must  refer  it  to  Marcellus,  the  precentor 
 on  the  Decani  side.  These  two  sang  the  sequence  over 
 together,  and  observed  that  sometimes  two  notes  went  to 
 one  syllable  in  a  slur,  sometimes  three  or  four  syllables 
 went  to  one  note  in  a  kind  of  recitative.  Yso  thereupon 
 was  charged  with  the  message  that  the  verses  would  not 
 answer  their  purpose,  l^otker,  not  much  discouraged, 
 revised  his  composition ;  and  now,  instead  of  (for  the  first 
 line)  Laudes  Deo  concinat  orhis  universus,  he  substituted 
 Laudes  Deo  concinat  orhis  ubique  totus ;  instead  of  the 
 second  line,  Coluber  \Adce  deceptor,  he  now  wrote  Coluber 
 Ada  male-suasor ;  which,  as  he  himself  tells  us,  when  the 
 good-natured  Yso  had  sung  over  to  himself,  he  gave 
 thanks  to  God,  he  commended  the  new  composition  to  the 
 
MEDTyEVAL   HY7NS.  63 
 
 bretiireii  of  tlie  monastery,  and  more  especially  to  Othmar, 
 Yso's  brother  by  blood.  Such  then  was  the  origin  of 
 sequences,  at  first  called  Proses,  because  written  rather 
 in  rhythmical  prose  than  with  any  attention  to  metre. 
 St.  mtker  died  about  912." 
 
 The  introduction  of  such  sequences  into  the  worship 
 of  nearly  all  our  English  churches,  furnishes  one 
 illustration,  out  of  many  which  might  be  given,  of 
 the  strange  ways  in  which  churches  most  remote  from  one 
 another  in  doctrine  and  ritual,  profit  each  other. 
 
64 
 
 CHAPTER  VL 
 
 THE    METEICAL    PSALMS. 
 
 "We  have,  in  previous  chapters,  considered  the  hymns 
 of  the  first  ages  of  the  Chnrch  and  Mediaeval  times, 
 although  their  introduction,  in  an  English  dress,  to  the 
 hymnals  of  this  country  belongs  to  the  later  years  of 
 the  present  century.  Those  of  the  Latin  Church  were, 
 doubtless,  used  in  their  original  forms  in  the  times  before 
 the  Eeformation,  and  came  to  our  land  in  the  Breviaries 
 of  the  Eoman  Church,  but  those  of  the  Eastern  Church 
 were  used  neither  in  their  original  nor  translated  forms  till 
 our  own  time.  When  England  belonged  to  the  Roman 
 Church,  her  service  of  praise  doubtless  consisted  of  the 
 Psalms  in  the  Yulgate  version,  and  the  Breviary  hymns 
 in  their  original  Latin.  But  when  she  threw  off  the 
 yoke  of  Rome,  the  Psalms  of  the  English  Prayer 
 Book,  which  were  at  first  only  said^  began  not  long 
 after  through  metrical  versions,  to  be  sung.*     **Song  has 
 
 *  It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  "  said  or  sung  "  of  the  Prayer 
 Book  is  a  simple  euphemism  taken  from  the  old  Ofl&ces,  and  really 
 meaning  monotoned,  which  is  equivalent  to  "said,"  or  with  inflexions 
 which  is  equivalent  to  "  sung."  Even  up  to  1662  there  remained  a 
 rubric  by  which  not  only  the  Psalms  and  Canticles  but  also  the 
 Lessons  were  directed  to  be  "  sung  after  the  manner  of  distinct 
 reading  to  a  plain  tune." 
 
THE  METRICAL  PSALMS.  65 
 
 been  a  feature  of  every  new  up-springing  of  truth,  or 
 marked  deliverance  at  the  hand  of  God."  The  name  of 
 Zollardy  indeed,  was  given  to  the  witnesses  for  evangelical 
 truth  in  the  Low  Countries,  and  in  England  and  Scotland, 
 from  their  habit  of  singing,  and  is  connected  with  our 
 word  Ml — to  sing  softly  ;  they  were  the  sweet  singers. 
 And  the  Reformation  time,  of  which  the  Lollards  were 
 the  heralds,  was  marked  in  relation  to  song  by  three 
 closely  connected  features:  (1)  Their  songs  were  in  the 
 mother  tongue,  instead  of  the  Latin,  in  which  before,  all 
 public  worship  had  been  conducted.  (2)  They  assumed 
 metrical  form  ;  and  (3)  they  were  for  the  use  of  the 
 people  at  large,  and  not,  as  in  the  Roman  Church,  for  the 
 priests  alone.  This  last  feature  was  one  of  the  great 
 objects  of  the  Reformers,  and  brought  in  its  train  the  two 
 preceding  ones,  since,  for  the  people  to  sing,  it  was 
 necessary  that  the  songs  should  be  in  their  native  speech, 
 whilst,  for  really  united  singing,  metrical  form  was 
 necessary.  It  is  far  more  difficult  for  a  congregation  to 
 chant  Psalms  than  to  sing  them  in  metre,  since,  in  the 
 former,  there  is  uncertainty  as  to  how  many  syllables  are 
 to  be  given  to  the  reciting  note,  whilst  in  the  latter,  each 
 syllable  is  wedded  to  a  corresponding  note  of  the  tune. 
 Here  lies  the  real  motive  which  led  to  the  rendering 
 of  the  Psalms  in  metrical  form.  The  Reformation  was  a 
 people's  movement,  and  so  it  demanded  songs  which  the 
 people  could  both  understand  and  sing. 
 
 Before  this  time  there  existed  Early  Hymns,  Carols 
 both  religious  and  secular,  and  translations  of  Breviary 
 Hymns,  but  they  did  not  come  into  church  use,  partly 
 because  of  the  apathy  of  the  clergy,  and  partly  because  of 
 the  ignorance  and  indiJfference  of  the  people. 
 
66  THE  HYMN  LOVEU. 
 
 The  earliest  of  all  the  versions  of  the  Psalms  in  the 
 popular  tongue  was  the  celebrated  one  into  French,  of 
 Clement  Marot,  who  translated  fifty  Psalms,  two  being 
 added  by  Calvin,  and  the  rest  by  Theodore  Beza.  Goudimel, 
 the  first  musician  of  his  age,  the  master  of  Palestrina, 
 an  ardent  Protestant,  and  one  of  the  victims  of  St. 
 Bartholomew,  set  these  to  music,  drawing  the  airs  from 
 the  popular  songs  of  that  time.  This  became  the  book 
 of  song  in  all  Prench-speaking  countries,  attained  great 
 popularity,  and  aided  greatly  in  the  spread  of  the  doctrines 
 of  the  Reformation.  "It  was  the  book  of  song  in  the 
 castle  as  well  as  the  cottage ;  for  recreation  or  at 
 work ;  for  the  lady  in  the  hall,  the  weaver  at  the 
 loom,  the  peasant  at  the  plough  ;  the  first  lesson  taught 
 to  childi'en,  the  last  words  whispered  to,  or  uttered 
 by  the  dying  man."  Both  the  words  and  music  of 
 this  collection  exercised  an  important  influence  on  the 
 Scottish  version  of  1564. 
 
 Even  before  the  Reformation  time  in  England,  Miles 
 Coverdale  had  made  metrical  versions  of  certain  of  the 
 Psalms,  whilst  the  three  brothers  Wedderburn,  in  Scot- 
 land, had  rendered  a  similar  service  by  the  issue  of 
 what  is  known  as  the  Dundee  Psalms.  But  the  first 
 complete,  or  nearly  complete,  metrical  version  into 
 English,  is  that  which  goes  by  the  name  of  Stemhold 
 and  Hopkins.  Whilst  most  of  the  versions  are  by  them, 
 the  remainder  was  gradually  added  by  others.  It  was 
 first  published  in  London  in  parts,  and  afterwards,  with 
 additions,  in  Geneva,  on  account  of  the  English-speaking 
 refugees  who  had  found  shelter  in  that  city.  It  was  adopted 
 as  the  version  for  use  in  the  Church  of  England  in  1562, 
 and  continued  to  be  used  for  more  than  235  years.    About 
 
THE  METEICAL  PSALMS.  67 
 
 350  editions  of  it  were  issued  during  that  time  ; 
 being  gradually  superseded  in  the  Church  of  England 
 by  the  version  known  as  Tate  and  Brady's.  It  held  its 
 ground,  however,  among  the  IS'onconformists  until  sup- 
 planted by  the  Psalms  of  Dr.  Watts.  In  the  Established 
 Church  until  comparatively  recent  times,  when  hymns 
 came  into  favour,  the  version  of  Tate  and  Brady  con- 
 tinued to  be  sung.  The  Eoyal  assent  to  Tate  and  Brady 
 gave  leave  to  adopt  it,  but  did  not  impose  it  on  the 
 church,  and  it  was  more  than  a  hundred  years  before  it 
 was  generally  adopted.  So  late  as  1828  a  new  edition  by 
 Sternhold  and  Hopkins  was  issued  for  use.  At  that  time 
 hymn  books  were  springing  up  in  considerable  numbers. 
 Hoyal  assent  had  indeed  been  given  to  other  versions,  e.^., 
 King  James,  George  Wither,  Patrick,  and  Blackmore. 
 But  the  Church  did  not  avail  herself  of  it,  partly  because 
 of  their  defects,  and  partly  because  of  the  unwillingness 
 to  make  a  change,  and  so  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  and  Tate 
 and  Brady  held  the  field.  Dr.  Watts  is  the  real  connecting 
 link  between  the  age  of  the  metrical  versions  and  that  of 
 hymns,  since  his  Psalms  partake  of  the  nature  of  both. 
 The  earlier  versions  were,  in  reality,  the  Psalms  done  into 
 metre ;  Dr.  Watts'  are  an  accommodation  of  the  Psalms  to 
 New  Testament  thought  and  language.  Over  the  bridge 
 erected  by  him,  the  English  churches  of  all  sections 
 passed  from  the  use  of  metrical  Psalms  to  hymn-singing 
 pure  and  simple — the  prose  translation  being  retained 
 for  recitation  or  chanting.  In  English  IS'onconformity,  in 
 some  cases,  Sternhold  and  Hopkins  gave  way  to  versions 
 by  Barton,  Patrick,*-  who  was  himself  a  churchman,  and 
 others,  but  such  versions  had  only  a  limited  and  local 
 *  A  selection  from  his  Psalms  was  long  used  at  the  Charterhouse. 
 
68  THE  E7MN  LOVEB. 
 
 acceptance.  At  last,  however,  and  about  the  same  time^ 
 both  in  the  Established  and  ITonconformist  churches,  the 
 metrical  versions  gave  way  to  hymns.  This  was  not  the 
 case,  however,  in  Scotland  and  the  Presbyterian  Church 
 generally.  There,  the  version  of  the  Wedderburns  pre- 
 vailed over  a  limited  area,  and  in  an  early  time ;  but 
 there,  as  in  England,  Sternhold  and  Hopkins  was  the 
 first  version  generally  used.  But  even  in  this,  certain 
 alterations  were  made ;  versions  of  certain  Psalms  being 
 by  other  hands.  While  the  100th  by  Kethe,  and  the 
 124th  by  Whittingham,  are  common  to  the  English  and 
 Scottish  versions,  and  the  136th  by  Craig  is  substituted 
 for  Churchyard's  version,  additional  versions  by  Craig  of 
 the  143rd  and  145th  were  inserted  from  the  Genevan 
 edition.  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  thus  improved,  was 
 adopted  by  order  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1564, 
 and  continued  in  use  till  1650.  The  collection  used 
 in  Presbyterian  Churches,  even  to  our  own  day, 
 is  due,  however,  to  the  action  of  the  Westminster 
 Assembly  in  1643.  The  version  selected  by  them  was 
 by  Erancis  Eous,  Provost  of  Eaton  College,  Oxford. 
 The  Assembly,  however,  could  not  agree  on  the  matter, 
 and  hence  the  version  of  Rous  gained  no  place  in  the 
 churches  of  England ;  but  the  General  Assembly  in 
 Scotland  took  up  the  matter  where  the  Westminster 
 divines  had  left  it,  and,  with  Eous's  version  for  a  basis, 
 and  with  the  addition  of  translations  from  the  old 
 Scottish  Psalter,  and  after  many  alterations,  the  new 
 collection  was  finally  adopted  by  the  Church  of  Scotland. 
 Prom  that  time  to  the  present,  it  has  held  its  place  in 
 the  worship  of  the  Presbyterian  section  of  the  Church, 
 both    in    Scotland    and    other    lands,    and    there     still 
 
THE  METRICAL  PSALMS. 
 
 remain  a  few  who  would  restrict  the  song  of  the  Church 
 to  these  metrical  Psalms.  In  a  recent  book  (1886), 
 the  "  Memoir  of  Henry  Bazeley,  the  Oxford  Evangelist," 
 by  the  Rev.  E.  L.  Hicks,  M.A.,  there  is  an  elaborate 
 plea,  by  the  subject  of  the  memoir,  for  the  exclusive 
 use  of  the  Psalms,  as  being  the  only  inspired  songs. 
 EuU  of  earnestness,  however,  as  is  this  plea,  it  is 
 unsupported  by  anything  like  reasonable  argument,  and 
 is  chiefly  remarkable  for  the  fact  that  a  man  trained 
 in  the  University  of  Oxford,  but  who  afterwards  joined 
 the  Church  of  Scotland,  should  have  grown  narrow 
 enough  in  thought  to  have  put  it  forth.  There  are  not 
 wanting  symptoms  that  its  day  is  nearly  over — only  a 
 selection  from  it  is  retained  in  the  latest  book,  "  Church 
 Praise "  of  the  English  Presbyterian  Church — and,  in 
 course  of  time,  it  will  doubtless  pass  away  altogether, 
 before  the  nobler  hymnody  of  the  age  ;  but  for  nearly 
 250  years  it  held  its  ground.  It  would  be  useless  to 
 argue  the  question  of  its  defects.  To  the  Scotch  it  is 
 precious  because  of  its  early  associations ;  but  to  the 
 English,  who  regard  it  on  its  merits,  whilst  allowing  that 
 some  versions  of  great  beauty  may  be  found  in  it,  yet  as  a 
 whole  it  seems  utterly  unworthy  of  retention  in  a  time 
 like  our  own,  so  rich  in  noble  songs.  It  certainly  has 
 the  great  merit,  in  which  Dr.  Watts'  version  is  the 
 most  deficient  of  all,  that  it  adheres  closely  to  the  actual 
 ideas  of  the  Biblical  Psalms.  To  the  English  mind,  it  is 
 true,  these  ideas  are,  for  the  most  part,  presented  in  their 
 least  attractive  form  when  stretched  on  the  procrustean  bed 
 of  modem  metre.  Still,  it  is  one  of  the  links  with  the 
 Psalm-singing  of  the  past;  and  from  its  historic  and 
 spiritual  associations,  ours  shall  not  be  the  hand  to  touch 
 
70 
 
 THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 it  roughly.  In  the  Nonconformist  Churches  of  England, 
 the  transition  from  Psalm-singing  in  the  versions  of 
 Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  Patrick,  Barton,  and  others,  to 
 hymn-singing  was,  as  we  have  said,  brought  about  by  the 
 labours  of  Dr.  Watts,  whose  version  of  the  Psalms  forms 
 a  kind  of  connecting  link  between  the  two,  partaking  as 
 they  do  of  the  characteristics  of  both.  The  elements  in 
 them  drawn  from  the  Book  of  Psalms  connect  them  with 
 the  age  of  the  metrical  versions,  whilst  the  elements 
 drawn  from  the  ITew  Testament  connect  them  with  the 
 hymn-singing  era  which  followed,  and  of  which  Dr- 
 "Watts  was  the  real  pioneer. 
 
 Many  other  metrical  versions  of  the  Psalms  were  made 
 in  early  times — by  Sir  Philip  Sidney  and  his  sister  Mary, 
 Countess  of  Pembroke,  Bishop  King,  George  Sandys, 
 Lord  Bacon  of  seven  of  the  Psalms,  and  others;  some  of 
 these  were  highly  poetic,  but  not  cast  in  a  form  suitable 
 or  public  worship,  and  never  came  into  use  in  the  Church. 
 
 Those  whc  desire  to  pursue  the  subject  further  should  consult 
 "  The  Story  of  the  Psalters,"  by  Henry  Alexander  Bell  (Kegan 
 Paul  &  Co.,  1888)  who  gives  an  account  of  123  complete  versions  of 
 the  Psalms,  and  specimens  from  each,  of  renderings  of  the  Ist  and 
 23rd  Psalm.  In  the  following  table  of  editions  now  in  the  British 
 Museum  Library,  the  relative  popularity  of  the  principal  versions  is 
 clearly  seen : — 
 
 1549 
 
 1601 
 
 1651 
 
 1701 
 
 1751 
 
 1801 
 
 to 
 
 to 
 
 to 
 
 to 
 
 to 
 
 to 
 
 Total 
 
 16')0 
 
 1650 
 
 1700 
 
 1750 
 
 1800 
 
 1868 
 
 Sternhold 
 
 47 
 
 206 
 
 102 
 
 120 
 
 105 
 
 21 
 
 601 
 
 Tate  &  Brady 
 
 6 
 
 35 
 
 103 
 
 159 
 
 303 
 
 Scotch  version 
 
 17 
 
 9 
 
 28 
 
 44 
 
 98 
 
 Watts 
 
 ... 
 
 ... 
 
 7 
 
 32 
 
 58 
 
 97 
 
 Wesley 
 
 2 
 
 8 
 
 3 
 
 13 
 
 King  James 
 
 8 
 
 ... 
 
 8 
 
 Barton 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 ... 
 
 7 
 
 Patrick 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
71 
 
 CHAPTER  VII. 
 
 EARLY   ENGLISH    HYMNS. 
 
 There  are  few,  if  any,  English  hymns  to  he  found  hefore 
 the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century.  To  the 
 fifteenth  century  belong  a  few  hymns  addressed  to  the 
 Yirgin  and  Christ.  These  have  been  edited  from  the 
 Lambert  MS.,  No.  853,  by  Mr.  Eurnivall,  for  the  Early 
 English  Text  Society.  One  of  these,  on  "  The  Sweetness 
 of  Jesus,"  is  very  tender  and  beautiful ;  another,  on 
 "  The  Love  of  Jesus,"  likens  love  to  a  fire  which  cleanses 
 us  from  sin,  and  joins  man  to  God.  But  since  worship 
 had  not  yet  come  to  be  offered  through  the  vernacular,  it 
 is  all  but  certain  that  such  hymns  were  only  for  private 
 reading  and  meditation. 
 
 Before  the  seventeenth  century,  there  is  much  noble 
 sacred  English  poetry^  but  few,  if  any  hymns  capable  of 
 being  sung  in  the  congregation.  And  these  poems,  as  it 
 has  been  well  said,  were  "too  subtle  and  fanciful  ever 
 to  come  home  to  the  hearts  of  the  people.  They  were 
 written  for  a  choice  few  to  enjoy.  They  were  full  of 
 those  subtle  allusions,  half  the  pleasure  of  which  consists 
 in  the  ingenuity  required  to  understand  as  well  as  to 
 invent  them.  Such  hymns  could  never  be  sung,  like 
 Luther's,  by  little  children  at  Christmas,   or  become  a 
 
72  THE  HYMN^  LOVER. 
 
 nation's  battle-song,  or  sweetly  distil  peace  at  moments 
 when  heart  and  flesh  failed,  and  mortal  effort  was  im- 
 possible ;  when  the  soul  had  lost  its  power  to  cling  to 
 anything.  The  verses  of  this  period  bear  witness  to  the 
 piety  or  the  poetical  power  of  the  writers  rather  than 
 to  the  faith  of  the  times."  This  is  true,  especially  when 
 the  general  ignorance  of  the  people  of  that  time  is  taken 
 into  account.  The  spread  of  education  has,  however, 
 now  quickened  intelligence,  and  made  men  capable  of 
 appreciating  a  style  of  hymn  which,  in  earlier  times, 
 would  have  been  beyond  them.  This  will  account  for  the 
 presence,  in  our  hymnals,  of  verses  known  in  early  times 
 only  to  those  of  the  literary  class  ;  whilst,  in  addition 
 to  this,  it  must  be  [remembered  that  the  habit  of  these 
 earlier  times  was  to  look  to  one  hymnist  rather  than  to  a 
 multitude  for  the  provision  of  hymns  for  worship.  Indeed, 
 the  really  hymn-singing '  age  was  not  yet,  and  did  not 
 begin  till  the  time  of  Watts.  But  still,  scattered  over 
 the  then  existing  English  literature,  there  were  the 
 materials  for  a  good,  if  not  a  large  book  of  worship-song. 
 It  remained  for  our  own  age  to  search  out  and  utilise 
 these  overlooked  and  neglected  treasures. 
 
 The  hymn,  "  0  Lord,  turn  not  Thy  face  from  me," 
 attributed  [by  some  to  John  Mardley,  and  by  others 
 to  John  Marckant,  and  belonging  to  about  the  middle 
 of  the  16th  century,  is  probably  the  earliest  really 
 English  hymn  to  be  found  in  our  present-day  hymnals. 
 Sir  Egerton  Brydges  is  inclined  to  attribute  some  versions 
 of  the  Psalms  in  Sternhold  and  Hopkins  signed  M.  to 
 Mardley.  The  hymn  to  which  we  have  referred  is  not 
 without  merit.  It  is  usually  given  in  the  variation  of 
 Bishop  Heber.     Here  is  the  original : — 
 
EARLY  ENGLISH  HYMNS.  73 
 
 0  Lord,  turn  not  Thy  face  from  me, 
 
 Who  lie  in  woeful  state. 
 Lamenting  all  my  woeful  life, 
 
 Before  Thy  mercy- gate  ; 
 
 A  gate  which  opens  wide  to  those 
 
 That  do  lament  their  sin : 
 Shut  not  that  gate  against  me.  Lord, 
 
 But  let  me  enter  in. 
 
 And  call  me  not  to  strict  account. 
 
 How  I  have  sojourned  here, 
 For  then  my  guilty  conscience  knows 
 
 How  vile  I  shall  appear. 
 
 So  come  I  to  Thy  mercy  gate, 
 
 Where  mercy  doth  abound  ; 
 Imploring  pardon  for  my  sin, 
 
 To  heal  my  deadly  wound. 
 
 Mercy,  good  Lord,  mercy  I  ask, 
 
 This  is  the  total  sum  ; 
 For  mercy.  Lord,  is  all  my  suit: 
 
 O  let  Thy  mercy  come. 
 
 George  Sandys  (1577-1643),  is  a  much  more  notable 
 contributor  to  bymnody.  Dryden  called  him  "the  best 
 versifier  of  his  age."  He  wrote  ''  a  Paraphrase  upon  the 
 Psalms  of  David,  and  upon  the  hymns  dispersed  through- 
 out the  Old  and  IS'evr  Testaments,"  and  a  poetical  version 
 of  the  Song  of  Solomon.  The  most  notable  of  his 
 renderings  is  of  the  61st  Psalm,  beginning  "Happy  sons 
 of  Israel." 
 
 George  Wither  (1588-1667),  wrote  too  much,  it  is  true, 
 but  scattered  over  his  writings  are  hymns  that  are  likely 
 to  retain  their  place  in  the  song  of  the  Church.  The 
 best  known  are  "Come,  0  come,  with  sacred  lays;" 
 "  The  Lord  is  King,  and  weareth,"  a  version  of  the  93rd 
 Psalm;  and  "Lord,  living  here  are  we,"  a  hymn  for  the 
 anniversary  of  marriage — quaint  and  beautiful,  and  not 
 unlike  to  George  Herbert.  It  is  so  little  known  that  I 
 append  it : — 
 
74  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Lord,  living  here  are  we, 
 
 As  fast  united  yet, 
 As  when  our  hands  and  hearts  by  Thee 
 
 Together  first  were  knit ! 
 
 And  in  a  thankful  song 
 
 Now  sing  we  will  Thy  praise. 
 For  that  Thou  dost  as  well  prolong 
 
 Our  loving  as  our  days. 
 
 Together  we  have  now 
 
 Begun  another  year, 
 But  how  much  time  Thou  wilt  allow 
 
 Thou  mak'st  it  not  appear. 
 
 We  therefore  do  implore 
 
 That  live  and  love  we  may 
 Still  so,  as  if  but  one  day  more 
 
 Together  we  should  stay. 
 
 Let  each  of  other's  wealth 
 
 Preserve  a  faithful  care, 
 And  of  each  other's  joy  and  health 
 
 As  if  one  soul  we  were. 
 
 Such  conscience  let  us  make 
 
 Each  other  not  to  grieve, 
 As  if  we  daily  were  to  take 
 
 Our  everlasting  leave. 
 
 The  frowardness  that  springs 
 
 From  our  corrupted  kind. 
 Or  from  those  troublous  outward  things 
 
 Which  may  distract  the  mind; 
 
 Perniit  Thou  not,  O  Lord, 
 
 Our  constant  love  to  shake. 
 Or  to  disturb  our  true  accord, 
 
 Or  make  our  hearts  to  ache. 
 
 But  let  these  frailties  prove 
 
 Affection's  exercise, 
 And  that  discretion  teach  our  love 
 
 Which  wins  the  noblest  prize. 
 
 So  time  which  wears  away 
 
 And  ruins  all  things  else. 
 Shall  fix  our  love  on  Thee  for  aye. 
 
 In  whom  perfection  dwells. 
 
 Eobert  Herrick  (bom  1591)  is  better  known  by  the 
 secular  poetry  of  his  "  Hesperides,"  than  by  his  contri- 
 butions to  sacred  song,  which  are  included  in  "  I^oble 
 lumbers,"  but  his  ''Litany  to  the  Holy  Spirit,"  though 
 
EARLY  ENGLISH  HYMNS.  7o 
 
 containing  yerses  ill  adapted  for  public  worship,  as  will 
 be  seen  below,  yet  is  in  parts  tender  and  beautiful. 
 
 In  the  hour  of  my  distress, 
 When  temptations  me  oppress, 
 And  when  I  my  sins  confess, 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me  ! 
 
 When  1  lie  within  my  bed, 
 Sick  in  heart  and  sick  in  head, 
 And  with  doubts  discomforted, 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me ! 
 
 When  the  house  doth  sigh  and  weep, 
 And  the  world  is  drowned  in  sleep, 
 Yet  mine  eyes  the  watch  do  keep. 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me ! 
 
 When  the  artless  doctor  sees 
 No  one  hope,  but  of  his  fees. 
 And  his  skill  runs  on  the  lees, 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comlort  me  ! 
 
 When  his  potion  and  his  pill, 
 Is  of  none  or  little  skill, 
 Meet  for  nothing  but  to  kill, 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me ! 
 
 When  the  passing-bell  doth  toll, 
 And  the  furies  in  a  shoal 
 Come  to  fright  a  parting  soul. 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me  ! 
 
 When  the  tapers  now  burn  blue, 
 And  the  comforters  are  few, 
 And  that  number  more  than  true. 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me  ! 
 
 When  the  priest  his  last  hath  prayed, 
 And  I  nod  to  what  is  said 
 'Cause  my  speech  is  now  decayed. 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me  ! 
 
 When,  God  knows,  I'm  tossed  about, 
 Either  with  despair  or  doubt, 
 Yet,  before  the  glass  be  out. 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me ! 
 
 When  the  tempter  me  pursueth 
 With  the  sins  of  all  my  youth. 
 And  half  damns  me  with  untruth. 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me  ! 
 
76  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 When  the  flames  and  hellish  cries 
 Fright  mine  ears  and  fright  mine  eyes, 
 And  all  teiTors  me  surprise, 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me ! 
 
 When  the  Judgment  is  revealed, 
 And  that  opened  which  was  sealed, 
 When  to  thee  I  have  appealed. 
 
 Sweet  Spirit,  comfort  me  ! 
 
 George  Herbert,  the  model  parish  priest  of  Bemerton, 
 
 is  better  known  as  a  writer  of  sacred  poetry — quaint  and 
 
 suggestive  in  character — than  as  a  writer  of  hymns  ;  but 
 
 in   his    well-known  book,     "  The    Temple,"    verses    so 
 
 lovely  are  found,  that,  with  slight  alterations,  they  have 
 
 been    pressed    into    the   service   of    the    Church's   song. 
 
 Examples  may  be  found   in   his  rendering  of  the  23rd 
 
 Psalm,  beginning  **  The  God  of  Love  my  Shepherd  is," 
 
 *'Let  all  the  world  in  every  corner  sing,"  and  ''Teach  me, 
 
 my  God  and  King,"  called   "  The  Elixir."     We  append 
 
 the  second  of  these  : — 
 
 Let  all  the  world  in  every  corner  sing 
 My  God  and  King  ! 
 The  heavens  are  not  too  high ; 
 His  praise  may  thither  fly  : 
 The  earth  is  not  too  low ; 
 His  praises  there  may  grow. 
 Let  all  the  world  in  every  corner  sing 
 My  God  and  King ! 
 
 Let  all  the  world  in  every  corner  sing 
 My  God  and  King  ! 
 The  Church  with  psalms  nmst  shout : 
 No  door  can  keep  them  out : 
 But,  above  all,  the  heart 
 Must  bear  the  longest  part. 
 Let  all  the  world  in  every  corner  sing 
 My  God  and  King  ! 
 
 Parts  of  a  poem  called  "Discipline,"  beginning  *'  Throw 
 
 away  Thy  rod,"  have  been  included  in  certain  hymnals, 
 
 but  they  are,  in  our  judgment,  not  suited  for  singing,  and 
 
 are  scarcely  compatible  with  high  thoughts  of  the  Divine 
 
 discipline  of  men. 
 
EARLY  ENGLISH  HYMNS.  77 
 
 Bishop  Cosin  finds  a  place  among  the  hymnists  by  his 
 rendering  of  the  "Yeni,  Creator,  Spiritus,"  beginning 
 **  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  souls  inspire,"  incorporated  into 
 the  Ordination  Service  of  the  English  Prayer  Book  ;  the 
 only  hymn  which  has  found  a  place  in  the  venerable 
 Liturgy  of  that  Church. 
 
 Sir  Thomas  Browne  (1605-1682),  the  well-known 
 author  of  the  "  Religio  Medici,"  is  known  in  religious 
 circles  even  better  by  his  lovely  Evening  Hymn,  "  The 
 night  is  come;  like  to  the  day,"  than  he  is  by  his  famous, 
 book.  As  this  hymn  probably  contains  the  germ  out  of 
 which  Bishop  Ken's  far  better  known  Evening  Hymn 
 grew,  I  append  it,  that  readers  may  judge  for  themselves 
 to  what  extent  Ken  was  indebted  to  the  hymn  of  the 
 learned  Norwich  physician  : — 
 
 The  night  is  come,  like  to  the  day 
 Depart  not  Thou,  great  God,  away. 
 Let  not  my  sins,  bl'nk  as  the  night, 
 Eclipse  the  lustre  of  Thy  light. 
 Keep  still  in  my  horizon  ;  for  to  me 
 The  sun  makes  not  the  day,  but  Thee. 
 Thou,  whose  nature  cannot  sleep, 
 On  my  temples  sentry  keep  ; 
 Guard  me  'gainst  those  watchful  foes 
 Whose  eyes  are  open  while  mine  close. 
 Let  no  dreams  my  head  infest 
 But  such  as  Jacob's  temples  blest. 
 While  I  do  rest,  my  soul  advance ; 
 Make  my  sleep  a  holy  trance : 
 That  I  may,  my  rest  being  wrought, 
 Awake  into  some  holy  thought ; 
 And  with  as  active  vigour  run 
 My  course  as  doth  the  nimble  sun. 
 Sleep  is  a  death  ; — O  make  me  try, 
 By  sleeping,  what  it  is  to  die ! 
 And  as  gently  lay  my  head 
 On  my  grave  as  now  my  bed. 
 Howe'er  I  rest,  great  God.  let  me 
 Awake  again  at  last  with  Thee  ; 
 And  thus  assur'd,  behold  I  lie 
 Securely,  or  to  wake  or  die. 
 
78  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 These  are  my  drowsy  days ;  in  vain 
 I  do  now  wake  lo  sleep  again  ;| 
 O,  come  that  hour,  when  I  shall  never 
 Sleep  again,  but  wake  for  ever ! 
 
 Jolm  Milton  (1608-1674),  translated  nine  of  the  Psalms 
 in  metre.  They  are  remarkable  for  fidelity  to  the  original, 
 as  well  as  for  their  poetic  beauty.  The  best  known  of 
 these  is  of  the  136th,  "Let  us  with  a  gladsome  mind." 
 IS'ot  less  worthy  are  his  renderings  of  parts  of  the  82nd, 
 85th,  and  86th  Psalms,  "  The  Lord  will  come,  and  not  be 
 slow,"  and  of  the  84th  Psalm,  *'  How  lovely  are  Thy 
 dwellings  fair."  These  are  so  fine  in  quality,  and  dis- 
 tinctive in  character,  as  to  deserve  rank  as  original 
 compositions. 
 
 Bishop  Jeremy  Taylor  (1613-1667),  published  in  his 
 book  called  "The  Golden  Grove,"  twenty -two  "  Festival 
 Hymns,"  from  which  the  one  on  "The  Second  Advent 
 of  Christ,  or  Christ  coming  to  Jerusalem  in  triumph," 
 has  passed,  in  an  altered  form,  into  common  use.  In 
 the  original  it  begins,  "  Lord,  come  away,"  but  in  its 
 altered  form,  "  Descend  to  Thy  Jerusalem,  0  Lord." 
 
 John  Austin  (died  1669),  who  belonged  originally  to 
 the  Church  of  England,  but  afterwards  joined  the  Roman 
 communion,  issued  a  devotional  manual,  containing 
 prayers  and  devout  meditations  for  private  and  family 
 use,  under  the  title,  "  Devotions  in  the  Ancient  Way  of 
 Offices,  containing  Exercises  for  every  day  in  the  week, 
 and  every  Holiday  in  the  Year."  It  contained  forty- 
 three  hymns,  some  of  which  are  from  his  own  pen,  others 
 are  by  Eichard  Crashaw.  It  received  the  rare  honour  of 
 being  adapted  for  the  use  of  members  of  the  English 
 €hurch.     This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  since  Austin's 
 
EARLY  ENGLISH  HYMNS.  79 
 
 mind   combined,   in   a   very  high   degree,  devoutness   of 
 
 feeling  with  deep  insight  into  tmth.     He  is  one  of  the 
 
 few  men  who  reach  through  the  letter  to  the  spirit.     Two 
 
 of   his  hymns   have,  in  recent   times,   been  included   in 
 
 hymnals,    and    are    likely    to    acquire    a   well-deserved 
 
 popularity.     "Blest  be  Thy  love,  dear  Lord,"  is  a  hymn 
 
 as  true   in    thought    as    it    is    simple    and    tender    in 
 
 expression  : — 
 
 Blest  be  Thy  love,  dear  Lord, 
 That  taught  us  this  sweet  way. 
 Only  to  love  Thee  for  Thyself, 
 And  for  that  love  obey. 
 
 O  Thou,  our  souls'  chief  hope  ! 
 We  to  Thy  mercy  fly  ; 
 Where'er  we  are.  Thou  canst  protect, 
 Whate'er  we  need,  supply. 
 
 Whether  we  sleep  or  wake, 
 To  Thee  we  both  resign  ; 
 By  night  we  see,  as  well  as  day. 
 If  Thy  light  on  us  sliine. 
 
 Wliether  we  live  or  die. 
 Both  we  submit  to  Thee; 
 In  death  we  live,  as  well  as  life. 
 If  Thine  in  death  we  be. 
 
 Whilst    '*  Hark,    my    soul,    how   every  tiling,"    is    both 
 poetically  and  lyrically  lovely  : — 
 
 Hark,  my  soul,  how  everything 
 Strives  to  serve  our  bounteous  King; 
 Each  a  double  tribute  pays, 
 Sings  its  part,  and  then  obeys. 
 
 Nature's  chief  and  sweetest  quire, 
 Him  with  cheerful  notes  admire; 
 Chanting  every  day  their  lauds 
 While  the  grove  their  song  applauds. 
 
 Though  their  voices  lower  be, 
 Streams  have  too  their  melody ; 
 Night  and  day  they  warbling  run. 
 Never  pause,  but  still  sing  on. 
 
80  TRPJ  HYMN  LOVPJR. 
 
 All  the  flowers  that  gild  the  spring 
 Hither  their  still  music  bring  ; 
 If  Heaven  bless  them,  thankful,  they 
 Swell  more  sweet,  and  look  more  gay. 
 
 Only  we  can  scarce  afford 
 This  short  office  to  our  Lord ; 
 We,  on  whom  His  bounty  flows. 
 All  things  gives,  and  nothing  owes. 
 
 Wake  !  for  shame,  my  sluggish  heart, 
 Wake  !  and  gladly  sing  thy  part ; 
 Learn  of  bii-ds,  and  springs,  and  flowers, 
 How  to  use  thy  nobler  powers. 
 
 Call  all  nature  to  thy  aid. 
 
 Since  'twas  He  whole  nature  made ; 
 
 Join  in  one  eternal  song. 
 
 Who  to  one  God  all  belong. 
 
 Live  for  ever,  glorious  Lord  ! 
 Live,  by  all  Thy  works  adored  ! 
 One  in  Three,  and  Three  in  One, 
 Thrice  we  bow  to  Thee  alone  I 
 
 The  man  wlio  wrote  such  hymns  as  these  must  have  been 
 resting  on  those  sublime'  truths  which  underlie  even  the 
 corruptions  of  the  Roman  Church. 
 
 Erom  Henry  More,  the  Platonist  (1614-1687),  a  few 
 verses  have  passed  through  the  adaptations  of  John 
 "Wesley,  first  into  "  Hymns  and  Sacred  Poems,"  by  John 
 and  Charles  "Wesley,  and  thence  into  the  hymnals  of 
 different  sections  of  the  Methodist  body.  He  belongs, 
 however,  to  philosophy  rather  than  hymnody. 
 
 Richard  Baxter  (1615-1691),  produced  a  metrical 
 version  of  the  Psalms,  which  was  published  after  his 
 death,  and  also  two  volumes  of  poetry.  Prom  the  latter, 
 two  hymns  have  passed  into  collections.  ' '  Lord,  it 
 belongs  not  to  my  care  "  is  part  of  a  larger  hymn,  con- 
 sisting of  eight  verses  of  eight  lines  each,  called  *'  The 
 Covenant  and  Confidence  of  Paith."  It  is  so  evidently 
 the  utterance  of  the  heart,  and  so  tenderly  expressed,  that 
 
EARLY  ENGLISH  HYMNS.  81 
 
 it  has  won  for  itself  a  wide  and  deserved  popularity 
 among  all  sections  of  the  Church.     The  first  verse  is  : — 
 
 Christ  leads  me  through  no  darker  rooms 
 
 Than  He  went  through  before ; 
 He  that  into  God's  kingdom  comes, 
 
 Must  enter  by  His  door. 
 
 *'Ye  holy  angels  bright,"  a  Psalm  of  Praise,  has  merit, 
 but  lacks  the  distinctiveness  and  individuality  of  the 
 former. 
 
 The  well-known  hymn  "Jerusalem,  my  happy  home" 
 belongs  to  this  period.  Of  its  authorship  little  is  known. 
 It  is  contained  in  a  MS.  quarto  volume  number  15,225  in 
 the  British  Museum,  the  date  of  which  seems  (from  the 
 internal  evidence)  to  be  about  1616.  The  hymn  itself 
 (which  is  entitled,  "  A  Song,"  by  P.  B.  P.,  to  the  tune 
 *^  Diana  ")  is  probably  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  time.  P.  B.  P. 
 is  usually  regarded  as  standing  for  Prancis  Baker,  Priest ; 
 but  this  is  mere  conjecture.  In  earlier  days,  it  was 
 attributed  to  David  Dickson.  Dr.  JS'eale  says  : — "It  was 
 most  impudently  appropriated  to  himself,  and  mixed  up 
 with  a  quantity  of  his  own  rubbish,  by  one  Dickson,  a 
 Covenanter."  The  hymn  has  undergone  so  many  altera- 
 tions at  various  times,  that  our  readers  may  perhaps  be 
 glad  to  see  it  in  its  original  form. 
 
 Hierusalem  !  my  happie  Home ! 
 
 When  shall  I  come  to  thee? 
 When  shall  my  sorrows  have  an  end  '? 
 
 Thy  joyes  when  shall  I  see  ? 
 
 O  happie  harbor  of  the  saints, 
 
 O  sweete  and  pleasant  soyle. 
 In  thee  no  sorrow  may  be  found, 
 
 Noe  greefe,  noe  care,  noe  toyle  ! 
 
 In  thee  noe  sicknesse  may  be  seeoe, 
 
 Noe  hurt,  noe  ache,  noe  sore ; 
 There  is  noe  death,  nor  ugly  devill, 
 
 But  Life  for  evermore. 
 
82  TEE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 Noe  dampish  mist  is  scene  in  thee, 
 Noe  cold  nor  darksome  night ; 
 
 There  everie  soule  shines  as  the  sun ; 
 There  God  Himselfe  gives  light. 
 
 There  lust  and  lucre  cannot  dwell, 
 
 There  envy  bears  no  sway ; 
 There  is  noe  hunger,  heate,  nor  colde, 
 
 But  pleasure  everie  way. 
 
 Hierusalem !  Hierusalem  ! 
 
 God  grant  I  once  may  see 
 Thy  endless  joyes,  and  of  the  same 
 
 Partaker  aye  to  bee  ! 
 
 Thy  walls  are  made  of  pretious  stones, 
 Thy  bulwarkes  diamondes  square, 
 
 Thy  gates  are  of  right  orient  pearle, 
 Exceedinge  riche  and  rare. 
 
 Thy  turrettes  and  thy  pinnacles 
 
 With  carbuncles  doe  shine ; 
 Thy  verrie  streets  are  paved  with  gould, 
 
 Surpassinge  clear  and  fine. 
 
 Thy  houses  are  of  yvorie, 
 
 Thy  windows  crj'stal  cleare ; 
 Thy  tyles  are  made  of  beaten  gould  ; 
 
 — O  God,  that  I  were  there  ! 
 
 Within  thy  gates  nothinge  doth  come 
 
 That  is  not  passinge  cleane  ; 
 Noe  spider's  web,  no  durt,  no  dust, 
 
 Noe  filthe  may  there  be  scene. 
 
 Ah  !  my  sweete  Home,  Hierusalem, 
 
 Would  God  I  were  in  thee  ! 
 Would  God  my  woes  were  at  an  end. 
 
 Thy  joyes  that  I  might  see ! 
 
 Thy  saints  are  crowned  with  glorie  great. 
 
 They  see  God  face  to  face  ; 
 They  triumph  still,  they  still  reioyce  ; 
 
 Most  happie  is  their  case. 
 
 Wee  that  are  heere  in  banishment 
 
 Continuallie  doe  moane ; 
 We  sigh  and  sobbe,  we  weepe  and  waile, 
 
 Perpetuallie  we  groane. 
 
 Our  sweete  is  mixed  with  bitter  gaule, 
 
 Our  pleasure  is  but  paine  ; 
 Our  ioyes  scarce  last  the  lookeing  on. 
 
 Our  sorrowes  still  remaine. 
 
EARLY  ENGLISH  HYMNS.  83 
 
 But  there  they  live  in  such  delight, 
 
 Such  pleasure  and  such  play, 
 As  that  to  them  a  thousand  yearea 
 
 Doth  seeme  as  yesterday. 
 
 Thy  vineyardes  and  thy  orchardes  are 
 
 Most  beautifull  and  faire, 
 Full  furnished  with  trees  and  fruits, 
 
 Most  wonderfull  and  rare. 
 
 Thy  gardens  and  thy  gallant  walkes 
 
 Continually  are  greene ; 
 There  growe  such  sweet  and  pleasant  flowers 
 
 As  noe  where  else  are  seene. 
 
 There's  nectar  and  ambrosia  made 
 There's  muske  and  civette  sweete ; 
 
 There  manie  a  fair  and  daintie  drugge 
 Are  troden  under  feete. 
 
 There  cinnamon,  there  sugar  grows, 
 
 There  narde  and  halm  abound  . 
 What  tounge  can  telle  or  harte  conceive 
 
 The  ioys  that  there  are  found  ? 
 
 Quyt  through  the  streetes,  with  silver  sound, 
 
 the  Flood  of  Life  do  flowe ; 
 Upon  whose  banke-i.  on  everie  syde. 
 
 The  Wood  of  Life  doth  growe. 
 
 There  trees  for  evermore  beai-e  fruite, 
 
 And  evermore  doe  springe ; 
 There  evermore  the  angels  sit. 
 
 And  evermore  doe  singe. 
 
 There  David  stands,  with  harpe  in  hands. 
 
 As  master  of  the  queere  ; 
 Tenne  thousand  times  that  man  were  blest, 
 
 That  might  this  musicke  heare  ! 
 
 Our  Ladie  singes  Magnificat, 
 
 With  tune  surpassinge  sweete  ; 
 And  all  the  Virginns  beare  theii'  parte. 
 
 Sitting  aboue  her  feete. 
 
 Te  Deum  doth  Saint  Ambrose  singe. 
 
 Saint  Austine  doth  the  like  ; 
 Ould  Simeon  and  Zacharie 
 
 Have  not  their  songes  to  seeke. 
 
 There  Magdalene  hath  left  her  mone. 
 
 And  cheer fuUie  doth  singe 
 With  blessed  Saints,  whose  harmonie 
 
 In  everie  street  doth  ringe. 
 
84  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Hierusalem  !  my  happie  Home  ! 
 
 Would  God  1  were  in  thee  ! 
 Would  God  my  woes  were  at  an  end, 
 
 Thy  joy es  that  I  might  see ! 
 
 Of  the  writers  of  the  period  covered  by  this  chapter  we 
 may  say  generally,  that  none  of  them  made  hymn- 
 writing  a  distinct  object.  It  may  be  questioned  whether 
 any  of  them  wrote  hymns  with  the  idea  of  their  being 
 snng  in  worship.  Most  of  them  are  adaptations,  either 
 from  poems,  or  verses  written  for  private  reading  or 
 meditation.  They  are  sporadic  utterances  due  to  the  lyric 
 feeling  which  forced  itself  into  expression.  And  the 
 reason  is  evident :  song,  save  in  metrical  versions  of  the 
 Psalms,  was  unknown  in  the  Church  of  those  times. 
 Stemhold  and  Hopkins  monopolised  the  choir,  and  there- 
 fore there  was  no  demand  to  create  a  supply  of  hymns. 
 This  accounts  for  their  paucity  during  this  period  ;  and  it 
 also  accounts  for  the  great  merit  of  most  of  those  which 
 were][produced.  They  were  not  productions  of  men  who 
 wrote  to  order,  but  of  those  who  could  not  help  breaking 
 into  song.  Quality,  not  quantity,  is  the  characteristic  of 
 this  period  of  hymnody,  which  bears  the  mark  of 
 the  freshness  and  power  so  evident  in  the  literature  of 
 that  age. 
 
85 
 
 CHAPTER  VIIL 
 
 INCEEASE  OF  THE  HYMNAL  FACULTY. 
 
 ^We  are  now  nearing  a  period  on  whicli  the  coming  glory 
 of  hymnody  begins  to  cast  its  light.  Foregleams  of  the 
 hymn-singing  ages  now  become  visible.  Of  this  period, 
 George  MacDonald,  in  his  "  England's  Antiphon,"  says  : — 
 "We  find  ourselves  now  in  the  zone  of  %ww-writing. 
 From  this  period,  that  is,  from  toward  the  close  of  the 
 seventeenth  century,  a  large  amount  of  the  fervour  of  the 
 country  finds  vent  in  hymns :  they  are  innumerable." 
 John  Mason,  who  died  in  1694,  is,  perhaps,  the  first 
 Englishman  who  set  himself,  with  success,  to  produce 
 hymns  for  actual  use  in  worship.  They  were  probably  the 
 first  to  be  used  in  congregational  worship  in  England.  He 
 wrote  thirty-four  songs  of  praise,  six  penitential  hymns, 
 and  a  version  of  the  86th  Psalm.  To  these  were  added 
 ''Penitential  Cries,"  chiefly  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Shep- 
 herd, an  Independent  minister,  of  Braintree.  These, 
 and  the  hymns  included  in  W.  Barton's  "Psalms  and 
 Hymns"  (1681),  and  his  "Six  Centuries  of  Select 
 Hymns"  (1688),  formed  the  thin  end  of  the  wedge  by 
 means  of  which,  at  last,  hymn  singing  found  its  way  into 
 the  services  of  the  Independents,  who,  therefore,  are  the 
 true  pioneers  of  hymn  singing  in  England ;  but,   at  the 
 
86  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 same  time,  the  first  real  hymn  writer  of  merit  belongs  to 
 the  Established  Church,  for  John  Mason  is  a  writer  of 
 great  merit.  This  is  evident  from  the  fact  that,  although 
 "William  Barton  preceded  him,  none  of  Barton's  hymns  have 
 established  themselves  in  the  favour  of  the  Church.  Mr. 
 Enoch  Watts,  in  a  letter  urging  his  brother  to  publish  his 
 hymns,  rests  his  plea  on  the  ground  that  ''Mason  now 
 reduces  this  kind  of  writing  to  a  sort  of  yawning  in- 
 difference, and  honest  Barton  chimes  us  asleep."  The 
 Church  of  later  times  has  endorsed  the  second  part  of  this 
 plea  by  rejecting  Barton's  hymns,  but  it  has  repudiated 
 the  first  part  by  retaining  the  finest  of  Mason's  hymns, 
 which  are  clearly  growing  in  popularity.  There  are 
 those  in  our  day  who  prefer  Mason  to  Watts  himself. 
 George  MacDonald  says  of  Mason's  hymns  : — "  Dr.  Watts 
 was  very  fond  of  them ;  would  that  he  had  written  with 
 similar  modesty  of  style  ! "  Their  popularity,  even  in 
 those  times,  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  they  passed  through 
 twenty  editions.  Montgomery  says  of  his  hymns : — 
 "  The  style  is  a  middle  tint  between  the  raw  colouring  of 
 Quarles  and  the  day-light  clearness  of  Watts."  Speaking 
 of  both  Mason  and  Shepherd,  George  MacDonald  says : — 
 "  In  the  writings  of  both  we  recognise  a  straightforward- 
 ness of  expression  equal  to  that  of  Wither,  and  a  quaint 
 simplicity  of  thought  and  form  like  that  of  Herrick ; 
 while  the  very  charm  of  some  of  the  best  lines  is  their 
 spontaneity.  The  men  have  just  enough  mysticism  to 
 afford  them  homeliest  figures  for  deepest  feelings."  It 
 seems  to  me  that  John  Mason's  style  is  best  accounted 
 for  by  two  influences  ;  one  derived  from  George  Herbert, 
 whose  poems,  it  is  clear,  he  knew  and  loved,  and 
 the  other  from  the  fact  that  his  purpose  in  writing  his 
 
INCREASE   OF   THE  HYMNAL   FACULTY.      87 
 
 hymns  was  that  they  should  be  sung.  The  first  accounts 
 for  his  method  of  thought ;  the  second  for  his  style  of 
 verse.  Deeper  than  both  these  influences,  of  course,  was 
 the  devout  and  thoughtful  nature  of  the  man  himself. 
 To  all  these  combined  we  owe  his  fine  hymns,  so 
 increasingly  prized,  and  which  are  fast  recovering  the 
 place  from  .which  they  were  pushed  by  the  hymns  of 
 Dr.  Watts  (which  for  so  long  held  exclusive  possession 
 of  the  Independent  Church).  Earely  did  Watts  rise  to 
 the  height  of  thought  and  beauty  of  expression  which 
 are  found  in  Mason's  hymns.     Here  are  specimens  : — 
 
 Now  from  the  altar  of  our  hearts 
 
 Let  incense-flames  arise. 
 Assist  us,  Lord,  to  offer  up 
 
 Our  evening  sacrifice. 
 
 Awake  !  our  love  ;  awake  !  our  joy, 
 
 Awake  !  our  heart  and  tongue ; 
 Sleep  not  when  mercies  loudly  call ; 
 
 Break  forth  into  a  song. 
 
 Minutes  and  mercies  multiplied 
 
 Have  made  up  all  this  day  ; 
 Minutes  came  quick,  but  mercies  were 
 
 More  Meet  and  free  than  they. 
 
 New  time,  new  favours,  and  new  joys 
 
 Do  a  new  song  require  : 
 Till  we  shall  praise  Thee  as  we  would, 
 
 Accept  our  hearts'  desire 
 
 Lord  of  our  time,  whose  hand  hath  set 
 
 New  time  upon  our  score ; 
 Thee  may  we  praise  for  all  our  time, 
 
 When  time  shall  be  no  more. 
 
 and  what  is,  perhaps,  his  finest  hymn,  of  which  I  quote 
 the  first  three  verses  : — 
 
 Thou  wast,  O  God,  and  Thou  wast  blest. 
 
 Before  the  world  began  ; 
 Of  Thine  eternity  possest 
 
 Before  time's  hour  glass  ran. 
 1  hou  needest  none  Thy  praise  to  sing. 
 
 As  if  Thy  joy  could  fade  ; 
 Couldst  Thou  have  needed  anything, 
 
 Thou  couldst  have  nothing  made. 
 
88  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 Great  and  good  God,  it  pleased  Thee 
 
 Thy  Godhead  to  declare ; 
 And  what  Thy  goodness  did  decree, 
 
 Thy  greatness  did  prepare ; 
 Thou  spak'st,  and  heaven  and  earth  appeared 
 
 And  answered  to  Thy  call ; 
 As  if  theii"  Maker's  voice  they  heard, 
 
 Which  is  the  creature's  all. 
 
 To  whom,  Lord,  should  I  sing,  but  Thee, 
 
 The  Maker  of  my  tongue ! 
 Lo,  other  lords  would  seize  on  me, 
 
 But  I  to  Thee  belong. 
 As  waters  haste  into  their  sea. 
 
 And  earth  unto  its  earth, 
 So  let  my  soul  return  to  Thee, 
 
 From  whom  it  had  its  birth. 
 
 So  good  a  judge  as  George  MacDonald  regards  this  as  one 
 of  the  very  finest  hymns  in  the  language.  I  once  quoted 
 the  lines — 
 
 To  whom,  Lord,  should  I  sing  but  Thee, 
 The  Maker  of  my  tongue, 
 
 to  Mr.  T.  H.  Gill,  the  well  known  hymnist,  and  shall 
 never  forget  his  ecstatic  delight.  The  influence  George 
 Herbert  exerted  over  Mason  is  seen  in  the  hymn, 
 "  Blest  day  of  God,  most  calm,  most  bright,"  which  is 
 clearly  an  echo  of  Herbert's  "  0  day  most  calm,  most 
 bright."  The  influence  of  Herbert  over  Mason  is  as 
 evident  as  that  exerted  by  Mason  over  Watts.  Had 
 Mason's  lot  been  cast  in  a  later  and  hymn  singing  age, 
 he  would  probably  have  reached  a  more  perfect  hymnic 
 style.  The  compactness  of  his  thoughts  would  then 
 have  taken  on  more  lyric  forms.  But  still,  he  deserves 
 lasting  honour  as  one  of  the  very  few  who  wrote  fine 
 hymns  in  English  before^the  hymn  singing  era  really 
 began. 
 
 Thomas  Shepherd  (1665-1739),  belongs  to  a  somewhat 
 later  period,  but  should,  perhaps,  be  mentioned  here,  both 
 
mCBEASE   OF  TEE  HYMNAL  FACULTY.     89 
 
 because  he  belongs  to  the  same  school,  and  because  his 
 
 hymns  were  so  closely  associated  with  those  of   Mason. 
 
 He  wrote  twenty  '*  Penitential  Psalms."     His  style  is  like 
 
 that  of  Mason,  but  his  verses  lack  his  vigour  and  insight. 
 
 He  was  originally  a  clergyman  in  Buckinghamshire,  but 
 
 joined  the  Independents,  and  became  pastor  of  the  church 
 
 in  which  another  great  hymnist,   Doddridge,  afterwards 
 
 ministered,  at   Northampton.     His  finest  hymn  contains 
 
 the  following  verses — 
 
 Alas  !  my  God,  that  we  should  be 
 
 Such  strangers  to  each  other  ! 
 
 0  that  as  friends  we  might  agree, 
 
 And  walk  and  talk  together ! 
 
 Thou  know'st  my  soul  doth  dearly  love, 
 
 The  place  of  Thine  abode  ; 
 No  music  drops  so  sweet  a  sound 
 
 As  these  two  words,  My  God. 
 
 If  Heniy  Yaughan  (1621-1695),  the  "Silurist's"  lot 
 had  been  cast  in  a  hymn-singing  age,  he  would  have  been 
 almost  sure  to  have  written  noble  hymns,  but  there  was 
 then  no  musician  waiting  to  wed  his  words  to  music,  nor 
 choir  ready  to  sing  them  when  thus  wedded,  and  so  he 
 wrote  only  for  men  to  read.  Still,  there  is  a  rich  mine  of 
 sacred  ideas  in  his  poetry,  which  only  need  setting  by 
 the  skilful  hymnist  to  shine  in  the  crown  of  worship. 
 Both  Vaughan,  and  his  predecessor,  Herbert,  with  whom 
 he  has  so  much  in  common,  might  be  to  hymnists  what 
 Spenser  is  to  the  poets.  Two  of  Yaughan' s  hymns  have 
 found  their  way  into  modern  collections,  viz.  :  "  My  soul, 
 there  is  a  countrie,"  and  "Bright  Queen  of  Heaven, 
 God's  Yirgin  Spouse,"  whilst  his  version  of  Psalm  121, 
 beginning  "Up  to  those  bright  and  gladsome  hills,"  has 
 been  included  in  several  public  school  hymnals. 
 
 Samuel    Grossman    (1624-1683),    has    given    us    nine 
 
90  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 hymns  which  have  a  certain  ^lyric  merit,  but  are  not 
 very  healthy  in  tone.  The  best  known  are:  ''Jerusalem 
 on  high,  my  joy  and  city  is,"  ''  My  life's  a  shade,  my 
 days,"  and  *'  My  song  is  love  unknown."  They  lack  the 
 vigour  and  insight  of  John  Mason,  and  have  a  certain 
 morbid  tone  of  dissatisfaction  with  earth,  which  is^ 
 happily,  passing  from  the  faith  of  modem  times. 
 ~  The  Earl  of  Eoscommon's  (died  1684)  part  in  hymnody 
 did  not  extend  beyond  a  rendering  of  the  Dies  Irce,  which 
 has  acquired  a  certain  fame,  and  [was  used  commonly  in 
 England  in  his  day.     The  two  last  lines  of  this — 
 
 My  God,  my  Father,  and  my  Friend, 
 Do  not  forsake  me  in  my  end — 
 
 were  uttered  by  him  just  before  he  expired.     Mr.  Orby 
 
 Shipley,    in   his    "  Annus    Sanctus,"    says   that,    in    all 
 
 probability,  it  is  wrongly  attributed  to  the  Earl. 
 
 To  John  Dryden  (1623-1700)  we  owe  the  most 
 popular  rendering  of  the  "  Yeni,  Creator,  Spiritus,"  of 
 which  we  have  spoken  in  an  earlier  chapter,  beginning 
 ''Creator,  Spirit,  by  whose  aid."  Much  of  the  evidence 
 points  to  him  as  the  author  of  other  renderings  of 
 ancient  hymns,  but  it  is  not  absolutely  conclusive.  He 
 has  been  called  "  the  most  felicitous  and  the  most  reckless 
 of  English  translators." 
 
 Bishop  Thomas  Ken,  of   whom  Dryden' s  lines  on  the 
 
 "  Good  Parson  "  are  said  to  be  a  picture  : — 
 
 Letting  down  the  golden  chain  from  high, 
 He  drew  his  audience  upward  to  the  sky. 
 And  oft  with  holy  hymns  he  charmed  the  ears, 
 A  music  more  melodious  than  the  spheres  ; 
 For  David  left  him,  when  he  went  to  rest, 
 His  lyre  ;  and,  after  him,  he  eang  the  best. 
 
 Up  to  the  present  time,  this  would  seem  to  be  the  popular 
 judgment,   since  his  Morning  and   Evening   Hymns  are 
 
INCREASE   OF   THE  HYMNAL   FACULTY.      91 
 
 probably  the  best  known  of  any  in  English-speaking 
 countries,  and  are  included  in  nearly  every  collection, 
 whilst  the  doxology  with  which  they  both  close  is 
 certainly  not  only  the  finest,  but  the  best  known  in 
 the  world.  These  hymns  were  first  published  in  the 
 "  Manual  of  Prayers,  for  the  scholars  of  Winchester 
 College."  They  were  afterwards  revised  by  their  author. 
 It  was  in  the  first  version  the  Evening  Hymn  began, 
 "  Glonj  to  Thee,  my  God,  this  night."  The  Bishop 
 afterwards  altered  it  to  ^^  All 2->raise  to  Thee,  my  God,  this 
 night."  The  hymn  for  Midnight,  beginning  "Lord,  now 
 my  sleep  does  me  forsake,"  has  fine  lines  in  it,  but,  as 
 was  natural,  since  it  is  very  rarely  people  sing  at  that 
 time,  did  not  come  into  use  like  those  for  Morning  and 
 Evening.  !N'one  of  the  other  hymns  in  his  "Christian 
 Year "  are  worthy  to  be  compared  with  these,  nor  have 
 any  of  them  attained  to  use  in  the  Church. 
 
 It  might  perhaps  be  questioned  whether  the  Morning 
 and  Evening  Hymns  were  entirely  original  productions  of 
 Bishop  Ken,  on  the  ground  that  certain  verses,  in  a  more 
 rugged  version,  are  included  in  the  "  Yerbum  Sempi- 
 temum"  of  John  Taylor,  known  as  the  water  poet,  which 
 was  republished  in  1693,  whilst  the  "Winchester  Manual,  in 
 which  Ken's  hymns  are  first  found,  did  not  appear  till  two 
 years  later,  in  1695.  These  are  the  verses,  as  they 
 appear  in  the  "Yerbum  Sempiternum."  A  Prayer  for 
 the  Morning  : — 
 
 Glory  to  Thee,  my  God,  who  safe  has  kept, 
 
 And  me  refresh'd,  while  I  securely  slept; 
 
 Lord,  this  day  guard  me,  lest  I  may  transgress, 
 
 And  all  my  undertakings  guide  and  bless. 
 
 And  since  to  Thee  my  vows  I  now  renew, 
 
 Scatter  my  by-past  sins  as  Morning  Dew, 
 
 That  so  Thy  glory  may  shine  clear  as  day, 
 
 In  all  1  either  think,  or  do,  or  say. 
 
92  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 Another  for  the  Evening  : — 
 
 Forgive  me.  dearest  Lord,  for  Thy  dear  Son, 
 The  many  ills  that  I  this  day  have  done, 
 That  with  the  world,  my  self,  and  then  with  Thee, 
 I,  ere  I  sleep,  at  perfect  peace  may  be. 
 
 Teach  me  to  live  that  I  may  ever  dread 
 
 The  Grave  as  little  as  I  do  my  bed  ; 
 
 Keep  me  this  night,  O  keep  me,  King  of  Kings, 
 
 Secm-e  under  Thine  own  Almighty  Wings. 
 
 But  it  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  Ken's  hymns  may 
 have  appeared  earlier  than  1695,  in  some  more  fugitive 
 form  of  publication  ;  it  is  possible,  too,  that  the  verses 
 already  quoted  represent  the  Bishop's  first  version,  which 
 may  have  been  afterwards  improved.  It  was  a  very 
 common  practice  in  that  age,  to  insert  hymns  in  religious 
 books  without  any  acknowledgment  of  the  source  whence 
 they  were  taken.  In  the  edition  of  the  "  Lama  Sabac- 
 thani,  or  the  Cry  of  the  Son  of  God,"  a  high  Anglican 
 book  on  the  Passion,  published  in  1708,  is  inserted  a 
 mangled  version  of  Dr.  Watts'  ' '  When  I  survey  the 
 wondrous  cross,"  which  appeared  in  the  first  edition  of 
 his  hymns  in  1707  ;  whilst  in  the  1701  edition  of  Bishop 
 Joseph  Hall's  "  Jacob's  Ladder  "  are  given  several  hymns, 
 ''Jerusalem,  my  happy  home,"  and  others  from  the  pen  of 
 Mason,  no  acknowledgment  of  their  authorship  being 
 appended.  It  has  also  been  suggested,  that  Ken  drew 
 some  of  his  materials  from  Flatman,  who  published  a 
 volume  of  poems  and  hymns  in  1674,  but  a  candid  con- 
 sideration of  the  hymn  from  which  he  is  said  to  have 
 borrowed  does  not  support  this  suggestion.  But  whilst 
 we  must  reject  these  charges  of  indebtedness,  there  can 
 be  little  doubt  that  Ken  was  acquainted  with  the  hymn 
 of  Sir  Thomas  Browne's,  published  in  his  "Beligio 
 Medici,"  and  that  unconsciously,  in  writing  his  Evening 
 
INCREASE   OF  THE  HYMNAL  FACULTY.     93 
 
 Hymn,  he  was  affected  thereby.  A  comparison  of  the 
 good  Bishop's  hymn  with  that  of  the  Norwich  physician, 
 given  on  page  77,  will  reveal  many  similarities,  both  of 
 thought  and  expression.  The  plagiarism,  if  such  existed, 
 was,  however,  probably  quite  unconscious.  Those  who 
 desire  to  consider  this  question  further,  will  find  materials 
 in  an  interesting  chapter  in  Dean  Plumptre's  forthcoming 
 work,  "  The  Life  and  Letters  of  Bishop  Ken,"  of  which, 
 with  great  kindness,  he  has  permitted  me  to  read  the 
 proofs. 
 
 JN'ahum  Tate  (1652-1715)  and  Nicholas  Brady  (1659- 
 1726)  are  chiefly  known  by  their  translations  of  the 
 Psalms  into  metre,  which  succeeded  those  of  Sternhold 
 and  Hopkins,  but  in  the  appendix  to  their  version  of  the 
 Psalms  are  certain  hymns,  probably  from  the  pen  of  one 
 or  other  of  them.  The  most  important  of  these  are  "  To 
 God  be  glory,  peace  on  earth,"  an  English  rendering  of 
 an  ancient  hymn,  "  While  shepherds  watched  their  flocks 
 by  night,"  and  also  "0  God  of  Hosts,  the  mighty 
 Lord,"  which,  however,  is  a  part  of  their  Psalter,  and 
 also  included  therein,  in  its  proper  place.  Some  of 
 their  versions  of  the  Psalms  are  deservedly  retained 
 as  hymns  in  modern  collections,  especially  *'  Through 
 all  the  changing  scenes  of  life  "  (Psalm  xxiv). 
 Their  versions  of  the  Psalms  as  a  whole,  though  less 
 rugged  than  those  of  Sternhold  and  Hopkins  (which 
 they  displaced),  have  little  poetic  merit,  and  could  only 
 have  satisfied  a  commonplace  age. 
 
 The  Wesley  family,  to  whom  hymnody  owes  so  much, 
 is  represented  in  this  age  by  Samuel,  the  father  of  John 
 and  Charles  Wesley  ;  himself  the  son  of  an  earlier  John 
 Wesley.     The  one  hymn  we  owe  to  him  is  "Behold  the 
 
94  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 Saviour  of  mankind."  It  was  found  written  on  a  piece 
 of  music,  which  narrowly  escaped  destruction  when  his 
 parsonage  at  Epworth  was  hurnt  down — a  fire  from  which 
 his  son  John  was  saved  in  an  almost  miraculous  way.  It 
 is  a  somewhat  dramatic  hymn,  and  more  after  the  manner 
 of  Watts  than  of  his  son,  Charles  Wesley. 
 
 The  use  of  Joseph  Stennett's  (1663-1713)  hymns  has 
 been  confined,  with  one  exception,  chiefly  to  the  Baptist 
 hody,  to  which  he  belonged.  He  wrote  twelve  hymns  for 
 believer's  baptism — a  theme  on  which  we  have  never  met 
 with  a  really  fine  hymn,  although  there  are  many  not 
 specially  written  for  it  which  are  admirably  suited  to  such 
 a  service.  His  hymn,  beginning  "  Another  six  days'  work 
 is  done,"  has  some  little  merit  for  Sunday  morning  use. 
 It  consisted  originally  of  fourteen  verses,  from  which 
 four  are  usually  taken.  The  last  verse,  ''  Come,  bless  the 
 Lord,  whose  love  assigns,"  is  by  another  hand. 
 
 The  last  name  of  the  period,  before  Watts,  is  Joseph 
 Addison  (1672-1719),  a  great  name  in  English  literature, 
 and,  so  far  as  style  and  taste  are  concerned,  a  notable 
 name  in  hymnody ;  but  he  lacked  the  vision  and  faculty 
 divine  so  essential  to  poetry  of  the  highest  order.  Still, 
 his  hymns  are  far  above  the  average.  His  rendering  of 
 the  19th  Psalm,  "  The  spacious  firmament  on  high,"  was 
 first  given  at  the  end  of  an  ai-ticle  in  the  Spectator, 
 ISTo.  465,  August  23rd,  1712,  on  ''  The  right  means  to 
 strengthen  faith."  That  of  the  23rd  Psalm,  "The  Lord  my 
 pasture  shall  prepare,"  appeared  in  the  same  periodical, 
 JS'o.  441,  July  26th,  1712.  His  hymn  for  travellers,  "How 
 are  Thy  servants  blest,  0  Lord,"  in  ]S"o.  489,  Sept.  20th, 
 1712,  at  the  end  of  a  paper  on   "  The  Sea."     "  When 
 
INCREASE   OF  THE  HYMNAL   FACULTY.     95 
 
 rising  from  the  bed  of  death,"  in  No.  513,  October  18th, 
 1712.  His  finest  hymn,  most  full  of  feeling  and  lyric 
 force,  "When  all  Thy  mercies,  0  my  God,"  is  appended 
 to  an  article  on  "  Praise  to  God,"  in  IS'o.  453,  August  9th, 
 1712.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  all  his  hymns  were 
 published  in  the  same  year,  1712.  Two  of  his  hymns 
 have  been  claimed  as  Andrew  Marvell's  by  Captain 
 Thompson,  but  there  is  no  good  ground  for  the  claim. 
 
 In  the  period  covered  by  this  chapter,  a  distinct  advance 
 is  observable  toward  hymn  writing  as  distinguished  from 
 mere  poetiy.  Hymns  begin  to  assume  a  distinct  style  ; 
 they  are  less  vehicles  for  thought  and  more  for  religious 
 aspiration  ;  they  have  grown  simpler,  both  in  form  and 
 substance,  and  more  within  the  comprehension  of  simple 
 folk.  The  foundations  have  thus  been  laid  on  which 
 first  Watts,  then  Wesley,  and  afterwards  a  multitude  of 
 builders  will  erect  the  great  Temple  of  English  Song. 
 
96 
 
 CHAPTER  IX. 
 
 THE  FOUNDATIONS   OF   ENGLISH  HYMNODY. 
 
 Isaac  Watts  is  the  real  founder  of  English  hymnody. 
 What  Ambrose  was  to  the  Latins ;  what  Clement  Marot 
 was  to  the  French ;  what  Luther  was  to  the  Germans ; 
 that,  and  perhaps  more,  was  Watts  to  the  English.  As 
 Josiah  Conder  says: — "He  was  the  first  who  succeeded 
 in  overcoming  the  prejudice  which  opposed  the  intro- 
 duction of  hymns  into  our  public  worship."  In  our 
 hymn-singing  age,  it  is  difficult,  especially  for  its  younger 
 members,  to  realise  the  strength  and  even  violence  of 
 such  a  prejudice.  So  strong  was  it,  so  high  did  feeling 
 run  on  the  subject,  that  many  a  church  was  rent  asunder 
 by  the  proposal  to  introduce  hymns  ;  in  some  cases,  even 
 by  the  proposal  to  sing  metrical  versions  of  the  Psalms. 
 This  was  markedly  the  case  among  the  Baptists.  In  the 
 church  of  which  Benjamin  Keach  was  the  pastor  (the 
 original  of  that  to  which  Mr.  Spurgeon  now  ministers), 
 when,  after  prolonged  discussion,  it  was  decided  to 
 introduce  singing  into  its  worship,  "  a  minority  took 
 refuge  in  a  songless  sanctuary."  In  his  "Truth  Soberly 
 Defined,"  published  in  1698,  Isaac  Marlow,  with  con- 
 siderable passion,  maintained  that  the  Church  should 
 not  permit  the  introduction  of  singing  into  her  services. 
 
THE  FOUNDATIONS  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNODY.   97 
 
 This  appears  to  have  been  very  closely  connected  with  the 
 Puritan  prejudice  against /orm«  of  prayer.  The  objection 
 that  was  taken  against  forms  in  prayer  was  easily 
 extended  to  forms  in  song.  Regarded  logically,  they 
 stand  or  fall  together.  And  in  many  instances, 
 the  objection  to  forms  was  applied  to  every  part  of 
 worship  save  the  reading  of  Scripture,  which  was 
 exempted  on  the  ground  of  its  Divine  origin.  But 
 whilst  the  objection  to  fonns  of  grayer  remains  among 
 ^Nonconformists  generally,  that  against  forms  of  praise 
 has  long  since  died  out ;  but  in  many  quarters  it  died 
 hard.  In  some  Churches,  however,  the  objection  lay 
 not  against  singing,  for  the  metrical  Psalms  were  sung, 
 but  against  the]  singing  of  hymns.  There  was  a  feeling 
 that  the  line  must  be  drawn  somewhere,  and  so  it  was 
 drawn  at  hymns.  It  is  very  difficult  to  discover  the 
 usages  in  worship  of  the  early  Nonconformists.  At  my 
 request,  some  of  the  Church  books  of  the  most  ancient 
 congregations,  notably  that  at  Stepney  Meeting,  have 
 been  searched  by  the  kindness  of  friends,  but  no  minutes 
 can  be  found  bearing  on  the  subject.  Even  Dr. 
 Stoughton,  who  probably  knows  more  than  any  living 
 man  of  the  usages  of  the  churches  in  England  since 
 the  passing  of  the  Act  of  Uniformity,  can  throw  scarcely 
 any  light  on  the  subject.  The  publication  of  various 
 collections  of  hynms  by  "W.  Barton  during  the  years 
 between  1654  and  1688  ;  the  large  sale  of  Mason  and 
 Shepherd's  hymns  (1691) ;  the  issue  of  a  collection  of 
 "  Divine  Hymns,"  gathered  from  six  authors,  amongst 
 whom  were  J.  Mason  and  R.  Baxter,  in  1694  ;  seem  to 
 point  to  the  probability  that   hymns  were  used,   at  all 
 
THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 events  in  some  churclies  ;  but  it  is  not  decisive,  since 
 publication  does  not  always  imply  adoption  by  the 
 churclies,  and  such  collections  may  have  been  chiefly 
 used  for  reading,  or,  as  in  the  case  of  Matthew  Henry's 
 hymns  (1695),  for  singing  in  the  home.  I  cannot  help 
 thinking  that  such  hymns,  if  used  at  all  in  public 
 worship,  could  have  been  sung  in  very  few  churches,  and 
 that  the  great  majority  confined  themselves  to  the  singing 
 of  the  metrical  Psalms,  in  the  versions  of  Stemhold  and 
 Hopkins,  or  Patrick,  or  Barton.  If,  however.  Dr.  Gibbons 
 is  to  be  relied  on  for  accuracy,  hymns  must  have  been  in 
 use  in  the  closing  years  of  the  17th  century,  for  he  says  : 
 ''  Mr.  John  Morgan,  a  minister  of  very  respectable 
 character,  now  living  at  Romsey,  Hants,  has  sent  me  the 
 following  information :  '  The  occasion  of  the  Doctor's 
 (Watts)  hymns  was  this,  as  I  had  the  account  from  his 
 worthy  fellow-labourer  and  colleague,  the  Eev.  Mr.  Price, 
 in  whose  family  I  dwelt  above  fifty  years  ago.  The 
 hymns  which  were  sung  at  the  Dissenting  Meeting  at 
 Southampton  [these  were  Barton's]  were  so  little  to  the 
 gust  of  Mr.  Watts,  that  he  could  not  forbear  complaining 
 of  them  to  his  father.  The  father  bid  him  try  what  he 
 could  do  to  mend  the  matter.  He  did,  and  had  such 
 success  in  his  first  essay,  'Behold  the  glories  of  the  Lamb,' 
 that  a  second  hymn  was  earnestly  desired  of  him,  and 
 then  a  third  and  fourth,  &c.,  till,  in  process  of  time,  there 
 was  such  a  number  of  them  as  to  make  up  a  volume.'  " 
 But  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  church  at  Southampton 
 was  exceptionally  liberal  in  its  spirit ;  evidence  for  which 
 I  see  in  the  fact  that  they  adopted  the  hymns  of  young 
 Watts — a  member  of  their  own  fellowship,  and  a  prophet 
 is  not  without  honour,  save  in  his  own  country — so  readily, 
 
THE  FOUNDATIONS  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNODY.  S9 
 
 and  without,  so  far  as  we  know,  opposition.  That  this  is 
 so  seems  to  be  proved  by  the  fact  that,  in  many  cases, 
 nearly  half  a  century  elapsed  before  some  churches 
 would  admit  even  his  versions  of  the  Psalms  into  their 
 worship.  It  must  be  remembered,  too,  that  the  funda- 
 mental principle  of  Independency  permits  no  act  of 
 uniformity  in  relation  to  either  doctrine  or  worship,  but 
 leaves  each  church  free  in  both  respects.  This  makes  it 
 the  more  difficult  to  discover  its  usage  in  the  matter  of 
 singing  than  it  is  with  bodies  closely  compacted,  in  which 
 to  discover  the  usage  of  one  is  to  be  sure  of  that  of  all. 
 
 When  Watts' s  hymns  began  to  find  their  way  into 
 favour,  the  more  conservative  regarded  them,  as  Eomaine 
 afterwards  did,  as  "  "Watts' s  Whims.''''  Whereas,  in 
 Germany,  Luther's  hymns  were  sung  almost  as  soon 
 as  they  were  produced,  it  was  thirty  or  forty  years 
 before  those  of  Dr.  Watts  found  their  way  into  common 
 use  ;  and  even  then  suspicions  of  heresy  fastened  about 
 the  churches  that  adopted  them.  It  seems  scarcely 
 possible  that  little  more  than  a  century  ago  hymn- 
 singing  was  scarcely  known  in  our  churches.  Without 
 it,  those  services  must  have  been  extremely  dull ; 
 what  with  the  long  prayers  and  the  long  sermons, 
 they  must  have  been  a  great  weariness  to  the  flesh. 
 There  must  surely  have  been  a  good  many  of  the 
 worshippers  who,  like  Eutychus  under  Paul's  long 
 preaching,  fell  asleep.  As  to  the  hymnody  of  the  time, 
 Dr.  Watts' s  lines  would  surely  apply  : — 
 O  what  a  wretched  land  is  this, 
 That  yields  us  no  supphes. 
 
 And  it  was  this  poverty  which  really  gave  birth  to  our 
 modern  hymnody,  for,  in  the  deepest  sense,  Dr.  Watts  is 
 
100  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 its  founder.  His  versions  of  the  Psalms  and  Ms  original 
 hymns  supplanted  all  previous  ones,  and  for  many  a  long- 
 year  held  undisputed  possession  of  the  JSTonconformist 
 Church  against  all  comers.  This  is  a  thing,  so  far  as  I 
 know,  perfectly  unique  in  the  history  of  the  Church,  and 
 is  not  even  paralleled  by  the  case  of  Charles  Wesley's 
 hymns  among  the  Methodists,  since  that  collection  con- 
 tained hymns  by  both  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  and  a 
 very  few  from  other  writers,  as  well  as  many  translations 
 from  the  German.  But  for  more  than  a  century.  Watts 
 remained  undisputed  master  of  the  hymnody  of  the  Inde- 
 pendents. J^o  other  hymns  than  his  were  heard  in  any 
 of  the  assemblies.  'No  other  writer  ever  ruled  the  Church 
 in  this  way  before.  The  Independent  Churches  became 
 as  superstitiously  conservative  in  clinging  to  Watts's 
 hymns  as  their  forefathers  had  been  in  rejecting  them, 
 and  using  only  the  Psalms  in  metre.  Even  the  Psalter — 
 the  hymn  book  of  the  Jewish  Church — does  not  furnish  a 
 parallel,  since  that  is  the  product,  not  only  of  many 
 authors,  but  of  many  ages.  Scripture  itself  has  come  to 
 us  through  many  minds  ;  but  for  more  than  a  century^ 
 Watts  was  the  only  hymnist  of  the  Independent  sanctuaries 
 of  our  land ;  so  venerated  were  his  hymns  and  psalms, 
 that  in  this  very  century  there  were  persons  who  refused 
 to  sing  any  others,  and  actually  sat  down  if  any  others 
 were  given  out.  This  was  both  a  gain  and  a  loss — a  gain 
 in  that,  through  him,  hymns  became  a  part  of  Divine 
 worship  ;  a  loss  in  that  his  preeminence  excluded  the 
 hymns  of  other  writers,  even  those  then  in  existence  by 
 George  Herbert,  John  Milton,  Richard  Baxter,  John 
 Mason,  to  say  nothing  of  those  by  writers  of  other  lands^ 
 or  the  ancient  hymns  of  the  Church. 
 
THE  FOUNDATIONS  OF  ENGLISH  IIYMNODY.  101 
 
 The  unique  position;  of  Dr.  Watts  is  due  partly  to  the 
 
 excellence  and  suitability  of  his  hymns  to  the  purposes  of 
 
 public  worship,  and  partly  to  the  nakedness  of  the  land 
 
 at  the  time   he  wrote.     He   is   the   pioneer   of  popular 
 
 English  hymnody.     He  broke  new  ground.     For  this  he 
 
 deserves  to  be  kept  in  perpetual  remembrance.     This  has, 
 
 in  my  judgment,  given  his  hymns  a  place  higher  than,  as 
 
 a  whole,  they  deserve.     This  has  covered  a  multitude  of 
 
 defects  in  them.     As  a  matter  of  fact,   he   both  soared 
 
 very  high  and  sank  very  low  in  hymn-writing.     I  know 
 
 not  where  to  look  for  more  noble,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
 
 more  unworthy  hymns  than  are  to  be  found  in  his  pages. 
 
 There  are  hymns  by  him  that  will  last  as  long  as  the  Church 
 
 continues  her  worship-song — e.g.,  "I'll  praise  my  Maker 
 
 with  my  breath,"    "  Our  God,   our  help  in  ages  past," 
 
 "  When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross,"  "Hear  what  the 
 
 voice  from  heaven  proclaims,"  and  others  that  might  be 
 
 named.     These  are  a  perpetual  possession  ;  but  many,  I 
 
 may  say  most,  of  his  hymns  are  destined  to  be,  if  they 
 
 are  not  already,  forgotten.     Some  of  them,  indeed,  once 
 
 sung  in  the  Church  cannot  now  be  read  without  a  smile. 
 
 It  is  difficult  to  realise  that  verses  in  many  of  them  could 
 
 ever  have  been  sung  without  a  titter  passing  over  the 
 
 congregation.     Take  the  following  as  illustrations.     Here 
 
 is  a  verse  from  his  version  of  the  101st  Psalm : — 
 
 I'll  purge  ray  family  around, 
 
 And  make  the  wicked  flee  ; 
 So  shall  my  house  be  ever  found 
 •  A  dwelling  fit  for  Thee. 
 
 Here  is  a  verse  from  Hymn  19  of  the  second  book  : — 
 
 He  spoke,  and  straight  our  hearts  and  brains 
 
 In  all  their  motions  rose  ; 
 Let  blood  (said  He)  flow  round  the  veins, 
 
 And  round  the  veins  it  flows. 
 
102  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Here  is  a  verse  from  Hymn  70  of  the  same  book : — 
 
 If  God  His  voice  of  tempest  rears, 
 Leviathan  lies  still  and  fears  ; 
 Anon  he  lifts  his  nostrils  high, 
 And  spouts  the  ocean  to  the  sky. 
 
 Here  are  a  couple  of  verses  from  Hymn  100  of  the  same 
 book: — 
 
 Christ  is  my  light,  my  life,  my  care, 
 
 My  blessed  hope,  my  heavenly  prize ; 
 Dearer  than  all  my  passions  are. 
 
 My  limbs,  my  bowels,  or  my  eyes. 
 
 The  strings  that  twine  about  my  heart, 
 
 Tortures  of  racks  may  tear  them  off ; 
 But  they  can  never,  never  part 
 
 With  their  dear  hold  of  Christ,  my  love. 
 
 Here  are  the  first  and  third  verses  of  Hymn  2  of  the 
 second  book : — 
 
 My  thoughts  on  awful  subjects  roll. 
 
 Damnation  and  the  dead  ; 
 What  horrors  seize  the  guilty  soul 
 
 Upon  a  dying  bed. 
 
 Then  swift  and  dreadful  she  descends 
 
 Down  to  the  fiery  coast, 
 Amongst  abominable  fiends. 
 
 Herself  a  frightful  ghost. 
 
 Ministering  in  a  church  in  which  the  first  verse  of  this 
 hymn  was  being  announced  by  the  precentor,  Mr.  Paxton 
 Hood  (lover  of  Watts  though  he  was)  shouted,  "  'No,  my 
 thoughts  don't  roll  on  awful  subjects.  Let  us  sicg, 
 '  Come,  let  us  join  our  cheerful  songs.' " 
 
 The  fact  is,  Watts,  responding  to  the  call  for  hymns, 
 wrote  too  much.  JSTo  less  than  515  psalms  and  hymns  are 
 found  in  the  volume  actually  used  in  public  worship,  to 
 say  nothing  of  his  sacred  lyrics.  It  is  not  possible  for 
 any  man,  however  gifted,  to  write  so  large  a  number  of 
 
THE  FOUNDATIONS  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNODY.  103 
 
 hymns  of  high  quality,  and  with  real  distinctiveness  of 
 character  and  subject.  It  was  even  more  difficult  in  his 
 time  than  ours,  since  he  was  confined  to  a  few  metres — 
 long,  common,  short,  sevens,  113th  and  148th  metre  are 
 ahout  the  only  ones  he  used.  He  never  dreamt  of  the  great 
 variety  of  metre  and  style  with  which  we  are  familiar. 
 I  question  very  much  whether  any  man  has  ever  written 
 more  than  twenty -five  or  thirty  hymns  of  sufficient  merit 
 and  distinctive  enough  in  theme  and  style  to  hold  an 
 abiding  place  in  the  hymnody  of  the  Church.  In  my 
 own  collection  I  have  included  twenty-six  from  his  pent 
 and  after  its  publication  I  came  across  the  following 
 remark  in  Dr.  Geo,  MacDonald's  "England's  Antiphon:" 
 "  We  cannot  help  wishing  that  he  had  written  the 
 twentieth  part.  How  could  any  man  write  six  hundred 
 religious  poems,  and  produce  quality  in  proportion  to 
 quantity  save  in  an  inverse  ratio  ?  "  This  is  just  about 
 the  proportion  I  have  retained.  I  think  aftertimes  will 
 ratify  this  judgment.  Those  are  the  truest  friends  to  the 
 memory  of  Dr.  Watts  who  only  include  the  finest  of  his 
 hymns  in  their  collections.  It  is  a  vain  effort  to  try  to 
 keep  alive  his  didactic  and  inferior  ones.  They  may  be 
 printed,  but  they  will  not  be  sung.  The  most  recently 
 published  hymnal  of  the  Congregational  Church  includes 
 about  sixty  of  his  hymns,  many  of  which  are  quite 
 unsuited  to  the  taste  of  the  day.  They  only  encumber 
 the  pages  ;  and  as  so  many  nobler  hymns  are  accessible 
 in  our  churches,  they  will  rarely,  if  ever,  be  sung.  The 
 day  of  rhymed  prose  is  over,  even  when  fathered  by 
 great  names.  Dr.  Watts,  with  a  modesty  that  is  rare, 
 once  said  that  Charles  Wesley's  hymn  on  "Wrestling 
 Jacob"    was    worth   all   he    had    ever    written.      This 
 
104  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 was  an  excess  of  modesty,  but  it  reveals,  perhaps,  a 
 feeling  hidden  in  his  mind  that  he  had  written  too  much. 
 The  fact  is,  Watts  had  a  fatal  facility  of  rhyming,  and 
 often  mistook  rhyme  for  poetry.  He  was  not  sufficiently 
 critical  of  his  work.  But  the  critical  faculty  which  he 
 did  not  apply  himself  is  being  applied  by  others.  In 
 relation  to  his  hymns,  a  process  of  spiiitual  selection  is 
 going  forward  which  will  render  him  known  to  posterity, 
 not  by  five  or  six  hundred,  but  by  the  surpassing 
 excellence  of  some  twenty-five  or  thirty,  which  will 
 remain  among  the  favourites  of  the  Church  at  large. 
 
 Simon  Browne  (1680-1732)  was  a  contemporary  with 
 Dr.  Watts,  and  belongs  to  his  school  of  hymn  writing. 
 He  published,  in  1720,  ''Hymns  and  Spiritual  Songs,  in 
 Three  Books,  designed  as  a  supplement  to  Dr.  Watts." 
 This  is  an  indication  of  the  fact  that  Watts' s  hymns  had 
 found  their  way  into  use  in  not  a  few  churches,  but  that 
 such  churches  had  not  as  yet  grown  so  conservative  and 
 exclusive  as  they  afterwards  became  in  relation  to  his 
 hymns.  Two  of  Browne's  hymns  are  well  known,  and 
 fctill  hold  a  place  in  modem  hymnals.  The  most  popular 
 is  "  Come,  gracious  Spirit,  heavenly  dove,"  which  is  not 
 without  merit;  the  other  is  "Lord,  at  Thy  feet  we 
 sinners  lie." 
 
 Alexander  Pope  (1688-1744),  who  fills  so  large  a  space 
 in  the  poetic  literature  of  England,  used  to  be  reckoned 
 among  the  hymnists,  on  account  of  what  has  been  called 
 Pope's  ode,  "  Yital  spark  of  heavenly  flame."  This  has 
 been  included  in  many  hymnals,  and  was  once  a  favourite 
 at  funeral  services.  It  is  an  imitation  of  a  poem  com- 
 posed, during  his  last  hours,  by  the  Emperor  Adrian, 
 beginning — 
 
THE  FOUNDATIONS  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNOBY.  105 
 
 Animula,  vagula,  blandula, 
 Hospes,  comesque  corporis,  etc. 
 
 To  this,  and  to  a  fragment  of  Sappho,  Pope  confessed  that 
 he  owed  the  inspiration  which  gave  hirth  to  "  Yital  spark 
 of  heavenly  flame,"  the  germ  of  which  was  sent  for 
 insertion  in  the  Siiectator  in  1712.  Soon  after  its  receipt, 
 Steele  wrote  to  Pope,  asking  him  to  make  an  ode  out  of  it 
 suitable  for  music.  He  complied  with  this  request,  and 
 sent  "  Yital  spark  "  in  the  form'Jwe  now  possess  it. 
 
 Samuel  "Wesley,  junr.  (1690-1739),  the  elder  brother  of 
 John  and  Charles  Wesley,  who  held  aloof  from  the 
 Methodist  movement,  which  began  only  five  years  before 
 his  death,  and  of  which  they  were  the  great  leaders,  and 
 from  which  he  did  his  best  to  |turn  them,  was  also  a 
 hymnist,  and  author  of  "Poems  on  Several  Occasions." 
 To  the  last,  he  adhered  to  the  Church  of  England,  as  did 
 his  brothers,  and  was,  indeed,  a  High  Churchman  of  the 
 type  of  that  age.  His  best  known  hymn  is  "  The  Lord 
 of  Sabbath  let  us  praise."  Less  known,  but  fairly  good, 
 are  his  hymns,  "  The  morning  flowers  display  their 
 sweets,"  and  "Hail!  Father,  whose  creating  call." 
 
 John  Byrom  (1691-1763),  remarkable  for  his  scientific 
 attainments,  belonged,  in  some  degree,  to  the  school  of 
 Mystics,  but  was  probably  kept  from  some  of  their 
 excesses  by  his  work  in  science.  Two  of  his  hymns, 
 though  greatly  differing  in  style  and  substance,  have 
 attained  to  great  popularity,  and  are  still  widely  used. 
 His  hymn  for  Christmas  Day,  "  Christians,  awake,  salute 
 the  happy  morn,"  is  very  distinctive,  and  boldly  lyrical ; 
 whilst  "  My  spirit  longeth  for  Thee  "—as  the  reader  may 
 see — is  terse  and  tender  in  a  very  high  degree  : — 
 
106  THE  HYMJSl  LOVER. 
 
 My  spirit  longeth  for  Thee, 
 Within  my  troubled  breast, 
 Though  I  unworthy  be 
 Of  so  Divine  a  guest : 
 
 Of  so  Divine  a  guest 
 Unworthy  though  I  be, 
 Yet  has  my  heart  no  rest 
 Unless  it  come  from  Thee. 
 
 Unless  it  come  from  Thee, 
 In  vain  I  look  around  ; 
 In  all  that  I  can  see 
 No  rest  is  to  be  found  : 
 
 No  rest  is  to  be  found 
 But  in  Thy  blessed  love  : 
 O  let  my  wish  be  crowned, 
 And  send  it  from  above ; 
 
 He  has  given  us  very  little,  but  that  little  is  very  good. 
 Some  of  his  verses  anticipate,  and  set  forth  with  great 
 force  the  better  theological  thought  of  our  own  time. 
 This  is  specially  so  in  his  "Meditation  for  Wednesday 
 in  Passion  Week."  George  MacDonald  speaks  of  his 
 verses  as  "  a  well  of  the  water  of  life,  for  its  song  tells 
 of  the  love  and  truth  which  are  the  grand  power  of  God." 
 
 Eobert  Seagrave  (born  1693)  wrote  about  fifty  hymns, 
 included  in  a  collection  prepared  for  his  own  congregation 
 at  Lorimer's  Hall  in  1742.  He  is  remembered  chiefly  by 
 one  of  these,  "Rise,  my  soul,  and  stretch  thy  wings," 
 which  seems  to  me  touched  with  the  thought  of  Sir  John 
 Davies's  remarkable  philosophical  poem,  "  Of  the  soul  of 
 man,  and  the  immortality  thereof." 
 
 Philip  Doddridge  (1702-1751)  is  one  of  the  great 
 names  in  hymnody.  Remarkable  for  many  things,  his 
 fame  chiefly  rests  on  his  hymns.  These  were  mostly 
 written  to  gather  up  and  set  forth  in  rememberable  form 
 the  teachings  of  his  sermons.  But  whilst  the  sermons 
 are  forgotten,   the  hymns  are  remembered.     They  have 
 
TEB  FOUNDATIONS  OF  ENGLISH  HYMNOBY.  107 
 
 been  compared  to  "  spiritual  amber,  fetched  up  and  floated 
 off  from  sermons  long  since  lost  in  the  depths  of  bygone 
 time."  During  his  life-time,  they  did  not  pass  beyond 
 manuscript,  in  which  form  they  were  passed  about  and 
 read.  They  number  364.  After  his  death,  they  were 
 published  under  the  title,  "Hymns  founded  on  Various 
 Texts  in  the  Holy  Scriptures."  In  1839,  additional  hymns 
 were  added,  collected  from  his  MSS.,  and  called  "Dod- 
 dridge's Scripture  Hymn  Book."  Some  of  these  reach  a 
 very  high  point  of  excellence,  whilst,  as  in  the  case  of 
 all  voluminous  hymn  writers,  very  many  are  of  no  great 
 value.  The  finest  of  all  is  "  Hark  !  the  glad  sound,  the 
 Saviour  comes."  I  should  be  disposed  to  rank  this  as  one 
 of  the  noblest  hymns  ever  written,  alike  as  to  style  and 
 substance.  There  is  a  mingling  of  boldness  and  tender- 
 ness, a  suitability  and  melody  in  its  style,  that  stamp  it 
 as  a  masterpiece.  One  of  the  finest  verses,  however,  is 
 too  often  omitted — 
 
 On  Him  the  Spiiit,  largely  poured, 
 
 Exerts  its  sacred  fire ; 
 Wisdom  and  might  and  zeal  and  love 
 
 His  holy  breast  inspire. 
 
 "  Ye  servants  of  the  Lord  "  is  a  hymn  of  great  directness, 
 gradually  rising  to  a  fine  climax  at  the  close.  "  Grace  1 
 'tis  a  charming  sound  "  is  a  great  favourite  with  many, 
 probably  suggested  by  a  hymn  of  Esther  Grriinbeck,  of 
 Gotha  (1717-1796),  beginning  "  Grace!  grace  !  oh,  that's 
 a  joyful  sound."  "My  God,  and  is  Thy  table  spread" 
 was  once  inserted  as  a  Communion  Hymn  in  the  Book  of 
 Common  Prayer,  and  for  a  considerable  period  remained  as 
 part  of  the  Prayer  Book,  in  certain  editions  of  which  are 
 two  hymns  by  Doddridge,  one  each  by  Wesley,  Stemhold, 
 or  J.  Mardley,  and  Bishop  Ken's  Morning  and  Evening 
 
108  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 liyinii  abridged  and  altered.  *'0  God  of  Bethel,  by  whose 
 hand,"  sometimes  attributed  to  Logan,  is  by  Doddridge, 
 and  in  his  manuscript  is  dated  January  16th,  1736-7.  To 
 whom  the  alterations  in  the  hymn  as  usually  printed 
 are  due  is  uncertain — they  have  been  ascribed  to  Michael 
 Eruce,  but  are  known  to  be  either  Logan's  or  the  revisers 
 of  the  1781  Scotch  Paraphrases.  "  Interval  of  grateful 
 shade,"  is  a  hymn  of  great  beauty,  set  in  a  subdued  and 
 soothing  key.  It  is  a  part  of  "an  Evening  Hymn  (of 
 76  lines)  to  be  used  when  composing  one's  self  to  sleep." 
 In  many  of  Doddridge's  hymns  which  do  not  reach  the 
 highest  excellence,  there  are  found  lines  and  verses  of 
 great  beauty.  His  hymns  appear  to  me  to  be  a  con- 
 necting link  between  Dr.  "Watts  and  Charles  Wesley. 
 They  are  akin  to  the  Independent's  in  form,  but  to  the 
 Methodist's  in  their  lyric  force  and  fervour.  Thus  they 
 possess  the  excellences  of  both.  Many  of  them  are  likely 
 to  hold  a  permanent  place  in  the  song  of  the  Church. 
 
109 
 
 CHAPTEE  X. 
 
 THE    LYEIC    FIRE. 
 
 Song  has  nearly  always  proved  a  miglity  influence  in 
 stirring  the  hearts  of  men  in  times  of  religious  revival 
 and  has  also  been  felt  to  be  a  necessity  for  the  full 
 expression  of  the  feelings  aroused  at  such  seasons.  The 
 Methodist  Revival  was  no  exception  to  this  rule.  Song 
 had  much  to  do  both  with  the  origination  and  expression 
 of  its  feeling.  And  it  was  a  providential  thing  that,  in 
 the  person  of  the  Brother  of  the  real  Leader  of  the  move- 
 ment, a  man  was  at  hand  singularly  fitted  to  provide  the 
 hymns  that  were  needed. 
 
 To  Charles  "Wesley  we  owe  the  largest  contribution  to 
 the    Church's   treasury  of   song.     Dr.    Watts   is   usually 
 regarded  as  a   large    contributor,  but  whilst   his  hymns 
 number   about    six   hundred,    those   of    Charles   Wesley 
 number     many     thousands.      Mr.     Stevenson     says     six 
 thousand ;   whilst  a  writer   in  McClintock  and   Strong's 
 "American  Cyclopaedia  "  credits  him,  and  rightly,  with  no 
 less  than  seven  thousand.     The  hymns  and  poems  of  John, 
 Charles,  and  Samuel  Wesley  fill  thirteen  volumes  in  Dr. 
 Osbom's  edition  ;  probably  a  larger  number  than  could  be 
 gathered  from  all  previous  hymn  writers  put   together. 
 Charles  Wesley  is  far  and  away  the  chief  contributor  to  the 
 
no  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 volumes  we  have  mentioned,  and  is  the  most  fertile, 
 and,  taken  altogether,  probably  the  most  brilliant  of 
 English  hymnists.  As  in  the  case  of  Dr.  Watts,  however, 
 we  cannot  help  wishing  that  the  number  had  been 
 fewer,  and  the  finish  greater.  Until  almost  recently, 
 they  practically  held  undisputed  sway  in  the  Methodist 
 choir,  since  the  hymn  book  issued  by  John  "Wesley  in 
 1789,  to  which  a  supplement  was  added  in  1831,  and 
 which  continued  in  use  till  1874,  was,  to  all  intents  and 
 purposes,  the  exclusive  production  of  the  "Wesley  family, 
 of  which  by  far  the  largest  portion  was  contributed  by 
 Charles  Wesley.  His  brother  John,  however,  was  the 
 Editor  of  the  collection,  a  task  in  which  he  showed  great 
 judgment.  This  secured  the  exclusion  of  the  poorer  of 
 his  brother's  hymns.  It  would  have  been  well  for  the 
 fame  of  Dr.  Watts  if  his  hymns  had  been  edited  by  an 
 equally  skilful  hand.''^  This  would  have  ensured  the 
 exclusion  of  such  doggerel  as  we  have  quoted  in  a 
 previous  chapter.  To  the  editorship  of  John  Wesley  is 
 due  the  fact  that  the  Wesleyan  collection  is  of  a  far 
 higher  type  than  Dr.  Watts' s,  which  held  a  coiTCsponding 
 place  in  the  Independent  Church.  The  Wesleyan  Hymnal 
 contained,  it  is  true,  fragments  from  Gambold,  Herbert, 
 Watts,  and  translations  from  the  German  (these  were  by 
 John  Wesley),  but  the  book  is  essentially  a  Wesley 
 production. 
 
 The  preface  to  this  book  is  a  curiosity  of  conceit.     I  do 
 
 *  John  Wesley's  capacity  as  an  editor  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  he  did 
 not  always  import  hymns  from  other  sources  in  their  entirety,  but 
 omitted  verses  unsuitable  for  singing ;  thus,  from  Watts'  magnificent 
 rendering  of  the  146th  Psalm  he  omits  the  fifth  verse,  which  con- 
 tains the  line,  "  But  turns  the  wicked  down  to  hell,"  which  he 
 evidently  felt  was  scarcely  a  subject  for  praise. 
 
THE  LTRIC  FIRE.  Ill 
 
 not  like  to  apply  such  an  epithet  to  one  so  deservedly 
 honoured  as  John  Wesley ;  but  the  wisest  err,  and  it 
 cannot,  I  think,  be  rightly  described  in  any  milder 
 language.  The  sixth  paragraph  reads  as  follows  :  ''May 
 I  be  permitted  to  add  a  few  words  with  regard  to  the 
 poetry?  Then  I  will  speak  to  those  who  are  judges 
 thereof  with  all  freedom  and  unreserve.  To  these  I  may 
 say,  without  offence :  1 .  In  these  hymns  there  is  no 
 doggerel ;  no  botches  ;  nothing  put  in  to  patch  up  the 
 rhymes  ;  no  feeble  expletives.  2.  Here  is  nothing  turgid 
 or  bombast  on  the  one  hand,  or  low  and  creeping  on  the 
 other,  3.  Here  are  no  cant  expressions ;  no  words 
 without  meaning.  Those  who  impute  this  to  us  know  not 
 what  they  say.  "We  talk  common-sense,  both  in  prose 
 and  verse  ;  and  use  no  word  but  in  a  fixed  and  determinate 
 meaning.  4.  Here  are,  allow  me  to  say,  both  the  purity, 
 the  strength,  the  plainness  suited  to  any  capacity.  Lastly, 
 I  desire  men  of  taste  to  judge  (these  are  the  only  judges) 
 whether  there  be  not,  in  some  of  the  following  hymns, 
 the  true  spirit  of  poetry,  such  as  cannot  be  acquired  by 
 art  or  labour,  but  must  be  the  gift  of  nature.  By  labour, 
 a  man  may  become  a  tolerable  imitator  of  Spenser, 
 Shakespeare,  or  Milton,  and  may  heap  together  pretty 
 compound  epithets,  as  pale-eyed,  meek-eyed,  and  the  like  ; 
 but  unless  he  he  horn  a  poet,  he  will  never  attain  the 
 genuine  spirit  of  poetry." 
 
 Unbiassed  critics  will  probably  demur  to  this  declara- 
 tion— if  not  in  relation  to  the  "Wesleyan  Hymn  Book, 
 certainly  in  relation  to  Charles  Wesley's  hymns  as  a 
 whole.  Of  certain  of  these  (his  hymns  on  the  Nati\dty), 
 even  his  brother  once  said:  ''  Omit  one  or  two  of  them. 
 
112  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 and  I  will  thank  you.     They  are  namby-pambical,"     Such 
 a  criticism  would   apply   to    every  large   contributor   to 
 hymnody  ;  and  must,  in  the  nature  of   things,  apply  to 
 a  man  like  Charles  "Wesley,   who  wrote   hymns  by  the 
 thousand.     Even  the  noblest  poets  are  best  represented  by 
 a  selection  from  their  writings,  and  the  smaller  it  is  the 
 more  choice  it  is  likely  to  be.     Eut  when  this  has  been 
 said,  it  may  also  be  said,  that  amongst  his  writings  are  to 
 be  found  some  of  the    grandest   hymns  in  the   English 
 language.     Eor  spontaneity  of  feeling,  his  hymns  are  pre- 
 eminent.    They  are  songs  that  soar.     They  have  the  rush 
 and  fervour  which  bear  the   soul  aloft.     They  are  more 
 subjective,   and  grow  more  directly  out  of  the  personal 
 experience  of   the  writer  than  do  the  hymns  of   Watts, 
 which  sprang  rather  from  the  contemplation  of  the  Divine 
 facts  and.  doctrines  of   Scripture.     They  are  a  kind   of 
 cardiphonia,  caught  from  the  beating  of  his  own  heart, 
 and  the  observation  of  hearts  kindled  by  the  great  move- 
 ment in  which  he  bore  so  large  a  part.     The  question 
 has  been  debated  again  and  again  whether  he  or  Watts 
 bears  off   the  palm  in  hymn  writing.     Comparisons  are 
 proverbially  odious,  but  if  a  comparison  must  be  made,  in 
 my  judgment  it  must  be  in  favour  of   Charles  Wesley, 
 especially  for  the  lyric  fervour  of  his  hymns.     Before  him 
 in  time,  Watts  must,  I  think,  be  placed  after  him  in  order 
 of  merit,  and  this  partly  because  his  nature  was  not  so 
 fervid,  nor  was  there  so  much  in  his  course  to  kindle  it. 
 His  wing  was  not  so  strong,  and,  therefore,  his  flight  was 
 not  so  high.     And  if,  as  I  feel,  the  li/ric  should  be  the 
 dominant  note  in  hymns,  the  first  place  in  the  Christian 
 choir  must  be  assigned  to  the  author  of  "  0  Thou  Who 
 camest  from  above,"  "  0  Love  Divine,  how  sweet  Thou 
 
THE  LYRIC  FIRE.  113 
 
 art,"  "Head  of  the  Church  triumphant,"  "Hark!  the 
 herald  angels  sing,"  "  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  hearts 
 inspire,"  "  Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul,"  "  Soldiers  of  Christ, 
 arise,"  "Come,  let  us  join  our  friends  above,"  "Thou 
 hidden  source  of  calm  repose,"  "  0  for  a  thousand  tongues 
 to  sing,"  "  Christ,  the  Lord,  is  risen  to-day,"  "  0,  what 
 shall  I  do,  my  Saviour  to  praise,"  "Leader  of  faithful 
 souls,  and  Guide,"  and  perhaps  greatest  of  all — probably 
 the  finest  sacred  lyric  in  the  language — "  Come,  0  Thou 
 Traveller  unknown."  Isaac  Watts  is  the  founder  of  the 
 choir,  but  in  it  Charles  Wesley' s  is  the  noblest  voice. 
 
 And  the  reasons  for  this  pre-eminence  are  to  be  sought 
 (first)  in  the  lyric  nature  of  the  man  himself,  who  could 
 not  help  but  sing — whose  hymns  are  not  the  product  of  the 
 mere  student,  but  of  a  soul  that  naturally  soared  on  the 
 wings  of  praise ;  (secondly)  in  the  religious  influences  which 
 surrounded  his  early  life.  It  is  well  known  that  both  the 
 Wesleys  were  at  first  deeply  affected  by  the  writings  of 
 William  Law,  the  Mystic  ;  and  though  in  after  years  they 
 threw  aside  his  particular  doctrines,  yet  his  influence  is 
 discernible,  more  or  less,  in  all  their  hymns.  If  William 
 Law  had  not  taught,  Charles  Wesley  would  not  have  sung 
 as  he  did.  A  touch  of  mysticism,  indeed,  is  necessary  to 
 hymns  of  the  most  spiritual  and  inspiring  kind.  A  third 
 influence  may  be  found  in  his  association  with  the 
 Moravians,  by  whom  both  he  and  his  brother  were  deeply 
 impressed.  Mr.  Beecher,  in  the  preface  to  his  hymn  book, 
 says:  "His  hymns  are  only  Moravian  hymns  resung^ 
 Not  alone  are  the  favourite  expressions  used,  and  the 
 epithets  they  loved,  but,  like  them,  he  beholds  all 
 Christian  truths  through  the  medium  of  confiding  love. 
 The  love  element  of  this  school  has  never  been  surpassed." 
 
114  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 And  the  fourth  influence  must  be  sought  in  the  marvellous 
 scenes  amid  which  he  moved,  and  the  stirring  work  in 
 which  he  bore  a  part.  His  hymns  are  the  offspring  of 
 the  Methodist  revival  almost  as  much  as  of  the  Methodist 
 singer.  Just  as  David's  life  is  reflected  in  his  Psalms,  so 
 Charles  "Wesley's  career  shines  out  through  his  stirring 
 verses.  All  these  things  combine  to  make  him  the 
 greatest  hymn  writer  of  England. 
 
 His  brother  John  is  as  great  a  translator  as  Charles 
 is  an  original  hymnist.  John  came  to  know  and  love  the 
 hymns  of  Germany  through  his  association  with  the 
 Moravians.  And  it  was  probably  during  his  voyages  in 
 their  company  that  he  turned  many  of  their  finest  hymns 
 into  English.  Eor  congregational  use,  they  are  probably 
 the  finest  translations  in  the  English  language,  whilst  they 
 have  the  high  honour  of  having  opened  to  us  the  rich 
 treasures  of  sacred  song  which  Germany  possesses.  They 
 are  so  good  that  they  read  like  original  English  com- 
 positions. They  have  never  yet  been,  and  probably  never 
 will  be,  supplanted  by  other  translations.  What  can  be 
 finer  than  his  rendering  of  Paul  Gerhardt's  "Jesus,  Thy 
 boundless  love  to  me,"  and  "  Commit  thou  all  thy  griefs," 
 or  Tersteegen's  "  Lo,  God  is  here;  let  us  adore,"  and 
 **  Thou  hidden  love  of  God,  whose  height,"  or  Rothe's 
 "0  Lord,  Thine  everlasting  grace,"  or  Scheffler's  *'  Thee 
 will  I  love,  my  strength,  my  tower."*    Eor  such  importa- 
 
 *  I  quote  the  first  line  of  the  second  verse  of  this  hymn,  because 
 the^r*^  verse — 
 
 "  Now  I  have  found  the  ground  wherein 
 Sure  my  soul's  anchor  may  remain, 
 The  wounds  of  Jesus  for  my  sin  " — 
 is  disfigured  by  the  horrible  imagery  of  an  anchor  cast  in  wounds. 
 This  has  prevented  the  hymn  from  taking  the  high  place  which  the 
 rest  of  it  so  richly  deserves,  and,  when  the  first  verse  is  omitted,  it 
 is  destined  to  receive. 
 
TEE  LYRIC  FIRE.  115 
 
 tions  we  may  be  as  thankful  as  for  his  brother's  original 
 productions.  The  choir  opened  by  Watts  is  now  full- 
 voiced,  and  the  music  has  ever  since  been  growing  richer 
 and  more  varied.  It  is  very  pleasant  to  remember  that 
 these  great  and  holy  singers  were  brought  into  very  close 
 and  blessed  fellowship  on  the  death-bed  of  John  Wesley. 
 The  very  last  words  that  passed  from  his  lips  were  those 
 of  Dr.  Watts — "I'll  praise  my  Maker  with  my  breath," 
 and  it  was  as  he  was  struggling  to  say,  "I'll  praise — I'll 
 praise,"  that  his  spirit  passed  away  to  join  "the  choir 
 invisible." 
 
116 
 
 CHAPTEE  XL 
 
 THE    AGE    OE    ECHOES. 
 
 We  have  now  reached  a  time  in  which  the  song  of  the 
 Church  finds  expression  through  many  voices.  The  lyric 
 fervour  of  "Watts  and  Wesley  stirred  the  dormant 
 flame  of  many  a  soul ;  whilst,  at  the  same  time,  the 
 place  which  hymns  had  won  for  themselves  in  the 
 actual  worship  of  the  Church,  has  proved  an  additional 
 influence  to  lead  those  with  any  hymnic  gifts  to  its 
 exercise.  The  demand  had  much  to  do  with  creating  the 
 supply.  In  earlier  times,  if  hymns  were  written,  no 
 place  was  open  for  their  use  in  worship.  But  now,  hymn 
 writers  felt  that  their  hymns  might,  if  they  approved 
 themselves  to  the  public  taste,  be  used  as  the  vehicle  for 
 worshipping  feeling.  This  seems  to  me  to  account  for  the 
 fact  that  a  large  number  now  entered  the  ranks  of  the 
 hymnists,  most  of  whom  were  men  (together  with  a  few 
 women)  touched  by  the  new  religious  fervour,  and 
 associated  with  the  churches  in  which  hymns  formed  an 
 important  part  of  the  worship.  Many  of  these,  it  is  true, 
 were  mere  imitators  of  Watts  and  Wesley,  especially  the 
 former,  since  he  was  far  easier  to  imitate  than  the  more 
 lyric  Methodist.  These  were  mere  echoes,  and,  like 
 echoes,  had  neither  the  force  nor  fervour  of  the  voices 
 they  prolonged.     Still,  here  and  there  a  distinct  note  was 
 
THE  AQE  OF  ECHOES.  117 
 
 struck,  vibrating  with  the  individuality  of  the  singer ; 
 but  for  the  most  part,  until  we  reach  the  "Olney  Hymns  " 
 of  John  Newton  and  William  Cowper,  there  are  but  few 
 hymnists  of  any  great  originality  to  be  found. 
 
 Contemporary  with  the  Wesleys  was  Joseph  Grigg,  who 
 died  in  1768.  He  wrote  a  few  hymns,  but  is  chiefly 
 remarkable  as  having  written,  at  ten  years  of  age,  the 
 well-known  ''Jesus,  and  can  it  ever  be,"  which  first 
 appeared  in  the  Gospel  Magazine  for  April,  1774,  with  the 
 title,  ''  Shame  of  Jesus  conquered  by  love  :  by  a  youth  of 
 ten  years."  To  the  same  author  we  owe  another  hymn 
 of  similar  style  and  fervour,  "Behold  a  Stranger  at 
 the  door."  He  wrote  altogether  some  forty  hymns,  but 
 all  save  those  we  have  mentioned  have  dropped  out  of 
 sight. 
 
 Thomas  Scott,  a  Presbyterian  minister  at  Ipswich  (who 
 died  about  1776),  and  who  must  not  be  confounded  with 
 the  well-known  Commentator  of  the  same  name,  wrote 
 many  hymns  and  poems,  but  is  now  remembered  only  by 
 two,  the  better  known  of  which  is  "  Hasten,  0  sinner,  to 
 be  wise,"  a  hymn  of  earnest  invitation  and  warning 
 against  delay,  and  "Angels,  roll  the  rock  away." 
 
 William  Hammond,  B.A.  (who  died  in  1783),  at 
 first  a  Calvinistic  preacher,  but  in  later  life  a  member 
 of  the  Moravian  body,  wrote  and  published  "Psalms, 
 Hymns,  and  Spiritual  Songs."  His  hymn  "Awake  and 
 sing  the  song "  has  found  its  way  into  a  very  large 
 number  of  hymnals.  There  is  in  it  considerable  vigour. 
 The  verse,  however — 
 
 "  Sing  till  we  feel  our  hearts 
 
 Ascending  with  our  tongues ; 
 Sing  till  the  love  of  sin  departs, 
 And  grace  inspires  our  songs  " — 
 
118  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 attributes  to  sacred  song  a  power  even  greater  than  it 
 possesses.  His  hymn  beginning  "  Lord,  we  come  before 
 Thee  now  "  is  in  a  much  more  subdued  and  tender  strain, 
 and  still  retains  a  place  in  the  Church's  song. 
 
 James  Grant  (died  1785),  a  distinguished  layman  con- 
 nected with  the  Church  of  Scotland,  who  wrote  many 
 hymns  for  use  with  Scotch  melodies,  for  which  he  had  a 
 great  affection,  is  now  remembered,  and  even  that  remem- 
 brance is  growing  fainter,  by  one  beginning  "0  Zion, 
 afflicted  with  wave  upon  wave." 
 
 Daniel  Turner,  M.A.  (1710-1798),  Elizabeth  Scott 
 (circa  1764),  John  JSTeedham,  and  Benjamin  Wallin,  fill 
 too  small  a  place  in  modern  hymnody  to  demand  more 
 than  the  mention  of  their  names. 
 
 Joseph  Hart  (1712-1768),  minister  of  Jewin  Street 
 Independent  Church,  though  possessing,  in  our  judgment, 
 little  merit  as  a  hymnist,  has  enjoyed  a  considerable 
 popularity,  especially  with  persons  inclining  to  the 
 Calvinistic  view  of  Christianity,  and  his  hymn  book  still 
 finds  purchasers  and  admirers.  He  is  largely  represented 
 in  "  Our  Own  Hymn  Book,"  edited  by  the  Eev.  C.  H. 
 Spurgeon  for  the  use  of  his  congregation  at  the 
 Metropolitan  Tabernacle.  His  Christian  experience  was 
 of  rather  a  striking  nature,  and  is  reflected  in  his  hymns. 
 The  most  popular,  undoubtedly,  is  "  Come,  Holy  Spirit, 
 come,"  which  is  not  without  merit,  though  a  good  deal 
 like  other  hymns  addressed  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  "  Come 
 ye  sinners,  poor  and  wretched,"  used  to  be  a  great 
 favourite,  but  is  so  steeped  in  the  extreme  spirit  of  his 
 day — a  spirit  which  is  now  the  exception  rather  than  the 
 rule — that  its  popularity  is  rapidly  waning.     It  belongs 
 
THE  AGE  OF  ECHOES.  119 
 
 to  a  class  of  hymns  whicli  are  addressed,  not  to  the 
 Divine  Being,  but  to  the  congregation,  or  rather  to  those 
 who  are  supposed  specially  to  need  such  exhortation. 
 There  is  a  kind  of  incongruity  in  such  hymns  which  is 
 increasingly  felt,  and  which  leads  to  their  disuse  in  puhlic 
 worship. 
 
 To  Dr.  John  Hawkesworth  (1715-1773),  compiler  of 
 the  Parliamentary  debates  in  the  GenilemarC 8  Magazine^ 
 we  owe  a  hymn  of  some  merit,  "In  sleep's  serene 
 oblivion  laid;"  to  James  Hutton  (1715-1795),  a  cousin 
 of  Sir  Isaac  IN^ewton,  a  bookseller,  and  deacon  of  the 
 Moravian  Church,  a  hymn  of  fine  sentiment,  "  0  teach  us 
 more  of  Thy  blest  ways ; "  and  to  Christopher  Batty 
 (1715-1797),  "  Captain  of  Thine  enlisted  host."  AU  these 
 three,  it  will  be  noted,  were  born  in  the  same  year. 
 
 Anne  Steele  (1716-1778),  who,  all  her  life,  was  a  great 
 sufferer,  through  an  accident  in  childhood,  and  whose 
 course  was  marked  by  many  sorrows,  has  enjoyed  con- 
 siderable fame  as  a  hymnist,  not,  in  our  judgment, 
 quite  justified  by  the  quality  of  her  productions.  She 
 is,  perhaps,  the  first  English  woman  who  contributed 
 hymns  of  any  importance  to  the  Church's  treasury  of 
 song.  Her  hymn,  "Father,  whate'er  of  earthly  bliss," 
 is  the  expression  of  a  life  troubled  as  was  hers,  and 
 is,  indeed,  remarkable  for  its  tone  of  quiet  resignation. 
 In  the  original  it  begins  with  the  verse,  "  When  I  survey 
 life's  varied  scene."  Touched  with  a  similar  spirit  is  her 
 hymn,  "  Far  from  these  narrow  scenes  of  night." 
 
 John  Berridge  (1716-1793),  vicar  of  Everton,  and 
 friend  of  Wesley  and  Whitfield,  a  quaint  and  racy 
 preacher,  published  "A  Collection  of  Divine  Songs,"  but, 
 
120  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 on  account  of  his  adoption  of  Calvinistic  views,  repented 
 of  tlie  publication,  and  whenever  he  met  with  a  copy 
 of  it,  committed  it  to  the  flames.  In  character  and 
 style  of  address,  he  was  not  unlike  to  John  IN'ewton.  He 
 altered  and  adapted  certain  of  Charles  "Wesley's  hymns. 
 His  hymn,  "Jesus,  cast  a  look  on  me,"  the  first  three 
 verses  of  which  consist  of  an  altered  version  of  Charles 
 Wesley's  ''Lord,  that  I  may  learn  of  Thee,"  has  a 
 simplicity  which  is  very  pleasing.  This  and  his  "Wedding 
 Hymn,  "  Since  Jesus  freely  did  appear,"  are  the  only  ones 
 which  have  gained  currency  in  hymnals. 
 
 John  Cennick  (1717-1755),  originally  one  of  Wesley's 
 preachers,  but  afterwards  an  assistant  of  "Whitfield,  and 
 finally  a  Moravian,  the  friend  of  "Wesley  and  Whitfield, 
 is  a  name  of  note  among  the  hymnists.  His  hymns  owe 
 something  to  the  revision  of  Charles  "Wesley  and  others, 
 but  they  have  a  distinctiveness  and  lyric  force  which  will 
 probably  ensure  for  them  a  lasting  place  in  the  Church's 
 song.  The  best  known  is  "  Children  of  the  heavenly 
 King,"  which  has  found  its  way  into  a  very  large  number 
 of  hymnals,  both  of  the  Established  and  Nonconformist 
 Churches.  The  same  may  be  said  of  "  Jesus,  my  all,  to 
 heaven  is  gone,"  though  it  is  not  equal  to  the  former. 
 His  Evening  Hymn,  "  Ere  I  sleep,  for  eveiy  favour,"  is 
 quaint  and  beautiful.  His  version  of  the  Te  Deum, 
 commencing  "We  sing  to  Thee,  Thou  Son  of  God," 
 before  the  original  was  commonly  used  in  ^Nonconformist 
 worship,  was  very  popular  in  their  assemblies.  To  him 
 we  owe  the  original  of  the  hymn,  to  which  so  many 
 writers  contributed  either  alterations  or  additions,  "  Lo ! 
 He  comes,  with  clouds  descending,"  which  in  his  version 
 
THE  AOE  OF  ECHOES.  121 
 
 began,  "Lo!  He  cometh;  countless  trumpets."  In  my 
 judgment,  Cennick  possessed  the  genuine  lyric  fire,  and, 
 but  for  deficient  culture,  and  the  narrowness  of  the 
 school  of  thought  in  which  he  liyed,  would  have  made 
 still  more  valuable  contributions  to  hymnody. 
 
 I  cannot  agree  with  the  praise  bestowed  by  James 
 Montgomery  and  Eobert  Hall  on  the  hymns  of  Benjamin 
 Beddome,  M.A.  (1717-1795),  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church 
 at  Bourton-on-the-Water,  Gloucestershire.  The  former 
 praises  him  for  preserving  the  unity  of  each  hymn.  This 
 he  does,  but  there  is  a  didactic  tone,  and  an  absence  of  the 
 lyric  element,  which  aie  fatal  faults  in  a  hymn.  This  is 
 partly  due  to  the  fact  that  they  were  written  to  be  sung 
 after  his  sermons,  to  which  they  are  a  kind  of  application. 
 This  is  not  the  true  office  of  hymns.  The  mind  of  their 
 writers  should  not  be  occupied  with  the  thought  of  the 
 edification  of  the  people,  but  of  praise  to  God.  This  is 
 the  defect  of  most  of  his  hymns,  as  will  be  seen  even 
 in  his  most  popular,  "Did  Christ  o'er  sinners  weep?" 
 *'  Faith,  'tis  a  precious  grace,"  and  "  Let  party  names  no 
 more."  The  fault  is  least  evident  in  his  Ordination  hymn, 
 '^Father  of  mercies,  bow  Thine  ear."  He  was  the  author 
 of  the  large  number  of  eight  hundred  and  thirty  hymns. 
 
 James  Merrick,  M.A.  (1720-1769),  a  minister  of  the 
 Church  of  England,  but,  on  account  of  weak  health, 
 without  pastoral  charge,  issued  "The  Psalms  translated  or 
 paraphrased  in  English  Yerse,"  designed  to  supplant  Tate 
 and  Brady,  but  the  collection  failed  to  secure  royal 
 sanction  for  its  use  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  His 
 scholarship  was  equal  to,  but  his  poetic  power  sadly 
 deficient  for  the  task  he  undertook.  His  finest  hymn 
 — and   it  is   a  fine  one — is   "  Eternal   God,  we  look  to 
 
1 22  THE  HYMN  L  0  VER. 
 
 Thee."  His  version  of  the  122iid  Psalm,  beginning  "The 
 festal  mom,  my  God,  is  come,"  a  translation  from 
 Buchanan,  is  striking,  but  in  parts  rather  inflated. 
 
 Dr.  Thomas  Gibbons  (1720-1758),  pastor  of  yarious 
 Independent  Churches,  and  tutor  of  the  Dissenting 
 Academy  at  Mile  End,  may  be  ranked  with  Merrick  as 
 possessing  scholarship  but  not  the  poetic  afflatus,  although 
 he  fancied  that  he  possessed  it.  His  Missionary  Hymn, 
 "Great  God,  the  nations  of  the  earth,"  is  not  without 
 merit,  and  held  its  place  in  a  time  when  such  hymns  were 
 not  either  plentiful  or  meritorious.  It  is  a  far  finer  hymn 
 than  the  other  by  which  he  is  remembered,  "  ]^ow  let  our 
 souls  on  wings  sublime."  He  is  one  of  the  fading  lights 
 of  hymnody. 
 
 Joseph  Humphreys  (born  1720),  and  Thomas  Blacklock, 
 D.D.  (1721-1791),  are  forgotten  names  in  hymnody,  and 
 need  not  detain  us. 
 
 John  Bakewell  (1721-1819),  a  member  of,  and  local 
 preacher  in,  the  Wesleyan  Church,  is  remembered  by  one 
 hymn  which  has  had  a  wide  popularity,  "Hail I  Thou 
 once  despised  Jesus,"  which  has  merit,  though  not  of  the 
 highest  order. 
 
 Clare  Taylor  (died  1778),  and  John  Fountain  (died 
 1800),  are  now  only  represented  by  hymns  in  collections 
 prepared  more  to  represent  their  editors'  theological  views 
 than  with  a  view  to  poetic  or  lyric  expression. 
 
 Andrew  Kippis,  D.D.,  P.R.S.  (1725-1795),  is  more 
 remarkable  for  his  contributions  to  literature  than  to 
 hymnody,  but  deserves  to  be  remembered  as  the  Editor  of 
 the  first  thoroughly  popular  Unitarian  hymn-book,  all 
 previous  ones  having  been  for  the  worship  of  individual 
 churches. 
 
123 
 
 CHAPTEE  XII. 
 
 AN  OASIS  IN  THE  DESERT. 
 
 Eemaeking  on  the  fact  that  the  hymns  of  earlier  days 
 seem  to  have  been  written  by  all  kinds  of  persons  except 
 poets,  James  Montgomery  says:  "  Cowper  therefore  stands 
 alone  among  the  mighty  masters  of  the  lyre,  as  having 
 contributed  a  considerable  number  of  approved  and 
 popular  hymns  for  the  purposes  of  public  or  private 
 devotion."  In  the  "  Olney  Hymns"  of  John  ITewton 
 (1725-1807)  and  William  Cowper  (1731-1800),  we  come 
 upon  a  veritable  oasis  in  the  wilderness,  from  which  the 
 Church  has  gathered  and  preserved  with  loving  care  many 
 a  flower  of  song.  IS'ewton's  hymns  are  remarkable  as 
 being  the  productions  of  a  man  who,  in  early  life,  had 
 exceedingly  few  educational  advantages.  To  his  vigorous 
 nature,  and  the  depth  of  his  religious  experiences,  are  due 
 the  high  quality  of  his  hymns.  One  example  out  of 
 many  afforded  by  hymnody,  of  the  fact  that  scholarship 
 has  very  little  to  do  with  the  production  of  poetry. 
 Scholarship  may  refine,  but  it  does  not  create  the 
 poetic  faculty.  N"ewton  disclaimed  any  pretension  to 
 the  possession  of  the  poetic  gift,  but  he  nevertheless 
 possessed  it,  and,  for  the  purposes  of  hymnody,  in  a 
 remarkable  degree :  so  remarkable,  that  a  few  of  his 
 hymns  will  bear  comparison  with  those  of  his  great  friend 
 and  co-worker  in  the  production  of  the  "  Olney  Hymns," 
 
124  TEE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 William  Cowper.  There  are  no  hymns  more  popular 
 among  all  sections  of  the  Church  than  some  of  Newton's. 
 This  is  largely  due  to  the  depth  and  vitality  of  his  religious 
 experience,  which  reached  to  regions  far  below  the 
 doctrinal  forms  in  which  it  found  expression.  Scarcely  a 
 hymnal  of  any  section  of  the  Church  can  be  mentioned 
 which  does  not  include  some  of  his  best  known  hymns. 
 They  may  be  found,  not  only  in  hymnals  of  the  Evangelical 
 type,  but  in  those  so  widely  separated  in  doctrinal  matters 
 as  ** Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern"  and  Dr.  Martineau's 
 "Hymns  of  Praise  and  Prayer."  His  hymns  indeed  are 
 alive  with  personal  and  vital  religious  feeling,  and  so 
 are  fitted  to  express  the  worshipping  feeling  of  all 
 Christian  hearts.  The  best  known  is  "  How  sweet 
 the  name  of  Jesus  sounds,'"  which  some  have  thought 
 must  have  been  suggested  by  Bernard's  *'J"esu  dulcis 
 memoria."  In  all  probability,  jN'ewton  did  not  know  of 
 the  earKer  hymn  of  the  saintly  monk  of  Clairvaux,  but 
 wrote  prompted  solely  by  ardent  love  to  Jesus  Christ. 
 Equally  good,  but  in  a  different  vein  of  feeling,  is 
 "  Quiet,  Lord,  my  fro  ward  heart,"  a  hymn  whose 
 sentiment  and  style  alike  quiet  and  calm  the  restless 
 spirit.  His  hymn  for  Parting,  too  often  mutilated  and 
 made  to  begin  with  ''  Eor  a  season  called  to  part,"  instead 
 of,  as  it  should,  with  ''As  the  sun's  enlivening  eye,"  is  of 
 great  excellence.  *'  While  with  ceaseless  course  the  sun  " 
 is  a  hymn  of  great  solemnity  and  pathos.  "Glorious 
 things  of  thee  are  spoken"  is  in  a  very  different  and  much 
 bolder  strain.  I  am  disposed  to  regard  those  in  his  more 
 subdued  style  as  reaching  to  the  highest  point  of  excel- 
 lence, and  in  them  the  affectionate  characteristics  which 
 lay  beneath  a  nature   trained   amid   rugged  scenes,  and 
 
AN  OASIS  IN  THE  DESERT.  125 
 
 in  so  rough  a  life,  find  expression  in  hymns  of  a  very 
 tender  and  snhdued  type. 
 
 "William  Cowper,  who  co-operated  with  John  IS'ewton 
 in  the  production  of  the  ''  Olney  Hymns,"  brought  to  his 
 task  the  pathos  and  delicacy  of  touch  of  the  true  poet, 
 although   most   of    his   hymns   were  written   before   his 
 poetic   power   had   reached   its  full   development.     Most 
 of  them  are  full  of  the   characteristics  of  that  sensitive 
 and  retiring  poet,  and  enshrine  his  varying,  though,  for 
 the  most  part,  despondent  moods.     "  Hark  !  my  soul,  it  is 
 the  Lord  " — Mr.  Gladstone  has  made  a  fine  translation  of 
 this  hymn  into  Italian — and  ''0,  for  a  closer  walk  with 
 God,"    are   in  his   more   tender   style ;    whilst    *'  Jesus, 
 where'er    Thy   people    meet,"    written    in   a    season   of 
 unusual  joy,  and  "  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way,"  said 
 to  have  been  written,  though  the  evidence  is  not  forth- 
 coming, after  a  marvellous  deliverance  from  purposed  self- 
 destruction,  sound  a  bolder  note.     "Ere  God  had  built 
 the  mountains,"  is,  perhaps,  his  grandest  hymn.     ''  There 
 is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood"  is,  in  certain  quarters, 
 greatly  prized,  but  we  cannot  help  regarding  it  as  going 
 far  beyond  Scriptural  usage  in  its  imagery,  and  not  in 
 harmony  with  Scripture  fact  in  its  reference  to  the  dying 
 thief.     The   retiring   spirit   of   the   poet   finds  very  full 
 expression  in  the  hymn,  "  Far  from  the  world,  0  Lord,  I 
 flee."     From  the  little  volume  of  "  Olney  Hymns  "  the 
 Church  has  drawn  a  far  larger  number  of  hymns,   and 
 these   greatly  prized,  than  from  many  more  voluminous 
 collections.     Its  somewhat  narrow  theology  is  softened  by 
 the  reality  and  tenderness  of  the  religious  experience  of 
 its  authors,  of  both  of  whom  it  maybe  said,  "They  learnt 
 in  suffering  what  they  taught  in  song." 
 
126 
 
 CHAPTEE  XIIL 
 
 DIDACTIC    HYMI^ISTS. 
 
 Yastly  different  from  the  "  Olney  Hymns  "  in  merit  are 
 most  of  the  compositions  of  their  contemporaries  and 
 immediate  successors,  in  whom  the  didactic  tone  is  very 
 marked.     Still,  here  and  there  a  lyric  note  is  heard. 
 
 William  Mason,  M.A.  (1725-1797),  vicar  of  Aston,  and 
 one  of  the  chaplains  of  George  the  Third,  was  the  author 
 of  some  few  hymns,  one  of  which,  ''Again  returns  the 
 day  of  holy  rest,"  is  of  great  merit. 
 
 Thomas  Olivers  (1725-1799),  one  of  John  Wesley's 
 travelling  preachers,  who  had  but  the  scantiest  education 
 in  youth,  is  represented  in  hymnals  by  one  hymn  in  which 
 there  are  verses  of  remarkable  power,  "  The  God  of 
 Abraham  praise."  The  same  may  be  said  of  Edward 
 Perronett  (died  1752),  whose  "All  hail  the  power  of 
 Jesu's  name  "  is  one  of  the  most  striking  hymns  in  the 
 language. 
 
 Dr.  Samuel  Stennett  (1727-1795)  and  Bishop  Home 
 (1730-1792)  are  amongst  the  hymnists  whose  productions 
 are  vanishing  from  hymnals. 
 
 Thomas  Haweis,  LL.B.,  M.D.  (1732-1820),  one  of  the 
 chaplains  of  Lady  Huntingdon,  and  rector  of  All  Saints,' 
 
DIDACTIC  HYMNISTS.  127 
 
 Aldwinkle,  in  JN'orthamptonsliire,  was  the  author  of 
 "  Carmina  Christo,"  containing  two  hundred  and  fifty-six 
 hymns.  Three  of  his  hymns  are  of  considerahle  merit,  and 
 still  retain  a  place  in  the  song  of  the  Church,  ' '  Enthroned 
 on  high,  Almighty  Lord,"  "0  Thou  from  whom  all  good- 
 ness flows,"  which  has  a  touch  of  genuine  pathos  in  it, 
 and  ''  The  happy  morn  is  come,"  an  Easter  Hymn. 
 
 James  ]N"ewton,  M.A.  (1733-1790),  and  Benjamin 
 Erancis  (1734-1799),  both  ministers  of  the  Baptist  body, 
 belong  to  the  class  of  mediocrities  whose  hymns  are  fast 
 fading  from  memory  and  use  in  the  Church. 
 
 James  Allen  (1734-1804),  a  partial  follower  of  the 
 views  of  Glas  and  Sandeman,  which,  with  some  modifica- 
 tions, he  preached  in  a  chapel  on  his  estate  at  Gayle,  the 
 editor  and  chief  contributor  to  the  "  Kendal  Hymn 
 Book,"  was  the  author  of  "  Glory  to  God  on  high,"  a 
 hymn  of  great  force  and  merit,  and  of  "  Sweet  the 
 moments,  rich  in  blessing,"  a  hymn  very  frequently  used 
 in  earlier  times  at  the  Communion  Service.  It  is, 
 however,  lacking  in  healthiness  of  feeling,  and  expressive 
 of  a  rather  sentimental  and  languishing  type  of  devotion. 
 This  hymn  was  afterwards  altered  to  its  present  form 
 by  W.  W.  Shirley,  the  brother-in-law  of  the  Countess 
 of  Huntingdon,  who  edited  the  1780  edition  of  her 
 collection. 
 
 Eobert  Eobinson  (1735  -  1790),  the  vigorous  but 
 eccentric  Baptist  minister  at  Cambridge,  was  the  author 
 of  "Mighty  God,  while  angels  bless  Thee,"  one  of  the 
 most  vigorous  and  distinctive  hymns  in  the  English 
 tongue ;  and  also  (although  doubts  have  been  expressed 
 as  to  his  authorship),  of  "  Come,  Thou  fount  of  every 
 
128  THE  HYMN  L  0  VER. 
 
 blessing,"  a  noteworthy  hymn,  but  marred  by  its 
 doctrinal  representation  of  the  work  of  Christ. 
 
 Samuel  Medley  (1738  -  1799),  minister  of  Baptist 
 churches,  first  at  Watford,  and  afterwards  at  Byrom 
 Street,  Liverpool,  issued  a  considerable  number  of  hymns 
 on  broadsides,  which  were  afterwards  collected  into  a 
 volume.  They  are  of  no  special  merit,  save  two  which  are 
 of  great  spirit  and  much  lyric  force,  "Mortals,  awake, 
 with  angels  join,"  and  "Awake,  my  soul,  in  joyful  lays." 
 
 John  Pawcett,  D.D.  (1739-1817),  minister  of  the 
 Baptist  Church  at  Wainsgate,  and  afterwards  at  Hebden 
 Bridge,  published  a  collection  of  his  hymns  as  a  supple- 
 ment to  Dr.  Watts's  "  Psalms  and  Hymns."  They  are  of 
 little  worth,  and  even  those  which  have  passed  into 
 collections  are  fast  going  out  of  use.  "We  may, 
 however,  except  "  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds,"  and  "Thus 
 far  my  God  hath  led  me  on,"  which  have  considerable 
 merit. 
 
 Augustus  Montague  Toplady  (1740-1778),  vicar  of 
 Broad  Hembury,  Devonshire,  is  the  author  of  "  Eock  of 
 Ages,  cleft  for  me,"  which  is  perhaps  the  most  popular 
 hymn  in  the  language ;  at  all  events,  it  contests  this 
 honour  with  Bishop  Ken's  Evening  Hymn.  It  was 
 inserted  in  the  Gospel  Magazine  for  March,  1776,  under 
 the  title,  "  A  Lining  and  Dying  Prayer  for  the  HoKest 
 Believer  in  the  World."  The  immediate  purpose  of  the 
 author  in  writing  it  was  to  protest  against  the  possibility 
 of  entire  sanctification  in  this  life  as  he  understood  it  to 
 be  taught  by  the  Wesleys.  This  polemical  purpose 
 probably  led  Toplady  to  express,  in  the  strongest  possible 
 forms,  the  doctrine  which  he  opposed  to  that  held,  or 
 which  he  supposed  to  be  held,  by  the  early  Methodists. 
 
BID  ACTIO  HFM.VISTS.  129 
 
 The  hymn  is  full  of  solemnity  and  pathos,  and  exerts  a  very 
 wonderful  power  over  the  worshipper.  Judged  by  a  strictly 
 literary  standard,  it  is  not  equal  to  many  a  hymn  which 
 could  be  named,  since  its  imagery  is  somewhat  confused  f- 
 but  judged  by  what  is  a  true  standard — its  power  to  solem- 
 nise and  move  the  heart — it  takes  a  high  place.  Although 
 Toplady  wrote  one  hundred  and  thirty -three  poems  and 
 hymns,  this  is  the  only  one  which  has  attained  to  great 
 popularity.  After  this,  perhaps  his  best  h3min8  are : 
 *'  Deathless  principle  arise,"  and  "  Your  harps,  ye 
 trembling  saints."  "Jesus,  at  Thy  command,"  is  often 
 attributed  to  him,  but  is  probably  by  De  Courcey. 
 
 Anna  Loetitia  Barbauld  (1743-1825),  sister  of  the 
 celebrated  Dr.  Aikin,  whom  she  helped  in  his  well- 
 known  work,  "  Evenings  at  Home,"  the  authoress  of 
 many  important  works,  and  editor  of  the  "  British 
 Novelists,"  and  some  of  the  English  poets,  belongs  to  a 
 very  different  school  to  those  we  have  considered,  all  of 
 
 *  Since  this  paragraph  was  written,  I  notice  that  the  Kev.  John 
 Hudson,  in  an  article  on  "  Church  Hymns  "  in  The  National  Review 
 for  August,  1888,  writes  of  this  hymn : — "  It  seems  a  medley  of 
 confused  images,  and  accumulated,  if  not  misapplied,  metaphors — 
 '  cleft  rock,'  '  riven  side,'  '  to  Thy  cross  I  cling,'  '  to  the  fountain  fly.' 
 What  is  the  precise  meaning  of  '  double  cure  ? '  Is  the  curative 
 agent  or  the  thing  cured  double?  i.e.,  does  it  refer  to  'water  and 
 blood,'  or  '  guilt  and  power  '  of  sin  ?  And  surely,  to  '  cleanse '  from 
 power  is  an  odd  expression  !  The  hymn  itself  does  not  make  clear 
 to  the  reader  whence  the  writer  took  his  idea  '  Rock  of  Ages  '  is 
 generally  supposed  to  be  taken  from  the  marginal  reading  of  Isaiah 
 xxvi.  4,  rendered  by  the  Revisers,  '  In  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  an 
 Everlasting  Rock,'  the  idea  being  stability.  But  the  second  line, 
 'Let  me  hide  myself  in  Thee,'  would  seem  to  be  suggested  by  some 
 such  verse  as  Isaiah  xxxii.  2,  '  The  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary 
 land,'  or  by  the  incident  in  Moses'  life  recorded  in  Exodus  xxxii,  22, 
 « I  will  put  thee  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock,  and  will  cover  thee  with  My 
 hand.'  Whereas,  again,  the  heading  of  the  hymn,  '  That  rock  was 
 Christ,'  would  seem  to  imply  an  allusion  to  the  history  of  the 
 Israelites  described  in  Exodus  xvii.  6,  Numbers  xx.  11,  and  referred 
 to  in  1  Corinthians  x.  4."  k 
 
130  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 whom  were  of  the  strongly  Evangelical  type.  She  is  one 
 of  the  earliest  Unitarian  contributors  to  hymnody ;  a 
 woman  of  great  literary  ability  and  vigour  of  mind. 
 Her  hymn,  "  How  blest  the  righteous  when  he  dies"  is 
 one  of  great  beauty  and  delicacy  of  thought  and 
 expression. 
 
 Rowland  Hill,  M.A.  (1744-1833),  the  eccentric  but 
 devoted  minister  of  Surrey  Chapel,  published  a  collection 
 of  "  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  Public  "Worship,"  in  which 
 some  of  his  own  were  included.  It  is  difficult  to  be 
 certain  which  they  were,  as  he  did  not  append  his  name. 
 "We  sing  His  love  who  once  was  slain,"  is,  however, 
 known  to  be  by  him. 
 
 Michael  Bruce  (1746-1767),  who  for  a  brief  time  before 
 his  early  death  was  engaged  in  conducting  a  school,  and 
 whose  hymns  were  published  by  John  Logan  as  his  own, 
 was  a  hymnist  of  very  considerable  merit ;  the  best  of  his 
 hymns  are  "Where  high  the  heavenly  temple  stands,"  and 
 "Behold  the  mountain  of  the  Lord."  Logan  may  have 
 slightly  altered  these,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that, 
 substantially,  they  were  Bnice's  compositions.  With 
 great  effrontery,  Logan  also  claimed  as  his  own  the  fine 
 hymn  of  Doddridge,  "0  God  of  Bethel,  by  whose  hand," 
 which  he  only  altered. 
 
 Jonathan  Evans  (1749-1809),  the  founder  and  minister 
 of  an  Independent  Church  at  Eoleshill,  near  Coventry, 
 was  the  author  of  at  least  twenty -two  hymns,  but  is  only 
 remembered  by  the  well-known  one,  "  Hark!  the  voice  of 
 love  and  mercy,"  first  published  in  Dr.  Burder's  Coventry 
 Collection  in  1787.  Some  doubt  has  been  felt  as  to  his 
 authorship  of  this  hymn,  as  his  name  is  not  appended,  but 
 it   is   now   generally   admitted   to   be   by   him.     It   has 
 
DIDACTIC  HYMNISTS.  131 
 
 enjoyed  considerable  popularity,  and  is,  in  some  senses,  a 
 striking  hymn. 
 
 John  Morrison,  D.D.  (1749-1798),  minister  of  the 
 parish  of  Canisbay  in  Caithness,  a  member  of  the  General 
 Assembly  for  revising  the  Church  Paraphrases  of  the 
 Scottish  Church,  was  a  hymnist  of  great  vigour.  Two  of 
 his  paraphrases,  "  The  race  that  long  in  darkness  pined,'' 
 and  "  Come,  let  us  to  the  Lord  our  God,"  are  deservedly 
 popular. 
 
 William  Cameron  (1751-1811),  minister  of  Kirknewton 
 in  Mid  Lothian,  also  belonged  to  the  company  of  Para- 
 phrasers,  and  for  that  collection  prepared  a  version  of 
 Dr.  Watts' s  hymn  which  begins  ''  How  bright  those 
 glorious  spirits  shine." 
 
 George  Burder  (1752-1832),  minister  of  the  West 
 Orchard  Independent  Church  at  Coventry,  and  afterwards 
 editor  of  the  Evangelical  Magazttie,  and  secretary  of  the 
 London  Missionary  Society,  well  known  as  the  author  of 
 "  Village  Sermons,"  once  extensively  used  by  lay 
 preachers,  published  three  hymns  of  his  own,  in  a 
 selection  intended  for  use  as  supplementary  to  Dr. 
 Watts' s  "  Psalms  and  Hymns."  These  have  enjoyed 
 considerable  popularity,  and  though  not  remarkable  for 
 poetic  excellence,  are  yet  well  adapted  for  the  purposes  of 
 worship.  The  best  is  *'  Great  the  joy  when  Christians 
 meet."  "  Lord,  dismiss  us  with  Thy  blessing  "  has  been 
 attributed  to  him,  but  it  appeared  eleven  years  earlier,  in 
 1773,  in  the  Shawbury  Collection,  and  is  most  likely,  but 
 not  certainly,  by  John  Pawcett. 
 
 John  Ryland,  D.D.  (1753-1825),  President  of  the 
 Baptist  College  at  Bristol,  a  post  he  held  together  with 
 the  pastorate  of  Broadmead  Chapel  in  the  same  city,  a 
 
132  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 well-known  Baptist  minister,  was  the  author  of  many 
 hymns.  The  one  beginning  '*  Thou  Son  of  God,  and 
 Son  of  Man,"  is  marked  by  great  force,  and  warmth  of 
 expression.  His  favourite  hymn  was  "  0  Lord,  I  would 
 delight  in  Thee."  It  is  full  of  a  joyful  trustfulness,  and 
 contains,  in  the  following  line,  the  fine  thought  that  every 
 creature  good  has  its  source  in  God — 
 
 "  No  good  in  creatures  can  be  found, 
 But  may  be  found  in  Thee." 
 
 Edmund  Butcher  (1757-1822),  minister  of  a  congrega- 
 tion in  Leather  Lane,  Holborn,  wrote  more  than  a  hundred 
 hymns,  amongst  which  his  harvest  hymn  is  found,  be- 
 ginning "Great  God,  as  seasons  disappear."  It  is  a  fine 
 hymn,  and  has  passed  into  a  large  number  of  collections. 
 
 John  Dobell  (1757-1840),  an  officer  at  Poole  under  the 
 Board  of  Excise,  is  more  remarkable  as  an  Editor  than  as 
 a  "Writer  of  hymns.  In  180G  he  issued  "A  I^ew  Selection 
 of  Seven  Hundred  Evangelical  Hymns  for  Private,  Family, 
 and  Public  Worship,  from  more  than  two  hundred  of  the 
 best  authors  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and  America." 
 He  spent  many  years  in  this  work,  and  took  great  pains 
 to  ascertain  the  authorship  of  the  hymns  he  included. 
 On  this  account,  his  labours  have  been  of  great  value  to 
 hymnologists.  His  hymn,  "  l^ow  is  the  accepted  time," 
 which  has  passed  into  several  other  collections,  is  of  no 
 great  value. 
 
 Sir  James  Edward  Smith,  M.D.,  E.E.S.  (1759-1828),  a 
 Norwich  physician,  is  more  remarkable  for  his  scientific 
 labours,  especially  in  natural  history,  than  for  his  con- 
 tributions to  hymnody.  Of  the  nine  hymns  from  his  pen, 
 the  best  is  "  Adore,  my  soul,  that  awful  name." 
 
DIDACTIC  EYMNISTS.  133 
 
 William  Shrubsole  (1759-1829),  who  held  a  post  of 
 importance  in  the  Bank  of  England,  is  remembered  by 
 his  Missionary  Hymns,  one  of  which,  "  Bright  as  the 
 sun's  meridian  blaze,"  was  written  for  the  first  meeting  of 
 the  London  Missionary  Society,  whilst  his  striking  hymn, 
 though  somewhat  hard  in  tone,  "Arm  of  the  Lord,  awake! 
 awake  !  "  was  published  in  "  Missionary  Hymns  "  (1795). 
 
 Alice  Plowerdew  (1759-1830)  is  the  authoress  of  that 
 exceedingly  poetical  hymn  (sometimes  ascribed  to  John 
 I^eedham),  "  Eountain  of  mercy,  God  of  love."  It  is 
 probably  founded  on  a  hymn  of  l^eedham's. 
 
 Basil  Woodd,  M.A.  (1760-1831),  author  of  a  new 
 metrical  version  of  the  Psalms  of  David  ;  James  Upton 
 (1760-1834)  ;  and  Thomas  Park,  F.S.A.  (1760-1835),  fiU 
 too  small  a  place  in  hymnody  to  deserve  more  than  the 
 mention  of  their  names. 
 
 Joseph  Swain  (1761-1796),  minister  of  a  Baptist 
 Church  at  Walworth,  the  author  of  the  "Walworth 
 Hymns,"  is  remembered  by  a  few  hymns,  among  which 
 we  may  mention:  "Lift  up  your  heads,  ye  gates,"  "  Por 
 ever  to  behold  Him  shine,"  and  "How  sweet,  how 
 heavenly  is  the  sight,"  which  are  not  without  merit. 
 
 Helen  Maria  Williams  (1762-1827),  a  woman  of  great 
 ability,  was  the  authoress  of  a  hymn  of  great  originality 
 and  pathos,  "  While  Thee  I  seek,  protecting  power." 
 
 William  Goode,  M.A.  (1762  -  1516),  successor  to 
 E-omaine  in  the  Church  of  St.  Ann,  Blackfriars,  dis- 
 satisfied, like  many  others,  with  the  versions  of  the 
 Psalms  then  in  existence,  produced  a  new  one,  which, 
 instead  of  surpassing  its  predecessors  in  excellence,  fell 
 below  them.     Only  one  of   his  versions  has  gained  any 
 
134  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 popularity,    that    of     the    74th,     which    begins    "Thou 
 gracious  God  and  kind," 
 
 Job  Hupton  (1762-1849),  one  of  the  Countess  of 
 Huntingdon's  preachers,  and  afterwards  minister  of  the 
 Baptist  Church  at  Claxton,  Norfolk,  author  of  "  Hymns 
 and  Spiritual  Poems,"  is  the  author  of  "  Come,  ye  saints, 
 and  raise  an  anthem,"  which,  strange  to  say,  has  been 
 altered  and  republished  by  Dr.  Mason  Neale,  whose 
 version  begins  "  Come,  ye  faithful,  raise  the  anthem." 
 
 John  Kent  (1766-1843),  a  shipwright  in  the  employ 
 of  the  Government  at  Plymouth,  was  the  author  of 
 "  Original  Gospel  Hymns,"  which  reached  a  tenth 
 edition,  and  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-four 
 hymns.  ISTo  less  than  twelve  of  these  appear  in  "  Our 
 Own  Hymn  Book,"  edited  by  the  Eev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon. 
 
 Edmund  Jones  (circa  1777),  Samuel  Pearce,  M. A.  (1766- 
 1799),  Thomas  Fanshaw  Middleton,  D.D.,  P.R.S.,  and  the 
 well  known  Amelia  Opie  (1796-1853),  fill  too  small  a 
 place  in  hymnody  to  call  for  special  mention. 
 
 The  period  covered  by  this  chapter  is  not  a  remarkable 
 one.  It  is  little  more  than  the  afterglow  of  the  brilliant 
 sunset  of  Watts  and  Wesley.  It  includes  a  large  number 
 of  names,  and  a  few  fine  hymns ;  but,  for  the  most  part, 
 the  hymns  are  expressive  of  a  religious  fervour  from 
 which  the  freshness  and  individuality  had  departed. 
 Nearly  all  the  writers  were  men  who  had  been  touched, 
 more  or  less,  by  the  influence  of  the  Methodist  Revival. 
 Most  of  them  were  Dissenters,  or  Churchmen  so  low  in 
 doctrine  that,  to  a  High  Churchman,  they  differed  little 
 from  Dissenters.  The  Baptists  fill  a  very  large  place  in 
 the  hymnody  of  this  period.     This  was  probably  due  to 
 
DIDACTIC  HYMNISTS.  135 
 
 the  fact  that,  though  they  were  great  admirers  of  Dr. 
 Watts' s  Psalms  and  Hymns,  they  were  less  dominated 
 by  them  than  the  Independents,  to  whose  company  Dr. 
 Watts  belonged.  Whilst  the  earliest  English  hymnists 
 were  stronger  in  poetic  thought  than  doctrinal  precision, 
 those  of  this  period  are  more  doctrinal  and  experimental 
 than  poetic.  This  is,  indeed,  with  a  few  exceptions,  one 
 of  the  least  poetic  and  lyric  periods  in  the  history  of 
 hymnody,  and,  apart  from  the  Olney,  and  such  hymns  as 
 "  Eock  of  Ages,"  and  "  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesu's 
 name,"  comparatively  few  of  its  hymns  are  likely  to 
 retain  a  permanent  place  in  the  Church's  song.  It  was, 
 indeed,  a  dull  age  as  regarded  poetry  generally.  It  was 
 not  till  the  latter  part  of  the  time  that  the  poems  of 
 Wordsworth,  Coleridge,  Byron,  Shelley,  and  Keats  saw 
 the  light,  and  still  later  before  their  influence  was  widely 
 felt.  Hymnody  is  largely  affected  by  the  current  poetry. 
 But  it  is  probable  that  the  religious  ideas  of  the  age  covered 
 by  this  chapter  prevented  the  poetry  then  in  existence 
 exerting  its  full  influence  on  hymn  writers.  The  range 
 of  reading  of  the  ministry  in  JN'onconformist  churches  (and 
 to  their  ministers  we  owe  the  larger  part  of  the  hymns 
 of  this  period),  was  more  exclusively  theological  than  in 
 our  day,  and  thus  the  poetic  afflatus  was  little  nourished, 
 as  now,  by  the  study  of  poetry.  In  many  a  hymnist 
 of  succeeding  times,  we  shall  discover  the  true  poet : 
 men  who  not  only  gave  themselves  to  the  production 
 of  poetry,  but  even  in  their  hymn  writing  worked  with 
 the  poet's  spirit.  To  this  narrow  range  of  sympathy  and 
 of  reading  is  due  the  dulness  and  sameness  which  must 
 strike  everyone  acquainted  with  any  considerable  number 
 of  the  hymns  of  the  age  covered  by  this  chapter. 
 
136 
 
 CHAPTER  XIV. 
 
 ♦ 
 
 INCREASE  OE  POETIC  ELEMENTS. 
 
 We  now  come  to  a  time  at  which  the  influence  of  Isaac 
 Watts,  and,  in  a  less  degree,  of  Charles  Wesley,  over 
 hymnody,  has  somewhat  waned,  and  in  which  the 
 influence  of  contemporary  poetry  begins  to  make  itself 
 felt  in  an  increasing  degree,  whilst  the  more  general 
 culture  of  the  age  becomes  apparent  in  the  hymns  that 
 are  produced.  This  is  less  evident  in  the  earlier  writers 
 of  this  period,  but  becomes  more  so  as  the  time  goes  on. 
 To  this  we  owe  the  variety  of  stj^le  and  metre,  the  dis- 
 tinctiveness of  theme,  the  greater  finish,  and  the  more 
 poetic  touches  which  distinguish  our  modern  hymnody. 
 These  are  not  so  apparent  in  the  first  writer  of  this  period 
 to  which  I  refer  (Thomas  Kelly),  but  are  markedly  so  in 
 the  second  (James  Montgomeiy),  and  others  which  follow. 
 Thomas  Kelly  (1769-1855),  only  son  of  Judge  Kelly, 
 of  the  Irish  Bench,  was  diiven  from  the  Established 
 Church  of  Ireland  by  the  opposition  of  the  then  Arch- 
 bishop of  Dublin  to  Evangelical  doctrine.  At  first  Mr. 
 Kelly's  ministry  was  carried  on  in  private  houses ;  but,  at 
 length,  York  Street  Chapel,  Dublin,  was  erected  for  the 
 exercise  of  his  ministry,  on  what  were  virtually  the  lines 
 of  Independency.     He  was  the  author  of  a  large  number 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  137 
 
 of  liymns,  larger  even  than  Dr.  "Watts.     His  completed 
 
 book  contains  seven  hundi^ecl  and   sixty-seven.     Like  all 
 
 voluminous  hymn  writers,  there  are  many — most,  we  may 
 
 say — that   are  not  remarkable.     But  scattered   over  the 
 
 volume  there  are  hymns  of  great  excellence.     Of  one  of 
 
 these,   ''We  sing   the   praise   of   Him  who   died,"  Lord 
 
 Selborne  has  said:   "I  doubt  whether  Montgomery  ever 
 
 wrote  anything  quite  equal  to  this."     This  seems  to  me 
 
 exaggerated   praise,    since   James    Montgomery   must   be 
 
 ranked  as  one  of  the  greatest  of  English  hymnists.     But 
 
 still,    at   his   best,    Kelly   is   very    good    as   a    hymnist. 
 
 Though  we  cannot  subscribe  to  Lord  Selborne' s  praise  of 
 
 the  hymn  he  names,  it  is  an  exceedingly  good  one,  fine  in 
 
 sentiment,  and  lyric  in  expression.     In  the  Supplement  to 
 
 the    "New    Congregational   Hymn   Book,"    it   was   the 
 
 subject  of,  perhaps,  a  more  extraordinary  alteration  than 
 
 any  hymn  which  could  be  named,  although  many  have 
 
 suffered  much  at  the  hands  of  incompetent  editors.     In 
 
 the  original,  the  verse  reads  thus — 
 
 "  Inscribed  upon  the  cross  we  see, 
 
 In  shining  letters,  GOD  IS  LOVE. 
 He  bears  our  sins  upon  the  tree, 
 He  brings  us  mercy  from  above." 
 
 which  was  changed  to  the  following — 
 
 "  Inscribed  upon  the  cross  we  see. 
 In  crimson  letters,  darkly  bright, 
 Of  Holy  Love  the  mystery. 
 For  God  is  Love  and  God  is  Light." 
 
 The  verse,  as  thus  amended,  is  "  darkly  bright "  indeed, 
 
 but  there  is  more  of   darkness  than   brightness.     Quite 
 
 equal    to   this    hymn  are — "  The   head    that    once   was 
 
 crowned  with   thorns,"    "Look,   ye   saints,   the  sight   is 
 
 glorious,"  and  "  We've  no  abiding  city  here,"  whilst  his 
 
 Evening  Hymn,  "  Through  the  day  Thy  love  has  spared 
 
138  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 us,"  is  one  of  the  most  tenderly  beautiful  for  that  season. 
 Thomas  Kelly  deserves,  and  will  probably  long  hold,  a 
 place  of  honour  in  the  hymnody  of  the  Church,  but  to 
 doubt,  as  Lord  Selborne  has  done,  whether  Montgomery 
 ever  wrote  anything  quite  equal  to  his  hymn  on  the  Cross, 
 shows  an  exaggerated  estimate  of  Kelly,  and  a  want  of 
 appreciation  of  Montgomery,  who  certainly  holds  a  far 
 higher  place  in  the  Christian  Choir.  He  did  not  write 
 nearly  as  many  hymns  as  Kelly,  probably  because  he  had 
 a  much  higher  conception  of  what  is  essential  to  a  good 
 hymn.  Would  that  this  had  been  the  case  with  hymnists 
 generally,  and  that  they  had  the  grace  to  commit  to  the 
 flames  such  of  their  hymns  as  were  either  echoes  of 
 previous  ones,  or  but  the  mere  rhymed  prose,  with 
 which  the  hymnal  stores  of  the  Church  are  so  sadly 
 encumbered. 
 
 To  scarcely  any  hymnist  does  this  remark  apply  with 
 less  force  than  to  James  Montgomery  (1771-1854),  who 
 came  of  a  Moravian  stock,  and  received  his  education  at 
 Fulneck,  in  Yorkshire.  He  had  been  designed  for  the 
 ministry  of  that  body,  but  was  probably  kept  therefi'om 
 by  a  certain  diffidence  and  shyness  of  nature  which 
 prevented  him  from  even  becoming  a  member  of  the 
 Moravian  Church  till  he  was  over  forty  years  of  age.  To 
 this  peculiarity  of  his  nature  some  of  the  excellences  of 
 his  hymns  may,  perhaps,  be  ascribed.  Too  many  of  the 
 hymnists  have  been  of  the  bolder  and  more  assertive  type 
 of  character,  and  so  their  verses  lack  the  tenderness  and 
 quiet  reserve  which  add  so  much  beauty  to  hymns.  For 
 variety,  clearness,  strength,  suitability  of  form  to  subject, 
 Montgomery's  hymns  have  rarely,  if  ever,  been  excelled. 
 An   unusually  large   proportion    of   those   he  wrote   has 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  139 
 
 passed  into  use  and  favour.  I  found  as  many  worthy  of  a 
 place  in  public  worship  as  in  the  far  more  voluminous 
 productions  of  Dr.  "Watts.  But  for  the  prejudice  in 
 favour  of  Dr.  Watts  as  the  real  founder  of  English 
 hymnody — for  which,  indeed,  he  deserves  high  honour — 
 Montgomery  would,  I  believe,  be  ranked  above  him. 
 Where  can  grander  missionary  hymns  be  found  than  his 
 "  0  Spirit  of  the  living  God,"  and  ''Hark!  the  song  of 
 Jubilee."  They  move  the  heart  like  the  sound  of  a 
 trumpet.  Where  shall  we  find  a  nobler  version  of  a 
 Psalm  than  his  of  the  72nd,  "Hail  to  the  Lord's 
 Anointed;"  or  if  we  turn  to  those  of  a  more  subdued 
 type,  how  compact  and  yet  tender  is  "  When  on  Sinai's 
 top  I  see;"  how  suggestive  and  impressive,  "0  where 
 shall  rest  be  found;"  how  pathetic,  "According  to  Thy 
 gracious  word  ;  "  how  comprehensive  in  its  scope,  how 
 catholic  in  its  sympathy,  "  Millions  within  Thy  courts 
 have  met."  In  all  these  there  is  a  unity  of  thought,  a 
 clearness  of  utterance,  a  purity  of  style,  a  healthiness 
 of  religious  tone,  ranking  them  amongst  the  choicest 
 treasures  of  the  Church's  song.  If  Charles  Wesley  is 
 more  subjectively  lyrical,  Montgomery  is  more  objectively 
 clear  and  impressive.  His  writings  did  much  to  elevate 
 and  purify  the  taste  of  the  Church  in  relation  to 
 hymnody.  He  seems  to  have  been  conscious  that  his  real 
 success  had  been  as  a  hymnist  rather  than  as  a  poet,  since, 
 when  asked  by  a  Whitby  solicitor,  "  Which  of  your  poems 
 will  live?"  he  replied,  "  IsTone,  sir;  nothing,  except, 
 perhaps,  a  few  of  my  hymns." 
 
 Mrs.  Yoke  was  an  ardent  friend  of  missions.  Most  of 
 her  hymns  owe  their  origin  to  this  feeling.  Two  of 
 them,    at   a   time    when   missionaiy   hymns   were   much 
 
140  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 fewer  in  number  and  poorer  in  quality  than  they  are  now, 
 were  popular.  One  of  these  was  "  Ye  messengers  of 
 Christ,"  and  the  other,  "Behold  the  expected  time  draws 
 near." 
 
 George  Keith,  a  son-in-law  of  Dr.  Gill,  who  is  said  to 
 have  written  hymns  as  he  listened  to  his  father-in-law's 
 sermons,  is  credited  by  Mr.  Sedgwick,  but  on  quite 
 insufficient  eyidence,  with  the  authorship  of  "  How  firm  a 
 foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord,"  a  hymn  of  no  great 
 merit, 
 
 James  Hogg  (1772-1835),  commonly  known  as  the 
 Ettrick  Shepherd,  one  of  Nature's  geniuses,  finds  a  place 
 among  the  hymnists  by  one  hynm,  in  which  there  are 
 many  poetic  touches,  "  Lauded  be  Thy  name  for  ever." 
 
 Harriet  Auber  (1773-1862),  daughter  of  the  rector  of 
 Tring,  was  the  authoress  of  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Psalms," 
 in  which  the  deservedly  popular  hymn,  "Our  blest 
 Eedeemer,  ere  He  breathed,"  is  found.  It  is  one  of  the 
 most  beautiful  hymns  on  "The  Comforter"  in  the 
 language.  Her  version  of  the  75th  Psalm,  beginning 
 "  That  Thou,  0  Lord,  art  ever  nigh,"  though  not  equal 
 to  the  former,  is  of  considerable  merit. 
 
 John  Cawood,  M.A.  (1775-1852),  the  perpetual  curate 
 of  St.  Ann's  Chapel'  of  Ease,  Bewdley,  was  the  author  of 
 at  least  seventeen  hymns,  of  which  one,  "Almighty  God, 
 Thy  word  is  cast,"  suitable  to  be  sung  after  the  sermon,  is 
 very  practical,  and  adapted  for  its  purpose. 
 
 Eichard  Mant,  D.D.  (1776-1848),  Bishop  of  Dromore, 
 was  the  author  of  "  The  Book  of  Psalms  in  an  English 
 Metrical  Version,"  and  "  Ancient  Hymns  from  the 
 'Eoman  Breviary'  and  Original  Hymns"  (1837);  many 
 of    these    hymns    were    inserted    in    his    prose    works. 
 
TNCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  141 
 
 Some  of  them  are  very  vigorous,  and  marked  by  a 
 certain  grandeur  of  style.  Perhaps  the  finest  is  "Bright 
 the  vision  which  delighted,"  which  is  often  appropriately 
 inserted  in  hymnals  with  the  omission  of  the  first  verse, 
 and  beginning,  ''  Eound  the  Lord,  in  glory  seated."  His 
 Litany,  ''  Son  of  God,  to  Thee  I  cry,"  is  a  fine  example 
 of  that  class  of  composition  ;  whilst  there  is  a  quiet  rest- 
 fulness  about  "  There  is  a  dwelling  place  above,"  which  is 
 very  attractive.  His  Funeral  Hymn,  ' '  For  Thy  dear  saint, 
 0  Lord,"  has  also  not  a  little  merit.  The  really  anony- 
 mous hymn,  "Praise  the  Lord,  ye  heavens  adore  Him," 
 has  often  been  ascribed,  without  proof,  to  Bishop  Mant. 
 
 Thomas  Campbell  (1777-1844),  the  well-known  author 
 of  "  The  Pleasures  of  Hope,"  and  many  stirring  national 
 poems,  is  represented  in  a  few  hymnals,  by  ""When 
 Jordan  hush'd  his  waters  still,"  which,  as  was  to  be 
 expected,  has  poetic,  but  little  hymnic  merit.  I  have 
 sometimes  thought  that  the  anxiety  of  editors  to  remove 
 tbe  charge  that  few  great  poets  have  contributed  to 
 hymnody,  has  sometimes  led  them  to  strain  a  point,  so  as 
 to  include  in  their  collections  verses  by  well-known 
 authors  which  are  not  really  hymns.  In  several  recent 
 hymnals  there  are  compositions  against  which  one  would 
 be  disposed  to  write — a  poem,  but  not  a  hymn.  A  dis- 
 tinction which  may  be  briefly  described  in  the  following 
 way.  The  poem  dwells  on  a  theme  or  a  word,  without 
 designing  it  to  be  a  vehicle  of  praise,  or  a  medium  for 
 worship,  whilst  the  hynm  proper  has  one  or  both  of  these 
 as  its  special  purpose — it  should  be  the  lyric  outburst  of  a 
 worshipping  spirit,  calling  and  helping  others  to  worship 
 also. 
 
 Thomas  Moore  (1779-1852)  is  a  considerable  name  in 
 
142  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 poetry,   and  if   his  religious  fervour  had  been   stronger, 
 
 might  have  been  equally  so  in  hymnody.     In  a  literary 
 
 and  intellectual  sense,  he  was  singularly  and  most  richly 
 
 fitted  for  hymnic  composition.     He  was  deeply  poetic  ;  he 
 
 had  a  wonderful  command  of  rhythm ;  the  music  of  his 
 
 verse  is  lovely;  and  yet  his  hymns  have  never  laid  hold 
 
 of  the  worshipping  instinct.     And  the  reason  is  probably 
 
 to  be  found  in  a  lack  of  spiritual  fervour.     Had  a  great 
 
 religious  movement  taken  hold  of  him,   he    would  have 
 
 been,  I  fancy,  one  of  the  greatest  hymn  writers  of  the 
 
 world.     As   one   regards   the   perfect  mechanism   of   his 
 
 hymns,  the  feeling  rises  in  the  heart,  "0"Jthat  the  fire 
 
 were   there   to    set   it   in   motion !  "     Having   that   fire, 
 
 the  hymns  of  many  an  inferior  writer  have  grown  into 
 
 far  greater  favour.     And  yet  we  could  hardly  spare  from 
 
 our  collections  such  hymns  as  "  Thou  art,  0  God,  the  life 
 
 and  light,"  with  its  exquisite  poetry,  or  "0   Thou  who 
 
 dry'st    the    mourner's    tear,"    with    its   beautiful   verse 
 
 embodying  the  fine  idea  of  Blanco  INTiite's  noble  sonnet, 
 
 ''Mysterious  Night."     Did  Moore  borrow  the  idea  from 
 
 Blanco  White  or  Blanco  "White  from  Moore  ? — 
 
 "  Then  sorrow,  touch'd  by  Thee,  grows  bright 
 With  more  than  rapture's  ray  ; 
 As  darkness  shows  us  worlds  of  light 
 We  never  saw  by  day." 
 
 His  rendering  of  Miriam's  song,  "  Sound  the  loud  timbrel 
 
 o'er  Egypt's  dark  sea,"  used  to  be  a  great  favourite,  but 
 
 is  less  so  now  that  a  tenderer  spirit  is  in  the  ascendant  in 
 
 the  Church. 
 
 Marianne  Nunn    (1779-1847)    is  well   known   by   her 
 
 hymn,  "  One  there  is  above  all  others,"  a  version  of  John 
 
 l^ewton's  beginning  in  the  same  way,  adapted  to  be  sung 
 
 to  a  favourite  Welsh  tune. 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  143 
 
 Ealph  Wardlaw,  D.D.  (1779-1853),  occupies  a  con- 
 siderable place  in  the  theology,  but  a  small  one  in  the 
 hymnody  of  his  age.  For  a  collection  he  edited,  he 
 wrote  eleven  hymns,  of  which  the  most  widely  known 
 one  is  "  Lift  up  to  God  the  voice  of  praise,"  which  has  a 
 force  and  crispness  of  utterance  that  are  remarkable.  To 
 these  characteristics,  rather  than  to  its  poetic  quality,  its 
 popularity  is  due. 
 
 Joseph  Dacre  Carlyle,  B.D.  (1759-1804),  the  learned 
 Professor  of  Arabic  at  Cambridge,  appended  to  a  volume 
 of  poems,  suggested  by  scenes  in  Asia  Minor,  three  of  a 
 religious  character.  One  of  these  is  the  hymn,  "Lord, 
 when  we  bend  before  Thy  throne,"  intended  for  use 
 before  public  worship,  calling  the  heart  to  sincerity  and 
 penitence  before  God.  It  is  a  hymn  of  great  reality  and 
 tenderness,  and  deservedly  popular. 
 
 John  Marriott  (1780-1825),  for  a  time  Vicar  of  Church 
 Lawford,  in  Warwickshire,  was  the  author  of  the 
 Missionary  Hymn,  "  Thou,  whose  Almighty  word," 
 which  justly  holds  a  place  in  the  first  rank. 
 
 George  Croly,  LL.D.  (1780-1860),  acquii-ed  consider- 
 able reputation  in  literature,  and  wrote  a  good  deal  of 
 sacred  poetry,  but  of  his  "  Psalms  and  Hymns  for 
 Public  Worship,"  containing  twenty  Psalms  and  the 
 same  number  of  hymns,  not  one  has  established  itself  in 
 the  affections  of  the  Church. 
 
 Gerard  Thomas  Noel,  M.A.  (1782-1851,  elder  brother 
 of  the  devoted  Baptist  W.  IS'oel),  Yicar  of  Eomsey,  is 
 remembered  by  a  hymn  often  used  at  the  Communion, 
 "  If  human  kindness  meets  return."  It  is  full  of  a 
 tender  and  subdued  feeling,  and  admirably  suited  for 
 such  a  service. 
 
Ui  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 William  Bengo  Collyer,  D.D.,  LL.D.  (1782-1854),  was 
 a  Congregational  minister  at  Hanover  Chapel,  Peckham, 
 and,  like  a  few  of  his  brethren  in  the  ministry  at  that 
 time,  had  a  considerable  reputation  for  attracting  more 
 fashionable  folk  than  are  usually  found  within  the  circle 
 of  Dissent.  The  Duke  of  Kent,  and  others  of  the  royal 
 blood,  were  occasional  worshippers  in  his  chapel.  Ho 
 belonged  to  a  type  which  has  left  no  representatives 
 behind,  but  of  which  there  were  in  his  time  not  a  few, 
 including  men  like  the  Claytons,  Thomas  Adkins,  of 
 Southampton,  Dr.  Raffles,  of  Liverpool,  and  Dr.  Morton 
 Erown  of  Cheltenham.  All  of  them  were  touched  in 
 their  style  of  preaching  by  the  influence  of  Dr.  Johnson. 
 Dr.  Collyer  published  a  collection  of  hymns  for  his  own 
 congregation,  but  those  from  his  own  pen  are  by  no 
 means  remarkable.  The  best  is  "  Return,  0  wanderer, 
 return."  He  was  one  of  the  authors  of  that  very  com- 
 posite hymn  in  its  present  form,  ' '  Great  God,  what  do  I 
 see  and  hear,"  the  original  source  of  which  was  a  hymn 
 by  Ringwaldt,  of  which  Dr.  Collyer  saw  the  first  verse  in 
 a  translation  by  Jacobi.  He  thought  it  was  Luther's. 
 To  it  he  added  three  verses  ;  these  have  been  considerably 
 altered  by  other  editors.  It  used  to  be  often  sung,  but 
 conceptions  of  the  future  life  have  so  altered  during  recent 
 years  that  it  is  now  very  rarely  used.  I  have  not  heard 
 it  sung  for  at  least  twenty  years. 
 
 Reginald  Heber,  D.D.  (1783-1826),  the  greatly-beloved 
 Bishop  of  Calcutta,  is  one  of  the  few  hymnists  of  an 
 earlier  time  whose  reputation  is  increasing  rather  than 
 diminishing.  Eault  used  to  be  found  with  his  hymns 
 because  they  "  carried  the  poetic  element  to  its  utmost 
 point."      Josiah   Miller   says:     "They   are   usually   dis- 
 
mCBEASE  OF  POETIG  ELEMENTS.        145 
 
 tinguishecl  by  a  rhetorical  flow,  and  an  elevation  of 
 manner  and  imagery  that  threatens  to  take  them  out 
 of  the  class  of  hymns,  and  rob  them  of  that  pious 
 moderation  we  ordinarily  expect  to  meet  with  in  such 
 productions."  The  pious  moderation  of  which  Mr.  Miller 
 speaks  has  been  the  curse  of  hymnody,  and  it  will  be 
 found  that  such  pious  moderation  will  take  the  hymns 
 marked  thereby,  before  long,  out  of  the  Church's  song ; 
 whilst  the  poetic  element  discernible  in  Heber's  hymns  is 
 bringing  them  more  and  more  into  favour  and  use.  I 
 have  an  impression  that  a  larger  proportion  of  the  hymns 
 written  by  him  are  in  actual  use  than  is  the  case  with 
 any  considerable  writer.  By  use  I  mean,  not  what  is 
 commonly  meant — their  presence  in  hymnals — but  their 
 actual  use  in  the  worship  of  the  Church.  Insertion  in  a 
 hymnal  is  one  thing  ;  singing  by  a  congregation  is  quite 
 another.  A  hymnist's  true  reputation  rests  on  the  latter, 
 and  not  on  the  former,  since  very  few  editors  have,  as 
 yet,  had  the  courage  to  omit  from  their  collections  hymns 
 which  have  passed  out  of  use.''^  Heber's  best  known,  and 
 perhaps  the  most  popular  of  all  hymns  for  missionary 
 services,  is  "From  Greenland's  icy  mountains."  The 
 story  of  its  production  is  as  follows.  On  "Whitsunday, 
 1819,  the  late  Dr.  Shipley,  Dean  of  St.  Asaph,  and  vicar 
 of  Wrexham,  preached  a  sermon  in  "Wrexham  Church  in 
 aid  of  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in 
 Foreign  Parts.  That  day  was  also  fixed  upon  for  the 
 commencement   of    the   Sunday  Evening   Lectures  to  be 
 
 *  Since  writing  this  paragraph,  I  have  learned  from  Mr.  W.  T. 
 Brooke,  that  both  he  and  the  Rev.  John  Julian,  the  Editor  of  the 
 forthcoming  "  Dictionary  of  Hymnology,"  have  come  to  the  con- 
 clusion that  every  hymn  written  by  Heber  is  now  in  common  use — 
 a  thing  unique  in  hymnody.  l 
 
146  TEE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 established  in  that  church,  and  the  late  Bishop  of 
 Calcutta  (Heber),  then  rector  of  Hodnet,  the  Dean's 
 son-in-law,  undertook  to  deliver  the  first  lecture.  In  the 
 course  of  the  Saturday  previous,  the  Dean  and  his  son-in- 
 law  being  together  at  the  vicarage,  the  former  requested 
 Heber  to  write  "  something  for  them  to  sing  in  the 
 morning,"  and  he  retii'ed  for  that  purpose  from  the  table 
 where  the  Dean  and  a  few  friends  were  sitting,  to  a 
 distant  part  of  the  room.  In  a  short  time  the  Dean 
 enquired,  "What  have  you  written?"  Heber,  having 
 then  composed  the  three  first  verses,  read  them  over 
 "  There,  there  ;  that  will  do  very  well,"  said  the  Dean. 
 "  No,  no  ;  the  sense  is  not  complete,"  replied  Heber. 
 Accordingly,  he  added  the  fourth  verse  ;  and  the  Dean 
 being  inexorable  to  his  repeated  request  of  "Let  me  add 
 another  !  let  me  add  another  !  "  thus  completed  the  hymn 
 which  has  since  become  so  celebrated.  It  was  sung  the 
 next  morning  in  Wrexham  Church  for  the  first  time. 
 Only  one  correction  appears  in  the  MS.,  that  of  the  word 
 "savage"  to  "heathen."  Almost  equal  in  popularity  is 
 his  hymn  for  Trinity  Sunday,  "Holy,  holy,  holy.  Lord 
 God  Almighty,"  a  hymn  of  great  beauty,  and  full  of  a 
 rich  lyric  feeling.  Its  only  fault,  in  my  judgment,  is  the 
 too  metaphysical  line,  "  God  in  Three  Persons,  blessed 
 Trinity,"  due,  in  all  probability,  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
 written  for  Trinity  Sunday.  In  hymns,  dogma  should  take 
 on  the  softened  form  of  poetry,  and  be  a  pervading  spirit 
 — not  a  metaphysical  declaration.  Indeed,  the  doctriQe 
 of  the  Trinity  finds  much  more  spiritual  expression  in 
 Scripture  than  iu  the  creeds  of  the  Church  of  which, 
 when  he  wrote  this  liae,  the  good  Bishop's  mind  was 
 evidently  full.     Quite  equal  in  merit  is  "  Hosanna  to  the 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.         147 
 
 living  Lord,"  a  glorious  burst  of  praise,  relieved,  here 
 and  there,  by  strains  of  great  solemnity  and  tenderness. 
 "  The  Lord  of  might  from  Sinai's  brow,"  is  a  hymn  of 
 great  force  and  picturesqueness,  unhappily  disfigured  by 
 the  line  which  tells  of  Christ  meeting  the  Father's 
 anger ;  a  line  due,  not  to  the  kindly  spirit  of  the  writer, 
 but  to  the  theology  current  in  his  time.  "  Lord  of 
 mercy  and  of  might"  is  a  litany  solemn  and  grand. 
 *'The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war"  is  a  most  stirring 
 hymn,  marked  in  parts  by  very  pathetic  touches,  and 
 strikes  quite  a  new  note  in  hymnody.  "  Thou  art  gone  to 
 the  grave,  but  we  will  not  deplore  thee,"  is  one  of  the 
 most  prized  of  Funeral  Hymns.  Bishop  Hebcr  evidently 
 thought  that  hymns  should  be  more  marked  by  poetic  and 
 literary  grace  than  they  usually  are,  since  he  compiled  a 
 small  collection,  containing  what  he  thought  the  best  of 
 his  own,  together  with  others  by  Jeremy  Taylor,  Addison, 
 Sir  "Walter  Scott,  Dean  Milman,  and  others  of  a  like 
 character.  In  common  with  James  jMontgomery,  he  did 
 much  to  elevate  the  standard  of  hymnody. 
 
 Bernard  Barton  (1784-1849)  presents  to  us  the  strange 
 spectacle  of  a  member  of  the  unsinging  body  of  the 
 Society  of  Friends  as  a  contributor  to  the  Church's 
 song.  From  his  poetical  works,  two  hymns  have  been 
 drawn  of  no  little  merit — "Lamp  of  our  feet,  whereby 
 we  trace,"  on  the  Bible,  and  "  Walk  in  the  light,  so  shalt 
 thou  know."  One  cannot  help  wishing  that  they  had 
 been  addressed  (as  hymns  should  be)  directly  to  God. 
 The  first  is  really  a  description  of  Scripture,  and  the  second 
 a  persuasive  to  sincerity  of  life. 
 
 Henry  Kirke  White  (1785-1806),  is  one  of  the  small 
 company  of  real  poets  who  have  contributed  to  hymnody. 
 
148  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 It  was  concerning  him  that  Byron  used  the  striking 
 image  of  the  struck  eagle,  which 
 
 "  Viewed  his  own  feather  on  the  fatal  dart, 
 And  winged  the  shaft  that  quivered  to  his  heart." 
 
 His  life  was  brought  to  a  premature  end  by  his 
 excessive  devotion  to  mathematical  study.  Strange  to 
 say,  the  fragment  of  the  hymn  by  which  he  is  best 
 known,  was  found  on  the  back  of  his  mathematical 
 papers — "  Much  in  sorrow,  oft  in  woe."  It  was  after- 
 wards completed  by  Panny  Fuller  Maitland.  There  is  a 
 singular  delicacy  and  tenderness  in  his  hymn  for  a 
 family  party  at  eventide,  "0  Lord,  another  day  is 
 flown."  ''Awake,  sweet  harp  of  Judah,  wake,"  a  much 
 less  known  hymn,  is  in  an  altogether  bolder  style. 
 
 Sir  Robert  Grant  (1785-1838),  Governor  of  Bombay, 
 wrote  some  twelve  hymns,  which  were  published  after 
 his  death.  Prom  this  small  collection,  three  have 
 acquired,  and  deservedly,  great  popularity.  Perhaps  the 
 finest  is  "0  worship  the  Xing,"  a  jubilant  hymn  of 
 praise,  relieved  by  one  verse  in  a  tenderer  strain, 
 beginning  "  Prail  children  of  dust."  "Saviour,  when 
 in  dust  to  Thee  "  is  one  of  the  finest  hymns  in  the  litany 
 style  in  our  language.  His  hymn,  "When  gathering 
 clouds  around  I  view,"  is  very  pathetic,  but  is,  perhaps, 
 too  personal  for  use  in  public  worship. 
 
 Andrew  Peed,  D.D.  (1787-1862),  minister  of  "WyclifEe 
 Chapel,  but  better  known  as  the  founder  of  three  of  the 
 greatest  Asylums  in  London,  was  the  editor  of  "  The 
 Hymn  Book,"  a  too  pretentious  title,  not  justified  by  the 
 quality  of  the  book.  To  this  collection  he  contributed 
 nineteen,  and  his  wife  twenty-one  hymns.  One  of  his 
 hymns,  and  perhaps  only  one,  is  of  great  merit,  "  Spirit 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.         149 
 
 Divine,  attend  our  prayers."  It  lias  deservedly  passed 
 into  use  in  many  sections  of  the  Churcli,  and  is  one  of 
 the  most  inspiring  hymns  we  possess  addressed  to  the 
 Holy  Spirit. 
 
 Thomas  Baffles,  D.D.,  LL.D.  (1788-1863),  enjoyed  a 
 great  reputation  as  minister  of  Great  George  Street 
 Chapel,  Liverpool.  He  was  one  of  the  contributors  to  a 
 small  volume,  "  Poems  by  Three  Priends,"  and  issued  a 
 supplement  to  AVatts's  ''  Psalms  and  Hymns  "  for  use  in 
 his  own  congregation.  A  few  of  his  hymns  passed  into 
 the  "J^ew  Congregational  Hymn  Book,"  but  none  of 
 them  are  likely  to  retain  a  place  in  the  favour  of  the 
 Church.  They  are  little  more  than  rhymed  prose. 
 Perhaps  the  best  are  "Lord,  like  the  publican  I  stand," 
 and  "High  in  yonder  realms  of  light,"  the  latter 
 written  for  Collyer's  Collection  in  1812. 
 
 Josiah  Conder  (1789-1855)  did  a  great  deal,  both  by 
 the  hymns  he  wrote  and  his  editing  of  the  hymns  of 
 other  writers,  to  raise  the  standard  of  taste  in  hymnody. 
 The  issue  of  the  "Congregational  Hymn  Book"  under 
 his  editorship  in  1836,  marks  a  distinct  step  in  advance. 
 This  was  intended  to  be  used  as  a  supplement  to  Dr. 
 Watts's  "  Psalms  and  Hymns,"  and  thus  Mr.  Conder  wd.i 
 relieved  of  the  great  difficulty  meeting  the  editors  of  all 
 hymnals  for  use  in  churches  where  AYatts  had  been 
 largely  used,  of  making  a  selection  from  his  writings. 
 Very  few  have  had  the  courage  to  reduce  Dr.  Watts' s 
 hymns  within  the  narrower  dimensions  which,  in  the 
 present  state  of  hymnody,  they  rightly  deserve  to  fill. 
 Most  of  the  Hymnals  for  use  in  Congregational  and 
 Baptist  churches  are  spoilt  by  too  large  an  infusion  of 
 the  Watts  element.     Mr.  Conder  had   not   to  face  that 
 
150  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 problem,  and  so  his  task  was  easier.  But  still,  for  tlie 
 age  in  whieli  it  was  done,  it  is  marked  by  great  ability, 
 and  does  great  credit  to  his  critical  faculty.  To  it  he 
 contributed  fifty-six  hymns  from  his  own  pen  :  too  large 
 a  number  by  one  author ;  an  error  into  which  most 
 editors  who  have  been  also  hymnists  have  fallen.  A 
 hymn  writer  should  scarcely  undertake  the  task  of 
 editing  a  hymnal.  A  natural  love  for  his  own  com- 
 positions is  almost  sure  to  lead  him  astray,  as  it  did  the 
 late  Eev.  Paxton  Hood  and  the  Rev.  Godfrey  Thring  ;  to 
 both  of  whom,  especially  the  latter,  we  are  indebted  for 
 many  noble  hymns.  Still,  the  general  level  of  Mr.  Conder's 
 hymns  is  high  ;  so  high  that  we  wonder  they  are  not 
 more  used  beyond  the  Church  to  which  he  belonged.  He 
 had  the  mastery  of  a  considerable  variety  of  style.  In 
 the  more  bold  and  jubilant  strain,  his  best  hymns  are — 
 "  The  Lord  is  King,  lift  up  thy  voice,"  "  0  give  thanks 
 to  Him  who  made,"  and  "  Beyond,  beyond  the  boundless 
 sky."  The  last  of  these  is  a  very  distinctive  and  remark- 
 able hymn  on  the  omnipresence  of  God.  In  "  0  show 
 me  not  my  Saviour  dying,"  there  is  a  very  striking 
 mingling  of  minor  and  major  tones.  Perhaps  this  is  his 
 finest  hymn.  Pine  specimens  of  liis  more  subdued  style 
 may  be  found  in  "How  shall  I  follow  Him  I  serve,'' 
 "  Holy,  holy  Lord,"  "  Day  by  day  the  manna  fell,"  and 
 "Heavenly  Pather,  to  whose  eye ;  "  whilst  in  "  Head  of 
 the  Church,  our  risen  Lord,"  there  is  a  fulness  of 
 meaning,  finding  expression  through  very  few  words,  that 
 is  very  remarkable.  It  is  like  a  poetical  collect.  His 
 Communion  Hymn,  "  Bread  of  heaven,  on  Thee  we  feed,' 
 though  by  no  means  his  best,  has  probably  reached  a 
 greater  general  popularity  than  any  other  of  his  hymns. 
 
INGBEA8E  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.        151 
 
 The  period  between  1791  and  1792  is  remarkable  as 
 the  birth-date  of  a  company  of  hymnists  filling  a 
 considerable  place  in  hymnody,  and  whose  hymns  are 
 still,  and  seem  likely  to  remain,  in  constant  use — Dean 
 Milman,  James  Edmeston,  Sir  John  Bowring,  John  Keble, 
 and  Henry  Francis  Lyte. 
 
 Henry  Hart  Milman  (1791-1868),  the  learned  and 
 accomplished  Dean  of  St.  Paul's,  was,  like  Josiah  Conder, 
 a  large  contributor  to  literature.  Many  of  his  historical 
 works  held  a  high  place,  and  exerted  a  deep  influence 
 on  the  thought  of  the  Church.  But  he  is  known  to 
 a  far  wider  circle  by  his  hymns  than  by  his  histories. 
 His  compositions  are  chiefly  in  the  litany  form.  They 
 have  a  certain  grandeur  and  solemnity  of  style,  but 
 are  somewhat  lacking  in  spontaneity  and  lyric  force. 
 They  are  the  work  of  the  literary  artist  rather  than 
 of  the  sacred  poet ;  of  the  finished  scholar  rather  than 
 the  psalmist.  Still,  they  possess  a  certain  grandeur  and 
 pathos  which  make  them  impressive.  "  When  our 
 heads  are  bowed  with  woe,"  and  "  Lord,  have  mercy 
 when  we  pray,"  are  solemn  litanies.  "  Ride  on,  ride  on 
 in  majesty,"  is  a  striking  rendering  of  the  story  of 
 our  Lord's  entry  into  the  beloved  but  doomed  city  of 
 Jerusalem;  whilst  in  "Lord,  Thou  didst  arise  and  say," 
 there  is  a  union  of  tenderness  and  force  which  is  very 
 striking. 
 
 James  Edmeston  (1791-1867)  was  a  very  large  con- 
 tributor to  hymnody,  and  wrote  many  hymns  for  the 
 young.  By  far  the  most  popular  is  "  Saviour,  breathe  an 
 evening  blessing,"  which  is  marked  by  a  tenderness  of 
 tone  that  renders  it  specially  suitable  as  an  Evening 
 Hymn.     It  was  written  after  reading  "  Salte's  Travels  in 
 
152  TEE  EYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 Abyssinia,"  in  which  the  following  passage  occurs:  "  At 
 night,  their  short  Evening  Hymn,  '  Jesus,  forgive  us,' 
 stole  through  the  camp."  It  deserves  to  be  ranked  with 
 the  still  better-known  Evening  Hymns  of  Keble,  Lyte, 
 and  EUerton.  Scarcely  equal  to  it,  but  still  of  great 
 merit,  is  his  ''Lead  us,  Heavenly  Eather,  lead  us,"  a 
 prayer  for  Divine  guidance  and  sympathy,  written  for  the 
 children  of  the  London  Orphan  Asylum. 
 
 Sir  John  Bowring,  LL.D.,  E.R.S.  (1792-1872),  who 
 achieved  a  considerable  reputation  as  a  diplomatist,  and  as 
 a  scholar  versed  in  the  language  and  literature  of  many 
 lands,  was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  Church ;  but  in 
 feeling,  if  not  in  doctrine,  more  allied  to  the  Evangelical 
 school.  Eew  who  sing  his  hymn,  "In  the  cross  of  Christ 
 I  glory,"  would  imagine  that  it  came  from  sach  a  source. 
 After  a  lecture  I  once  delivered  on  Hymnody,  this  hymn 
 was  quoted  by  a  subsequent  speaker  as  an  example  of  one 
 embodying  doctrine  which  is  usually  regarded  as  being 
 specially  Evangelical.  It  is  a  noble  hymn ;  equally  fine  in 
 thought,  feeling,  and  expression.  Bowring's  little  book, 
 "  Matins  and  Yespers,"  though  small  in  bulk,  is  rich  in 
 quality.  To  him  we  owe  "  Erom  all  evil,  all  temptation" 
 (erroneously  ascribed  in  the  "  N^ew  Congregational  Hymn 
 Book"  to  Bishop  Mant),  "God  is  love.  His  mercy 
 brightens,"  and  "  Lead  us  with  Thy  gentle  sway,"  all 
 of  them  delightful  hymns,  and  the  subdued  and  pathetic 
 utterance,  "  Erom  the  recesses  of  a  lowly  spirit."  'No 
 one  can,  without  prejudice,  read  hymns  like  these,  and 
 not  feel  that,  beneath  great  diversities  as  to  doctrine,  there 
 may  be,  and  often  is,  a  real  unity  of  Christian  spirit. 
 
 Born  in  the  same  year  as  Sir  John  Bowring,  but  passing 
 away  six  years  before  him,  was  John  Keble,  who  belonged 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  153 
 
 to  a  school  of  religious  thought  most  remote  from  that 
 of  the  Unitarian.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
 great  Oxford  movement,  and  did  much,  by  his  poetry, 
 to  help  its  progress.  Keble  was  as  remarkable  for 
 finish  as  Eowring  for  width  of  scholarship;  and,  speak- 
 ing generally,  it  may  be  said  that  finish  rather  than 
 strength  is  the  characteristic  of  his  poetry.  Space  will 
 not  allow  me  to  speak  of  his  poetry  generally.  His 
 *'  Christian  Year  "  has  great  merits  and  great  defects.  It 
 deserves  a  high,  though  not,  perhaps,  so  high  a  place  as 
 it  has  secured  in  popular  estimation.  He  falls  far  below 
 his  early  friend,  JN'ewman,  in  depth  of  thought  and  com- 
 pactness of  expression.  Keble  takes  pages  to  set  forth 
 what  Newman  would  compress  into  a  few  lines.  Keble 
 descends  to  details,  leaving  little  for  the  imagination  to 
 fill  in  ;  whilst  Newman  utters  suggestive  words  which 
 draw  the  mind  on  to  large  fields  of  spiritual  thought  and 
 feeling.  Keble's  principal  poetical  works  were  ''  The 
 Christian  Year,"  which  attained  to  a  circulation  perhaps 
 larger  than  any  work  of  the  kind  in  modern  times,  and 
 from  the  profits  of  which  Hursley  Church  was  built ;  and 
 the  "Lyi'a  Innocentium."  Most  of  the  hymns  of  Mr.  Keble 
 which  have  come  into  use  have  been  taken  from  "  The 
 Christian  Year."  His  Evening  Hymn,  "  Sun  of  my  soul. 
 Thou  Saviour  dear,"  which  is  a  selection  of  verses  from 
 the  hymn  as  it  stands  in  "The  Christian  Year,"  beginning 
 *"Tis  gone,  that  bright  and  orbed  blaze,"  has,  I  fancy, 
 in  recent  times  supplanted,  in  common  use,  Bishop  Ken's 
 famous  hymn  for  the  same  season,  which  excels  it  in 
 vigour,  but  falls  short  of  it  in  tenderness  of  thought 
 and  expression.  His  Morning  Hymn,  "0  timely  happy, 
 timely    wise,"    is,    perhaps,     equal     in     merit     to     the 
 
154  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 eyening   one,    but    is   not   nearly    so   widely   known    or 
 
 greatly  loved.     One  reason  for  this  may  "be  found  in  the 
 
 fact  that  we  are  more  disposed  to  hymn  singing  in  the 
 
 evening  than  in  the  morning,  and  that  we  are  more  moved 
 
 by  songs  of  the  night  than  of  the  day.     There  are  fine 
 
 verses  in  "  There  is  a  book  who  runs  may  read,"  a  hymn 
 
 on  the  book  of  I^ature ;  but  perhaps  the  finest,  and  the 
 
 key  to  all  the  rest,  is  a  verse  too  often  omitted — 
 
 "Two  worlds  are  ours :   'tis  only  sin 
 Forbids  us  to  descry 
 The  mystic  heaven  and  earth  within, 
 Plain  as  the  earth  and  sky." 
 
 ''  The  livelong  night  we've  toiled  in  vain,"  is  a  hymn 
 well  fitted  to  cheer  desponding  ministers  of  the  kingdom 
 of  God.  "  The  Voice  that  breathed  o'er  Eden  "  is  one  of 
 the  finest  of  Marriage  Hymns.  "  Spirit  of  Christ,  Thine 
 earnest  given,"  is  in  his  noblest  strain,  and  admirably 
 suited  for  use  after  the  Ordination  Prayer  at  the  con- 
 secration of  men  to  the  ministry  of  Christ. 
 
 Eorn  in  the  year  following  that  of  Keble,  but  passing 
 away  twenty  years  before  him,  was  Henry  Francis  Lyte,  to 
 whom  we  owe  the  Evening  Hymn  which  competes  with 
 Keble' s  for  the  first  place  in  the  estimation  of  the  Church. 
 It  would  be  difficult  to  say  which  is  the  more  frequently 
 used,  Keble's  "  Sun  of  my  soul,"  or  Lyte's  "Abide  with 
 me,  fast  falls  the  eventide ;  "  probably  their  use  is  about 
 equal.  A  particular  interest  gathers  about  the  latter 
 hymn,  since  it  was  the  last  penned  by  its  author. 
 Ordered  abroad  on  account  of  his  health,  and  with  the 
 shadow  of  death  gathering  and  deepening  around  him,  the 
 good  pastor  of  the  little  fishing  town  of  Brixham,  on  the 
 westerly  side  of  Torbay,  addressed  words  of  tender 
 farewell  to  his  flock,  administered  the  Communion  for  the 
 
INCREASE   OF  POETIG  ELEMENTS.         155 
 
 last  time,  and  then  retired  to  the  privacy  of  his  own 
 room.  When,  in  the  evening,  he  rejoined  his  family,  he 
 handed  them  '^  Abide  with  me,"  with  music  to  which  he 
 had  set  it.  The  hymn,  though  not  its  accompanying 
 music,  has  enshrined  itself  in  the  tenderest  affections  of 
 the  Church  at  large.  By  this  he  is  best  known,  but  a 
 very  large  number  of  his  hymns  have  grown  into 
 considerable  popularity,  notably  the  following — "Praise, 
 my  soul,  the  King  of  Heaven,"  marked  by  a  lovely  union 
 of  boldness  and  tenderness;  "Jesus,  I  my  cross  have 
 taken,"  a  plaintive  but  resolute  expression  of  devotion  to 
 the  following  of  Christ.  His  "  Spirit  of  the  Psalms " 
 contains  many  fine  versions  ;  specially  good  are  those  of 
 the  65th,  "  Praise,  Lord,  for  Thee  in  Zion  waits,"  and  of 
 the  81st,  "  Sing  to  the  Lord  our  might."  His  version  of 
 a  hymn  by  Prancis  Quarles,  beginning  ' '  Long  did  I  toil, 
 and  knew  no  earthly  rest,"  is  of  great  beauty,  and  shows 
 the  noble  use  which  might  be  made  of  some  of  the  hymns 
 of  the  early  hymnists,  which,  though  fine  in  thought,  are 
 too  archaic  in  their  mode  of  expression  for  use  in  their 
 original  forms. 
 
 Pelicia  Dorothea  Hemans  (1794-1835)  is  best  known 
 by  her  more  distinctly  poetical  works,  but  the  few  hymns 
 we  owe  to  her  make  us  wish  that  she  had  consecrated 
 her  powers  more  largely  to  this  end.  Her  most 
 widely  known  hymn,  "  Lowly  and  solemn  be,"  I  should 
 rank  as  one  of  the  very  finest  of  that  order  in  the 
 language.  It  is  plaintive  and  solemn,  both  in  its  thought 
 and  expression  ;  the  metre  being  exquisitely  suited  to  the 
 sentiment.  It  is  taken  from  a  funeral  dirge  which  follows 
 her  poem,  "The  Funeral  Day  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,"  and 
 is  the  utterance  of  a  heart  moved^  and  solemnised  by  the 
 
156  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 thought  of  death.  Her  verses  on  Christ  in  Gethsemane, 
 "  He  knelt,  the  Saviour  knelt  and  prayed,"  and  those  on 
 the  heralds  of  the  birth  of  Christ,  "  0  lovely  voices  of 
 the  sky,"  and  for  the  death  of  a  child,  "  Saviour,  now 
 receive  him,"  are  all  marked  by  that  gracefulness  and 
 tenderness  which,  alas  !  are  so  often  conspicuous  by  their 
 absence  in  hymnic  compositions.  These  are  likely  to 
 become  more  popular  as  the  taste  of  worshippers  becomes 
 more  cultivated. 
 
 Thomas  Binney  (1798-1874)  is  chiefly  remembered  as 
 one  of  the  most  suggestive  and  inspiring  preachers  of  his 
 time ;  and  the  leader,  it  may  be  said,  of  a  new  style  of 
 preaching.  He  also  did  much  to  elevate  the  style  and  tone 
 of  worship  in  JS'onconformist  churches,  by  the  example 
 set  in  his  services  at  the  King's  Weigh  House  Chapel, 
 where  for  forty  years  he  ministered,  as  well  as  by  his 
 suggestive  little  book,  "  The  Service  of  Song  in  the 
 House  of  the  Lord."  Under  his  direction,  what  is  called 
 **  The  Weigh  House  series  of  Tunes,  Chants,  and 
 Anthems,"  was  issued.  He  wrote  some  few  hymns  and 
 poems,  but,  as  a  hymnist,  he  is  almost  exclusively  remem- 
 bered by  "  Eternal  Light,  Eternal  Light,"  written  about 
 1826.  This  hymn  is  one  of  remarkable  originality  and 
 force,  and  is  likely  to  be  remembered  even  when  his 
 eloquent  sermons  are  forgotten.  It  is  said  to  have 
 been  conceived  by  its  author  during  his  ministry  at 
 iN'ewport,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  on  a  brilliant  starry 
 night,  which  moved  him  deeply.  A  Sunday  Evening 
 Hymn  by  him,  beginning  "Holy  Father,  whom  we 
 praise,"  has  found  its  way  into  a  few  collections,  but  has 
 neither  the  distinctiveness  nor  beauty  of  "  Eternal  Light, 
 Eternal  Light." 
 
INCREASE   OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  157 
 
 Charlotte  Elliott  (1789-1871)  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
 of  lady  hymnists.  To  her  pen  we  owe  a  large  number  of 
 hymns,  the  two  most  popular  of  which  are  "Just  as 
 I  am,  without  one  plea,"  and  ''My  God  and  Father, 
 while  I  stray."  Scarcely  a  hymnal  for  general  use  is 
 now  published  in  which  these  hymns  do  not  find  a  place. 
 They  are  marked  by  so  distinctive  a  style,  and  so 
 pathetic  a  spirit,  that  they  have  a  strange  power  over  the 
 heart.  They  are  deeply  Evangelical,  not  only  in  their 
 sentiment,  but,  what  is  of  more  importance,  in  their 
 feeling.  There  are  other  hymns  by  her  far  less  known, 
 but  showing  the  same  high  qualities,  and  well 
 deserving  a  place  in  the  Hymnals  of  the  Church. 
 Amongst  these,  we  should  give  a  foremost  place  to 
 *'  Christian,  seek  not  yet  repose."  In  this  hymn,  it  is 
 rather  startling  to  find  the  idea  of  guardian  angels,  which 
 has  rarely  been  associated  with  the  faith  of  Evangelical 
 Churchmen,  to  which  school  Miss  Elliott  belonged.  "Let 
 me  be  with  Thee  where  Thou  art,"  "  0,  Holy  Saviour, 
 Eriend  unseen,"  "  My  God,  is  any  hour  so  sweet,"  and 
 "  Leaning  on  Thee,  my  Guide,  my  Eriend."  Most  of 
 her  hymns  were  written  for  those  in  sorrow  or  sickness, 
 and  are,  perhaps,  somewhat  more  suited  for  private  than 
 public  worship.  But  their  great  excellence,  their  reality 
 of  tone,  their  pathos,  have  drawn  many  of  them  into 
 more  public  use  than  was  intended  by  their  authoress. 
 
 John  Harris,  D.D.  (1802-1856),  attained  to  great  reputa- 
 tion in  his  day  as  an  eloquent  preacher,  a  brilliant  essayist, 
 and  a  theological  professor.  He  wrote  a  few  hymns,  for 
 one  of  which  he  claims  mention.  "Light  up  this  house 
 with  glory.  Lord,"  is  a  composition  of  great  merit,  full  of 
 spiritual  thought,  expressed  with  much  force  and  beauty. 
 
158  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 John  Hampden  Gurney  (1802-1862),  rector  of  St. 
 Mary's,  Mary-le-bone,  is  an  instance  of  a  man  who,  without 
 any  great  lyric  or  poetic  power,  had  yet  such  a  true  idea 
 of  what  a  hymn  should  be,  and  such  skill  in  working 
 into  good  form  the  ideas  of  others,  that  the  hymns  he  has 
 given  us  are  deservedly  popular.  They  are  all  character- 
 ised by  good  taste,  healthiness  of  Christian  feeling,  and 
 suitability  to  public  worship.  "  Lord,  as  to  Thy  dear 
 cross  we  flee,"  is  included  in  a  large  number  of  collections. 
 ''  Through  centuries  of  sin  and  woe  "  is  a  fine  hymn  for 
 use  in  time  of  war,  as  is  "  Great  King  of  nations,  hear," 
 in  time  of  trouble.  "  Yes,  God  is  good,"  is  in  a  brighter 
 strain.  In  several  instances,  notably  in  the  following, 
 Mr.  Gurney  wrought  up  to  good  purpose  the  work  of 
 previous  hymnists — "  Yes,  God  is  good,"  by  Eliza  Lee 
 ToUen,  and  ""We  saw  Thee  not  when  Thou  didst  come." 
 The  latter,  in  its  present  form,  is  a  very  striking  hymn. 
 
 Isaac  AYilliams,  E.D.  (1802-1865),  one  of  the  con- 
 tributors to  the  "Tracts  for  the  Times,"  and,  of  course, 
 belonging  to  the  High  Church  party  of  which  they 
 formed  the  manifesto,  is  a  contributor  of  considerable 
 importance  to  sacred  poetry  by  means  of  original  and 
 translated  pieces ;  many  of  the  latter  have  found  their 
 way  into  Hymnals  of  the  High  Church  school.  But  one 
 of  his  hymns,  "  Lord,  in  this  Thy  mercy's  day,"  an 
 extract  from  a  poem  of  110  stanzas  in  "  The  Baptistery," 
 has  passed  into  hymnals  of  a  more  evangelical  and  less 
 ecclesiastical  type  ;  but  it  is  scarcely  in  place  in  them,  and 
 has,  in  my  judgment,  a  dogmatic  tone  which  may  be 
 suitable  in  discourse,  but  is  not  in  song.  The  following 
 hymn  from  his  pen  is  in  a  very  different  strain,  and  seems 
 to  me  very  lovely — 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.        159 
 
 The  child  leans  on  its  parent's  breast, 
 Leaves  there  its  cares,  and  is  at  rest ; 
 The  bird  sits  singing  by  his  nest, 
 
 And  tells  aloud 
 His  trust  in  God,  and  so  is  blest 
 
 'Neath  every  cloud. 
 
 He  has  no  store,  he  sows  no  seed. 
 Yet  sings  aloud  and  doth  not  heed ; 
 By  flowing  stream  or  grassy  mead 
 
 He  sings  to  shame 
 Men,  who  forget,  in  fear  of  need, 
 
 A  Father's  name. 
 
 The  heart  that  trusts  for  ever  sings. 
 And  feels  as  light  as  it  had  wings ; 
 A  well  of  peace  within  it  springs  ; 
 
 Come  good  or  ill, 
 Whate'er  to-day,  to-morrow  brings, 
 
 It  is  His  will. 
 
 John  Chandler,  M.A.  (1806-1876),  is  chiefly  known  by 
 translations  published  in  "  Hymns  of  the  Primitive 
 Church,"  many  of  which  are  of  great  worth,  and  which 
 have  been  largely  drawn  upon  by  editors  of  Church  of 
 England  Hymnals.  The  best  known  are — "  Christ  is  our 
 Corner-stone,"  from  the  form  in  the  "Paris  Breviary;" 
 **  0  Jesus,  Lord  of  heavenly  grace,"  fi^om  St.  Ambrose; 
 "  As  now  the  sun's  declining  rays,"  from  Charles  Coffin, 
 in  the  "Paris  Breviary;"  "0  Christ,  our  hope  and 
 heart's  desire,"  from  an  Ambrosian  Hymn  of  the  9th  or 
 10th  century;  " 'Tis  for  conquering  kings  to  gain,"  from 
 Charles  Coffin  in  the  "Paris  Breviary;"  "Thou  bright- 
 ness of  the  Father's  face."  Mr.  Chandler  deserves  very 
 high  rank  as  a  translator :  a  task  almost  as  difficult  as 
 that  of  original  composition. 
 
 Julia  Anne  Elliot,  7tee  Marshall  (died  1841), wife  of  the 
 Eev.  H.  Y.  Elliott,  clearly  had  great  capacity  for  hymn 
 composition.  This  is  evident  in  her  lovely  Evening 
 Hymn,  "On  the  dewy  breast  of  even,"  and  "We  love 
 Thee,  Lord,  yet  not  alone." 
 
160  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Elizabeth  Mills  (1808-1829),  wife  of  Thomas  Mills, 
 M.P.,  is  remembered  by  the  well-known  hymn,  ''We 
 speak  of  the  realms  of  the  blest,"  suggested  by  a  passage 
 in  "Bridges  on  the  119th  Psalm" — ""We  speak  of 
 heaven;  but  oh!  to  be  there."  It  was  written  a  few 
 weeks  before  her  death. 
 
 Sarah  Adams,  nee  Flower  (1805-1849),  contributed 
 thirteen  pieces  to  "  Hymns  and  Anthems,"  published  by 
 Charles  James  Pox  in  1841.  One  of  these,  "  ^N'earer,  my 
 God,  to  Thee,"  is  amongst  the  most  popular  hymns  in 
 the  language,  and  is  an  illustration,  of  which  hymnody 
 furnishes  so  many,  that,  beneath  all  diversities  of 
 theological  thought,  there  is  a  real  unity  in  all  Christian 
 hearts.  Though  Mrs.  Adams  belonged  to  the  Unitarian 
 Church,  her  hymn  is  sung  in  Trinitarian  churches  of 
 every  order.  She  also  wrote  "  He  sendeth  sun.  He 
 sendeth  shower,"  which  is  also  of  great  beauty. 
 
 Henry  Addiscott  (1806-1860),  minister  of  the  Inde- 
 pendent Church  at  Taunton,  is  only  known  to  have 
 written  one  hymn,  "  And  is  there,  Lord,  a  cross  for  me," 
 but  it  is  so  good  in  sentiment  and  spirit,  and  so  dis- 
 tinctive, that  both  the  hymn  and  its  writer  deserve 
 remembrance. 
 
 Arthur  Tozer  Eussell,  B.C.L.  (1806-1874),  vicar  of 
 Holy  Trinity  Church,  Wrockwardine  Wood,  Wellington, 
 Shropshire,  was  a  considerable  contributor  to  literature, 
 both  by  original  and  translated  works.  His  work  as  a 
 hymnist  consisted  chiefly  of  translations  from  the 
 German,  contributed  to  "  Hymns  for  Public  Worship 
 and  Private  Devotion,"  edited  by  Mr.  Ernest  Bunsen. 
 He  also  edited  "Psalms  and  Hymns;  partly  original, 
 partly  translated  ;  for  the  use  of  the  Church  of  England." 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.         161 
 
 This  work  is  notable  for  its  translations  from  the 
 German.  The  original  hymns  by  which  he  is  known 
 are — "  "We  praise,  we  bless  Thee ;  Lord,  we  confess 
 Thee,"  and  "Another  year  has  fled,  renew."  These 
 are  both  good  hymns ;  the  former  marked  by  a  subdued 
 solemnity,  and  the  latter  by  great  tenderness.  A  hymn 
 by  him,  beginning  ''  0  God  of  life,  whose  power 
 benign,"  not  without  merit,  but  far  inferior  to  those  we 
 have  named,  was  included  in  ''Hymns,  Ancient  and 
 Modem,"  but  omitted  from  the  revised  edition  of  that 
 work. 
 
 Thomas  Rawson  Taylor  (1807-1835),  a  Congregational 
 minister  in  Sheffield,  afterwards  classical  tutor  in 
 Airedale  College,  where  his  career  was  cut  short  by 
 death  when  only  28  years  of  age,  is  chiefly  remembered 
 as  the  author  of  the  well-known  hymn,  ''I'm  but  a 
 stranger  here,"  which  is  marked  by  no  little  pathos,  but 
 goes  a  little  too  far  in  the  direction  of  what  George  Eliot 
 called  "  other- worldliness,"  when  it  speaks  of  earth  a^ 
 "  a  desert  drear."  The  longing  for  another  world  is  not 
 quite  healthy  when  it  leads  to  disparagement  of  the 
 present  one,  which  is  quite  as  truly  of  the  divine  appoint- 
 ment as  that  which  is  to  succeed  it.  His  hymn  for  the 
 young,  "There  was  a  time  when  children  sang,"  is  in 
 a  far  healthier  strain,  and  deserves  very  high  rank  as  one 
 of  the  sweetest  children's  hymns  in  the  language. 
 
 Eichard  Chenevix  Trench,  D.D.  (1807-1886),  vicar  of 
 Alverstoke,  and  afterwards  of  Itchenstoke,  theological 
 professor  at  King's  College,  London,  Dean  of  "Westminster, 
 and  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  occupied  a  considerable  place 
 in  the  literary  and  theological  world  of   his   day.     An 
 
162  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 eminently  interesting  writer,  who  gave  a  charm  to  every 
 subject  of  which  he  wrote,  he  found  a  place  among  the 
 hymnists  only  by  reason  of  adaptations  of  certain  of  his 
 poems  for  public  worship.  In  the  strictest  sense,  these 
 versions  are  not  really  hymns,  but  the  sentiments  of  the 
 poems  thus  used,  their  largeness  of  view,  their  tender- 
 ness of  thought,  their  beauty  of  expression,  have  led  to 
 their  adaptation  as  hymns.  If  the  real  object  of  hymns 
 be  to  quicken  devotional  and  gracious  feeling  in  those 
 who  sing  them,  then  Dr.  Trench's  lines  deserve  the  place 
 they  have  obtained  in  public  worship.  Though  he  cannot 
 be  called  a  great  poet,  yet  there  is  an  indescribable  charm 
 about  his  poetry  which  would  lead  us  to  part  with  the 
 works  of  some  greater  poets  rather  than  his.  ''Let  all 
 men  know  that  all  men  move  "  is  a  part]  of  his  poem, 
 beginning  "I  say  to  thee,  do  thou  repeat."  "Make 
 channels  for  the  streams  of  love,"  is  a  rendering  of  his 
 beautiful  little  poem  on  "The  law  of  Love."  We  have 
 often  wondered  that  the  good  Archbishop  never  applied 
 his  poetic  faculty  to  the  production  of  hymns.  He  had 
 every  quality  needful  for  a  good  and  even  a  masterly 
 hymnist.  The  reason  may,  perhaps,  be  found  in  the  fact 
 that,  in  his  earlier  days,  when  his  poetic  faculty  was  at 
 its  zenith,  hymns  were  comparatively  little  used  in  the 
 Church  of  which  he  was  so  distinguished  an  ornament. 
 
 Since  writing  the  foregoing  paragraph,  I  have  been 
 interested  to  find  that  his  friend  John  Sterling  entertained 
 a  like  feeling.  In  the  "Letters  and  Memorials"  of 
 Eichard  Chenevix  Trench,  just  published,  there  is  a  letter 
 written  from  Eloriac,  near  Bordeaux,  by  Sterling,  dated 
 May  13,  1837,  in  which  the  following  passage  occurs  : — 
 "I  hope  you  still  find  time  to  write  poetry,  and  I  have 
 
IbJCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  163 
 
 often  thought  of  the  importance  of  supplying  English 
 devotion  with  more  genuine  and  satisfactory  hymns  than 
 we  now  possess,  in  which,  it  seems  to  me,  you  might  be 
 of  much  use.  I  would  work  for  the  purpose  myself  if  I 
 thought  there  was  any  chance  of  my  succeeding.  [He 
 did  write  one  or  two  hymns  of  great  freshness  and 
 beauty.]  I  wish  you  would  try.  You  would  influence 
 millions  whom  poetry  in  any  other  form  would  never 
 reach."  In  the  half -century  which  has  elapsed  since 
 John  Sterling  penned  his  letter,  much  progress  has  been 
 made  in  the  direction  there  indicated ;  and  when  poets  feel 
 that  no  nobler  use  can  be  made  of  their  powers  than  in 
 providing  verses  for  use  in  public  and  private  worship, 
 the  golden  age  of  hymnody  will  have  come. 
 
 Christopher  Wordsworth,  D.D.  (1807-1885),  his  con- 
 temporary (they  were  born  in  the  same  year),  successively 
 Head  Master  of  Harrow,  Canon  and  Archdeacon  of  West- 
 minster, and  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  a  larger  but  less  populai 
 contributor  to  literature  than  Trench,  though  he  came  of  a 
 poetic  stock,  is  far  less  remarkable  as  a  poet  than  as  a 
 hymnist.  He  seems  to  have  discerned  more  clearly  than 
 Dr.  Trench  the  large  place  which  hymns  would  fill,  and 
 the  deep  influence  they  would  exert  in  the  Church.  This 
 is  clear  from  ''  The  Holy  Year,"  published  by  him  with  a 
 view  to  supply  suitable  hymns  for  each  and  every  occasion 
 of  the  Ecclesiastical  Year ;  in  the  preface  to  which  he 
 says :  "A  Church  Hymn  Book  ought  not  to  be  content 
 with  supplying  general  hymns  on  martyrs,  and  general 
 hymns  on  Apostles  and  Evangelists.  These  are  like 
 general  exordiums  of  speeches — not  appropriate  to  any. 
 But  something  more  is  requisite  in  a  Church  Hymn  Book. 
 The  peculiar  teaching  which  each   festival  supplies,  and 
 
164  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 the  special  expression  of  thankfulness  which  each  festival 
 prompts,  ought  to  find  a  responsive  echo  in  the  hymn  of 
 each   of    the    festivals    of    the    Christian    Year."      Dr. 
 Wordsworth    set   himseK   to    supply   the   want   he   thus 
 felt  ;     and,     steeped    in    knowledge    of     Scripture    and 
 Christian    antiquities   though   he  was,   in   our   judgment 
 his   attempt   is    a   failure,    and   that   not   from   want   of 
 ahility  or  zeal,  hut  simply  from  lack  of  materials.     He 
 could  not  make  bricks  without  straw.     Some  even  of  the 
 Evangelists  are  mere  names   to   us ;    of   their   character 
 and   histoiy  we  Jcnotv  literally  nothing.     Hymns  for  the 
 days  consecrated   to   their  memory  must,  in  the  nature 
 of    things,    be    either   so   vague    as    to   have   no    special 
 application,  or  be  the  result  of  untrustworthy  traditions, 
 or  the  play  of    fancy  around   their   names.     And    so   it 
 comes  to  pass  that,  when  Dr.  Wordsworth  had  a  good 
 subject  for  his  verse,  his  hymns  are  of  the  highest  order  ; 
 when  a  place  in  the  Church  Year  had  to  be    filled  for 
 which  no  trustworthy  information  could   be  found,   his 
 efforts  end  in  failure.     And  even  when  such  information 
 was  forthcoming  the  result  was  not  much  better,  since  it 
 was  a  bit  of  versified  history  rather  than  a  hymn.     It  is 
 the  fruitless  attempt  to  provide  hymns  for  each  festival 
 of   the    ecclesiastical   year  which,   more    or   less,   lowers 
 the  quality  of   every  Church  of   England  hymnal.     The 
 idea  of   an   ecclesiastical   year  itself   is  not   justified   by 
 either  the  teaching  of   the  Apostles  or   the   information 
 contained  in  their  writings.     The  connection  of   certain 
 names  with  certain  days  rests  on  the  flimsiest  tradition, 
 whilst    the   very   attempt    to   teach   any    special    lesson 
 suggested  by  the  lives  of  the  Apostles  is  sure  to  lead  to 
 the  didactic,  which  is  the  worst  form  hymns  can  assume. 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  165 
 
 It  is  the  rarest  thing  to  find  such  hymns  with  any  lyric 
 fire.     But   where   Dr.    "Wordsworth    is    free    from   such 
 trammels,   he    often  rises   to   a    great   elevation  of   style 
 and    thought,    marred    here    and    there,    it   is   true,    by 
 dogmatic    rather    than    scripturally    spiritual    forms    of 
 expression.     Yet   the   high   quality   of    his   best   hymns 
 makes  us  tolerate  such  minor  defects.     Yery  picturesque 
 and     beautiful     is     his    •'  The    Galilean    fishers     toil." 
 "  Gracious     Spirit,    Holy    Ghost "     is    a    lovely    lyric 
 expression    of     the    grand    ideas    of     St.    Paul's    great 
 utterance     on    charity    in     his     First    Epistle     to     the 
 Corinthians.     Equally   beautiful    is   the   hymn   so   often 
 used  at  the  offertory,    "0  Lord  of  heaven,    and   earth, 
 and   sea."      A   noble    outburst   of    song   concerning   the 
 great  multitude  of  the  redeemed  in  heaven,  is  "  Hark  ! 
 the  sound  of  holy  voices,  chanting  at  the   crystal  sea." 
 His   Evening    Hymn    is    one    of    great    tenderness   and 
 beauty,  "  The  day  is  gently  sinking  to  a  close,"  marred 
 in    one    point     by    the    line,     "  The    weary    world     is 
 mouldering  to  decay,"  which  seems  to  me  morbid   and 
 ascetic   rather   than    healthily    Christian.      His    Sunday 
 Morning   Hymn,    "  0  day  of   rest  and  gladness,"  is  one 
 of   his  happiest  efforts,   and  has  deeply  enshrined  itself 
 in  the  affections  of    the   Church  at   large.     His   Litany 
 Hymn,     "Father,    we    humbly   pray,"    includes   a   vast 
 number  of  objects  in  its  petitions,  which  are  couched  in 
 the  most  sincere  and  well  expressed  forms.     When  Dr. 
 Wordsworth  touches  the  great  themes  of  the  Gospel,  or 
 seeks  to  give  expression  to  the  deepest  Christian  feeling, 
 he  rarely  fails.     It  is  only  when  the   ecclesiastical  over- 
 powers this  deeper  Christian  feeling  that  his  muse  fails. 
 Joseph  Anstice  (1808-1836),  first  professor  of  Classical 
 
166  TEE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Literature  in  King's  College,  London  ;  to  which  he  was 
 appointed  at  the  veiy  early  age  of  22,  was  the  author 
 of  fifty-four  hymns,  which  "  were  all  dictated  to 
 his  wife  during  the  last  few  weeks  of  his  life,  and  were 
 composed  just  at  the  period  of  the  day  (the  afternoon) 
 when  he  most  felt  the  oppression  of  his  illness  ;  all  his 
 brighter  morning  hours  being  given  to  pupils  up  to  the 
 very  day  of  his  death."  They  were  privately  printed  by 
 his  widow  after  his  decease.  Twenty-seven  of  these  were 
 included  in  ''  The  Child's  Christian  Year,"  published  in 
 1841,  edited  by  Mrs.  Prances  Mary  Yonge,  mother  of 
 the  well-known  novelist.  Miss  C.  M.  Yonge,  of 
 Otterboume,  near  Winchester.  This  little  book  was 
 attributed  to  the  Eev.  John  Keble,  probably  because  of 
 its  title,  and  the  preface,  which  was  from  his  pen. 
 Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  some  of  Mr.  Anstice's  hymns 
 were  often  attributed,  in  error,  to  the  author  of  "The 
 Christian  Year."  In  one  or  two  of  them  there  is  a 
 certain  similarity  to  Mr.  Keble's.  The  best  known  of 
 his  hymns  are — "  Lord,  Thou  in  all  things  like 
 wert  made,"  which  is  usually  altered  to  "In  all  things 
 like  Thy  brethren.  Thou,"  a  forcible  and  yet  tender 
 rendering  of  the  thought  of  the  author  of  the  Epistle 
 to  the  Hebrews  in  chap.  ii.  17.  "Darkly  rose  the 
 guilty  morning,"  a  striking  hymn  on  the  Crucifixion,  as 
 caused  not  only  by  those  who  actually  brought  it  about, 
 but  by  our  sins,  for  which  He  was  wounded.  ' '  0  Lord, 
 how  happy  should  we  be,"  a  vision  of,  and  longing  for 
 the  blessedness  of  a  life  in  which  all  our  care  should  be 
 cast  upon  God.  His  Harvest  Hymn,  "  Lord  of  the 
 harvest,  once  again,"  and  his  Evening  Hymn,  "  Eather 
 by  Thy  love  and  power,"  are  both  of  value,   but  have 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  167 
 
 not  the  distinctiveness  of  those  we  have  previously 
 mentioned.  "We  are  disposed  to  give  a  high  place  to 
 his  little  known  hymn,  "  Sweet  is  the  Spirit's  strain," 
 suggested  by  the  great  invitation  of  the  Apocalypse, 
 '■'■  The  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say  come."  Hymns  of  this 
 order  are  confessedly  difficult  to  write  without  becoming 
 sermons  in  disguise,  and  having  a  certain  pharisaic  tone  of 
 **  we  are  the  people"  about  them.  This  hymn  avoids 
 these  perils,  and  is  tender  and  beautiful  in  a  very  high 
 degree.     It  is  so  little  known  that  I  append  it — 
 
 Sweet  is  the  Spiiit's  strain ; 
 Breath'd  by  soft  pleadings  inly  heard, 
 By  all  the  heart's  deep  fountains,  stirr'd 
 By  conscience  and  the  written  word  ; 
 
 Come,  wanderers,  hovae  again  ! 
 
 The  Bride  repeats  the  call ; 
 By  high  thanksgiving,  lowly  prayer, 
 By  days  of  rest  and  fostering  care, 
 By  holy  rites,  that  aU  may  shai-e  ; 
 
 She  whispers,  Come  !  to  all. 
 
 Let  him  who  hears  say.  Come  ! 
 If  thou  hast  been  sin's  willing  slave. 
 If  thou  art  risen  from  that  grave, 
 Thy  sleeping  brethren  seek  to  save, 
 
 And  call  the  wanderers  home. 
 
 And  let  all  come  who  thirst ; 
 Freely  for  every  child  of  woe 
 The  streams  of  living  waters  flow, 
 And  whosoever  will  may  go 
 
 Where  healing  fountains  burst. 
 
 There,  drink,  and  be  at  rest ; 
 On  Him  who  died  for  thee  believe  ; 
 The  Spirit's  quickening  grace  receive ; 
 No  more  the  God  who  seeks  thee  grieve ; 
 
 Be  holy  and  be  blest ! 
 
 Had  Professor  Anstice's  life  been  spared  longer  his 
 hymns  would  probably  have  undergone  careful  revision, 
 by  which  they  would  have  been  freed  from  the  faults 
 which  here  and  there  are  evident.  But  when  the 
 oircumstances  under  which  they  were  produced  are  taken 
 
168  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 into  account,   they  are   seen  to   show  great  poetic   and 
 spiritual  insight. 
 
 William  Lindsay  Alexander,  D.D.  (1808-1884),  minister 
 of  Augustine  Church,  Edinburgh,  and  Professor  of  Theo- 
 logy in  the  Theological  Hall  of  the  Scotch  Congregational 
 Churches,  was  a  large  contributor  to  the  Biblical  and 
 theological  literature  of  his  time.  He  wrote  several 
 hymns  which  were  included  in  the  "  Augustine  Hymn 
 Book,"  prepared  for  the  use  of  his  own  church.  The 
 only  one  likely  to  retain  a  place  in  hymnody  is  one  for 
 the  aged,  *'  I'm  kneeling  at  the  threshold,"  which, 
 however,  is  only  suitable  for  private  use. 
 
 Jane  Crewdson,  nee  Fox  (1809-1863),  like  many 
 another  hymnist,  "learnt  in  suffering  what  she  taught 
 in  song."  During  a  long  illness,  she  wrote  several 
 volumes  of  hymns  and  poems,  from  which  two  hymns  of  a 
 pathetic  kind  have  found  their  way  into  the  song  of  the 
 Church — "  There  is  no  sorrow.  Lord,  too  light,"  and 
 "  0  Saviour,  I  have  nought  to  plead,"  but  are,  perhaps, 
 more  suitable  for  use  in  the  home  than  in  the  Church. 
 
 Henry  Alford,  D.D.  (1810-1871),  well  known  for  his 
 edition  of  the  Greek  Testament,  and  as  the  catholic- 
 spirited  Dean  of  Canterbury,  possessed  a  poetic  power 
 which  found  its  best  expression  in  verses  of  a  religious 
 kind.  He  wrote  not  a  few  hymns,  most  of  which  are 
 wanting  in  lyric  force ;  but  in  two  that  element  is  very 
 conspicuous.  "  Come,  ye  thankful  people,  come,"  is 
 probably  the  most  popular  Harvest  Hymn  now  in 
 existence,  and  deservedly  finds  a  place  in  nearly  every 
 hymnal  published  in  recent  times,  and  is  sung  at  the 
 great  majority  of  harvest  festivals.  "Forward  be  our 
 watchword  "  is  equally  popular  as  a  Processional  Hymn> 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.         169 
 
 and  wlien  sung  to  Sir  Arthur  Sullivan's  tune  is  singularly 
 inspiring.  It  has  suffered  much  at  the  hands  of  many 
 editors,  whose  alterations  have  broken  the  continuity  of 
 its  thought,  and  hidden  the  historic  event — ^the  passing  of 
 the  Israelites  into  the  Promised  Land — out  of  which  the 
 hymn  evidently  grew  in  the  author's  mind.  It  was 
 written  to  be  sung  at  the  Tenth  Festival  of  Parochial 
 Choirs  of  the  Canterbury  Diocesan  Union,  on  the  6th 
 June,  1871.  It  was  accompanied  with  music  from  the 
 Dean's  pen,  to  which,  however,  it  is  rarely,  if  ever,  sung 
 now.  The  original  text  will  be  found  in  Appendix  B  to 
 ''  The  Life  of  Dean  Alford."  His  Baptismal  Hymn,  "  In 
 token  that  thou  shalt  not  fear,"  is  striking,  and  very 
 popular  in  churches  where  the  sign  of  the  cross  is  used  in 
 Baptism,  although  the  use  made  of  that  symbol  in  the 
 hymn  is  of  such  a  kind  that  it  might  be  used  in  other 
 churches.  His  hymn,  "  Lo  !  the  storms  of  life  are  break- 
 ing," is  of  great  merit.  ''Ten  thousand  times  ten 
 thousand  "  is  one  of  his  most  lyric  hymns,  and  growing 
 in  popularity.  Others  might  be  mentioned,  some  of 
 which  touch  on  themes  too  much  overlooked  in  hymns  ; 
 but  they  have  not  the  spontaneity  of  those  we  have 
 named. 
 
 John  Samuel  Bewley  Monsell,  LL.D.  (1811-1875), 
 who,  after  holding  various  appointments  in  the  Irish 
 Church,  became,  in  succession,  vicar  of  Egham,  and 
 of  St.  Nicholas,  Guildford,  holds  a  distinguished  place 
 in  the  ranks  of  recent  hymnists.  His  hymns  were 
 published  in  several  volumes,  the  principal  being — 
 ''Spiritual  Songs,"  "Hymns  of  Love  and  Praise  for 
 the  Church's  Year,"  "Litany  Hymns,"  and  "Parish 
 Musings."     Some  were  included  in  the  collection  edited 
 
170  TR-E  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 by  him  under  the  title  of  *'  The  Parish  Hymnal." 
 Dr.  Monsell  possessed  the  lyric  gift  to  an  unusual 
 extent.  Many  of  his  hynms  are  full  of  melody  and 
 tenderness.  The  verses  in  "Spiritual  Songs"  com- 
 mended themselves  to  the  venerable  author  of  ''The 
 Christian  Year,"  who  gave  them  a  careful  revision. 
 They  were  "written  during  a  winter  (1874)  spent  for 
 the  sake  of  health  amid  the  orange  and  olive  groves  of 
 Italy."  To  this,  the  tender  and  subdued  feeling  which 
 characterises  them  may  be  partly  due.  They  have  since 
 become  deservedly  popular.  Here  and  there  they  are 
 somewhat  diffuse,  and  would  have  been  improved  by 
 compression,  but  they  have  very  high  merit,  and  fill  a 
 considerable  place  in  our  best  modern  hymnals.  I  found 
 no  less  than  seventeen  suitable  and  desirable  for  inclusion 
 in  my  own  Hymnal.  Of  a  more  joyful  kind,  I  may 
 mention  the  following  as  of  great  value — "  Sing  to  the 
 Lord  a  joyful  song,"  and  "  Grod  is  Love,  by  Him  up- 
 holden."  Singularly  tender  and  distinctive  is  "  Birds 
 have  their  quiet  nest,"  perhaps  his  finest  hymn,  although 
 "  0  worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness,"  is 
 more  widely  known,  and  frequently  sung.  "  To  Thee,  0 
 dear,  dear  Saviour,"  "  Labouring  and  heavy  laden," 
 "  Lord  of  the  living  harvest,"  "  The  spring-tide  hour 
 brings  leaf  and  flower,"  "  Sing  to  the  Lord  of  harvest," 
 "  0  Love,  divine  and  golden,"  are  his  finest  efforts.  The 
 following  hymn  from  his  pen  is  so  very  fine,  and  so  little 
 known,  that  I  quote  it : — 
 
 Weary  and  sad,  a  wanderer  from  Thee, 
 By  grief  heart  broken,  and  by  sin  defiled ; 
 
 0  what  a  joy  in  sorrow  'tis  to  be 
 
 Conscious  that  I  am  still,  0  God,  Thy  child. 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.        171 
 
 Strained  were  the  cords  of  love  by  my  ead  will, 
 I  would  have  broke  them  had  I  had  my  way, 
 
 But,  Lord,  it  was  Thy  love,  not  mine,  that  still 
 Held  my  heart  back,  my  tott'ring  steps  did  stay. 
 
 And  now  the  crumbs  that  from  Thy  table  fall 
 Are  all  I  ask,  more  than  is  meet  for  me ; 
 
 Yet  kiss  and  banquet,  ring  and  robe,  are  all 
 Waiting  me.  Father,  in  my  home  with  Thee. 
 
 Back  to  the  door  which  ever  open  lay ; 
 
 Back  to  the  table  where  the  feast  still  stood ; 
 Back  to  the  heart  which  never,  night  or  day, 
 
 Forgat  me  in  my  most  forgetful  mood. 
 
 Drawn  by  Thy  love,  that  found  me  when  a  child, 
 
 And  never  for  a  moment  let  me  go  ; 
 Still,  still  Thine  own,  though  soiled  and  sin-defiled, 
 
 I  come,  and  Thou  wilt  make  me  clean,  1  know. 
 
 There  feed  me  with  Thyself,  until  I  grow 
 
 Into  the  stature  of  the  life  divine  ; 
 Mv  right  to  plead,  my  privilege  to  know 
 
 That  Christ  is  God's,  and  I,  O  Christ !  am  Thine, 
 
 Feed  me,  and  set  me  up  upon  the  Rock 
 
 Higher  than  I,  my  shelter  and  my  stay 
 Against  the  rudest  winter-tempest's  shock. 
 
 Against  the  fiercest  sultry  summer's  day. 
 
 Thus  let  my  life  in  ceaseless  progress  move. 
 On  into  deeper  knowledge.  Lord,  of  Thee  ; 
 
 The  length,  the  breadth,  the  height,  the  depth  of  Love, 
 That  first  could  care  for,  then  did  stoop  to  me. 
 
 Dr.  Monsell  deserves  a  very  Ingh  place  among  our  modem 
 hymnists.  His  deep  religiousness,  his  tenderness  of 
 spirit,  his  lyric  nature,  all  combined  to  enable  him  to 
 give  the  Church  verses  which  have  done  much,  and 
 will  probably  do  still  more,  to  express  and  deepen  her 
 worshipping  emotion.  Whilst  watching  the  restoration  of 
 his  church  at  Guildford,  a  stone  fell  and  struck  him,  and 
 after  lingering  for  some  time,  he  succumbed  to  heart- 
 disease,  aggravated  by  the  shock. 
 
 William  Josiah  Irons,  D.D.  (1812-1884),  the  High 
 Church  son  of  the  well-known  and  eccentric  minister  of 
 Camberwell   Grove,  who,  in  his  day,  was  noted  for  the 
 
172  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 boldness  of  his  Calvinism,  a  considerable  contributor  to 
 theological  literature,  was  also  the  author  of  many- 
 hymns,  both  original  and  translations.  Some  of  these 
 are  of  no  little  merit ;  but  he  is  chiefly  remembered  by 
 what  is  probably  the  best  version,  at  all  events  for 
 singing,  of  the  Dies  Irce,  which  begins,  "Day  of  wrath! 
 0  day  of  mourning."  As  no  less  than  160  translations 
 are  known  to  have  been  made  of  this  hymn,  some  of 
 them  by  remarkable  men,  it  is  no  small  distinction  to  have 
 produced  the  most  popular  version.  His  hymn  for  Palm 
 Sunday,  "  Is  not  this  our  King  and  Prophet  ?  "  and  that 
 beginning  "  Father  of  love,  our  Guide  and  Friend,"  seem 
 to  me  of  great  beauty.     I  quote  the  former  : — 
 
 "  Is  not  This  our  King  and  Prophet  ?  " — 
 
 Ring  Hosannas,  wave  the  paltn, 
 Let  the  children  from  the  temple 
 
 Echo  back  the  people's  psalm ; 
 "  Blessed  is  the  Son  of  David," 
 
 Blessed  is  the  Christ  of  God, 
 Welcome  to  the  hill  of  Sion, 
 
 Deck  the  pathway,  strew  the  sod  ! 
 
 "  Meek  and  lowly  One,"  He  cometh, 
 
 And  the  anthem  greets  His  ears  ; 
 Lo.  the  city  lies  before  Him, 
 
 But  He  sees  it  through  His  tears ; 
 Looking  from  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
 
 Towers  and  marble  temple  rise  ; — 
 Is  thy  peace,  0  well-loved  Salem. 
 
 "  Hid  for  ever  from  thine  eyes?  " 
 
 Sees  He  now,  in  solemn  vision, 
 
 Calvary  '  without  the  gate  ?  " 
 Israel  fallen — "  liouse  and  city 
 
 Left  unto  her  desolate?  " 
 Yes,  O  Saviour  all-enduring! 
 
 Thou  wast  watching  every  heart — 
 Which  would  love  Thee,  which  forsake  Thee. 
 
 Which  would  do  the  traitor's  part. 
 
 Pity.  Lord,  man's  hollow  praises, 
 
 Then  or  now,  which  greet  Thee  thus ; 
 
 "  By  Thy  Cross,  and  by  Thy  Passion," 
 O  have  mercy  yet  on  us ! 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  173 
 
 Now  Thou  reignest  with  the  Father, 
 
 And  the  Spu-it  evermore  ; 
 Lor-!,  look  down  upon  Thy  servants, 
 
 Who  repent,  and  would  adore. 
 
 Robert  Murray  McCheyne  (1813-1843),  the  greatly 
 beloved  minister  of  S.  Peter's,  Dundee,  whose  saintly  life, 
 which  came  to  an  end  when  he  was  only  thirty  years  of 
 age,  exerted  a  wide  and  deep  influence — an  influence 
 perpetuated  by  the  publication  of  his  memoir  by  the  Rev. 
 A.  A.  Bonar,  which  had  an  enormous  circulation — finds, 
 and  will  probably  keep,  a  place  among  the  hymnists,  by 
 the  solemn  and  tender  strains  of  the  well-known  hymn, 
 entitled  "I  am  debtor" — "When  this  passing  world  is 
 done." 
 
 Edward  Caswall  (1814-1878)  was  one  of  the  company 
 of  talented  men  drawn  from  the  Church  of  England  to 
 that  of  Rome  by  the  "  Tracts  for  the  Times."  He  gave 
 up  his  perpetual  curacy  at  Stratford-sub-Castle,  near 
 Salisbury,  and  soon  after  was  admitted  to  the  Congrega- 
 tion of  the  Oratory,  at  Edgbaston,  Birmingham,  founded 
 by  Dr.  J.  H.  Newman.  He  had  a  genius  for  poetic 
 translation.  During  his  student  days  at  Oxford,  he 
 published  "  The  Art  of  Pluck,"  a  humorous  imitation  of 
 Aristotle,  which  has  gone  through  many  editions,  and  is 
 still  a  favourite  with  undergraduates  at  the  University. 
 In  1849  he  issued  the  "Lyra  Catholica,"  containing  a 
 large  number  of  translations  of  hymns  from  the  Breviary 
 and  Missal,  with  some  from  other  sources.  In  1858  he 
 published  "  The  Masque  of  Mary,  and  other  poems,"  and 
 in  1865,  "A  May  Pageant,  and  other  poems,"  but  his 
 chief  successes  are  his  translations,  some  of  which  have 
 deservedly  become  popular,  and  are  included  in  the 
 Hymnals  of  nearly  every  section  of  the  Church.     The 
 
174  THE  EYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 best  known  are  **  Jesus,  the  very  thought  of  Thee,"  and 
 "  0  Jesu,  King  most  wonderful,"  from  the  "  Jesu  dulcis 
 memoria,"  by  Bernard  of  Clairyaux.  These  are  of  great 
 excellence.  IText  in  order  of  popularity  comes  his  trans- 
 lation of  Prancis  Xavier's  hymn,  "  My  God,  I  love  Thee, 
 not  because,"  one  of  the  noblest  hymns  in  the  language, 
 save  for  the  dogmatic  declaration  of  the  latter  part  of  the 
 first  verse  :  — 
 
 "  Nor  yet  because  who  love  Thee  not 
 Must  burn  eternally  " — 
 
 but  even  that,  if  understood  as  setting  forth,  not  the 
 eternity  of  punishment,  but  that  so  long  as  love  to 
 God  is  absent  from  the  soul,  it  must  suffer,  may  be 
 accepted  as  grandly  true.  So  few,  however,  would 
 understand  it  in  that  way,  though  the  great-hearted 
 Xavier  may  have  thus  meant  it,  that,  on  account  of  these 
 two  lines,  it  has  been  excluded  from  Hymnals  where 
 its  otherwise  noble  teaching  would  have  been  gladly 
 welcomed.  **  The  sun  is  sinkiag  fast,"  from  a  Latin 
 original  (probably  of  the  18th  century),  which  has  been 
 lost,  is  of  great  tenderness,  and  is  gradually  finding  its 
 way  into  many  hymnals.  Most  of  the  other  translations 
 by  rather  Caswall  are  confined  to  Hymnals  of  the  High 
 Church  order. 
 
 Samuel  Greg  (1804-1877),  the  brother  of  the  well- 
 known  W.  B.  Greg,  author  of  the  "  Creeds  of  Christen- 
 dom," but  of  a  more  believing,  though  by  no  means 
 credulous  turn  of  mind — a  manufacturer,  and  large 
 employer  of  labour,  who  did  much  for  those  in  his 
 employ,  conducting  services  for  them,  and  labouring 
 hard  for  their  mental  and  spiritual  good — deserves 
 mention  for  several  hymns  of  great  beauty,  which  were 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.        175 
 
 included  in  the  books  we  owe  to  his  pen.  His  hymn 
 on  "  The  Transfiguration,"  which  he  appended  to  his 
 chapter]^ on  that  event,  in  ''  Scenes  in  the  Life  of  Jesus," 
 is  certainly  the  finest  we  possess  on  that  theme,  as  may 
 be  seen  below  : — 
 
 Stay,  Master,  stay  upon  this  heavenly  hiU : 
 A  little  longer,  let  us  linger  stiU  ; 
 With  these  three  mighty  ones  of  old  beside, 
 Near  to  the  Awful  Presence  still  abide ; 
 Before  the  throne  of  light  we  trembling  stand, 
 And  catch  a  glimpse  into  the  spirit-land. 
 
 Stay,  Master,  stay  !  we  breathe  a  purer  air ; 
 This  life  is  not  the  life  that  waits  us  there  : 
 Thoughts,  feelings,  flashes,  glimpses  come  and  go; 
 We  cannot  speak  them — nay,  we  do  not  Jcnow ; 
 Wrapt  in  this  cloud  of  light  we  seem  to  be 
 The  thing  we  fain  would  grow — eternally. 
 
 "  No  !  "  saith  the  Lord,  "  the  hour  is  past, — we  go; 
 Our  home,  our  life,  our  duties  lie  below. 
 While  here  we  kneel  upon  the  mount  of  prayer, 
 The  plough  lies  waiting  in  the  furrow  there  ! 
 Here  we  sought  God  that  we  might  know  His  wfil ; 
 There  we  must  do  it, — serve  Him, — seek  Him  still." 
 
 If  man  aspires  to  reach  the  throne  of  God, 
 O'er  the  dull  plains  of  earth  must  lie  the  road. 
 He  who  best  does  his  lowly  duty  here, 
 Shall  mount  the  highest  in  a  nobler  sphere  : 
 At  God's  own  feet  our  spirits  seek  their  rest, 
 And  He  is  nearest  Him  who  serves  Him  best. 
 
 Pew  nobler  hymns  of  trustful  confidence  in  God  can  be 
 found  than  the  following  one,  which  is  included  in  a 
 posthumous  work  from  his  pen,  entitled  "A  Layman's 
 Legacy."     The  close  of  it  is  singularly  impressive  : — 
 
 Slowly,  slowly  darkening. 
 
 The  evening  hours  roll  on  ; 
 And  soon  behind  the  cloud-land 
 
 Will  sink  my  setting  sun. 
 
 Around  my  path  life's  mysteries 
 
 Their  deepening  shadows  throw ; 
 And  as  I  gaze  and  ponder, 
 
 They  dark  and  darker  grow. 
 
176  THE  HYMN  LOVER 
 
 But  there's  a  voice  above  me 
 
 Which  says,  "  Wait,  trust,  and  pray ; 
 
 The  night  will  soon  be  over, 
 And  light  will  come  with  day." 
 
 Father  !  the  light  and  darkness 
 
 Are  both  alike  to  Thee  ; 
 Then  to  Thy  waiting  servant. 
 
 Alike  they  both  shall  be. 
 
 The  great  unending  future, 
 
 I  cannot  pierce  its  shroud ; 
 Yet  nothing  doubt,  nor  tremble, 
 
 God's  bow  is  on  the  cloud. 
 
 To  Him  I  yield  my  spirit; 
 
 On  Him  I  lay  my  load : 
 Fear  ends  with  death;  beyond  it 
 
 I  nothing  see  but  GOD. 
 
 Thus  moving  towards  the  darkness, 
 
 I  calmly  wait  His  call ; 
 Now  seeing, — fearing  nothing  ; 
 
 But  hoping,  trusting — all ! 
 
 Arthur  Penrhyn  Stanley  (1815-1881),  the  pleasant  son 
 of  a  pleasant  father,  was  one  loved  by  all  who  knew  him, 
 even  by  those  who  most  differed  from  his  theological 
 opinions.  He  raised  the  Deanery  of  Westminster  to  a 
 height  of  renown  it  had  never  before  reached.  He  wrote 
 valuable  works  on  the  Holy  Land,  the  Jewish  and  Eastern 
 Churches,  the  Cathedral  of  Canterbury,  of  which  he  was 
 once  a  Canon,  and  on  the  Abbey  of  Westminster,  of  which 
 he  was  Dean.  Although  from  his  early  days  a  lover  of 
 poetry — at  Oxford  he  took  the  N ewdigate  prize  for  a  poem 
 on  "  The  Gypsies  " — and  had  a  mind  that  was  essentially 
 rather  poetic  than  dogmatic,  yet  fills  a  small  place  among 
 the  hymnists,  and  claims  that  place  more  from  the 
 catholicity  of  spirit,  and  picturesqueness  of  his  hymns, 
 than  for  their  lyric  and  poetic  qualities.  I  question 
 whether  he  ever  wrote  his  hymns  for  singing,  or 
 expected  that  they  would  be  sung.  Most  of  them  grew 
 out  of  the  consideration  of  some  of  the  great  incidents  in 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  1Y7 
 
 the  life  of  our  Lord,  and  set  forth  their  most  spiritual 
 lessons  for  those  of  later  days.  They  are  chiefly  in  rather 
 heavy  measures,  not  greatly  favoured  by  musicians — double 
 long  and  sevens  metres.  But,  with  all  their  deficiencies, 
 they  are  so  full  of  "sweetness  and  light"  that  we  could  ill 
 spare  them  from  our  collections.  Perhaps  the  best  is  the 
 hymn  on  "  The  Transfiguration,"  originally  published  in 
 Macmillari's  Magazine.  In  the  same  number,  the  Dean  in- 
 serted the  hymn  by  Samuel  Greg  on  the  same  subject,  which 
 he  declared  to  be  far  finer  than  his  own.  Our  readers  may 
 judge  for  themselves  by  turning  to  page  175,  where  I  have 
 included  it.  I  may  take  this  opportunity  of  setting  at  rest 
 a  doubt  that  has  been  felt  with  regard  to  the  true  text  of 
 this  hymn.  In  most  Hymnals  it  begins  "  0,  Master,  it  is 
 good  to  be,"  and  this  is  the  reading  of  the  hymn  as 
 printed  in  Macmillari's  Magazine,  but  when  I  was  com- 
 piling the  JS'ew  Testament  part  of  "The  Poets'  Eible," 
 Dr.  Stanley  was  good  enough  to  lend  me  his  collection  of 
 all  the  hymns  and  poems  he  had  printed,  with  his  final 
 revisions,  and  I  there  found  that  he  had  altered  the  first 
 line  of  this  hymn  to  "  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be."  I 
 therefore  printed  it  thus  in  the  volume  I  was  then 
 editing,  and  afterwards  in  my  "Congregational  Hymns." 
 It  is  the  more  necessary  to  state  this,  since  in  "The 
 "Westminster  Abbey  Hymn  Book,"  issued  after  his  death, 
 the  hymn  is  made  to  begin  "Master,  it  is  good  to  be." 
 I  give  the  text  as  finally  revised  by  the  author  : — 
 
 Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 
 High  on  the  mountain  here  with  Thee, 
 Where  stand  revealed  to  mortal  gaze 
 The  great  old  saints  of  other  days. 
 Who  once  received,  on  Horeb'e  height, 
 The  eternal  laws  of  truth  and  right, 
 Or  caught  the  still  small  whisper,  higher 
 Than  storm,  than  earthquake,  or  than  fire. 
 
178  THE  HYMN  LOVER.. 
 
 Lord,  it  is  good  fur  us  to  be 
 
 With  Thee,  and  with  Thy  faithful  three, 
 
 Here,  where  the  Apostle's  heart  of  rock 
 
 Is  nerved  against  temptation's  shock ; 
 
 Here,  where  the  Son  of  Thunder  learns 
 
 The  thought  that  breathes,  the  word  that  burns  ; 
 
 Here,  where  on  eagle's  wings  we  move 
 
 With  him  whose  last,  best  creed  is  Love. 
 
 Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 
 Entranced,  enwrapt,  alone  with  Thee, 
 Watching  the  glistening  raiment  glow 
 Whiter  than  Hermon's  whitest  snow, 
 The  human  lineaments  that  shine 
 Irradiant  with  a  light  Divine  ; 
 Till  we  too  change  from  grace  to  grace, 
 Gazing  on  that  transfigured  face. 
 
 Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 
 Here  on  the  Holy  Mount  with  Thee  ; 
 When  darkling  in  the  depths  of  night, 
 When  dazzled  with  excess  of  light, 
 We  bow  before  the  heavenly  Voice 
 That  bids  bewildered  souls  rejoice : 
 Though  love  wax  cold,  and  faith  be  dim — 
 •'  This  is  my  Son  !  O  hear  ye  Him  !  " 
 
 The   following   are   the   most   notable    of   Dr.    Stanley's 
 
 hymns,  which  are  all   marked    by  the  characteristics   I 
 
 have  already  noted — ''The  Lord  is  come  on  Syrian  soil," 
 
 an  Advent  hymn  ;  "He  is  gone  beyond  the   skies,"   on 
 
 the^  Ascension  of   Christ ;    "  When  the  Paschal  evening 
 
 fell,"  for  the  Lord's  Supper ;  and  "  Where  shall  we  learn 
 
 to   die,"  on  the  last  hours   of    Christ,    a   very  pathetic 
 
 utterance,  which  I  append  : — 
 
 Where  shall  we  learn  to  die  ? 
 Go,  gaze  with  steadfast  eye 
 On  dark  Gethsemane, 
 Or  darker  Calvary, 
 Where,  through  each  lingering  horn-, 
 The  Lord  of  grace  and  power, 
 Most  lowly  and  most  High, 
 Has  taught  the  Christian  how  to  die. 
 
 When  in  the  olive  shade, 
 His  long  last  prayer  He  prayed ; 
 When  on  the  cross  to  Heaven 
 His  parting  spirit  given, 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS,  179 
 
 He  showed  that  to  fulfil 
 The  Father's  gracious  will, 
 Not  asking  how  or  why, 
 Alone  prepares  the  soul  to  die. 
 
 No  word  of  angry  strife, 
 No  anxious  cry  for  lile  ; 
 By  scoff  and  torture  torn 
 He  speaks  not  scorn  for  scorn  ; 
 Calmly  forgiving  those 
 Who  deem  themselves  His  foes. 
 In  silent  majesty 
 He  points  the  way  at  peace  to  die. 
 
 Delighting  to  the  last 
 In  memories  of  the  past ; 
 Glad  at  the  parting  meal 
 In  lowly  tasks  to  kneel ; 
 Still  yearning  to  tfie  end 
 For  mother  and  for  friend  ; 
 His  great  humility 
 Loves  in  such  acts  of  love  to  die. 
 
 O  by  those  weary  hours 
 Of  slowly  ebbing  powers, 
 By  those  deep  lessons  heard 
 In  each  expiring  word ; 
 By  that  unfailing  love 
 Lifting  the  soul  above, 
 When  our  last  end  is  nigh, 
 So  teach  us,  Lord,  with  Thee  to  die. 
 
 Frederick  William  Paber  (1815-1863)  stands  in  perfect 
 contrast  to  Dr.  Stanley,  not  only  in  theological  belief  and 
 spirit,  but  in  bis  faculty  for  hymn-writing.  In  Faber  the 
 lyric  and  poetic  gift  was  present  in  abundant  measure. 
 He  was,  if  report  be  true,  as  pleasant  a  man  as  Arthur 
 Stanley,  but  one  cast  in  an  utterly  different  and  far  more 
 ecclesiastical  mould.  Whilst  Stanley  was  a  man  of  the 
 world  (using  that  word  in  a  good  sense),  delighting  in 
 all  fair  and  gracious  things,  Faber  was  a  man  of  the 
 cloister,  who  viewed  all  things  in  the  dim  religious 
 light  which  streams  through  windows  bearing  the 
 coloured  forms  of  haloed  saints.  Very  different  men, 
 but  both   very  lovely   in   their   lives.      As   a  hymnist. 
 
180  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Faber  towers  far  above  Stanley.  Indeed,  it  would  be 
 difficult  to  find  one  who  rises  higher,  or,  I  am  bound 
 to  add,  when  dominated  by  some  dogmatic  or  ecclesias- 
 tical tradition,  sinks  lower.  It  is  difficult  to  believe 
 that  one  who  rises  so  high,  into  such  a  clear,  pure 
 vision  of  the  love  of  God,  could  ever  sink  so  low  as,  in 
 some  of  his  verses,  he  does.  Some  of  his  noblest 
 hymns  include  verses  before  which  the  reader  stands 
 amazed,  ^ow  here  do  we  see  how  a  Church  which 
 has  nourished  the  saintliest  piety,  yet  throws  a  shadow 
 over  the  mind  deep  as  night.  I  have  not  the  heart  to 
 quote  any  of  the  yerses  in  which  Faber  sinks  below  his 
 true  self,  lest  it  should  make  any  of  my  readers  prize 
 less  highly  the  glorious  hymns  which  have  come  into 
 use  from  his  pen.  He  is  truly  one  of  the  greatest 
 hymnists  of  any  age.  The  thought,  the  fervour,  the 
 poetic  quality,  which  are  all  combined  in  his  hymns, 
 place  him  in  that  little  circle  which  includes  the  chief 
 singers  of  the  Church — a  circle  to  which  nearly  every 
 section  has  contributed  representatives.  I  question 
 whether  a  finer  hymn  could  be  named  than  his  ''  My  God, 
 how  wonderful  Thou  art,"  which  impious  hands  have  too 
 often  marred  by  their  senseless  alterations  or  omissions. 
 It  is  probably  his  finest  hymn;  but  falling  little  below 
 this  are  "0  God,  Thy  power  is  wonderful  "  : — 
 
 O  God  !  Thy  power  is  wonderful, 
 Thy  glory  passing  bright ; 
 
 Thy  wisdom,  with  its  deep  on  deep, 
 A  rapture  to  the  sight. 
 
 Yet  more  than  all,  and  ever  more, 
 Should  we  Thy  creatures  bless, 
 
 Most  worshipful  of  attributes, 
 Thine  awful  holiness. 
 
INGBEASE   OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.        181 
 
 There's  not  a  craving  in  the  mind. 
 
 Thou  dost  not  meet  and  still ; 
 There's  not  a  wish  the  heart  can  have 
 
 Which  Thou  dost  not  fulfil. 
 
 Thy  justice  is  the  gladdest  thmg 
 
 Creation  can  behold ; 
 Thy  tenderness  so  meek,  it  wins 
 
 The  guilty  to  be  bold. 
 All  things  that  have  been,  all  that  are, 
 
 All  things  that  can  be  dreamed, 
 All  possible  creations,  made. 
 
 Kept  faithful,  or  redeemed, — 
 All  these  may  draw  upon  Thy  power, 
 
 Thy  mercy  may  command  ; 
 And  still  outflows  Thy  silent  sea. 
 
 Immutable  and  grand. 
 
 0  little  heart  of  mine  !  shall  pain 
 Or  sorrow  make  thee  moan, 
 
 When  all  this  God  is  all  for  thee, 
 A  Father  all  thine  own  ? 
 
 "  I  worship  Thee,  sweet  will  of  God  "  (often  marred,  and 
 even  [spoilt,  notably  in  the  supplement  to  the  "^ew 
 Congregational  Hymn  Booh"): — 
 
 1  worship  Thee,  sweet  Will  of  God  I 
 
 And  all  Thy  ways  adore  ; 
 And  every  day  I  live,  1  long 
 To  love  Thee  more  and  more. 
 
 I  love  to  trace  each  print  where  Thou 
 
 Hast  set  Thine  unseen  feet ; 
 I  cannot  fear  Thee,  blessed  Will, 
 
 Thine  empire  is  so  sweet. 
 
 I  have  no  cares.  0  blessed  Will  I 
 
 For  all  my  cares  are  fhine  ; 
 I  live  in  triumph,  Lord  !  tor  Thou 
 
 Hast  made  Thy  triumphs  mine. 
 
 Man's  weakness,  waiting  upon  God, 
 
 Its  end  can  never  miss, 
 For  men  on  earth  no  work  can  do 
 
 More  angel-iike  than  this. 
 
 lliHe  on,  ride  on  triumphantly. 
 
 Thou  glorious  Will !  ride  on; 
 Faith's  pilgrim  sons  behind  Thee  take 
 
 I'he  road  that  Thou  hast  gone. 
 
182  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 He  always  wins  who  sides  with  God, 
 
 To  him  no  chance  is  lost ; 
 God's  will  is  sweetest  to  him  when 
 
 It  triumphs  at  his  cost. 
 
 Ill,  that  He  blesses,  is  our  good, 
 
 And  unblest  good  is  ill ; 
 And  all  is  right  that  seems  most  wrong, 
 
 If  it  be  His  sweet  Will ! 
 
 The  foUowing  is  exquisite  in  its  tenderness  and  simplicity 
 of  expression : — 
 
 Thy  home  is  with  the  humble,  Lord, 
 
 The  simplest  are  the  best; 
 Thy  lodgine:  is  in  child-like  hearts  ; 
 
 Thou  makest  there  Thy  rest. 
 
 Dear  Comforter  !  Eternal  Love  ! 
 
 If  Thou  wilt  stay  with  me, 
 Of  lowly  thoughts  and  simple  ways, 
 
 I'll  build  a  house  for  Thee. 
 
 Who  made  this  beating  heart  of  mine. 
 
 But  Thou,  my  heavenly  Guest  ? 
 Let  no  one  have  it,  then,  but  Thee, 
 
 And  let  it  be  Thy  rest. 
 
 Thy  sweetness  hath  betrayed  Thee,  Lord  ! 
 
 Great  Spirit !  is  it  Thou  ? 
 Deeper  and  deeper  in  my  heart, 
 
 I  feel  Thee  resting  now. 
 
 **  Souls  of  men,  why  will  ye  scatter,"  in  which  occur  the 
 following  verses,  so  marvellous  as  coming  from  the  lips  of 
 a  man  in  the  exclusive  communion  of  Eome  : — 
 
 "  There's  a  widen  ess  in  God's  mercy, 
 
 Like  the  wideness  of  the  sea ; 
 
 There's  a  kindness  in  His  justice 
 
 Which  is  more  than  liberty. 
 
 For  the  love  of  God  is  broader 
 
 Than  the  measures  of  man's  mind, 
 
 And  the  heart  of  the  Eternal 
 Is  most  wonderfully  kind." 
 
 *'  Sweet   Saviour,  bless  us  ere  we  go,"  only  marred  by 
 
 the  idea  of  death  as  a  dark  night ;  "  I  wish  to  have  no 
 
 wishes  left."     These  are  his  finest  hymns.     Others  are 
 
 more  popular,   such    as  '*  0  Paradise,    0   Paradise,"  and 
 
 •'The    Pilgrims   of    the   night,"   but    they    are   not   so 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  183 
 
 healthily  Christian,  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  owe  much 
 of  their  popularity  to  the  attractive  music  to  which 
 they  have  been  wedded.  His  hymn,  which  in  Protestant 
 collections  begins  ''Dear  Jesus,  ever  at  my  side,"  is  a 
 hymn  to  the  Guardian  Angel,  and  begins  **  Dear  Angel, 
 ever  at  my  side,"  and,  beautiful  as  it  is,  is  not  properly 
 applicable,  in  some  of  its  particulars,  when  addressed  to 
 Jesus  instead  of  the  Guardian  Angel.  ''  0  come  and 
 mourn  with  me  awhile,"  is  profoundly  pathetic,  but,  as  it 
 stands  in  the  original,  is  in  parts  too  intent  upon  the 
 physical  agony  of  our  Lord,  notably  in  the  following 
 verse — 
 
 "  Come,  take  thy  stand  beneath  the  Cross, 
 And  let  the  Blood  from  out  that  Side 
 Fall  gently  on  thee,  drop  by  drop  ; 
 Jesus,  our  Love,  is  crucified  !  " 
 
 For  use  beyond  his  own  Church,  it  has  been  found  neces- 
 sary, in  nearly  every  case,  to  omit  stanzas  from  this  hymn. 
 Still,  the  points  of  harmony  are  more  and  deeper  than 
 those  of  discord,  and  hence  Dr.  Faber  will  ever  hold  a 
 place  of  honour  in  the  universal  song  of  the  Church.  It 
 should  be  added  that,  in  1849,  he  established  the  Brother- 
 hood of  S.  Philip  jN'eri  at  King  William  Street,  Strand, 
 since  removed  to  the  well-known  Oratory  at  Brompton. 
 
 John  Mason  Neale,  D.D.  (1818-1866),  was  as  near  to 
 Dr.  Paber  in  his  theological  and  ecclesiastical  sympathies 
 as  a  man  could  well  be  who  did  not  actually  belong  to  the 
 Eoman  Church.  But  for  one  or  two  points  of  doctrine, 
 he  would  probably  have  entered  that  communion.  To 
 the  lay  mind,  those  points  are  scarcely  perceptible. 
 Their  discussion  would  be  out  of  place  here.  But  he 
 was,  if  I  may  judge  from  report,  as  beautiful  and 
 Christ-like    in    character    as    Dr.    Paber.      ISTo    Church, 
 
184  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 indeed,  has  a  monopoly  of  saintliness,  or  a  patent  for 
 its  production.  Judged  by  their  doctrines,  Neale  and 
 Stanley,  though  they  belonged  to  the  same  Church,  were 
 wide  as  the  poles  asunder,  but  judged  by  their  likeness 
 of  spirit  to  Christ,  they  were  very  closely  united.  Dr. 
 ^N'eale's  services  to  Christian  Hymnody  were  as  great,  in 
 the  matter  of  translations  and  adaptations  of  ancient,  as 
 were  those  of  Dr.  Faber  in  the  production  of  original 
 hymns.  For  the  English-speaking  people,  indeed,  he 
 unearthed  and  prepared  for  use  the  great  stores  of 
 hymnody  buried  in  the  office  books  of  the  Eastern,  and, 
 in  less  degree,  of  the  Mediaeval  and  Latin  Churches. 
 For  this  task  he  was  richly  endowed,  both  with  learning 
 and  poetic  taste.  Beside  this,  he  wrote  many  original 
 hymns,  especially  for  children,  which  are  of  no  little 
 merit.  Personally,  I  do  not  rank  them  as  high  as  some 
 hymnologists,  but  his  eminence  in  hymnody  is  chiefly 
 due  to  the  exquisite  way  in  which  he  adapted  (for  his 
 work  was  far  more  than  translation  ,  the  verses  scattered 
 through  the  voluminous  Office  Books  of  the  Ancient 
 Churches,  for  use  in  the  English  Church.  Eor  this  he 
 deserves  lasting  remembrance  and  honour,  since  it  was  a 
 work  to  which  he  devoted  much  time,  immense  pains,  and 
 great  talent.  As  proof  of  this,  it  will  be  sufficient  to 
 name  the  most  popular  of  his  renderings — ''  Art  thou 
 weary,  art  thou  languid,"  from  St.  Stephen  the  Sabaite ; 
 "  The  day  is  past  and  over,"  probably  by  St.  Anatolius ; 
 ''  'Tis  the  day  of  resurrection,"  by  St.  John  Damascene; 
 ''  0  happy  band  of  pilgrims,"  by  St.  Joseph  of  the 
 Studium ;  "Alleluia  !  song  of  sweetness,"  from  a  hymn  of 
 the  14th  or  15th  century  ;  ''  All  glory,  laud,  and  honour," 
 by  Theodulph,  of  Orleans;   "The  strain  upraise,  of  joy 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  185 
 
 and  praise,"  probably  by  Godescalcus  ;  and  his  well-known 
 translation  of  the  *'  Hora  l^ovissima,"  from  which  the 
 centos,  ''Brief  life  is  here  our  portion,"  ''For  thee,  0 
 dear,  dear  country,"  and  "  Jerusalem  the  golden,"  have 
 been  taken.  All  these  have  passed  into  hymnals  used  in 
 every  section  of  the  Church,  whilst  many  more  have 
 found  their  way  into  churches  of  the  Anglican  type,  in 
 the  pages  of  "Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern,"  "The 
 People's  Hymnal,"  "  The  Hymnary,"  (Sec.  Of  his 
 original  hymns,  in  my  opinion,  the  best  are — "  0  Lord  of 
 hosts,  whose  glory  fills,"  and  "  The  day,  0  Lord,  is 
 spent."  "  The  foe  behind,  the  deep  before,"  is  more  of 
 a  poem  than  a  hymn,  and  whilst  in  parts  striking,  is 
 rather  confused  in  the  way  in  which  it  treats  and 
 applies  the  Exodus  of  Israel,  which  is  its  subject.  Dr. 
 Neale  seems  to  me  to  have  always  needed  some  previous 
 fire  at  which  to  kindle  his  torch  ;  when  that  could  be 
 found  his  success  was  indeed  great. 
 
 Anne  Bronte  (1820-1849),  a  member  of  the  talented 
 family  to  which  we  owe  such  striking  works,  finds  a  place 
 among  the  hymnists  by  one  hymn  taken  from  her 
 "  Wuthering  Heights,"  which  begins  "Oppressed  with 
 sin  and  woe,"  touched  by  the  melancholy  hue  which 
 pervaded  her  life,  but  there  is  in  it  that  unmistakable 
 note  of  reality  and  conviction  which  ever  gives  power  to 
 a  hymn. 
 
 Edwyn  Paxton  Hood  (1820-1885),  a  versatile  and 
 voluminous  author,  an  original  preacher  and  lecturer,  a 
 poet  of  considerable  fi-eshness,  wrote  not  a  few  hymns, 
 which  only  just  fall  short  of  great  merit.  Had  he  given 
 more  time  to  their  production,  they  would  have  taken  a 
 very  high  place  in  public  esteem,  but  they  suffer,  as  did 
 
186  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 his  books,  from  the  haste  with  which  all  his  work  was 
 done.  Still,  when  this  has  been  said,  it  must  be 
 acknowledged  that  his  hymns  are  marked  by  an 
 originality  and  freshness  which  are  so  often  lacking  in 
 such  productions.  They  were  thrown  off  when  he  was 
 moved  by  some  scene,  or  event,  or  expression,  which 
 moved  him  deeply.  In  my  judgment,  the  following  are 
 the  most  noteworthy,  and  strike  a  new  note  in  hymnody. 
 The  one  I  quote  was  suggested  by  a  scene  he  witnessed 
 when  the  waves  were  dashing  over  the  breakwater  at 
 Portland,  bringing  to  his  mind  the  words  of  our  Lord 
 concerning  the  house  on  the  sand  and  on  the  rock. 
 Unfortunately,  its  verses  are  somewhat  irregular  in  metre; 
 this,  perhaps,  lends  force  to  them,  but  renders  it  more 
 difficult  for  them  to  be  wedded  to  music  :  — 
 
 Saviour  and  master, 
 These  sayings  of  Thine, 
 Help  me  to  make  them 
 Doings  of  mine; 
 Words  that  like  beams 
 Of  humanity  shine. 
 By  them  let  me  build  up 
 The  holy,  divine. 
 
 Not  on  the  sand,  Lord! 
 Oh,  nut  on  the  !>and  ; 
 On  the  rock,  on  the  rock, 
 Let  my  heritage  stand. 
 Beyond  the  floods  raging. 
 Beyond  the  rude  storm, 
 Where  the  rain  cannot  injure, 
 Nor  lightning  deform. 
 
 Up  on  the  rock,  Lord  ! 
 
 Up  high  on  the  rock, 
 
 I  have  reeled,  I  have  trembled 
 
 Beneath  the  rude  shock. 
 
 To  the  Rock  of  the  ages, 
 
 To  Thee,  Lord,  to  Thee ! 
 
 From  the  storm  and  the  tempest 
 
 I  flee.  Lord,  I  flee ! 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  187 
 
 Not  on  the  sand,  Lord ! 
 
 Oh,  not  on  the  sand: 
 
 On  the  rock,  on  the  rock, 
 
 Let  my  heritage  stand. 
 
 Saviour  and  Master, 
 
 These  sayings  of  Thine, 
 
 Help  me  to  make  them 
 
 Doings  of  mine. 
 His  well-known  hymn  for  cMldren,  ''  God,  wlio  hast 
 made  the  daisies,"  is  well  suited  for  their  use,  hut  might 
 have  been  wrought  into  a  closer  unity  of  idea.  His 
 hymn,  "Heart-broken  and  weary,  where'er  thou  may'st 
 he,"  is  marked  by  great  depth  of  feeling,  but  its  form  is 
 not  equal  to  its  emotion.  It  is,  however,  a  great  favourite 
 with  many.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  "  Sing  a  hymn 
 to  Jesus."  Had  Mr.  Hood  received  the  advantages  of 
 academic  training  in  his  early  days,  the  loss  of  which  he 
 so  deeply  regretted,  he  would  probably  have  been  one  of 
 the  most  popular  hymnists  of  his  time.  He  possessed 
 unmistakable  genius,  but  was  not  sufficiently  careful  and 
 critical  of  his  own  work. 
 
 Sir  Henry  Williams  Baker,  Bart.  (1821-1877),  is 
 chiefly  remarkable  as  one  of  the  Editors  of  that 
 phenomenally  successful  collection,  "Hymns  Ancient  and 
 Modern."  In  my  judgment,  he  had  little  original  power 
 as  a  hymnist,  but  some  of  his  hymns  have  become  popular 
 from  their  inclusion  in  the  collection  already  named. 
 His  best  hymns  are — "  0  God  of  love,  0  King  of  peace," 
 "How  welcome  was  the  call,"  "Lord,  Thy  word 
 abideth,"  "  There  is  a  blessed  home."  But  they  are  the 
 work  of  a  man  familiar  with  hymns  rather  than  of  the 
 original  hymnist.  The  same  remark  applies  to  his  trans- 
 lations— they  owe  much  to  previous  workers. 
 
 Thomas  Toke  Lynch  (1818-1871)  is  as  remarkable  for 
 originality  as  Sir  H.  W.  Baker  was  for  the  absence  of  it. 
 
188  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Indeed,  he  is  one  of  the  most  original  and  poetic  hymnists 
 that  could  be  named.  His  little  volume,  ''  The  Rivulet," 
 which  raised  such  a  storm  in  the  theological  atmosphere  of 
 the  ri:ee  Churches,  is  pure,  fresh,  sparkling — true  to  its 
 name.  It  conveys  truth,  as  did  the  Parables  of  our  Lord, 
 by  means  of  the  sights  and  sounds  of  nature.  It  is  like  a 
 breath  from  the  hills,  rather  than,  as  so  many  hymns  are, 
 from  the  study,  or  the  cloister,  or  the  hall  of  theology.  It 
 is  the  work  of  the  poet,  not  of  the  divine.  It  was  not  meant 
 to  exclude  other  hymns  from  his  congregation,  but  only 
 as  a  supplement  to  Dr.  Watts,  and  so  to  add  to  the  some- 
 what solid  provision  of  that  book,  some  fresher  strains. 
 And  the  marvel  of  "  The  Rivulet "  is  that  so  great  a 
 sufferer  as  its  author  was  all  liis  days  should  have  been 
 able  to  produce  such  buoyant  and  inspiring  verses.  It  is 
 a  lark-like  song,  which  cheers  the  soul  even  of  the  sad  and 
 sombre.  It  was  so  original,  that  the  folk  who  can  only 
 recognise  truth  in  the  doctrinal  dress  to  which  they  have 
 been  accustomed,  called  it  heresy,  and  did  their  best  to 
 cast  and  keep  it  out  of  the  Synagogue.  In  relation  to 
 such,  Mr.  Lynch  relieved  his  mind  by  the  production 
 of  ''Songs  Controversial,  by  Silent  Long;  fifteen  songs, 
 uttering  a  new  protest."  As  these  are  unknown  to  the 
 majority  of  readers  in  our  day,  I  quote  one  which  he 
 called  ' '  A  !N'egative  Affair ;  showing  that  when  a  man 
 palms  off  his  negative  *  stuff '  upon  the  public  as 
 Christian,  there  is  always  somebody  acute  enough  to 
 detect  the  imposition" — 
 
 When  sugar  in  the  lump  I  see, 
 
 1  know  that  it  is  there: 
 Melt  it,  and  then  I  soon  suspect 
 
 A  negative  affair ; 
 Where  is  the  sugar,  sir?  I  say, 
 
 Let  me  both  taste  and  see  : 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  189 
 
 Sweetness  instead  of  sugar,  sir, 
 You'll  not  palm  off  on  me. 
 
 Don't  tell  me  that  the  sugar-lumps 
 
 When  dropt  in  water  clear, 
 That  they  may  make  the  water  sweet, 
 
 Themselves  must  disappear; 
 For  common  sense,  sir,  such  as  mine, 
 
 The  lumps  themselves  must  see; 
 Sweetness  instead  of  sugar,  sir, 
 
 You'll  not  palm  off"  on  me. 
 
 For  instance,  sir,  in  every  hymn 
 
 Sound  doctrine  you  must  state 
 As  clearly  as  a  dead  man's  name 
 
 Is  on  his  coffin -plate ; 
 Religion,  sir,  is  only  fudge, — 
 
 Let's  have  theology; 
 Sweetness  instead  of  sugar,  sir. 
 
 You'll  not  palm  off"  on  me. 
 
 These  lines  may  still  be  commended  to  all  those  who  would 
 insist  that  hymns  should  be  a  vehicle  for  theological  rather 
 than  religious  expression.  Por  a  time,  Mr.  Lynch's  de- 
 tractors succeeded.  But  all  such  successes  are  short-lived. 
 Years  after  its  publication,  when  Mr.  Miller,  in  1869, 
 published  his  "Singers  and  Songs  of  the  Church,"  he 
 could  only  name  six  hymns  by  Mr.  Lynch  as  having 
 passed  into  Hymnals,  but  to-day  he  would  have  largely 
 to  extend  the  list.  ''The  Baptist  Hymnal"  (1879) 
 contains  eleven,  "  Congregational  Hymns  "  (1884), 
 fourteeen,  and  the  ''Congregational  Church  Hymnal" 
 nine  of  his  hymns.  Even  now,  however,  they  have  not 
 passed,  with  one  exception — "  Gracious  Spirit,  dwell 
 with  me"— into  Church  of  England  Hymnals,  which,  up 
 to  the  present,  have  been  rather  shy  of  really  poetic 
 hymns,  preferring  those  of  a  more  markedly  doctrinal 
 type.  Its  hymns,  for  the  most  part,  are  more  akin  to 
 the  Creeds  than  the  Parables  and  the  Sermon  on  the 
 Mount,  with  which   Mr.  Lynch's   have   so   much   more 
 
190  TEE  HYMN  LOVEF. 
 
 affinity.  But  the  time  will  come  when  Mr.  Lynch's 
 hymns  will  be  sung  as  freely  in  stately  churches  as  they 
 are  now  in  Dissenting  Conventicles,  and  they  will  do 
 much  to  remove  the  charge  of  Dean  Stanley  as  to  the 
 "  uniform  pedestrian  style  which  is  unfortunately 
 familiar  to  English  Churchmen  in  the  vast  mass  of  the 
 hymns  contained  in  '  Hymns  Ancient  and  Modern,'  "  and 
 will  give  freshness  to  the  song  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 
 I  quote  the  following,  which  are  little  known,  as 
 illustrations  of  the  freshness  of  his  style,  and  of  his 
 habit  of  dealing  with  aspects  of  truth  seldom,  if  ever, 
 dealt  with  in  hymns  : — 
 
 Where  is  thy  God,  my  soulV 
 Is  He  within  Thy  heart ; 
 Or  ruler  of  a  distant  realm 
 In  which  thou  hast  no  part  ? 
 
 Where  is  thy  God,  my  soul? 
 Only  in  stars  and  sun ; 
 Or  have  the  holy  words  of  truth 
 His  light  in  every  one? 
 
 Where  is  thy  God,  my  soul? 
 Confined  to  Scripture's  page ; 
 Or  does  His  Spirit  check  and  guide 
 The  spirit  of  each  age  ? 
 
 O  Ruler  of  the  sky, 
 Rule  Thou  within  my  heart : 
 O,  great  Adorner  of  the  world, 
 Thy  light  of  life  impart. 
 
 Giver  of  holy  words. 
 Bestow  Thy  holy  power, 
 And  aid  me,  whether  work  or  thought 
 Engage  the  varying  hour. 
 
 In  Thee  have  I  my  help, 
 As  all  my  fathers  had; 
 I'll  trust  Thee  when  I'm  sorrowful. 
 And  serve  Thee  when  I'm  glad. 
 
 The  following  contains  a  terse  exposition  of  true 
 Christian  Socialism :— 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS,  191 
 
 O   Lord,  Thou  art  not  fickle ; 
 
 Our  hope  is  not  in  vain ; 
 The  harvest  for  the  sickle 
 
 Will  ripen  yet  again. 
 
 But  though  enough  be  given 
 
 For  all  the  world  to  eat, 
 Sin  with  Thy  love  has  striven 
 
 Its  bounty  to  defeat. 
 
 Were  men  to  one  another 
 
 As  kind  as  God  to  all, 
 Then  no  man  on  his  brother 
 
 For  help  would  vainly  call. 
 
 On  none  for  idle  wasting 
 
 Would  honest  labour  frown ; 
 And  none,  to  riches  hasting. 
 
 Would  tread  his  neighbour  down. 
 
 No  man  enough  posseses 
 
 Until  he  has  to  spare ; 
 Possession  no  man  blesses 
 
 While  self  is  all  his  care. 
 For  blessings  on  our  labour, 
 
 O,  then,  in  hope  we  pray. 
 When  love  unto  our  neighbour 
 
 Is  ripening  every  day. 
 
 What  a  delightful  introduction  to  the  reading  or  exposi- 
 tion of  Scripture  is  found  in  the  following  lines  : — 
 
 Chiist  in  His  Word  draws  near ; 
 Hush,  moaning  voice  of  fear, 
 
 He  bids  thee  cease; 
 With  songs  sincere  and  sweet 
 Let  us  arise,  and  meet 
 Him  who  comes  forth  to  greet 
 
 Our  sotds  with  peace. 
 Rising  above  thy  care, 
 Meet  Him  as  in  the  air, 
 
 O  weary  heart : 
 Put  on  joy's  sacred  dress ; 
 Lo,  as  He  comes  to  bless, 
 Quite  from  Thy  weariness 
 
 Set  free  thou  art. 
 For  works  of  love  and  praise 
 He  brings  thee  summer  days, 
 
 Warm  days  and  bright; 
 Winter  is  past  and  gone. 
 Now  He,  salvation's  Sun, 
 Shineth  on  every  one 
 
 With  mercy's  light. 
 
192  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 From  the  bright  sky  above, 
 Clad  in  His  robes  of  love, 
 
 'Tis  He,  our  Lord  : 
 Dim  earth  itself  grows  clear, 
 As  His  light  drawcth  near : 
 O  let  us  hush  and  hear 
 
 His  holy  word. 
 
 How  exquisitely  the  spirit  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  set 
 forth,  by  illustrations  drawn  from  the  natural  world,  in 
 the  lyric  utterance  below  : — 
 
 Lift  up  your  heads,  rejoice. 
 Redemption  draweth  nigh ; 
 Now  breathes  a  softer  air, 
 Now  shines  a  milder  sky  ; 
 The  early  trees  put  forth 
 Their  new  and  tender  leaf; 
 Hushed  is  tiie  moaning  wind 
 That  told  of  winter's  grief. 
 
 Lift  up  your  heads,  rejoice. 
 Redemption  draweth  nigh ; 
 Now  mount  the  laden  clouds. 
 Now  flames  the  darkening  sky. 
 The  early  scattered  drops 
 Descend  with  heavy  fall. 
 And  to  the  waiting  earth 
 The  hidden  thunders  call. 
 
 Lift  up  your  heads,  rejoice. 
 Redemption  draweth  nigh ; 
 O  note  the  varying  signs 
 Of  earth,  and  air,  and  sky  : 
 The  God  of  glory  comes 
 In  gentleness  and  might, 
 To  comfort  and  alarm. 
 To  succour  and  to  smite. 
 
 He  comes,  the  wide  world's  King ; 
 He  comes,  the  true  heart's  Friend; 
 New  gladness  to  begin. 
 And  ancient  wrong  to  end ; 
 He  comes,  to  fill  with  light 
 The  weary  waiting  eye : 
 Lift  up  your  heads,  rejoice, 
 Redemption  draweth  nigh. 
 
 The  most  popular  of  Mr.  Lynch' s  hymns  up  to  the  present 
 
 time,    however,   are   the   following: — "Gracious    Spirit, 
 
 dwell  with  me,"   "  0  where  is  He  that  trod  the  sea," 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  193 
 
 *'  I^ow  have  we  met  that  we  may  ask,'*  "  Dismiss  me  not 
 Thy  service,  Lord,"  ''  The  Lord  is  rich  and  merciful," 
 "  How  calmly  the  evening  once  more  is  descending," 
 "  Love  me,  0  Lord,  forgivingly,"  ''  Oft  when  of  God  we 
 ask."  ''The  Rivulet"  also  contains  many  poems  not 
 suitable  for  public  worship,  but  admirably  adapted  to 
 freshen  the  religious  life.  For  my  own  part,  I  should 
 put  that  work  above  Mr.  Keble's  '*  Christian  Year"  for 
 the  spontaneity  of  its  poetry. 
 
 James  Drummond  Burns  (1823-1864),  like  Mr.  Lynch, 
 was  a  sufferer  for  many  years  from  illness,  and,  like 
 him,  was  richly  gifted  with  poetic  power.  His  hymns 
 are  amongst  the  most  pathetic  and  tender  of  recent 
 production.  A  man  of  rare  refinement  and  saintly 
 character,  showing  that  the  Presbyterian  Church,  usually 
 supposed  to  foster  only  the  more  vigorous  and  even  hard 
 type  of  character,  numbers  among  its  members  men 
 who  deserve  to  be  ranked  with  those  nurtured  in  more 
 cloistral  ways.  I  should  assign  a  very  high  place  to 
 such  hymns  as  ''  Still  with  Thee,  0  my  God,"  "  0  Thou 
 whose  tender  feet  have  trod,"  and  ''  Thou,  Lord,  art 
 Love,  and  everywhere,"  which  has  so  often  been  mangled 
 by  editors  that  I  quote  it  as  penned  by  the  author ; — 
 
 Thou,  Lord,  art  Love — and  everywhere 
 
 Thy  name  is  brightly  shown, 
 Beneath,  on  earth  Thy  footstool  fair, 
 
 Above,  in  heaven  Thy  throne. 
 
 Thy  word  is  Love — in  lines  of  gold 
 
 There  mercy  prints  its  trace  ; 
 In  Nature  we  Thy  steps  behold, 
 
 The  Gospel  shows  Thy  face. 
 
 Thy  ways  are  Love — though  they  transcend 
 
 Our  feeble  range  of  sight, 
 They  wind  through  darkness  to  their  end, 
 
 In  everlasting  light. 
 
194  TEE  EYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 Thy  thoughts  are  Love,  and  Jesus  is 
 
 The  living  voice  they  find; 
 His  love  lights  up  the  vast  ahyss 
 
 Of  the  Eternal  Mind. 
 
 Thy  chastisements  are  Love — more  deep 
 
 They  stamp  the  seal  divine ; 
 And  by  a  sweet  compulsion  keep 
 
 Our  spirits  nearer  Thine. 
 
 Thy  heaven  is  the  abode  of  Love — 
 
 O  blessed  Lord,  that  we 
 May  there,  when  time's  dim  shades  remove 
 
 Be  gathered  home  to  Thee ; 
 
 There  with  Thy  resting  saints  to  fall 
 
 Adoring  round  Thy  throne  ; 
 Where  all  shall  love  Thee,  Lord,  and  all 
 
 Shall  in  Thy  love  be  one. 
 
 whilst  almost  equal  are — "  IS'ot,  Lord,  unto  that  mount 
 of  dread,"  "  As  helpless  as  a  child  who  clings,"  and  "  At 
 Thy  feet,  our  God  and  Father."  His  hymn  on  Samuel, 
 *' Hushed  was  the  evening  hymn,"  is  one  of  the  loveliest 
 for  children,  in  the  language,  and  deserves  to  rank 
 with,  even  if  it  does  not  excel,  the  best  of  Mrs.  C.  F. 
 Alexander's.  It  may  be  unknown  to  some  of  my  readers, 
 and  I  therefore  quote  it: 
 
 Hushed  was  the  evening  hymn. 
 
 The  Temple  courts  were  dark ; 
 
 The  lamp  was  burning  dim 
 
 Before  the  sacred  ark ; 
 When  suddenly  a  voice  divine 
 Rang  through  the  silence  of  the  shrine. 
 
 The  old  man,  meek  and  mild, 
 
 The  priest  of  Israel,  slept ; 
 
 His  watch  the  Temple  child, 
 
 The  little  Levite  kept ; 
 And  what  from  Eli's  sense  was  sealed, 
 The  Lord  to  Hannah's  son  revealed. 
 
 Oh  !  give  me  Samuel's  ear, 
 
 The  open  ear,  0  Lord, 
 
 Alive  and  quick  to  hear 
 
 Each  whisper  of  Thy  word : 
 Like  him  to  answer  at  Thy  call, 
 And  to  obey  Thee  first  of  aU. 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  195 
 
 Oh  !  give  me  Samuel's  heart, 
 
 A  lowly  heart  that  waits, 
 
 When  in  Thy  house  Thou  art, 
 
 Or  watches  at  Thy  gates. 
 By  day  and  night,  a  heart  that  still 
 Moves  at  the  breathing  of  Thy  will. 
 
 Oh  !  give  me  Samuel's  mind, 
 
 A  sweet,  unmurmuring  faith, 
 
 Obedient  and  resigned 
 
 To  Thee  in  life  and  death ; 
 That  I  may  read  with  child-like  eyes 
 Truths  that  are  hidden  from  the  wise. 
 
 Some  of  Mr.  Burns'  translations  from  the  German  are  of 
 
 great  merit,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  rendering 
 
 of  a  hymn  by  Joachim  Neander  : — 
 
 Heaven  and  earth,  and  sea  and  air, 
 Still  their  Maker's  praise  declare ; 
 Thou,  my  soul,  as  loudly  sing, 
 To  thy  God  thy  praises  bring. 
 
 See  the  sun  his  power  awakes. 
 As  through  clouds  his  glory  breaks ; 
 See  the  moon  and  stars  of  light, 
 Praising  God  in  stillest  night. 
 
 See  how  God  this  rolling  globe 
 Swathes  with  beauty  like  a  robe ; 
 Forests,  fields,  and  living  things. 
 Each  its  Maker's  glory  sings. 
 
 Through  the  air  Thy  praises  meet, 
 Birds  ai-e  singing  clear  and  sweet ; 
 Fire,  and  storm,  and  wind,  Thy  will 
 As  Thy  ministers  fulfil. 
 
 The  ocean  waves  Thy  glory  tell. 
 At  Thy  touch  they  sink  and  swell : 
 From  the  well-spring  to  the  sea, 
 Rivers  murmur.  Lord,  of  Thee. 
 
 Ah  !  my  God,  what  wonders  lie 
 Hid  in  Thine  infinity  ! 
 Stamp  upon  my  inmost  heart 
 What  I  am,  and  what  Thou  art. 
 
 Adelaide  Anne  Procter  (1825-1864),  the  daughter  of 
 B.  W.  Procter,  better  known  as  Barry  Cornwall,  under 
 which  nom  de  plume  his  poems  were  published,  was  the 
 authoress   of   the  well-known  and  delio-htful    "Leo-ends 
 
196  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 and  Lyrics,"  to  which,  after  her  death,  her  friend  Charles 
 Dickens  prefixed  a  beautiful  and  touching  sketch  of  her 
 I  life,  in  which  the  following  touching  incident  is  recorded  : 
 **  In  the  spring  of  the  year  1853,  I  observed,  as  conductor 
 of  the  weekly  journal,  household  Words,  a  short  poem 
 among  the  proffered  contributions,  very  different,  as  I 
 thought,  from  the  shoal  of  verses  perpetually  seething 
 through  the  office  of  such  a  periodical,  and  possessing  much 
 more  merit.  Its  authoress  was  quite  unknown  to  me.  She 
 was  one  Miss  Mary  Berwick,  whom  I  had  never  heard  of  • 
 and  she  was  to  be  addressed  by  letter,  if  addressed  at  all, 
 at  a  circulating  library  in  the  western  district  of  London. 
 Through  this  channel.  Miss  Berwick  was  informed  that 
 her  poem  was  accepted,  and  invited  to  send  another.  She 
 complied,  and  became  a  regular  and  frequent  contributor. 
 Many  letters  passed  between  the  journal  and  Miss 
 Berwick,  but  Miss  Berwick  herself  was  never  seen. 
 How  we  came  gradually  to  establish,  at  the  office  of 
 household  Words,  that  we  knew  all  about  Miss  Berwick, 
 I  have  never  discovered.  But  we  settled  somehow,  to  our 
 complete  satisfaction,  that  she  was  governess  in  a  family  ; 
 that  she  went  to  Italy  in  that  capacity,  and  returned  ;  and 
 that  she  had  long  been  in  the  same  family.  We  really 
 knew  nothing  whatever  of  her,  except  that  she  was 
 remarkably  business  -  like,  punctual,  self  -  reliant,  and 
 reliable,  so  I  suppose  we  insensibly  invented  the  rest. 
 For  myself,  my  mother  was  not  a  more  real  personage  to 
 me,  than  Miss  Berwick,  the  governess,  became.  This 
 went  on  until  December,  1854,  when  the  Christmas 
 number,  entitled  '  The  Seven  Poor  Travellers,'  was  sent 
 to  press.  Happening  to  be  going  to  dine  that  day  with 
 an   old   and  dear  friend,   distinguished  in  literature   as 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  197 
 
 Barry  Cornwall,  I  took  with  me  an  early  proof  of  that 
 number,  and  remarked,  as  I  laid  it  on  the  drawing-room 
 table,  that  it  contained  a  very  pretty  poem,  written  by  a 
 certain  Miss  Berwick.  Next  day  brought  me  the  dis- 
 closure that  I  had  so  spoken  of  the  poem  to  the  mother  of 
 its  writer,  in  its  writer's  presence,  and  that  the  name  had 
 been  assumed  by  Barry  Cornwall's  eldest  daughter — Miss 
 Adelaide  Anne  Procter,"  In  recent  years,  when  Editors 
 came  to  see  that  poetic  character  did  not  disqualify,  but 
 rather  fitted  verses  for  inclusion  in  their  collections,  many 
 hymns  have  been  drawn  from  these  volumes  for  the 
 worship  of  the  Church,  and  have  acquired  a  great 
 popularity,  which  is  ever  increasing.  Some  of  these  have 
 very  great  merit,  notably  the  following,  which  I  print 
 in  order  to  bring  them  under  the  notice  of  future  Editors 
 of  Hymnals.     The  first  she  calls  "  Thankfulness  "  : — 
 
 *Oar  God,  we  thank  Thee,  who  hast  made 
 
 The  earth  so  bright, 
 So  full  of  splendour  and  of  joy, 
 
 Beauty  and  light ; 
 So  many  glorious  things  are  here, 
 
 Noble  and  right ! 
 We  thank  Thee,  too,  that  Thou  hast  made 
 
 Joy  to  abound ; 
 So  many  gentle  thoughts  and  deeds 
 
 Circling  us  round. 
 That  in  the  darkest  spot  of  earth 
 
 Some  love  is  found. 
 We  thank  Thee  more  that  all  our  joy 
 
 Is  touched  with  pain  ; 
 That  shadows  fall  on  brightest  hours, 
 
 That  thorns  remain ; 
 So  that  earth's  bliss  may  be  our  guide. 
 
 And  not  our  chain. 
 For  Thou  who  knowest.  Lord,  how  soon 
 
 Our  weak  heart  clings. 
 Hast  given  us  joys,  tender  and  true, 
 
 Yet  all  with  wings, 
 So  that  we  see,  gleaming  on  high, 
 
 Diviner  things  ! 
 
 *  In  the  original,  the  singular  number  is  used. 
 
198  THE  HYMN  LOVER 
 
 We  thank  Thee,  Lord,  that  Thou  hast  kept 
 
 The  best  in  store  ; 
 We  have  enough,  yet  not  too  much, 
 
 To  long  for  more  ; 
 A  yearning  for  a  deeper  peace, 
 
 Not  known  before. 
 
 We  thank  Thee,  Lord,  that  here  our  souls. 
 
 Though  amply  blest, 
 Can  never  find,  although  they  seek, 
 
 A  perfect  rest — 
 Nor  ever  shall,  until  they  lean 
 
 On  Jesus'  breast ! 
 
 The   following,   called    ''The   Pilgrims,"    is  well  known 
 through  Henry  Leslie's  exquisite  musical  setting: — 
 
 The  way  is  long  and  dreary. 
 
 The  path  is  bleak  and  bare, 
 Our  feet  are  worn  and  weary, 
 
 But  we  will  not  despair  ; 
 More  heavy  was  Thy  i3urden. 
 
 More  desolate  Thy  way, 
 O  Lamb  of  God  !  who  takest 
 
 The  sin  of  the  world  away, 
 Have  mercy  upon  us. 
 
 The  snows  lie  thick  around  us, 
 
 In  the  dark  and  gloomy  night ; 
 And  the  tempest  wails  above  us, 
 
 And  the  stars  have  hid  their  light ; 
 But  blacker  was  the  darkness 
 
 Round  Calvary's  cross  that  day; 
 0  Lamb  of  God  !  who  takest 
 
 The  sin  of  the  world  away, 
 Have  mercy  upon  us. 
 
 Our  hearts  are  faint  with  sorrow, 
 
 Heavy  and  hard  to  bear  ; 
 For  we  dread  the  bitter  morrow. 
 
 But  we  will  not  despair ; 
 Thou  knowest  all  our  anguish, 
 
 And  Thou  wilt  bid  it  cease : 
 0  Lamb  of  God  !  who  takest 
 
 The  sin  of  the  world  away. 
 Give  us  Thy  peace ! 
 
 The  next  is  her  poem  entitled  ''  The  Peace  of  God  " — 
 
 We  ask  for  Peace,  O  Lord ! 
 Thy  children  ask  Thy  peace  ; 
 Not  what  the  world  calls  rest, 
 That  toU  and  care  should  cease. 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.  199 
 
 That  through  bright  sunny  hours 
 Calm  life  should  fleet  away, 
 And  tranquil  night  should  fade 
 In  smiling  day  ; — 
 It  is  not  for  such  Peace  that  we  would  pray. 
 
 We  ask  for  Peace,  O  Lord  ! 
 Yet  not  to  stand  secure, 
 Girt  round  with  iron  pride, 
 Contented  to  endure : 
 Crushing  the  gentle  strings 
 That  human  hearts  should  know. 
 Untouched  by  others'  joy, 
 Or  others'  woe  ; — 
 Thou,  O  dear  Lord,  wilt  never  teach  us  so. 
 
 We  ask  Thy  Peace,  O  Lord ! 
 Through  storm,  and  fear,  and  strife, 
 To  light  and  guide  us  on. 
 Through  a  long,  struggling  life ; 
 While  no  success  or  gain 
 Shall  cheer  the  desperate  fight. 
 Or  nerve,  what  the  world  calls 
 Our  wasted  might, — 
 Yet  pressing  through  the  daxkness  to  the  light. 
 
 It  is  Thine  own,  O  Lord  ; 
 Who  toil  while  others  sleep, 
 Who  sow  with  loving  care 
 What  other  hands  shall  reap : 
 They  lean  on  Thee  entranced, 
 In  calm  and  perfect  rest : 
 Give  us  that  Peace,  O  Lord, 
 Divine  and  blest. 
 Thou  keepest  for  those  heai-ts  who  love  Thee  best. 
 
 The  last  is,  perhaps,  more  suitable  for  private  than  public 
 worship : — 
 
 I  do  not  ask,  O  Lord,  that  life  may  be 
 
 A  pleasant  road ; 
 I  do  not  ask  that  Thou  wouldst  take  from  me 
 
 Aught  of  its  load. 
 
 I  do  not  ask  that  flowers  should  always  spring 
 
 Beneath  my  feet ; 
 I  know  too  well  the  poison  and  the  sting 
 
 Of  things  too  sweet. 
 
 For  one  thing  only,  Lord,  dear  Lord,  I  plead  : 
 
 Lead  me  aright, 
 Though  strength  should  talter,  and  though  heart  should  bleed, 
 
 Through  Peace  to  Light. 
 
200  TRB  HYMN  LOVEB, 
 
 I  do  not  ask,  O  Lord,  that  Thou  shouldst  shed 
 
 Full  radiance  here ; 
 Give  but  a  ray  of  peace,  that  1  may  tread 
 
 Without  a  fear. 
 1  do  not  ask  my  cross  to  understand, 
 
 My  way  to  see ; 
 Better  in  darkness  just  to  feel  Thy  hand 
 
 And  follow  Thee. 
 Joy  is  like  restless  day :  but  peace  divine 
 
 Like  quiet  night ; 
 Lead  me,  0  Lord,  till  perfect  day  shall  shine 
 
 Through  Peace  to  Light. 
 
 I  am  bound  to  say  that  a  want  of  discernment  of  what 
 really  constitutes  a  hymn  has  led  certain  Editors  to  include 
 some  pieces  from  Miss  Procter's  works,  very  beautiful  in 
 themselves,  but  more  fit  for  private  reading  than  public 
 worship.  This  is  an  error  in  judgment  which  needs 
 to  be  guarded  against.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  verses 
 cannot  be  too  poetic  for  use  in  worship,  if  they  are  really 
 hymns.  This  is  a  lesson  which  Church  of  England 
 Editors  need  to  learn.  They  have  not  learnt  it  yet,  as 
 may  he  seen  by  the  fact  that  they  have  not,  so  far  as  my 
 knowledge  goes,  included  a  single  hymn  from  this  gifted 
 authoress  in  their  collections.  Congregations  would 
 thank  them  if  they  did,  and  they  have  good  right  to 
 complain  that,  as  yet,  they  have  not  done  so.  There  is 
 only  one  di-awback  to  some  of  her  hymns — that  they  are 
 not  metrically  uniform,  but  they  are  so  good  that  com- 
 posers should  arrange  their  music  to  suit  them. 
 
 Prances  Ridley  Havergal  (1836-1879),  a  devoted  and 
 saintly  woman,  the  daughter  of  the  hymnist  and  musician, 
 the  Rev.  "W.  H.  Havergal,  M.A.,  had  a  great  gift  of 
 lyric  expression,  and  much  facility  in  its  use,  to  which 
 her  deeply  religious  nature  constantly  moved  her.  She 
 was  a  very  prolific  writer  of  hymns  and  religious  poems, 
 which   have  had   a  very  wide    circulation,   and   exerted 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS,         201 
 
 a  great  influence.  They  have  done  much  to  foster  that 
 warmer  and  more  consecrated  type  of  religion  which  is 
 one  of  the  remarkable  features  of  our  time,  and  is  the 
 real  barrier  against  the  spirit  of  scepticism  which  is  so 
 common,  whilst  they  show  how  independent  is  the  religious 
 life  of  dogmatic  formularies.  Some  of  her  hymns  touch 
 a  very  high  point  of  vigour  and  excellence,  whilst  others 
 are  rather  diffuse  and  weak  in  texture.  The  finest  are 
 the  following — "  Lord,  speak  to  me,  that  I  may  speak, 
 "  0  Saviour,  precious  Saviour,"  "  Golden  harps  are 
 sounding,"  "Take  my  life,  and  let  it  be,"  ''Tell  it 
 out  among  the  heathen "  (a  noble  missionary  hymn), 
 and  "Another  year  is  dawning,"  a  hymn  for  the  JSTew 
 Year,  of  great  tenderness  : — 
 
 Another  year  is  dawning, 
 
 Dear  Master,  let  it  be  , 
 In  working  or  in  waiting , 
 
 Another  year  with  Thee. 
 
 Another  year  of  leaning 
 
 Upon  thy  loving  breast. 
 Of  ever- deepening  trustfulness, 
 
 Of  quiet,  happy  rest. 
 
 Another  year  of  mercies, 
 
 Ot  faithfulness  and  grace ; 
 Another  year  of  gladness 
 
 In  the  shining  of  Thy  face. 
 
 Another  year  of  progress, 
 
 Another  year  of  praise, 
 Another  year  of  proving 
 
 Thy  presence  "all  the  days." 
 
 Another  year  of  service, 
 
 Of  witness  for  Thy  love ; 
 Another  year  of  training 
 
 For  better  work  above. 
 
 Another  year  is  dawning. 
 
 Dear  Master,  let  it  be. 
 On  eai-th,  or  else  in  heaven 
 
 Another  year  for  Thee  ! 
 
202  TEE  EYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Among  the  minor  contributors  to  the  hymnody  of  this 
 period,  I  may  class  together,  in  alphabetical,  rather  than 
 chronological  order — 
 
 William  Hiley  Bathurst  (1796-1877),  vicar  of  Barwick- 
 in-Elmet,  Yorkshire,  who  published,  in  1830,  "Psalms 
 and  Hymns  for  Public  and  Private  Use."  Two  of  his 
 hymns  are  of  merit,  *'  0,  Saviour,  may  we  never  rest," 
 and  *'  Jesus,  Thy  Church,  with  longing  eyes." 
 
 To  John  Ernest  Bode  (1816-1874),  we  owe  the  fine 
 hymn  of  consecration,  which  is  specially  suitable  to 
 occasions  of  Adult  Baptism  (far  more  suitable  than  most 
 hymns  written  specially  for  that  service),  or  the  reception 
 of  members  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Church  : — 
 
 0  Jesus  I  have  promised 
 
 To  serve  Thee  to  the  end  ; 
 Be  Thou  for  ever  near  me, 
 My  Master  and  my  Friend  ! 
 
 1  shall  not  fear  the  battle 
 
 If  Thou  art  by  my  side, 
 Nor  wander  from  the  pathway 
 If  Thou  wilt  be  my  Guide. 
 
 0  let  me  hear  Thee  speaking 
 
 In  accents  clear  and  still. 
 Above  the  storms  of  passion 
 
 The  murmur  of  self-will. 
 0  speak  !  to  re-assure  me, 
 
 To  hasten  or  control ; 
 O  speak !  to  make  me  listen. 
 
 Thou  Guardian  of  my  soul. 
 
 O  let  me  see  Thy  features, 
 
 The  look  that  once  could  make 
 So  many  a  true  disciple 
 
 Leave  all  things  for  Thy  sake ; 
 The  look  that  beamed  on  Peter, 
 
 When  he  Thy  name  denied  ; 
 The  look  that  draws  Thy  loved  ones 
 
 Close  to  Thy  pierced  side. 
 
 O  Jesu  !  Thou  hast  promised, 
 
 To  all  who  follow  Thee, 
 That  where  Thou  art  in  glory, 
 
 There  shall  Thy  servant  be  ; 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.         203 
 
 And,  Jesu,  I  have  promised, 
 
 To  serve  Thee  to  the  end ; 
 O  give  me  grace  to  follow 
 
 My  Master  and  my  Friend  ! 
 
 James  Baldwin  Brown,  B.A.  (1821-1884),  the  eloquent 
 and  original  minister  of  tlie  Brixton  Independent  Church, 
 the  whole  spirit  j^^of  whose  life  is  gathered  up  and  con- 
 centrated in  the  following  striking  hymn  :  — 
 
 Thee,  who  our  faithless  hearts  canst  read, 
 
 And  know'st  each  weakness  there  ; 
 Poor,  trembling,  faint,  with  Thee  we  plead, 
 
 0  turn  not  from  our  prayer. 
 
 We  cannot  grasp  from  hour  to  hour 
 
 The  truths  Thy  gospel  saith ; 
 Then  aid  us  by  Thy  heavenly  power, 
 
 And  so  increase  our  faith. 
 
 That  we  may  trust  Thy  guardian  care, 
 
 When  no  kind  hand  we  see  ; 
 That  we  may  lift  our  souls  in  prayer 
 
 Undoubtingly  to  Thee. 
 
 Help  us  to  gaze  on  things  unseen 
 
 By  eyes  of  mortal  sight ; 
 To  pierce  through  earth's  dark  veil,  and  gleam 
 
 Some  beams  of  heavenly  light. 
 
 Thy  glorious  presence  may  we  see, 
 
 When  earth's  last  tie  is  riven  ; 
 In  faith  then  trust  our  souls  to  Thee, 
 
 Till  we  awake  in  heaven. 
 
 George  Burden  Bubier  (1823-1869),  Professor  of 
 Theology  and  Philosophy  at  Spring  Hill  College, 
 Birmingham,  who  compiled  a  Sunday  School  Hymn 
 Book  of  unusual  excellence,  to  which  he  contributed 
 eleven  hymns,  deserves  remembrance  for  a  few  hymns 
 which  remind  us  somewhat  of  Dr.  Byrom's — ''I  would 
 commune  with  Thee,  my  God,"  "Great  is  Thy  mercy. 
 Lord,"  ''My  God,  I  love  Thee  for  Thyself,"  ''A  fitly 
 spoken  word,"  and  '^  Blest  be  the  God  of  love  " 
 
 William  Gaskell,  M.A.  (1805  - 1884),  minister  of 
 White   Cross   Street   Unitarian  Chapel,  Manchester,  and 
 
204  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 husband  of  the  celebrated  authoress  of  that  name,  a  man 
 of  fine  Christian  character  and  spirit,  wrote  a  few  hymns 
 of  singular  delicacy  of  thought  and  beauty  of  expression, 
 which  riclily  deserve  even  wider  acceptance  than  they 
 have  yet  received.  I  quote  one  of  his  hymns,  that 
 readers  may  judge  for  themselves  : — 
 
 Though  lowly  here  our  lot  may  be, 
 
 High  work  have  we  to  do, 
 In  faith,  O  Lord,  to  follow  Thee, 
 
 Whose  lot  was  lowly  too. 
 Our  days  of  darkness  we  may  bear. 
 
 Strong  in  our  Father's  love ; 
 We  lean  on  His  almighty  arm, 
 
 And  fix  our  hopes  above. 
 Our  lives  enriched  with  gentle  thoughts 
 
 And  loving  deeds  may  be, 
 As  streams  that  still  the  nobler  grow. 
 
 The  nearer  to  the  sea. 
 To  duty  firm,  to  conscience  true. 
 
 However  tried  and  pressed. 
 In  God's  clear  sight  high  work  we  do, 
 
 If  we  but  do  our  best. 
 Thus  may  we  make  the  lowliest  lot 
 
 With  rays  of  glory  bright ; 
 Thus  may  we  turn  a  crown  of  thorns 
 
 Into  a  crown  of  light. 
 
 ''  0  God,  who  know'st  how  frail  we  are,"  is  also  of  great 
 merit. 
 
 William  Freeman  Lloyd  (1791-1853),  one  of  the 
 secretaries  of  the  Sunday  School  Union,  and  Editor  of 
 various  magazines  for  the  young,  was  the  author  of  the 
 hymn  of  trust,  "  My  times  are  in  Thy  hand." 
 
 Alfred  James  Morris  (1814-1868),  minister  of  Hollo  way 
 Congregational  Church,  and  author  of  many  original 
 religious  works,  wrote  a  few  hymns,  the  best  of  which — 
 and  it  is  very  good — is  **  Blest  Saviour,  let  me  be  a 
 child."  It  was  included  in  his  book  for  children,  ''  The 
 Shepherd  and  B.is  Lambs,"  a  hymn  suitable  to  young  and 
 old  alike.     Here  it  is  : — 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.         205 
 
 Blest  Saviour,  let  me  be  a  child, 
 
 A  little  child  of  Thine  ; 
 Thou  hast  on  infant  spirits  smiled, 
 
 O  kindly  smile  on  mine. 
 
 Make  me  a  child  in  simple  ways, 
 
 In  heart  more  simple  still ; 
 Believing  all  the  Father  says, 
 
 And  doing  all  His  will. 
 
 Give  me  a  nature  pure  and  true. 
 
 My  evil  one  control ; 
 And  day  by  day  Thy  grace  renew 
 
 The  childhood  of  my  soul." 
 
 May  this  sweet  spirit  ne'er  depart, 
 
 'Midst  all  my  joys  and  cares  ; 
 And  may  I  be  a  child  in  heart, 
 
 Although  a  man  in  years. 
 
 William  Pennefather,  M.A.  (1816-1873),  the  founder  of 
 the  Mildmay  Conference,  was  the  author  of  two  hymns  of 
 great  excellence,  which  are  not  nearly  so  well  known 
 as  they  richly  deserve  to  be,  that  I  quote  them.  The 
 first,  on  Pentecost,  is  one  of  the  finest  we  possess  on  that 
 subject : — 
 
 Oh  Lord  !  "  with  one  accord," 
 
 We  gather  round  Thv  throne. 
 
 To  hear  Thy  holy  Word, 
 
 To  worship  Thee  alone. 
 Now  send  from  heaven  the  Holy  Ghost, 
 Be  this  another  Pentecost ! 
 
 We  have  no  strength  to  meet 
 
 The  storms  that  round  us  lower, 
 
 Keep  Thou  our  trembling  feet 
 
 In  every  trying  hour ; 
 More  than  victorious  shall  we  be 
 If  girded  with  Thy  panoply. 
 
 Where  is  the  mighty  wind 
 
 That  shook  the  holy  place, 
 
 That  gladdened  every  mind, 
 
 Aud  brightened  every  face, 
 And  where  the  cloven  tongues  of  flame 
 That  marked  each  follower  of  the  Lamb  ! 
 
 There  is  no  change  in  Thee, 
 '  ■  Lord  God  the  Holy  Ghost, 
 
 Thy  glorious  Majesty 
 Is  as  at  Pentecost ! 
 
206  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 O  may  our  loosened  tongues  proclaim, 
 That  Thou,  our  God,  art  still  the  bame  ! 
 
 And  may  that  living  wave, 
 
 That  issues  from  on  high. 
 
 Whose  golden  waters  lave 
 
 The  throne  eternally. 
 Flow  down  in  power  on  us  to-day, 
 And  none  shall  go  unblessed  away  ! 
 
 The  second  is  remarkable  for  the  terseness  and  force  of 
 
 its  expression.     In  this  respect  it  is  a  model :  — 
 
 Jesus !  stand  among  us 
 
 In  Thy  risen  power, 
 Let  this  time  of  worship 
 
 Be  a  hallowed  hour. 
 
 Breathe  the  Holy  Spirit 
 
 Into  every  heart, 
 Bid  the  fears  and  sorrows 
 
 From  each  soul  depart. 
 
 Thus,  with  quickened  footsteps, 
 
 We'll  pursue  our  way, 
 Watching  for  the  dawning 
 
 Of  th'  Eternal  Day  ! 
 
 GreviUe  Phillimore,  M.A.  (1821-1884),  one  of  the 
 Editors  of  ''  The  Parish' Hymn  Book,"  and  vicar  of  Down 
 Ampney,  in  Gloucestershire,  wrote  a  few  hymns  of  more 
 than  average  merit.  Indeed,  one,  "  0  Lord  of  health 
 and  life,  what  tongue  can  tell,"  is  of  great  excellence. 
 
 "William   Morley  Punshon    (1824-1881),    an    eloquent 
 
 preacher  of  the  Methodist  Church,  published  a  volume  of 
 
 poems  called    "  Sabbath   Bells,"   in  which   there  is  the 
 
 following  hymn  for  Sunday  Evening  of  remarkable  beauty 
 
 and  tenderness  :  — 
 
 We  rose  to-day  with  anthems  sweet, 
 To  sing  before  the  mercy-seat, 
 And  ere  the  darkness  round  us  fell. 
 We  bade  the  grateful  vespers  swell. 
 
 Whate'er  has  risen  from  heart  sincere, 
 Each  upward  glance  of  filial  fear, 
 Each  true  resolve,  each  solemn  vow, 
 Jesus  our  Lord  !  accept  them  now. 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETW  ELEMENTS.         207 
 
 O  let  each  following  Sabbath  yield 
 For  our  loved  work  an  ampler  field,     • 
 A  sturdier  hatred  of  the  wrong, 
 A  stronger  purpose  to  grow  strong. 
 Whate'er  beneath  Thy  searching  eyes 
 Has  wrought  to  spoil  our  sacrifice, 
 'Mid  this  sweet  stillness  while  we  bow, 
 Jesus  our  Lord  !  forgive  us  now. 
 
 And  teach  us  erring  souls  to  win, 
 And  hide  their  multitude  of  sin  ; 
 To  tread  in  Christ's  long-suffering  way, 
 And  grow  more  like  Him  day  by  day. 
 
 So  as  our  Sabbaths  hasten  past, 
 And  rounding  years  bring  nigh  the  last ; 
 When  sinks  the  sun  behind  the  hill. 
 When  all  the  weary  wheels  stand  still ; 
 
 When  by  our  bed  the  lovedones  weep, 
 And  death -dews  o'er  the  forehead  creep, 
 And  vain  is  help  or  hope  from  men  ; 
 Jesus  our  Lord !  receive  us  then. 
 
 George  Wade  Eobinson  (1838-1877),  a  devoted  minister 
 of  the  Congregational  Church,  had  a  considerable  power, 
 both  of  poetic  thought  and  expression,  as  will  be  evident 
 to  all  who  have  read  his  little  book,  "  Songs  in  God's 
 "World,"  from  which,  with  some  slight  transposition,  I 
 took  the  following  verses  for  inclusion  in  my  ^'  Congre- 
 gational Hymns."  They  are  marked  by  the  tenderness 
 and  pathos  which  characterised  all  his  writings — due,  it 
 may  be,  in  part,  to  the  shadow,  ever  deepening  around 
 him,  of  that  coming  death,  which,  at  so  early  an  age, 
 closed  his  earnest  career : — 
 
 Strangers  and  pilgrims  here  below. 
 In  want,  in  weakness,  and  in  woe, 
 To  whom,  O  Jesus,  should  we  go. 
 To  whom  but  unto  Thee  ? 
 
 To  whom,  when  hating  what  is  ill, 
 
 We  find  our  strength  unequal  still 
 
 To  do,  although  we  love.  Thy  will, 
 
 To  whom  but  unto  Thee  ? 
 
 To  whom,  with  all  our  faults  and  fears, 
 With  all  our  toils  and  all  our  tears, 
 
208  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Pouring  them  into  loving  ears, 
 To  whom  but  unto  Thee  ? 
 
 To  whom,  when  all  around  appears 
 Against  us,  and  too  anxious  fears 
 Look  trembling  up  the  coming  years, 
 To  whom  but  unto  Thee  ? 
 
 To  whom,  when  gloomy  Death  appals, 
 And  the  cold  shadow  darkly  falls 
 Along  our  happy  household  walls, 
 To  whom  but  unto  Thee  ? 
 
 Emily  Taylor  (1795-1872),  a  member  of  the  TJnitarian 
 
 Church,  and  Editor  of  "  Memories  of  some  Contemporary 
 
 Poets,"   was  the  authoress   of    ''  Come  to  the   house   of 
 
 prayer,"  and  a  very  suggestive  hymn  descriptive  of  the 
 
 loss  that  would  arise  to  believers  if  the  gifts  of  God  were 
 
 ours,  hut  we  without   the   power   to  approach  Him   in 
 
 prayer.     The  idea  is  so  beautiful,  and  its  expression  so 
 
 unique  in  hymnody,  that  I  venture  to  quote  it : — 
 
 O  Source  of  good  !  around  me  spread. 
 
 Ten  thousand  thousand  blessings  lie  ; 
 By  night  Thy  mercy  guards  my  head — 
 
 By  day  I  feel  Thee  ever  nigh. 
 Yet  if  to  taste  Thy  gifts  were  all 
 
 Thy  bounteous  hand  bestowed  on  me  ; — 
 No  leave  upon  Thy  name  to  call. 
 
 And  gain  access  by  prayer  to  Thee ; 
 How  would  my  spirit,  sorrowing, 
 
 'Mid  all  those  gifts  have  sighed, — to  feel 
 It  knew  not  the  refreshing  spring 
 
 That  ceaseless  flows  to  soothe  and  heal. 
 No  chain  to  bind  the  wandering  soul, 
 
 No  link  connecting  earth  and  heaven, 
 No  Father's  pitying  kind  control. 
 
 No  child  repenting  and  forgiven  ! 
 But  now  the  voice  of  prayer  is  heard, 
 
 When  strength  departs  and  comforts  flee ; 
 And  man  may  act  upon  that  word — 
 
 "  Seek,  and  He  shall  be  found  of  Thee." 
 
 William  Whiting  (1825-1878),  choirmaster  of  Win- 
 chester College,  was  the  author  of  what  is  certainly  the 
 most  popular  hymn  for  "  those  at  sea."  It  is  a  good 
 hymn,  hut  its  popularity  is  partly  due,  I  fancy,  to  the 
 
INCREASE  OF  POETIC  ELEMENTS.         209 
 
 music  to  which  it  was  wedded  in  "Hymns  Ancient  and 
 Modem."  There  are  hymns  whose  constant  use  is  as 
 much  due  to  this  cause  as  to  their  intrinsic  merit.  IS'o 
 other  hymn  from  Mr.  Whiting's  pen  has  gained  currency 
 in  the  Church. 
 
 Sarah  Williams  was  the  gifted  authoress  of  many  poems, 
 which  she  published  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  ''  Sadie." 
 Her  early  death  cut  short  the  promise  of  a  career  of  con- 
 siderable usefulness  in  literature.  The  following  lines 
 from  her  pen  seem  to  me  singularly  tender  and  beautiful. 
 I  quote  them  in  the  hope  that  they  may  catch  th^  eye  of 
 Hymnal  Editors,  and  lead  to  their  inclusion  in  future 
 collections,  as  I  happen  to  know  that,  where  used,  they 
 have  become  greatly  beloved.  Three  verses  are  omitted, 
 as  unsuitable  for  public  worship. 
 
 Because  1  knew  not  when  my  life  was  good, 
 And  when  there  was  a  light  upon  my  path, 
 But  turned  my  soul  perversely  to  the  dark — 
 
 O  Lord,  I  do  repent. 
 Because  I  held  upon  my  selfish  road, 
 And  left  my  brother  wounded  by  the  way, 
 And  called  ambition  duty,  and  pressed  on — 
 
 O  Lord,  I  do  repent. 
 Because  I  spent  the  strength  Thou  gavest  me 
 In  struggle  which  Thou  never  didst  ordain, 
 And  have  but  dregs  of  life  to  offer  Thee — 
 
 O  Lord,  1  do  repent. 
 Because  I  was  impatient,  would  not  wait. 
 But  thi'ust  my  impious  hand  across  Thy  threads. 
 And  marred  the  pattern  drawn  out  for  my  life — 
 
 O  Lord,  I  do  repent. 
 Because  Thou  hast  borne  with  me  all  this  while, 
 Hast  smitten  me  with  love  until  I  weep. 
 Hast  called  me  as  a  mother  calls  her  child — 
 
 O  Lord,  I  do  repent. 
 
 Here  must  end  my  references  to  departed  hymnists. 
 Some  of  those  to  whom  I  shall  refer  in  the  next  ^chapter 
 on  **  Living  Hymnists  "  were  born  before  certain  of  those 
 named  in  this  chapter,  but  are  still  happily  spared  to  us. 
 
210  THB  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 It  will  be  evident,  from  what  I  have  written,  that  the 
 middle  of  the  present  century  has  been  remarkable  for 
 the  production  of  a  large  number  of  hymns,  of  a  very 
 high  order  of  merit.  Probably  no  age  has  been  more 
 fruitful  in  this  respect.  I  question  whether,  in  any 
 period  of  the  same  length,  so  many  fine  hymns  have 
 been  written.  This  is  to  be  ascribed  to  many  causes, 
 not  merely  to  the  large  place  which  hymns  now  fill  in  the 
 worship  of  the  Church,  but  to  the  revived  religious  life, 
 the  superior  culture,  the  widely  spread  poetic  gift  and 
 spirit,  as  well  as  to  the  increase  of  musical  culture,  all  of 
 which  have  exerted  a  great  influence.  What,  in  earlier 
 times,  took  ages  to  produce,  has  been  produced  almost 
 within  the  limits  of  a  generation.  Indeed,  the  Church 
 would  not  be  ill  supplied  with  song  if  she  were 
 dependent  on  the  productions  of  the  last  half  century 
 It  has  been  in  hymnody  as  fruitful  as  the  Elizabethan 
 age  was  in  dramatic  works.  We  have  scarcely  yet 
 realised  the  wealth  of  our  recent  hymnody;  since  hymnists 
 rarely  reach  their  true  position  till  time  has  removed 
 them  from  our  gaze.  Age  does  not  soften  hymns  as  it 
 does  pictures,  but  it  enables  us  to  regard  them  with  less 
 of  prejudice,  whilst  use  familiarises,  and  helps  us  to 
 realise  their  beauty.  Many  an  old  hymn,  through  usage 
 or  the  lapse  of  time,  gains  a  glory  it  does  not  deserve 
 Many  a  new  hymn  is  not  valued  as  it  should  be  through 
 lack  of  these.  There  is  no  gift  for  which  the  Church 
 deserves  to  be  more  profoundly  grateful  than  for  the  great 
 succession  of  singers  who  have  of  late  enriched  her 
 song,  and  so  ennobled  her  worship.  These,  in  days  to 
 come,  will  reach  their  true  place,  and  their  age  be 
 regarded  as  among  the  classic  ones  of  hymnody. 
 
211 
 
 CHAPTER  XV. 
 
 LIVING  HYMNISTS.— I. 
 
 Born  1796—1820. 
 
 There  must  surely  be  to  the  hymn-writer  a  deep  joy  in 
 
 knowing    that    his   verses   have   kindled    the   hearts   of 
 
 multitudes  to  worship,  and  risen  on  the  wings  of  music 
 
 to   the    ear  of   heaven.      I   can  conceive  of   few  things 
 
 that  would   waken  more  real,  though  it  may  be   quiet, 
 
 satisfaction.      Bishop  Ken  deemed  it  would  be  an  addition 
 
 to   his   happiness   in   the   happier   world,    if    he    should 
 
 know  that  his  devotional  poems  were  answering  on  earth 
 
 the  purpose  for  which  he  had  piously  composed  them : — 
 
 And  should  the  well-meant  songs  I  leave  behind, 
 With  Jesus'  lovers  an  acceptance  find, 
 'Twill  heighten  e'en  the  joys  of  heaven  to  know, 
 That  in  my  verse  the  saints  hymn  God  below. 
 
 It   has  not  always  fallen  to  the  lot  of   even  the  noblest 
 
 hymnists  to  reap  this  reward  during  life,  for  not  till  they 
 
 had  passed  away  did  their  verses  enter  into  the  worship - 
 
 song  of  the  Church.    The  worth  of  many  a  noble  hymn  has 
 
 not  been  discovered  until  its  author  had  gone  over  to  the 
 
 majority.     But  many  an  author  in  our  day  has  had  the  joy 
 
 of  knowing  that  his  hymns  have  been  warmly  welcomed  by 
 
 the  Church,  and  that  they  have  risen  in  choral  song  from 
 
 the  lips  of  devout  worshippers.    There  are  many  hymnists. 
 
212  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 happily  still  spared  to  us,  who  must  rejoice  in  the  thought 
 that  scarcely  a  Sunday  passes  in  which  their  hymns  do 
 not  both  kindle  and  express  the  devout  feelings  of  men 
 in  a  multitude    of   churches  in  this  and  other  English- 
 speaking  lands,  many  of  them  being  widely  separated  in 
 doctrine,  in  ritual,  in  ecclesiastical  forms,  from  that   to 
 which  they  themselves  belong.     In  many  a  case  hymns  are 
 sung  in  assemblies  in  whose  worship  theii'  authors  would 
 scarcely  care  to  join,  and  whose  doctrines  they  heartily  con- 
 demn.    The  words  of  Dean,  and  Bishop,  and  Cardinal,  are 
 used  in  lowly  conventicles  where  their  stately  canonicals 
 would  seem  quite  out  of  place,  whilst,  on  the  other  hand, 
 the  hymns  of  many  an  unadorned  Layman  belonging  to  the 
 simpler  Pree  Churches  are  sung  by  white-robed  choristers 
 and  priests  under  the  fretted  roofs  of  venerable  cathedrals. 
 Thus   one   touch  of    (what  is  better  than  nature)  grace 
 makes  the  whole  Church  kin.     Thus  the  hymns  of  the 
 Presbyterian   Bonar,  and  the   Independent  "Watts,   have 
 passed   into   use   and    are    sung    as   parts   of    a    richly 
 ornate    service ;   whilst,    on  the  other   hand,   hymns   by 
 Cardinal  Newman,  Bishop  Christopher  Wordsworth,  and 
 Father  Caswall  have  found  their    way  into   the    simple 
 services  of  village  chapels.     There  is  no  bond  of  union 
 stronger  or  more  spiritual  than  that  furnished  by  hymns 
 which  have  sprung  out  of  hearts  kindled  to  lyric  expression 
 by  the  vision  of  Christ  and  His  peerless  work  on  behalf  of 
 men.     Thus  Christian  feeling  is  proved  to  be  mightier  and 
 more   important  in   securing  unity   than   the   particular 
 formulas  which  the  minds  of  men  have  fashioned  for  its 
 expression.     Por  nowhere  is  the  real  unity,  underlying  all 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—L  213 
 
 diversity,  of  the  Church  more  clearly  revealed  than  in  the 
 hymnody  of  these  modern  days.  There  are  no  helpers  in 
 the  great  work  of  quickening  and  deepening  religious  life 
 whose  aid  is  more  precious  than  those  whose  love  reaches 
 its  noblest  expression  in  sacred  song.  Of  late  years  the 
 Church  has  been  blessed  with  a  large  number  of  such 
 helpers.  Perhaps  in  no  age  has  the  number  been  so  large, 
 or  the  quality  of  the  songs  they  have  given  us  so  high. 
 From  all  quarters  such  songs  have  come ;  from  laymen 
 like  George  Rawson  and  Chatterton  Dix,  from  the  clergy 
 of  every  rank,  from  the  humble  curate  or  country  pastor  to 
 the  right  reverend  bishop  and  the  princely  cardinal ;  nay, 
 even  woman  has  had  no  mean  place  in  this  high  work,  for 
 in  many  a  church  where  women's  voices  may  not  be  heard 
 in  speech,  they  are  heard  in  holy  song  (as  in  the  hymns 
 by  Miss  Havergal  and  Miss  Elliott  in  "Hymns  Ancient 
 and  Modem").  Thus  the  lyric  fervour  sets  at  nought 
 all  ecclesiastical  restrictions,  all  doctrinal  exclusivenesses. 
 Thus  may  we  catch  gleams  of  the  time  when  the  whole 
 Christian  company  shall  be  gathered,  if  not  into  one  fold, 
 yet  into  one  flock,  under  the  great  Shepherd,  Christ.  For 
 of  that  time  so  greatly  desired,  and  often  sought  in  such 
 foolish  ways,  the  truest  heralds  are  the  hymnists  whose 
 hearts  are  touched  by  the  spirit  of  Christ. 
 
 It  is  only  bare  justice  to  say  that  of  living  hymnists, 
 the  Established  Church  furnishes  the  greater  number  ; 
 amongst  these  must,  of  right,  be  included,  some  who  now 
 belong  to  the  Roman  Communion  ;  but  whose  hymns  were 
 written  before  they  left  the  church  of  their  fathers. 
 
 Sir   Edward   Denny    (born   1796),  is  one   of   the   few 
 
214  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 writers  of  hymns  belonging  to  that  section  of  the  Church, 
 known  as  "  The  Brethren."  His  hymns  are,  of  course, 
 imbued  by  the  special  doctrines  of  that  sect,  and  this  unfits 
 most  of  them  for  general  use  in  the  Church  at  large  ;  but 
 in  some,  the  Christian  and  lyric  nature  of  their  author 
 overpowers  his  doctrinal  prepossessions,  and  such  hymns 
 from  his  pen  are  of  great  force  and  merit.  Examples  of 
 this  may  be  found  in  his  hymn  : — 
 
 What  grace,  0  Lord,  and  beauty  shone 
 
 Around  Thy  steps  below; 
 What  patient  love  was  seen  in  all 
 
 Thy  life  and  death  of  woe. 
 
 For  ever  on  Thy  burden'd  heai't 
 
 A  weight  of  sorrow  hung  ; 
 Yet  no  ungentle,  murmuring  word 
 
 Escaped  Thy  silent  tongue. 
 
 Thy  foes  might  hate,  despise,  revile, 
 
 Thy  friends  unfaithful  prove, 
 Unwearied  in  forgiveness  still, 
 
 Thy  heart  could  only  love. 
 
 Oh  !  give  us  hearts  to  love  like  Thee, 
 
 Like  Thee,  O  Lord,  to  grieve 
 Far  more  for  others'  sins,  than  all 
 
 The  wrongs  that  we  receive. 
 
 One  with  Thyself,  may  every  eye 
 
 In  us.  Thy  brethren,  see 
 The  gentleness  and  grace  that  spring 
 
 From  union.  Lord,  with  Thee. 
 
 And  in  his  really  fine  Missionary  Hymn  : — 
 
 Light  of  the  lonely  pilgrim's  heart, 
 
 Star  of  the  coming  day, 
 Arise,  and  with  Thy  morning  beams, 
 
 Chase  all  our  griefs  away : 
 
 Come,  blessed  Lord,  bid  every  shore 
 
 And  answering  island  sing 
 The  praises  of  Thy  royal  Name, 
 
 And  own  Thee  as  their  King. 
 
 Bid  the  whole  earth,  responsive  now 
 To  the  bright  world  above, 
 
LIVING  IIYMNISTS.—L  215 
 
 Break  furth  iii  rapturous  strains  of  joy, 
 In  memory  of  Thy  love. 
 
 Lord,  Lord,  Thy  fair  creation  groans, 
 
 The  ail-,  the  earth,  the  sea, 
 In  unison  with  all  our  hearts, 
 
 And  calls  aloud  for  Thee. 
 
 Come,  then,  with  all  Thy  quickening  power, 
 
 With  one  awakening  smile. 
 And  bid  the  serpent's  trail  no  more 
 
 The  beauteous  realms  defile  : 
 
 Thine  was  the  cross,  with  all  its  fruit 
 
 Of  grace  and  peace  divine  ; 
 Be  Thine  the  crown  of  glory  now. 
 
 The  palm  of  victory  Thine. 
 
 Here  again  we  see  how  the  Christian  spirit  stretches  over 
 all  dividing  and  narrowing  enclosures  of  doctrinal  forms. 
 
 The  first  quarter  of  the  present  century  is  remarkable 
 as  having  given  to  us  some  of  the  most  notable  hymnists 
 which  the  Church  has  ever  possessd.  In  this  respect  it  is 
 one  of  the  golden  ages  of  hymnody,  only  equalled  by  one 
 or  two  similar  periods. 
 
 Matthew  Bridges  (born  1800),  originally  a  member  of 
 the  Anglican,  but  now  of  the  Eoman  Church,  is  a  writer 
 with  a  great  lyric  gift,  which  in  my  judgment  he  has 
 allowed  to  be  marred  by  the  carnal  views  of  Chi'istian 
 truth  prevalent  in  the  church  to  which  he  now  belongs.  It 
 is  not  so  with  all  the  hymnists  of  that  Communion  (with 
 Cardinal  l^ewman,  for  example,  whose  mind  seizes  the 
 more  spiritual  aspects  of  Christianity)  ;  but  it  is  so  with 
 Mr.  Bridges,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  hymn  ; 
 magnificent  in  some  of  its  parts,  but  in  others  carnal  and 
 sensuous  to  the  last  degree.  This  is  specially  so  in  the 
 third  and  fifth  verses,  which  lay  stress  on  the  physical 
 rather  than  the  spiritual  offering  of  our  Lord  : — 
 
216  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Crown  Him  with  many  crowns, 
 The  Lamb  upon  His  throne  ; 
 
 Hark  !  how  the  heavenly  anthem  drowns 
 All  music  but  its  own. 
 
 A. wake,  my  soul,  and  sing 
 
 Of  Him  who  died  for  thee ; 
 A.nd  hail  Him  as  thy  matchless  King, 
 
 Through  all  eternity. 
 
 Crown  Him  the  Virgin's  Son, 
 
 The  God  incarnate  born ; 
 Whose  arm  those  crimson  trophies  won 
 
 Which  now  His  brow  adorn. 
 
 Fruit  of  the  mystic  rose. 
 
 As  of  that  rose  the  stem ; 
 The  Root,  whence  mercy  ever  flows, 
 
 The  Babe  of  Bethlehem. 
 
 Crown  Him  the  Lord  of  Love  : 
 
 Behold  His  hands  and  side, 
 Rich  wounds,  yet  visible  above, 
 
 In  beauty  glorified. 
 
 No  angel  in  the  sky 
 
 Can  fully  bear  that  sight, 
 But  downward  bends  his  burning  eye 
 
 At  mysteries  so  bright. 
 
 Crown  Him  the  Lord  of  peace. 
 
 Whose  power  a  sceptre  sways 
 From  pole  to  pole,  that  wars  may  cease 
 
 And  all  be  prayer  and  praise. 
 His  reign  shall  know  no  end, 
 
 And  round  His  pierced  feet 
 Fair  flowers  of  Paradise  extend 
 
 Their  fragrance  ever  sweet. 
 
 Crown  Him  the  Lord  of  years. 
 
 The  Potentate  of  time. 
 Creator  of  the  rolling  spheres, 
 
 Ineffably  sublime. 
 Glazed  in  a  sea  of  light, 
 
 Whose  everlasting  waves 
 Reflect  His  form,  the  Infinite, 
 
 Who  Lives  and  loves  and  saves. 
 Crown  Him  the  Lord  of  heaven. 
 
 One  with  the  Father  known  ; 
 And  the  blest  Spirit  through  Him  given. 
 
 From  yonder  triune  throne. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS,—I.  217 
 
 All  hail !  Redeemer,  hail ! 
 
 For  Thou  hast  died  for  me ; 
 Thy  praise  shall  never,  never  fail, 
 
 Throughout  eternity. 
 
 Jolm  Henry  Newman  (born  1801),  fills  a  very  distin- 
 guished  place  in  the  intellectual,  ecclesiastical,  theological 
 thought  of  his  age.  His  early  religious  life  was  fostered 
 by  the  somewhat  narrow  evangelicalism  which  prevailed  in 
 the  earlier  years  of  this  century  ;  gradually  he  passed  to  a 
 type  of  Christianity  which  is  now  described  as  Anglican,  and 
 after  lingering  and  hesitating  for  some  time  on  the  border- 
 land which  separates  High  Anglicanism  from  Eomanism, 
 moved,  as  is  clear  from  the  self -revelation  of  his  inner  life 
 in  his  marvellous  book  "  Apologia  pro  vita  sua,"  by  the  idea 
 that  there  is  and  can  be  only  one  visible  church,  he 
 entered  the  fold  which  it  must  be  confessed  has  the  best 
 claim  to  fulfil  that  supposed  requirement.  Such  an  idea 
 of  the  church  is,  to  my  way  of  thinking,  not  only  utterly 
 unscriptural,  but  utterly  unspiritual,  but  when  it  takes 
 possession  of  the  mind  there  can,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
 be  no  resting  place  but  in  the  Eoman  Communion.  The 
 forces  which  fix  a  man's  ecclesiastical  position  are, 
 however,  too  subtle  to  be  fully  analysed,  and  may  leave 
 the  moral  and  spiritual  character  to  a  large  extent 
 untouched.  It  is  curious  to  notice  how  two  men,  the 
 offspring  of  the  same  parents,  both  of  exceptional  ability 
 and  nobility  of  character,  should  be  so  widely  severed  as 
 John  Henry  and  Francis  William  Newman ;  the  first 
 becoming  a  Cardinal  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and 
 the  second  a  prominent  and  eloquent  apostle  of  Theism. 
 Strange    to    say,    both    have   laid    bare   much   of    their 
 
218  TEE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 inner  spiritual  history.  The  first  in  the  book  to  which  I 
 have  already  referred,  "  Apologia  pro  vita  sua,"  and 
 the  second  in  ''  Phases  of  Faith,  or  Passages  from  the 
 History  of  my  Creed."  The  Cardinal  has  been  one  of  the 
 most  voluminous  and  powerful  writers  of  our  time,  and  is 
 indeed  one  of  the  greatest  masters  of  a  noble  English 
 style.  Some  passages  in  his  sermons  are  poems  in  all  but 
 form.  But  he  is  known  to  a  far  larger  circle  by  his  hymn 
 "Lead,  kindly  light,  amid  the  encircling  gloom,"  which 
 is  now  one  of  the  most  deservedly  popular  in  the 
 English  language.  Those  who  desire  to  see  the  effects 
 which  high  culture  may  have  on  hymn-production  should 
 compare  it  with  the  hymn  on  the  same  subject,  "Guide 
 me,  0  Thou  great  Jehovah ! "  by  the  Welsh  writer, 
 "W.  "Williams  (probably  the  only  Welsh  hymn,  which  has 
 found  its  way  into  popular  use,  in  English),  but  which  has 
 been  largely  supplanted  by  the  more  poetic  hymn  of 
 Cardinal  Newman.  The  story  of  its  composition  is  told  as 
 follows  in  the  "  Apologia  "  * — 
 
 "I  got  to  Castro-Giovanni,  and  was  laid  up  there  for 
 nearly  three  weeks.  Towards  the  end  of  May  I  set  off  for 
 Palermo,  taking  three  days  for  the  journey.  Before  start- 
 ing from  my  inn  in  the  morning  of  May  26th  or  27th, 
 I  sat  down  on  my  bed  and  began  to  sob  bitterly.  My 
 servant,  who  had  acted  as  my  nurse,  asked  what  ailed  me. 
 I  could  only  answer,  '  I  have  a  work  to  do  in  England.' 
 I  was  aching  to  get  home  ;  yet  for  want  of  a  vessel  I  was 
 kept  at  Palermo  for  three  weeks.  I  began  to  visit  the 
 churches,  and  they  calmed  my  impatience,  though  I  did 
 *"  Apologia  pro  vita  sua,"  ]>.  lJ9  (1864). 
 
LIVING  BYMNISTS.—L  219 
 
 not  attend  any  services.  I  knew  nothing  of  the  Presence 
 of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  there.  At  last  I  got  off  in  an 
 orange  hoat,  bound  for  Marseilles.  We  were  becalmed  a 
 whole  week  in  the  Straits  of  Bonifacio.  Then  it  was  that  I 
 wrote  the  lines  '  Lead,  kindly  Light,'  which  have  since 
 become  well  known.  I  was  writing  verses  nearly  the 
 whole  time  of  my  passage  ;  at  length  I  got  to  Marseilles, 
 and  set  off  for  England.  The  fatigue  of  travelling  was 
 too  much  for  me,  and  1  was  laid  up  for  several  days  at 
 Lyons.  At  last  I  got  off  again,  and  did  not  stop  night  or 
 day  till  I  reached  England,  and  my  mother's  hoii^e-  My 
 brother  had  arrived  from  Persia  only  a  few  hours  before. 
 This  was  on  the  Tuesday.  The  following  Sunday, 
 July  14th,  Mr.  Keble  preached  the  Assize  Sermon  in  the 
 University  Pulpit.  It  was  published  under  the  title  of 
 '  National  Apostasy.'  I  have  ever  considered  and  kept 
 the  day  as  the  start  of  the  religious  movement  in  1833." 
 
 Another  hymn  of  great  force  and  beauty  from  his  pen  is 
 the  following,  which  forms  "  The  fifth  choir  of  Angelicals," 
 in  his  greatest  poem,  "  The  Dream  of  Gerontius." 
 
 Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height, 
 
 And  in  the  depth  be  praise  : 
 In  all  His  words  most  wonderful, 
 
 Most  sure  in  all  His  ways  ! 
 
 O  loving  wisdom  of  our  God  ! 
 
 When  all  was  sin  and  shame, 
 A  second  Adam  to  the  fight 
 
 And  to  the  rescue  came. 
 
 O  wisest  love  !  that  flesh  and  blood. 
 
 Which  did  in  Adam  fail, 
 Should  strive  afresh  against  their  foe, 
 
 Should  strive  and  should  prevail. 
 
 O  generous  love !  that  He,  who  smote 
 In  man  for  man  the  foe, 
 
220  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 The  double  agony  in  man 
 For  man  should  undergo. 
 
 And  in  the  garden  secretly, 
 
 And  on  the  cross  on  high, 
 Should  teach  His  brethren,  and  inspire 
 
 To  suffer  and  to  die. 
 Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height, 
 
 And  in  the  depth  be  praise : 
 In  all  His  words  most  wonderful, 
 
 Most  sure  in  all  His  ways. 
 
 The   hymn    called   "Desolation,"    written,   like    "Lead, 
 
 kindly  Light,"  at  the  time  of  his  great  doubt  and  anxiety 
 
 in  1833,   "off  Sardinia,"  though  not   quite   suitable  for 
 
 public  worship,  is  exquisitely  beautiful  and  suggestive  : — 
 
 0  say  not  thou  art  left  of  God, 
 Because  His  tokens  in  the  sky 
 Thou  canst  not  read  ;  this  earth  He  trod 
 To  teach  thee  He  was  ever  nigh. 
 
 He  sees  beneath  the  fig-tree  green 
 Nathaniel  con  His  sacred  lore ; 
 Shouldst  thou  the  closet  seek,  unseen 
 He  enters  through  the  unopened  door. 
 
 And  when  thou  liest,  by  slumber  bound, 
 
 Outwearied  in  the  Christian  fight, 
 
 In  glory,  girt  with  saints  around, 
 
 He  stands  above  thee  through  the  night. 
 
 When  friends  to  Emmaus  bend  their  course, 
 He  joins,  although  He  holds  their  eyes  : 
 Or,  shouldst  thou  feel  some  fever's  force, 
 He  takes  thy  hand,  He  bids  thee  rise. 
 
 Or,  on  a  voyage,  when  calms  prevail. 
 And  prison  thee  upon  the  sea. 
 He  walks  the  waves,  He  wings  the  sail, 
 The  shore  is  gained,  and  thou  art  free. 
 
 Dr.  Newman  has  translated  many  hymns  from  the '  Latin 
 
 Breviary,  and  as  was  to  be  expected  from  such  a  man,  they 
 
 arc  models  of  what  translations  should  be.     The  following 
 
 is  a  fine  example  : — 
 
 Now  that  the  sun  is  gleaming  bright, 
 Implore  we,  bending  low, 
 
LIVING  EYMNISTS.—I.  221 
 
 That  He,  the  uncreated  Light, 
 
 May  guide  us  as  we  go. 
 No  sinful  word,  nor  deed  of  wrong, 
 
 Nor  thoughts  that  idly  rove. 
 But  simple  truth  be  on  our  tongue, 
 
 And  in  our  hearts  be  love. 
 
 And  while  the  hours  in  order  flow, 
 
 O  Christ,  securely  fence 
 Our  gates,  beleaguered  by  the  foe. 
 
 The  gate  of  every  sense. 
 
 And  grant  that  to  Thjne  honour.  Lord , 
 
 Our  daily  toil  may  tend  ; 
 That  we  begin  it  at  Thy  Word , 
 
 And  in  Thy  favour  end. 
 
 Dr.  T^ewman  was  one  of  the  chief  contributors  to  the 
 **  Lyra  Apostolica,"  where  his  verses  appear  under  the 
 signature  of  a  Greek  delta,  and  in  1868  he  gathered  his 
 poems  together  and  published  them  under  the  modest  title — 
 **  Yerses  on  various  occasions."  This  is  one  of  the  most 
 beautiful  and  suggestive  volumes  of  religious  poetry  in  the 
 language.  Those  on  Scripture  Character  are  full  of  fine 
 insight,  expressed  in  the  most  terse  and  vigorous  language. 
 I  may  be  permitted  to  travel  a  little  out  of  the  path  marked 
 out  for  myself  in  these  pages,  and  quote  the  one  on 
 **  Moses,"  which,  though  not  a  hymn,  is  only  one  degree 
 removed  therefrom.*  This  may  lead  readers  to  seek 
 further  acquaintance  with  Dr.  jS'ewman's  suggestive  verses. 
 
 Moses,  the  patriot  fierce,  became 
 
 The  meekest  man  on  earth. 
 To  show  us  how  love's  quick'ning  flame 
 
 Can  give  our  souls  new  birth. 
 
 Moses,  the  man  of  meekest  heart, 
 Lost  Canaan  by  self-will, 
 
 *  By  his  kind  permission,  1  have  been  enabled  to  introduce  the 
 finest  of  his  scripture  poems  into  my  work,  "  The  Poets'  Bible  " 
 (William  Isbister,  Limited). 
 
222  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 To  show,  where  grace  has  done  its  part , 
 
 How  sin  defiles  us  still. 
 Thou  who  hast  taught  me  in  Thy  fear. 
 
 Yet  seest  me  frail  at  best, 
 0  grant  me  loss  with  Moses  here, 
 
 To  gain  his  future  rest. 
 
 James  Martineau  (born  1805),  the  most  distinguished 
 preacher  of  the  age  in  the  Unitarian  body,  one  of  the 
 greatest  philosophers,  and  certainly  the  most  eloquent,  of 
 his  time,  has  edited  two  hymnals  for  the  use  of  his  own 
 section  of  the  Church,  and  written,  though  without 
 appending  his  name  to  them,  two  or  three  hymns  of  great 
 beauty.  The  one  quoted  below  was  included  in  my 
 "Congregational  Hymns"  without  any  ascription  of 
 authorship.  On  receiving  the  volume  Prof.  F.  M.  Bird, 
 the  most  erudite  hymnologist  of  America,  wrote  to  me 
 saying  he  believed  the  hymn  was  by  James  Martineau, 
 and  urging  me  to  ask  him.  I  appended  his  name  in  the 
 copy  I  was  revising,  and  on  the  printers  suddenly  calling 
 for  copy  for  a  new  edition,  I  sent  them  the  volume  in 
 which  I  had  appended  his  name  to  the  hymn.  I  had 
 previously  written  to  ask  him  if  the  hymn  was  from  his 
 pen,  and  he  replied  that  he  was  not  at  liberty  to  relieve 
 it  of  its  anonymity.  Forgetful  of  the  fact  that  his  name 
 had  been  added  to  the  hymn,  the  new  edition  came  out 
 ascribing  the  authorship  to  him.  I  then  called  to  explain 
 the  circumstance,  and  he  told  me  that  the  hymn  had  been 
 written  nearly  forty  years  before,  and  he  fancied  that 
 some  German  hymn  had  been  running  in  his  head  at  the 
 time  he  composed  it,  and  so  he  scarcely  liked  to  claim  it 
 as  his  own.  Probably  only  the  suggestion  came  from  a 
 German  source,  and  to  all  intents  and  purposes  the  hymn 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—I.  223 
 
 is  by  him.  At  all  events,  it  is  very  fine,  as  my  readers 
 will  see : — 
 
 Thy  way  ia  in  the  deep,  O  Lord  ! 
 
 E'en  there  we'll  go  with  Thee  : 
 We'll  meet  the  tempest  at  Thy  word, 
 
 And  walk  upon  the  sea. 
 
 Poor  tremblers  at  His  rougher  wind, 
 
 Why  do  we  doubt  Him  so  ? 
 Who  gives  the  storm  a  path,  will  find 
 
 The  way  our  feet  shall  go. 
 
 A  moment  may  His  hand  be  lost, 
 
 Drear  moment  of  delay ! 
 We  cry,  "  Lord,  keep  the  tempest-tost," 
 
 And  safe  we're  borne  away. 
 
 The  Lord  yields  nothing  to  our  fears, 
 
 And  flies  from  selfish  care ; 
 But  comes  Himself,  where'er  He  hears 
 
 The  voice  of  loving  prayer. 
 
 O  happy  soul  of  faith  divine ! 
 
 Thy  victory  how  sure  ! 
 The  love  that  kindles  joy  is  thine, 
 
 The  patience  to  endure. 
 
 Come,  Lord  of  peace !  our  griefs  dispel, 
 
 And  wipe  our  tears  away  : 
 'Tis  Thine,  to  order  all  things  well, 
 
 And  ours  to  bless  Thy  sway. 
 
 One  other  hymn  is  also  ascribed  to  him  ;  very  striking, 
 but  scarcely  so  suitable  for  public  worship.  It  begins 
 *'  A  voice  upon  the  midnight  air." 
 
 Greorge  Rawson  (born  1807),  is  a  man  whose  leisure 
 hours  have  been  largely  occupied  with  meditation  on  sacred 
 themes.  I  am  told  that  his  Bible  is  neatly  annotated 
 with  his  own  devout  musings  as  well  as  by  illustrations 
 drawn  from  a  wide  range  of  reading.  But  every  now 
 and  then  his  thoughts  have  found  expression  in  verse. 
 His  first  songs  saw  the  light  under  the  signature, 
 "A  Leeds  Layman,"   and   for  a   long  time   he   refused 
 
224  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 permission  to  append  his  name  to  his  hymns,  so  that 
 they  appeared  anonymously ;  hnt  at  last,  what  had  heen 
 before  an  open  secret  to  the  few,  ceased  to  be  a  secret  at 
 all,  and  in  nearly  every  hymnal  of  a  truly  eclectic  character 
 one,  or  even  more,  hymns  from  his  pen  appeared  with 
 his  name  appended.  Still  later,  in  1877,  all  the  hymns 
 he  had  then  written  were  collected  and  published  under 
 the  title  "  Hymns,  Verses,  and  Chants,"  by  George  Rawson. 
 Quite  recently  (1885)  a  little  volume  called  "Songs  of 
 Spiritual  Thought"  was  issued  by  the  Religious  Tract 
 Society,  containing  a  selection  of  hymns  from  the  former 
 volume,  together  ^th  others  written  since  its  publication. 
 I  have  before  me  the  original  volume  with  the  additions' 
 in  the  venerable  author's  own  handwriting,  of  all  the 
 hymns  he  has  since  produced,  together  with  improved 
 readings  of  some  of  the  earlier  ones.  I  am  bound  to  say, 
 that  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  the  earlier  are  finer  than 
 the  later  hymns.  The  best  fruits  are  from  the  tree  of 
 middle  life.  Very  rich  and  diversified  they  are.  Indeed, 
 diversity  of  style  and  treatment  is  one  of  the  character- 
 istics of  thisUittle  volume.  There  is  an  entire  absence  of 
 the  monotony  which  renders  the  collected  hymns  of  so 
 many  of  the  earlier  hymnists  unattractive.  Each  hymn 
 seems  like  an  idea  which  has  possessed  the  author's  mind, 
 and  then  gradually  taken  on  its  appropriate  dress.  Stand- 
 ing first  in  the  volume  are  Mr.  Rawson's  renderings  of 
 certain  of  the  Psalms.  Some  of  these  are  but  variations 
 from  renderings  by  other  hands.  There  are  three  ver- 
 sions of  the  twenty -third  Psalm  ;  in  one  of  these,  it  is 
 evident  that  the  beautiful  one  of    Francis   Rous   in  the 
 
LIVING  HYMNISrS.—I.  225 
 
 Scotch  Psalter  is  ringing  in  the  author's  ears.  Dr.  Watts's 
 version  of  the  148th  Psalm  must  have  heen  in  his  mind 
 Avhen  he  wrote  his  version  of  the  same  Psalm  ;  but^Mr. 
 Kawson's  is  far  the  finer  of  the  two,  indeed,  it  is  one  of 
 the  grandest  versions  of  a  Psalm  in  cur  English  tongue. 
 
 Praise  ye  the  Lord  !  immortal  quire, 
 
 In  heavenly  heights  above, 
 With  harp  and  voice  and  souls  of  fire. 
 
 Burning  with  perfect  love. 
 
 Shine  to  His  glory,  worlds  of  light ! 
 
 Ye  million  suns  of  space. 
 Fair  moons  and  glittering  stars  of  night, 
 
 Running  your  mystic  race  ! 
 Ye  gorgeous  clouds,  that  deck  the  sky 
 
 With  crystal,  crimson,  gold. 
 And  rainbow  arches  raised  on  high, 
 
 The  light  of  light  unfold  ! 
 
 Lift  to  Jehovah,  wintry  main , 
 
 Your  grand  white  hands  in  prayer  ; 
 
 Still  summer  seas,  in  dulcet  strain 
 Murmur  hosannas  there ! 
 
 Do  homage,  breezy  ocean  floor. 
 
 With  many-twinkling  sign ; 
 Majestic  calms,  be  hushed  before 
 
 The  Holiness  Divine. 
 Storm,  lightning,  thunder,  hail  and  snow, 
 
 Wild  winds  that  keep  His  word. 
 With  the  old  mountains  far  below, 
 
 Unite  to  bless  the  Lord. 
 His  name,  ye  forests,  wave  along  : 
 
 Whisper  it,  every  flower  ; 
 Birds,  beasts,  and  insects,  swell  the  song 
 
 That  tells  His  love  and  power. 
 
 And  round  the  wide  world  let  it  roll. 
 
 Whilst  man  shall  lead  it  on  ; 
 Join  every  ransomed  human  soul, 
 
 In  glorious  unison ! 
 
 Come,  aged  man  !  come  little  child  ! 
 
 Youth,  maiden,  peasant,  king — 
 To  God  in  Jesus  reconciled, 
 
 Your  hallelujahs  bring ! 
 
226  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 The  all-creating  Deity, 
 
 Maker  of  earth  and  heaven  ! 
 The  great  redeeming  Majesty, 
 
 To  Him  the  praise  be  given 
 
 When  we  pass  from  his  versions  of  certain  of  the  Psalms 
 to  his  hymns,  the  work  is,  of  course  more  original,  save  in 
 one  or  two  instances  where  the  hymn  is  clearly  suggested 
 hy  one  from  another  author.  This  is  the  case  with  his 
 lovely  hymn  full  of  a  quiet  earnestness,  written  in  1853, 
 which  hegins  ''In  the  dark  and  cloudy  day."  A 
 poet-artist,  who  has  been  fortunate  enough  to  win 
 the  benediction  of  John  Euskin,  says  that  this  hymn 
 brought  to  him  some  of  the  sweet  repose  George  Herbert 
 is  wont  to  give. 
 
 In  the  dark  and  cloudy  day, 
 When  earth's  riches  flee  away. 
 And  the  last  hope  will  not  stay, — 
 My  Saviour,  comfort  me. 
 
 When  the  secret  idol's  gone, 
 That  my  poor  heart  yearned  upon, 
 Defolate,  bereft  alone, 
 My  Saviour,  comfort  me. 
 
 Thou  who  wast  so  sorely  tried, 
 In  the  darkness  crucified. 
 Bid  me  in  Thy  love  confide  : 
 My  Saviour,  comfort  me. 
 
 In  these  hours  of  sad  distress , 
 
 Let  me  know  He  loves  no  less, 
 
 Bid  me  trust  His  faithfulness  ; 
 
 My  Saviour,  comfort  me. 
 
 Not  unduly  let  me  grieve. 
 Meekly  the  kind  stripes  receive, 
 Let  me  humbly  still  believe ; 
 My  Saviour,  comfort  me. 
 
 So  it  shall  be  good  for  me 
 Much  afflicted  now  to  be. 
 If  Thou  wilt  but  tenderly. 
 My  Saviour,  comfort  me. 
 
 Beautiful  as  it  is,  it  is  not  equal  to  Hcrrick's  Litany,  as 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—I.  227 
 
 our  readers  may  see  if  they  refer  to  page  75  of  tliis  work, 
 
 which  surely  must  have  been  in  Mr.  Rawson's  mind  at  the 
 
 time  he  wrote  the  foregoing  hymn.     Most  akin  in  form 
 
 and  spirit  to  the  hymn  I  have  quoted  is  what  is  perhaps 
 
 Mr.     Rawson's    best-known    one,     a     Litany     to     the 
 
 Comforter;  of  which,  the  Hon.  E,oden  Noel  says,   "It  is 
 
 a  hymn  one  prizes  greatly."     Indeed,  the  Litany  form 
 
 seems  specially  suited  to  Mr.  Eawson's  genius. 
 
 Come  to  our  poor  nature's  night, 
 Witti  Thy  blessed  inward  light, 
 Holy  Ghost,  the  infinite  ; 
 Comforter  Divine. 
 
 We  are  sinful— cleanse  us,  Lord, 
 Sick  and  faint — Thy  strength  afford, 
 Lost — until  by  Thee  restored. 
 Comforter  Divine. 
 
 Orphans  are  our  souls,  and  poor, 
 Give  us  from  Thy  heavenly  store, 
 Faith,  love,  joy,  for  evermore, 
 Comforter  Divine. 
 
 Like  the  dew  Thv  peace  distil ; 
 Guide,  subdue  our  wayward  will, 
 Things  of  Christ  unfolding  still. 
 Comforter  Divine. 
 
 Gentle,  awful,  holy  Guest, 
 Make  Thy  temple  in  each  breast ; 
 There  Thy  presence  be  confessed. 
 Comforter  Divine. 
 
 With  us,  for  us,  intercede. 
 And  with  voiceless  groanings  plead, 
 Our  unutterable  need. 
 Comforter  Divine 
 
 In'us  '  Abba.  Father,'  cry. 
 Earnest  of  the  bliss  on  high  ; 
 Seal  of  immortality. 
 Comforter  Divine. 
 
 Search  for  us  the  depths  of  God  ; 
 Upwards  by  the  starry  road. 
 Bear  us  to  Thy  liigh  abo  ie. 
 Comforter  Divine. 
 
228  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Eut  whilst  Mr.  Rawson  often  owes  his  inspiration  to  the- 
 hymns  of  previous  writers,  he  is  far  from  being  a  mere 
 imitator.  In  his  writings  we  notice  some  of  the  most  dis- 
 tinctive and  original  notes  in  modem  hymnody.  Subjects 
 and  treatment  are  both  new  and  quite  his  own.  What 
 can  be  finer  or  more  suited  to  the  theme  than  his  verses 
 on  Pastor  Robinson's  advice  to  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  ?  "  He 
 charged  us,  if  God  should  reveal  anything  to  us  by  any 
 other  instruments  of  His,  to  be  as  ready  to  receive  it  as 
 any  truth  by  his  ministry  ;  for  he  was  very  confident  the 
 Lord  had  more  light  and  truth  yet  to  break  forth  out  of 
 His  holy  word." 
 
 We  limit  not  the  truth  of  God, 
 
 To  our  poor  reach  of  mind, 
 By  notions  of  our  day  and  sect, 
 
 Crude,  partial,  and  confined  ; 
 No,  let  a  new  and  better  hope 
 
 Within  our  hearts  be  stirred  ; 
 The  Lord  hath  yet  more  light  and  truth 
 
 To  break  forth  from  His  word. 
 Who  dares  to  bind  to  his  dull  sense. 
 
 The  oracles  of  heaven. 
 For  all  the  nations,  tongues,  and  climes, 
 
 And  all  the  ages  given  ; 
 That  universe,  how  much  unknown  ! 
 
 That  ocean  unexplored  ! 
 The  Lord  hath  yet  more  light  and  truth 
 
 To  break  forth  from  His  word. 
 Darkling  our  great  forefathers  went 
 
 The  first  steps  of  the  way  : 
 *Twas  but  the  dawning,  yet  to  grow 
 
 Into  the  perfect  day. 
 And  grow  it  shall ;  our  glorious  Sun 
 
 More  tervid  rays  afford  ; 
 The  Lord  hath  yet  more  light  and  truth 
 
 To  break  forth  from  His  word. 
 The  valleys  past,  ascending  still, 
 
 Our  souls  would  higher  climb, 
 And  look  down  from  supernal  heights 
 
 On  all  the  bygone  time. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—I.  229 
 
 Upward  we  press ;  the  air  is  clear, 
 
 And  the  sphere-music  heard  ; 
 The  Lord  hath  yet  more  light  and  truth 
 
 To  break  forth  from  His  word. 
 
 0  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit,  send 
 
 Us  increase  from  above ; 
 Enlai'ge.  expand  all  Christian  souls 
 
 To  comprehend  Thy  love  ! 
 And  make  us  all  go  on  to  know. 
 
 With  nobler  powers  conferred, 
 The  Lord  hath  yet  more  light  and  truth 
 
 To  break  forth  from  His  word. 
 
 What  verses  more  appropriate  to  be  sung  when  a  valiant 
 soldier  of  Christ  has  finished  the  fight  and  gone  to  his 
 reward  than  the  following  ? — 
 
 Captain  and  Saviour  of  the  host 
 
 Of  Christian  chivalry ; 
 We  bless  Thee  for  our  conu-ade  true, 
 
 Now  summoned  up  to  Thee. 
 
 We  bless  Thee  for  his  every  step 
 
 In  faithful  following  Thee  ; 
 And  for  his  good  fight  fought  so  well. 
 
 And  crowned  with  victory. 
 
 We  thank  Thee  that  the  wayworn  sleeps 
 
 The  sleep  in  Jesus  blest ; 
 The  purified  and  ransomed  soul 
 
 Hath  entered  into  rest. 
 
 We  bless  Thee  that  his  humble  love 
 
 Hath  met  with  such  regard : 
 We  bless  Thee  for  his  blessedness, 
 
 And  for  his  rich  reward. 
 
 Onr  age  is  rich  in  hymns  for  Sunday  evening.  Some  of 
 our  modern  hymnists,  indeed,  have  been  happiest  in  their 
 hymns  for  this  season.  Its  sacredness  seems  to  have 
 stirred  all  their  poetic  power.  Eut  for  quiet  tenderness 
 and  pathos  the  verses  which  follow  are  excelled  by  none. 
 
 Thou  who  hast  known  the  careworn  breast, 
 
 The  weary  need  of  sleep's  deep  balm, 
 Come  Saviour,  ere  we  go  to  rest, 
 
 And  breathe  around  Thy  perfect  calm. 
 
230  THE  HYMN  LGVEli. 
 
 Thy  presence  gives  us  childlike  trust, 
 
 Gladness  and  hope  without  alloy, 
 The  faith  that  triumphs  o'er  the  dust, 
 
 And  gleamings  of  eternal  joy. 
 
 Stand  in  our  midst,  dear  Lord,  and  say. 
 
 'Peace  be  to  you  this  evening  hour; 
 Then  all  the  struggles  of  the  day 
 
 Vanish  before  Thy  loving  power. 
 
 Blest  is  the  pilgrimage  to  heaven, 
 
 A  little  nearer  every  night ; 
 Christ  to  our  earthly  darkness  given, 
 
 Till  in  His  glory  there  is  light. 
 
 Full  of  a  healthy  spiritual  feeling  and  with  a][metre  and 
 rhythm  singularly  hright  and  appropriate  is  the  following : 
 
 Walking  with  Thee,  my  God, 
 
 Saviour  benign  ; 
 Daily  confer  on  me 
 
 Converse  divine ; 
 Jesus  in  Thee  restored. 
 Brother  and  Holy  Lord, 
 
 Let  it  be  mine. 
 
 Walking  with  Thee,  my  God, 
 
 Like  as  a  child 
 Leans  on  his  father's  strength, 
 
 Crossing  the  wild ; 
 And  by  the  way  is  taught 
 Lessons  of  holy  thought, 
 
 Faith  uudetiled. 
 
 Darkness  and  earthly  mists, 
 
 How  do  they  flee. 
 Far  underneath  my  feet. 
 
 Walking  with  Thee : 
 Pure  is  that  upper  air, 
 Cloudless  the  prospect  there, 
 
 Walking  with  Thee. 
 
 Walking  in  reverence 
 
 Humbly  with  Thee, 
 Yet  from  all  abject  fear 
 
 Lovingly  free : 
 E'en  as  a  friend  with  friend, 
 Cheered  to  the  journey's  end. 
 
 Walking  with  Thee ! 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.-I.  231 
 
 Then  Thy  companions  here 
 
 Walking  with  Thee. 
 Kise  to  a  higher  life, 
 
 Soul  liberty. 
 They  are  not  here  to  love, 
 But  to  the  home  above, 
 
 Taken  by  Thee. 
 
 Gently  translated,  they 
 
 Pass  out  of  sight ; 
 Gone  !  as  the  morning  stars 
 
 Flee  with  the  night : 
 Taken  to  endless  day  ! — 
 So  may  1  fade  away 
 
 Into  Thy  light. 
 
 It  was  to  be  expected  that  such  a  nature  as  Mr.  Rawson's 
 would  he  specially  moved  by  what  is  certainly  the  most 
 tender  and  pathetic  of  all  the  services  of  the  church — the 
 Supper  of  the  Lord — and  some  of  his  finest  hymns  have 
 been  written  for  this  holy  feast  of  remembrance.  The 
 hymn  by  which  he  is  perhaps  most  widely  known  is  one 
 out  of  many  he  has  written  for  that  service.  This  has 
 reached  far  beyond  the  bounds  of  the  Church  to  which  Mr. 
 Rawson  belongs,  and  is  sung  in  churches  widely  severed 
 from  his  own  in  their  conception  of  that  ordinance.  It 
 appears  in  an  altered,  but  certainly  not  improved  form  in 
 "  Church  Hymns."  I  do  not  like  the  fifth  verse,  since 
 it  points  to  a  physical  resurrection  of  the  hody,  for  which 
 there  is  no  warrant  in  Scripture. 
 
 By  Christ  redeemed,  in  Christ  restored, 
 "We  keep  the  memory  adored, 
 And  show  the  death  of  our  dear  Lord 
 Until  He  come. 
 
 His  body,  broken  in  our  stead, 
 Is  here,  in  this  memorial  bread. 
 And  so  our  feeble  love  is  fed 
 Until  He  come. 
 
232  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 The  streams  of  His  dread  agony, 
 His  life-blood  shed  for  us,  we  see : 
 The  wine  shall  tell  the  mystery, 
 Until  He  come. 
 
 And  thus  that  dark  betrayal-night 
 With  the  last  advent  we  unite, 
 By  one  blest  chain  of  loving  rite. 
 Until  He  come. 
 
 Until  the  trump  of  God  be  heard, 
 Until  the  ancient  graves  be  stirred, 
 And  with  the  gi-eat  commanding  word, 
 The  Lord  shall  come. 
 
 O  blessed  hope  !  with  this  elate, 
 Let  not  our  hearts  be  desolate, 
 But  strong  in  faith,  in  patience,  wait 
 Until  He  come. 
 
 I  have  already  said  that  his  later  hymns  lack  the  dis- 
 tinctiveness and  vigour  of  the  best  of  his  earlier  ones.  An 
 exception  must,  however,  be  made  in  the  case  of  one 
 hymn,  likewise  a  Communion  hymn,  which  he  was  good 
 enough  to  send  me  in  MS.,  and  which  appeared  first  of 
 all  in  my  own  hymnal.  It  is  intended  for  use  after  the 
 service. 
 
 Like  the  first  disciples 
 
 In  their  strange  glad  hour, 
 We  have  seen  the  Master 
 
 In  His  risen  power. 
 
 In  this  rite  have  owned  Him, 
 
 As  the  Christ  adored  : 
 In  His  living  presence. 
 
 We  have  seen  the  Lord. 
 
 0  that  face  of  suffering, 
 Wounded  hands  and  side. 
 
 Say  to  each — '  I  loved  thee, 
 And  for  thee  I  died.' 
 
 Hear  His  voice  of  triumph, 
 Death's  dark  reign  is  o'er, 
 
 1  am  He  that  liveth, 
 Liveth  evermore. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.-I.  233 
 
 My  death  hath  redeemed  you, 
 
 Now  for  you  I  live, 
 Uttermost,  eternal, 
 
 Is  the  love  I  give. 
 
 •  Lo  !  I'm  with  you  always 
 
 Till  the  ages  cease.' 
 Lord,  we  rest  believing  ; 
 
 Lord,  in  Thee  is  peace. 
 
 Such  hymns  as  these  are  likely  to  hold  a  permanent  place 
 in  the  hymnody  of  the  churches  in  which  they  are 
 already  used,  and  to  find  their  way  into  other  commu- 
 nions, since  they  are  full  of  a  true  Christian  feeling, 
 expressed  in  forms  that  are  at  once  poetic  and  devout. 
 
 Horatius  Bonar  (born  at  Edinburgh  in  1808),  who  is 
 one,  perhaps  the  most  popular,  of  living  hymnists, 
 presents  to  us  the  strange  spectacle  of  an  author  whose 
 hymns  have  passed  into  use  in  nearly  every  section  of  the 
 Church,  but  whose  own  church  refuses  to  allow  them  to 
 be  sung,  and  rigidly  adheres  to  the  Scottish  Psalms 
 and  Paraphrases.  Whilst  equally  remarkable  is  the 
 fact,  that,  though  he  belongs  to  a  strongly  Calvinistic 
 body,  his  hymns  abound  in  the-  most  ecstatic  assertions 
 of  the  universal  love  of  God.  Here,  as  in  so  many 
 other  cases,  the  heart  is  wiser  than  the  head — the 
 poet  than  the  theologian.  "When  the  soul  soars  the 
 highest,  the  limitations  of  earth  sink  out  of  sight.  Just 
 as  the  Unitarian  whose  heart  is  kindled  by  the  lyric  fire, 
 sees  more  in  Christ  than  his  reasoning  theological  brother 
 of  the  same  church,  so  the  strong  Calvinist,  when  moved 
 in  heart  to  poetic  expression,  sees  that  "the  love  of  God 
 is  broader  than   the  measures  of  man's  mind."     "We  are 
 
234  TBI]  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 safer  with  the  poet  than  the  theologian.  Take,  as  an 
 illustration  of  this,  the  following  from  Dr.  Bonar : — 
 
 O  love  of  God,  how  strong  and  true  ! 
 Eternal,  and  yet  ever  new, 
 Uncotnprehended  and  unbougfct, 
 Beyond  all  knowledge  and  all  thought ! 
 
 O  love  of  God,  how  deep  and  great ! 
 Far  deeper  than  man's  deepest  hate  ; 
 Self.fed,  self-kindled  like  the  light, 
 Changeiesp,  eternal,  infinite ! 
 
 O  heavenly  love,  how  precious  still, 
 In  days  of  weariness  and  ill, 
 In  nights  of  pain  and  helplessness, 
 To  heal,  to  comfort,  and  to  bless  ! 
 
 O  wide-embracing,  wondrous  love, 
 
 We  read  thee  in  the  sky  above. 
 
 We  read  thee  in  the  earth  below, 
 
 In  seas  that  swell,  and  streams  that  flow  ! 
 
 We  read  thee  best  in  Him  who  came 
 To  bear  for  us  the  cross  of  shame, 
 Sent  by  the  Father  from  on  high, 
 Our  life  to  live,  our  death  to  die. 
 
 We  read  thee  in  the  tears  once  shed 
 Over  doomed  Salem's  guilty  head, 
 In  the  cold  tomb  of  Bethany, 
 And  blood  drops  of  Gethsemane. 
 
 We  read  thy  power  to  bless  and  save, 
 E'en  in  the  darkness  of  the  grave ; 
 Still  more  in  resurrection  light, 
 We  read  the  fulneis  of  thy  might. 
 
 0  love  of  God,  our  shield  and  stay 
 Through  all  the  perils  of  our  way ; 
 Eternal  love,  in  thee  we  rest. 
 For  ever  safe,  for  ever  blest ! 
 
 The  most  widely  known  and  loved  of  his  hymns  are  — ''  I 
 heard  the  voice  of  Jesus  say,"  called  ''  A  Voice  from 
 Galilee;"  "A  few  more  years  shall  roll,"  probably 
 suggested  by  two  lines  in  Peter  Abelard's  hymn — 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.-l.  235 
 
 lUic  npc  Sabbato 
 Succedit  Sabbatum, 
 Perpes  laetitia 
 Sabbatizantium, 
 
 "  Thy  way,  not  mine,  0  Lord,"  "  I  lay  my  sins  on  Jesus," 
 
 *'  Calm  me,  my  God,  and  keep  me  calm,"  "  Lord,  give  me 
 
 light  to  do  Thy  work,"   "  Go,  labour  on,  spend  and  be 
 
 spent;"  "When  the  weary,  seeking  rest,"  modelled  on 
 
 the  pattern  of  Solomon's  prayer  at  the  dedication  of  the 
 
 Temple.     But  the  following  richly  deserve  notice.     This 
 
 is  very  fine,  in  substance  and  expression : — 
 
 Bear  Thou  my  burden,  Thou  who  bear'st  my  sin ; 
 Both  are  too  heavy,  Lord,  for  me  to  bear; 
 Oh,  take  them,  call  them  Thine;  yes.  Thine,  though  mine; 
 And  give  me  calm  repose  in  hours  of  fear  and  care. 
 
 Let  me  not  fret  because  of  evil  men  ; 
 Smooth  Thou  each  angry  ripple  of  my  soul ; 
 Reviled,  O  let  me  not  revile  again. 
 And  ever  let  Thy  hand  my  rising  warmth  control. 
 
 Let  not  my  peace  be  broken  when  the  wrong 
 Conquers  the  right,  but  let  me  still  wait  on  ; 
 The  day  of  right  is  coming,  late,  but  long, 
 Long  right  beneath  the  sway  of  the  all-righteous  One. 
 
 When  truth  is  overborne  and  error  reigns, 
 When  clamour  lords  it  over  patient  love, 
 Give  the  brave  calmness  which  from  wrath  refrains. 
 Yet  from  the  steadfast  course  declines  one  foot  to  move. 
 
 When  love  no  refuge  finds  but  silent  faith. 
 When  meekness  fain  would  hide  its  heavy  head. 
 When  trustful  truth,  shunning  the  words  of  wrath, 
 Waits  for  the  day  of  right,  so  long,  so  long  delayed  ; 
 
 Beneath  the  load  of  crosses  and  of  cares, 
 Of  thwarted  plans,  of  rude  and  spiteful  words  ; 
 O  bear  me  up,  when  this  weak  flesh  despairs, 
 And  the  one  arm  which  faith  can  lean  on  is  the  Lord's. 
 
 As  is  this,  touched  with  the  same  spirit : — 
 
 Not  what  I  am,  O  Lord,  but  what  Thou  art ! 
 That,  that  alone,  can  be  my  soul's  true  rest ; 
 Thy  love,  not  mine,  bids  fear  and  doubt  depart, 
 And  stills  the  tempest  of  my  tossing  breast. 
 
236  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 It  is  Thy  perfect  love  that  casts  out  fear ; 
 I  know  the  voice  that  speaks  the  "  It  is  1  "  ; 
 And  in  these  well-known  words  of  heavenly  cheer 
 I  hear  the  joy  that  bids  each  sorrow  fly. 
 
 Thy  name  is  Love  I  I  hear  it  from  yon  cross  ; 
 
 Thy  name  is  Love !  I  read  it  in  yon  tomb ; 
 
 All  meaner  love  is  perishable  dross, 
 
 But  this  shall  light  rae  through  time's  thickest  gloom. 
 
 It  blesses  now,  and  shall  for  ever  bless, 
 It  saves  me  now,  and  shall  for  ever  save  ; 
 It  holds  me  up  in  days  of  helplessness, 
 It  bears  me  safely  o'er  each  swelling  wave. 
 
 Girt  with  the  love  of  God  on  every  side, 
 Breathing  that  love  as  heaven's  own  healing  air, 
 I  work  or  wait,  still  following  my  Guide, 
 Braving  each  foe,  escaping  every  snare. 
 
 'Tis  what  I  know  of  Thee,  my  Lord  and  Goi, 
 That  fills  my  soul  with  peace,  my  lips  with  song ; 
 Thou  art  my  health,  my  joy,  my  staff,  my  rod, 
 Leaning  on  Thee,  in  weakness  1  am  strong. 
 
 I  am  all  want  and  hunger ;  this  faint  heart 
 Pines  for  a  fulness  which  it  finds  not  here  ; 
 Dear  ones  are  leaving,  and,  as  they  depart. 
 Make  room  within  for  something  yet  more  dear. 
 
 More  of  Thyself,  O  show  me,  hour  by  hour. 
 More  of  Thy  glory,  O  my  God  and  Lord  ; 
 More  of  Thyself,  in  all  Thy  grace  and  power; 
 More  of  Thy  love  and  truth,  Incarnate  Word. 
 
 This  is  brief,  but  beautiful :  — 
 
 O  Love  that  casts  out  fear, 
 O  Love  that  casts  out  sin, 
 Tarry  no  more  without. 
 But  come  and  dwell  within. 
 
 True  sunlight  of  the  soul, 
 Surround  me  as  I  go ; 
 So  shall  my  way  be  safe, 
 My  feet  no  straying  know. 
 
 Great  Love  of  God,  come  in. 
 Well-spring  of  heavenly  peace, 
 Thou  Living  Water,  come. 
 Spring  up,  and  never  cease. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—I.  237 
 
 Eold  and  lyric  is : — 
 
 Speak,  lips  of  mine, 
 
 And  tell  abroad 
 The  praises  of  thy  God. 
 
 Speak,  stammering  tongue, 
 
 In  gladdest  tone, 
 IMake  His  high  praises  known. 
 
 Speak,  sea  and  earth. 
 
 Heaven's  utmost  star, 
 Speak  from  your  realms  afar, 
 
 Take  up  the  note, 
 
 And  send  it  round 
 Creation's  farthest  bound. 
 
 Speak,  heaven  of  heavens, 
 
 Wherein  our  God 
 Has  made  His  bright  abode. 
 
 Speak,  angels  speak, 
 
 In  songs  proclaim 
 His  everlasting  name. 
 
 Speak,  son  of  dust. 
 Thy  flesh  He  took, 
 And  heaven  for  thee  forsook. 
 Speak,  child  of  death, 
 Thy  death  He  died ; 
 Bless  thou  the  Crucified. 
 
 One  of  his  most  beautiful  and  poetic  hymns  is  : — 
 
 Light  of  the  world  !  for  ever,  ever  shining  ; 
 
 There  is  no  change  in  Thee  ; 
 True  Light  of  life,  all  joy  and  health  enshrining, 
 
 Thou  canst  not  fade  nor  flee. 
 
 Thou  hast  arisen  ;  but  Thou  declinest  never  : 
 
 To-day  shines  as  the  past ; 
 All  that  Thou  wast.  Thou  art,  and  shalt  be  ever ; 
 
 Brightness  from  first  to  last ! 
 
 Night  visits  not  Thy  sky,  nor  stcrm,  nor  sadness ; 
 
 Day  fills  up  all  its  blue : 
 Unfailing  beauty,  and  unfaltering  gladness. 
 
 And  love  for  ever  new  ! 
 
 Light  of  the  world  !  undimming  and  unsetting, 
 
 O  shine  each  mist  away  ! 
 Banish  the  fear,  the  falsehood,  and  the  fretting. 
 
 Be  our  unchanging  day  ! 
 
238  THE  HYMN  LOVEIL 
 
 Strong,  and  yet  tender,  is  :  — 
 
 Through  good  report  and  evil,  Lord  ! 
 Still  guided  by  Thy  faitliful  word, 
 Our  staff,  our  buckler,  and  our  sword. 
 We  follow  Thee. 
 
 In  silence  of  the  lonely  night. 
 In  fullest  glow  of  day's  clear  light, 
 Through  life's  strange  windings,  dai'k  or  bright, 
 We  follow  Thee. 
 
 Great  Master  !  point  Thou  out  the  way, 
 Nor  suffer  Thou  our  steps  to  stray  ; 
 Then  in  the  path  that  leads  to  day, 
 We  follow  Thee. 
 
 Thou  hast  passed  on  before  our  face  ; 
 Thy  footsteps  on  the  way  we  trace ; 
 O  keep  us,  aid  us  by  Thy  grace, — 
 We  follow  Thee. 
 
 Whom  have  we  in  the  heaven  above  ? 
 Whom  on  this  earth,  save  Thee,  to  love  ? 
 Still  in  Thy  light  we  onward  move, 
 We  follow  Thee. 
 
 A  very  inspiring  hymn  is  : — 
 
 Shall  this  life  of  mine  be  wasted  ? 
 
 Shall  this  vineyard  lie  untilled  ? 
 Shall  true  joy  remain  untasted, 
 
 And  the  soul  abide  unfilled  ? 
 Shall  the  God-given  hours  be  scattered, 
 
 Like  the  leaves  upon  the  plain? 
 Shall  the  blossoms  die  unwatered 
 
 By  the  drops  of  heavenly  rain  ? 
 
 Shall  the  heart  still  spend  its  treasures 
 
 On  the  things  that  fade  and  die  ? 
 Shall  it  court  the  hollow  pleasures 
 
 Ot  bewildering  vanity  ? 
 No,  we  were  not  born  to  trifle 
 
 Life  away  in  dreams  of  sin  ; 
 No,  we  must  not,  dare  not  stifle 
 
 liOngings  such  as  these  within. 
 
 Swiftly  moving  upward,  onward. 
 
 Let  our  souls  in  faith  arise. 
 Calmly  gazing  skyward,  sunward, 
 
 l^et  us  fix  our  steadfast  eves 
 
LIVING  IIYMNISTS.-I.  239 
 
 Where  the  cross,  God's  love  revealing, 
 
 Sets  the  fettered  spirit  free  ; 
 Where  it  sheds  its  wondrous  healing, 
 
 There,  O  soul,  thy  rest  shall  be. 
 
 Then  no  longer  idly  dreaming 
 
 Shall  we  iiing  our  years  away ; 
 But,  each  precious  hour  redeeming, 
 
 Wait  for  the  eternal  day. 
 God,  the  Father  of  creation, 
 
 Son,  the  Saviour  of  mankind, 
 Spirit  of  illumination, 
 
 Make  us  Thine  in  heart  and  mind. 
 
 The  following  yearning  intercession  for  children  is  very 
 
 beautiful : — 
 
 Father,  our  children  keep  ! 
 We  know  not  what  is  coming  on  the  earth ; 
 Beneath  the  shadow  of  Thy  heavenly  wing, 
 O  keep  them,  keep  them,  Thou  who  gav'st  them  birth. 
 
 Father,  draw  nearer  us  ! 
 Draw  firmer  round  us  Thy  protecting  arm  ; 
 O  clasp  our  children  closer  to  Thy  side, 
 Uninjured  in  the  day  of  earth's  alarm. 
 
 Them  in  Thy  chambers  hide  ! 
 O  hide  them  and  preserve  them  calm  and  safe, 
 When  sin  abounds,  and  error  flows  abroad. 
 And  Satan  tempts,  and  human  passions  chafe. 
 
 O  keep  them  undefiled  ! 
 Unspotted  from  a  tempting  world  of  sin ; 
 That,  clothed  in  white,  through  the  bright  city-gates. 
 They  may  with  us  in  triumph  enter  in. 
 
 Some   of   his   Communion  hymns  are   finely  adapted   to 
 
 that  service,  notably  the  following- :  — 
 
 Here,  O  my  Lord,  I  see  Thee  face  to  face  ; 
 Here  would  I  touch  and  handle  things  unseen ; 
 Here  grasp  with  firmer  hand  the  eternal  grace, 
 And  all  my  weariness  upon  Thee  lean. 
 
 Here  would  I  feed  upon  the  bread  of  God  ; 
 Here  drink  with  Tliee  the  royal  wine  of  heaven ; 
 Here  would  I  lay  aside  each  earthly  load  ; 
 Here  taste  afresh  the  calm  of  sin  forgiven. 
 
 This  is  the  hour  of  banquet  and  of  song. 
 This  is  the  heavenly  table  spread  for  me ; 
 
240  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 Here  let  me  feast,  and  feasting,  still  prolong 
 The  brief  bright  hour  of  fellowship  with  Thee. 
 
 Too  soon  we  rise  :  the  symbols  disappear  : 
 The  feast,  though  not  the  love,  is  past  and  gone ; 
 The  bread  and  wine  remove,  but  Thou  art  here, 
 Nearer  than  ever,  still  my  Shield  and  Sun. 
 
 Feast  after  feast  thus  comes  and  passes  by, 
 Yet,  passing,  points  to  the  glad  feast  above, 
 Giving  sweet  foretaste  of  the  festal  joy. 
 The  Lamb's  great  bridal  feast  of  bliss  and  love. 
 
 Dr.  BoEar  has  written  many  works  in  prose,  but  he  will 
 be  remembered  by  his  hymns,  many  of  which  are  likely 
 to  keep  a  permanent  place  in  the  Church's  song. 
 
 Jane  Borthwick  (born  1813),  is  known  chiefly  as  joint 
 authoress  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Findlater,  of  "  Hymns  from 
 the  Land  of  Luther,"  one  of  the  finest  collections  of 
 translation  from  the  German  we  possess  in  the  English 
 tongue.  But  she  possesses,  as  most  good  hymn  translators 
 do,  real  poetic  faculty  of  her  own.  A  translation  is  a  poor 
 affair  if  the  original  does  not  pass  through  a  poet's  mind 
 before  it  appears  in  its  new  language.  That  Miss 
 Borthwick  has  such  a  mind  is  clear  from  the  following 
 hymn  ;  one  of  the  most  tender  and  pathetic  of  its  kind  in 
 existence : — 
 
 Thou  knowest.  Lord,  the  weariness  and  sorrow 
 Of  the  sad  heart  that  comes  to  Thee  for  rest ; 
 
 Cares  of  to-day,  and  burdens  for  to-morrow. 
 Blessings  implored,  and  sins  to  be  confessed; 
 We  come  before  Thee  at  Thy  gracious  word, 
 And  lay  them  at  Thy  feet :  Thou  knowest  Lord. 
 
 Thou  knowest  all  the  past ;  how  long  and  blindly 
 On  the  dark  mountains  the  lost  wanderer  strayed  ; 
 
 How  the  good  Shepherd  followed,  and  liow  kindly 
 He  bore  it  home,  upon  His  shoulders  laid  ; 
 And  healed  the  bleeding  wounds  and  soothed  the  pain, 
 And  brought  back  life,  and  hope,  and  strength  again. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—L  241 
 
 T/iou  knowest  all  the  present ;  each  temptation, 
 Each  toilsome  duty,  each  foreboding  fear ; 
 
 All  to  each  one  assigned  of  tribulation, 
 Or  to  beloved  ones,  than  self  more  dear  ; 
 All  pensive  memories,  as  vsre  journey  on, 
 Longings  for  vanished  smiles  and  voices  gone. 
 
 Thou  knowest  all  the  future  ;  gleams  of  gladness 
 By  stormy  clouds  too  quickly  overcast ; 
 
 Hours  of  sweet  fellowship  and  parting  sadness. 
 And  the  dark  river  to  be  crossed  at  last ; 
 O  what  could  hope  and  confidence  afford 
 To  tread  that  path  ;  but  this.  Thou  knowest,  Lord? 
 
 Thou  knowest,  not  alone  as  God,  all  knowing  ; 
 As  Man,  our  mortal  weakness.  Thou  hast  proved  ; 
 
 On  earth,  with  purest  sympathies  o'erflowing, 
 O  Saviour,  Thou  hast  wept,  and  Thou  hast  loved ; 
 And  love  and  sorrow  still  to  Thee  may  come. 
 And  find  a  hiding-place,  a  rest,  a  home. 
 
 Therefore  we  come.  Thy  gentle  call  obeying. 
 And  lay  our  sins  and  sorrows  at  Thy  feet , 
 
 On  everlasting  strength  our  weakness  staying. 
 Clothed  in  Thy  robe  of  righteousness  complete, 
 Then  rising  and  refreshed  we  leave  Thy  throne, 
 And  follow  on  to  know  as  we  are  known. 
 
 Equally  good,  but  in  quite  another  strain  is : — 
 
 Come,  labour  on ! 
 Who  dares  stand  idle  on  the  harvest-plain. 
 While  all  around  him  waves  the  golden  grain  ? 
 And  to  each  servant  does  the  Master  say, 
 
 '  Go  work  to-day. 
 
 Come,  labour  on ! 
 Claim  the  high  calling  angels  cannot  share. 
 To  young  and  old  the  Gospel-gladness  bear  ; 
 Redeem  the  time ;  its  hours  too  swiftly  fly, 
 The  night  draws  nigh. 
 
 Come,  labour  on  ! 
 The  enemy  is  watching  night  and  day, 
 To  sow  the  tares,  to  snatch  the  seed  away ; 
 While  we  in  sleep  our  duty  have  forgot. 
 
 He  slumbered  not. 
 
 Come,  labour  on  ! 
 Away  with  gloomy  doubts  and  faithless  fear  ! 
 No  arms  so  weak,  but  may  do  service  here ; 
 By  hands  the  feeblest  can  our  God  fulfil 
 His  righteous  will. 
 
 K 
 
242  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Come,  labour  on  ! 
 No  time  for  rest,  till  glows  the  western  sky, 
 While  the  long  shadows  o'er  our  pathway  lie, 
 And  a  glad  sound  comes  with  the  setting  sun  — 
 '  Servants,  well  done  ! 
 
 Come,  labour  on  ! 
 The  toil  is  pleasant,  and  the  harvest  sure, 
 Blessed  are  those  who  to  the  end  endure  ; 
 How  full  their  joy,  how  deep  their  rest  shall  be, 
 O  Lord,  with  Thee  ! 
 
 The  following  hymn  from  C.  J.  P.  Spitta  may  be  taken  as 
 
 a  specimen  of  her  translations  : — 
 
 We  praise  and  bless  Thee,  gracious  Lord, 
 
 Our  Saviour,  kind  and  true. 
 For  all  the  old  things  passed  away, 
 
 For  all  Thou  hast  made  new. 
 
 New  hopes,  new  purposes,  desires. 
 
 And  joys,  Thy  grace  has  given  ; 
 Old  ties  are  broken  from  the  eai-th. 
 
 New  ties  attach  to  heaven. 
 
 But  yet,  how  much  must  be  destroyed 
 
 How  much  renewed  must  be, 
 Eie  we  can  fully  stand  complete 
 
 in  likeness,  Lord,  to  Thee  ! 
 
 Ttiou,  only  Thou,  must  carry  on 
 
 The  work  Thou  hast  begun  ; 
 Of  Thine  own  strength  Thou  must  impart, 
 
 In  Thine  own  ways  to  run. 
 
 Ah  !  leave  us  not ;  from  day  to  day 
 
 Revive,  restore  again ; 
 Our  feeble  steps  do  Thou  direct, 
 
 Our  enemies  restrain. 
 
 So  shall  we  faultless  stand  at  last. 
 
 Before  Thy  Father's  throne ; 
 Thti  blessedness  for  ever  ours, 
 
 The  glory  all  Thine  own. 
 
 "  Jesus,  still  lead  on,"  from  the  German  of  Count 
 Zinzendorf  is  too  well-known  to  need  quoting.  As  a 
 specimen  of  her  sister's  (Sarah  Findlater)  genius  for 
 translation,     I      quote      her      rendering      of      GerharJt 
 
LIVING  HYMNIST8.—L  243 
 
 Tersteegen's   magnificent   hymn   often   sadly   marred   by 
 ■editors : — 
 
 Lord  our  God,  in  reverence  lowly, 
 The  hosts  of  heaven  call  Thee  '  holy,' 
 
 From  cherubim  and  seraphim, 
 From  angel  phalanx,  far  extending. 
 In  fuller  tones  is  still  ascending 
 The  '  holy,'  '  holy,'  of  their  hymn ; 
 The  fount  of  joy  Thou  art,' 
 Ever  filling  every  heart. 
 Ever!  Ever! 
 We,  too,  are  Thine,  and  with  them  sing, 
 '  Thou,  Lord,  and  only  Thou,  art  King.' 
 
 Lord,  there  are  bending  now  before  Thee, 
 The  elders  with  their  crowned  glory, 
 The  first  born  of  the  blessed  band ; 
 There,  too,  earth's  ransomed  and  forgiven. 
 Brought  by  the  Saviour  safe  to  heaven, 
 In  glad  unnumbered  myriad.-  stand  ; 
 Loud  are  the  songs  of  praise 
 Their  mingled  voices  raise. 
 Ever  !  Ever ! 
 We,  too,  are  Thine,  and  with  them  sing, 
 *  Thou,  Lord,  and  only  Thou,  art  King.' 
 
 They  sing  in  sweet  and  endless  numbers 
 The  wondrous  love  that  never  slumbers. 
 And  of  the  wisdom,  power,  and  might, 
 The  truth  and  faithfulness  abiding. 
 And  over  all  Thy  works  presiding. 
 But  they  can  scarcely  praise  aright ; 
 For  all  is  never  sung. 
 Even  by  seraph's  tongue. 
 Never !  Never ! 
 We,  too,  are  Thine,  and  with  them  sing, 
 '  Thou,  Lord,  and  only  Thou,  art  King.' 
 
 Oh  !  come,  reveal  Thyself  more  fully, 
 That  we  may  learn  to  praise  more  truly  ; 
 
 Make  every  heart  a  temple  true. 
 Filled  with  Thy  glory  overflowing. 
 More  of  Thy  love  each  morning  showing, 
 And  waking  praises  loud  and  new; 
 Here  let  Thy  peace  divine 
 Over  Thy  children  shine. 
 Ever !  Ever  ! 
 And  glad  or  sad,  we  joining  sing, 
 '  Thou,  Lord,  and  only  Thou,  art  King.' 
 
244  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Both  sisters  prefer  to  be  known  under  the  signature 
 H.  L.  L.  (Hymns  from  the  Land  of  Luther),  but  I  believe 
 I  am  right  in  ascribing  those  I  have  named  as  I  have 
 done. 
 
 Henry  Do wnton  (born  1818),  for  many  years  Chaplain 
 of  the  English  Church  at  Geneva,  and  now  Eector  of 
 Hopton,  Norfolk,  is  the  author  of  many  hymns,  and 
 translations  from  the  Trench,  chiefly  of  Yinet,  which  he 
 has  gathered  into  a  little  volume,  "Hymns  and  Verses, 
 Original  and  Translated."  He  possesses,  in  very  marked 
 degree,  the  faculty  for  hymn  composition.  He  has  been 
 most  successful  in  verses  written  for  the  opening  and 
 close  of  the  year.  One  of  these,  "  For  Thy  mercy  and 
 Thy  grace,"  has  become  very  popular,  whilst  another, 
 which  I  quote  below,  is  on  the  high  road  to  a  like 
 popularity,  which  it  richly  deserves.  I  omit  the  first 
 four  lines,  which  seem  to  me  to  mar  the  general  effect  of 
 the  hymn. 
 
 Sing  we,  brethren,  faithful-hearted, 
 
 Lift  the  solemn  voice  again 
 O'er  another  year  departed 
 
 Of  our  threescore  years  and  ten. 
 
 Lo,  a  theme  for  deepest  sadness, 
 
 In  ourselves  with  sin  defiled  ; 
 Lo,  a  theme  for  holiest  gladness, 
 
 In  om-  Father  reconciled. 
 
 In  the  dust  we  bend  before  Thee, 
 
 Lord  of  sinless  hosts  above  ; 
 Yet  in  lowliest  joy  adore  Thee, 
 
 God  of  mercy,  grace,  and  love. 
 
 Gracious  Saviour  !  Thou  hast  lengthened 
 
 And  hast  blessed  our  mortal  span, 
 And  in  our  weak  hearts  hast  strengthened 
 
 What  Thy  grace  alone  began. 
 
LIVING  HYMNI8TS.—I.  245 
 
 Still,  when  danger  shall  betide  ua, 
 
 Be  Thy  warning  whisper  heard ; 
 Keep  us  at  Thy  feet,  and  guide  us 
 
 By  Thy  Spirit  and  Thy  word. 
 
 Let  Thy  favour  and  Thy  blessing 
 
 Crown  the  year  we  now  begin  ; 
 Let  us  all,  Thy  strength  possessing, 
 
 Grow  in  grace  and  vanquish  sin. 
 
 Storms  are  round  us,  hearts  are  quailing, 
 
 Signs  in  heaven  and  earth  and  sea ; 
 But,  when  heaven  and  earth  are  failing, 
 
 Saviour,  we  will  trust  in  Thee. 
 
 Thomas  Hincks  (bom  1818),  a  minister  of  the  Unitarian 
 
 Church,  who  has  acquired  a  considerable  reputation  for 
 
 his  scientific  researches,  has  written  a  few  hymns,  which 
 
 were   first   included   in   a   collection   called    "  Vespers," 
 
 prepared  for  the  congregation  at  Mill  Hill  Chapel,  Leeds, 
 
 to  which   he   formerly  ministered.     They   resemble   the 
 
 hymns  of  many  writers  of  his  own  section  of  the  Church 
 
 in  America  :  in  their  subdued  feeling,  their  gracefulness 
 
 of  expression,  and  a  certain  refined  and  spiritual  love  for 
 
 the  place  of  worship.     The  finest  is  the  following  : — 
 
 Heavenly  Father,  by  whose  care 
 Comes  again  this  hour  of  prayer, 
 In  the  evening  stillness,  we 
 Grateful  raise  our  hearts  to  Thee; 
 To  our  spirits,  as  we  bend. 
 Peace  and  holy  comfort  send. 
 
 Gladly  we  Thy  presence  seek: 
 Father  !  to  our  spirits  speak : 
 Call  us  from  the  world  away ; 
 Still  our  passions'  reckless  play ; 
 On  our  inner  darkness  shine; 
 Bend  our  wayward  will  to  Thine. 
 
 In  this  quiet  eventide 
 May  our  souls  with  Thee  abide, 
 Own  Thy  presence,  feel  Thy  power, 
 Through  this  consecrated  hour  ; 
 And  from  peaceful  vesper -prayer 
 Purer,  stronger  spirits  bear. 
 
246  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 George  Eundle  Prynne  (born  1818),  vicar  of  St.  Peter's, 
 Plymouth,  wrote  several  hymns  for  a  collection  lie  edited, 
 under  the  title,  ''A  Hymnal,  suited  for  the  Services  of 
 the  Church,  together  with  a  selection  of  Introits." 
 The  one  notable  hymn,  which  has  since  passed  into 
 many  collections,  is  "  Jesu,  meek  and  gentle,"  equally 
 suitable  for  use  by  adults  and  children.  His  hymns 
 have  recently  been  included  in  "  The  Soldier's  Dying 
 Vision,  and  other  Poems." 
 
 James  Hamilton  (bom  1819),  vicar  of  Doulting, 
 Shepton  Mallet,  has  written  several  hymns,  which  are 
 chiefly  used  in  churches  of  the  Anglican  order.  One  for 
 midnight  services  is  of  great  beauty.  In  the  original, 
 the  third  line  of  the  first  verse  reads 
 
 "We  deck  Thine  altar,  Lord,  with  light," 
 but,  in  order  to  adapt  it  to  churches  in  which  there  is  no 
 altar,  I  ventured  to  alter  the  line  as  it  stands  below — an 
 alteration  since  adopted  in  other  Hymnals : — 
 
 Across  the  sky  tlie  shades  of  night 
 
 This  winter's  eve  are  fleeting  : 
 We  come  to  Thee  the  Life  and  Light, 
 
 In  solemn  worship  meeting  : 
 And  as  the  year's  last  hours  go  by, 
 We  lift  to  Thee  our  earnest  cry, 
 
 Once  more  Thy  love  entreating. 
 
 Before  Thee,  Lord,  subdued  we  bow, 
 
 To  Thee  our  prayers  addressing  ; 
 Recounting  all  Thy  mercies  now. 
 
 And  all  our  sins  confessing  ; 
 Beseeching  Thee,  this  coming  year, 
 To  hold  us  in  Thy  faith  and  fear, 
 
 And  crown  us  with  Thy  blessing. 
 
 And  while  we  kneel,  we  lift  our  eyes 
 
 To  dear  ones  gone  before  us  ; 
 Safe  housed  with  Thee  in  Paradise, 
 
 Their  spirits  hovering  o'er  us : 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—L 
 
 247 
 
 And  beg  of  Thee,  when  life  is  past. 
 To  re-unite  us  all,  at  last, 
 And  to  our  lost  restore  us. 
 
 We  gather  up,  in  this  brief  hour, 
 The  memory  of  Thy  mercies  ; 
 
 Thy  wondrous  goodness,  love,  and  power, 
 Our  grateful  song  rehearses : 
 
 For  Thou  hast  been  our  Streni^'th  and  Stay 
 
 In  many  a  dark  and  dreary  day 
 Of  sorrow  and  reverses. 
 
 In  many  an  hour,  when  fear  and  dread 
 Like  evil  spells  have  bound  us, 
 
 And  clouds  were  gathering  overhead, 
 Thy  Providence  hath  found  us : 
 
 In  many  a  night  when  waves  ran  high, 
 
 Thy  gracious  Presence  drawing  nigh 
 Hath  made  all  calm  around  us. 
 
 Then,  O  great  Grod,  in  years  to  come, 
 
 Whatever  fate  betide  us, 
 Right  onward  through  our  journey  home 
 
 Be  Thou  at  hand  to  guide  us  : 
 Nor  leave  us  till,  at  close  of  life. 
 Safe  froiu  all  perils,  toil,  and  strife. 
 
 Heaven  shall  unfold  and  hide  us. 
 
 William    Cowper,    in 
 IS^ature  seldom — 
 
 his     "  Table 
 
 Talk," 
 
 Vouchsafes  to  man  a  poet's  just  pretence — 
 Fervency,  freedom,  fluency  of  thought, 
 Harmony,  strength,  words  exquisitely  sought ; 
 Fancy  that  from  the  bow  that  spans  the  sky, 
 Brings  colours,  dipp'd  in  heav'n.  that  never  die 
 A  soul  exalted  above  earth,  a  mind 
 Skill'd  in  the  characters  that  form  mankind. 
 
 tliat 
 
 'Twere  new,  indeed,  to  see  a  bard  all  fire, 
 Touch'd  with  a  coal  from  heav'n,  assume  the  lyre, 
 And  tell  the  world,  still  kindling  as  he  sung, 
 With  more  than  mortal  music  on  his  tongue ; 
 That  He  who  died  below,  and  reigns  above, 
 Inspu-es  the  song,  and  that  His  name  is  Love. 
 
 If  such  characteristics  be  rare  in  the  poet,  they  are  still 
 more  rare  in  the  hymnist.     It  would  be  difficult,  perhaps 
 
248  TEE  EYMN  LOVER. 
 
 impossible,  to  name  a  hymnist  in  whom  such  transcendent 
 qualities  are  united.  But  many  of  these  qualities — 
 fervency,  freedom,  fluency  of  thought — are  veiy  con- 
 spicuous, and  are,  indeed,  the  prominent  qualities  in  the 
 hymns  of  Thomas  Hornblower  Gill.  Indeed,  before  I 
 made  his  personal  acquaintance,  or  knew  anything  of  his 
 spiritual  history,  I  was  struck  with  the  freedom,  and  yet 
 the  fervency  of  his  song  ;  the  breadth  of  his  thought, 
 and  yet  the  truly  evangelical  tone  which  pervaded  it. 
 This  was  a  puzzle  to  me,  and  in  my  first  interview  with 
 him,  I  expressed  my  surprise.  The  story  of  his  life  which 
 he  then  narrated,  at  once  removed  the  mystery  from  my 
 mind,  as  it  will  do  from  that  of  others  who  may  have  read 
 his  hymns  with  a  similar  perplexity.  He  was  born  at 
 Birmingham,  on  the  10th  February,  1819,  and  educated  at 
 the  well-known  King  Edward's  Grammar  School,  in  that 
 town,  under  Dr.  Jeune,  who  afterwards  became  Bishop  of 
 Peterborough.  He  took  a  distinguished  place  in  the  school, 
 and  would  have  passed  thence  to  the  University  of  Oxford, 
 but  his  conscientious  religious  scruples  prevented  him 
 subscribing  to  the  articles  of  the  Church  of  England,  with- 
 out which  the  University  could  not  then  be  entered.  This 
 led  to  his  becoming  for  the  rest  of  his  life  a  student-recluse, 
 giving  himself  up  chiefly  to  classical  and  historical  studies. 
 Such  a  life  has  been,  of  course,  singularly  devoid  of  out- 
 ward incident.  All  that  can  be  chronicled  is  connected 
 with  the  production  and  publication  of  his  various  works. 
 The  real  interest  of  his  life  centres,  however,  in  the 
 singular  and  almost  unique  influences  which  have  com- 
 bined to  form  his  character,  and  determine  his  thinking. 
 
LIVING  HYMNI8'IS.—  L  249 
 
 Here  is  to  be  found  the  true  clue  to  the  strange  comhina- 
 tion  of  breadth  of  thought  with  the  fervency  and 
 evangelical  character  of  his  hymns.  He  was  trained  in  the 
 Priestley  School  of  XJnitarianism  which  had  its  head-quarters 
 in  his  native  town,  where  Dr.  Priestley  exercised  his 
 ministry.  Later  in  life  a  breath  of  warm  evangelical 
 feeling  passed  over  him.  This  was  closely  connected  with, 
 and  largely  fostered  by,  an  acquaintance  with  the  hymns 
 and  lyrics  of  Dr.  Watts,  of  whom  he  is  an  ardent  admirer. 
 If  I  understand  him  rightly,  he  came  of  a  Puritan  stock, 
 but  his  immediate  ancestors  had  fallen  under  the  influence 
 of  XJnitarianism,  in  which  he  was  brought  up.  Indeed,  he 
 calls  himself  a  Puritan  of  the  Puritans,  and  when  he 
 wants  to  describe  himself  more  fully  he  calls  himself  "  An 
 Emersonian  Puritan."  The  careful  reader  of  his  hymns 
 will  discern  the  freshness  and  freedom  from  restraint,  so 
 characteristic  of  the  Unitarian  school  of  thought  with  the 
 fervour  and  passionate  devotion  to  be  observed  in  Puritan 
 circles.  These  two  distinctive  features  of  his  hymns, 
 features  so  rarely  combined,  are  fully  accounted  for  by 
 his  ancestry  and  training.  The  late  Dr.  Freeman  Clarke, 
 of  America,  used  to  call  him  "  A  more-intellectual  Charles 
 Wesley."  This  is  a  little  too  eulogistic,  but  is  on  the  whole 
 a  happy  description,  since  there  is  in  his  hymns  much  of 
 the  fire  of  the  great  Methodist  singer,  with  an  intellectual 
 vigour  and  subtlety  of  thought  which  are  only  here  and 
 there  to  be  found  in  the  hymns  of  Charles  Wesley,  to  whom, 
 however,  he  is  not  equal  in  force  and  directness  of  diction. 
 Those  who  may  desire  to  gain  a  fuller  insight  into  the 
 spiritual  history  of  this  remarkable  hymnist  will  find  much 
 
250  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 of  his  thought  and  feeling  reflected  in  the  life  he  has 
 written  of  his  friend  Franklin  Howarth,  who  passed 
 through  an  experience  very  like  to  his  own.  The  volume 
 was  published  in  1883,  under  the  title  "  The  Triumph  of 
 Christ— Memorials  of  Franklin  Howarth,"  by  T.  H.  GiU. 
 This  seems  to  me  a  kind  of  oblique  biography  of  himself. 
 Besides  this  he  has  published  "  The  Fortunes  of  Faith,  or 
 Church  and  State,"  a  poem  of  considerable  length,  with 
 much  of  the  fire  of  youth  against  Church  Establishments 
 (1841) ;  "The  Anniversaries — poems  in  commemoration  of 
 Great  Men  and  Great  Events  "  (1858) ;  "The  Golden  Chain 
 of  Praise"  (1869);  "The  Papal  Drama,"  an  historical 
 essay  (1866),  and  "Luther's  Birthday"  (hymns)  (1883.) 
 He  is  now  engaged  on  "A  History  of  the  Germans,"  which 
 he  scarcely  expects  to  finish.  He  also  edited  the  second 
 hymn-book  issued  by  the  late  George  Dawson,  of  Birming- 
 ham. Altogether  he  has  written  about  200  hymns,  165  of 
 these  are  contained  in  "  The  Golden  Chain  of  Praise,"  and 
 about  30  have  not  yet  been  published.  His  friend.  Dr. 
 E.  W.  Dale,  of  Birmingham,  is  a  great  admirer  of  his 
 hymns,  and  introduced  no  less  than  40  into  his  collection 
 called  "  The  English  Hymn  Book."  Half  that  number 
 were  included  in  "  The  Baptist  Hymnal,"  eleven  in  my 
 own  "  Congregational  Hymns,"  and  the  same  number  in 
 Dr.  Martineau's  "Hymns  of  Praise  and  Prayer,"  whilst 
 in  Dr.  Odenheimer  and  F.  M.  Bird's  "Songs  of  the 
 Spirit,"  there  are  23,  one  of  these,  "Lord  God,  by 
 whom  all  change  is  wrought,"  having  been  written  for 
 that  work.  Tip  to  the  present  time,  and  with  one  excep- 
 tion— "  0  mean  may  seem  this  house  of  clay,"  his  hymns 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—L  251 
 
 have  been  conliiied  to  collections  used  in  the  Free 
 Churches,  which  desire  suggestiveness  of  thought,  and 
 rely,  for  the  deepening  of  spiritual  life  more  upon  the  power 
 of  truth  over  the  mind  than  upon  external  ritual.  But  in 
 the  Free  Churches  they  are  becoming  increasingly  known 
 and  valued.  The  following  are  the  most  popular,  "  0  mean 
 may  seem  this  house  of  clay,"  our  double  kindred  to 
 Emmanuel  as  suggested  by  •'  The  second  man  was  the  Lord 
 from  heaven,"  and  "  as  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the 
 earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly  " — 
 
 O  mean  may  seem  this  house  of  clay, 
 
 Yet  'twas  the  Lord's  abode  ; 
 Om*  feet  may  mourn  this  tliorny  way, 
 
 Yet  here  Immanuel  trod. 
 
 This  fleshly  robe  the  Lord  did  wear, 
 
 This  watch  the  Lord  did  keep, 
 These  burdens  sore  the  Lord  did  bear, 
 
 These  tears  the  Lord  did  weep. 
 
 *  *  *  * 
 Our  very  frailty  brings  us  near 
 
 Unto  the  Lord  of  heaven  ; 
 To  every  grief,  to  every  tear, 
 Such  glory  strange  is  given. 
 
 But  not  this  fleshly  robe  alone 
 
 Shall  link  us.  Lord,  to  Thee  ; 
 Not  only  in  the  tear  and  moan 
 
 Shall  the  dear  kindred  be. 
 
 We  shall  be  reckoned  for  Thine  own, 
 
 Because  Thy  heaven  we  share, 
 Because  we  sing  around  Thy  throne, 
 
 And  Thy  bright  raiment  wear. 
 
 *  *  *  * 
 
 O  mighty  grace,  our  life  to  live. 
 
 To  make  our  earth  divine  : 
 O  mighty  grace,  Thy  heaven  to  give, 
 
 And  lift  our  life  to  Thine. 
 
 Yes,  strange  the  gift  and  marvellous 
 
 By  Thee  received  and  given  ! 
 Thou  tookest  woe  and  death  for  us. 
 
 And  we  receive  Thy  heaven. 
 
252  THE  HYMl^  LOVEE. 
 
 "Our  God!  our  God!  Thou  shincst  here"  is  a  noble 
 hymn  suggested  by  the  words  of  John  Milton — "  The 
 power  of  Thy  grace  is  not  passed  away  with  the  primitive 
 times,  as  fond  and  faithless  men  foolishly  imagine,  but 
 Thy  kingdom  is  now  at  hand,  and  Thou  standing  at  the 
 door."     This  is  one  of  his  finest  and  most  characteristic 
 
 hymns — 
 
 Our  God  !  our  God  !  Thou  shinest  here, 
 
 Thine  own  this  latter  day : 
 To  us  Thy  radiant  steps  appear  : 
 
 We  watch  Thy  glorious  way. 
 Thou  tookest  once  our  flesh ;  Thy  face 
 
 Once  on  our  darkness  shone : 
 Yet  through  each  age  new  births  of  grace 
 
 Still  make  Thy  glory  known. 
 Not  only  olden  ages  felt 
 
 The  presence  of  the  Lord  ; 
 Not  only  with  the  fathers  dwelt 
 
 Thy  Spirit  and  Thy  word. 
 Doth  not  the  Spirit  still  descend 
 
 And  bring  the  heavenly  fire  ? 
 Doth  not  He  still  Thy  Church  extend, 
 
 And  waiting  souls  inspire  ? 
 Come,  Holy  Ghost !  in  us  arise ; 
 
 Be  this  Thy  mighty  hour ! 
 And  make  Thy  willing  people  wise 
 
 To  know  Thy  day  of  power ! 
 Pour  down  Thy  fire  in  us  to  glow, 
 
 Thy  might  in  us  to  dwell ; 
 Again  Thy  works  of  wonder  show, 
 
 Thy  blessed  secrets  tell. 
 Bear  us  aloft,  more  glad,  more  strong, 
 
 On  Thy  celestial  wing, 
 And  grant  us  grace  to  look  and  long 
 
 For  our  returning  King. 
 He  draweth  near.  He  standeth  by, 
 
 He  fills  our  eyes,  our  ears  ; 
 '  Come,  King  of  grace,"  Thy  people  cry, 
 
 "  And  bring  the  glorious  years  !  " 
 
 Closely  allied  to  the  foregoing  is  a  hymn  on  the  passage  in 
 Zech.  viii.  21,   "  Let  us  go  to  seek  the  Lord  "  : — 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—L  253 
 
 O  saints  of  old  !  not  yours  alone 
 
 These  words  most  high  shaU  be  ; 
 We  take  the  glory  for  our  own  ; 
 
 Lord  !  we  are  seeking  Thee. 
 
 Not  only  when  ascends  the  song, 
 
 And  soundeth  sweet  the  Word ; 
 Not  only  "midst  the  Sabbath  throng," 
 
 Our  souls  would  seek  the  Lord, 
 
 We  mingle  with  another  throng. 
 
 And  other  words  we  speak ; 
 To  other  business  we  belong, 
 
 But  still  our  Lord  we  seek. 
 
 We  would  not  to  our  daily  task 
 
 Without  our  God  repair ; 
 But  in  the  world  Thy  presence  ask, 
 
 And  seek  Thy  glory  there. 
 
 Would  we  against  some  wrong  be  bold, 
 
 And  break  some  yoke  abhorred  ; 
 Amidst  the  strife  and  stir  behold 
 
 The  seekers  of  the  Lord  ; 
 *  *  *  * 
 
 When  on  Thy  glorious  works  we  gaze, 
 
 We  fain  would  seek  Thee  there  : 
 Our  gladness  in  their  beauty  raise 
 
 To  joy  in  Thee,  First  Fair  ! 
 
 O  everywhere,  O  every  day, 
 
 Thy  grace  is  still  outpoured  ; 
 We  work,  we  watch,  we  strive,  we  pray  ; 
 
 Behold  Thy  seekers.  Lord  ! 
 
 The  sweetness  of  subjection  to  Christ  is  delightfully  set 
 
 forth  in  the  following  hymn — 
 
 Dear  Lord  and  Master  mine, 
 Thy  happy  servant  see  ! 
 My  Conqueror  !  with  what  joy  divine ! 
 Thy  captive  clings  to  Thee ! 
 
 1  love  Thy  yoke  to  wear. 
 To  feel  Thy  gracious  bands, 
 Sweetly  restrained  by  Thy  care. 
 And  happy  in  Thy  hands. 
 
 No  bar  would  1  remove, 
 No  bond  would  I  unbind  ; 
 Within  the  limits  of  Thy  love 
 Full  liberty  I  find. 
 
254  TSE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 I  would  not  walk  alone, 
 But  still  with  Thee,  my  Lord ; 
 At  every  step  my  blindness  own. 
 And  ask  of  Thee  the  road. 
 
 The  weakness  I  enjoy 
 That  casts  me  on  Thy  breast ; 
 The  conflicts  that  Thy  strength  employ, 
 Make  me  divinely  blest. 
 
 Dear  Lord  and  Master  mine, 
 Still  keep  Thy  servant  true  ; 
 My  Guardian  and  my  Guide  Divine, 
 Bring,  bring  Thy  pilgrim  through. 
 
 My  Conqueror  and  my  King, 
 Still  keep  me  in  Thy  train ; 
 And  with  Thee  Thy  glad  captive  bring, 
 When  Tliou  return'st  to  reign. 
 
 Mr.  Gill  is  a  pa*ssionate  lover  of  nature,  upon  which  he 
 
 looks  with  most  religious  gaze,  finding  therein  "Parables 
 
 of  God,"  as  will  be  seen  from  the  two  hymns  which  follow, 
 
 which    seem   to  me  equally   beautiful.     The   first   is  on 
 
 "  The  Witness  of  Earth  to  Heaven."— 
 
 What  sweetness  on  Thine  earth  doth  dwell ! 
 How  precious,  Lord,  these  gifts  of  Thine ! 
 Yet  sweeter  messages  they  tell, 
 These  earnests  of  delights  divine. 
 
 Yes  !  glory  out  of  glorv  breaks. 
 More  than  the  gift  itself  is  given  ; 
 Each  gift  a  glorious  promise  makes  ; 
 Thine  earth  doth  prophesy  of  heaven. 
 
 These  mighty  hills  we  joj^  to  climb. 
 These  happy  streams  we  wander  by, 
 Reveal  the  eternal  hills  sublime — 
 Of  God's  own  river  prophesy. 
 
 These  odours  blest,  these  gracious  flowers, 
 These  sweet  sounds  that  around  us  rise, 
 Give  tidings  of  the  heavenly  bowers. 
 Prelude  angelic  harmonies. 
 
 These  vernal  hours,  what  news  they  bring  ! 
 What  tidings  these  bright  summers  tell ! 
 They  fore-announce  the  eternal  spring, 
 Foreshow  the  Light  Ineffable. 
 
LIVING  HYMXISTS.—I.  255 
 
 *  *  *  * 
 
 Lord,  from  Thy  gifts  to  Thee  we  rise, 
 But  with  more  strength  we  soar  above, 
 Upon  these  glorious  prophecies, 
 These  earnests  of  Thy  dearer  love. 
 
 The  second  is  on  the  ''  Divine  Renewer,"   suggested  by 
 
 "  Tliou    renewest    the    face    of    the    earth,"    and     "Be 
 
 renewed  in  the  spirit  of  your  mind  "  : — 
 
 The  glory  of  the  spring,  how  sweet ! 
 
 The  new  born  life,  how  glad  ! 
 What  joy,  the  happy  earth  to  greet, 
 
 In  new  bright  raiment  clad 
 
 Divine  Renewer  !  Thee  I  bless ; 
 
 I  greet  Thy  going  forth  : 
 I  love  Thee  in  the  loveliness 
 
 Of  Thy  renewed  earth. 
 
 But  0  these  wonders  of  Thy  grace, 
 
 These  nobler  works  of  Thine, 
 These  marvels  sweeter  far  to  trace, 
 
 These  new  births  more  divine  ! 
 
 These  sinful  souls  Thou  hallowest, 
 
 These  hearts  Thou  makest  new, 
 These  mourning  souls  by  Thee  made  blest 
 
 These  faithless  hearts  made  true : 
 
 This  new-burn  glow  of  faith  so  strong 
 
 This  bloom  of  love  so  fair; 
 This  new-born  ecstasy  of  song 
 
 And  fragrancy  of  prayer  ! 
 
 Creator,  Spirit,  work  in  me 
 
 Thf^se  wonders  sweet  of  Thine ! 
 Divine  Renewer,  graciously 
 
 Renew  this  heart  of  mine  ; 
 Still  let  new  life  and  strength  upspring, 
 
 Still  let  new  joy  be  given  ! 
 And  grant  the  glad  new  song  to  ring 
 
 Through  the  new  earth  and  heaven. 
 
 His  New^  Year's  hymn  strikes  a  new  and  quite  original 
 note,  and  is  full  of  life  and  tenderness : — 
 
 Break,  new-born  year,  on  glad  eyes  break  ! 
 
 Melodious  voices  move ! 
 On,  rolling  Time !  thou  canst  not  make 
 
 The  Father  cease  to  love. 
 
256  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 The  parted  year  had  winged  feet ; 
 
 The  Saviour  still  doth  stay : 
 The  New  Year  comes;  but,  Spirit  sweet 
 
 Thou  goest  not  away. 
 
 Our  hearts  in  tears  may  oft  run  o'er  ; 
 
 But,  Lord,  Thy  smile  still  beams ; 
 Our  sins  are  swelling  evermore  ; 
 
 But  pardoning  grace  still  streams. 
 
 Lord  !  from  this  year  more  service  win, 
 More  glory,  more  delight; 
 
 O  make  its  hours  less  sad  with  sin, 
 Its  days  with  Thee  more  bright ! 
 
 Then  we  may  bless  its  precious  things 
 If  earthly  cheer  should  come. 
 
 Or  gladsome  mount  on  angel  wings 
 If  Thou  shouldst  take  us  home. 
 
 Space  will  not  permit  me  to  give  further  illTistrations. 
 These  will  suffice  to  show  that  Mr.  Gill,  lover  and  student 
 of  Dr.  Watts  though  he  he,  is,  to  use  Goethe's  distinc- 
 tion, no  mere  echo,  hut  a  voice.     His  hymns,  as  to  their 
 suhstance,  seem  to  me,  marked  hy  the  following  character- 
 istics:  (1)  A  remarkable  absence  of ,  and  even  opposition 
 to,  all  antiquarian  and  sacerdotal   ideas  of   Christianity, 
 being  rather  filled  with  the   conception  that  the  Spirit  of 
 God  is  working  as  really  and  as  mightily  now  as  in  the 
 first   age    of   the   Church's    history.       (2)     A   keen   and 
 searching  discernment  between  the  spirit  and  letter  of  the 
 gospel ;    and   (3)    By  often   really  profound   thought   on 
 Scripture    themes.      As   to    theii'    style,    I    may    notice 
 (1)    A  certain  quaintness  of   expression,   reminding    the 
 reader  of   George  Wither   or   John  Mason,  but  rendered 
 clearer  by  his  study  and  appreciation  of  Dr.  Watts.    (2) 
 Great   warmth   of    feeling,   leading  to  the   use    of   very 
 expressive  epithets,  but  kept  within  due  bounds,  save  in 
 
LIVING  EYMNIST8.-L  257 
 
 exceptional  cases,  by  a  taste  singularly  pure  and  chaste. 
 (3)  Often  there  is  to  be  noticed  a  happy  adaptation  of 
 metre  and  rhythm  to  the  subject  of  the  hymn.  In 
 some  cases  the  tune  gave  birth  to  the  hymn.  Mr.  Gill 
 is  only  kept  from  reaching  the  very  highest  place  as  a 
 hymnist  by  too  great  subtlety  of  thought  and  expression. 
 This  renders  many  of  his  hymns  more  suitable  for  private 
 reading  than  public  praise. 
 
 The  value  of  Mr.  Gill's  hymns  is  largely  due  to  the 
 fact  to  which  he  calls  attention"  in  the  preface  to  "  The 
 Golden  Chain  of  Praise,"  that  they  enshrine  the  spiritual 
 experience  of  their  author ;  to  this  is  due  their  living 
 force.  They  are  not  the  product  of  the  mere  thinker  or 
 rhymer,  but  of  one  impelled  by  great  spiritual  impulses. 
 Mr.  Gill  rarely,  if  ever,  wrote  unless  moved  thereto  by 
 what  he  does  not  hesitate  to  call  "  inspiration." 
 
 In  an  extract  from  an  unpublished  autobiography 
 which  he  has  been  good  enough  to  communicate  to  me,  he 
 says  '*  I  fully  believe  in  tides  of  song  which  we  cannot 
 command  and  cannot  restrain  ;  in  seasons  of  inspiration 
 which  come  and  go,  not  at  our  bidding,  wherein  the  soul, 
 in  the  fullest  possession  and  happiest  exercise  of  all  its 
 powers,  is  yet  borne  along  by  a  power  beyond  itself.  More 
 than  twice  or  thrice  have  I  been  borne  along  on  such  a 
 tide.  I  have  known  three  or  four  such  seasons,  and  have 
 vainly  striven  to  prolong  them.  Then,  hymns  have 
 streamed  forth  day  after  day,  week  after  week  ;  not  with- 
 out the  diligent  co-operation  of  all  my  powers,  but  with 
 their  unforced,  free,  gladsome,  almost  unconscious  co-opera- 
 tion.   At  other  times  I  have  set  myself  to  write  hymns,  and 
 
258  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 with  some  effort  have  accomplished  the  task  ;  but  the  task 
 was  not  worth  accomplishing — the  song  had  no  life,  no 
 power,  no  glow. 
 
 "  These  seasons  of  inspiration  had  their  rise  in  some  high 
 and  happy  estate  of  the  soul,  in  some  new  revelation  of 
 spiritual  truth,  in  some  ascent  of  the  spirit  into  a  diviner 
 region ;  on  one  occasion  in  the  concurrence  of  a  bright 
 outward  experience  with  a  blessed  inward  stir.  Each  new 
 birth  of  grace  was  attended  by  a  fresh  stream  of  song. 
 Between  these  seasons  I  have  now  and  then  produced  a 
 strain,  not  without  worth,  but  these  gushes  of  song  lay 
 apart  from  the  great  tides  whereof  T  have  spoken." 
 
 Here  lies  the  secret  of  Mr.  Gill's  power,  moved  himself 
 as  he  produced  his  hymns,  they  move  others  to  fresher  and 
 more  spiritual  worship. 
 
259 
 
 CHAPTER  XVL 
 
 LIVING  HYMNISTS.— II. 
 
 BOKN    1821    ET   SEQ. 
 
 Edward  Hayes  Plumptre  (born  1821),  Dean  of  Wells, 
 tlie  accomplished  scholar,  to  whom  we  owe  such  valuable 
 work  in  many  departments — as  translator :  of  Dante, 
 ^schylus,  Sophocles  ;  as  poet:  "  Lazarus,"  *'  Master  and 
 Scholar,"  "  Old  and  New  "  ;  as  theologian :  "  The  Spirits 
 in  Prison";  as  biographer:  ''The  Life  and  Letters  of 
 Bishop  Ken  "  ;  as  biblical  critic  :  many  works  on  parts  of 
 both  the  Old  and  New  Testament — has  written  a  few 
 hymns,  which  only  lack  the  lyric  fire  to'  make  them 
 excellent.  Were  that  present,  and  were  they  a  little  more 
 condensed,  they  would  be  even  more  valuable  than  they 
 are.  Dr.  Plumptre,  however,  takes  more  space  to  move 
 in  than  a  hymn  affords.  The  finest,  and  most  lyric  of 
 his  productions,  is  the  following,  which  seems  to  me  to 
 stand  apart  from  all  his  others  : — 
 
 Rejoice,  ye  pure  in  heart, 
 Rejoice,  give  thanks  and  sing 
 lour  festal  banner  wave  on  high, 
 The  Cross  of  Christ  your  King. 
 
260  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 With  all  the  angel-choirs, 
 With  all  the  saints  on  earth, 
 Pour  out  the  strains  of  joy  and  bliss, 
 True  rapture,  noblest  mirth. 
 
 Your  clear  hosannas  raise. 
 And  hallelujahs  loud, 
 Whilst  answering  echoes  upward  float, 
 Like  wreaths  of  incense- cloud. 
 
 With  voice  as  full  and  strong 
 As  ocean's  surging  praise. 
 Send  forth  the  hymns  our  fathers  loved, 
 The  psalms  of  ancient  days. 
 
 Yes,  on,  through  life's  long  path, 
 
 Still  chanting  as  ye  go. 
 From  youth  to  age,  by  night  and  day, 
 
 In  gladness  and  in  woe. 
 
 Still  lift  your  standard  high. 
 
 Still  march  in  firm  array, 
 As  warriors  thi-ough  the  darkness  toil, 
 
 Till  dawns  the  golden  day. 
 
 At  last  the  march  shall  end. 
 The  wearied  ones  shall  rest. 
 The  pilgrims  find  their  Father's  house, 
 Jerusalem  the  blest. 
 
 Then  on,  ye  pure  in  heart, 
 Kejoice,  give  thanks,  and  sing ; 
 Your  festal  banner  wave  on  high, 
 The  Gross  of  Christ  your  King. 
 
 Praise  Him  who  rules  on  high. 
 Whom  heaven  and  earth  adore. 
 Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, 
 One  God  for  evermore. 
 
 Kext  in  merit  I  should  place  the  following,  for  a  Time  of 
 Pestilence : — 
 
 Thine  arm,  0  Lord,  in  days  of  old 
 
 Was  strong  to  heal  and  save ; 
 It  triumphed  o'er  disease  and  death, 
 
 O'er  darkness  and  the  grave: 
 To  Thee  they  went,  the  blind,  the  dumb, 
 
 The  palsied  and  the  lame, 
 The  leper  with  his  tainted  life. 
 
 The  sick  with  fevered  frame; 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—IL  261 
 
 And  lo,  Thy  touch  brought  life  and  health, 
 
 Gave  speech,  and  strength,  and  sight ; 
 And  youth  renewed  and  frenzy  calmed 
 
 Owned  Thee,  the  Lord  of  Light. 
 And  now,  O  Lord,  be  near  to  bless. 
 
 Almighty  as  of  yore. 
 In  crowded  street,  by  restless  couch. 
 
 As  by  Gennesareth's  shore. 
 
 Though  love  and  might  no  longer  heal 
 
 By  touch,  or  word,  or  look; 
 Though  they  who  do  Thy  work  must  read 
 
 Thy  laws  in  Nature's  book : 
 Yet  come  to  heal  the  sick  man's  soul, 
 
 Come,  cleanse  the  leprous  taint ; 
 Give  joy  and  peace  where  all  is  strife. 
 
 And  strength  where  all  is  faint. 
 
 Be  Thou  our  great  Deliverer  still. 
 
 Thou  Lord  of  life  and  death, 
 Restore  and  quicken,  soothe  and  bless 
 
 With  Thine  almighty  breath: 
 To  hands  that  work  and  eyes  that  see 
 
 Give  wisdom's  heavenly  lore, 
 That  whole  and  sick,  and  weak  and  strong, 
 
 May  praise  Thee  evermore. 
 
 His  other   hymns  are   admirable   in   sentiment,  but   not 
 nimble  enough  in  their  movement. 
 
 Francis  Turner  Palgrave,  whose  hymns  strike  a  new 
 note,  is  the  eldest  son  of  Sir  Francis  Palgrave,  the  well- 
 known  historian,  and  his  wife  Elizabeth,  from  whom  he 
 derives  his  second  name.  He  was  bom  in  Great  Yarmouth 
 on  the  28th  of  September,  1824.  From  1838  to  1843  he 
 spent  at  the  Charterhouse  School,  whence  he  passed  to 
 Balliol  College,  Oxford,  of  which  he  became  a  scholar  in 
 1842.  In  1846  he  was  elected  Fellow  of  Exeter  College, 
 and  in  1847  took  a  first  class  in  the  classical  schools. 
 Leaving  the  University  of  Oxford,  Mr.  Palgrave  was 
 engaged  for  a  considerable  time  in  the  Education  Depart- 
 ment of  the  Privy  Council,  from  which  he  retired  in  1884. 
 
262  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 During  that  time  lie  was  private  secretary  to  Earl 
 Granville,  who  was  then  Lord  President.  In  the 
 following  year  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Poetry  in  the 
 University  of  Oxford. 
 
 The  following  works  have  proceeded  from  his  pen: — 
 ''  IdyUs  and  Songs  "  (1854),  ''  Art  Catalogue  of  the  Great 
 Exhibition"  (1862),  ''Essays  on  Art"  (1869),  and 
 "Lyrical  Poems"  (1871).  He  has  also  edited  "The 
 Golden  Treasury  of  English  Lyrics  "  (1861),  "  Sii'  Walter 
 Scott's  Poems,  with  Life"  (1867),  "  Chrysomela— a 
 selection  from  Herrick,"  and  "  The  Visions  of  England" 
 (1881).  He  is  best  known,  however,  by  his  collection 
 of  English  lyrics,  which  is  a  model  of  editing,  and 
 by  his  "Original  Hymns,"  of  which  the  first  edition 
 appeared  in  1867,  followed  by  enlarged  editions  in  1868 
 and  1870.  His  object  was  "  To  try  and  write  hymns 
 which  should  have  more  distinct  matter  for  thought  and 
 feeling  than  many  in  our  collections  oif er,  and  so,  perhaps, 
 be  of  a  little  use  and  comfort  to  readers."  His  hymns 
 admirably  fulfil  this  purpose.  To  those  who  are  familiar 
 with  the  monotony  and  dulness  of  the  vast  mass  of  hymns, 
 it  is  a  great  relief  to  turn  to  Mr.  Palgrave's  with  their  dis- 
 tinctiveness of  theme,  their  marked  individuality,  and 
 delicacy  of  phrasing.  The  exaggerated  tone,  expressive  of 
 feelings  far  above  the  range  of  ordinary  mortals,  so  often 
 found  in  hymns,  is  conspicuous  by  its  absence,  and  in  its 
 place  there  is  what  Mr.  Keble,  in  the  preface  to  his 
 "  Christian  Year,"  calls  "a  sober  standard  in  matters  of 
 practical  religion."  Then  his  hymns  are  expressive  of  the 
 feelings  which   are   characteristic  of  the  Christian  heart 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—IL 
 
 in  our  own  day — its  difficulties,  its  perplexities,  its  long- 
 ings. Professor  Palgrave  seems  to  me  to  have  a  singularly 
 true  idea  of  what  a  hymn  should  he,  and  how  poetry  and 
 religious  feeling  should  be  blended  in  its  production.  If 
 I  may  quote  from  a  letter  addressed  by  him  to  myself, 
 "  The  main  reason  for  the  inferiority  of  hymns  to  ordinary 
 lyrics  lies,  I  think,  simply  in  the  fact  that  the  true  end  of 
 poetry  is  Pleasure,  not  Instruction.  It  may  and  should 
 often  teach,  but  always  through  such  pleasure  as  this  fine 
 art  can  give.  Hence,  the  didactic  element  which  hymns 
 always  do  and  ought  to  include  is  very  apt  to  lower  the 
 poetical  quality.  The  strict  laws  of  poetry  are  in  fact 
 inapplicable  in  this  region,  and  it  is  only  a  critic  who 
 has  no  sympathy  with  the  object  of  hymns  can  complain 
 that  these  laws  are  more  or  less  set  aside."  But  it  is 
 quite  clear  from  Mr.  Palgrave' s  own  hymns  that  he  regards 
 the  poetic  as  an  essential  element  in  every  hymn  worthy 
 of  the  name — that  the  didactic  purpose  should  be  suffused 
 with  keen  and  high  emotion  which  is  sure  to  take  on  lyric 
 forms ;  whilst  in  hymns  of  pure  worship  the  didactic 
 element  falls  quite  into  the  background.  The  stronger 
 the  lyric  element,  the  more  will  the  hymn  bear  the  soul 
 aloft.  And  the  more  cultivated  taste  of  the  present  day  is 
 not  satisfied  with  the  mere  rhymed  prose  which  passed 
 current  in  earlier  days,  but  demands  verse  in  which  the 
 religious  feeling  is  so  strong  that  it  naturally  takes  on 
 lyric  forms.  Hence,  the  hymns  most  frequently  sung  in 
 our  day  are  those  which  are  the  product  of  the  vision  and 
 faculty  divine.  In  this  respect  the  advance  is  very 
 evident.     Stemhold  and  Hopkins  had  to  give  way  to  Isaac 
 
264  TEE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Watts.  Watts  was  largely  eclipsed  by  the  more  lyric 
 Charles  Wesley,  whilst  all  but  the  finest  of  Ms  have  had 
 to  yield  to  the  selected  ones  of  many  a  poetic  hymnist  of 
 our  own  time.  The  age,  too,  demands  verses  which  shall 
 express  its  own  feelings  and  not  those  of  a  bygone  time. 
 And  those  hymnists  are  the  most  popular  who,  being  in 
 deepest  sympathy  with  the  real  feelings  of  the  age,  are 
 able  to  give  these  the  fullest  and  most  lyric  expression. 
 Amongst  these,  Professor  Palgrave's  hymns  deserve  a  place 
 of  high  honour  for  their  sobriety  of  thought,  their  fidelity 
 to  the  actual  feeling  of  the  time,  their  refined  and  yet 
 poetical  expression.  Here  and  there  he  fails  in  melodious- 
 ness of  utterance  or  in  suitability  of  metre,  but  these 
 defects  are  so  slight  that  I  do  not  care  to  dwell  on  them. 
 Perhaps  the  best  known  of  his  hymns  are  those  for 
 Morning  and  Evening  ;  the  former  beginning  "  Lord  God 
 of  morning  and  of  night,"  and  the  latter,  "0  Light  of 
 life,  0  Saviour  dear,"  both  of  which  conclude  with  the 
 fine  doxology  (second  only  in  merit  to  the  well-known  one 
 of  good  Bishop  Ken) — 
 
 Praise  God,  our  Maker  and  our  Friend ; 
 Praise  Him  through  time,  till  time  shall  end, 
 Till  psalm  and  song  His  name  adore 
 Through  heaven's  great  day  of  evermore. 
 
 The  child's  hymn  "  Thou  that  once  on  mother's  knee," 
 is  one  of  the  few  really  fine  children's  hymns  in  the 
 language.  The  above  are  too  well-known  for  it  to  be 
 necessary  to  quote  them ;  but  others  which  are  only 
 gradually  finding  their  way  into  use  and  favour  are  not 
 so  well  known,  and  I  will  therefore  append  them. 
 
 How  true,    how    free   from    other-worldliness    is   the 
 
LIVING  IIYMNI8TS.—IL  265 
 
 conception  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  following  hymn 
 
 suggested  by  our  Lord's  saying,  "For  behold  the  kingdom 
 
 of  God  is^within  you  "  : — 
 
 O  Thou  not  made  with  hands, 
 Not  throned  above  the  skies, 
 Not  walled  with  shining  walls, 
 Nor  framed  with  stones  of  price, 
 More  bright  than  gold  or  gem, 
 God's  own  Jerusalem. 
 
 Where'er  the  gentle  heart 
 Finds  courage  from  above  ; 
 Where'er  the  heart  forsook 
 Warms  with  the  breath  of  love ; 
 Where  faith  bids  fear  depart. 
 City  of  God  !  thou  art. 
 
 Thou  art  where'er  the  proud 
 In  humbleness  melts  down ; 
 Where  self  itself  yields  up  ; 
 Where  martyrs  win  their  crown ; 
 Where  faithful  souls  possess 
 Themselves  in  perfect  peace. 
 
 Where  in  life's  common  ways 
 With  cheerful  feet  we  go ; 
 Where  in  His  steps  we  tread 
 Who  trod  the  way  of  woe ; 
 Where  He  is  in  the  heart, 
 City  of  God !  thou  art. 
 
 Not  throned  above  the  skies 
 Nor  golden-walled  afar ; 
 But  where  Christ's  two  or  three 
 In  His  name  gathered  are  ; 
 Be  in  the  midst  of  them, 
 God's  own  Jerusalem. 
 
 How    accurately,    and   yet   how  tenderly,  the  difficulty 
 
 and  longing  of  our  day  for  faith  in  the  unseen  Christ  is 
 
 expressed  in  the  following  verses,  "  Faith  and  sight  in  the 
 
 latter  days"  : — 
 
 Thou  say'st  '  Take  up  thy  cross, 
 O  man,  and  follow  me  ; 
 The  night  is  black,  the  ieet  are  slack. 
 Yet  we  would  follow  Thee. 
 
266  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 But  0  dear  Lord,  we  cry, 
 That  we  Thy  face  could  see  ! 
 Thy  blessed  face  one  moment's  space — 
 Then  might  we  follow  Thee  ! 
 
 Dim  tracts  of  time  divide 
 Those  golden  days  from  me; 
 Thy  voice  comes  strange  o'er  years  of  change ; 
 How  can  we  follow  Thee  ? 
 
 Comes  faint  and  far  Thy  voice 
 From  vales  of  Galilee ; 
 Thy  vision  fades  in  ancient  shades  : 
 How  should  we  follow  Thee  ? 
 
 0  heavy  cross — of  faith 
 In  what  we  cannot  see  i 
 As  once  of  yore  Thyself  restore 
 And  help  to  follow  Thee  ! 
 
 If  not  aa  once  Thou  cam'st 
 In  true  humanity, 
 Come  yet  as  guest  within  the  breast 
 That  burns  to  follow  Thee. 
 
 Within  our  heart  of  hearts 
 In  nearest  nearness  be  : 
 Set  up  Thy  throne  within  Thine  own  : — 
 Go,  Lord  !  we  follow  Thee. 
 
 How  true  is  the  abasement  of  spirit  before  the  thought 
 
 of   God  in   this  terse  and   yet  pathetic  hymn  which  he 
 
 calls  *'  Through  and  thiough"  : — 
 
 Infelix,  quis  me  liberabit  9 
 
 We  name  Thy  Name,  O  God, 
 As  our  God  call  on  Thee, 
 Though  the  dark  heart  meantime 
 Far  from  Thy  ways  may  be. 
 
 And  we  can  own  Thy  law. 
 And  we  can  sing  Thy  songs, 
 While  the  sad  inner  soul 
 To  sin  and  shame  belongs. 
 
 On  us  Thy  love  may  glow. 
 As  the  pure  midday  fire 
 On  some  foul  spot  looks  down ; 
 And  yet  the  mire  be  mire. 
 
 Then  spare  us  not  Thy  fires, 
 The  searching  light  and  pain  ; 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—II.  267 
 
 Burn  out  our  sin  ;  and  last, 
 With  Thy  love  heal  ag-ain. 
 
 Toucliecl  with  a  like  spirit,  but  yet  suffused  with  faith,  is 
 
 the  hymn  which  follows;  "Lost  and  Found,"  in  which 
 
 the  real  influence  of  sin  is  seen  and  traced  out  with  rare 
 
 insight — 
 
 Though  we  long,  in  sin-wrought  blindness. 
 
 From  Thy  gracious  paths  have  strayed. 
 Cold  to  Thee  and  all  Thy  kindness. 
 
 Wilful,  reckless,  or  afraid  ; 
 Through  dim  clouds  that  gather  round  us 
 
 Thou  has  sought,  and  Thou  hast  found  us. 
 Oft  from  Thee  we  veil  our  faces, 
 
 Children-like,  to  cheat  Thine  eyes ; 
 Sin,  and  hope  to  hide  the  traces  ; 
 
 From  ourselves,  ourselves  disguise ; 
 'Neath  the  webs  en  woven  round  us 
 
 Thy  soul-piercing  glance  has  found  us. 
 Sudden,  'midst  our  idle  chonis. 
 
 O'er  our  sin  Thy  thunders  roll, 
 Death  his  signal  waves  before  us, 
 
 Night  and  terror  take  the  soul ; 
 Till  through  double  darkness  round  us 
 
 Looks  a  star, — and  Thou  hast  found  us. 
 0  most  merciful,  most  holy. 
 
 Light  Thy  wanderers  on  their  way ; 
 Keep  us  ever  Thine,  Thine  wholly. 
 
 Suffer  us  no  more  to  stray  ! 
 Cloud  and  storm  oft  gather  round  us  ; 
 
 We  were  lost,  but  Thou  hast  found  us. 
 
 How  full  of  emotion,  how  picturesque  in  its  description  of 
 the  course  of  our  Lord  is  this  "Litany  to  the  name  of 
 Jesus" — 
 
 Thrice- holy  Name  ! — that  sweeter  sounds 
 
 Than  streams  which  down  the  valley  run, 
 
 And  tells  of  more  than  human  love. 
 
 And  more  than  human  power  in  one  ; 
 
 First  o'er  the  manger-cradle  heard. 
 
 Heard  since  through  all  the  choirs  on  high  ; — 
 
 O  Child  of  Mary,  Son  of  God, 
 
 Eternal,  hear  Thy  children's  cry  ! 
 
 While  at  Thy  blessed  Name  we  bow, 
 Lord  Jesus,  be  amongst  us  now  ! 
 
268  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 Within  our  earth-dimmed  souls  call  up 
 
 The  vision  of  Thy  human  years ; 
 
 The  mount  of  the  transfigured  form  ; 
 
 The  garden  of  the  bitter  tears ; 
 
 The  cross  upreared  in  darkening  skies  ; 
 
 The  thorn-wreathed  head ;  the  bleeding  side ; 
 
 And  whisper  in  the  heart,  •  For  you, 
 
 For  you  I  left  the  heavens,  and  died.' 
 
 "W  hile  at  the  blessed  Name  we  bow, 
 
 Lord  Jesus,  be  amongst  us  now  ! 
 
 Ah  !  with  faith's  surest  inmost  eye 
 The  riven  rock-hewn  bed  we  see, 
 Untreasured  of  its  heavenly  guest, — 
 Triumphant  over  Death  in  Thee ! 
 And  O  !  when  Thou,  our  Saviour  Judge, 
 Again  shall  come  in  glory  here, 
 With  love  upon  Thy  children  look, 
 And  bid  us  read  our  pardon  clear ! 
 
 While  at  the  blessed  Name  we  bow. 
 
 Lord  Jesus,  be  amongst  us  now! 
 
 These  are  but  examples  of  Professor  Palgrave's  styles. 
 The  reader  will  see  how  varied  and  distinctive  they  are. 
 Their  author  seems  never  to  write  until  some  distinct  idea 
 has  possessed  his  mind,  and  then  with  the  deep  earnest- 
 ness of  a  Christian  soul,  and  the  skill  and  taste  of  the 
 accomplished  scholar,  the  idea  clothes  itself  with  apt  and 
 beautiful  expression.  Like  a  true  artist,  Mr.  Palgrave  is 
 reticent  in  utterance.  His  collected  hymns  are  all  included 
 in  a  tiny  pocket  volume  of  51  pages,  but  nothing  is  in- 
 cluded which  is  without  worth.  If  I  am  not  greatly  mis- 
 taken there  is  in  store  for  many  of  his  hymns  a  growing 
 popularity,  since  they  are  well  calculated  to  foster  and 
 keep  alive  a  piety,  not  of  a  noisy  kind,  but  after  the 
 manner  and  spirit  of  the  Great  Master,  Christ. 
 
 William  Walsham  How  (born  1823),  who  for  many 
 years  was  the  devoted  Bishop  of  Bedford — why  that  title 
 should  have  been  given  to  a  see  which  had  nothing  to  do 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.-IL  269 
 
 witli  Bedford,  but  was  chiefly  composed  of  the  East  End 
 of  London,  is  a  mystery  to  the  unecclesiastical  mind ! — 
 bnt  who  now  occupies  the  newly  constituted  see  of 
 "Wakefield,  has  contributed  an  unusually  large  number  of 
 fine  hymns  to  the  store  of  church  song.  His  recently 
 published  volume,  in  which  he  has  collected  his  scattered 
 hymns,  contains  fifty -four,  and  scarcely  a  hymn  is  to  be 
 found  in  it  without  merit.  Its  perusal  forces  on  the 
 mind  the  conclusion,  that  the  standard  of  hymnody  has 
 been  greatly  raised  during  recent  years.  A  considerable 
 proportion  of  the  hymns  in  this  volume  have  passed  into 
 general  use.  The  best  known  are  the  following — they 
 are  too  well  known  to  need  quotation — "We  give  Thee 
 but  Thine  own,"  a  fine  hymn  for  use  at  the  offertory  ; 
 *'  0  Jesu,  Thou  art  standing,"  a  forcible  and  yet  pathetic 
 hymn  on  Jesus  at  the  door;  "Eor  all  the  saints  who 
 from  their  labour  rest,"  a  thanksgiving  for  departed 
 saints."  All  these  are  included  in  "  Hymns  Ancient  and 
 Modem."  His  hymns  for  certain  seasons  of  the  natural 
 year  seem  to  me  very  felicitous.  Here  is  the  one  on 
 summer : — 
 
 Summer  suns  are  glowing  over  land  and  sea, 
 Happy  light  is  flowing  bountiful  and  free. 
 
 Everything  rejoices  in  the  mellow  rays, 
 
 All  earth's  thousand  voices  swell  the  psalm  of  praise. 
 
 God's  free  mercy  streameth  over  all  the  world, 
 And  His  banner  gleameth  everywhere  unfurled. 
 
 Broad  and  deep  and  glorioun  as  the  heaven  above 
 Shines  in  might  victorious  His  eternal  love. 
 
 Lord,  upon  our  blindness  Thy  pure  radiance  pour, 
 For  Thy  lovingkindness  makes  us  love  Thee  more. 
 
 And  when  clouds  are  drifting  dark  across  our  sky, 
 Then,  the  veil  uplifting,  Father,  be  Thou  nigh. 
 
270  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 We  will  never  doubt  Thee,  though  Thou  veil  Thy  light, 
 Life  is  dark  without  Thee ;  death  with  Thee  is  bright. 
 
 Light  of  light !  shine  o'er  us  on  our  pilgrim  way, 
 Go  Thou  still  before  us  to  the  endless  day. 
 
 This  is  his  hymn  for  autumn  :  — 
 
 The  year  is  swiftly  waning  ; 
 
 The  summer  days  are  past : 
 And  life,  brief  life,  is  speeding  ; 
 
 The  end  is  nearing  fast. 
 
 The  ever-changing  seasons 
 
 In  silence  come  and  go  ; 
 But  Thou,  Eternal  Father, 
 
 No  time  or  change  canst  know. 
 
 O  pour  Thy  grace  upon  us. 
 
 That  we  may  worthier  be. 
 Each  year  that  passes  o'er  us, 
 
 To  dwell  in  heaven  with  Thee. 
 
 Behold  the  bending  orchards 
 
 With  bounteous  fruit  are  crowned  ; 
 
 Lord,  in  our  hearts  more  richly 
 Let  heavenly  fruits  abound. 
 
 Oh,  by  each  mercy  sent  us, 
 
 And  by  each  grief  and  pain. 
 By  blessings  like  the  sunshine, 
 
 And  sorrows  like  the  rain — 
 
 Our  barren  hearts  make  fruitful 
 
 With  every  goodly  grace. 
 That  we  Thy  name  may  hallow, 
 
 And  see  at  last  Thy  lace. 
 
 This  is  his  hymn  for  winter  : — 
 
 Winter  reigneth  o'er  the  land, 
 Freezing  with  its  icy  breath, 
 Dead  and  bare  the  tall  trees  stand ; 
 All  is  chill  and  drear  as  death. 
 
 Yet  it  seemeth  but  a  day 
 Since  the  summer  flowers  were  here. 
 Since  they  stacked  the  balmy  hay. 
 Since  they  reaped  the  golden  ear. 
 
 Sunny  days  are  past  and  gone  : 
 So  the  years  go,  speeding  fast, 
 Onward  ever  each  new  one 
 Swifter  speeding  than  the  last. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—IL  271 
 
 Life  is  waning,  life  is  brief ; 
 Death,  like  winter,  standeth  nigh  ; 
 Each  one,  like  the  falling  leaf. 
 Soon  shall  fade,  and  fall,  and  die. 
 
 But  the  sleeping  earth  shall  wake, 
 And  the  flowers  shall  burst  in  bloom, 
 And  all  nature  rising  break 
 Glorious  frona  its  wintry  tomb. 
 
 So,  Lord,  after  slumber  blest, 
 Comes  a  bright  awakening. 
 And  our  flesh  in  hope  shall  rest 
 Of  a  never-fading  spring. 
 
 The    following,    on  ''It     is    I,    be  not  afraid,"  is   very 
 tender: — 
 
 When  the  dark  waves  round  us  roll. 
 
 And  we  look  in  vain  for  aid, 
 Speak,  Lord,  to  the  trembling  soul, — 
 
 "  It  is  I ;  be  not  afraid," 
 
 When  we  dimly  trace  Thy  form 
 
 In  mysterous  clouds  arrayed. 
 Be  the  echo  of  the  storm, — 
 
 "  It  is  1 ;  be  not  afraid." 
 
 When  our  brightest  hopes  depart. 
 
 When  our  fairest  visions  fade, 
 Whisper  to  the  fainting  heart, — 
 
 "  It  is  I ;  be  not  afraid." 
 
 When  we  weep  beside  the  bier, 
 
 Where  some  well- loved  form  is  laid, 
 
 O  may  then  the  mourner  hear, — 
 ''  It  is  I ;  be  not  afraid." 
 
 When  with  wearing,  hopeless  pain, 
 
 Sinks  the  spirit  sore  dismayed, 
 Breathe  Thou  then  the  comfort-strain — 
 
 "  It  is  I ;  be  not  afraid." 
 
 When  we  feel  the  end  is  near. 
 
 Passing  into  death's  dark  shade, 
 May  the  voice  be  strong  and  clear, — 
 
 "  It  is  I ;  be  not  afraid." 
 
 One  of  the  best   hymns   on   the  Word   of   Grod   is   the 
 following : — 
 
272  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 O  Word  of  God  Incarnate, 
 
 O  Wisdom  from  on  high, 
 O  Truth  unchanged,  unchanging, 
 
 O  Light  of  our  dark  sky  ; 
 We  praise  Thee  for  the  radiance 
 
 That  from  the  hallowed  page, 
 A  lantern  to  our  footsteps, 
 
 Shines  on  from  age  to  age. 
 
 The  Church  from  Thee,  her  Master, 
 
 Received  the  gift  Divine  ; 
 And  still  that  light  she  lifteth 
 
 O'er  all  the  earth  to  shine. 
 It  is  the  golden  casket 
 
 Where  gems  of  truth  are  stored ; 
 It  is  the  heaven-drawn  picture 
 
 Of  Thee,  the  living  Word. 
 
 It  floateth  like  a  banner 
 
 Before  God's  host  unfurled 
 It  shineth  like  a  beacon 
 
 Above  the  darkling  world  ; 
 It  is  the  chart  and  compass, 
 
 That  o'er  life's  surging  sea, 
 'Mid  mists  and  rocks  and  quicksands, 
 
 Still  guides,  O  Christ,  to  Thee 
 
 0  make  Thy  Church,  dear  Saviour, 
 
 A  lamp  of  burnished  gold, 
 To  bear  before  the  nations 
 
 Thy  true  light,  as  of  old. 
 O  teach  Thy  wandering  pilgrims 
 
 By  this  their  path  to  trace. 
 Till,  clouds  and  darkness  ended. 
 
 They  see  Thee  face  to  face. 
 
 Of  his  hymns  for  cliildren  I  will  speak  in  the  chapter  on 
 that  subject.  Useful  as  has  been  Bishop  How's  work  in 
 other  directions,  he  will  probably  be  longest  remembered 
 by  the  hymns  he  has  contributed  to  the  worship  of  the 
 Church. 
 
 Godfrey  Thring  (born  1823),  rector  of  Alford-with- 
 Hornblotton,  Somerset,  is  one  of  the  most  considerable 
 contributors   to   hymnody   of    our   time.      A   large   pro- 
 
LIVING  HYMNIST8.—1L  273 
 
 portion    of    his    hymns   have    passed    into    actual    use. 
 
 *'  The  Church  of  England  Hymn  Book,"  edited  by  him, 
 
 which   touches  a   higher  literary  and  poetic  level  than 
 
 any  other   specially  prepared   for   that   church,  contains 
 
 fifty -nine    hymns    from    his    pen ;     to    say    nothing   of 
 
 verses  added  to   hymns  by  other  writers.     This  is  too 
 
 large   a  number  to   be   inserted  in   a   single   collection 
 
 from  the  same  pen,  and  forms  the  defect  of  the  book ;  still 
 
 it  must  be  acknowledged  that  most   of  his  hymns  are 
 
 of  great  merit.     His  Evening  Hymn,  in  its  amended  form, 
 
 is,   perhaps,   one  of  his  finest.      In  it,  the  first  line  of 
 
 the    second  verse  spoke  of    "  Our   life  is   but   a  fading 
 
 dawn."      This  was   afterwards  altered   to    "  Our  life  is 
 
 but  an  autumn  day,"  which  is   an  improvement,  since 
 
 the  dawn  does  not  fade,  but  grows  to  the  perfect  day. 
 
 Mr.  Stopford   Brooke   says   the   alteration  was   made  at 
 
 his  suggestion,  but   Mr.  Thring   has   no  recollection  of 
 
 such  a  suggestion.     I  quote  the  hymn  in   its  amended 
 
 form : — 
 
 The  radiant  morn  hath  passed  away, 
 And  spent  too  soon  her  golden  store ; 
 The  shadows  of  departing  day 
 Creep  on  once  more. 
 
 Our  life  is  but  an  autumn  day, 
 It8  glorious  noon  how  quickly  past  ;— 
 Lead  us,  O  Christ,  Thou  Living  Way, 
 Safe  home  at  last. 
 
 Oh  !  by  Thy  soul-inspiring  grace 
 Uplift  our  hearts  to  realms  on  high  : 
 Help  us  to  look  to  that  bright  place 
 Beyond  the  sky  ; — 
 
 Where  light,  and  life,  and  joy  and  peace 
 In  undivided  empire  reign. 
 And  thronging  angels  never  cease 
 Their  deathless  strain  : — 
 
274  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Where  saints  are  clothed  in  spotless  white, 
 And  evening  shadows  never  fall. 
 Where  Thou,  Eternal  Light  of  Light 
 Art  Lord  of  all. 
 
 Equally  beautiful  and  most  picturesque  is  "Pierce  rag(!cl 
 the  tempest  o'er  the  deep,"  which  in  few  words  calls 
 up  the  whole  scene  of  the  stilling  of  the  tempest.  It  is 
 far  finer  than  the  ancient  hymn,  on  the  same  subject, 
 by  St.  Anatolius  "  Pierce  was  the  wild  billow."  His 
 Sunday  morning  hymn  is  very  lovely  : — 
 
 Hail,  sacred  day  of  earthly  rest. 
 
 From  toil  and  trouble  Iree ; 
 Hail,  quiet  spirit,  bringing  peace 
 And  joy  to  me. 
 
 A  holy  stillness,  breathing  calm 
 
 On  all  the  world  around, 
 Uplifts  my  soul,  O  God,  to  Thee, 
 Where  rest  is  found. 
 
 No  sound  of  jarring  strife  is  heard. 
 
 As  weekly  labours  cease  ; 
 No  voice,  but  those  that  sweetly  sing 
 Sweet  songs  of  peace. 
 
 All  earthly  things  appear  to  fade, 
 
 As,  rising  high  and  higher. 
 The  yearning  voices  strive  to  join 
 The  heavenly  choir. 
 
 For  those  who  sing  with  saints  below, 
 
 Glad  songs  of  heavenly  love, 
 Shall  sing,  when  songs  on  earth  have  ceased, 
 With  saints  above. 
 
 Accept,  O  God,  my  hymn  of  praise 
 
 That  Thou  this  day  liast  given, 
 Sweet  foretaste  of  that  endless  day 
 Of  rest  in  iieaven. 
 
 "  Saviour,  blessed  Saviour  "  is  very  lyric,  but  would  have 
 been  improved  by  compression.  The  following  is  a  very 
 happy  and  spiritual,  rendering  of  the  idea  of  the  coming  of 
 Christ :— 
 
LIVING  JSYMmSTS.—IL  275 
 
 Jesus  came — the  heavens  adoring — 
 Came  with  peace  from  reahns  on  high ; 
 
 Jeeus  came  for  man's  redemption, 
 Lowly  came  on  earth  to  die : 
 
 Hallelujah  !  Hallelujah ; 
 Came  in  deep  humility. 
 
 Jesus  comes  again  in  mercy, 
 
 When  our  hearts  are  bowed  vrlth  c.ire  ; 
 
 Je>us  comes  again  in  answer 
 
 To  an  earnest,  heart-felt  prayer  ; 
 
 Hallelujah !  Hallelujah ! 
 
 Comes  to  save  us  from  despair. 
 
 Jesus  comes  to  hearts  rejoicing, 
 
 Bringing  news  of  sins  forgiven ; 
 Jesus  comes  in  sounds  of  gladness 
 
 Leading  souls  redeemed  to  heaven  ; 
 Hallelujah  !  Hallelujah ! 
 
 Now  the  gate  of  death  is  riven. 
 Jesus  comes  in  joy  and  sorrow 
 
 Shares  alike  our  hopes  and  fears  ; 
 Jesus  comes,  whate'er  befalls  ug. 
 
 Glads  our  hearts,  and  dries  our  tears  ; 
 Hallelujah !  H-illelujah  ! 
 
 Cheering  e'en  our  failing  years. 
 
 Jesus  comes  on  clouds  triumphant. 
 When  the  heavens  shall  pass  away  ; 
 
 Jesus  comes  again  in  glory ; — 
 Let  us  then  our  homage  pay, 
 
 Hallelujah  !  ever  singing. 
 Till  the  dawn  of  endless  day. 
 
 His  liymn  on   the  "Holy  Spirit"  is  both  beautiful  and 
 original  in  conception  : — 
 
 H'-ar  us,  Thou  that  broodest 
 
 O'er  the  watery  deep. 
 Waking  all  creation 
 
 From  its  primal  sleep  ; 
 Holy  Spirit,  breathing 
 Breath  of  life  divine, 
 Breathe  into  our  spirits, 
 Blending  them  with  Thine. 
 Light  and  Life  Lnmortal ! 
 
 Hear  us  as  we  raise 
 Hearts,  as  well  as  voices. 
 Mingling  priyer  and  pr vise. 
 
276  TEE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 When  the  sun  arisetli 
 
 In  the  cloudless  f-ky, 
 May  we  feel  Thy  presence. 
 
 Holy  Spirit,  nigh ; 
 Shed  Thy  radiance  o'er  us, 
 
 Keep  it  cloudless  still, 
 Through  the  day  before  us, 
 
 Perfecting  Thy  will. 
 
 Light  and  Life  Immortal !  etc. 
 
 When  the  fight  is  fiercest 
 
 In  the  noontide  heat, 
 Bear  us,  Holy  Spirit, 
 
 To  our  Saviour's  feet. 
 There  to  find  a  refuge 
 
 Till  our  work  is  done 
 There  to  fight  the  battle 
 
 Till  the  battle's  won. 
 
 Light  and  Life  Immortal !  etc. 
 
 If  the  day  be  falling 
 
 Sadly  as  it  goes. 
 Slowly  in  its  sadness 
 
 Sinking  to  its  close, 
 May  Thy  love  in  mercy 
 
 Kindling,  hear  it  die. 
 Cast  a  ray  of  glory. 
 
 O'er  our  evening  sky. 
 
 Light  and  Life  Immortal !  etc. 
 
 ]\Iorning,  noon,  and  evening, 
 
 Whensoe'er  it  be. 
 Grant  us,  gracious  Spirit, 
 
 QuickeniDg  Hfe  in  Thee  ; 
 Life,  that  gives  us,  living, 
 
 Life  of  heavenly  love. 
 Life,  that  brings  us,  dying. 
 
 Life  from  heaven  above. 
 
 Light  and  Lite  Immortal !  etc. 
 
 To  him  we  owe  what  is  probably  the  finest  version  for 
 singing  of  Luther's  "  Ein  feste  bnrg  ist  nnser  Gott." 
 Carlyle's  version  is  ruggedly  good,  but  not  adapted  for 
 worship. 
 
 Walter  Chalmers  Smith  (bom   1824),  minister  of  the 
 Pree  High  Church,  Edinburgh  is  widely  known  by  his 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.-IL  277 
 
 published  poems —  "  Olrig  Grange,"  "  Hilda  among  the 
 Broken  Gods,"  ^'JS'orth  Country  Folk,"  "  Kildrostan," 
 *' The  Bishop's  Walk,"  &c.,  which  are  among  the  finest 
 produced  in  recent  years  in  Scotland.  In  1867  Dr.  Smith 
 published  a  small  volume,  "Hymns  of  Christ  and  the 
 Christian  Life,"  and  though  he  afterwards  regretted  its 
 publication,  it  contains  fine  materials,  which  only  need 
 revision  and  slight  alterations  to  render  their  metre  correct, 
 to  make  noble  hymns  for  worship.  Two  of  these  were 
 subjected  to  this  at  my  request  by  Dr.  Smith,  and 
 included  in  my  "  Congregational  Hymns."  They  have 
 already  become  favourites  in  the  churches  in  which  that 
 collection  is  used.  Eeaders  may  judge  whether  they  are 
 not  of  high  excellence.  The  first  is  on  "  The  King 
 Eternal,  Immortal,  Invisible  "  : — 
 
 Immortal,  invisible,  God  only  wise, 
 
 In  light  inaccessible  hid  from  cm:  eyes, 
 
 Most  blessed,  most  glorious,  the  Ancient  of  Days, 
 
 Almighty,  victorious.  Thy  great  nams  we  praise. 
 
 Unresting,  unhasting,  and  silent  as  light, 
 Nor  wanting,  nor  wasting,  Thou  rulest  in  might ; 
 Thy  Justice  like  mountains  high  soaring  above ; 
 Thy  clouds  which  are  fountains  of  goodness  and  love. 
 
 To  all,  life  Thou  givest — to  both  great  and  small ; 
 In  all  life  Thou  livest,  the  true  life  of  all ; 
 We  blossom  and  flourish  as  leaves  on  the  tree, 
 And  wither  and  perish — but  nought  changeth  Thee. 
 
 To-day  and  to-morrow  with  Thee  still  are  Now ; 
 Nor  trouble,  nor  sorrow,  nor  care,  Lord,  hast  Thou  ; 
 Nor  passion  doth  fever,  nor  age  can  decay. 
 The  same  God  for  ever  that  was  yesterday. 
 
 Great  Father  of  Glory,  pure  Father  of  Light, 
 Thine  angels  adore  Thee,  all  veiliBg  their  sight  1 
 But  of  all  Thy  rich  graces  this  grace,  Lord,  impart. 
 Take  the  veil  from  our  faces,  the  veil  from  our  heart. 
 
278  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 All  laud  we  would  render ;  O  help  us  to  see, 
 
 'Tis  only  the  splendour  of  light  hideth  Thee  • 
 
 And  so  let  Thy  glory,  Almighty,  impart, 
 
 Through  Christ  in  the  story.  Thy  Christ  to  the  heart. 
 
 The  second  on  "  The  Lord  reigneth,  let  the  earth 
 rejoice"  is  equally  fine;  the  third  verse  especially  is  as 
 musical  as  it  is  picturesque  : — 
 
 Lord,  God  Omnipotent, 
 
 Lord  God  alone, 
 High  o'er  the  firmament 
 
 Planting  Thy  Throne, 
 Curtained  about  with  light, 
 Under  Thy  feet  a  bright 
 
 Pavement  of  stars, 
 No  shade  of  darksome  night 
 
 Thy  glory  mars. 
 
 Sun,  moon,  and  stars  fulfil 
 
 Their  times  by  Thee  ; 
 Angtls  to  do  Thy  will 
 
 Fleet  lightnings  be ; 
 Kain,  hail,  and  i'rost  and  snow. 
 And  all  the  winds  that  blow. 
 
 Are  at  Thy  nod ; 
 Oceans  and  tempests  know 
 
 Their  mighty  God. 
 
 Thou  breathest  on  the  earth. 
 
 And  there  is  spring, 
 Leaf  buds  come  bursting  forth, 
 
 All  the  birds  sing. 
 Flocks  on  the  hills  are  seen 
 Herds  on  the?  meadows  green. 
 
 Forests  rejoice, 
 All  that  had  silent  been 
 
 Lilts  up  its  voice. 
 
 Thou  art  our  fortress  strong, 
 
 Our  sun  and  shield. 
 Thou  art  our  triumph-song 
 
 On  battle  field  ; 
 By  thee  we  vanquish  still 
 World  foe  and  carnal  will. 
 
 All  hell's  array ; 
 Thou  wilt  Thy  plan  fulfil. 
 
 Plot  as  they  may. 
 
LIVING  HYMNI8TS.~IL  279 
 
 Lord  God  Omnipotent, 
 
 'Bide  with  Thy  flock  ; 
 O  keep  them,  when  they  faint, 
 
 Safe  on  the  Rock ; 
 Show  them  Thy  tender  grace, 
 And  the  light  of  Thy  face 
 
 To  them  accord  : 
 Praise  to  Thy  holiness, 
 
 Praise  to  the  Lord. 
 
 This  hymn  offers  a  fine  opportunity  for  a  musician  to  wed 
 to  noble  music. 
 
 George  MacDonald   (born   1824),   widely  known  as   a 
 writer  of  fiction,  pervaded  by  strong  religious  conviction, 
 and  by   moans  of  Avhich  he  has   deeply   influenced  the 
 theological  thought  of  the  present  age,  carrying  the  ideas 
 which    mark    the    school    of   Thomas    Erskine,    Macleod 
 Campbell,   and  Frederick  Denison    Maurice,  into    a    far 
 wider  circle  than  their  works  ever  reached,  has  written  a 
 good  deal  of  poetry  marked  by  fine  religious  insight,  but 
 scarcely  brought  to  sufficient  clearness  of  expression  to 
 become    popular.       At  the    request   of   the    Editors    of 
 "Hymns  and  Sacred  Songs  for  Sunday  Schools  and  Social 
 Worship"   (1873),  he  wrote  several  hymns  which  have 
 since  undergone  careful  revision,  and  been  inclnded  in  his 
 ''Works  of  Eancy  and  Imagination"  (10  vols.).     These 
 are  highly  poetic,  touched  with  a  fine  Christian  mysticism 
 and  dealing  with  aspects  of  truth  which  ordinary  hymnists 
 have  rarely  discerned,  and  certainly  have  not  expressed  in 
 their  writings.     The  finest  of  his  hymns  are  the  following, 
 which  as  they  are  known   only  to  a  limited  circle,  and 
 have  passed  into  few  hymnals,  I  quote.     The  first  shall  be 
 one  on  "  The  Son  of  Man  "  :— 
 
280  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 0  Son  of  Man — Thy  name  by  choice — 
 
 Our  hope,  our  joy,  our  lite, 
 Make  us  like  Thee,  whose  gentle  voice 
 
 Was  never  heard  in  strife. 
 
 Holy  and  harmless,  undefiled, 
 
 On  earth  Thou  wert  alone  ; 
 Come  from  the  depths  of  heaven,  a  child, 
 
 To  make  the  lost  Thine  own. 
 
 To  be  a  glory  in  our  night. 
 
 And  bring  us  from  above, 
 The  way  heaven's  children  live  all  bright, 
 
 With  self-forgetting  love. 
 
 In  all  things  like  Thy  brethren  made, 
 
 O  teach  us  how  to  be 
 With  meekness,  gentleness,  arrayed, 
 
 In  all  things  like  to  Thee, 
 
 The  second  is  on  "  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for 
 theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  "  : — 
 
 Our  Father,  hear  our  longing  prayer, 
 
 And  help  this  prayer  to  flow, 
 That  humble  thoughts,  which  are  Thy  care, 
 
 May  live  in  us  and  grow. 
 
 For  lowly  heai'ts  shall  understand 
 
 The  peace,  the  calm  delight. 
 Of  dwelling  in  Thy  heavenly  land, 
 
 A  pleasure  in  Thy  sight. 
 
 Give  us  humility,  that  so 
 
 Thy  reign  may  come  within. 
 And  when  Thy  children  homeward  go. 
 
 We  too  may  enter  in. 
 
 Hear  us,  our  Saviour  !  ours  Thou  art, 
 
 Though  we  are  not  like  Thee ; 
 Give  us  Thy  Spirit  in  a  heart 
 
 Large,  lowly,  trusting,  free. 
 
 The  finest,  certainly  the  most  poetic,  is  one  which  lays 
 stress  on  the  fact  that  "  The  meek  inherit  the  earth"  : — 
 
 A  quiet  heart,  submissive,  meek. 
 
 Father,  do  Thou  bestow. 
 Which  more  than  granted  will  not  seek 
 
 To  have,  or  give,  or  know. 
 
LIVING  HYMNIST8.-IL  281 
 
 Each  little  hill  then  holds  its  gift 
 
 Forth  to  my  joying  eyes; 
 Each  mighty  mountain  will  uplift 
 
 My  spirit  to  the  skies. 
 
 Lo,  then  the  running  water  sounds 
 
 With  gladsome  secret  things  ! 
 The  silent  water  more  abounds, 
 
 And  more  the  hidden  springs. 
 
 Sweet  murmurs  then  the  trees  will  send, 
 
 To  hold  the  birds  in  song ; 
 The  waving  grass  its  tribute  lend 
 
 Low  music  to  prolong. 
 
 The  sun  will  cast  great  crowns  of  light, 
 
 On  waves  that  anthems  roar  ; 
 The  dusky  billows  break  at  night 
 
 In  flashes  on  the  shore. 
 
 Yea,  every  lily's  shining  cup, 
 
 The  hum  of  hidden  bee, 
 The  odours  floating  mingled  up. 
 
 With  insect  revelry, — 
 
 All  hues,  all  harmonies  divine, 
 
 The  holy  earth  about. 
 Their  souls  will  send  forth  into  mine, 
 
 My  soul  to  widen  out. 
 
 And  thus  the  great  earth  1  shall  hold 
 
 A  perfect  gift  of  Thine, 
 Kicher  by  these,  a  thousand-fold. 
 
 Than  if  broad  lands  were  mine. 
 
 AVith  the  increase  of  spiritual  insight  in  the  Church,  such 
 hymns  as  these  are  sure  to  be  more  largely  appreciated 
 and  used. 
 
 Lawrence  Tuttiett  (born  1825),  of  St.  Andrew's,  N.B., 
 is  gifted  with  a  peculiar  power  of  tender  expression,  and 
 his  hymns  have  a  certain  distinctness  of  thonght,  which 
 make  them  of  great  value.  This  will  be  evident  from  the 
 examples  I  quote  below  ;  no  two  are  at  all  alike.  In  his 
 most  tender  style  is  the  following  : — 
 
282  THE  HYMN  LOVEE, 
 
 O  Jesu,  ever  present, 
 
 0  Shepherd,  ever  kind, 
 Thy  very  Name  is  music 
 
 To  ear,  and  heart,  and  mind. 
 
 It  woke  my  wondering  childhood 
 To  muse  on  things  above  ; 
 
 It  drew  my  harder  manhood 
 With  cords  of  mighty  love. 
 
 How  oft  to  sure  destruction 
 My  feet  had  gone  astray, 
 
 Wert  Thou  not,  patient  Shepherd, 
 The  Guardian  of  my  w^ay. 
 
 How  oft  in  darkness  fallen. 
 And  wounded  sore  by  sin, 
 
 Thy  Hand  has  gently  raised  me, 
 And  healing  balm  poured  in. 
 
 0  Shepherd  good,  I  follow 
 Wherever  Thou  wilt  lead  ; 
 
 No  matter  where  the  pasture 
 With  Thee  at  hand  to  feed. 
 
 Thy  voice,  in  life  so  mighty. 
 In  death  shall  make  me  bold  ; 
 
 O  bring  my  ransomed  spirit 
 To  Thine  eternal  fold. 
 
 The  following  hymn  on  the  coming  of  Christ  the  Judge,  is 
 
 very  searching  and  powerful  with  a  strain  of  subdued 
 
 tenderness  running  through  it : — 
 
 O  quickly  come,  dread  Judge  of  all ; 
 For  awful  though  Thine  Advent  be. 
 All  shadows  from  the  truth  will  tall. 
 And  falsehood  die  in  sight  of  Thee  : 
 0  quickly  come :  for  doubt  and  fear 
 Like  clouds  dissolve  when  Thou  art  near. 
 
 O  quickly  come,  great  King  of  all ; 
 Keign  all  around  us,  and  within  ; 
 Let  sin  no  more  our  souls  enthral. 
 Let  pain  and  sorrow  die  with  sin : 
 O  quickly  come  :  for  Thou  alone 
 Canst  make  Thy  scattered  people  one. 
 
 O  quickly  come,  true  Life  of  all, 
 For  death  is  mighty  all  around  ; 
 On  every  home  his  shadows  fall. 
 On  every  heart  his  mark  is  found  : 
 O  quickly  come  :  for  grief  and  pain 
 Can  never  cloud  Thy  glorious  reign. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—II.  283 
 
 O  quickly  come,  true  Light  of  all ; 
 F(  r  gloomy  night  broods  o'er  our  way  ; 
 And  weakly  souls  begin  to  fall 
 With  weary  watching  for  the  day  : 
 O  quickly  come :  for  round  Thy  throne 
 No  eye  is  blind,  no  night  is  known. 
 
 The  following  is  a  very  spiritual  and  yet  strongly  ethical 
 
 hymn : — 
 
 O  grant  us  light,  that  we  may  know 
 
 The  wisdom  Thou  alone  canst  give  ; 
 That  truth  may  guide  where'er  we  go, 
 And  virtue  ble^s  where'er  we  live. 
 
 O  grant  us  light,  that  we  may  see 
 
 Where  error  lurks  in  human  lore. 
 And  turn  our  doubting  minds  to  Thee, 
 
 And  love  Thy  simple  word  the  more. 
 
 0  grant  us  light,  that  we  may  learn 
 
 How  dead  is  life  from  Thee  apart ; 
 How  sure  is  joy  for  all  who  turn 
 
 To  Thee  an  undivided  lieart. 
 
 0  grant  us  light,  in  grief  and  pain, 
 
 To  liit  our  burdened  hearts  above, 
 And  count  the  very  cross  a  gain, 
 
 And  bless  our  Father's  hidden  love. 
 
 O  grant  us  light,  when  soon  or  late 
 
 All  earthly  scenes  shall  pass  away, 
 In  Thee  to  find  the  open  gate 
 
 To  deathless  home  and  endless  day. 
 
 Probably  the  most  popular  of  his  hymns  is  that  for  the 
 
 I^ew  Year : — 
 
 Father,  here  we  dedicate 
 ♦  All  our  time  to  Thee, 
 
 In  whatever  worldly  state 
 
 Thou  wouldst  have  us  be  ; 
 Not  from  trouble,  loss,  or  care 
 
 Freedom  would  we  claim  ; 
 This  alone  shall  be  our  prayer, 
 
 "  Glorify  Thy  na7ne." 
 
 Can  a  child  pretend  to  choose 
 
 Where  or  how  to  live  ? 
 Can  a  Father's  love  refuse 
 
 What  is  beet  to  give  ? 
 
284  THE  HYMN  LOVEB.. 
 
 More  Thou  grantest  every  day 
 
 Than  the  best  can  claim ; 
 Nor  withholdest  aught  that  may 
 
 "  Glorify  Thy  Name." 
 If  in  mercy  Thou  wilt  spare 
 
 Joys  that  yet  are  ours, 
 If  our  future  life  may  bear 
 
 Some  few  brighter  flowers ; 
 Let  our  glad  hearts,  while  they  sing, 
 
 Thee  in  all  proclaim  ; 
 And  whate'er  this  year  may  bring, 
 
 "  Glorify  Thy  Name.'" 
 If  we  must,  in  grief  and  loss, 
 
 Thy  behest  obey, 
 If  beneath  the  shadowing  cross 
 
 Lies  our  homeward  way, 
 We  will  think  what  Thy  dear  Son 
 
 Once  for  us  became. 
 And  repeat,  till  life  is  done, 
 
 "  Glorify  Thy  Name:' 
 
 John  EUerton,  M.A.  (bom  1826),  vicar  of  White 
 Kothing,  is,  in  my  judgment,  on-e  of,  if  not  the  very 
 greatest  of  living  hymnists.  He  is  not  quite  so  lyric  as 
 Bishop  Walsham  How,  nor  gifted  with  so  popular  a  style 
 r.s  Dr.  Bonar,  nor  so  delicate  and  statuesque  as  Cardinal 
 l^ewman,  nor  so  pathetic  as  George  E-awson,  nor  so  quaint 
 as  Thomas  Hornblower  Gill,  but  for  the  union  of  strength 
 and  tenderness  he  is  excelled  by  no  hymnist  of  our 
 day.  He  has,  too,  at  his  command,  a  variety  of  style  and 
 subject  which  is  a  very  rare  gift  among  the  contributors 
 to  the  hymnody  of  the  Church.  The  best  known  of  his 
 hymns  is  that  for  Sunday  evening,  "  Saviour  again  to  Thy 
 dear  ^ame  we  raise,"  which  is  as  tenderly  spiritual  as  it 
 is  ethically  strong.  It  is  too  well  known  to  require 
 quoting,  and  is  sung  perhaps  as  frequently  as  the  hymns 
 for  the  same  season  by  Ken,  Lyte,  or  Keble.  Deeply 
 solemn  and^impressive  is  his  hymn  on  the  Crucifixion:  — 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—IL  285 
 
 Throned  upon  the  awful  Tree, 
 King  of  grief,  I  watch  with  Thee ; 
 Darkness  veils  Thine  anguished  face, 
 None  its  lines  of  woe  can  trace, 
 None  can  tell  what  pangs  unknown 
 Hold  Thee  silent  and  alone. 
 
 Silent  through  those  three  dread  hours, 
 Wrestling  with  the  evil  powers, 
 Left  alone  with  human  sin, 
 Gloom  around  Thee  and  within, 
 Till  the  appointed  time  is  nigh, 
 Till  the  Lamb  of  God  may  die. 
 
 Hark  that  cry  that  peals  aloud 
 Upward  through  the  whelming  cloud ! 
 Thou,  the  Father's  only  Son, 
 Thou,  His  own  Anointed  One. 
 Thou  dost  ask  him — "  Can  it  be  ? 
 Why  haet  Thou  forsaken  Me  ?  " 
 
 Lord,  should  fear  and  anguish  roll 
 
 Darkly  o'er  my  sinful  soul. 
 
 Thou,  who  once  wast  thus  bereft 
 
 That  Thine  own  might  ne'er  be  left — 
 
 Teach  me  by  that  bitter  cry 
 
 In  the  gloom  to  know  Thee  nigh. 
 
 The   most   powerful  of  his  hymns,  however,  is  that    on 
 
 "  All  live  unto  Him,"  which  is  at  once  a  protest  against 
 
 the    unworthy    ideas    of    death,    which    have    so    often 
 
 prevailed,  and  an  assertion  of  the  fact  that  life  follows  at 
 
 once,  and  not  after  a  long  interval  of  sleep,  on  departure 
 
 from  the  present  world  : — 
 
 God  of  the  living,  in  whose  eyes, 
 Unveiled  Thy  whole  creation  lies ; 
 All  souls  are  Thine  ;  we  must  not  say 
 That  those  are  dead  who  pass  away  ; 
 From  this  our  world  of  flesh  set  free. 
 We  know  them  living  unto  Thee. 
 
 Released  from  earthly  toil  and  strife, 
 
 With  Thee  is  hidden  still  their  life  ; 
 
 Thine  are  their  thoughts,  their  works,  their  powers, 
 
 All  Thine,  and  yet  most  truly  ours  ; 
 
 For  well  we  know,  where'er  they  be. 
 
 Our  dead  are  living  unto  Thee. 
 
286  THE  HYMN  LOVEn. 
 
 Not  spilt  like  water  on  the  ground, 
 Not  wrapped  in  dreamless  sleep  profound, 
 Not  wandering  in  unknown  despair 
 Beyond  Thy  voice,  Thine  arm,  Tliy  care; 
 Not  left  to  lie  like  fallen  tree  ; 
 Not  dead,  but  living  unto  Thee. 
 
 Thy  word  is  true,  Thy  will  is  just ; 
 To  Thee  we  leave  them,  Lord,  in  trust ; 
 And  bless  Thee  for  the  love  which  gave 
 Thy  Son  to  fill  a  human  grave, 
 That  none  might  fear  that  world  to  see, 
 Where  all  are  living  unto  Thee. 
 
 O  Breather  into  men  of  breath, 
 O  Holder  of  the  keys  of  death, 
 O  Giver  of  the  life  within, 
 Save  us  from  death,  the  defth  of  sin  ; 
 That  bo^y,  soul,  and  spirit,  be 
 For  ever  living  unto  Thee. 
 
 His    Sunday   morning  hymn   is  cast  in  a  very  firm  and 
 
 rousing  key : — 
 
 This  is  the  day  of  Light ! 
 Let  there  be  light  to  day  ! 
 O  Dayspring,  rise  upon  our  night, 
 And  chase  its  gloom  away. 
 
 This  is  the  day  oi"  Rest ! 
 Our  failing  strength  renew  ; 
 On  weary  brain  and  troubled  breast 
 Shed  Thou  Thy  freshening  dew. 
 
 This  is  th'3  day  of  Peace  ! 
 Thy  Peace  our  sprits  fill ; 
 Bid  Thou  the  blasts  of  discord  cease  : 
 The  waves  of  strife  be  still. 
 
 This  is  the  day  of  Prayer  ! 
 Let  earth  to  heaven  draw  near  ; 
 Lift  up  our  hearts  to  seek  Thee  there 
 Come  down  to  meet  us  here. 
 
 This  is  the  Fir-;t  of  days  ! 
 Send  forth  Thy  quickening  breath. 
 And  wake  dead  souls  to  love  and  praise, 
 O  Vanquisher  of  Death  ! 
 
 I   am   inclined  to   reckon  his   other  hymns  for    Sunday 
 evening,  though  not  so  well  known,  yet  as  equal  in  merit 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.~IL  287 
 
 and  perhaps  more  original  than  the  one  named.  The 
 assertion  of  the  continuance  of  worship  ;  the  failing  note 
 of  one  land  being  taken  up  by  the  opening  one  of  others  is 
 exceedingly  fine  in  the  following  hymn  : — 
 
 The  day  Thou  gavest,  Lord,  is  ended, 
 
 The  darkness  falls  at  Thy  behest ; 
 To  Thee  our  morning  hymns  ascended, 
 
 Thy  praise  shall  hallow  now  our  rest. 
 
 We  thank  Thee  that  Thy  Church  unsleeping, 
 
 Wliile  earth  rolls  onward  into  light, 
 Through  all  the  world  her  watch  is  keeping, 
 
 And  rests  not  now  by  day  or  night. 
 
 As  o'er  each  continent  and  island 
 
 The  dawn  leads  on  another  day. 
 The  voice  of  prayer  is  never  silent. 
 
 Nor  dies  the  strain  of  praise  away. 
 
 The  sun,  that  bids  us  rest,  is  waking 
 
 Our  brethren  'neath  the  western  sky, 
 And  hour  by  hour  fresh  lips  are  making 
 
 Thy  W'Ondrous  doings  heard  on  higli. 
 
 So  be  it,  Lord ;  Thy  throne  bhall  never, 
 Like  earth's  proud  empires,  pass  away  ; 
 
 But  stand,  and  rule,  and  grow  for  ever, 
 Till  all  Thy  creatures  own  Thy  sway. 
 
 Whilst  the  following  is  charming,  as  a  close  to  the 
 AVorship  of  the  Sabbath  :  — 
 
 The  Lord  be  with  us  as  we  bend 
 His  blessings  to  receive  ; 
 
 His  gi<'t  of  peace  upon  us  send, 
 Before  His  courts  we  leave. 
 
 The  Lord  be  with  us  as  we  walk 
 Along  our  homeward  road  ; 
 
 In  silent  thought,  or  friendly  talk, 
 Our  hearts  be  still  with  God. 
 
 The  Lord  be  with  us  till  tlie  niglit 
 Shall  close  the  day  of  rest ; 
 
 Be  He  of  every  heart  the  Light, 
 Of  every  home  the  Guest. 
 
288  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 And  when  our  nightly  prayers  we  say, 
 
 His  watch  He  still  shall  keep, 
 Crown  with  His  grace  His  own  blest  day, 
 
 And  guard  His  people's  sleep. 
 
 His  National  Hymn  is  well  worthy  of  the  theme.  The 
 description  of  England  as  ''A  garden  fenced  with  silver 
 sea  "  is  very  happy: — 
 
 Praise  to  our  God,  whose  bounteous  hand 
 
 Prepared  of  old  our  glorious  land  ; 
 
 A  garden  fenced  with  silver  sea ; 
 
 A  people  prosperous,  bold,  and  free. 
 
 Praise  to  our  God  ;  through  all  our  past 
 His  mighty  arm  hath  held  us  fast ; 
 Till  wars  and  perils,  toils  and  tears, 
 Have  brought  the  rich  and  peaceful  years. 
 
 Praise  to  our  God  ;  the  vine  He  set 
 Within  our  coasts  is  fruitful  yet ; 
 On  many  a  shore  her  seedlings  grow ; 
 'Neath  many  a  sun  her  clusters  glow. 
 
 Praise  to  our  God  ;  His  power  alone 
 Can  keep  unmoved  our  ancient  throne, 
 Sustained  by  councils  wise  and  just. 
 And  guarded  by  a  people's  trust. 
 
 Praise  to  our  God,  who  still  forbears, 
 Who  still  this  guilty  nation  spares  ; 
 Who  calls  us  still  to  seek  His  face. 
 And  lengthens  out  our  day  of  grace. 
 Praise  to  our  God  ;  though  chasten  in  gs  stern, 
 Our  evil  dross  should  throughly  burn  ; 
 His  rod  and  staff,  from  age  to  age, 
 Shall  rule  and  guide  His  heritage  ! 
 
 His  hymn  for  children  shows  how  capable  he^is  of  writing 
 for  the  young  as  well  as  for  the  old : — 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, — 
 When  our  hymns  in  school  we  raise  ; 
 
 Daily  work  begun  and  ended. 
 With  the  daily  voice  of  praise. 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, — 
 
 When,  as  each  new  day  is  born, 
 On  our  knees  at  home,  we  bless  Thee, 
 
 For  the  mercies  of  the  morn. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.-IL  289 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, — 
 
 in  our  hymns  before  we  sleep ; 
 Angels  liear  them,  watching  by  us 
 
 Christ's  dear  lambs  all  night  to  keep. 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, — 
 
 Not  in  words  of  praise  alone  ; 
 Truthful  lips,  and  meek  odedience, 
 
 Show  Thy  glory  in  Thine  own. 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, — 
 
 When  for  Jesu's  sake  we  try 
 Every  wrong  to  bear  with  patience, 
 
 Every  sin  to  mortify. 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, — 
 
 fill  om-  days  on  earth  shall  cease, 
 Till  we  rest  from  these  our  labours, 
 
 Waiting  for  Thy  day  in  peace. 
 
 Then  on  that  eternal  raornin?, 
 
 With  Thy  great  redeemed  host 
 May  we  fully  magnify  Thee — 
 
 Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 
 
 His  translations  are  quite  equal  to  his  original  hymns. 
 I  may  instance  as  very  successful  eiforts  in  this  difficult 
 task  the  following: — the  well-known  "Sing  Hallelujah 
 forth  in  duteous  piaise,"  from  the  Mozarabic  Breviary  of 
 the  5th  century;  "Welcome  happy  Morning,  age  to 
 age  shall  say,"  from  Yenautius  Fortunatus ;  ^whilst  the 
 following,  from  an  anonymous  Latin  author,  is  finely 
 expressed : — 
 
 O  Strength  and  Stay  upholding  all  creation, 
 Who  ever  dost  Thyself  unmoved  abide, 
 
 Yet  day  by  day  the  light  in  due  gradation 
 
 From  hour  to  hour  through  all  its  changes  guide ; 
 
 Grant  to  life's  day  a  calm  unclouded  ending, 
 An  eve  untouched  by  shadows  of  decay. 
 
 The  brightness  of  a  holy  deathbed  blending 
 With  dawning  glories  of  the  Eternal  day. 
 
 It  should  be  added  that  not  only  has  Mr.  EUerton  done 
 fine  work  as  a  hymnist  and  translator,  but  he  has  also 
 
290  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 done  mucli,  by  his  editorial  labours,  to  lift  hymuody  to  a 
 higher  level. 
 
 Stopford  Augustus  Brooke  (born  1832),  the  eloquent  and 
 inspiring  minister  of  Bedford  Chapel,  Bloomsbury,  whose 
 departure  from  the  Church  of  England,  for  theological 
 reasons,  created  so  much  stir,  is  a  man  of  a  highly 
 poetic  temperament.  In  his  student  days,  at  Trinity 
 College,  Dublin,  he  carried  off  the  prize  for  English 
 verse,  and  has  recently  pubKshed  two  volumes — 
 ''Riquet  of  the  Tuft"  and  "Poems,"  the  latter  of 
 which  has,  in  my  judgment,  great  poetic  merit.  Mr. 
 Brooke  prepared,  for  the  use  of  his  own  congregation,  a 
 collection  called  "  Christian  Hymns,"  in  which  he  dealt 
 in  a  very  free  way  with  the  hymns  of  other  writers, 
 adapting  them  to  express  his  own  views  of  Christian 
 truth.  In  some  instances,  he  took  the  hymns  of  Charles 
 Wesley  and  other  hymnists,  and  inserted  in  them  a  few 
 lines  of  his  own  ;  in  other  cases,  he  wrote  a  hymn  and 
 made  it  to  open  with  a  line  or  two  fi'om  other  sources. 
 In  no  collection  with  which  I  am  acquainted  has  an 
 editor  treated  the  original  texts  of  other  writers  with 
 such  freedom.  The  purist  in  such  matters  is  horrified  at 
 the  result,  but  one  ignorant  of  the  originals  may  be  dis- 
 posed to  say  that  the  collection  is  of  considerable  value. 
 Some  of  the  hymns  from  Mr.  Brooke's  own  pen  are 
 exquisitely  beautiful.  The  finest  is  the  following,  of 
 which  I  give  the  best  verses : — 
 
 When  the  Lord  of  Love  was  here, 
 Happy  hearts  to  Him  were  dear, 
 Though  His  heart  was  sad ; 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTl^.-IL  291 
 
 Worn  and  lonely  for  our  sake, 
 
 Yet  He  turned  aside  to  make 
 
 All  the  weary  glad. 
 
 Meek  and  lowly  were  His  ways, 
 From  His  loving  grew  His  praise, 
 
 From  His  giving,  prayer : 
 All  the  outcasts  thronged  to  hear, 
 All  the  sorrowful  drew  near 
 
 To  enjoy  His  care. 
 
 When  He  walked  the  fields,  He  drew 
 From  the  flowers,  and  birds,  and  dew, 
 
 Parables  of  God  ; 
 For  within  His  heart  of  love 
 All  the  soul  of  man  did  move, 
 
 God  had  His  abode. 
 
 Fill  us  with  Thy  deep  desire, 
 All  the  sinful  to  inspire, 
 
 With  the  Father's  life : 
 Free  us  from  the  cares  that  press 
 On  the  heart  of  worldliness, 
 
 From  the  fret  and  strife. 
 
 Lord,  be  ours  Thy  power  to  keep 
 In  the  very  heart  of  grief, 
 
 And  in  trial,  love. 
 In  our  meekness  to  be  wise. 
 And  through  sorrow  to  arise 
 
 To  our  God  above. 
 
 jS'early,  th.ougli  not  quite  equal,  is  the  following  : — 
 
 Immortal  Love,  within  whose  righteous  will 
 
 Is  always  peace ; 
 O  pity  me,  storm-tossed  on  waves  of  ill. 
 
 Let  passion  cease  ; 
 Come  down  in  power  within  my  heart  to  reign. 
 For  I  am  weak,  and  struggle  has  been  vain. 
 
 The  days  are  gone,  when  far  and  wide  my  will 
 
 Drove  nie  astray  ; 
 And  now  1  fain  would  climb  the  arduous  hill, 
 
 That  narrow  way 
 Which  leads  through  mist  and  rocks  to  Thine  abode ; 
 Toiling  for  man  and  Thee,  Almighty  God. 
 
 Whate'er  of  pain  Thy  loving  hand  allot, 
 I  gladly  bear ; 
 
292  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Only,  0  Lord,  let  peace  be  not  forgot. 
 
 Nor  yet  Thy  care. 
 Freedom  from  storms,  and  wild  desires  within, 
 Peace  from  the  fierce  oppression  of  my  sin. 
 
 So  may  I,  far  away,  when  evening  falls 
 
 On  lite  and  love, 
 Arrive  at  last  the  holy,  happy  halls. 
 
 With  Thee  above. 
 Wounded  yet  healed,  sin- laden  yet  forgiven, 
 And  sure  that  goodness  is  my  only  heaven. 
 
 To  Miss  Leeson  we  owe  verses  one,  two,  and  six,  to  Mr. 
 
 Brooke  the  remaining  verses,  of  the  following  beautiful 
 
 hymn  for  children  : — 
 
 In  the  dark  and  silent  night, 
 
 Blessed  Lord,  be  Thou  my  light. 
 
 So  shall  nothing  me  affright.  Hallelujah  ! 
 
 Safely  shadowed  'neath  Thy  wing. 
 
 Help  Thy  little  one  to  sing 
 
 Glory  to  the  heavenly  King.  Hallelujah  ! 
 
 All  is  still ;  the  evening  star 
 
 Rides  upon  its  golden  car ; 
 
 In  its  light  Thy  glories  are.  Hallelujah  ! 
 
 And  the  moon,  whose  gentle  ray 
 
 Glimmers  like  a  softer  day, 
 
 Seems  to  whisper,  "  Watch  and  pray."     Hallelujah  ! 
 
 Softly  nestled  like  a  dove, 
 
 I  am  happy  in  Thy  love  ; 
 
 Angels  watch  me  from  above.  Hallelujah  ! 
 
 Angels  sing,  and  so  would  I, 
 
 While  upon  my  bed  I  lie, 
 
 Praise  my  Father  silently.  Hallelujah  ! 
 
 As  a  specimen  of  the  way  in  which  Mr.  Brooke  has  dealt 
 with  and  completed  the  work  of  other  writers,  I  give  the 
 following,  the  nucleus  of  which  is  a  hymn  of  Lamartine's, 
 to  which  Mr.  Whittier  lent  a  new  tenderness  by  his  trans- 
 lation, and  Mr.  Brooke  completed,  with,  as  I  think, 
 certain  lines  of  Charles  Wesley  running  in  his  mind  at 
 the  time  he  did  his  work  : — 
 
LTVINa  HYMNrSTS.-TL  293 
 
 Mysterious  Spirit,  unto  wlioiu 
 Is  known  my  sad  and  earth-bound  frame  ; 
 Thou  whom  my  soul,  'midst  doubt  and  gloom, 
 Adoreth  with  a  perfect  flame ; 
 Give  me  the  speed  of  bird  or  wind. 
 Or  torrent  rushing  to  the  sea. 
 That  soaring  upwards  I  may  find 
 My  resting  place  in  Thee. 
 
 Thoughts  of  my  soul,  how  swift  ye  go, 
 Swift  as  the  eagle's  wing  of  fire 
 Or  arrows  from  the  lightning's  bow, 
 To  God,  the  goal  of  my  desire  ! 
 The  weary  tempest  sleeps  at  last, 
 The  torrent  in  the  sea  finds  rest ; 
 .Let  me  not  always  be  outcast, 
 
 Lord  !  take  me  to  Tliy  breast. 
 
 My  pnyer  hath  pierced  to  God — the  life. 
 The  resurrection  power  is  mine  : 
 From  sin  and  grief,  from  pain  and  strife, 
 1  rise  on  wings  of  love  divine  ; 
 Swifter  than  torrent,  tempest,  light, 
 I  fly  to  my  t-erene  abode, 
 And  on  the  last  and  holiest  height, 
 Find  rest  and  joy  in  God. 
 
 Mr.   Brooke's  mind   is   so   steeped  in  the  works   of   the 
 
 English  poets,  that  it  must  be  very  difficult  to  separate 
 
 himself,    in    his    hymn   writing,    from    their    influence, 
 
 although  in  some  of  his  hymns — for  example,  the  first  I 
 
 have  quoted — I  do  not  trace  any  such  influence.     That, 
 
 and  others,  seem  to  be  quite  original. 
 
 William  Tidd   Matson   (born  1833),  a  minister  of  the 
 
 Congregational  Church  possesses  considerable  mastery  of 
 
 the  art  of  hymn  composition,  and  has  written  many  hymns 
 
 for  music  which  already  existed.     In  this  task  he  has 
 
 been  very  successful ;  but  this  is  an  inversion  of  the  true 
 
 order — music  should  be  written  for  words,  not  words  for 
 
 music.     Sense  should  come  before  sound.     Still,  bearing  in 
 
 mind  the  conditions  under  which  many  of  his  hymns  have 
 
294  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 "been  produced,  they  are  very  creditable  performances,  as 
 may  be  seen  by  the  following,  both  of  which  were  written 
 to  be  snng  to  German  chorales  : — 
 
 God  ii  in  His  temple, 
 The  Almighty  Father  ! 
 Round  His  footstool  let  us  gather  : — 
 Him  with  adoration 
 Serve,  the  Lord  most  holy, 
 Who  hath  mercy  on  the  lowly, 
 
 Let  U8  raise 
 
 Hynms  of  praise, 
 For  His  great  salvation : — 
 God  is  in  His  temple  ! 
 
 Christ  comes  to  His  temple  : 
 
 We,  His  word  receiving, 
 Are  made  happy  in  believing. 
 
 Lo  !  from  sin  delivered ! 
 
 He  hath  turned  our  sadness, 
 Our  deep  gloom  to  light  and  gladness  ! 
 Let  us  raise 
 Hymns  of  praise, 
 
 For  our  bonds  are  severed  : — 
 
 Christ  comes  to  His  temple  ! 
 
 Come  and  claim  Thy  temple. 
 Gracious  Holy  Spirit ! 
 In  our  hearts  Thy  home  inherit : — 
 Make  in  us  Thy  dwelling ; 
 Thy  high  work  fulfilling, 
 Into  ours  Thy  will  instilling  ; 
 
 Till  we  raise 
 
 Hymns  of  pi-aise. 
 Beyond  mortal  telling, 
 In  the  eternal  temple  ! 
 
 This  is  his  best.      The  metre  of  the  music  rendered  his 
 
 task  in  the  following  more  difficult,  but  still  it  is  a  clever 
 
 piece  of  work  : — 
 
 Glory,  glory  to  God  in  the  Highest ! 
 
 Angels  in  chorus  joyfully  cry; 
 Glory,  glory  to  God  in  the  Highest ! 
 
 Trembling  and  weak  our  voices  reply  : 
 Fain  would  we  echo  their  anthem  above, 
 Fain  would  we  sing  to  the  fountain  of  love 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.-II.  296 
 
 Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest ! 
 What  though  but  feebly  our  accents  arise, 
 Deigning  to  hearken,  He  bends  from  the  skies ; 
 
 Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest ! 
 
 Glory,  glory  to  God  in  the  Higliest ! 
 
 Briglit  beaming  stars  of  midnight  proclaim, 
 Glory,  glory  to  God  in  the  Highest ! 
 
 All  nature  peals  forth  in  praise  to  His  name, 
 Warbles  the  woodland,  and  whispers  the  breeze, 
 Koar  out  the  torrents  and  tempest-tossed  seas, 
 
 Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest  ! 
 Loudly  creation  still  ceaseless  prolongs, 
 Praise  to  her  Maker  in  all  her  glad  songs. 
 
 Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest ! 
 
 Glory,  glory  to  God  in  the  Highest ! 
 
 Joining  the  choir,  our  tribute  we  bring  ; 
 Glory,  glory  to  God  in  the  Highest ; 
 
 Mortals,  break  silence,  gratefully  sing, 
 Reigning  in  majesty,  throned  above. 
 Yours  is  the  royallest  gift  of  His  love — 
 
 Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest  ! 
 Spread  through  creation,  His  grandeur  we  trace, 
 Only  in  man  He  revealeth  His  grace, 
 Glory  to  God  in  the  Highest ! 
 
 His  best-known  hymn  is  "  Lord,  I  was  blind  :  I  could  not 
 
 see,"   which  consists  of  a  series  of  antitheses  which  are 
 
 effective,  but  a  little  too  sharply    and  even  hardly  drawn. 
 
 Lord,  i  was  blind :  1  could  not  see 
 In  Thy  man'ed  visage  any  grace  ; 
 But  now  the  beauty  of  Thy  face 
 In  radiant  vision  dawns  on  me. 
 
 Lord,  I  was  deaf :  I  could  not  hear 
 The  thrilling  music  of  Thy  voice  ; 
 But  now  I  hear  Thee  and  rejoice. 
 And  all  Thy  uttered  words  are  dear. 
 
 Lord,  I  was  dumb  :  I  could  not  speak 
 The  grace  and  glory  of  Thy  Name ; 
 But  now,  as  touched  with  living  flame, 
 My  lips  Tliine  eager  praises  wake. 
 
 Lord,  1  was  dead  :  I  could  not  etir 
 My  lifeless  soul  to  come  to  Thee ; 
 But  now,  since  Thou  hast  quickened  me, 
 I  rise  from  sin's  dark  sepulchre. 
 
296  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Lord,  Thou  hast  made  the  blmd  to  see, 
 The  deaf  to  hear,  the  dumb  to  speak, 
 The  dead  to  live  ;  and  lo,  I  break 
 The  chains  of  my  captivity. 
 
 The  following  is  a  very  good  hymn  of  an  ethical  type,  hut 
 
 with  a  very  weak  ending  : — 
 
 Teach  me,  0  Lord,  Thy  holy  way. 
 And  give  me  an  obedient  mind, 
 That  in  Thy  service  I  may  find 
 My  soul's  delight  from  day  to  day. 
 
 Guide  me,  O  Saviour,  with  Thy  hand, 
 And  so  control  my  thoughts  and  deeds, 
 That  I  may  tread  the  patli  which  leads 
 Right  onward  to  the  blessed  land. 
 
 Help  me,  O  Saviour,  here  to  trace 
 The  sacred  footsteps  Thou  hast  trod, 
 And  meekly  walking  with  my  God, 
 To  grow  in  goodness,  truth,  and  grace. 
 
 Guard  me,  O  Lord,  that  I  may  ne'er 
 Forsake  the  right,  or  do  the  wrong ; 
 Against  temptation  make  me  strong. 
 And  round  me  spread  Thy  sheltering  care. 
 
 Bless  me  in  every  task,  0  Lord. 
 Begun,  continued,  done  for  Thee; 
 Fulfil  Thy  perfect  work  in  me  ; 
 And  Thine  abounding  grace  afford. 
 
 Eichard    Erederick  Littledale    (born    1833),    some    of 
 
 whose  hymns  have  appeared  under  the  signature  A.  L.  P. 
 
 (a  London  Priest),  and  who  was  one  of  the  chief  editors 
 
 of    "The    People's    Hymnal"    prepared    for    the    High 
 
 Anglican    section   of    the    Church,    both   as    an   original 
 
 hymnist  and  a  translator,  has  done  excellent  work.     One 
 
 of  the  most  vigorous  and  lyric  hymns  of  thanksgiving  for 
 
 rain  after  drought  is  the  following.     It  is  so  lyric  that 
 
 it  almost  sings  itself  : — 
 
 O  sing  to  the  Lord, 
 
 Whose  bountiful  hand 
 Again  doth  acord 
 
 His  gifts  to  the  land. 
 
LIVING  HYMNJSTS.-TT.  297 
 
 His  clouds  have  shed  down 
 
 Their  plenteousness  here, 
 His  goodness  shall  crown 
 
 The  hopes  of  the  year. 
 
 In  clefts  of  the  hills 
 
 The  founts  He  hatli  burst, 
 And  poureth  their  rills 
 
 Through  valleys  athirst. 
 
 The  river  of  God 
 
 The  pastures  hath  blest, 
 The  dry,  withered  sod 
 
 In  greenness  is  drest. 
 
 And  every  fold 
 
 Shall  team  with  its  sheep, 
 With  harvests  of  gold 
 
 The  fields  shall  be  deep. 
 
 The  vales  shall  rejoice 
 
 With  laughter  and  song, 
 And  man's  grateful  voice 
 The  music  prolong. 
 
 So  too  may  He  pour 
 
 The  Last  and  the  First, 
 His  graces  in  store 
 
 On  spirits  athirst. 
 
 Till,  when  the  great  Day 
 
 Of  Harvest  hath  come, 
 He  takes  us  away 
 
 To  garner  at  home. 
 
 Almost  equal  is  his  hymn  for  those  at  sea : — 
 
 0  God,  who  metfcst  in  Thine  hand 
 
 The  waters  of  the  mighty  sea, 
 And  barrest  ocean  with  the  sand 
 
 By  Thy  perpetual  decree ; 
 
 What  time  the  floods  lift  up  their  voice 
 
 And  break  in  anger  on  the  shore 
 When  deep  to  deep  calls  with  the  noise 
 
 Of  waterspouts  and  billows'  roar  ; 
 
 When  they  who  to  the  sea  go  down. 
 
 And  in  the  waters  ply  theii-  toil, 
 Are  lifted  on  the  surge's  crown, 
 
 And  plunged  where  seething  eddies  boil ; 
 
298  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 llule  then,  O  Lord,  the  ocean's  wrath, 
 And  bind  the  tempest  with  Thy  will ; 
 
 Tread,  as  of  old,  the  water's  path. 
 And  speak  Thy  bidding,  "  Peace,  be  still." 
 
 So  with  Thy  mercies  ever  new 
 
 Thy  servants  set  from  peril  free. 
 And  bring  them.  Pilot,  wise  and  true. 
 
 Unto  the  port  where  they  would  be. 
 
 And  when  there  shall  be  sea  no  more, 
 Save  that  of  mingled  flame  and  glass. 
 
 Where  goes  no  galley  sped  by  oar. 
 Where  gallant  ships  no  longer  pass. 
 
 When  dawns  the  Resurrection  morn. 
 
 Upon  that  shore,  O  Jesu,  stand, 
 And  give  Thy  pilgrims,  faint  and  worn. 
 
 Their  welcome  to  the  Happy  Land. 
 
 The  following  translation  of  a  hymn  for  the  Burial  of 
 Child,  from  the  Paris  Missal  is  admirable  : — 
 
 Let  no  tears  to-day  be  shed, 
 Holy  is  this  narrow  bed. 
 
 Hallelujah ! 
 
 Death  eternal  life  bestows. 
 Open  heaven's  portal  throws. 
 
 Hallelujah ! 
 
 And  no  peril  waits  at  last 
 Him  who  now  away  hath  past. 
 
 Hallelujah ! 
 
 Not  salvation  hardly  won. 
 Not  the  meed  of  race  well  run  ; 
 
 Hallelujah ! 
 
 But  the  pity  of  the  Lord 
 Gives  His  child  a  full  reward. 
 
 Hallelujah  ! 
 
 Grants  the  prize  without  the  course ; 
 Crowns  without  the  battle's  force. 
 
 Hallelujah ! 
 
 God,  who  loveth  innocence, 
 Hastes  to  take  His  darling  hence. 
 
 Hallelujah ! 
 
 Christ,  when  this  sad  life  is  done, 
 Join  us  to  Thy  little  one. 
 
 Hallelujah ! 
 
LIVING  imiNISTS.—II.  299 
 
 And  in  Thine  own  tender  love, 
 Bring  us  to  the  home  above. 
 
 Hallelujah  ! 
 
 Samuel  Baring  Gould  (born  1834),  Yicar  of  Lew 
 Trenchard,  Devonshire,  an  accomplished  and  prolific 
 author,  has  written  but  few  hymns,  but  those  are  of 
 a  very  high  order.  To  him  we  owe  one  of  the  most 
 beautiful  and  deservedly  popular  children's  hymns  in 
 the  language,  "  Now  the  day  is  over  "  ;  whilst  for  adults 
 he  has  written  the  stirring  processional  ''  Onward,  Chris- 
 tian soldiers."  To  him  we  also  owe  the  fine  rendering 
 of  Ingemann's  Danish  hymn,  "  Through  the  night  of 
 doubt  and  sorrow."  These  are  all  too  well  known  to 
 need  quotation. 
 
 William  Chatterton  Dix  (born  1837)  has  been  cited  by 
 Lord  Selborne  as  an  example  of  the  fact  that  the  power 
 of  hymn  writing  still  exists  in  our  day.  A  citation  true 
 but  needless,  since  our  lot  has  been  cast  not  in  an  age 
 in  which  the  lyric  fire  bums  lower,  but  rather  brighter, 
 than  in  any  preceding  age.  Mr.  Dix  is  a  highly  gifted 
 hymn  writer.  Some  of  his  less  known  compositions  are 
 touched  by  the  High  Church  spirit,  to  which  section  he 
 belongs,  but  the  best  are  too  deeply  Christian  to  show 
 any  special  theological  or  ecclesiastical  bias.  The  most 
 popular  is  the  well  known  * '  As  with  gladness  men  of 
 old,"  which  underwent  some  alterations  at  the  hands  of 
 the  Editors  of  ''Hymns  Ancient  and  Modem."  T^early 
 equal,  however,  is  the  following — a  most  successful  hymn 
 of  invitation — the  most  difficult  subject  to  treat  in  verse 
 without  a  preaching,  if  not  a  pharisaic  tone,  making  those 
 
30O  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 who  sing  to  pose  as  saints  singing  to  sinners.  This 
 danger  Mr.  Dix  has  saccessfully  avoided,  as  my  readers 
 may^see : — 
 
 "  Come  unto  Me,  ye  weary, 
 
 And  I  will  give  you  rest," 
 O  blest-ed  voice  of  Jesus, 
 
 Which  comes  to  hearts  oppressed. 
 It  tells  of  benediction, 
 
 Of  pardon,  grace,  and  peace. 
 Of  joy  that  hath  no  ending, 
 
 Of  love  which  cannot  cease. 
 
 "  Come  unto  Me,  dear  children, 
 
 And  1  will  give  you  Light." 
 O  loving  voice  of  Jesus, 
 
 Which  comes  to  cheer  the  night. 
 Our  hearts  were  filled  with  sadness, 
 
 And  we  had  lost  our  way. 
 But  morning  brings  us  gladness, 
 
 And  songs  the  break  of  day. 
 
 "  Come  unto  Me,  ye  fainting. 
 
 And  1  will  give  you  Life." 
 O  peaceful  voice  of  Jesus, 
 
 Which  comes  lo  end  our  strife. 
 The  foe  is  stern  and  eager. 
 
 The  fight  is  fierce  and  long, 
 But  Thou  hast  made  us  mighty, 
 
 And  stronger  than  the  strong. 
 
 -'■  And  whosoever  cometh 
 
 I  will  not  cast  him  out." 
 O  patient  love  of  Jesus, 
 
 Which  drives  away  our  doubt ; 
 Which  calls  us,  very  sinners, 
 
 Unworthy  though  we  be 
 Of  love  so  free  and  boundless. 
 
 To  come,  dear  Lord,  to  Thee  ! 
 
 But  the  most  perfect  in  the  melody  of  its  words — the 
 hymn  is  musical,  even  as  it  is  read — is  his  Harvest 
 hymn.  I  do  not  know  where  one  more  perfect  and 
 melodious  could  be  found  : — 
 
LIVING  HYMMSTS.—IL  301 
 
 To  Thee,  O  Lord,  our  hearts  we  raise 
 
 In  h3niins  of  adoration, 
 To  Thee  bring  sacrifice  of  praise 
 
 With  shouts  ot  exultation  ; 
 Bright  robes  of  gold  the  fields  adorn. 
 
 The  hills  with  joy  are  ringing, 
 'I'he  valleys  stand  so  thick  with  corn 
 
 That  even  they  are  singing 
 
 And  now,  on  this  our  festal  day. 
 
 Thy  bounteous  Hand  confessing. 
 Upon  Thine  altar,  Lord,  we  lay 
 
 The  first-fruits  of  Thy  blessing  ; 
 By  Thee  the  souls  of  men  are  fed 
 
 With  gifts  of  grace  supernal. 
 Thou,  who  dost  give  us  earthly  bread, 
 
 Give  us  the  Bread  Eternal. 
 
 We  bear  the  burden  of  the  day, 
 
 And  often  toil  seems  dreary ; 
 But  labour  ends  with  sunset  ray, 
 
 And  rest  comes  for  the  weary ; 
 May  we,  the  angel-reaping  o'er, 
 
 Stand  at  the  last  accepted, 
 Christ's  golden  sheaves  for  evermore 
 
 To  garners  bright  elected. 
 
 Oh,  blessed  is  that  land  of  God, 
 
 Where  saints  abide  for  ever ; 
 Where  golden  fields  spread  far  and  broad, 
 
 Wliere  flows  the  crystal  river : 
 The  strains  of  all  its  holy  throng 
 
 With  ours  to-day  are  blending ; 
 Thrice  blessed  is  that  harvest-song 
 
 Which  never  hath  an  ending. 
 
 Parts  of  this  hymn  have  been  very  happily  woven  into 
 Sir  John  Stainer's  fine  anthem,  "  Ye  shall  dwell  in  the 
 land." 
 
 Samuel  John  Stone  (bom  1839),  who  is  now  Yicar  of 
 Haggerston,  has  written  many  hymns,  some  of  which 
 have  acquired  a  world-wide  popularity.  The  hymn  by 
 which  he  is  best  known  is  "Weary  of  earth,  and  laden 
 with  my  sin,"  which  appeared  first  of  all  in  '■'■Lyra  Fidelium, 
 Twelve   SymnB   on   the   Apostles'    Creed''''    (1866).     It  is- 
 
302  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 the  hymn  on  Article  X,  "  The  Forgiveness  of  Sins." 
 Since  its  first  publication,  it  has  been  slightly  altered  by 
 the  author.     The  last  lines  originally  read — 
 
 Like  that,  sweet  nard,  let  my  devotion  prove, 
 Greatly  forgiven,  how  I  greatly  love. 
 
 which  now  reads — 
 
 Like  Mary's  gift  let  my  devotion  prove, 
 Forgiven  greatly,  how  I  greatly  love. 
 
 ^ext  in  popularity  to  this  is  "  The  Church's  one  founda- 
 tion," which  is  the  hymn  on  Article  IX  in  Lyra  Fidelium^ 
 "■  The  Holy  Catholic  Church,  the  Communion  of  Saints." 
 But  of  still  greater  merit  is  the  following  hymn  for  the 
 close  of^the  year  : — 
 
 The  old  yeai''s  long  campaign  is  o'er : 
 
 Behold  a  new  begun  ; 
 Not  yet  is  closed  the  holy  war, 
 
 Not  yet  the  triumph  won. 
 Out  of  his  still  and  deep  repose 
 
 W  e  hear  the  old  year  say  : 
 *'  Go  forth  again  to  meet  your  foes, 
 
 Ye  children  of  the  day  ! 
 
 "  Go  forth  !  firm  faith  in  every  heart, 
 
 Bright  liope  on  every  helm, 
 Through  that  shall  pierce  no  fiery  dart, 
 
 And  this  no  fear  o'erwhelm. 
 Go  in  the  spirit  and  the  might 
 
 Of  Him  who  led  the  way  ; 
 Close  with  the  legions  of  the  night. 
 
 Ye  children  of  the  day." 
 
 So  forth  we  go  to  meet  the  strife, 
 
 We  will  not  fear  nor  fly  ; 
 Love  we  the  holy  warrior's  life, 
 
 His  death  we  hope  to  die. 
 We  slumber  not,  that  charge  in  view, 
 
 "  Toil  on  while  toil  ye  may. 
 Then  night  will  be  no  night  to  you. 
 
 Ye  children  of  the  day." 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.-II.  303 
 
 Lord  God,  our  Glory,  Three  in  One, 
 
 Thine  own  sustain,  defend  ; 
 And  give,  though  dim  this  earthly  sun, 
 
 Thy  true  light  to  the  end  ; 
 Till  morning  tread  the  darkness  down, 
 
 And  night  be  swept  away, 
 And  infinite,  sweet  triumph  crown 
 
 Thy  children  of  the  day. 
 
 I^early  equal,  too,  is  the  following  : — 
 
 Dark  is  the  sky  that  overhangs  my  soul, 
 
 The  mists  are  thick  that  through  the  valley  roll. 
 
 But  as  I  tread,  I  cheer  my  heart  and  say, 
 
 "  When  the  day  breaks  the  shadows  fiee  away." 
 
 Unholy  phantoms  from  the  deep  arise. 
 
 And  gather  through  the  gloom  before  mine  eyes  ; 
 
 But  all  shall  vanish  at  the  dawning  ray, — 
 
 "  When  the  day  breaks  the  shadows  flee  away." 
 
 I  bear  the  lamp  my  Master  gave  to  me, 
 Burning  and  shining  must  it  ever  be, 
 And  I  must  tend  it  till  the  night  decay, — 
 ♦'  Till  the  day  break,  and  shadows  flee  away." 
 
 He  maketh  all  things  good  unto  His  own. 
 For  them  in  every  darkness  light  is  sown  ; 
 He  will  make  good  the  gloom  of  this  my  day, — 
 Till  that  day  break,  and  shadows  fiee  away. 
 
 He  will  be  near  me  in  the  awful  hour 
 When  the  last  foe  shall  come  in  blackest  power  ; 
 And  He  will  hear  me  when  at  last  I  pray — 
 "  Let  the  day  break,  the  shadows  flee  away  ! " 
 
 In  Him,  my  God,  my  Glory,  I  will  trust : 
 Awake  and  sing,  O  d  wellers  in  the  dust ! 
 Who  shall  come,  will  come,  and  will  not  delay, — 
 His  day  will  break,  those  shadows  flee  away ! 
 
 Mr.  Stone  is  the  author  of  "  The  Knight  of  Intercession," 
 and  also  of  the  hymn  used  at  the  Thanksgiving  Service 
 for  the  recovery  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  at  St.  Paul's. 
 
 To  Gerald  Moultrie  (born  1839)  we  owe  the  following 
 fine  rendering  of  the  magnificent  Midnight  Hymn  of  the 
 Greek  Church,  which  deserves  quotation,  both  on  account 
 
304  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 of  the  impressiveness  of  the  original  and  the  admirable 
 way  in  which  it  has  been  translated  : — 
 
 Behold,  the  Bridegroom  cometh  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
 And  blest  is  he  whose  loins  are  girt,  whose  lamp  is  burning  bright ; 
 But  woe  to  that  dull  servant,  whom  his  Master  shall  surprise 
 With  lamp  untrimmed,  unburning,  and  with  slumber  in  his  eyes. 
 
 Do  thou,  my  soul,  beware,  beware  lest  thou  in  sleep  siiik  down, 
 Lest  thou  be  given  o'er  to  death,  and  lose  ihe  golden  crown  ; 
 But  see  that  thou  be  sober,  with  a  watchful  eye,  and  thus 
 Cry — Holy,  Holy,  Holy  God,  have  mercy  upon  us. 
 
 That  Day,  the  Day  of  Fear,  shall  come  ;  my  soul,  slack  not  thy  toil, 
 But  light  thy  lamp,  and  feed  it  well,  and  make  it  bright  with  oil ; 
 Thou  knowest  not  how  soon  may  sound  the  cry  at  eventide, 
 "  Behold,  the  Bridegroom  comes.     Arise !     Go  forth  to  meet  the 
 Bride." 
 
 Beware,  my  soul;  take  thou  good  heed,  lest  thou  in  slumber  lie. 
 And,  like  the  foolish,  stand  without,  and  knock,  and  vainly  cry  ; 
 But  watch,  and  bear  thy  lamp  undimmed,  and  Christ  shall  gird  thee 
 
 on 
 His  own  bright  Wedding  Robe  of  Light — the  Glory  of  the  Son. 
 
 Ada  Cross,  nee  Cambridge  (bom  1844),  is  the  authoress 
 of  two  volumes,  entitled  "Hymns  on  the  Litany"  and 
 "  Hymns  on  the  Holy  Communion,"  from  which  several 
 of  great  beauty  have  passed  into  recent  hymnals.  One 
 for  Sunday  morning,  "  The  dawn  of  God's  dear  Sabbath," 
 and  another  for  the  Communion,  *' Jesu,  great  Redeemer, 
 source  of  life  divine,"  are  of  great  merit,  and  are  now 
 widely  known. 
 
 Elizabeth  Charles  {nee  Rundle)  is  the  well-known 
 authoress  of  "  The  Schonberg  Cotta  Family,"  and  many 
 stories  of  a  religious  historical  type.  Her  book  ''The 
 Voice  of  Christian  Life  in  Song"  is  an  admirable  con- 
 tribution to  that  subject,  and  contains  many  good 
 translations  of  the  hymns  of  other  lands.     I  have  already 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—II.  305 
 
 quoted  (p.  51)  an  example,  in  her  rendering  of  one  of  the 
 hymns  of  the  Venerable  Bede.  But  she  has  written  some 
 admirable  original  hymns,  most  of  them  included  in  her 
 volume  of  poems  "  The  Three  Wakings  "  ;  these  are  both 
 original  and  suggestive.  As  they  are  not  widely  known, 
 I  will  quote  what  are  in  my  judgment  the  best.  The 
 following  is  full  of  spiritual  insight  into  the  work  which 
 the  Cross  is  intended  to  effect  in  our  hearts : — 
 
 Never  further  than  Thy  cross, 
 
 Never  higher  than  Thy  feet ; 
 Here  earth's  precious  things  seem  dross, 
 
 Here  earth's  bitter  things  grow  sweet. 
 Gazing  thus  our  sin  we  see, 
 
 Learn  Thy  love  while  gazing  thus  ; 
 Sin  which  laid  the  cross  on  Thee, 
 
 Love  which  bore  the  cross  for  us. 
 
 Here  we  learn  to  serve  and  give, 
 
 And,  rejoicing,  self  deny  ; 
 Here  we  gather  love  to  live. 
 
 Here  we  gather  faith  to  die. 
 
 Symbols  of  our  liberty 
 
 And  our  service  here  unite  ; 
 Captives,  by  Thy  cross  set  free, 
 
 Soldiers  of  Thy  cross  we  fight. 
 
 Pressing  onwards  as  we  can. 
 
 Still  to  this  our  hearts  must  tend  ; 
 Where  our  earliest  hopes  began, 
 
 There  our  last  aspirings  end. 
 Till  amid  the  Hosts  of  Light, 
 
 We  in  Thee  redeemed,  complete. 
 Through  Thy  cross  made  pure  and  white, 
 
 Cast  our  crowns  before  Thy  feet. 
 
 Her  hymn  for  the  Communion  lifts  our  eyes  from  the  dead 
 to  the  living  Christ  in  a  verj  striking  way  : — 
 
 Around  a  table,  not  a  tomb, 
 
 He  willed  our  gathering -place  f  o  be  ; 
 
 When  going  to  prepare  our  home. 
 Our  Saviour  said —  '  Remember  Me." 
 
306  TRE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 We  kneel  around  no  sculptured  stone, 
 Marking  the  place  where  Jesus  lay  ; 
 
 Empty  the  tomb,  the  angels  gone, 
 The  stone  for  ever  rolled  away. 
 
 Nay  !  sculptured  stones  are  for  the  dead  ! 
 
 Thy  three  dark  days  of  death  are  o'er  ; 
 Thou  art  the  Life,  our  living  Head, 
 
 Our  living  Light  for  evermore ; 
 
 Of  no  fond  relics,  sadly  dear, 
 
 O  Master !  are  Thine  own  possest ; 
 The  crown  of  thorns,  the  cross,  the  spear, 
 
 The  purple  robe,  the  seamless  vest. 
 
 Nay,  relics  are  for  those  who  mourn 
 
 The  memory  of  an  absent  friend  ; 
 Not  absent  Thou,  nor  we  forlorn  ! 
 
 "  With  you  each  day  until  the  end  !  " 
 
 Thus  round  Thy  table,  not  Thy  tomb, 
 We  keep  Thy  sacred  feast  with  Thee  ; 
 
 Until  within  the  Father's  home 
 
 Our  endless  gathering-place  shall  be 
 
 The  following  may  be  objected  to,   as  not  being  in  the 
 
 strictest  sense  a  hymn,  but  it  is  so  rousing,  so  full  of  a 
 
 large    sympathy,    that  both   Bishop   Bickersteth    in    his 
 
 "  Hymnal  Companion  to  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer," 
 
 and  I,  in  my  "  Congregational  Hymns,"  could  not  resist 
 
 the  temptation  to  stretch  a  point,  so  as  to  include  it.     My 
 
 readers  shall  judge  whether  we  were  wise  or  not  in  so 
 
 doing : — 
 
 Is  Thy  cruse  of  comfort  wasting  ?  rise  and  share  it  with  another. 
 And  through  all  the  years  of  famine  it  shall  serve  thee  and  thy 
 brother. 
 
 Love  divine  will  fill  thy  storehouse,  or  thy  handful  still  renew ; 
 Scanty  fare  for  one  will  often  make  a  royal  feast  for  two. 
 
 For  the  heart  grows  rich  in  giving  ;  all  its  wealth  is  living  grain  ; 
 Seeds  which  mildew  in  the  garner,  scattered,  fill  with  gold  the  plain. 
 
 la  thy  burden  hard  and  heavy  ?  do  thy  steps  drag  wearily  ? 
 
 Help  to  bear  thy  brother's  burden  ;  God  will  bear  both  it  and  thee. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—II.  307 
 
 Numb  and  weary  on  the  mountains,  wouldst  thou  sleep  amidst  the 
 
 snow? 
 Chafe  that  frozen  form  beside  thee,  and  together  both  shall  glow. 
 
 Ai't  thou  stricken  in  life's  battle  ?  Many  wounded  round  thee  moan  ; 
 Lavish  on  their  wounds  thy  balsams,  and  that  balm  shall  heal  thine 
 own. 
 
 Is  the  heart  a  well  left  empty  ?  None  but  God  its  void  can  fiU ; 
 Nothing  but  a  ceaseless  fountain  can  its  ceaseless  longings  still. 
 
 Is  the  heart  a  living  power?  self-entwined,  its  strength  sinks  low; 
 It  can  only  live  in  loving,  and  by  serving  love  will  grow. 
 
 Anna  Laetitia  Waring  is  remarkable  for  the  quiet  trust- 
 fulness of  the  hymns  which  have  proceeded  from  her  pen. 
 This  is  their  distinctive  excellence,  their  mechanism  is 
 somewhat  faulty ;  the  accent  and  rhythm  might  be 
 improved,  but  the  spii'it  that  breathes  through  them  is  so 
 deeply  and  truly  Christian,  that  these  minor  defects  are 
 almost  forgotten.  A  strict  judge  would  perhaps  pronounce 
 them  more  suitable  for  times  of  quiet  meditation  than  for 
 those  of  public  worship,  but  their  quieting  power  has  over- 
 ridden critical  considerations,  and  drawn  them  into  a  large 
 number  of  hymnals  for  church  use.  The  most  popular  is 
 the  widely-known  **  Father,  I  know  that  all  my  life,"  but 
 quite  equal  are  the  less  known :  — 
 
 My  heart  is  resting,  O  my  God, 
 
 I  will  give  thanks  and  sing  ; 
 My  heart  is  at  the  secret  source 
 
 Of  every  precious  thing  : 
 Now  the  frail  vessel  Thou  hast  made 
 
 No  hand  but  Thine  shall  fill ; 
 For  the  waters  of  this  world  have  failed, 
 
 And  I  am  thirsty  still. 
 
 I  thirst  for  springs  of  heavenly  life, 
 
 And  here  all  day  they  rise ; 
 I  seek  the  treasure  of  Thy  love, 
 
 And  close  at  hand  it  lies : 
 
308  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 And  a  new  song  is  in  my  mouth 
 
 To  long-loved  music  set, 
 Glory  to  Thee  for  all  the  grace 
 
 1  have  not  tasted  yet. 
 
 Glory  to  Thee  for  strength  withheld, 
 
 For  want  and  weakness  known  ; 
 And  the  fear  that  sends  me  to  Thyself 
 
 For  what  is  most  my  own  : 
 I  have  a  heritage  of  joy 
 
 That  yet  I  must  not  see ; 
 But  the  hand  that  bled  to  make  it  mine 
 
 Is  keeping  it  for  me. 
 
 My  heart  is  resting,  0  my  God, 
 
 My  heart  is  in  Thy  care ; 
 1  hear  the  voice  of  joy  and  health 
 
 Resounding  everywhere : 
 "  Thou  art  my  portion,"  saith  my  soul, 
 
 Ten  thousand  voices  say, 
 And  the  music  of  their  glad  Amen 
 
 Will  never  die  away. 
 
 And  :- 
 
 Sweet  is  the  solace  of  Thy  love, 
 
 My  heavenly  Friend  to  me. 
 While  through  the  hidden  way  of  faith 
 
 I  journey  home  with  Thee, 
 Learning  by  quiet  thankfulness 
 
 As  a  dear  child  to  be. 
 
 Though  from  the  shadow  of  Thy  peace 
 
 My  feet  would  often  stray, 
 Thy  mercy  follows  all  my  steps, 
 
 And  will  not  turn  away; 
 Yea,  Thou  wilt  comfort  me  at  last, 
 
 As  none  beneath  Thee  may. 
 
 O  there  is  nothing  in  the  world 
 
 To  weigh  against  Thy  will : 
 E'en  the  dark  times  I  dread  the  most, 
 
 Thy  covenant  fulfil ; 
 And  when  the  pleasant  morning  dawns, 
 
 I  find  Thee  with  me  still. 
 
 Then  in  the  secret  of  my  soul. 
 Though  hosts  my  peace  invade. 
 
 Though  through  a  waste  and  weary  land 
 My  lonely  way  be  made. 
 
 Thou,  even  Thou,  wilt  comfort  me — 
 I  need  not  be  afraid. 
 
LIVING  HYMMSTS.-IL  309 
 
 Still  in  the  solitary  place 
 
 I  would  awhile  abide, 
 Till  with  the  solace  of  Thy  love 
 
 My  heart  is  satisfied  ; 
 And  all  my  hopes  of  happiness 
 
 Stay  calmly  at  Thy  side. 
 
 Whilst  perhaps  the    most   tenderly  trustful  of  all  is : — 
 
 Go  not  far  from  me,  O  my  Strength, 
 
 Whom  all  my  times  obey ; 
 Take  from  me  anything  Thou  wilt, 
 
 But  go  not  Thou  away  ; 
 And  let  the  storm  that  does  Thy  work 
 
 Deal  with  me  as  it  may. 
 
 On  Thy  compassion  I  repose, 
 
 In  weakness  and  distress ; 
 I  will  not  ask  for  greater  ease. 
 
 Lest  I  should  love  Thee  less  : 
 O  'tis  a  blessed  thing  for  me 
 
 To  need  Thy  tenderness. 
 
 Thy  love  has  many  a  lighted  path 
 
 No  outward  eye  can  trace  ; 
 And  my  heart  sees  Thee  in  the  deep, 
 
 Though  darkness  cloud  Thy  face. 
 And  communes  with  Thee  'mid  the  etorni, 
 
 As  in  a  secret  place. 
 
 When  I  am  feeble  as  a  child 
 
 And  flesh  and  heart  give  way, 
 Then  on  Thy  everlasting  strength, 
 
 With  passive  trust  I  stay, 
 And  the  rough  wind  becomes  a  song, 
 
 The  darkness  shines  like  day. 
 
 There  is  no  death  for  me  to  fear. 
 
 For  Chi'ist,  my  Lord,  hath  died  ; 
 There  is  no  curse  in  this  my  pain, 
 
 For  He  was  crucified ; 
 And  it  is  fellowship  with  Him 
 
 That  keeps  me  near  His  side. 
 
 John  Page  Hopps,  Minister  of  the  Great  Meeting, 
 Leicester,  and  a  leader  of  the  more  emotional  section  of  the 
 Unitarian  Church,  possesses  in  a  very  high  degree  the 
 faculty  for  liymn  writing.     He  discerns  what  too  many  of 
 
310  TEE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 those  who  belong  to  his  section  of  the  church  fail  to 
 discern ;  that  the  Church  is  not  a  school  of  philosophy, 
 where  the  intellect  alone  should  be  called  into  play,  but 
 that  whilst  the  intellect  should  be  appealed  to,  the  heart 
 should  not  be  overlooked,  and  that  worship  should  not  be 
 mere  meditation,  but  a  service,  kindling  mind  and  heart 
 alike  for  the  conflict  and  work  of  life.  Having  this  idea  of 
 worship,  Mr.  Hopps's  hymns  are  not  as  many  proceeding 
 •from  English  Unitarians — mere  poems  appealing  to  the 
 mind,  but  full  of  lyric  fire  and  tenderness.  Like  those  of 
 Sir  John  Bowring,  they  are  full  of  the  evangelical  spirit, 
 if  the  doctrine  which  usually  goes  under  that  name  be 
 wanting.  That  this  is  so  is  clear  from  a  fact  comunicated 
 to  me  by  a  friend,  that  his  Missionary  Hymn,  which  I 
 quote  below,  is  more  frequently  sung  than  any  other  at  the 
 Monthly  Prayer  Meetings  held  at  the  Mission  House  of  the 
 London  Society.  In  my  opinion  it  [is  one  of  the  finest 
 hymns  of  its  class  ever  written.  The  union  of  tenderness 
 and  boldness  is  very  striking  :— 
 
 Father,  let  Thy  kingdom  come, — 
 
 Let  it  come  with  living  power  ; 
 Speak  at  length  the  final  word, 
 
 Usher  in  the  triumph  hour. 
 
 As  it  came  in  days  of  old, 
 
 Jn  the  deepest  hearts  of  men, 
 When  Thy  martyrs  died  for  Thee, 
 
 Let  it  come,  O  God,  again. 
 
 Tyrant  thrones  and  idol  shrines, 
 
 Let  them  from  their  place  be  hurled  ; 
 Enter  on  Thy  better  reign, — 
 
 Wear  the  crown  of  this  poor  world. 
 
 0  what  long,  sad  years  have  gone. 
 
 Since  Thy  Church  was  taught  this  prayer  I 
 
 O  what  eyes  have  watched  and  wept 
 For  the  dawning  everywhere  ! 
 
LIVING  HY2INISTS.—IL  311 
 
 Break,  triumphant  day  of  God  ! 
 
 Break  at  last,  our  hearts  to  cheer ; 
 Throbbing  souls  and  holy  songs 
 Wait  to  hail  Thy  dawning  here. 
 
 Empires,  temples,  sceptres,  thrones, — 
 
 May  they  all  for  God  be  won  ! 
 And,  in  every  human  heart. 
 
 Father,  let  Thy  kingdom  come 
 
 In  a  very  different  strain,  but  well  suited  to  its  subject  is 
 his  hymn  for  winter  :  — 
 
 Cold  and  cheerless,  dark  and  drear, 
 Wintry  days  and  night  appear  ; 
 But  they  all  in  order  stand  : 
 This  is  still  God's  goodly  land. 
 Wind,  and  ice,  and  shrouding  snow 
 At  Thy  bidding  come  and  go ; 
 Clouds  obscure  or  planets  shine, 
 But  they  serve  Thee,  and  are  Thine. 
 Flowers  have  faded  from  the  plain, 
 But  their  mother-i'oots  remain  ; 
 In  the  chilly  earth  they  lie, 
 Waiting  for  the  warmer  sky. 
 Leaves  and  flowers  and  golden  grain 
 God  will  bring  all  back  again  ; 
 They  shall  come  in  beauty  drest — 
 This  is  but  their  time  of  rest. 
 Thee  we  praise,  then.  Father  dear, 
 E'en  for  winter,  dark  and  drear  ; 
 All  things  lie  within  Thy  mind, 
 Ever  loving,  ever  kind. 
 
 One  of  the  best  hymns  for  children  is  the  following  from 
 liis  pen.  A  large  number  of  hymns  of  this  class  are,  to  use 
 John  Wesley's  phrase,  ''  namby-pambical,"  and  not  calcu- 
 lated to  leave  any  real  moral  or  spiritual  influence  on  the 
 mind  of  a  child ;  but  this  hymn  can  scarcely  fail  to 
 influence  both  the  heart  and  life  of  the  child  for  good.  It 
 has  deservedly  passed  into  most  of  the  best  hymnals  for 
 children,  and  is  used  in  churches  and  schools  of  widely 
 different  theological  prepossessions. 
 
312  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Father,  lead  me  day  by  day, 
 Ever  in  Thine  own  sweet  way ; 
 Teach  me  to  be  pure  and  true, 
 Show  me  what  I  ought  to  do. 
 
 When  in  danger,  make  me  brave ; 
 Make  me  know  that  Thou  canst  save : 
 Keep  me  safe  by  Thy  dear  side ; 
 Let  me  in  Thy  love  abide. 
 
 When  I'm  tempted  to  do  wrong, 
 Make  me  steadfast,  wise,  and  strong  ; 
 And  when  all  alone  I  stand. 
 Shield  me  with  Thy  mighty  hand. 
 
 When  my  heart  is  full  of  glee. 
 Help  me  to  remember  Thee, — 
 Happy  most  of  all  to  know 
 That  my  Father  loves  me  so. 
 
 When  my  work  seems  hard  and  dry, 
 May  I  press  on  cheerily  ; 
 Help  me  patiently  to  bear 
 Pain  and  hardship,  toil  and  care. 
 
 May  1  see  the  good  and  bright. 
 When  they  pass  before  my  sight ; 
 May  I  hear  the  heavenly  voice 
 When  the  pure  and  wise  rejoice. 
 
 May  I  do  the  good  I  know. 
 Be  Thy  loving  child  below. 
 Then  at  last  go  home  to  Thee, 
 Evermore  Thy  child  to  be. 
 
 The  following  hymn,  suitable  for  use  on  behalf  of  childi-en, 
 is  a  perfect  little  gem,  and  can  scarcely  be  read  without 
 emotion.  I  once  quoted  it  to  a  friend,  and  the  feeling, 
 which  he  was  unable  to  repress,  was  a  striking  witness 
 to  its  pathos. 
 
 God  bless  the  little  children, 
 The  faces  sweet  and  fair. 
 The  bright  young  eyes,  so  strangely  wise. 
 The  bonny  silken  hair. 
 
 God  love  the  little  children, — 
 The  angels  at  the  door  ; 
 
LIVING  HYMNTSTS.—TI.  313 
 
 The  music  sweet  of  little  teet 
 That  patter  on  the  floor. 
 
 God  help  the  little  children, 
 Who  cheer  our  saddest  hours, 
 And  shame  our  fears  for  future  years, 
 And  give  us  winter  flowers. 
 
 God  keep  the  little  children 
 Whom  we  no  more  can  see ; 
 Fled  from  their  nest  and  gone  to  rest, 
 Where  we  desire  to  be. 
 
 It  should  be  added  that  Mr.  Hopps  has  edited  "  Hymns 
 Chants,  and  Anthems,"  a  selection  in  excellent  taste,  but 
 erring,  as  his  own  hymns  do  not,  somewhat  in  the  direction 
 of  being  in  parts  a  collection  of  poerns  rather  than  as  it 
 should  have  been,  exclusively  of  hymns  suitable  to  be 
 sung. 
 
314 
 
 CHAPTEE  XVIL 
 
 LIVING  HYMNISTS— MINOR  CONTRIBUTORS. 
 
 Among  minor  contributors  to  hymnody  may  be  men- 
 tioned, in  alphabetical  rather  than  chronological  order, 
 the  following  : — 
 
 Alfred  Ainger,  Reader  at  the  Temple,  and  Canon  of 
 Bristol,  whoso  Life  and  Edition  of  the  works  of  Charles 
 Lamb  are  so  well  known,  to  whom  we  owe  a  little  hymn, 
 terse  in  expression,  and  true  in  sentiment : — 
 
 O  Lord  !  with  toil  our  days  are  filled, 
 
 They  rarely  leave  us  free ; 
 O  give  us  space  to  seek  for  grace 
 
 In  happy  thoughts  of  Thee. 
 
 Yet  hear  us,  little  though  we  a^k  : 
 
 Oh  !  leave  us  not  alone  ; 
 In  every  thought,  and  word,  and  task. 
 
 Be  near  us,  though  unknown. 
 
 Stni  lead  us,  wandering  in  the  dark  ; 
 
 Still  send  us  heavenly  food, 
 And  mark,  as  none  on  earth  can  mark. 
 
 Our  struggle  to  be  good. 
 
 Alfred   Barry,    formerly  Principal   of    King's    College, 
 
 London,    and    until  recently   Bishop    of    Sydney,    whose 
 
 hymn  for  Sunday  morning,  though  not  equal  to  some  for 
 
 that  season,  is  yet  far  above  the  average  : — 
 
 As  Thou  didst  rest.  O  Father,  o'er  nature's  finished^ birth, 
 
 As  Thou  didst  in  Thy  work  rejoice,  and  bless  the  new-born  earth, 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.— MINOR  CONTRIBUTORS.  315 
 
 So  give  us  now  that  Sabbath  rest,  which  makes  Thy  children  free, 
 
 Free  for  the  work  of  love  to  man,  of  thankfulness  to  Thee. 
 
 But  in  Thy  worship,  Father,  O  lift  our  souls  above, 
 
 By  holy  word,  by  prayer  and  hymn,  by  eucharistic  love ; 
 
 '1  ill  e'en  the  dull  cold  work  of  earth,  the  earth  which  Christ  hath 
 
 trod, 
 Sliall  be  itself  a  silent  prayer,  to  raise  us  up  to  God. 
 
 So  lead  us  on  to  heaven,  where  in  Thy  presence  blest 
 
 "  The  wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest," 
 
 Where  faith  is  lost  in  vision,  where  love  hath  no  alloy. 
 
 And  through  eternity  there  flows  the  deepening  stream  of  joy. 
 
 To  Thee,  who  giv'st  us  freedom,  our  Father  and  our  King  ; 
 
 To  Thee,  the  Risen  Lord  of  liie,  our  ransomed  spirits  sing ; 
 
 Thou  fill'st  the  Church  in  earth  and  heaven,  O  Holy  (ihost — to  Thee 
 
 In  warfare's  toil,  in  victory's  rest,  eternal  glory  be. 
 
 John  Stuart  Blackie  (bom  1809),  widely  known  as,  for 
 many  years,  the  accomplished,  but  slightly  eccentric 
 Professor  of  Greek  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  who 
 is  said  to  have  made  his  students  speak  this  melodious  and 
 nervous  language  in  his  classes,  has  not  only  written  much 
 in  prose,  but  also  a  good  deal  in  verse,  chiefly  of  a  secular 
 kind  (if  such  a  distinction  may  be  permitted),  but  in  his 
 **Lays  and  Legends  of  Ancient  Greece"  occurs  the 
 following  hymn  which  is  permeated  by  the  boldness 
 and  breeziness  which  characterise  his  unique  personality, 
 and  is  as  different  from  the  dull  commonplace  of  many  of 
 the  didactic  hymn  writers,  as  his  well-loved  Scotch 
 mountains  are  from  the  monotonous  levels  of  Essex. 
 "When  sung  to  Henry  Smart's  noble  tune  *'  Seraphim,"  it 
 freshens  a  congregation  like  a  breeze  from  the  heather- 
 clad  hills  the  author  loves  so  well : — 
 
 Angels  holy. 
 
 High  and  lowly. 
 
 Sing  the  praises  of  the  Lord  ! 
 
 Eartli  and  sky,  all  living  nature, 
 
 M^n.  the  stamp  of  thy  Creator, 
 
 Praise  ye,  praise  ye,  God  the  Lord  ! 
 
316  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Sun  and  moon  bright, 
 Night  and  moonlight, 
 Starry  temples  azure-floored ; 
 Cloud  and  rain,  and  wild  wind's  madness, 
 Sons  of  God  that  shout  for  gladness, 
 Praise  ye,  praise  ye,  God  the  Lord  ! 
 
 Ocean  hoary, 
 Tell  His  glory. 
 Cliffs,  where  tumbling  seas  have  roai'ed  ! 
 Pulse  of  waters,  blithely  beating, 
 Wave  advancing,  wave  retreating. 
 Praise  ye,  praise  ye,  God  the  Lord  ! 
 
 Rock  and  highland, 
 Wood  and  island. 
 Crag,  where  eagle's  pride  hath  soared  ; 
 Mighty  mountains,  purple-breasted, 
 Peaks  cloud-cleaving,  snowy-crested, 
 Praise  ye,  praise  ye,  God  the  Lord  ! 
 
 Rolling  river, 
 Praise  Him  ever. 
 From  the  mountain's  deep  vein  poured ; 
 Silver  fountain,  clearly  gushing, 
 Troubled  torrent,  madly  rushing. 
 Praise  ye,  praise  ye,  God  the  Lord ! 
 
 Bond  and  free  man, 
 Land  and  sea  man. 
 Earth,  with  peoples  widely  stored, 
 Wanderer  lone  o'er  prairies  ample. 
 Full-voiced  choir,  in  costly  temple 
 Praise  ye,  praise  ye,  God  the  Lord  I 
 
 Praise  Him  ever, 
 Bounteous  Giver; 
 Praise  Him,  Father,  Friend,  and  Lord, 
 Each  glad  soul  its  free  course  winging. 
 Each  glad  voice  its  free  song  singing  : 
 Praise  the  great  and  mighty  Lord  ! 
 
 Abel  Gerald  Wilson  Blunt  (bom  1827),  the  Yicar 
 Chelsea,  has  written  a  few  hymns  of  merit,  the  best  of 
 which,  it  may  also  be  added,  the  best  yet  written  for  the 
 purpose,  is  one  for  Flower  Services.     It  would  be  difficult 
 to  excel  it  : — 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.— MINOR  CONTRIBUTORS.  317 
 
 Here,  Lord,  we  offer  Thee  all  that  is  fairest, 
 
 Bloom  from  the  garden,  and  flowers  from  the  field  ; 
 Gifts  from  the  stricken  ones,  knowing  Thou  carest 
 
 More  for  the  love  than  the  wealth  that  we  yield. 
 Send,  Lord,  by  these  to  the  sick  and  the  dying. 
 
 Speak  to  their  hearts  with  a  message  of  peace : 
 Comfort  the  sad,  who  in  weakness  are  lying, 
 
 Grant  the  departing  a  gentle  release. 
 Raise,  Lord,  to  health  again  those  who  have  sickened. 
 
 Fair  be  their  lives  as  the  roses  in  bloom  ;  ^ 
 Give  of  Thy  grace  to  the  souls  thou  hast  quickened. 
 
 Gladness  for  sorrow,  and  brightness  for  gloom. 
 We,  Lord,  like  flowers,  must  bloom  and  must  wither. 
 
 We,  like  these  blossoms,  must  fade  and  must  die  ; 
 Gather  us.  Lord,  to  Thy  bosom  for  ever, 
 
 Grant  us  a  place  in  Thy  home  in  the  sky. 
 
 Eobert  Brown  Borthwick,  Vicar  of  All  Saints', 
 Scarborough,  is  more  conspicuous  for  his  labours  as  an 
 Editor  of  both  hymns  and  tunes,  than  for  his  original 
 contributions  to  hymnody,  but  one  of  his  hymns,  for  the 
 Lord's  Supper,  beginning  "  0  Holy  Jesu,  Prince  of 
 Peace,"  though  lacking  the  compactness  of  thought  and 
 expression  necessary  to  a  really  popular  hymn,  is  yet  of 
 very  considerable  merit. 
 
 William  Bright,  M.A.  (bom  1824),  Canon  of  Christ 
 Church,  Oxford,  is  the  author  of  a  small  volume  of 
 ''  Hymns  and  Poems,"  from  which  the  following  hymn  for 
 Sunday  evening  of  great  excellence  has  passed  into  many 
 collections  : — 
 
 And  now  the  wants  are  told,  that  brought 
 
 Thy  children  to  Thy  knee  ; 
 Here  lingering  still,  we  ask  for  naught, 
 
 But  simply  worship  Thee. 
 The  hope  of  heaven's  eternal  days 
 
 Absorbs  not  all  the  heart, 
 That  gives  Thee  glory,  love,  and  praise, 
 
 For  being  what  Thou  art. 
 
318  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 For  Thou  art  God,  the  One,  the  Same, 
 
 O'er  all  things  high  and  bright; 
 And  round  us  when  we  speak  Thy  Name, 
 
 There  spreads  a  heaven  of  light. 
 
 0  wondrous  peace,  in  thought  to  dwell 
 
 On  excellence  divine ; 
 To  know  that  naught  in  man  can  tell 
 
 How  fair  Thy  beauties  shine. 
 
 O  Thou,  above  all  blessing  blest, 
 
 O'er  thanks  exalted  far, 
 Thy  very  greatness  is  a  rest 
 
 To  weaklings  as  we  are. 
 
 For  when  we  feel  the  praise  of  Tliee 
 
 A  task  beyond  our  powers, 
 We  say,  "  A  perfect  God  is  He, 
 
 And  He  is  fully  ours." 
 All  glory  to  the  Father  be, 
 
 All  glorv  to  the  Son, 
 All  glory,  Holy  Ghost,  to  Thee, 
 
 While  endless  ages  run. 
 
 '    Ellen  Elizabeth  Burman  is  the  authoress  of  a  hymn, 
 
 which   has   the   rare    merit   of    insisting   that   it   is   far 
 
 more  difficult  to  live  than  to  die  well.     It  is  a  hymn  that 
 
 would  have  satisfied  George  Eliot,  whose  dislike  of  "  other- 
 
 worldliness  "  was  so  pronounced,  and  to  whom  we  owe  that 
 
 expressive  phrase : — 
 
 Teach  me  to  live !  'Tis  easier  far  to  die — 
 Gently  and  silently  to  pass  away — 
 On  earth's  long  night  to  close  the  heav}'  eye, 
 And  waken  in  the  glorious  realms  of  day. 
 
 Teach  me  that  harder  lesson — how  to  live 
 Te  serve  Thee  in  the  darkest  paths  of  life  ; 
 Arm  me  for  conflict  now,  fresh  vigour  give, 
 And  make  me  more  than  conqueror  in  the  strife. 
 
 Teach  me  to  live  Thy  purpose  to  fulfil ; 
 Bright  for  Thy  glory  let  my  taper  shine  : 
 Each  day  renew,  remould  the  stubburn  will, 
 Closer  round  Thee  my  heart's  affections  twine. 
 
 Teach  me  to  live  for  self  and  sin  no  more, 
 But  use  the  time  remaining  to  me  yet 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.-MINOR  CONTRIBUTOBS.  319 
 
 Not  mine  own  pleasure  seeking  as  before, 
 Wasting  no  precious  hours  in  vain  regret. 
 
 Teach  me  to  live  !    No  idler  let  me  be, 
 But  in  Thy  service  hand  and  heart  employ. 
 Prepared  to  do  Thy  bidding  cheerfully— 
 Be  this  my  highest  and  my  holiest  joy. 
 
 Teach  me  to  live — my  daily  cross  to  bear, 
 Nor  murmur  though  I  bend  beneath  its  load  ; 
 Only  be  with  me ;  let  me  feel  Thee  near ; 
 Thy  smile  sheds  gladness  on  the  darkened  road. 
 
 Teach  me  to  live  and  find  my  life  in  Thee, 
 Looking  from  earth  and  earthly  things  away; 
 Let  me  not  falter,  but  untiringly 
 Press  on,  and  gain  new  strength  and  power  each  day. 
 
 Teach  me  to  live  !  with  kindly  words  for  all, 
 Wearing  no  cold  repulsive  brow  of  gloom, 
 Waiting  with  cheerful  patience  till  Thy  call 
 Summons  my  spirit  to  its  heavenly  home. 
 
 A  lady,  who  desires  to  preserve  her  anonyraity,  and  to 
 he  known  only  as  E.  E.,  is  the  author  of  two  or  three 
 hymns,  one  of  which,  for  Evening,  deserves  to  be  ranked 
 with ,  the  many  favourite  ones  we  possess  for  that  season. 
 It  has  very  high  qualities,  and  is  remarkable  both  for  the 
 vigour  of  its  thought  and  the  tenderness  of  its  style. 
 I  append  the  finest  verses  —  the  fourth  is  very 
 remarkable : — 
 
 Father,  now  the  day  is  over, 
 
 As  the  sun  sinks  in  the  west, 
 Ere  the  night  creep  slowly  round  us, 
 
 Ere  soft  slumber  be  our  guest. 
 
 Let  us  bless  Thee  that  to-day 
 
 Thou,  our  God,  hast  been  our  stay. 
 
 Lord,  we  need  no  earthly  temple, 
 
 For,  where  we  Thy  love  have  found, 
 All  Thy  humblest  creatures  teach  us 
 
 Where  we  are  is  holy  ground  : 
 
 Lord,  we  need  no  holier  place 
 
 Than  where  we  Thy  love  can  trace. 
 
320  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 For  the  love  of  friends  we  bless  Thee, 
 
 Who  to-day  our  joys  have  shared, 
 Whose  true  hearts,  spread  out  before  us, 
 
 Have  Thy  love  to  us  declared  ; 
 
 For  each  thought  of  truth  and  love 
 
 They  have  echoed  from  above. 
 
 For  the  mystic  bond  which  binds  us 
 
 Eacli  to  each,  and  all  to  Thee, 
 And  with  all  the  past  entwines  us, 
 
 In  the  world's  long  harmony  ; 
 
 For  each  striving  human  soul 
 
 Which  is  part  of  Thy  great  whole. 
 
 Pour  Thy  Spirit,  Lord,  upon  us, 
 
 Guard  us  in  unconscious  sleep ; 
 Be  that  Spirit  ever  with  us 
 
 While  death-slumbers  o'er  us  creep  ; 
 
 And,  our  life's  long  journey  past. 
 
 We  are  safe  with  Thee  at  last ! 
 
 Samuel  Childs  Clarke,  vicar  of  Thorverton,  Devon,  is 
 one  of  the  many  helpers  which  our  time  has  had  to  a 
 better  psalmody,  and  for  this  he  will  be  chiefly  remem- 
 bered ;  but  two  of  his  hymns  are  so  distinctive  as  to 
 deserve  record.  One  of  these  is  a  Harvest  Hymn, 
 beginning  "  Great  Giver  of  all  good,  to  Thee  again,"  and 
 the  other  a  Festival  one,  '*  0  Thou  who  dwellest  in 
 eternity." 
 
 Frances  Power  Cobbe  (born  1822)  is  well-known  by 
 her  contributions  to  periodical  literature,  and  her 
 published  volumes,  many  of  which  are  eloquent  defences 
 of  Theism.  She  has  also  edited  the  works  of  Theodore 
 Parker.  Miss  Cobbe  has,  however,  written  one  hymn,  so 
 beautiful  that  it  deserves  quotation  : — 
 
 God  draws  a  cloud  over  each  gleaming  morn, — 
 
 Wouldst  thou  ask  why  ? 
 It  is  because  all  noblest  things  are  born 
 
 In  agony. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.—MINOB  G0NTBIBUT0B8.  321 
 
 Only  upon  some  cross  of  pain  or  woe 
 
 God's  Son  may  lie : 
 Each  soul  redeemed  from  seli  and  sin  must  know 
 
 Its  Calvary. 
 
 Yet  we  must  crave  neither  for  joy  nor  grief; 
 
 God  chooses  hest : 
 He  only  knows  our  sick  soul's  best  relief, 
 
 And  gives  us  rest. 
 
 More  than  our  feeble  hearts  can  ever  pine 
 
 For  holiness. 
 That  Father  in  His  tenderness  divine, 
 
 Yearneth  to  bless. 
 
 He  never  sends  a  joy  not  meant  in  love, 
 
 Still  less  a  pain  ; 
 Our  gratitude  the  sunlight  falls  to  prove ; 
 
 Our  faith,  the  rain. 
 
 In  His  hands  we  are  safe.    We  falter  on 
 
 Through  storm  and  mire  : 
 Above,  beside,  around  us,  there  is  One 
 
 Will  never  tire. 
 
 What  though  we  fall, — and  bruised  and  wounded  lie, 
 
 Our  lips  in  dust ! 
 God's  arm  shall  lift  us  up  to  victory  ! 
 
 In  Him  we  trust. 
 
 For  neither  life  nor  death,  nor  things  below, 
 
 Nor  things  above. 
 Can  ever  sever  us,  that  we  should  go 
 
 From  His  great  love. 
 
 George  Thomas  Coster  (bom^lSSS),  now^minister  of  the 
 Congregational  Church  at  Stroud,  has  from  his  student  days 
 been  addicted  to  poetic  composition,  for  which,  especially 
 in  relation  to  the  interpretation  of  Scripture  character,  he 
 possesses  a  decided  genius.  Hej^has  published  "  Lorrine, 
 and  other  poems,"  ''The  Lay  of  St.  Peter,"  "Hymns 
 and  Poems,"  and  "Eed  Eoofs,"  whilst  he  is  represented  in 
 my  "  Poets'  Bible  "  by  fine  poems  on  "  Esau  at  the  grave 
 of  Isaac,"  &c.  Many  of  his  hynms  are  above  the  average, 
 but  the  Missionary  Hymn  which  I  append  is  very  dis- 
 
322  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 tinctive  and  cliarmmg,  and  slioiild  be  a  favourite  at  the 
 
 services  for  which  it  was  written  : — 
 
 From  north  and  south,  and  east  and  west, 
 When  shall  the  peoples,  long  unblest, 
 All  find  their  everlasting  rest, 
 O  Christ,  in  Thee? 
 
 When  shall  the  climes  of  ageless  snow 
 Be  with  the  Gospel  light  aglow, 
 And  all  men  their  Redeemer  know, 
 0  Christ,  in  Thee  ? 
 
 When  on  each  southern  balmy  coast. 
 Shall  ransomed  men,  in  countless  host. 
 Rise,  heart  and  voice,  to  make  sweet  boast, 
 O  Christ,  in  Thee  ? 
 
 O  when  in  all  the  orient  lands, 
 From  cities  white  and  flaming  sands, 
 Shall  men  lift  dedicated  hands, 
 O  Christ,  to  Thee  ? 
 
 O  when  shall  heathen  darkness  roll 
 Away  in  light,  from  pole  to  pole. 
 And  endless  day  by  every  soul 
 Be  found  in  Thee  ? 
 
 Bring,  Lord,  the  long-predicted  hour. 
 The  ages'  diadem  and  flower, 
 When  all  shall  find  their  Refuge,  Tower, 
 And  Home  in  Thee  ! 
 
 His  hymn  for  Sabbath  use  at  sea,  though  not  equal  to 
 the  former,  has  some  fine  touches  in  it : — 
 
 Lord  of  the  sea  !  afar  from  land 
 We  still  within  Thy  presence  stand : 
 Now  grant  us  grace  to  worship  Thee, 
 And  keep  our  Sabbath  on  the  sea. 
 
 Be  banished  care,  be  banished  fear ! 
 Our  hearts  into  calm  waters  steer ; 
 So  may  they  rest  although  we  roam, 
 And  on  the  deep  be  still  at  home. 
 
 Be  calm  without  and  calm  within, 
 And  all  om-  worship  free  from  sin  ; 
 And  as  of  Thee  Thy  servants  hear, 
 O  let  us  feel  that  Thou  art  near ! 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.— MINOR  CONTRIBUTORS.  323 
 
 Thy  blessing,  gracious  Lord,  we  crave; 
 Thou  oft  didst  sail  the  Hebrew  wave ; — 
 Sail  with  us  now  that,  joyful,  we 
 May  keep  our  Sabbath  on  the  sea. 
 Thine  is  the  sea,  as  Thine  the  land  ; 
 We  still  within  Thy  presence  stand  : 
 In  Thy  blest  Spirit's  light  may  we 
 Find  mercy's  gate  upon  the  sea  ' 
 
 It  is  strange  that  Mr.  Coster's  hymns  should  have  been  so 
 
 overlooked  by  raost  Editors  of  Hymnals  prepared  for  use 
 
 in  that  section  of  the  Church  to  which  he  belongs. 
 
 John   Brooke   Greenwood,  of  Manchester,  has  written 
 
 many    hymns   and    short   religious   poems,    which    have 
 
 appeared  in  various  magazines.    One  of  these  was  included 
 
 in  the  "Annus  Sanctus,"  edited  by  the  Eev.  Orby  Shipley, 
 
 on  the  principle  that  no  hymn  or  poem  should  be  admitted 
 
 to  its  pages,  save  those  written  by  members  of  the  lloman 
 
 Communion.     In  this  collection  is  included  "  The  lleturn 
 
 of  the  dove,"  with  the  initial  S.,  of  which  Mr.  Greenwood, 
 
 a  member  of  the  Congregational  Church,  is  the  author. 
 
 Astonished  to  find  it  there  I  set  myself  to  unravel  the 
 
 mystery,  and  found  that  Mr.   Greenwood's  verses  came 
 
 into  the  hands  of  a  relation  of  his  belonging  to  the  Roman 
 
 Church,  who  gave  them  to  her  priest ;    through  him  they 
 
 found  their  way  into  a  lloman  Catholic  newspaper.       Mr. 
 
 Shipley  finding  them  there   concluded  they  were  by   a 
 
 member  of  that  communion,   and  included  them   in  his 
 
 ''  Annus  Sanctus,"  where  they  figure  among  the  verses  of 
 
 monks,  priests,   bishops,  and  cardinals.     After  this,  who 
 
 shall  say  that  a  heretic  may  not  have  some  slight  chance 
 
 of  heaven  ?    I  quote  two  hymns  by  Mr.  Greenwood^  which 
 
 seem  to  me  to  be  his  best  efforts.     The  first  a  Marriage 
 
 Hymn  is  becoming  a  favourite  for  that  service  : — 
 
324  THE  HYMN  L  0  VER. 
 
 Cri  wn  with  Thy  benediction 
 
 This  sacrament  of  love ; 
 And  make  this  hallowed  union 
 
 Foretaste  of  heaven  above : 
 Let  pure  and  perfect  gladness, 
 
 Let  pure  and  per!ect  rest, 
 And  peace  that  knows  no  sadness, 
 
 Thy  presence,  Lord,  attest. 
 
 As  once  in  Eden's  springtime. 
 
 As  once  at  Cana's  feast, 
 So  consecrate  this  Bridal — 
 
 Be  Thou  its  Guest  and  Priest  ! 
 With  sunshine  wreathe  the  altar, 
 
 Chase  every  cloud  away. 
 Nor  let  their  voices  falter 
 
 Who  plight  their  troth  to-day. 
 
 God  bless  the  Bride  and  Bridegroom, 
 
 And  fill  with  joy  their  life ; 
 Keep  them,  tlu'ough  all  its  changes. 
 
 True  husband,  faithful  wife  ! 
 
 Thou  wilt  smile  upon  them. 
 
 They  shall  not  need  the  sun  ; 
 This  thought  their  hearts  rejoicing — 
 
 Henceforth,  not  twain  but  one. 
 
 With  Thy  great  love  befriend  them,  ] 
 
 The  love  that  casts  out  fear  ; 
 And  make  a  rainbow  round  them 
 
 For  every  falling  tear : 
 Till,  all  their  sheaves  well-garnered. 
 
 Heaven's  harvest-home  they  rai?e. 
 Where  love,  that  knows  no  ending. 
 
 Inspires  more  perfect  praise. 
 
 The   socoud,    a   Eaptismal    liynin,    is    very    tender,    and 
 admirably  suited  to  that  service  : — 
 
 What  shall  we  render.  Lord,  to  Thee 
 Who  hast  enriched  our  lives  with  love, 
 
 And  in  our  midst  has  set  this  child 
 To  link  our  hearts  to  things  above? 
 
 We  thank  Thee,  Lord,  that  Thou  hast  given 
 
 Such  answer  to  our  hopes  and  fears  ; 
 Hast  sent  this  little  one  from  heaven, 
 
 Glad  recompense  for  all  our  tears. 
 
LIVING  RYMNI8TS.— MINOR  C0NTBIBUT0B8.  325 
 
 To  nestle  dove-like,  in  our  home, 
 
 And  fill  our  lives  with  joy  and  light; 
 Make  sunshine  when  the  shadows  come, 
 
 And  parents'  hearts  to  Thee  unite. 
 
 To  wean  our  souls  from  self  and  sin, 
 
 To  nobler  uses,  higher  claims ; 
 A  life  of  service  that  shall  win 
 
 Thy  benediction  on  its  aims. 
 
 Baptize  our  households  from  above, 
 
 O  gentle  Shepherd  of  the  sheep  ! 
 And,  with  Thy  ministry  of  love, 
 
 Our  tender  nurslings  safely  keep. 
 
 We  bring  our  little  ones  to  Thee ; 
 
 Their  angels  always  see  Thy  face  : 
 The  Everlasting  arms  shall  be 
 
 Our  children's  quiet  resting-place. 
 
 Thomas  Hughes  (born  1823),  known  in  every  English- 
 speaking  country  as  the  author  of  "  Tom  Brown's  School 
 Days,"  is  the  author  of  one  hymn,  written  at  the  request 
 of  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Norton,  for  "Lays  of  the  Sanctuary," 
 a  poetical  collection  published  for  a  charitable  purpose, 
 but  it  is  so  good,  and  so  gathers  up  and  expresses  the 
 inmost  spirit  of  the  author,  that  it  deserves  mention  and 
 quotation.  Mr.  Hughes  tells  me  that  he  never  attempted 
 to  write  another  hymn.  It  is  such  a  hymn  as  his  dear 
 friend  Charles  Kingsley  would  have  rejoiced  to  sing  : — 
 
 O  God  of  Truth,  whose  living  word 
 
 Upholds  whate'er  hath  breath, 
 Look  down  on  Thy  creation,  Lord, 
 
 Enslaved  by  sin  and  death. 
 
 Set  up  Thy  standard.  Lord,  that  we, 
 
 Who  claim  a  heavenly  birth. 
 May  march  with  Thee  to  smite  the  lies 
 
 That  vex  Thy  groaning  earth. 
 
 Ah  !  would  we  join  that  blest  array, 
 
 And  follow  in  the  might 
 Of  Him  the  Faithful  and  the  True, 
 
 In  raiment  clean  and  white  ! 
 
326  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 We  fight  for  trutli,  we  fight  for  God, 
 
 Poor  slaves  of  lies  and  sin ! 
 He  who  would  fight  for  Thee  on  earth, 
 
 Must  first  be  true  within. 
 
 Then,  God  of  Truth,  for  whom  we  long, 
 Thou  who  wilt  hear  our  prayer, 
 
 Do  Thine  own  battle  in  our  hearts, 
 And  slay  the  falsehood  there. 
 
 Still  smite  !  still  burn  !  till  naught  is  left 
 But  God's  own  truth  and  love; 
 
 Then,  Lord,  as  morning  dew  come  down, 
 Rest  on  us  from  above. 
 
 Yea,  come  !  then,  tried  as  in  the  fire, 
 
 From  every  lie  set  free, 
 Thy  perfect  truth  shall  dwell  in  us, 
 
 And  we  shall  live  in  Thee. 
 
 John  Julian  (bom  1839),  Yicar  of  Wincobank,  Sheffield, 
 is  best  known  as  Editor  of  the  "  Dictionary  of  Hymnology," 
 about  to  be  published  by  Mr.  John  Murray,  to  which  he  has 
 devoted  years  of  labour,  and  which  will  be  the  standard 
 work  of  reference  on  that  subject,  but  he  has  written  two 
 or  three  hymns  which  have  a  certain  merit,  but  lack  that 
 inexpressible  something — spontaneity — the  vision  and 
 faculty  divine,  which  make  words  to  glow,  and  kindle 
 other  minds.  They  are  not  sufficiently  quick  in  their 
 movement  to  be  effective,  they  are  the  work  of  the 
 hymnologist  rather  than  the  poet,  but  yet  the  refrain  of 
 the  following  hymn  is  very  impressive  : — 
 
 O  God  of  God  !  O  Light  of  Light ! 
 
 Thou  Prince  of  Peace,  Thou  King  of  Kings ; 
 
 To  Thee,  where  angels  know  no  night, 
 
 The  song  of  praise  for  ever  rings  : — 
 To  Him  who  sits  upon  the  throne. 
 The  Lamb  once  slain  for  sinful  men, 
 Be  honour,  might;  all  by  Him  won  ; 
 Glory  and  praise !  Amen,  Amen. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.— MINOR  CONTRIBUTORS.  327 
 
 Deep  in  the  Prophets'  sacred  page, 
 
 Grand  in  the  Poets'  winged  word, 
 
 Slowly  in  type,  from  age  to  age. 
 
 Nations  beheld  their  coming  Liord  ; 
 
 Till  through  the  deep  Judean  night, 
 Rang  out  the  song,  "  Goodwill  to  men  *; 
 Hymned  by  the  firstborn  sons  of  light, 
 Re-echoed  now — '  Goodwill,'  Amen. 
 
 That  life  of  truth,  those  deeds  of  love. 
 
 That  death  of  pain,  'mid  hate  and  scorn ; 
 
 These  all  are  past,  and  now  above. 
 
 He  reigns  our  King !  once  crowned  with  thorn. 
 "  Lift  up  your  heads,  ye  heavenly  gates," 
 So  sang  His  hosts,  unheard  by  men  ; 
 "  Lift  up  your  hearts,  for  you  He  waits," 
 "  We  lift  them  up !  Amen,  Amen !  " 
 
 Nations  afar,  in  ignorance  deep  ; 
 
 Isles  of  the  sea.  where  darkness  lay  ; 
 
 These  hear  His  voice,  they  wake  from  sleep, 
 
 And  throng  with  j  oy  the  upward  way, 
 
 Thy  err  with  us,  "  Send  forth  Thy  light," 
 O  Lamb,  once  slain  for  sinful  men; 
 Burst  Satan's  bonds,  O  God  of  Might, 
 Set  all  men  free  !  Amen,  Amen. 
 
 Sing  to  the  Lord  a  glorious  song. 
 Sing  to  His  name,  His  love  forth  tell ; 
 Sing  on,  heaven's  host.  His  praise  prolong; 
 Sing,  ye  who  now  on  earth  do  dwell : — 
 
 Worthy  the  Lamb  for  sinners  slain. 
 
 From  angels,  praise ;  and  thanks  from  men. 
 
 Worthy  the  Lamb,  enthroned  to  reign, 
 
 Gloiy  and  power !  Amen,  Amen. 
 
 The  same  kind  of  remark  applies  to  his  Christmas  hymn 
 for  children,  "Sweetly  sang  the  angels  in  the  clear 
 calm  light." 
 
 MaryEawler  Maude  (born  1848)  deserves  mention  for 
 the  terse  and  striking  hymn,  "Thine  for  ever,  God  of 
 love." 
 
 Eliza  Fanny  Morris,  nee  Goffe  (born  1821),  was  the 
 authoress  of  a  little  work,  "  The  Voice  and  the  Reply  " 
 
328  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 (1858),  in  the  second  part  of  whicli  is  found  the  hymn, 
 ''  God  of  pity,  God  of  grace,"  by  which  she  is  now  well 
 known.  It  is  called  "  The  Prayer  in  the  Temple."  She 
 has  written  other  hymns,  but  none  of  them  equal  to  the 
 one  I  have  named. 
 
 Charles  Edward  Mudie  (born  1818),  the  founder  of  the 
 well-known  library  which  goes  under  his  name,  has 
 written  a  few  poems  chiefly  sacred,  which  have  been 
 collected  and  published  under  the  title  ''  Stray  leaves." 
 The  one  hymn  which  has  passed  into  many  collections, 
 and  become  very  popular  among  the  Free  Churches,  is  the 
 following,  which  has  great  merit : — 
 
 I  lift  my  heart  to  Thee, 
 
 Saviour  Divine, 
 For  Thou  art  all  to  me, 
 And  1  am  Thine. 
 la  there  on  earth  a  closer  bond  than  this — 
 That '  my  Beloved's  mine,  and  I  am  His '  ? 
 
 Thine  am  I  by  all  ties  ; 
 But  chiefly  Thine, 
 That  through  Thy  sacrifice 
 Thou,  Lord,  art  mine. 
 By  Thine  own  cords  of  love,  so  sweetly  wound 
 Around  me,  I  to  Thee  am  closely  bound. 
 
 To  Thee,  Thou  bleeding  Lamb, 
 
 I  all  things  owe  ; 
 All  that  I  have  and  am, 
 And  all  I  know. 
 All  that  I  have  is  now  no  longer  mine, 
 And  I  am  not  mine  own, — Lord,  1  am  Thine. 
 
 How  can  1,  Lord,  withhold 
 
 Life's  brightest  hour 
 From  Thee ;  or  gathered  gold, 
 Or  any  power  V 
 Why  should  I  keep  one  precious  thing  from  Thee, 
 When  Thou  hast  given  Ihine  own  dear  self  for  me 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.— MINOR  CONTRIBUTORS.  329 
 
 I  pray  Thee,  Savioui",  keep 
 
 Me  in  Thy  love, 
 Until  death's  holy  sleep 
 Shall  me  remove 
 To  that  fair  realm,  where,  sin  and  son'ow  o'er, 
 Thou  and  Thine  own  are  one  for  evermore. 
 
 Some  writers  are  forced  into  the  company  of  hymnists, 
 who  never  expected  to  be.  Harriet  Parr  (better 
 known  nnder  her  nom  de  plume  of  Holme  Lee)  is  an 
 example  of  this.  In  1856  she  wrote,  for  Charles  Dickens, 
 a  portion  of  the  Christmas  story  "  The  wreck  of  the 
 Golden  Mary."  The  narrative  which  connects  the  various 
 parts  together  is  that  the  "  Golden  Mary  "  on  her  voyage 
 to  California,  encounters  an  iceberg,  and  is  wrecked.  The 
 crew  and  passengers  take  to  their  boats,  and,  to  while  away 
 the  time,  relate  their  experiences.  Poor  Dick  Tarrant 
 tells  his  tale,  and  then  says :  ''  What  can  it  be  that  brings 
 all  these  old  things  over  in  my  mind  ?  There's  a  child's 
 hymn  I  and  Tom  used  to  say  at  my  mother's  knee  when 
 we  were  little  ones,  keeps  running  through  my  thoughts. 
 It's  the  stars,  may  be.  There  was  a  little  window  by  my 
 bed  that  I  used  to  watch  them  at — a  window  in  my  room 
 at  home  in  Cheshire  ;  and  if  I  was  ever  afraid,  as  boys  will 
 be  after  reading  a  good  ghost  story,  I  would  keep  on  saying 
 it  till  I  fell  asleep."  "  That  was  a  good  mother  of  yours, 
 Dick ;  could  you  say  that  hymn  now,  do  you  think  ?  some  of 
 us  would  like  to  hear  it."  ''It's  as  clear  in  my  mind  at 
 this  minute,  as  if  my  mother  was  here  listening  to  me," 
 said  Dick,  and  he  repeated  : — 
 
 Hear  my  prayer,  O  heavenly  Father, 
 
 Ere  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep  ; 
 Bid  Thine  angels,  pure  and  holy. 
 
 Round  my  bed  their  vigil  keep. 
 
330  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Great  my  sins  are,  but  i'hy  mercy 
 
 Far  outweighs  them  every  one ; 
 Down  before  the  cross  I  cast  them, 
 
 Trusting  in  Thy  help  alone. 
 
 Keep  me,  through  this  night  of  peril, 
 
 Underneath  its  boundless  shade ; 
 Take  me  to  Thy  rest,  I  pi-ay  Thee, 
 
 When  my  pilgrimage  is  made. 
 
 None  shall  measure  out  Thy  patience 
 
 By  the  span  of  human  thought ; 
 None  shall  bound  the  tender  mercies 
 
 Which  Thy  holy  Son  hath  wrought. 
 
 Pardon  all  my  past  transgressions, 
 Give  me  strength  for  days  to  come ; 
 
 Guide  and  guard  me  with  Thy  blessing 
 Till  Thine  angels  lid  me  home. 
 
 It  was  first  included  in  the  "  Congregational  Hymn  Book.'' 
 Little  did  the  authoress  dream  that  her  verses  would  be 
 put  to  such  a  use,  and  become  as  they  have,  so  deservedly- 
 popular.     This  is  the  only  hymn  we  owe  to  her  pen. 
 
 Catherine  Pennefather,  nee  King,  to  whose  husband  we 
 owe  several  hymns  of  great  beauty,  has  written  one  of 
 great  tenderness,  which  expresses  the  purpose  which  has 
 marked  the  life  work  of  its  author,  "  !N"ot  now,  my  child, 
 a  little  more  rough  tossing." 
 
 To  Polliott  Sandford  Pierpoiut  (born  1835) — who  must 
 
 not  be  confounded  with  the  American,  John  Pierpont — 
 
 we  owe  one  of  the  most  delightful  hymns  of  thankfulness 
 
 in  the  language.     The  refrain,  in  the  original,  ran  thus: 
 
 '  Christ,    our    God,   to    Thee   we   raise,"    but    by   most 
 
 editors,  it  has  been  changed  to  the  version  I  append : — 
 
 For  the  beauty  of  the  earth, 
 For  the  beauty  of  the  skies, 
 For  the  love  which  from  our  birth 
 Over  and  around  us  lies ; 
 Father,  unto  Thee  we  raise 
 This,  our  sacrifice  of  praise. 
 
LIVING  HYMNISTS.— MINOR  CONTRIBUTORS.  331 
 
 For  the  beauty  of  each  hour 
 Of  the  day  and  of  the  night, 
 Hill  and  vale,  and  tree  and  flower. 
 Sun  and  moon,  and  stars  of  light; 
 Father,  unto  Thee  we  raise 
 This,  our  sacrifice  of  praise. 
 
 For  the  joy  of  ear  and  eye, 
 For  the  heart  and  mind's  delight, 
 For  the  mystic  harmony 
 Linking  sense  to  sound  and  sight ; 
 Father,  unto  Thee  we  raise 
 This  our  sacrifice  of  praise. 
 
 For  the  joy  of  human  love. 
 Brother,  sister,  parent,  child. 
 Friends  on  earth,  and  friends  above, 
 For  all  gentle  thoughts  and  mild ; 
 Father,  unto  Thee  we  raise 
 This,  our  sacrifice  of  praise. 
 
 For  each  perfect  gift  of  Thine 
 To  our  race  so  freely  given, 
 Graces  human  and  divine. 
 Flowers  of  earth,  and  buds  of  heaven ; 
 Father,  unto  Thee  we  raise 
 This,  our  sacrifice  of  praise. 
 
 For  Thy  Church  that  evermore 
 Lifteth  holy  hands  above. 
 Offering  up  on  every  shore 
 Its  pure  sacrifice  of  love  ; 
 Father,  unto  Thee  we  raise 
 This,  our  sacrifice  of  praise. 
 
 Eichard  Hayes  Robinson  (born  1842),  of  Eath,  is  the 
 author  of  the  beautiful  little  hymn,  *'  Holy  Father,  cheer 
 our  way." 
 
 Christina  Georgina  Eossetti  (born  1830),  the  sister  of 
 Dante  Gabriel  and  William  Michael  Eossetti,  is  better 
 known  as  a  poet  than  as  a  hymnist.  Her  poems  take 
 very  high  rank,  and  often  remind  us  of  those  of  the 
 greatest  poetess  of  England — Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning. 
 
322  THU  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 I  question  whether  Miss  Rossetti  ever  wrote  verses  with  a 
 view  to  use  in  worship,  but  the  exquisite  beauty  of  some 
 of  her  shorter  poems  has  led  some  editors  to  include  them 
 in  their  collections.  They  are,  however,  more  suited  to 
 private  than  public  worship,  as  may  be  seen  from  the 
 following  specimen : — 
 
 I  would  have  gone ;   God  bade  me  stay  : 
 I  would  have  worked  ;   God  bade  me  rest : 
 He  broke  my  will  from  day  to  day, 
 He  read  my  yearnings,  unexpressed, 
 And  said  them  nay. 
 
 Now  I  would  stay ;  God  bids  me  go ; 
 Now  I  would  rest ;  God  bids  me  work. 
 He  breaks  my  heart,  tossed  to  and  fro. 
 My  soul  is  wrung  with  doubts  that  lurk 
 And  vex  it  so. 
 
 I  go.  Lord,  where  Thou  sendest  me  ; 
 Day  after  day  I  plod  and  moil : 
 But,  Christ,  my  God,  when  will  it  be 
 That  I  may  let  alone  my  toil 
 And  rest  with  Thee  ? 
 
 Jane  Euphemia  Saxby,  nee  Erowne  (bom  1811),  the 
 author  of  "  The  Dove  on  the  Cross,"  is  numbered  among 
 the  hymnists  by  the  following  exquisite  hymn,  which 
 appeared  in  the  volume  I  have  named  : — 
 
 Show  me  the  way,  O  Lord, 
 
 And  make  it  plain  ; 
 I  would  obey  Thy  Word, 
 Speak  yet  again ; 
 I  will  not  take  one  step  until  I  know 
 Which  way  it  is  that  Thou  wouldst  have  me  go. 
 
 O  Lord,  1  cannot  see  : 
 
 Vouchsafe  me  light ; 
 The  mist  bewilders  me, 
 Impedes  my  sight : 
 Hold  Thou  my  hand,  and  lead  me  by  Thy  side  ; 
 I  dare  not  go  aloue, — be  Thou  my  Guide. 
 
LlVi:SG  HYMNISTS.— MINOR  C0NTBIBUTOB8.  333 
 
 1  will  be  patient,  Lord, 
 Trustful  and  still ; 
 I  will  not  doubt  Thy  Word  ; 
 My  hopes  fulfil : 
 How  can  1  perish,  clinging  to  Thy  side, 
 My  Comforter,  my  Sa^^our,  and  my  Guide  ? 
 
 Charles  Smith  (bom  1844)  is  the  author  of  two  hymns, 
 one  of  which  especially  deserves  mention.  It  was 
 written  at  my  suggestion  for  "The  Book  of  Praise  for 
 Children,"  which  at  the  time,  I  was  compiling.  Its  author 
 made  many  attempts,  and  at  last  almost  gave  up  the  task 
 in  despair,  when  a  sudden  inspiration  enabled  him  to 
 write  the  following  hymn,  which  is  quite  original  in 
 conception,  and  expressed  with  great  beauty.  It  was 
 iilterwards  revised  for  insei-tion  in  "Congregational 
 Hymns,"  where  it  appears  as  quoted  below.  The  com- 
 parison of  the  path  of  duty  to  a  shining  golden  street  is 
 particularly  happy : — 
 
 Lord  !  when  through  sin  1  wander 
 
 So  very  far  from  Thee, 
 I  think  in  some  far  country, 
 
 Thy  sinless  home  must  be  ; 
 But  when  with  heartfelt  sorrow 
 
 I  pray  Thee  to  forgive. 
 Thy  pardon  is  so  perfect, 
 
 That  in  Thy  heaven  I  live. 
 
 That  heaven.  Lord,  so  surrounds  me, 
 
 That  when  I  do  the  right, 
 The  saddest  path  of  duty 
 
 Is  lightened  by  its  light : 
 I  know  not  what  its  glories 
 
 Before  Thy  throne  must  be. 
 But  here  Thy  smiling  presence 
 
 Is  heaven  on  earth  to  me. 
 
 To  love  the  right  and  do  it, 
 
 Is  to  my  heart  so  sweet, 
 It  makes  the  path  of  duty 
 
 A  shining  golden  street : 
 
334  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Give  me  Thy  strength,  0  Father, 
 
 To  choose  this  path  each  day, 
 Then  heaven  within,  about  me, 
 
 Shall  compass  all  my  way. 
 
 The  other  is  a  hymn  for  children  on  ''Joy  and  Sorrow 
 alike  from  Grod,"  and  is  of  merit,  though  not  equal  to 
 the  one  I  have  quoted. 
 
 George  Hunt  Smyttan,  has  shown  the  use  which  may 
 be  made  of  Scripture  incident,  when  rightly  treated,  in 
 the  sharply-cut  hymn  : — 
 
 Forty  days  and  forty  nights 
 
 Thou  wast  fasting  in  the  wild ; 
 Forty  days  and  forty  nights 
 
 Tempted  and  yet  undefiled. 
 
 Sunbeams  scorching  all  the  day, 
 
 Chilly  dewdrops  nightly  shed ; 
 Prowling  beasts  about  Thy  way  ; 
 
 Stones  Thy  pillow,  earth  Thy  bed. 
 
 Lord,  if  Satan,  vexing  sore, 
 
 Flesh  or  spirit  should  assail. 
 Thou  hast  vanquished  him  before ; 
 
 Grant  we  may  not  faint  or  fail. 
 
 So  shall  we  have  peace  divine  ; 
 
 Holier  gladness  ours  shall  be ; 
 Eound  us,  too,  shall  angels  shine, 
 
 Such  as  ministered  to  Thee. 
 
 Keep,  O  keep  us.  Saviour  dear, 
 
 Ever  constant  by  Thy  side ; 
 That  with  Thee  we  may  appear 
 
 At  th'  eternal  Eastertide. 
 
 David  Thomas  (born  1813),  for  many  years  minister  of 
 the  Congregational  Church  at  Stockwell,  for  whose  use 
 he  compiled  "The  Biblical  Liturgy,"  and  Editor  of  The 
 Somilist^  has  written  several  hymns,  which  were  included 
 in  the  ''Liturgy"  I  have  named.  One  of  these  is 
 pathetic  and  tender  in  no  ordinary  degree  : — 
 
LIVING  EYMNISTS,— MINOR  CONTRIBUTORS.  335 
 
 Shew  pity,  Lord,  for  we  are  frail  and  faint ; 
 We  fade  away,  O  list  to  our  complaint ! 
 We  fade  away,  like  flowers  in  the  sun ; 
 We  just  begin,  and  then  our  work  is  done. 
 
 Shew  pity.  Lord,  our  souls  are  sore  distressed ; 
 As  troubled  seas,  our  natures  have  no  rest ; 
 As  troubled  seas  that  surging  beat  the  shore, 
 We  throb  and  heave,  ever  and  evermore. 
 
 Shew  pity,  Lord,  our  grief  is  in  our  sin  : 
 We  would  be  cleansed,  O  make  us  pure  within  ! 
 We  would  be  cleansed,  for  this  we  cry  to  Thee ; 
 Thy  word  of  love  can  make  the  conscience  free. 
 
 Shew  pity,  Lord,  inspire  our  hearts  with  love ; 
 That  holy  love  which  draws  the  soul  above ; 
 That  holy  love  which  makes  us  one  with  Thee, 
 And  with  Thy  saints,  through  all  eternity. 
 
 Henry  Twells  (born  1832),  rector  of  "Waltham,  Melton 
 Mowbray,  will  be  long  remembered,  and  deservedly,  by 
 his  hymn  for  Sunday  evening,  one  of  the  finest  we  possess, 
 '*  At  even  ere  the  sun  was  set."  Scarcely  a  hymnal  now 
 appears  in  which  this  is  not  included. 
 
CHAPTEE  XVIII. 
 
 GERMAN  HYMNS. 
 
 Germaist  holds  a  place  of  pre-eminence  for  her  hymns. 
 In  sacred  poetry^  she  has  had  no  writers  at  all  to  be  com- 
 pared with  John  Milton,  George  Herbert,  Henry  Vaughan, 
 John  Keble,  and  a  host  of  others  that  might  be  named. 
 Probably  now  oursstore  of  English  Hymnody  is  equal,  but 
 before  the  present  century  it  was  far  inferior  to  that  of 
 Germany.  The  reasons  for  this  pre-eminence  are  twofold : 
 the  much  earlier  period  (two  or  three  centuries)  at  which 
 the  Germans  began  to  cultivate  hymn-writing,  and  their 
 greater  love  for  music,  so  that  no  sooner  was  a  hymn 
 written  than  it  was  at  once  set  to  music  and  its 
 life  and  influence  secured.  "  As  far  back  as  we  hear 
 anything  of  the  German  race,  we  hear  of  their  love  for 
 song.  They  sang  hymns,  we  are  told,  in  their  heathen 
 worship,  and  lays  in  honour  of  their  heroes  at  their 
 banquets,  and  their  heaven  was  pictured  as  echoing  with 
 the  songs  of  the  brave  heroes  who  had  died  in  battle."^' 
 Their  love  of  music  was  not,  however,  checked  or 
 diverted  from  a  religious  use  by  Calvinism,  which 
 had  but  a  very  slight  hold  of  the  German  mind.  The 
 more   strongly   churches  have    been  influenced    by  the 
 
 *  Wiiikworth's  "  Christian  Singers  of  Creruiany,"  p.  6. 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  337 
 
 theology  of  Calvin,  the  less  disposed  have  they  been  to 
 admit  Art,  whether  in  the  form  of  Music,  Poetry,  or 
 Painting,  as  a  handmaid  to  their  worship.  And  so  we 
 find,  that,  whilst  England  was  content  with  such,  versions 
 of  the  Psalms  as  Stemhold  and  Hopkins,  Germany 
 possessed  .a  noble  collection  of  hymns  in  th.e  vernacular. 
 Mrs.  Charles,  in  her  *' Yoice  of  Christian  Life  in  Song," 
 attempts  to]  explain  the  Calvinistic  dislike  to  hymns  in 
 public  worsHp  in  the  following  way  : — ''  None  of  the 
 strictly  Calvinistic  communities  have  a  hymn-book  dating 
 back  to  the  Reformation.  It  cannot,  surely,  be  their 
 doctrines  which  caused  this ;  many  of  the  best-known  and 
 most  deeply -treasured  hymns  of  Germany  and  England  have 
 been  written  by  those  who  receive  the  doctrines  known,  as 
 Calvinistic.  IS'or  can  it  proceed  from  any  peculiarity  of 
 race,  or  deficiency  in  popular  love  of  music  and  song. 
 French  and  Scotch  national  character  are  too  dissimilar 
 to  explain  the  resemblance ;  whilst  Erance  has  many 
 national  melodies  and  songs,  and  Scotland  is  peculiarly 
 rich  in  both.  Is  not  the  cause,  then,  simply  the  common 
 ideal  of  external  ecclesiastical  forms  which  pervaded  all 
 the  churches  reformed  on  the  Genevan  type  ?  The 
 intervening  chapters  of  ecclesiastical  history  were,  as  it 
 were,  folded  up,  as  too  blotted  and  marred  for  truth  to 
 be  read  to  profit  in  them  ;  and,  next  to  the  first  chapter 
 of  Church  History  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  was  to 
 stand,  as  the  second  chapter,  the  history  of  the  Reformed 
 Churches.  Words  were  to  resume  their  original  Bible 
 meaning  ;  nothing  was  to  be  received  that  could  not  be 
 traced  back  to  the  Divine  hand.  Ecclesiastical  order  was 
 to  be  such  as  St.  Paul  had  established,  or  hod  found 
 established  ;  clearly  to  be  traced,  it  was  believed,  in  the 
 
338  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Acts  and  Apostolical  Epistles.  And,  since  the  inspiration 
 which  glowed  on  the  gifted  lips  of  apostolic  days  existed 
 no  longer,  and  the  "psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs" 
 in  which  St.  Paul  had  delighted  formed  no  part  of  the 
 ]S"ew  Testament  canon,  recourse  must  be  had  to  an  older 
 liturgy,  inspired  throughout,  at  once  most  human  and 
 most  divine.  Thus  the  Book  of  Psalms  became  the 
 hymn-book  of  the  Eeformed  Churches  ;  adapted  to  grave 
 and  solemn  music,  in  metrical  translations  whose  one  aim 
 and  glory  was  to  render  into  measures  which  could  be 
 sung  the  very  words  of  the  Hebrew  Psalms." 
 
 This  seems  to  me  a  very  insufficient  explanation  of  the 
 matter,  since  such  a  position  would  have  led  them  to 
 confine  all  their  worship — prayers  and  sermons,  as  well 
 as  hymns — to  Bible  forms.  This  they  did  not  do.  It 
 seems  to  me  that  the  Calvinist  had  a  rooted  dislike 
 to  the  aid  of  Art,  whether  in  poetry,  or  music,  or 
 architecture,  in  the  service  of  religion.  In  his  mind, 
 there  lay  an  other-worldliness  of  a  very  pronounced  type, 
 so  that  although  he  dilated  on  the  song  and  music  of 
 heaven,  he  would  not  admit  these  to  any  place  in  the 
 Church  on  earth.  The  more  rigid  of  the  Calvinists 
 excluded  song  of  every  kind,  even  that  drawn  from 
 scripture  sources,  from  worship. 
 
 The  hymnody  of  Germany  sprang  from  very  small 
 beginnings,  and  only  gradually  came  into  existence.  In 
 the  earliest  times,  whilst  the  land  was  under  the  sway  of 
 Rome — there,  as  in  England — hymns  filled  but  a  small 
 place  in  worship  ;  and  those  that  were  used  had  been 
 drawn  from  Latin  writers  chiefly  of  the  Gregorian  or 
 Ambrosian  schools.  In  the  earliest  times  of  the 
 German    Church    '^  the    only    part    which    the    people 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  339 
 
 were  allowed  to  take  in  the  services  of  the  Church  was 
 to  sing,  or  rather  to  shout,  the  '  Kyrie  Eleison '  in  the 
 Litany,  and  that  only  at  extraordinary  seasons,  such  as 
 processions,  pilgrimages,  the  transposition  of  relics, 
 funerals,  the  consecration  of  churches,  and  other  similar 
 occasions."^*  But,  "  These  words  were  frequently 
 repeated,  sometimes  two  or  three  hundred  times  in  one 
 service,  and  were  apt  to  degenerate  into  a  kind  of  scarcely 
 articulate  shout,  as  is  proved  by  the  early  appearance, 
 even  in  writing,  of  such  forms  as  '  Kyrieles.'  But  soon 
 after  Notker  had  created  the  Latin  Sequence,  the  priests 
 began  to  imitate  it  in  German,  in  order  to  furnish  the 
 people  with  some  intelligible  words  in  place  of  the  mere 
 outcry  to  which  they  had  become  accustomed.  They 
 wrote  irregular  verses,  every  strophe  of  which  ended 
 with  the  words  '  Kyrie  Eleison,'  from  the  last  syllables  of 
 which  these  earliest  German  hymns  were  called  Leisen.''^] 
 The  earliest  of  these  which  has  been  handed  down  to  us 
 is  on  Peter,  which  runs  as  follows  : — 
 
 Our  dear  Lord  of  grace  hath  given 
 
 To  St.  Peter  power  in  heaven, 
 
 That  he  may  uphold  alway. 
 
 All  who  hope  in  him,  and  say  » 
 
 Kyrie  eleison ! 
 Christe  eleison ! 
 
 Therefore  must  he  stand  before 
 
 The  heavenly  kingdom's  mighty  door  ; 
 
 There  will  he  an  entrance  give 
 
 To  those  who  shall  be  bid  to  live  : 
 Kyrie  eleison  ! 
 Christe  eleison  ! 
 
 Let  us  to  God's  servant  pray, 
 
 All,  with  loudest  voice  to-day, 
 
 That  our  souls,  which  else  were  lost, 
 
 May  dwell  among  the  heavenly  host : 
 Kyrie  eleison  ! 
 Christe  eleison  ! 
 
 *  Kurtz's  '•  Church  History,"  vol.  i,  p.  o-ti. 
 fWinkworth's  "  Christian  Singers  of  Germany,"  p.  28. 
 
340  TBE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 This  was  the  humble  beginning  of  German  Hymnody. 
 Somewhat  later,  in  the  twelfth  century,  much  of  the 
 native  feeling  found  expression  through  the  Minne- 
 singers, whose  songs  were  in  the  vernacular,  and  of  a 
 much  more  finished  character.  Many  of  these,  though 
 not  distinctly  religious,  were  yet  touched  with  Chiistian 
 feeling ;  some  were  distinctly  religious,  and  did  much  to 
 meet  and  satisfy  the  craving  for  lyric  and  musical 
 expression  on  the  part  of  the  people.  The  Zeisen,  too, 
 came  into  more  general  use,  and  grew  to  a  greater  finish, 
 as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  verses,  afterwards 
 adopted  by  Luther  as  part  of  his  own  hymns  : — 
 
 Christ  the  Lord  is  risen, 
 Out  of  Death's  dark  prison, 
 Let  us  all  rejoice  to-day, 
 Christ  shall  be  our  hope  and  stay  : 
 
 Kyrie  eleison. 
 
 Alleluia,  Alleluia,  Alleluia ! 
 Let  us  all  rejoice  to-day ; 
 Christ  shall  be  our  hope  and  stay. 
 
 Kyrie  eleison. 
 
 Many  of  the  great  Latin  hymns  were  translated 
 into  German,  and  found  their  way  into  occasional  use,  and  a 
 large  number  of  religious  poems  were  composed. 
 M.  "Wackernagel  has  collected  nearly  1,500  pieces  by  85 
 authors,  belonging  to  the  time  before  the  Eeformation. 
 Some  of  these  were  composed  for  different  classes  and 
 occasions — such  as  pilgrims,  boatmen,  &c.,  or  to  be  sung 
 in  battle.  The  oldest  German  Easter  Hymn  belongs  to 
 the  twelfth  century. 
 
 To  the  heretical  sects  of  the  time  is  due  both  the 
 composition  of  much  of  the  religious  poetry,  and, 
 as  in  the  case  of  the  Syriac  and  Greek  churches,  its 
 introduction  into  the  public  worship  of  the  Church.  The 
 school    of    Mystics,    to   which   Tauler  belonged,   by  the 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  341 
 
 impetus  it  gave  to  the  study  of  the  Bible  (the  first 
 complete  version  of  it  into  German  was  by  a  Mystic — 
 Matthias  of  Beheim),  prepared  the  way  for  a  nobler 
 hymnody  ;  and  to  this,  I  fancy,  is  due  the  fact  that  many 
 of  the  early  hymns  are  little  more  than  Bible 
 narrative  in  verse  —  the  form  of  that  verse  being 
 due  to  the  influence  exerted  by  the  Yolkslied,  or  popular 
 song  of  the  time,  which  was  largely  in  the  ballad  style. 
 The  following  are  specimens,  which,  by  reason  of  their 
 simplicity  and  freshness,  seem  to  me  very  beautiful : — 
 
 The  first  is  on  the  Incarnation — 
 
 A  ship  comes  sailing  onwards 
 
 "With  a  precious  freight  on  board ; 
 It  bears  the  only  Son  of  God, 
 
 It  bears  the  Eternal  Word. 
 
 A  precious  freight  it  brings  us, 
 
 Glides  gently  on,  yet  fast ; 
 Its  sails  are  filled  with  Holy  Love, 
 
 The  Spirit  is  its  mast. 
 
 And  now  it  casteth  anchor, 
 
 The  ship  hath  touched  the  land : 
 God's  Word  hath  taken  flesh,  the  Son 
 
 Among  us  men  doth  stand. 
 
 At  Bethlehem,  in  the  manger, 
 He  lies,  a  babe  of  days  ; 
 
 For  us  He  gives  Himself  to  death, 
 O  give  Him  thanks  and  praise. 
 
 Whoe'er  would  hope  in  gladness 
 To  kiss  this  Holy  Child, 
 
 Must  suffer  many  a  pain  and  woe 
 Patient  like  Him  and  mild  ; 
 
 Must  die  with  Him  to  evil 
 
 And  rise  to  righteousness. 
 That  so  with  Christ  he  too  may  share 
 
 Eternal  life  and  bliss. 
 
342  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 The  second  is  on  the  Resurrection — 
 
 There  went  three  damsels  ere  break  of  day, 
 To  the  Holy  Grave  they  took  their  way  ; 
 They  fain  would  anoint  the  Lord  once  more 
 As  Mary  Magdalene  did  before.  Allelm'a. 
 
 The  damsels  each  to  other  made  moan, 
 "  Who  will  roll  us  away  the  stone, 
 That  we  may  enter  in  amain 
 To  anoint  the  Lord  as  we  are  fain  ?  " 
 
 Full  precious  spices  and  salve  they  brought. 
 But  when  they  came  to  the  spot  they  sought, 
 Behold  the  grave  doth  open  stand, 
 An  angel  sitteth  on  either  hand. 
 
 "  Ye  maidens,  be  not  filled  with  fear, 
 He  whom  ye  seek,  He  is  not  here ; 
 Behold  the  raiment  white  and  fair 
 Which  the  Lord  was  wrapped  in,  lieth  there. 
 
 "  Ye  maidens,  do  not  here  delay. 
 
 Ye  must  to  Galilee  away ; 
 
 To  Galilee  ye  now  must  go, 
 
 For  there  the  Lord  Himself  will  show." 
 
 But  Mary  Magdalene  could  not  depart. 
 Seeking  the  Lord,  she  wept  apart ; 
 What  saw  she  in  a  little  while  ? 
 She  saw  our  Lord  upon  her  smile. 
 
 In  garb  and  wise  He  met  her  there 
 As  were  He  a  gardener,  and  did  bear 
 A  spade  within  His  holy  hand. 
 As  would  He  dig  the  garden  land. 
 
 "  0  tell  me,  gentle  Gardener  thou. 
 Where  hast  thou  laid  my  Master  now  ? 
 Where  thou  hast  hidden  Him  bid  me  know. 
 Or  my  heart  must  break  beneath  its  woe." 
 
 Scarce  could  He  speak  a  single  word. 
 Ere  she  beheld  it  was  the  Lord  ; 
 She  kneeleth  down  on  the  cold  bare  stone, 
 She  hath  found  her  Lord,  and  she  alone. 
 
 "  Touch  me  not,  Mary  Magdalene, 
 
 But  tell  the  brethren'what  thou  hast  seen ; 
 
 Touch  me  not  now  with  human  hand. 
 
 Until  I  ascend  to  my  Father's  land,"        Alleluia. 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  343 
 
 Some  of  the  popular  songs  of  the  time,  too,  were 
 themselves  adapted  to  a  religious  use,  so  that,  in  some 
 cases,  the  religious  supplanted,  in  public  esteem,  the 
 secular  versions.  The  following  is  an  adaptation  of  the 
 song  of  a  wandering  artisan,  beginning  "Innsbruck,  I 
 must  forsake  thee  "  : — 
 
 0  World,  1  must  forsake  thee, 
 And  far  away  betake  me, 
 
 To  seek  my  native  shore ; 
 So  long  I've  "dwelt  in  sadness 
 
 1  wish  not  now  for  gladness, 
 
 Earth's  joys  for  me  are  o'er. 
 
 Sore  is  my  grief  and  lonely, 
 
 And  I  can  tell  it  only 
 
 To  Thee,  my  Friend  most  sure  ! 
 God,  let  Thy  hand  uphold  me. 
 Thy  pitying  heart  enfold  me, 
 
 For  else  1  am  most  poor. 
 
 My  Kefuge  where  1  hide  me. 
 From  Thee  shall  nought  divide  me, 
 
 No  pain,  no  poverty  : 
 Nought  is  too  bad  to  bear  it, 
 If  Thou  art  there  to  share  it ; 
 
 My  heart  asks  only  Thee. 
 
 Eut  it  was  not  till  the  year  1467,  when  the  followers 
 of  John  Huss  formed  themselves  into  a  separate  Church, 
 that  hymns  came  into  common  use  in  the  mother  tongue. 
 Huss  himself  laid  stress  on  the  people  taking  part  in  the 
 song  of  the  Church,  and,  with  a  view  to  this,  composed  a 
 number  of  excellent  hymns  in  the  Bohemian.  These, 
 together  with  many  that  had  previously  existed,  were 
 collected  by  Lucas,  a  Senior  or  Bishop  of  the  "Brethren," 
 and  formed  the  "  first  hymn-book  of  original  compositions 
 in  the  vernacular  to  be  found  in  any  Western  nation 
 which  had  once  owned  the  supremacy  of  Eome.  Before 
 this,  there  were  two  or  three  collections  of  German 
 versio  ns  of  the  Latin  Hymns  and  Sequences."* 
 
 *  vViukwortu's  •'  (Jnnstiaii  Singers  ot  Germany,"  p.  95. 
 
344  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 But,  after  all,  we  must  wait  till  the  Eeforniation  for 
 the  great  outburst  of  German  Hymnody.  Before 
 this,  the  whole  influence  of  the  Boman  Church, 
 then  dominant  in  the  land,  was  against  hymn  singing 
 in  the  vernacular,  which  could  only  flourish  among  the 
 sects,  more  or  less,  under  its  ban.  It  was  only 
 the  resolute  who  had  courage  enough  to  defy  the 
 dominant  Church.  In  Germany,  as  in  England,  the 
 Dissenters  were  the  first  hymn-singers,  and  in  both 
 countries  this  fact  restricted  the  sphere  of  hymnody.  It 
 could  not  take  on  national  forms.  It  always,  more 
 or  less,  bore  the  mark  of  reproach.  In  Germany, 
 the  Beformation  altered  all  this;  indeed,  hymn- 
 singing  was  one  great  means  by  which  the  Beformation 
 movement  was  fostered.  All  before  were  but  as  the 
 fore-gleams  of  the  coming  glory.  One  of  the  first  things 
 Luther  set  himself  to  do,  after  he  had  given  the  German 
 people  a  translation  of  the  Bible,  was  to  furnish  them 
 with  a  German  Liturgy  ;  and,  to  render  this  complete,  he 
 felt  that  he  must  give  them  German  hymns  in  the  place 
 of  the  Latin  Hymns  and  Sequences  which  had  formerly 
 been  sung  in  the  Boman  Church.  He  saw  clearly  the 
 large  part  which  hymns  might  fill  in  the  religion  of  so 
 musical  a  people  as  his  countrymen.  He  says: — "For  I 
 would  fain  see  all  aii;s,  especially  music,  in  the  service  of 
 Him  who  has  given  and  created  them."  On  this  point, 
 he  differed  widely  fi'om  the  men  who  led  the  Calvinistic 
 Churches.  He  was  of  a  more  human  type  than  Calvin — 
 had  a  larger  heart,  and  a  more  gracious  idea  of  religion. 
 He  reached  a  point  which  it  took  some  generations  for  the 
 Calvinists  to  reach,  if,  indeed,  they  ever  quite  reached  it. 
 The  Puritans,  indeed,  had  in  their  midst  a  finer  poet  than 
 
GERMAN  HYMSS.  345 
 
 Luther,  but  they  never  introduced  even  Milton's  superb 
 renderings  of  certain  of  the  Psalms  into  their  worship. 
 What  a  use  Luther  would  have  put  Milton  to,  if  he  had 
 been  a  member  of  his  Church !  What  songs  he  would 
 have  written  !  Aye,  and  what  music,  too  !  To  his  friend 
 Spalatin,  Luther  writes  : — '^  It  is  my  intention,  after  the 
 example  of  the  prophets  and  the  ancient  fathers,  to  make 
 German  psalms  for  the  people  ;  that  is,  spiritual  songs, 
 whereby  the  Word  of  God  may  be  kept  alive  among  them 
 by  singing.  We  seek,  therefore,  everywhere  for  poets. 
 JS'ow,  as  you  are  such  a  master  of  the  German  tongue, 
 and  are  so  mighty  and  eloquent  therein,  I  entreat  you  to 
 join  hands  with  us  in  this  work,  and  to  turn  one  of  the 
 psalms  into  a  hymn,  according  to  the  pattern  {i.e.,  an 
 attempt  of  my  own)  that  I  here  send  you.  But  I  desire 
 that  all  new-fangled  words  from  the  Court  should  be  left 
 out ;  that  the  words  may  be  all  quite  plain  and  common, 
 such  as  the  common  people  may  understand,  yet  pure,  and 
 skilfully  handled ;  and  next,  that  the  meaning  should  be 
 given  clearly  and  graciously,  according  to  the  sense  of  the 
 psalm  itself." 
 
 "  The  miner's  son,  who,  in  his  school-days,  had  carolled 
 for  bread  before  the  doors  of  the  burghers  of  Eisenach, 
 remembered  the  old  melodies  when  the  hearts  of  the 
 people  were  looking  to  him  for  the  '  bread  which  satis- 
 fieth,'  and  gave  forth  out  of  his  treasure-house  things 
 new  and  old.  The  great  Reformer  of  the  German 
 Church  was  also  her  first  great  singer.  Luther  gave  the 
 German  people  their  hymn-book  as  well  as  their  Bible. 
 He  brought  over  some  of  the  best  old  hymns  into  the  new 
 worship  ;  not  word  by  word,  in  the  ferry-boat  of  a  literal 
 translation,  but  entire  and  living,  like  Israel  through  the 
 
346  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Jordan,  when  the  priests'  feet,  bearing  the  ark,  swept 
 back  the  waters."* 
 
 Thirty-seven  hymns  he  certainly  wrote.  Some  have 
 said  more,  but  probably  they  are  in  error.  Of  these, 
 twelve  were  translations  from  the  Latin,  four  new 
 versions  of  the  German  Leiseii,  and  twenty-one  original 
 compositions.  These  came  at  once  into  use,  and  had  not 
 to  encounter  the  long-continued  opposition  which  hymns 
 in  England  had,  where  they  only  gradually  became 
 incorporated  into  the  common  song  of  the  Church. 
 Luther's  hymns  were  at  once  printed  and  carried  all 
 over  the  country  by  wandering  students  and  pedlars ; 
 some  of  them  even  found  their  way  into  Eoman  Catholic 
 churches,  so  that  a  Eomanist  declared:  "The  whole 
 people  is  singing  itself  into  the  Lutheran  doctrine.'* 
 Many  hymn-books  now  appeared,  four  of  which  contained 
 most  of  his  hymns,  and  for  them  he  wrote  prefaces. 
 After  four  or  five  years,  Luther  taught  the  people  in  his 
 own  church  at  Wittenberg  to  sing  in  worship,  and  then 
 the  custom  spread  very  swiftly.  "  Of  these,  the  earliest, 
 the  Enchiridion  published  at  Erfurt  in  1524  was  first 
 placed  in  the  people's  hands  for  reading  while  the  choir 
 was  singing,  for  the  congregation  was  so  unused  to  joining 
 in  the  public  service,  that  they  could  not,  at  once,  adopt 
 the  new  practice."! 
 
 By  far  the  best  known  of  Luther's  hymns  is  that  on 
 the  forty-sixth  psalm,  which  Frederick  the  Great  called 
 "  God  Almighty's  Grenadier  March,"  and  which  is 
 usually  supposed  to  have  been  written  on  his  way  to 
 the   Diet  of  "Worms,    on  account  of  the  likeness  of  the 
 
 *"  Voice  of  Christian  Life  in  Song,"  p.  256. 
 t  Winkworth's  "  Christian  Singers  of  Germany,"  p.  109. 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  347 
 
 third  verse  to  Luther's  celebrated  and  oft-quoted  reply  to 
 Spalatin,  who  would  have  dissuaded  him  from  the  journey, 
 ' '  If  there  were  as  many  devils  in  Worms  as  there  are 
 tiles  on  the  roofs,  I  would  go  and  not  be  afraid."  Others 
 think  that  it  was  composed  at  the  close  of  the  Second 
 Diet  of  Spires  in  1529,  which  revoked  the  religious 
 liberty  granted  in  the  previous  one  of  1526,  taken 
 four  Protestant  provinces  and  fifteen  free  cities  protested, 
 out  of  which  sprang  the  name  Protestcmt — a  name  seldom 
 used  in  Germany,  where  the  word  Evangelical  is 
 used,  but  constantly  in  England. 
 
 It  is  impossible  to  fix,  with  certainty,  the  occasion 
 which  gave  birth  to  this  hymn.  All  the  efforts  to  do  so 
 have  sprung  out  of  conjecture  and  internal  probability. 
 Perhaps  the  most  nervous  translation  is  that  by  Thomas 
 Carlyle,  which  I  append,  but  that  already  quoted  in 
 Chapter  xvi,  by  Godfrey  Thring,  is  more  suitable  for  use 
 in  public  worship: — 
 
 A  safe  stronghold  our  God  is  still, 
 
 A  trusty  shield  and  weapon : 
 He'll  help  us  clear  from  all  the  ill 
 That  hath  us  now  o'er  taken. 
 The  ancient  prince  of  hell 
 Hath  risen  with  purpose  fell ; 
 Strong  mail  of  craft  and  power 
 He  weareth  in  this  hour  : 
 On  earth  is  not  his  fellow. 
 
 With  force  of  arms  we  nothing  can  ; 
 
 Full  soon  were  we  down-ridden  ; 
 But  for  us  fights  the  proper  Man, 
 Whom  God  Himself  hath  bidden. 
 Ask  ye.  Who  is  this  same  ? 
 Christ  Jesus  is  His  name, 
 The  Lord  Sabaoth's  Son  : 
 He,  and  no  other  one, 
 Shall  conquer  in  the  battle. 
 
348  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 And  were  this  world  all  devils  o'er, 
 
 And  watching  to  devour  us, 
 We  lay  it  not  to  heart  so  sore ; 
 Not  they  can  overpower  us. 
 And  let  the  prince  of  ill 
 Look  gi'im  as  e'er  he  will, 
 He  harms  us  not  a  whit : 
 For  why  ?  his  doom  is  writ ; 
 A  word  shall  quickly  slay  him. 
 
 God's  word  !  for  all  their  craft  and  force, 
 
 One  moment  will  not  linger  ; 
 But,  spite  of  hell,  shall  have  its  course : 
 'Tis  written  by  His  finger. 
 
 And  though  they  take  our  life, 
 Goods,  honour,  children,  wife  ; 
 Yet  is  their  profit  small : 
 These  things  shall  vanish  all ; 
 The  city  of  God  remaineth. 
 
 This  is  now  the  most  popular  of  Luther's  hymns,  but  one 
 which  he  called  "  A  thanksgiving  for  the  highest  benefits 
 which  God  has  shown  in  Christ,"  a  kind  of  doctrinal 
 confession,  was  at  the  time,  as  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
 more  popular.  ''  A  curious  use  was  made  of  it  in  the  year 
 1557,  when  a  number  of  princes  belonging  to  the  reformed 
 religion  being  assembled  at  Frankfort,  they  wished  to 
 have  an  evangelical  service  in  the  church  of  St.  Bartholo- 
 mew. A  large  congregation  assembled,  but  the  pulpit 
 was  occupied  by  a  Eoman  Catholic  priest,  who  proceeded 
 to  preach  according  to  his  own  views.  After  listening 
 for  some  time  in  indignant  silence,  the  whole  congregation 
 rose  and  began  to  sing  this  hymn,  till  they  fairly  sang  the 
 priest  out  of  church.  Its  tune  is  that  known  in  England 
 as  Luther's  Hymn,  and  tradition  says  that  Luther  noted 
 it  down  from  the  singing  of  a  travelling  artisan."  "'Out 
 of  the  depths  I  cry  to  Thee '  he  sang  when  recovering 
 from  a  fainting  fit,  brought  on  by  the  intensity  of 
 spiritual  conflict ;  and  when,  at  last,  his  dead  body  was 
 
OE-RMAN  HYMNS  349 
 
 borne  tlirough  Halle,  on  its  way  to  its  last  resting  place 
 at  Wittenberg,  bis  countrymen  tbronged  into  tbe  Church 
 Tvhere  it  was  laid,  and,  amidst  their  tears  and  sobs,  sang 
 this  hymn  beside  it  "  : — 
 
 Out  of  the  depths  I  cry  to  Thee, 
 
 Lord  God,  O  hear  my  wailing  ! 
 Thy  gracious  ear  incline  to  me, 
 
 And  make  my  prayer  availing : 
 On  my  misdeeds  in  mercy  look, 
 O  deign  to  blot  them  from  Thy  book,  [ 
 
 Or  who  can  stand  before  Thee  ? 
 
 Thy  sovereign  grace  and  boundless  love 
 
 Make  Thee,  O  Lord,  forgiving  ; 
 My  purest  thoughts  and  deeds  but  prove 
 
 Sin  in  my  heart  is  living  : 
 None  guiltless  in  Thy  sight  appear, 
 All  who  approach  Thy  throne  must  fear, 
 And  humbly  trust  Thy  mercy. 
 
 Thou  canst  be  merciful  while  just, 
 
 This  is  my  hope's  foundation ; 
 On  Thy  redeeming  grace  I  trust, 
 
 Grant  me,  then.  Thy  salvation: 
 Shielded  by  Thee  I  stand  secure, 
 Thy  word  is  firm.  Thy  promise  sure. 
 
 And  I  rely  upon  Thee. 
 
 Like  those  who  watch  for  midnight's  hour 
 
 To  hail  the  dawning  morrow 
 I  wait  for  Tliee,  I  trust  Thy  power, 
 
 Unmoved  by  doubt  or  sorrow. 
 So  thus  let  Israel  hope  in  Thee, 
 And  he  shall  find  Thy  mercy  free, 
 
 And  Thy  redemption  plenteous. 
 
 Where'er  the  greatest  sins  abound, 
 
 By  grace  they  are  exceeded  ; 
 Thy  helping  hand  is  always  found 
 
 With  aid,  where  aid  is  needed  ; 
 Thy  hand,  the  only  hand  to  save. 
 Will  rescue  Israel  from  the  grave, 
 
 And  pardon  his  transgression. 
 
 His  sweet  Christmas  Hymn,  "Yon  Himmel  hoch  da 
 komm  ich  her,"  was  written  in  1531,  for  his  little  son 
 Hans,  who  was  then  four  years  old.     It  was  described  in 
 
350  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 the  first  editions  of  his  hymn  book  as  "  A  children's  song 
 
 from  the  second  chapter  of  St.  Luke,  drawn  up  by  Dr. 
 
 M.  L." 
 
 Oh !  let  us  all  be  glad  to-day, 
 And  with  the  shepherds  homage  pay  : 
 Come,  see  what  God  to  us  hath  given, 
 His  only  Son,  sent  down  from  heaven. 
 
 Awake,  my  soul !  from  sadness  rise, 
 Come,  see  what  in  the  manger  lies  : 
 Who  is  this  smiling  infant  child  ? — 
 'Tis  little  Jesus,  sweet  and  mild. 
 
 Twice  welcome,  0  thou  heavenly  Guest, 
 To  save  a  world  with  sin  distressed : 
 Com'st  Thou  in  lowly  guise  for  me? 
 What  homage  shall  I  give  to  Thee  ? 
 
 Ah  !  Lord  eternal,  heavenly  King, 
 Hast  Thou  become  so  mean  a  thing  ; 
 And  hast  Thou  left  Thy  blissful  spat, 
 To  rest  where  colts  and  oxen  eat '? 
 
 Were  this  wide  world  much  wider  made, 
 With  gold  and  costly  gems  arrayed  : 
 E'en  then,  by  far  too  mean  'twould  be, 
 To  make  a  little  crib  for  Thee. 
 
 No  silken  robes  surround  Thy  head, 
 A  bunch  of  hay  is  all  Thy  bed  ! 
 Where  Thou,  a  King  so  rich  and  great. 
 Art  bright  as  in  Thy  heavenly  state. 
 
 Jesus,  my  Saviour,  come  to  me — 
 Make  here  a  little  crib  for  Thee : 
 A  bed  make  in  this  heart  of  mine, 
 That  I  may  aye  remember  Thine. 
 
 Then  from  my  soul  glad  songs  shall  ring — 
 
 Of  Thee  each  day  I'll  gaily  sing : 
 
 The  glad  hosannas  will  1  raise 
 
 From  heart  that  loves  to  sing  Thy  praise. 
 
 "  From  the  old  Latin  Psalmody,  he  gave  a  free  rhymed 
 translation  of  the  Te  Deum,  and  several  of  the  Ambrosian 
 hymns.  The  Funeral  Hymn,  'Media  in  vita  in  morte 
 sumus '  (see  Chapter  Y),  composed  by  N'otker,  a  monk  of 
 St.  Gall,  A.D.  900  (the  first  lines  of  which  appear  in  our 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  351 
 
 Burial  Service),  he  poured  forth  anew  in  three  verses,  and 
 infused  into  it  a  tone  of  confidence  and  hope  very  faintly- 
 audible  in  the  original."* 
 
 I  have  lingered  over  Luther's  work  in  hymnody,  not 
 because  he  is  largely  represented  in  our  English  collections 
 —this  is  not  the  case :  partly  because  many  of  his 
 hymns  were  written  for  a  condition  of  religious  thought 
 so  different  from  that  which  now  prevails,  and  partly 
 because,  in  the  main,  they  are^in  a  style  and  metre  which 
 suit  the  German,  but  does  not  suit  the  English  style  of 
 music  ;  the  former  is  more  massive  and  solid,  the  latter 
 lighter  and  quicker  in  movement.  This  accounts  for  the 
 fact  that,  from  the  great  stores  of  German  hymnody, 
 comparatively  few  have  become  naturalised  and  popular  in 
 England,  and  even  those  that  have,  owe  much  of  their 
 popularity  to  the  fact  that,  passing  through  the  mind  of 
 English  translators,  they  have  caught  much  of  the  English 
 spirit ;  in  the  most  popular  translations,  though  the  ideas 
 are  German,  the  style  is  English.  Slavishly  literal  trans- 
 lations have  always  been  failures.  Only  when  a  really 
 poetic  mind  has  done  the  work  of  translation,  have  they 
 caught  the  ear,  and  moved  the  heart,  of  English  folk. 
 But  I  have  tarried  over  Luther  rather  because  he  is  the 
 real  founder  in  Germany — as  was  Dr.  Watts  in  England — 
 of  a  really  popular  hymnody  in  the  common  speech  of  the 
 people.  Concerning  the  hymnists  who  followed,  I  can 
 only  speak,  and  give  illustrations,  of  those  whose  hymns 
 have  come,  through  translations,  into  English  use.  This 
 will  be  clear  when  I  say  that  the  ''  Liederschatz  "  of 
 Albrecht  Xnapp  includes  a  list  of  no  less  than  four 
 hundred  writers. 
 
 *••  Voice  ot  Christian  Lite  in  Song,"  p.  257. 
 
352  THE  HYMN  LOVEh\ 
 
 Luther's  principal  co-workers  in  liymnody  were  Justus 
 Jonas,  his  colleague  in  the  department  of  theology  at 
 Wittenberg  (who  assisted  Luther  in  preparing  metrical 
 versions  of  the  Psalms),  and  Paul  Eber,  who  held  a  similar 
 relationship  to  Melancthon. 
 
 Nicholas  Decius,  (died  1529)  a  converted  monk,  is  well- 
 known  by  his  German  version  of  the  "  Gloria  in  Excelsis," 
 which,  when  wedded  to  its  fine  chorale,  became  popular, 
 and  was  sung  by  all  classes  of  the  people,  and  on  the  most 
 stirring  occasions,  all  over  Germany.  Mendelssohn  intro- 
 duced it  into  his  Oratorio,  St  Paul.  The  following 
 translation  of  it  is  by  W.  Bartholomew  : — 
 
 To  God  on  high  be  thanks  and  praise, 
 
 Who  deigns  our  bonds  to  sever : 
 His  cares  our  drooping  souls  upraise, 
 
 And  harm  shall  reach  us  never : 
 On  Him  we  rest,  with  faith  assured, 
 Of  all  that  live,  the  mighty  Lord, 
 
 For  ever  and  for  ever. 
 
 "  The  general  character  of  Lutheran  hymnology  in  the 
 sixteenth  century  is  its  true  churchliness  and  popular 
 style.  It  is  doctrinal,  devotional,  and  bears  the  impress 
 of  objectiveness.  The  poet  does  not  give  vent  to  his  own 
 frame  of  mind,  his  individual  feelings,  but  the  Church 
 itself,  through  his  lips,  confesses,  believes,  comforts, 
 praises,  and  adores. 
 
 "  At  the  same  time,  it  is  truly  popular,  trathful, 
 natural,  cordial,  bold,  and  fearless  in  expression  ;  moving 
 with  rapid  steps  ;  no  pausing,  no  retrospect,  no  minute 
 delineations,  or  extended  descriptions,  no  didactic  demon- 
 strations. In  its  outward  form,  it  followed  the  old 
 German  epos,  and  popular  narrative  poetry,  and  aimed, 
 
GL'RMAN  HYMNS.  3oS 
 
 above  all,  at  being  not  only  read  but  sung,  and  sung  by 
 the  c  ongrc  gation . "  '^' 
 
 So  popular  had  hymns  become,  that  even  royal  and 
 noble  personages,  like  the  Elector  John  of  Saxony,  and 
 the  Margrave  Greorge  of  Brandenburg,  became  contributors 
 to  this  department.  Southern  Germany  now  began  to 
 take  its  share  in  this  work.  Hans  Sachs,  of  I^uremburg, 
 the  shoemaker  (bom  1494),  wrote  and  published  more 
 than  6,000  poems  of  every  kind,  amongst  which  there 
 were  many  hymns.  One  of  these,  "  Why  art  thou  thus 
 cast  down,  my  heart?"  is  included  in  "The  Chorale 
 Book  for  England."  He  had  great  fears  that  now  his 
 countrymen  had  become  freed  from  the  yoke  of  Eome 
 they  Avould  quarrel  among  themselves,  and  he  therefore 
 exhorts  them  to  "  Love  God  above  all,  and  thy  neighbour 
 as  thyself ;  against  that  doctrine  ban  and  edict,  clergy 
 and  laity,  school  and  preaching,  monks  and  old  women, 
 will  alike  be  powerless." 
 
 Among  the  Bohemian  Brethren  arose  several  writers  of 
 
 great  excellence ;  notably  Michael  Weiss,  (died  1540)  pastor 
 
 of  the  German-speaking  congregations  of  Landskron  and 
 
 Eulnek,  who  translated  the  best  of  the  Bohemian  hymns  into 
 
 German  for  their  use,  and  contributed  some  of  his  own. 
 
 One  of  the  finest  is  the  following  Evening  Hymn,  which 
 
 has  been  included  in  a  few  English  collections  : — 
 
 Now  God  be  with  us,  for  the  night  is  closing, 
 The  light  and  darkness  are  of  his  disposing  ; 
 And  'neath  His  shadow  here  to  rest  we  yield  us, 
 For  He  will  shield  us. 
 
 Let  evil  thoughts  and  spirits  flee  before  us  ; 
 Till  morning  cometh,  watch,  O  Master,  o'er  us  ; 
 In  soul  and  body  Thou  from  harm  defend  us. 
 Thine  angels  send  us. 
 
 *  Kurtz's  •'  Church  History,"  vol.  ii,  p.  123. 
 
 A  2 
 
354  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Let  holy  thoughts  be  ours  when  sleep  o'ertakes  us, 
 Our  earliest  thoughts  be  Thine  when  morning  wakes  us  ; 
 All  day  serve  Thee,  in  all  that  we  are  doing. 
 Thy  praise  pursuing. 
 
 As  Thy  beloved,  soothe  the  sick  and  weeping, 
 And  bid  the  prisoner  lose  his  griefs  in  sleeping ; 
 Widows  and  orphans  we  to  Thee  commend  them, 
 Do  Thou  befriend  them. 
 
 We  have  no  refuge,  none  on  earth  to  aid  us, 
 Save  Thee,  O  Father,  who  Thine  own  hast  made  us ; 
 B^J,  Thy  dear  presence  will  not  leave  them  lonely 
 Who  seek  Thee  only. 
 
 Father,  Thy  name  be  praised.  Thy  kingdom  given, 
 Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  'tis  in  heaven  ; 
 Keep  us  in  life,  forgive  our  sins,  deliver 
 Us  now  and  ever.     Amen. 
 
 "  The  two  friends  and  fellow-helpers,  the  pastor  and 
 ]3recentor  of  Joachimsthal  —  Johann  Matthesius  and 
 Mcolas  Hermann,"  did  excellent  work,  but  of  a  simpler 
 and  freer  kind  than  most  of  their  predecessors.  From 
 the  former  we  have  "My  inmost  heart  now  raises" 
 ("  Chorale  Eook,"  ISTo,  164),  which  was  nsed  as  a  daily 
 morning  hymn  by  Gustavus  Adolphus,  and  often  sung  by 
 his  army  as  their  morning  prayer.  Prom  the  latter,  we 
 have  "  The  happy  sunshine  all  is  gone "  ("  Chorale 
 Eook,"  'No.  166),  and  "  ^ow  hush  your  cries,  and  shed 
 no  tear"  {Zijra  Germanica,  II,  p.  251). 
 
 In  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century,  a  different 
 spirit  appears  in  German  Hymnody — it  is  like  the  age 
 which  followed  Watts  and  Wesley — a  kind  of  after-glow. 
 Hymn-writing  had  become  fashionable  and  common,  with 
 the  usual  results,  that  its  spontaneity  and  freshness 
 departed.  Still,  even  in  this  age,  striking  hymns 
 appeared.  To  it  we  owe  Eingwaldt's  hymn,  "  Great 
 God,  what  do  I  see  and  hear,"  which  has  undergone  so 
 many  changes  in  our  English  collections;  and  Philip 
 Nicolai's  grand  hymn,  which  owes  its  solemn  tone  to  the 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  355 
 
 remarkable  circumstances  under  which  it  was  written  : — 
 "  In  1597,  (luring  a  fearful  pestilence  in  Westphalia, 
 where  lie  was  pastor  of  the  little  town  of  XJnna,  more 
 than  1,400  persons  died  in  a  very  short  time,  and  from  his 
 window  he  saw  all  the  funerals  pass  to  the  graveyard 
 close  at  hand.  From  these  scenes  of  death,  he  turned  to 
 the  study  of  St.  Augustine's  '  City  of  God,'  and  the 
 contem]3lation  of  the  eternal  life,  and  so  absorbed  himself 
 in  til  em,  that  he  remained  cheerful  and  well  amid  the 
 surrounding  distress."     Here  is  the  hymn  : — 
 
 ^Vake,  awake,  for  night  is  flying : 
 The  watchmen  on  the  heights  are  crj-ing 
 Awake,  Jerusalem,  arise  ] 
 Midnight's  solemn  hour  is  tolling. 
 His  chariot- wheels  are  nearer  rolling,     ' 
 He  comes  ;  prepare,  ye  Virgins  wise ; 
 Rise  up  ;  with  willing  feet 
 Go  forth,  the  Bridegroom  meet : 
 Alleluia ! 
 Bear  through  the  night  your  well-trimmed  light, 
 Speed  forth  to  join  the  marriage  rite. 
 
 Sion  hears  the  watchmen  singing. 
 Her  heart  with  deep  delight  is  springing, 
 At  once  she  wakes,  she  hastes  away  : 
 Forth  her  Bridegroom  hastens  glorious, 
 In  grace  arrayed,  by  truth  victorious  ; 
 Her  grief  is  joy,  her  night  is  day  : 
 Hail,  Worthy  Champion, 
 Christ,  God  Almighty's  Son  : 
 Alleluia ! 
 We  haste  along,  in  pomp  of  song, 
 And  gladsome  join  the  marriage  throng. 
 
 Hear  Thy  praise,  O  Lord,  ascending 
 From  tongues  of  men  and  angels,  blending, 
 W^ith  harp  and  lute  and  psaltery. 
 By  Thy  pearly  gates  in  wonder 
 We  stand  and  swell  the  voice  of  thunder. 
 In  bursts  of  choral  melod}^ : 
 No  vision  ever  brought. 
 No  ear  hath  ever  caught, 
 Such  bliss  and  joy  : 
 We  raise  the  song,  we  swell  the  throng, 
 To  praise  Thee  ages  aU  along. 
 
356  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 AVTiicli  is  still  better  known  by  its  use,  in  the  following 
 
 form,  in  Mendelssohn's  St.  Paul : — 
 
 Sleepers,  wake  !  a  voice  is  calling  ; 
 It  is  the  Watchman  on  the  walls, 
 Thou  city  of  Jerusalem  ! 
 
 For  lo  !  the  Bridegroom  comes. 
 
 Arise,  and  take  your  lamps. 
 Hallelujah  ! 
 Awake  !  His  kingdom  is  at  hand  ! 
 Go  forth,  go  forth  to  meet  your  Lord  ! 
 
 Equally  striking  is  the  following  from  his  pen  : — 
 
 Behold  how  glorious  is  yon  sky  ! 
 Lo  !  there  the  righteous  never  die, 
 
 But  dwell  in  peace  for  ever  : 
 Then  who  would  wear  this  earthly  clay. 
 When  bid  to  cast  life's  chains  away. 
 
 And  win  Thy  gracious  favour  ? 
 Holy,  holy,  O  forgive  us ; 
 And  receive  us,  heavenly  Father, 
 When  around  Thy  throne  we  gather. 
 
 Confiding  in  Thy  sacred  word, 
 Our  Saviour  is  our  hope,  0  Lord, 
 
 The  guiding  star  before  us  ; 
 Our  Shepherd,  leading  us  the  way. 
 If  from  Thy  paths  our  footsteps  stray, 
 
 To  Thee  He  will  restore  us  : 
 Holy,  Holy,  ever  hear  us. 
 And  receive  us,  while  we  gather 
 Round  Thy  throne.  Almighty  Father. 
 
 To    these    hymns    he   composed   chorales,    which   added 
 largely  to  their  popularity. 
 
 "The  first  period  of  hymn  development  in  the  17th  cen- 
 tury, embraces  that  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War  (1618-48). 
 David's  Psalms  become  the  model  and  type  of  the  poets  ; 
 and  the  most  earnest  hymns  of  comfort  in  trouble,  of 
 imperishable  value,  spring  from  the  trials  of  the  times. 
 This,  of  course,  caused  prominence  to  be  given  to 
 personal  matters.  The  influence  of  Opitz  is  'also  seen 
 in  church  hymns,  inasmuch  as  more  care  is  given  to 
 precision  and  purity  of  language,  as  well  as  to  a  fluent 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  357 
 
 and  pleasing  measure.  Instead  of  the  expressive  brevity 
 and  vigorous  terseness  of  earlier  times,  we  meet  with  a 
 certain  cordial  expansion  and  enlargement  of  the 
 thought."^* 
 
 In  1644,  Martin  Rinkart  composed  what  is  certainly  the 
 most  popular,  and  also  one  of  the  most  beautiful  hymns, 
 the  "  To  Deum  "  of  Germany,  used  on  all  great  occasions 
 of  national  thanksgiving,  and  which  Mendelssohn  intro- 
 duced into  his  Hymn  of  Praise. 
 
 Now  thank  we  all  our  God, 
 With  heart,  and  hands,  and  voices, 
 
 Who  wondrous  things  hath  done, 
 In  whom  His  world  rejoices  ; 
 
 Who,  from  our  mothers'  arms, 
 
 Hath  blessed  us  on  our  way 
 
 With  countless  gifts  of  love, 
 
 And  still  is  ours  to-day. 
 
 O  may  this  bounteous  God 
 Through  all  our  life  be  near  ua, 
 
 With  ever  joyful  hearts 
 And  blessed  peace  to  cheer  us  : 
 
 And  keep  us  in  His  grace. 
 
 And  guide  us  when  perplexed, 
 
 And  free  us  from  all  ills 
 
 In  this  world  and  the  next. 
 
 All  praise  and  thanks  to  God 
 The  Father,  now  be  given. 
 
 The  Son,  and  Him  who  reigns 
 With  Them  in  highest  heaven — 
 
 The  One  Eternal  God, 
 
 Whom  earth  and  heaven  adore, — 
 
 For  thus  it  was,  is  now. 
 
 And  shall  be  evermore. 
 
 It  was  written  on  the  prospect  of  peace  after  the  Thirty 
 Years'  War.  The  first  two  verses  are  a  metrical  version 
 of  a  passage  in  the  apocryphal  Book  of  Ecclesiastieus, 
 which  reads  as  follows: — "Now,  therefore,  bless  ye  the 
 God  of  all,  who  only  doeth  wondrous  things  everywhere, 
 
 *  Kurtz's  "  Church  History,"  vol.  ii,  p.  190. 
 
358  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 who  exalteth  our  days  from  the  womb,  and  dealoth  with 
 us  according  to  His  mercy.  He  grants  us  joyfulncss  of 
 heart,  and  that  peace  may  be  in  our  days  in  Israel  for 
 ever  ;  that  He  woukl  confirm  His  mercy  with  us,  and 
 deliver  us  at  His  time."  The  following  rendering  is  by 
 "William  Bartholomew: — 
 
 Let  all  men  praiae  the  Lord, 
 In  worship  lowly  bending ; 
 
 On  His  most  holy  word, 
 Redeemed  from  woe,  depending. 
 
 He  gracious  is,  and  just. 
 
 From  childhood  us  doth  lead  ; 
 
 On  Him  we  place  our  trust 
 
 And  hope,  in  time  of  need. 
 
 Glory  and  praise  to  God, — 
 To  Father,  Son,  be  given, 
 
 And  to  the  Holy  Ghost, — 
 On  high,  enthroned  in  heaven. 
 
 Praise  to  the  Triune  God  ; 
 
 With  powerful  arm  and  strong, 
 
 He  changeth  niglit  to  day  ; 
 
 Praise  Him  with  grateful  song. 
 
 Miss  "Winkworth's  account  of  Hinkart  is  so  interesting, 
 and  shows  how  much  hymns  owe,  not  merely  to  innate 
 faculty,  but  to  the  circumstances  of  the  writer,  that  I 
 append  it:  —  "This  simple  but  noble  expression  of  trust 
 and  praise,  with  its  fine  chorale,  was  composed  by  Martin 
 E-inkart,  in  1644,  when  the  hope  of  a  general  peace  was 
 dawning  on  the  country.  He  was  one  of  those  provincial 
 clergymen  to  whom  Germany  had  so  much  reason  to  be 
 grateful.  The  son  of  a  poor  coppersmith,  he  made  his 
 way  at  the  University  of  Leipsic  by  dint  of  industry  and 
 his  musical  gifts,  took  orders,  and  was  precentor  of  the 
 church  at  Eisleben,  and  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  was 
 offered  the  place  of  Archdeacon  at  his  native  town  of 
 Eilenburg,  in  Saxony.  He  went  there  as  the  war  broke 
 out,  and  died  just  after  the  peace,  and  throughout  these 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  359 
 
 thirty-one  years  he  stood  by  his  flock,  and  helped  them  to 
 the  utmost,  under  every  kind  of  distress.  Of  course,  he 
 had  to  endure  the  quartering  of  soldiers  in  his  house,  and 
 frecjuent  plunderings  of  his  little  stock  of  grain  and  house- 
 hold goods.  But  these  were  small  things.  The  plague  of 
 1637  visited  Eilenburg  with  extraordinary  severity;  the 
 town  was  overcrowded  with  fugitive©'  from  the  country 
 districts,  where  the  Swedes  had  been  spreading  devasta- 
 tion, and  in  this  one  year  eight  thousand  persons  died  in 
 it.  The  whole  of  the  town  council  except  three  persons, 
 a  terrible  number  of  school  children,  and  the  clergymen 
 of  the  neighbouring  parish,  were  all  carried  off ;  and 
 Rinkart  had  to  do  the  work  of  three  men,  and  did  it 
 manfully  at  the  beds  of  the  sick  and  dying.  He  buried 
 more  than  four  thousand  persons,  but  through  all  his 
 labours  he  himself  remained  perfectly  well.  The  pestilence 
 was  followed  by  a  famine  so  extreme  that  thirty  or  forty 
 persons  might  be  seen  fighting  in  the  streets  for  a  dead 
 cat  or  crow.  Einkart,  with  the  burgomaster  and  one 
 other  citizen,  did  what  could  be  done  to  organise 
 assistance,  and  gave  away  everything  but  the  barest 
 rations  for  his  own  family,  so  that  his  door  was  surrounded 
 by  a  crowd  of  poor  starving  wretches,  who  found  it  their 
 only  refuge.  After  all  this  suffering  came  the  Swedes 
 once  more,  and  imposed  upon  the  unhappy  town  a  tribute 
 of  thirty  thousand  florins.  Einkart  ventured  to  the  camp 
 to  intreat  the  general  for  mercy,  and  when  it  was  refused, 
 turned  to  the  citizens  who  followed  him,  saying,  '  Come, 
 my  children,  we  can  find  no  hearing,  no  mercy  with  men, 
 let  us  take  refuge  with  God.'  He  fell  on  his  knees,  and 
 prayed  with  such  touching  earnestness  that  the  Swedish 
 general  relented,  and  lowered  his  demand  at  last  to  two 
 
360  TEE  BYMjN  LOVER. 
 
 thousand  florins.  So  great  -were  Einkart's  own  losses  and 
 charities  that  he  had  the  utmost  difficulty  in  finding  bread 
 and  clothes  for  his  children,  and  was  forced  to  mortgage 
 his  future  income  for  several  years.  Yet  how  little  his 
 spirit  was  broken  by  all  these  calamities  is  shown  by  this 
 hymn,  and  others  that  he  wrote ;  some,  indeed,  speaking 
 of  his  country's  sorrows,  but  all  breathing  the  same  spirit 
 of  unbounded  trust  and  readiness  to  give  thanks." 
 
 To  a  period  a  little  later  belongs  Paul  Gerhardt,  (1606- 
 1676)  perhaps  the  sweetest  of  the  German  hymnists.  Miss 
 Winkworth  gives  the  following  graphic  account  of  his 
 life: — '*  He  was  bom  in  1606,  in  a  little  town,  Griifin- 
 hainichen,  in  Saxony,  where  his  father  was  burgomaster. 
 The  whole  of  his  youth  and  early  manhood  fell  in  the 
 time  of  war.  That  it  must  have  been  a  period  full  of 
 disappointment  and  hope  deferred  for  him,  is  clear  enough 
 when  we  find  a  man  of  his  powers  at  the  age  of  forty- 
 five  still  only  a  private  tutor,  and  candidate  for  holy 
 orders.  In  1651  he  was  living  in  this  capacity  in  the 
 family  of  an  advocate  named  Berthold,  in  Berlin.  He 
 had  already  written  many  hymns,  but  was  as  yet  unable 
 to  publish  them  ;  and  he  was  in  love  with  Berthold' s 
 daughter,  but  had  no  living  to  marry  upon.  About  the 
 close  of  that  year,  however,  the  living  of  a  country  place 
 called  Mittenwalde  was  offered  him  ;  he  was  ordained, 
 and  in  1655  he  at  last  married  Anna  Maria  Berthold. 
 At  Mittenwalde  he  passed  six  quiet  years,  during  which 
 he  began  to  publish  his  hymns,  which  immediately 
 attracted  great  attention,  and  were  quickly  adopted  into 
 the  hymn-books  of  Brandenburg  and  Saxony.  His  name 
 thus  became  known,  and  in  1657  he  was  invited  to  the 
 great  church  of  St.  Mcholas,  'in  Berlin,  where  his  life 
 
GERMAN  HY3£NS.  361 
 
 was  soon  both  a  busy  and  an  honourable  one.  He 
 worked  most  assiduously  and  successfully  in  his  pastoral 
 duties ;  he  brought  out  many  hymns,  which  were  caught 
 up  by  the  people  much  as  Luther's  had  been  of  old  ;  and 
 he  was  the  favourite  preacher  of  the  city,  whom  crowds 
 flocked  to  hear.  He  is  described  to  us  as  a  man  of 
 middle  height,  of  quiet  but  firm  and  cheerful  bearing ; 
 while  his  preaching  is  said  to  have  been  very  earnest  and 
 persuasive,  and  full  of  Christian  love  and  charity,  which 
 he  practised  as  well  as  preached  by  never  turning  a 
 beggar  from  his  doors,  and  receiving  widows  and  orphans 
 who  needed  help  and  shelter  into  his  own  house.  His 
 religion  and  his  temperament  alike  made  him  cheerful, 
 and  not  all  the  many  disappointments  of  his  life  seem 
 ever  to  have  embittered  his  mood  ;  but  he  had  a  very 
 tender  and  scrupulous  conscience,  and  wherever  a  question 
 of  conscience  seemed  to  him  to  be  involved,  he  was  liable 
 to  great  mental  conflict,  and  an  exaggerated  estimate  of 
 trifles.  In  theology  he  was  an  ardent  Lutheran."  His 
 portrait  in  the  church  at  Liibben  bears  the  inscription  : 
 "  Theologus  in  cribro  Satanas  versatus,"  a  divine  sifted 
 in  Satan's  sieve. 
 
 For  spontaneity,  simplicity,  purity,  he  stands  pre- 
 eminent among  the  German  writers,  and  is  perhaps  the 
 greatest  favourite  in  England,  so  much  so  that  I  need 
 only  mention  his  hymns.  The  following  are  the  finest : 
 ''  Jesus,  Thy  boundless  love  to  me,"  translated  by  John 
 TVesley;  ''0  Sacred  Head,  once  wounded,"  a  hymn  by 
 Bernard  of  Clairvaux,  which  owes  much  to  Gerhardt's 
 handling,  translated  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Alexander;  ''Commit 
 thou  all  thy  griefs,"  translated  by  John  TVesley  ;  and 
 ''Evening  and  Horning,"  translated  by  Kichard  Massie. 
 
362  TUB  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 The  Electress  Louisa  of  Brandenburg  deserves  mention 
 as  a  hymnist  of  no  mean  order. 
 
 George  Keumarck  (1621-1681)  deserves  very  high  rank, 
 and  is  indeed  one  of  the  most  famous  of  German  hymnists. 
 Of  him,  the  following  touching  story  is  told  : — ''  About 
 tvro  years  after  the  close  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War  in 
 Germany,  George  jS'eumarck  lived  in  a  poor  street  in 
 Hamburg.  Obtaining  a  precarious  livelihood  by  playing 
 on  the  violoncello,  after  a  while  he  fell  sick,  and  was 
 unable  to  go  his  usual  rounds.  As  this  was  his  only 
 means  of  support,  he  was  soon  reduced  to  great  straits, 
 and  was  compelled  to  part  with  his  instrument  to  a  Jew, 
 who,  with  characteristic  sharpness,  lent  him  on  it  a  sum 
 much  below  its  value  for  two  weeks,  after  which,  if  it 
 were  not  redeemed,  it  was  to  be  forfeited.  As  he  gave  it 
 up,  he  looked  lovingly  at  it,  and  tearfully  asked  the  Jew 
 if  he  might  play  one  more  tune  upon  it.  '  You  don't 
 know,'  he  said,  ^  how  hard  it  is  to  part  with  it.  For  ten 
 years  it  has  been  my  companion  ;  if  I  had  nothing  else,  I 
 had  it ;  and  it  spoke  to  me,  and  sung  back  to  me.  Of  all 
 the  sad  hearts  that  have  left  your  door,  there  has  been 
 none  so  sad  as  mine.'  His  voice  grew  thick ;  then  pausing 
 for  a  moment,  he  seized  the  instrument  and  commenced  a 
 tune  so  exquisitely  soft  that  even  the  Jew  listened,  in 
 spite  of  himself.  A  few  more  strains,  and  he  sung  to  his 
 own  melody,  two  stanzas  of  his  own  hymn,  '  Life  is 
 weary  ;  JSaviour  take  me.'  Suddenly  the  key  changed ; 
 a  few  bars,  and  the  melody  poured  forth  itself  anew,  and 
 his  face  lighted  up  with  a  smile  as  he  sung  *  Yet  who 
 knows  the  cross  is  precious.'  Then  laying  down  the 
 instrument,  he  said :  '  As  God  will,  I  am  still,'  and 
 rushed  from  the  shop.     Going  out  into  the  darkness,  he 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  363 
 
 stumbled  against  a  stranger,  who  seemed  to  have  been 
 listening  at  the  door,  and  who  said  to  him  :  '  Could  you 
 tell  me  where  I  could  obtain  a  copy  of  that  song?  I  would 
 willingly  give  a  florin  for  it.'  '  My  good  friend,'  said 
 ^eumarck,  '  I  will  give  it  you  without  the  florin.'  The 
 stranger  was  valet  to  the  Swedish  ambassador,  and  to  him 
 the  poet  told  the  story  of  his  trials.  He,  in  his  turn,  told 
 his  master,  who,  being  in  want  of  a  private  secretary, 
 engaged  Neumarck  at  once,  and  so  his  troubles  ended. 
 But  with  his  first  money  he  redeemed  his  instrument,  and, 
 on  obtaining  it,  he  called  his  landlady,  and  his  friends  and 
 neighbours,  to  hear  him  play  on  it  again.  Soon  his  room 
 was  filled,  and  he  sung,  to  his  own  accompaniment, 
 his  own  sweet  hymn,  of  which  this  is  one  stanza  : — 
 
 Leave  God  to  order  all  thy  ways, 
 
 And  hope  in  Him  whate'er  betide ; 
 Thou'lt  find  Him,  in  the  evil  days, 
 
 Thine  all  sufficient  strength  and  guide, 
 Who  trusts  in  God's  unchanging  love. 
 Builds  on  the  rock  that  naught  can  move. 
 
 The  following  hymns  from  his  pen  are  growing  in  favour 
 
 in   our    country.      The    first    has    been    translated    by 
 
 Catherine  AYinkworth  : — 
 
 If  thou  but  suffer  God  to  guide  thee. 
 And  hope  in  Him  through  all  thy  ways, 
 
 He'll  give  thee  strength,  whate'er  betide  thee, 
 And  bear  thee  through  the  evil  days  ; 
 Who  trust  in  God's  unchanging  love. 
 Build  on  the  Kock  that  nought  can  move. 
 
 Only  be  still,  and  wait  His  leisure 
 
 In  cheerful  hope,  with  heart  content 
 To  take  whate'er  thy  Father's  pleasure 
 
 And  all -discerning  love  hath  sent ; 
 
 Nor  doubt  our  inmost  wants  are  known 
 
 To  Him  who  chose  us  for  His  own. 
 
 Nor  think,  amid  the  heat  of  trial. 
 
 That  God  hath  cast  thee  off  unheard, 
 
 That  he  whose  hopes  meet  no  denial 
 Must  sm-ely  be  of  God  preferred ; 
 
864  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Time  passes  and  much  change  doth  bring, 
 And  sets  a  bound  to  everything. 
 
 All  are  alike  before  the  Highest ; 
 
 'Tis  easy  to  our  God,  we  know, 
 To  raise  thee  up,  though  low  thou  liest, 
 
 To  make  the  rich  man  poor  and  low; 
 
 True  wonders  still  by  Him  are  wrought, 
 
 Who  setteth  up  and  brings  to  nought. 
 
 Sing,  pray,  and  keep  His  ways  unswerving, 
 
 So  do  thine  own  part  faithfully. 
 And  trust  His  word,  though  undeserving, 
 
 Thou  yet  shalt  find  it  true  for  thee  ; 
 
 God  never  yet  torsook  at  need 
 
 The  soul  that  trusted  Him  indeerl. 
 
 The*  second  has  been  translated  by  W.  Bartholomew  and 
 introduced  by  Mendelssohn  into  his  oratorio  of  St.  Paul. 
 
 To  Thee,  O  Lord,  I  yield  my  spirit, 
 
 Who  break'st  in  love  this  mortal  cliain  ; 
 My  life  I  but  from  Thee  inherit. 
 
 And  death  becomes  my  chiefest  gain. 
 
 In  Thee  1  live,  in  Thee  I  die. 
 
 Content — for  Thou  art  ever  nigh. 
 
 Angehis  Silesins,  whose  real  name  was  Johann  Scheffler, 
 (1624-1677)  but  who  adopted  the  name  Angelus  after  a 
 Spanish  Mystic,  John  of  Angelus,  of  the  16th  century, 
 adding  Silesins  to  it  because  of  his  birth  at  Breslau,  in 
 Silesia,  a  physician,  so  deeply  influenced  by  the  Mystic 
 writers,  that  he  found  no  congenial  atmosphere  in  the  some- 
 what dogmatic  and  doctrinal  Lutheranism  of  his  time — a 
 man  of  wide  charity — is  a  hymnist  of  great  excellence,  as 
 may  be  seen  from  the  following  translation  by  Catherine 
 "Wink  worth  : — 
 
 O  Love,  who  formedst  me  to  wear 
 The  image  of  Thy  Godhead  here  ; 
 Who  soughtest  me  with  tender  care 
 Through  all  my  wanderings  wild  and  drear  ; 
 
 O  Love,  i  give  myself  to  Thee, 
 
 Thine  ever,  only  Thine  to  be. 
 
 0  Love,  who  once  in  time  wast  slain. 
 Pierced  through  and  through  with  bitter  woe ; 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  365 
 
 O  Love,  who  wrestling  thus  didst  gain 
 That  we  eternal  joy  might  know  ; 
 
 O  Love,  I  give  myself  to  Thee, 
 
 Thine  ever,  only  Thine  to  be. 
 
 O  Love,  of  whom  is  truth  and  light, 
 The  Word  and  Spirit,  life  and  power, 
 Whose  heart  was  bared  to  them  that  smite, 
 To  shield  us  in  our  trial  hour ; 
 
 O  Love,  I  give  myself  to  Thee, 
 
 Thine  ever,  only  Thine  to  be 
 
 O  Love,  who  thus  hast  bound  me  fast, 
 Beneath  that  gentle  yoke  of  Thine  ; 
 Love  who  hast  conquered  me  at  last, 
 And  rapt  away  this  heart  of  mine ; 
 
 O  Love,  I  give  myself  to  Thee, 
 
 Thine  ever,  only  Thine  to  be. 
 
 O  Love,  who  soon  shalt  bid  me  rise 
 From  out  this  dying  life  of  ours ; 
 
 0  Love,  who  once  above  yon  skies 
 Shall  set  me  in  the  fadeless  bowers  ; 
 
 O  Love,  I  give  myself  to  Thee, 
 Thine  ever,  only  Thine  to  be. 
 
 Equally  beautiful  is  the  following,  translated   by   John 
 
 "Wesley  : — 
 
 Thee  will  I  love,  my  strength,  my  tower 
 Thee  will  I  love,  my  joy,  my  crown ; 
 Thee  will  I  love  with  all  my  power, 
 In  all  Thy  works,  and  Thee  alone. 
 Thee  will  I  love,  till  the  pure  fire 
 Fills  my  whole  soul  with  strong  desire. 
 
 1  thank  Thee,  uncreated  Sun, 
 
 That  Thy  bright  beams  on  me  have  shined  ; 
 I  thank  Thee,  who  has  overthrown 
 My  foes,  and  healed  my  wounded  mind  ; 
 I  thank  Thee,  Lord,  whose  quickening  voice 
 Bids  my  freed  heart  in  Thee  rejoice. 
 
 Uphold  me  in  the  doubtful  race, 
 Nor  suffer  me  again  to  stray  ; 
 Strengthen  my  feet  with  steady  pace 
 Still  to  press  forward  in  Thy  way  ; 
 My  soul  and  flesh,  0  Lord  of  might, 
 Transfigure  with  Thy  heavenly  light. 
 
 Thee  will  I  love,  my  joy,  my  crown  ; 
 Thee  will  I  love,  my  Lord,  my  God  ; 
 
366  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Thee  will  I  love,  beneath  Thy  frown 
 Or  smile — Thy  sceptre  or  Thy  rod  ; 
 What  though  my  flesh  and  heart  decay 
 Thee  shall  I  love  in  endless  day ! 
 
 Some  of  his  spiritual  aphorisms,  too,  are  very  suggestive  : 
 
 "  Th'  Unspeakable,  that  men  use  God  to  call, 
 Utters  and  shows  itself  in  the  One  Word  to  all. 
 
 God  is  all  virtue's  aim,  its  impulse  and  its  prize. 
 In  Him  its  sole  reward,  its  only  '  wherefore  '  lies. 
 
 The  nobler  aught,  the  commoner  'twill  be, 
 God  and  His  sunshine  to  the  world  are  free. 
 
 My  God,  how  oft  do  I  Thy  gifts  implore. 
 
 Yet  know  I  crave  Thyself,  oh,  how  much  more  ! 
 
 Give  what  Thou  wilt,  eternal  life  or  aught. 
 
 If  Thou  withhold  Thyself,  Thou  giv'st  me  nought. 
 
 All  goodness  flows  from  God,  therefore  'tis  His  alone ; 
 Evil  springs  up  in  thee,  that  may'st  thou  call  thy  own. 
 Is  aught  of  good  in  thee  ?  Give  God  the  praise  of  all  ; 
 To  claim  it  for  thine  own,  is  ever  man's  true  Fall. 
 
 The  noblest  prayer  is,  when  one  evermore 
 Grows  inly  liker  that  he  kneels  before. 
 
 Faith  by  itself  is  dead,  it  cannot  live  and  move 
 Till  into  it  is  breathed  the  living  soul  of  Love. 
 
 The  rose  demands  no  reasons,  she  blooms  and  scents  the  air, 
 Nor  asks  if  any  see  her,  nor  knows  that  she  is  fair. 
 
 How  fairl}^  shines  the  snow,  whene'er  the  sun's  bright  beams 
 Illume  and  colour  it  with  heavenly  gleams ; 
 So  shines  thy  soul,  white,  dazzling  as  the  snow. 
 When  o'er  it  plays  the  Day-spring's  radiant  glow." 
 
 Eelongiug  to  the  same  school  as   Scheffler  is  Kuorr  von 
 
 E-osenroth,    (1636-1689)  a  pious  barou  and   diplomatist, 
 
 whose  ''  Dayspriug  of  Eternity  "  (Chorale  Book,  No.  159) 
 
 is  a  lovely  hymn,  probably  composed  during  a  walk  at 
 
 the  time  of  sunrise. 
 
 The     Pietists     (1660 — 1750)     produced     many     good 
 
 hymnists,    among   whom   I  may  mention    as   known  by 
 
 translations  in  English,  Frederick  Eudolph  Louis,  Baron 
 
 Yon  Canitz,   (1654-1699)  Chamberlain  to  Prince  Elector 
 
 Frederick  William,  whose  morning  hymn  is  very  fine. 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  367 
 
 Come,  my  soul,  thou  must  be  wakiug, 
 Now  is  breaking 
 O'er  the  earth  another  day  : 
 Come  to  Him  who  made  this  splendour, 
 See  thou  render 
 All  thy  feeble  strength  can  pay. 
 
 Gladly  hail  the  sun  returning  ; 
 Ready  burning 
 Be  the  incense  of  thy  powers : 
 For  the  night  is  safely  ended, 
 God  hath  tended 
 With  His  care  thy  helpless  hours. 
 
 Pray  that  He  may  prosper  ever 
 Each  endeavour, 
 When  thine  aim  is  good  and  true  ; 
 But  that  He  may  ever  thwart  thee, 
 And  convert  thee. 
 When  thou  evil  wouldst  pursue. 
 
 Think  that  He  thy  ways  beholdeth, 
 
 He  unfoldeth 
 
 Every  fault  that  lurks  within  ; 
 
 He  the  hidden  shame  glossed  over 
 
 Can  discover, 
 
 And  discern  each  deed  of  sin. 
 
 Our  God's  bounteous  gifts  abuse  not, 
 Light  refuse  not, 
 But  His  Spirit's  voice  obey ; 
 Thou  with  Him  shalt  dwell  beholding, 
 Light  unfolding 
 All  things  in  unclouded  day. 
 
 Mayst  thou  on  life's  morrow. 
 Free  from  sorrow. 
 Pass  away  in  slumber  sweet ; 
 And,  released  from  death's  dark  sadness. 
 Rise  in  gladness, 
 That  far  brighter  sun  to  greet. 
 
 "VYlieu  dying  he  asked  to  be  lifted  to  the  open  window, 
 and  his  eyes  beaming  with  joy  exclaimed  :  '^  Oh  !  if  the 
 sight  of  this  created  sun  is  so  charming  and  beautiful, 
 what  will  be  the  sight  of  the  unspeakable  glory  of  the 
 Creator  Himself  ?  " 
 
 Laurentius  Laurentii,   (1660-1722)    is  well  known  by 
 his  hymn,  "  Rejoice,  all  ye  believers." 
 
368  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Charles  Henry  von  Eogatzsky  (1690-1774)  is  known  in 
 England  rather  by  his  "  Golden  Treasury,"  which  used 
 to  be  one  of  the  most  favourite  books  of  devotion,  than  by 
 his  hymns,  some  of  which,  however,  are  of  great  merit. 
 
 Joachim  I^eander  (1640-1680),  a  Bishop  of  the  Church 
 of  the  United  Brethren,  who  must  not  be  confounded  with 
 the  great  Church  Historian  of  the  same  name,  was  one  of 
 the  most  poetic  of  the  German  hymnists,  as  may  be  seen 
 from  the  following  translation  by  J.  D.  Burns  : — 
 
 Heaven  and  earth,  and  sea  and  air, 
 Still  their  Maker's  praise  declare ; 
 Thou,  my  soul,  as  loudly  sing, 
 To  thy  God  thy  praises  bring. 
 
 See  the  sun  his  power  awakes. 
 As  through  clouds  his  glory  breaks  ; 
 See  the  moon  and  stars  of  light, 
 Praising  God  in  stillest  night. 
 
 See  how  God  this  rolling  globe 
 Swathes  with  beauty  like  a  robe ; 
 Forests,  fields,  and  living  things. 
 Each  its  Maker's  glory  sings. 
 
 Through  the  air  Thy  praises  meet, 
 Bii'ds  are  singing  clear  and  sweet ; 
 Fire,  and  storm,  and  wind,  Thy  will 
 As  Thy  ministers  fulfil. 
 
 The  ocean  waves  Thy  glory  tell. 
 At  Thy  touch  they  sink  and  swell ; 
 From  the  well-spring  to  the  sea. 
 Rivers  murmur.  Lord,  of  Thee. 
 
 Ah  !  my  God,  what  wonders  lie 
 Hid  in  Thine  infinity  ! 
 Stamp  upon  my  inmost  heart 
 What  I  am,  and  what  Thou  art. 
 
 "The  Pietistic  School"  were  distinguished  as  hymn- 
 writers  by  a  scriptural-practical  and  devotional  tendency, 
 the  spiritual  life  of  believers,  the  breaking  through 
 of  grace  in  conversion,  growth  in  holiness,  the  changing 
 conditions,  experiences,  and  feelings  in  the  life  of 
 the    soul,    were     made     the    objects     of     contemplation 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  369 
 
 and  description.  Their  hymns  are  for  the  most  part 
 no  longer  for  the  congregation,  for  the  people, 
 for  common  worship,  but  more  for  individual  edification, 
 and  for  the  closet.  There  are  only,  relatively  speaking, 
 a  few  hymns  of  this  school  that  form  an  exception,  and 
 still  deserve  the  name  of  church-hymns.  When  pietism 
 declined,  the  spiritual-poetical  inspiration  awakened  by  it 
 declined  also  gradually  ;  it  lost  its  original  truth,  power 
 and  depth,  and  degenerated  into  sentimentality  and 
 spiritless  trifling  with  figures,  allegories,  and  phrases."* 
 
 To  the  period  between  1690  and  1760  belongs  Gerhard 
 Tersteegen  (1697-1769)  '^  a  mystic  of  the  purest  type,"  and 
 one  of  the  most  notable  of  German  hymnists.  He  is  known 
 and  loved  in  England  through  John  Wesley's  fine  trans- 
 lations of  his  hymns,  '^Lo!  God  is  here,  let  us  adore,"  and 
 "Thou  hidden  love  of  God,"  and  probably  will  be  by  the 
 hymn  which  Mrs.  Sarah  Findlater  has  rendered  so 
 magnificently,  "  Lord,  our  God,  in  reverence  lowly," 
 quoted  in  Chap.  XV. 
 
 Nicholas  Lewis,  Count  and  Lord  of  Zinzendorf  and 
 Pottendorf  (1700-1760),  was  remarkable  for  his  early 
 piety.  When  quite  a  child  he  wrote  little  notes  to  Jesus, 
 and  threw  them  out  of  the  window,  in  the  hope  that 
 He  would  find  them.  His  youthful  piety  was  deepened 
 by  the  sight  of  an  JE^cce  Homo  in  the  picture  gallery  at 
 Dusseldorf  bearing  the  inscription:  "All  this  I  have 
 done  for  thee;  what  doest  thou  for  He?"  His  earlier 
 years  were  spent  as  a  layman  in  philanthropic  and 
 missionary  work,  but  later  he  was  ordained,  and  became  a 
 Bishop  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren,  an  office 
 he  afterwards — on  account  of  false  accusation — resigned. 
 *  Kurtz's  "  Church  History,"  Vol.  ii,  p.  235. 
 
370  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 His  latter  days  were  spent  at  Herrnhut,  where  lie  died 
 May  5th,  1760.  His  last  words  to  his  son-in-law  were  : 
 ^'  I^ow,  my  dear  son,  I  am  going  to  the  Saviour.  I  am 
 ready  ;  I  am  quite  resigned  to  the  will  of  my  Lord.  If 
 He  is  no  longer  willing  to  make  use  of  me  here,  I  am 
 quite  ready  to  go  to  Him ;  for  there  is  nothing  more  in 
 my  way."  He  was  the  real  founder  of  the  Moravian 
 Church  as  it  is  known  to  us,  the  previous  form  of  which, 
 known  as  the  Bohemian  Brethren,  was  of  an  altogether 
 different  type.  He  was  a  most  prolific  hymn-writer — 
 more  than  2,000  are  said  to  be  from  his  pen — hut  a 
 large  number  ^'e  very  inferior  productions.  The  best 
 known  are  ''Jesus,  Thy  blood  and  righteousness,"  and 
 ''Jesus,  still  lead  on,"  which  is  "the  first  taught 
 to  the  children  in  almost  every  German  household." 
 One  of  his  great  faults  was  the  exaggerated  way  in  which 
 he  spoke  of  the  physical  sufferings  of  Christ.  Miss 
 Winkworth  says  :  "  Many  of  his  hymns  speak  of  the 
 blood  and  wounds  of  Jesus,  making  a  bed  in  his  wounded 
 side,  &c.,  in  a  way  of  which  it  is  impossible  to  give 
 instances."  This  is  a  fault  common  to  writers  widely 
 severed,  as  Romanist  and  Ultra-Evangelical.  To  the 
 same  Moravian  company  belongs  Luise  H.  von  Haym 
 (1724-1782),  Superintendent  of  the  Unmarried  Sisters' 
 House  at  Herrnhut,  whose  child's  hymn,  translated  by 
 Catherine  "Winkworth,  is  very  beautiful — 
 
 Seeing  I  am  Jesus'  lamb, 
 Ever  glad  at  heart  1  am 
 O'er  my  Shepherd  kind  and  good, 
 Who  provides  me  daily  food, 
 And  His  lamb  by  name  doth  call 
 For  He  knows  and  loves  us  all. 
 
 Guided  by  His  gentle  staff, 
 Where  the  sunny  pastures  laugh, 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  371 
 
 I  go  in  and  out  and  leed, 
 Lacking  nothing  that  I  need  ; 
 When  I  thirst  my  feet  He  brings 
 To  the  fresh  and  living  springs. 
 
 Must  I  not  rejoice  for  this  ? 
 
 He  is  mine  and  I  am  His, 
 
 And  when  these  bright  days  are  {^ast 
 
 Safely  in  His  arms  at  last, 
 
 He  will  bear  me  home  to  heaven, 
 
 Ah,  what  jo3^  hath  Jesus  given  ! 
 
 This  is  the  most  favourite  children's  hymn  in  Germany. 
 
 It  is  learnt  and  loved  by  nearly  all  Protestant  children, 
 
 and  is  the  common  prayer  which  daily  they  repeat. 
 
 Still  later  we  meet  with  Christian  Fiirchtegott  Gellert 
 
 ( 1715-1769),  Professor  of  Poetry  and  Moral  Philosophy  in 
 
 Leipsic  University  (Lessing  and  Goethe  were  among  his 
 
 pupils),  the  author  of  ''Spiritual  Odes  and  Songs,"  which 
 
 Miss  "Winkworth  says  ' '  were  greeted  with  an  enthusiasm 
 
 almost  like  that  which  greeted  Luther's  hymns  on  their 
 
 first     appearance."       '''The     reverence     and    affection 
 
 which    Gellert   received   from   all   the    young   men   was 
 
 extraordinary.     His  lecture-room  was  always  crowded  to 
 
 the  utmost ;  and  Gellert's  beautiful  soul,  purity  of  will, 
 
 his  admonitions,  warnings  and  entreaties,  delivered  in  a 
 
 somewhat     hollow    and    sad     voice,    produced     a    deep 
 
 impression.     A  figure  not  tall,  but  slender  without  being 
 
 thin,  soft  rather  mournful  eyes,  a  very  beautiful  brow,  all 
 
 rendered  his  presence  agreeable.'      IS'or  was  his  influence 
 
 confined  to  his  class-room  :   a  peasant  one  day  laid  a  load 
 
 of  firewood  at  his  door  as  a  thank-offering  for  the  pleasure 
 
 derived  from  his  fables  ;  a  young  Prussian  ofiicer  sent  him 
 
 a  sum  of  money,  entreating  him  to  accept  the  gift  from 
 
 one  whose  heart  had  been  raised  by  his  writings  ;   and 
 
 these  were  but  instances  of  innumerable  similar  presents 
 
 which    Gellert   used    generally    to   bestow  on    the   poor. 
 
372  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Princes  and  great  people  of  all  kinds  made  pilgrimages  to 
 see  him  ;  even  Frederick  the  Great  had  an  interview  with 
 him,  and  pronounced  him  the  most  reasonable  German 
 professor  he  had  ever  come  across."  ''A  rumour  having 
 spread  in  Coburg  that  Gellert  had  hanged  himself,  he 
 replied  to  a  friend  on  hearing  it :  '  "Write  to  the  Coburgers 
 
 I  have  and  shall  be  hanging 
 For  ever  on  my  Lord.'  " 
 
 The  hymn  by  which  he  is  known  in  England  is  '*  Jesus 
 
 lives,   no  longer  now,"  translated  by  Frances  Elizabeth 
 
 Cox,  to  whom  we  owe  many  fine  translations  from  the 
 
 German. 
 
 To  the   same  period  belong  Johann  Andreas  Cramer, 
 
 and   Eriedrich    Gottlieb    Klopstock    (1724-1803,— whose 
 
 poem,    "  The   Messiah,"    was    once    so   popular) ;  whilst 
 
 still  later  there   is  IS'ovalis   (1772-1801 — many  of  their 
 
 poems  were  translated  by  George  MacDonald,  in  a  little 
 
 volume   called   "Exotics"),   and  Spitta,    Knapp,    Gerok, 
 
 Louise    Hensel,    and    Meta    Hansar  ;    some    of    whose 
 
 hymns   have    been   translated    by   Eichard    Massie,    but 
 
 few  have   passed  from  their  writings  into  Church  use, 
 
 save  in  the  case  of  Spitta  (1801-1859),  from  whom  many 
 
 have  been  taken,  through  the  renderings  of  Mr.  Massie, 
 
 in  his  Lyra  Bomestica.     These  deserve  to  be  more  widely 
 
 known,    as    my    readers    may    see    by    the    following 
 
 specimens.      Yery    full     of     quiet     confidence     is     the 
 
 following : — 
 
 We  are  the  Lord's,  whether  we  live  or  die ; 
 We  are  the  Lord's,  who  for  us  all  hath  died ; 
 We  are  the  Lord's,  and  heirs  of  tlie  Most  High^ 
 We  are  the  Lord's,  and  shall  the  Lord's  abide. 
 
 We  are  the  Lord's — to  Him,  then,  let  us  live, 
 Wita  soul  and  body,  both  with  deeds  and  words. 
 While  heart,  and  tongue,  and  life  assurance  give. 
 Of  the  most  precious  truth  :  we  are  the  Lord's. 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  373 
 
 We  are  the  Lord's, — so  shall  our  hearts  ne'er  fail, 
 For  one  bright  star  its  steady  light  affords, 
 To  cheer  and  guide  us  through  the  gloomy  vale, 
 It  is  this  blessed  word :  we  are  the  Lord's ! 
 
 AVe  are  the  Lord's,  who  will  preserve  us  still, 
 When  none  beside  Him  help  to  us  accords  ; 
 In  death's  last  conflict  we  will  fear  no  ill, 
 Thy  word  abideth  true  :  we  are  the  Lord's ! 
 
 The  following  is  as  true  in  sentiment  as  it  is  beautiful 
 in  expression : — 
 
 We  praise  and  bless  Thee,  gracious  Lord, 
 
 Our  Saviour,  kind  and  true, 
 For  all  the  old  things  passed  away, 
 
 For  all  Thou  hast  made  new. 
 
 New  hopes,  new  purposes,  desires, 
 And  joys,  Thy  grace  has  given; 
 Old  ties  are  broken  from  the  earth, 
 /  New  ties  attach  to  heaven. 
 
 But  yet,  how  much  must  be  destroyed, 
 
 How  much  renewed  must  be, 
 Ere  we  can  fully  stand  complete 
 
 In  likeness,  Lord,  to  Thee  ! 
 
 Thou,  only  Thou  must  carry  on 
 
 The  work  Thou  hast  begun  ; 
 Of  Thine  own  strength  Thou  must  impart 
 
 In  Thine  own  ways  to  run. 
 
 Ah  !  leave  us  not ;  from  day  to  day 
 
 Eevive,  restore  again ; 
 Our  feeble  steps  do  Thou  direct, 
 
 Our  enemies  restrain. 
 
 So  shall  we  faultless  stand  at  last, 
 
 Before  Thy  Father's  throne ; 
 The  blessedness  for  ever  ours. 
 
 The  glory  all  Thine  own. 
 
 Here  is  his  exquisite  hymn  calling  us  by  the   thought 
 of  what  we  have  received,  to  impart  to  others  : — 
 
 O  Thou  whose  grace  first  found  us. 
 
 Whose  love  our  hearts  first  won. 
 Thou  hast  with  mercies  crowned  us, 
 
 As  none  beside  hath  done. 
 
 Thy  mercies  bid  us  bless  Thee. 
 
 Thy  mercies  bid  us  pray. 
 That  others  too  may  praise  Thee, 
 
 And  understand  Thy  way. 
 
374  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 Thy  mercies  bid  us  witness 
 
 The  truth  ot  Thy  dear  word, 
 That  all  may  taste  its  sweetness, 
 
 And  bow  before  the  Lord. 
 
 And  since  Thou  wert  not  stricken 
 
 For  us  alone,  but  all, 
 Lord,  many  save  and  quicken, — 
 
 "We  are  too  few  and  small ! 
 
 Here  is  his  lovely  Evening  Hymn  : — 
 
 0  Lord,  who  by  Thy  presence  hast  made  light 
 The  heat  and  burden  of  the  toilsome  day. 
 
 Be  with  me  also  in  the  silent  night, 
 
 Be  with  me  when  the  daylight  fades  away. 
 
 As  Thou  hast  given  me  strength  upon  the  way. 
 So  deign  at  evening  to  become  my  Guest ; 
 As  Thou  hast  shared  the  labours  of  the  day, 
 So  also  deign  to  share  and  bless  my  rest. 
 
 How  sad  and  cold,  if  Thou  be  absent.  Lord, 
 The  evening  leaves  me,  and  my  heart  how  dead  ! 
 But,  if  Thy  presence  grace  my  humble  board, 
 
 1  seem  with  heavenly  manna  to  be  fed. 
 
 Fraught  with  rich  blessing,  breathing  sweet  repose. 
 The  calm  of  evening  settles  on  my  breast ; 
 If  Thou  be  with  me  when  my  labours  close, 
 No  more  is  needed  to  complete  my  rest. 
 
 Come,  then,  O  Lord,  and  deign  to  be  my  Guest, 
 After  the  day's  confusion,  toil,  and  din ; 
 O  come  to  bring  me  peace,  and  joy,  and  rest. 
 To  give  salvation,  and  to  pardon  sin ! 
 
 Bind  up  the  wounds,  assuage  the  aching  smart. 
 Left  in  my  bosom  from  the  day  just  past, 
 And  let  me,  on  a  Father's  loving  heart. 
 Forget  my  griefs,  and  find  sweet  rest  at  last ! 
 
 ''In  Thy  service  will  I   ever,"  is  almost,  if  not  quite, 
 
 equal  to  the  foregoing. 
 
 England  has  drawn  little  from  German  hymnody  of  a 
 
 later  time  than  this — chiefly  because   her   own  writers 
 
 have  furnished  ample  material,   but  partly  because  the 
 
 more  recent  productions  of  Germany  lack  the  force  and 
 
 distinctiveness  of  pearlier  times.     Doubtless  more  would 
 
 have  been  drawn  from  the  earlier  writers,  but  that  their 
 
 hymns  arc   so  lengthy,   and  cast  in  rather  a  ponderous 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  375 
 
 style,  lacking  the  conciseness  and  crispness  of  the  finest 
 English  hymns.  They  may  be  suitable  to  the  land  of 
 their  birth,  but  they  certainly  are  not  to  the  English 
 taste.  It  is  best  that  the  staple  hymns  of  each  country 
 should  be  redolent  of  the  soil,  or  of  a  soil  akin  to  its  own. 
 The  hymns  that  have  been  di^awn  from  this  source  are 
 very  precious,  and  we  could  ill  spare  them,  but  it  -would 
 be  a  mistake  to  increase  the  present  proportion  of 
 German,  or,  indeed,  of  any  foreign  hymns,  in  our 
 collections.  All  hymnals  which  have  started  with  the 
 idea  of  increasing  that  proportion,  have  been  a  failure  in 
 regard  to  popular  use,  and  are  only  valuable  as  illustrative 
 of  German  hymnody.  Our  churches,  however,  owe  a 
 great  debt  to  Catherine  AYinkworth,  Prances  Elizabeth 
 Cox,  Eichard  Massie,  Jane  Borthwick,  and  her  sister — 
 llrs.  Eindlater,  James  Drummond  Burns,  for  their 
 admirable  renderings  of  German  hymns,  and,  in  an  earlier 
 age,  to  John  "Wesley,  whose  translations  have  probably 
 never  been  surpassed. 
 
 I  will  conclude  this  chapter  by  the  following  extract 
 from  Alexander  Smith,  on  German  hymns  in  general : — 
 
 "  In  glancing  over  these  German  hymns  one 
 is  struck  by  their  adaptation  to  the  seasons  and 
 occurrences  of  ordinary  life.  Obviously,  too,  the 
 writers'  religion  was  not  a  Sunday  matter  only  ;  it  had 
 its  place  in  the  week-days  as  well.  In  these  hymns  there 
 is  little  gloom  ;  a  healthy,  human  cheerfulness  pervades 
 many  of  them — and  this  is  surely  as  it  ought  to  be.  These 
 hymns,  as  I  have  said,  are  adapted  to  the  occasion  of 
 ordinary  life,  and  this  speaks  favourably  of  the  piety 
 which  produced  them.  I  do  not  suppose  that  we  English 
 arc    less    religious    than    other    nations,    but    we     are 
 
376  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 imdemonstratiYe  in  this,  as  in  most  things.  We  have  the 
 sincerest  horror  of  over-cbessing  ourselves  in  fine  senti- 
 ments. We  are  a  little  shy  of  religion.  We  give  it  a 
 day  entirely  to  itself,  and  make  it  a  stranger  to  the  other 
 six.  We  confine  it  in  churches,  or  in  the  closet  at  home, 
 and  never  think  of  taking  it  with  us  to  the  street,  or  into 
 our  business,  or  with  us  to  the  festival,  or  the  gathering 
 of  friends.  Dr.  Arnold  used  to  complain  that  he  could 
 get  religious  subjects  treated  in  a  masterly  way,  but  could 
 not  get  common  subjects  treated  in  a  religious  spirit.  The 
 Germans  have  done  better  ;  they  have  melted  down  the 
 Sunday  into  the  week.  They  have  hymns  embodying 
 confessions  of  sin  ;  hymns  on  the  near  prospect  of  death  ; 
 and  they  have — what  is  more  important — spiritual  songs 
 tliat  may  be  sung  by  soldiers  on  the  march,  by  artisans  at 
 the  loom,  by  the  peasant  following  his  team,  by  the  mother 
 among  her  children,  and  by  the  maiden  sitting  at  her 
 wheel  listening  for  the  steps  of  her  lover.  Religion  is 
 thus  brought  in  to  refine  and  hallow  the  sweet  necessities 
 and  emotions  of  life,  to  cheer  its  weariness,  and  to  exalt 
 its  sordidncss.  The  German  life  revolves  like  the  village 
 festival  with  the  pastor  in  the  midst — joy  and  laughter 
 and  merry  games  do  not  fear  the  holy  man,  for  he  wears 
 no  unkindness  in  his  eye  ;  but  his  presence  checks  every- 
 thing boisterous  or  unseemly ! — the  rude  word,  the 
 petulant  act — and  when  it  has  run  its  course,  he  uplifts 
 his  hands  and  leaves  his  benediction  on  his  children. 
 
 "  The  Lyra  Germanica  contains  the  utterances  of  pious 
 German  souls  in  all  conditions  of  life  during  many 
 centuries.  In  it  hymns  are  to  be  found  written  not  only 
 by  poor  clergymen,  and  still  poorer  precentors,  by  riband- 
 manufacturers  and  shoemakers,  who,  amid  rude  environ- 
 
GERMAN  HYMNS.  377 
 
 ments,  had  a  touch  of  celestial  melody  m  their  hearts  ; 
 hut  by  noble  ladies  and  gentlemen  and  crowned  kings. 
 The  oldest  in  the  collection  is  one  written  by  King  Robert 
 of  France  about  the  year  1000.  It  is  beautifully  simple 
 and  pathetic.  State  is  laid  aside  with  the  crown,  pride 
 with  the  royal  robe,  and  Lazarus  at  Dives'  gate  could  not 
 have  written  out  of  a  lowlier  heart.  The  kingly  brow 
 may  bear  itself  high  enough  before  men,  the  voice  may  be 
 commanding  and  imperious  enough,  cutting  through  con- 
 tradiction as  with  a  sword  ;  but  before  the  Highest  all  is 
 humbleness  and  bended  knees.  Other  compositions  there 
 are,  scattered  through  the  volume,  by  great  personages : 
 several  by  Louisa  Henrietta,  Electress  of  Brandenburg, 
 and  Anton  TJlrick,  Duke  of  Brunswick — all  written  two 
 hundred  years  ago.  Those  are  genuine  poems,  full  of 
 faith  and  charity,  and  calm  trust  in  God.  They  are  all 
 dead  now,  these  noble  gentlemen  and  gentlewomen  ;  their 
 warfare,  successful  or  adverse,  has  been  long  closed  ;  but 
 they  gleam  yet  in  my  fancy,  like  the  white  effigies  in 
 tombs  in  dim  cathedrals,  the  marble  palms  pressed  together 
 on  the  marble  breast,  the  sword  by  the  side  of  the  knight, 
 the  psalter  by  the  side  of  the  lady,  and  flowing  around 
 them  the  scrolls  on  which  are  inscribed  the  texts  of 
 resurrection."'^' 
 
 Di-*^ainthorpe,"  by  Alexander  Smith. 
 
378 
 
 CHAPTER  XIX. 
 
 PEENCH  AIS^D  OTHER  HYM^S. 
 
 OuE  English  Hymnals  owe  comparatively  little  to  any 
 of  the  continental  nations  except  the  German.  This  is 
 probably  clue  in  part  to  the  fact,  that  all  the  Latin  races 
 are  under  the  sway  of  the  Eoman  See,  whose  doctrine 
 differs  largely  from  ours,  whilst  in  their  church  worship 
 little  space  is  left  for  the  use  of  hymns.  Had  Erance 
 been  Protestant,  and  therefore  psalm-singing,  as  her  lyric 
 gift  is  quite  as  strong,  if  not  stronger  than  that  of 
 Germany,  she  would  probably  have  furnished  us  with 
 as  large,  if  not  a  larger,  proportion  than  we  have 
 drawn  from  Germany,  especially  if  her  Protestantism 
 had  been  of  the  Lutheran  rather  than  the  Calvinistic 
 type.*'  Even  the  hymns  we  have  taken  from  Erance 
 were  chiefly  written  in  the  Latin  tongue  for  use  in 
 French  Breviaries.  Of  some  of  these  I  have  spoken  in 
 earlier  chapters  of  this  book  in  my  account  of  the 
 hymns  of  Adam  of  St.  Victor,  the  Bernards,  and  King 
 
 *'*In  Switzerland,  in  the  Protestant  Cdurch  of  France,  and  to 
 some  extent  in  Holland,  the  spread  of  the  German  hymns  has  been 
 checked  by  the  influence  of  the  Calvinistic  churches,  which  have 
 always  feared  to  give  a  prominent  place  to  Art  of  any  kind  in  the 
 worship  of  God — rather,  indeed,  have  allowed  it  to  creep  in  on 
 sufferance,  than  delighted  to  introduce  it  as  a  freewill  offering  of 
 beauty." — Winkworth's  "Christian  Singers  of  Germany,'  p.  4. 
 
FRENCH  AND  OTHER  HYMNS.  379 
 
 Robert  of  France ;  but  to  later  times  belong  the  follow- 
 ing-, from  whose  Latin  hymns,  translations  have  passed 
 into  some  of  our  English  Hymnals  : — 
 
 From  Claude  de  Santeiiil,  otherwise  known  as  Santolius 
 Magloriamts  (1628-1684)  we  have  ''Thrice  Holy  God, 
 of  wondrous  might  "  (7<?r  sancte^  ter  potens  Leus) ;  whilst 
 from  his  brother,  J.  B.  de  Santeiiil  {Santolius  Victorinus), 
 (1630-1697),  we  have  "In  stature  grows  the  Heavenly 
 Child"  {Divine^  creseehas,  Piier),  ''0  Christ,  who  hast 
 prepared  a  place  "  {Nobis,  Ohjmpo  redditus),  "  Long  time 
 tlie  fallen  human  race  "  {Pidsum  siq^ernis  sedihus),  trans- 
 lated by  J.  Chandler;  and  "  JSTot  by  the  Martyr's  death 
 alone  "  {N'o7i  2^a)ia  solo  sanguine),  translated  by  Isaac 
 AVilliams. 
 
 To  Charles  Coffin  (1676-1749),  we  owe  "God  from  on 
 high  hath  heard  "  {Jam  desinant  susperia),  translated  by 
 Bishop  Woodford;  "Great  Mover  of  all  hearts,  whose 
 hand"  {Supreme  Ilotor  cordium),  translated  by  Isaac 
 Williams;  and  "As  now  the  sun's  declining  rays" 
 {Lalente  jam  soils  rota),  "  On  Jordan's  bank  the  Baptist's 
 cry"  {Jordanis  oras  prcevia^,  ""What  star  is  this,  more 
 glorious  far"  {Quae  stella  sole  pulehrior),  "0  Lord,  how 
 joyful  'tis  to  see"  {0  quam  juvat  fratres,  JJeus),  translated 
 by  John  Chandler. 
 
 From  I^icolas  Ic  Tourneaux,  of  the  latter  part  of  the 
 17th  century,  we  have  "  Morn's  roseate  hues  have  decked 
 the  sky  "  {Aurora  lucis  dum  novae),  translated  by  W. 
 Cooke. 
 
 William  Cowper  translated  certain  of  the  Cantiques 
 Spirituels  of  Madame  Guyon,  which  contained  about  900 
 pieces,    mostly  written   to   popular   ballad   tunes.      The 
 
380  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 finest  of  these  is  the  following,  touched  with  the  peculiar 
 
 and  beautiful  mysticism  of  that  devoted  woman  : — 
 ()  Thou  by  long  experience  tried, 
 Near  whom  no  grief  can  long  abide, 
 My  Lord  !  how  full  of  sweet  content 
 My  years  of  pilgrimage  are  spent. 
 All  scenes  alike  engaging  prove 
 To  souls  impressed  with  sacred  love ; 
 Where'er  they  dwell,  they  dwell  with  Thee, 
 In  heaven,  in  earth,  or  on  the  sea. 
 To  me  remains  nor  place  nor  time  ; 
 M}^  country  is  in  every  clime  ; 
 I  can  be  calm  and  free  from  care 
 On  any  shore,  since  God  is  there. 
 While  place  we  seek  or  place  we  shun, 
 The  soul  finds  happiness  in  none ; 
 But  with  my  God  to  guide  my  way, 
 'Tis  equal  joy  to  go  or  stay. 
 Could  I  be  cast  where  Thou  art  not. 
 That  were  indeed  a  dreadful  lot : 
 But  regions  none  remote  I  call, 
 Secure  of  finding  God  in  all. 
 Then  let  me  to  His  throne  repair, 
 And  never  be  a  stranger  there  : 
 Then  love  divine  shall  be  my  guard, 
 And  peace  and  safety  my  reward. 
 
 Most  of  the  hymns  drawn  from   and  written   in  the 
 
 Prench  language  come  to  us,  as  was  to  be  expected,  from 
 
 Protestant  sources  in  Switzerland.     Caesar  Malan  (1787- 
 
 1864)  was  a  yoluminous  hymnist,  exceeding  Dr.  Watts  in 
 
 the  number  of  his  compositions,  but  being  more  akin  to 
 
 Charles  Wesley  in  their  character.  He  is  said  by  his  biographer 
 
 to  have  written  at  least  a  thousand  hymns  !     They  were 
 
 translated    into    English    in    1825    by    Ingram    Cobbin 
 
 {^^^  Symns  hy  the  Rev.  Cmmr  Ilalan  translated  into  English 
 
 verse'''') ;  and  in  1866  by  Miss  Arnold  {Lyra  JEvanyelica). 
 
 The  best  known  is  the  following,  translated  by  G.  W. 
 
 Eethune  : — 
 
 it  is  not  death  to  die — 
 To  leave  this  weary  road, 
 And  'midst  the  brotherhood  on  high, 
 To  be  at  home  with  God. 
 
FRENCH  AND  OTHER  HYMNS.  381 
 
 It  is  not  death  to  close 
 The  eye  long  dimmed  by  tears, 
 And  wake  in  glorious  repose 
 To  spend  eternal  years. 
 
 It  is  not  death  to  bear 
 The  wrench  that  sets  us  free 
 From  dungeon-chain  to  breathe  the  air 
 Of  boundless  liberty. 
 
 It  is  not  death  to  fling 
 Aside  this  mortal  dust, 
 A.nd  rise  on  strong  exulting  wing, 
 To  live  among  the  just. 
 
 Jesus,  Thou  Prince  of  Life, 
 Thy  chosen  cannot  die : 
 Like  Thee  they  conquer  in  the  strife, 
 To  reign  with  Thee  on  high. 
 
 Malan  was  also  a  musician,  and  set  his  hymns  to  music. 
 
 To  Joan  Eroderic  Oberlin  (1740-1826)  is  usually  ascribed 
 the  fine  hymn  (translated  by  Lucy  Wilson)  * '  0  Lord,  Thy 
 heavenly  grace  impart  "  ;  but  there  is  reason  to  believe 
 that  it  was  neither  Oberlin' s  composition  nor  translation. 
 
 The  religious  movement  started  by  Eobert  Haldane  in  the 
 earliest  years  of  the  present  century  gave  rise  to  a  School 
 of  Swiss  Hymnody,  to  which  Dr.  Merle  D'Aubigne,  Pelix 
 Neff,  and  others  contributed.  At  a  somewhat  later  period 
 (1834)  the  "Chants  Chretiens"  were  published  in  Paris 
 by  Henri  Lutteroth,  in  which  were  included  extracts  from 
 Racine,  Corneille,  and  Pictet,  and  hymns  by  Adolphe 
 ^[onod,  Alexander  Yinet,  and  others.  This  is  still  the 
 most  popular  Hymnal  in  the  Heformed  Church. 
 
 To  Adolphe  IMonod  (1812-1856),  the  saintly  and 
 accomplished  Pastor  of  Paris,  we  owe  the  striking  hymn, 
 "  Oh,  the  bitter  shame  and  sorrow,"  which  has  found  its 
 way  into  certain  English  Hymnals.  The  following  trans- 
 lation of  his  "  Que  ne  puis-je,  6  mon  Dicu,"  by  ]\Ir. 
 Downton,  deserves  notice  : — 
 
382  TEE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 God  of  my  health !  1  would  Thy  praise  proclaim 
 And  tell  to  earth  and  heaven  Thy  wondrous  Name, 
 Declare  the  transports  of  my  thankful  breast, 
 And  say  to  all  the  world  that  I  am  blest ! 
 
 Blest — when  1  hear  Thee  speak,  and  when  that  word 
 Which  said,  "  Let  there  be  light,"  within  me  heard, 
 Stoops  to  instruct  me,  calms  my  spirit's  strife, 
 And  guides  my  footsteps  in  the  path  of  life. 
 
 Blest — when  I  speak  to  Thee,  and  though  but  dust. 
 Lift  to  Thy  throne  my  worship  and  my  trust, 
 With  freedom  to  my  Father,  as  a  child ; 
 With  trembling  to  my  God,  as  sin  defiled. 
 
 Blest,  when  Thy  day,  which  saw  from  Chaos'  mount 
 Thy  work  come  forth,  Thy  First-born  from  the  fount, 
 Gathers  within  Thy  courts  th'  adoring  throng. 
 Our  zeal's  weak  flame  re-kindling,  bright  and  strong  ! 
 
 Blest — when,  beneath  Thy  strokes,  my  faithful  God, 
 Smitten  in  love,  in  love  I  kiss  the  rod  : 
 Weeping,  but  waiting  Thy  returning  smile. 
 And  near  the  Cross,  and  for  a  little  while. 
 
 Blest — when,  assaulted  by  the  tempter's  power, 
 The  Cross  my  armour,  and  the  Lamb  my  towpr, 
 Kneeling  I  triumph — issuing  from  the  fray 
 A  bleeding  conqueror — my  life  a  prey  ! 
 
 Blest — ever  blest !  my  Brother,  He  who  died  ; 
 His  Father  mine  ;  His  Spirit  still  my  Guide  : 
 What  can  eartli  give  ?  what  can  hell  take  away, 
 When  God  and  heaven  are  mine,  are  mine  for  aye  ? 
 
 Alexander  Yinet  (1797-1867),  the  devout  and  thouglit- 
 ful  Professor  of  Theology  at  Lausanne,  wrote  many 
 hymns,  most  of  which  appeared  first  in  the  "  Semeur,"  a 
 paper  to  which  he  often  contributed.  They  are  marked 
 by  the  devout  though tfulness  and  delicate  phrasing  which 
 are  characteristic  of  his  discourses.  Seven  of  these  have 
 been  translated  hy  the  Rev.  Henry  Downton,  M.A.,  for 
 many  years  the  English  Chaplain  at  Geneva,  and  included 
 in  his  "  Hymns  and  Yerses  :  Original  and  Translated," 
 1873.  The  following  is  a  specimen.  It  is  a  translation 
 of  his  "  Roi  des  Anges  "  : — 
 
FRENCH  AND  OTHER  HYMNS. 
 
 383 
 
 King  Divine ! 
 
 Song  of  mine 
 Can  it  reach  Thy  heaven  and  Thee  " 
 
 And  wilt  Thou 
 
 Stoop  so  low 
 "That  Thy  love  shall  visit  me  ? 
 
 Deeps  profound 
 
 Who  shall  sound 
 Without  faith,  their  mystery  ? 
 
 Could  my  prayer, 
 
 Father !  dare 
 All  so  weak,  to  rise  to  Thee, 
 
 But  that  Thou 
 
 Deign'st  to  bow 
 In  Thy  tender  love  to  me  ? 
 
 Love  untold 
 
 Humbly  told. 
 Faith  adores  the  mystery. 
 
 From  the  abyss 
 
 Up  to  bliss. 
 High  to  God's  eternal  throne, 
 
 Mounts  my  prayer, — 
 
 Waiting  there. 
 Waiting  on  His  grace  alone, 
 
 Saviour  dear ! 
 
 Bend  Thine  ear. 
 Of  my  faith  the  tribute  own. 
 
 Lord  of  all ! 
 
 Hear  my  call, 
 For  Tliyself,  Thyself  I  cry : 
 
 Art  Thou  near  ? 
 
 Nought  1  fear ; 
 Art  Thou  absent  ?  then  I  die. 
 
 Helper  mine, 
 
 King  divine. 
 In  me  reign  eternally  ! 
 
 Few  finer  hymns  are  to  be  found  in  French  than  the 
 following-which  is  a  translation  by  Mr.  Do^Ynton— of 
 "Je  suis  a  toi,"  by  M.  Edmond  Scherer,  Editor  of 
 Le  Temps  : — 
 
 Lord,  I  am  Thine,  all  glory  to  Thy  Name ; 
 
 I  to  Thy  law  my  life,  myself  resign  : 
 Of  right  Thou  dost  my  love,  my  worship  claim, 
 And  I  am  Thine  ! 
 
384  THE  HYMN  LOVEN. 
 
 In  paths  of  doubt  I  wandered  lost  of  yore, 
 
 When  lo  !  upon  my  path  Thou  deigndst  to  shine : 
 Once  was  my  heart  a  void,  and  death  in  store 
 iSTow  I  am  Thine  ! 
 
 The  world  erewhile  enchained  my  captive  soul, 
 
 But  now  I  dwell  beneath  Thy  rule  divine  : 
 Sweet  is  Thv  yoke ;  on  Thee  my  cares  I  roll, 
 For  1  am  Thine  ! 
 
 Me  to  receive  with  welcome  to  Thy  heart 
 
 Thine  arms  outstretched  and  looks  of  love  combine  : 
 0  Lord  I  come  ;  I  choose  that  better  part, 
 Thine,  wholly  Thine ! 
 
 Possessing  Thee,  I  am  of  all  possest, 
 And  'tis  by  faith  this  happy  lot  is  mine : 
 •  Upon  Thy  bosom,  Lord,  in  peace  and  rest, 
 Thine,  only  Thine ! 
 
 None  from  Thy  book  of  life  shall  blot  my  name, 
 No  tempter  from  Thy  paths  my  steps  incline  ; 
 'Tis  death,  'tis  life,  Thv  piercing  glance  of  flame, 
 But  I  am  Thine  ! 
 
 While  on  this  earth  I  sojourn  by  Thy  will, 
 
 My  Saviour  and  my  God,  that  will  be  mine, 
 Till  safe  in  Heaven  I  bless  Thy  mercy  still, 
 For  ever  Thine ! 
 
 French  Hymnody  as  a  whole  is  marked  by  so  great  a 
 delicacy  of  expression  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
 reproduce  it  in  our  English  tongue,  and  by  a  subjective 
 tone  which  renders  its  hymns  more  suitable  for  private 
 than  public  worship. 
 
 From  the  Italian,  we  have  ''  Glory  be  to  Jesus"  f  Fiva^ 
 viva  Gem  /y,  translated  by  Edward  Caswall.  It  is  taken 
 from  the  Aspirazione  Divote  of  the  17th  or  18th  century. 
 
 Many  of  the  hymns  of  Denmark  have  been  translated 
 by  Gilbert  Tait,  but  none  of  these  have  passed  into 
 common  use.  One,  however,  by  Elias  Elkildsen  Naur, 
 Professor  in  the  Gymnasium  at  Odense,  in  Funen,  who 
 died  in  1728,  seems  to  me  very  beautiful,  and  though  not 
 quite  suitable  for  public  worship,  deserves  a  place  among 
 hymns  for  private  use : — 
 
FRENCH  AND  OTHER  HYMNS.  385 
 
 When  my  tongue  can  sing  no  more, 
 When  my  lips  have  ceased  to  pray, 
 Silent,  may  1  still  adore, — 
 Eager,  Saviour,  seek  Thy  way  ! 
 Hear,  O  Christ,  my  latest  sigh  ; 
 Open  wide  the  gates  on  high, 
 For  my  soul,  which  angels  bear 
 Home  to  glory,  deathless,  rare ; — 
 
 Home  to  heaven's  kingdom  sweet ; 
 
 Home  to  join  the  chosen  band. 
 
 Seraph,  seraphim  to  meet : 
 
 Home  to  courts  where  reigneth  grand 
 
 Mercy's  Monarch ;  home  to  dwell 
 
 With  the  God  who  loves  me  well ; 
 
 Home  to  all  my  fathers  dear  ; 
 
 Home  my  Christ  to  serve  and  fear. 
 The  one  Danish  hymn-writer  that  has  become  well-known 
 in  this  country  is  Bernhardt  Severin  Ingemann  (1789- 
 1862),  who  was  born  in  Denmark  the  28th  May,  1789. 
 His  father  was  a  clergyman,  and  he  was  also  intended  for 
 the  Church.  At  a  comparatively  early  age  he  published 
 his  poems,  mostly  of  a  romantic  character,  concerning 
 which  there  was  much  division  of  opinion. 
 
 He  afterwards  published  a  series  of  romantic-patriotic 
 description  of  the  hero  kings  of  the  middle  ages, 
 undoubtedly  greatly  influenced  by  the  writings  of  Sir 
 "Walter  Scott.  These  books  are  still,  and  will  probably 
 comtinue  to  be,  the  most  popular  reading  amongst  the 
 Danish  people.  Whilst  he  thus  roused  the  patriotic  spiiit 
 of  his  countrymen,  his  early  religious  training  manifested 
 itself  in  his  hymns,  which  form  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
 Danish  Church  and  School  Service.  Manly  vigour,  and 
 almost  childlike  tenderness,  together  with  true  faith  and  a 
 firm  belief  that  there  will  be  light  after  the  darkness,  form 
 the  most  prominent  features  in  his  hymns.  Scarcely  was 
 any  poet  more  appreciated  by  his  country  than  Ingemann. 
 
 On  his  70th  birthday  the  Danish  children  presented  him 
 
 c2 
 
386  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 — - — - —  '■■■■■■•'  1 — t — '>■"■»'■ — -" — ' ~~" — ■  ■ 
 
 with  a  splendid   golden  horn.     The   subscriptions  were 
 
 limited  to  a  halfpenny,  and  every  child  throughout  the 
 
 land  gave  its  mite  toward  the  man,  who  perhaps  even  in 
 
 the  same  degree  as  Hans  Christian  Andersen,  had  cheered 
 
 their    childhood.     He    died   a  few   years    after    greatly 
 
 lamented. 
 
 Few,  who  ever  saw  the  old  poet  and  his  amiable  wife — 
 
 Philemon  and  Baucis  they  were    called — in  their  quiet 
 
 cottage  in  the  beautiful  Soro'  surrounded  by  roses,  are 
 
 likely  to  forget  them. 
 
 Through  Mr.  Baring-Gould's  fine  rendering,  one  of  his 
 
 hymns — a  singularly  inspiring  one — ''  Through  the  night 
 
 of  doubt  and  sorrow "  (Igjennem  Nat  og  IraengselJ,  has 
 
 established  itself  in  English  favour. 
 
 In  her  "Yoice  of  Christian  Life  in  Song,"  Mrs.  Charles 
 
 has  given  translations  of  a  few  Swedish  hymns,  but,  so  far 
 
 as  I  know,  none  from  this  source  have  passed  into  English 
 
 use.     The  battle-song  of  Gustavus  Adolphus,  of  Sweden, 
 
 is  probably  unique  in  this  respect,  that  the  thoughts  were 
 
 his,  and  their  versification  by  another.    Here  is  the  story : — 
 
 "The  brave  king  was  no  man  of  letters.     The  fire  of 
 
 faith  which  burned  in  his  heart  was  more  wont  to  fuse 
 
 the  iron  of  heroic  deeds  than  the  gold  of  beautiful  words. 
 
 But  the  thoughts  were  in  his  heart ;  had  they  not  inspired 
 
 him  in  march  and  battlefield  ?    So  he  told  his  chaplain, 
 
 Dr.   Jacob   Eabricius   what  his  thoughts   were,   and  the 
 
 chaplain  moulded  them  into  three  verses  of  a  hymn,  and 
 
 the  simple-hearted  hero  took  them  ever  afterwards  as  his 
 
 battle-song." 
 
 Be  not  dismay 'd,  thou  little  flock, 
 Although  the  foe's  fierce  battle  shock 
 Loud  on  all  sides  assail  thee. 
 
FRENCH  AND  OTHER  HYMNS.  387 
 
 Though  o'er  thy  fall  they  laugh  secure, 
 Their  triumph  cannot  long  endure  ; 
 Let  not  thy  courage  fail  thee. 
 
 Thy  cause  is  God's :  go  at  His  call, 
 And  to  His  hand  commit  Thy  all ; 
 
 Fear  thou  no  ill  impending  : 
 His  Gideon  shall  arise  for  thee, 
 God's  Word  and  people  manfully, 
 
 In  God's  own  time  defending. 
 
 Our  hope  is  sure  in  Jesus'  might ; 
 Against  themselves  the  godless  fight, 
 
 Themselves,  not  us,  distressing  ; 
 Shame  and  contempt  their  lot  shall  be  : 
 God  is  witli  us,  with  Him  are  we, 
 
 To  us  belongs  His  blessing. 
 
 "Wales  is  rich  in  hymns — so  say  those  who  are 
 acquainted  with  its  hymnody ;  but,  probably  on  account 
 of  the  difficulty  of  rendering  them  into  the  English 
 language,  only  two  have  come  into  our  hymnals:  "  Guide 
 me,  0  Thou  great  Jehovah,"  and  ''O'er  the  gloomy  hills 
 of  darkness,"  by  "William  Williams.  The  Rev.  H.  Elvet 
 Lewis  is  about  to  publish  a  volume  of  translations  of 
 Welsh  hymns.  He  is  a  competent  translator,  and  it 
 remains  to  be  seen  whether  any  will  so  meet  the  taste  of 
 English  readers  as  to  find  their  way  into  Church  use. 
 
388 
 
 CHAPTER  XX. 
 
 AMERICAN   HYMNS. 
 
 Great  as  is  the  past  of  English  literature,  its  future  is 
 likely  to  be  still  greater,  both  on  account  of  the  increase 
 of  the  English-speaking  race,  and  the  variety  of  lands  in 
 which  its  lot  is  now  cast,  for  there  will  be  not  only  a 
 greater  number  of  contributors  to  the  stores  of  English 
 literature,  but  the  peoples,  climate,  condition,  and 
 scenery  will  probably  give  rise  to  new  types  both  of 
 thought  and  expression.  At  present  America  is  the  only 
 English-speaking  offshoot  from  the  mother  country  which 
 has  existed  long  enough  to  develop  a  literature  of  its  own. 
 Australia  is  budding  into  letters,  especially  of  the  poetic 
 kind,  but,  although  the  promise  is  great,  the  time  of  fi^uit 
 is  not  yet.  In  the  case  of  America,  however,  there  has 
 been  sufficient  time  for  the  bud,  the  blossom,  the  slowly- 
 forming  fruit,  and  now  we  near  the  harvest,  if  not  the  fuU 
 one,  yet  the  first  ingatherings  of  one  which  bids  fair  to 
 rival  that  of  the  old  country. 
 
 My  concern  in  the  present  chapter  is  only  with  one 
 small  part  of  this  literary  harvest,  one  which  some  would 
 exclude  as  altogether  unworthy  of  a  place  therein,  and 
 not  altogether  without  good  reason,  since  a  very  large 
 number  of  the  hymns  of  the  past  have  been  so  destitute 
 of  literary  grace  or  poetic  inspiration  as  to  be  quite 
 unworthy  of  a  place  in  literature.     Dr.  Johnson  said  of 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  389 
 
 Dr.  Watts,  "that  he  had  succeeded  in  doing  better  than 
 others,  what  no  one  had  succeeded  in  doing  well."  There 
 was,  at  that  time,  a  measure  of  truth  in  that  saying.  But 
 before  Dr.  Watts  there  had  been  writers  who  had  written 
 fine  hymns,  even  judged  from  a  literary  standpoint,  so 
 that  even  then  materials  existed  for  a  good,  if  not  a  large, 
 collection  of  English  hymns,  which,  from  a  variety  of 
 causes,  had  been  strangely  overlooked  and  neglected  ; 
 whilst  among  Dr.  Watts'  six  hundred  hymns,  many  of 
 which  are  very  inferior,  there  are  a  few  grand  hymns  ; 
 and  since  his  time  many  writers  have  produced  hymns 
 which  an  unprejudiced  judgment  would  include  among 
 the  literary  treasures  of  the  English-speaking  race. 
 Amongst  such,  the  hymns  of  our  friends  across  the 
 Atlantic  hold  no  small  or  undistinguished  place.  Indeed, 
 some  of  the  finest  work'  of  this  kind  of  recent  times  has 
 had  to  travel  across  the  ocean  which  separates  us  from 
 that  great  country. 
 
 The  excellence  of  much  American  hymn-work  is  due  to 
 certain  causes  which  do  not  prevail  in  England.  One  of 
 these  is  the  absence  of  an  Established  Church,  with  its 
 venerable  and  greatly-loved  Liturgy,  which  allows  less 
 space  for  hymn-singing  than  do  the  churches  which  rely 
 on  extemporaneous  utterance  in  their  devotional  services. 
 Of  course  there  is  an  Episcopal  Church  in  America,  which, 
 like  its  elder  sister  in  this  country,  retains — though  in  an 
 altered  form— the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  in  its  worship, 
 but  that  Church  is  neither  the  dominant,  nor  the  most 
 influential,  nor  the  most  numerous  Church  of  that  land. 
 The  great  majority  of  the  American  Churches  rely,  either 
 altogether  or  in  part,  on  extemporaneous  utterance  in 
 their  devotional  services,  and  so  leave  a  larger  place  open 
 
390  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 for  the  singing  of  hyinns,  than  Churches  whose  services 
 are  wholly  liturgical. 
 
 Another  reason  for  the  excellence  of  much  American 
 hymn-writing  is  to  he  found  in  the  custom  which  prevails 
 of  inviting  those  with  poetic  power  to  contribute  verses 
 for  the  great  anniversaries  in  their  history — social, 
 national,  ecclesiastical.  This  has  drawn  into  the  ranks 
 of  the  hymnists  some  of  the  most  notable  writers. 
 Scarcely  an  American  poet  of  any  eminence  could  be 
 named  who  has  not  been  led  to  consecrate  his  genius  to 
 hymn-production.  Some  of  the  finest  hymns  by  American 
 authors  have  had  this  origin.  In  England,  the  names  of 
 our  greater  poets  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence  from 
 the  roll  of  the  hymnists.  They  have  either  not  thought 
 of  hymns  as  a  form  for  the  expression  of  their  genius, 
 or  have  deemed  them  unworthy  of  their  powers.  And  our 
 national  customs  have  done  nothing  to  call  out  their 
 genius  in  that  direction,  save  occasionally  by  asking  for  an 
 ode,  or  poem,  or  song,  for  some  great  celebration.  What 
 glorious  additions  to  our  hymnals  might  have  been  made  if 
 Lord  Tennyson,  or  Eobert  Browning,  or  Lewis  Morris 
 had  been  asked  to  compose  hymns  for  great  occasions,  as 
 Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  John  Greenleaf  "Whittier,  and 
 others,  have  been  in  America ! 
 
 It  should  also  be  noted  that  the  American  poets  have 
 been  more  deeply  touched  by  religious  feeling  than  their 
 brothers  in  England,  so  that  their  poetry  is  more 
 devotional  in  its  tone.  This  has  made  it  possible  to 
 extract  verses  from  their  poems,  which,  though  not 
 written  as  hymns,  have  been  eminently  suited  for  use  in 
 worship. 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  391 
 
 All  these  causes  combined  have  conspired  to  produce  a 
 mass  of  verses  which  are  very  remarkable. 
 
 Hymn-writing  in  America  began  with  the  present 
 century.  Before  that  time  only  metrical  versions  of  the 
 Psalms  were  in  use ;  the  first  collection  having  been  the 
 eelebrated  Bay  Psalm  Book,  or  New  England  version, 
 published  in  1640,  of  which  it  is  said  that  no  less  than  70 
 editions  were  printed  in  Boston,  London,  and  Edinburgh. 
 This  was  revised  in  1757  by  Thomas  Prince,  but  was  soon 
 superseded  by  Tate  and  Brady's  version.  Eather  later 
 (1750-1780)  editions  of  Tate  and  Brady  were  issued  with 
 a  supplement  of  hymns,  chiefly  from  Dr.  Watts.  At  the 
 end  of  the  18th  century  many  editions  of  Dr.  Watts' 
 Psalms  and  Hymns  were  published,  in  some  of  which  the 
 Psalms  were  amended,  by  Joel  Barlow  in  1785,  and  by 
 Timothy  D wight  in  1800.  After  this  time  the  Metrical 
 Psalms  were  issued,  with  hymns  appended ;  in  the 
 Episcopal  Church,  the  version  of  Tate  and  Brady,  and  in 
 the  Presbyterian  and  Congregational,  Watts'  version  being 
 used.  But  as  time  went  on,  the  Psalms  fell  more  and 
 more  into  the  background,  and  hymns  became  prominent. 
 
 The  hymns  used  in  America  have  been  chiefly  drawn 
 from  English  sources,  hardly  a  tenth  part  being  of 
 native  origin.  In  many  collections  the  proportion  of 
 American  hymns  is  much  smaller — in  the  **  Methodist 
 Episcopal  Hymn  Book"  of  1849,  only  50  out  of  a  total  of 
 1, 148  are  American ;  in  the  "Baptist  Service  of  Song"  there 
 are  100  out  of  a  total  of  1,129;  so  that  though  the  store 
 of  American  hymns  is  by  no  means  small,  and  is  constantly 
 increasing,  yet,  as  was  to  be  expected  from  a  new 
 community,  it  is  insignificant  compared  with  that  of 
 England,    which,    through    many    centuries,    has    been 
 
392  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 gradually  accumulating.  But  in  the  future  America  is 
 destined,  I  believe,  to  contribute  a  larger  proportion  of 
 hymns,  and  to  exert  an  immense  influence  on  our  English 
 Hymnody. 
 
 A  great  number  of  American  hymnists  are  quite  un- 
 known and  entirely  unrepresented  in  our  English 
 collections.  My  concern  in  the  present  chapter  is  chiefly 
 with  those  whose  hymns  have  found  a  place  in  our 
 own  hymnals,  and  these  represent  the  freshest  and  most 
 vigorous  writers  of  the  new  country.  I  will  group  them 
 under  the  various  Churches  to  which  they  belong. 
 
 From  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  hymns  by  about 
 ten  writers  have  been  included  in  English  collections. 
 
 Henry  Ustic  Onderdonk,  D.D.  (1789-1858),  second 
 Bishop  of  Pennsylvania,  who  is  best  known  by  the  hymn 
 of  Invitation,  which  begins,  ''  The  Spirit  in  our  hearts." 
 
 William  Augustus  Muhlenberg,  D.D.  (1796-1879),  the 
 great-grandson  of  Henry  Melchior  Muhlenberg,  the 
 founder  of  the  German  Lutheran  Church  in  America, 
 whose  Baptismal  hymn,  "  Saviour,  who  Thy  flock  art 
 feeding,"  has  deservedly  become  popular. 
 
 George  Washington  Doane,  D.D.  (1799-1859),  Bishop 
 of  New  Jersey,  was  the  author  of  the  well-known  hymn, 
 "  Thou  art  the  way :  to  Thee  alone  ;  "  and  the  Missionary 
 hymn  quoted  below,  a  very  striking  and  poetic  utterance. 
 
 Fling  out  the  banner !  let  it  float 
 
 Skyward  and  seaward,  high  and  wide ; 
 
 The  Bun  shall  light  its  shining  folds, 
 
 The  Cross  on  which  the  Saviour  died. 
 
 Fling  out  the  banner  !  angels  bend 
 
 In  anxious  silence  o'er  the  sign ; 
 And  vainly  seek  to  comprehend 
 
 The  wonder  of  the  Love  Divine. 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS,  39S 
 
 Fling  out  the  banner  !  heathen  lands 
 Shall  see  from  far  the  glorious  sight. 
 
 And  nations  crowding  to  he  born, 
 Baptise  their  spirits  in  its  light. 
 
 Fling  out  the  banner !  sin-sick  souls 
 That  sink  and  perish  in  the  strife, 
 
 Shall  touch  in  faith  its  radiant  hem, 
 And  spring  immortal  into  life. 
 
 Fling  out  the  banner  !  let  it  float 
 
 Skyward  and  seaward,  high  and  wide. 
 
 Our  glory,  only  in  the  Cross  ; 
 
 Our  only  hope,  the  Crucified  ! 
 
 Fling  out  the  banner  !  wide  and  high, 
 Seaward  and  skyward,  let  it  shine  : 
 
 Nor  8kill,  nor  might,  nor  merit  ours  ; 
 We  conquer  only  in  that  Sign. 
 
 Charles  WiUiarn  Everest,  M.A.  (1814-1877),  for  thirty- 
 one  years  Rector  of  Hampden,  near  New-Haven,  Conn.,  to 
 whom  we  owe  a  fine  hymn  which  has  been  so  wretchedly 
 mangled,  especially  in  the  third  verse,  in  nearly  every 
 English  collection,  that  I  quote  it  in  its  j)roper  form. 
 
 Take  up  thy  cross,  the  Saviour  said. 
 
 If  thou  wouldst  My  disciple  be ; 
 Take  up  thy  cross  with  willing  heart, 
 
 And  humbly  follow  after  Me. 
 
 Take  up  thy  cross  ;  let  not  its  weight 
 Fill  thy  weak  soul  with  vain  alarm ; 
 
 His  strength  shall  bear  thy  spirit  up. 
 
 And  brace  the  heart,  and  nerve  thy  arm. 
 
 Take  up  thy  cross,  nor  heed  the  shame, 
 And  let  thy  foolish  pride  be  still ; 
 
 Thy  Lord  refused  not  e'en  to  die 
 Upon  a  cross,  on  Calvary's  hill. 
 
 Take  up  thy  cross,  then,  in  His  strength. 
 And  calmly  sin's  wild  deluge  brave ; 
 
 'Twill  guide  thee  to  a  better  home. 
 And  point  to  glory  o'er  the  grave. 
 
 Take  up  thy  cross,  and  follow  on. 
 
 Nor  think  till  death  to  lay  it  down  ; 
 
 For  only  he  who  bears  the  cross 
 
 May  hope  to  wear  the  glorious  crown. 
 
394  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 In  nearly  every  English  hymnal,  save  my  own,  the 
 third  verse  is  made  to  read  thus — 
 
 Take  up  thy  cross,  nor  heed  the  shame ; 
 
 Nor  let  thy  foolish  pride  rebel ; 
 Thy  Lord  for  thee  the  cross  endured, 
 
 To  save  thy  soul  from  deatli  and  hell. 
 
 A  more  shameless  attempt  to  force  dogma  into  a  hymn, 
 singularly  free  from  it,  I  do  not  remember. 
 
 Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  (born  1812),  known  all  over  the 
 world  as  the  authoress  of  ''  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  and  the 
 sister  of  Henry  Ward  Eeecher,  of  whom,  after  hearing  in 
 London  most  of  the  chief  preachers,  she  exclaimed,  "  Oh, 
 for  half-an-hour  of  my  brother  Henry,"  is  the  authoress 
 of  hymns  that  are  greatly  prized  in  churches  which  do  not 
 regard  poetry  in  hymns  as  a  fatal  disqualification  for  their 
 use  in  public  worship.  The  best  known,  and  they  are 
 very  beautiful,  are  the  following: — "When  winds  are 
 raging  o'er  the  upper  ocean;"  ''Still,  still  with  Thee, 
 when  purple  morning  breaketh;"  and  the  hymn  on 
 ''Abide  with  Me." 
 
 That  mystic  word  of  Thine,  O  sovereign  Lord, 
 
 Is  all  too  pm-e,  too  high,  too  deep  for  me  ; 
 Weary  of  striving,  and  with  longing  faint, 
 
 I  breathe  it  back  again  in  prayer  to  Thee  ! 
 
 Abide  in  me,  I  pray,  and  I  in  Thee  ! 
 
 From  this  good  hour,  O  leave  me  never  more  ! 
 Then  shall  the  discord  cease,  the  wound  be  healed. 
 
 The  hfe-long  bleeding  of  the  soul  be  o'er. 
 
 Abide  in  me  ;  o'ershadow  by  Thy  love 
 
 Each  half-iormed  purpose,  and  dark  thought  of  sin ; 
 
 Quench,  ere  it  rise,  each  selfish,  low  desire, 
 And  keep  my  soul,  as  Thine,  calm  and  divine. 
 
 As  some  rare  perfume  in  a  vase  of  clay 
 
 Pervades  it  with  a  fragrance  not  its  own. 
 So,  when  Thou  dwellest  in  a  mortal  soul, 
 
 All  heaven's  own  sweetness  seems  around  it  thrown. 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  ;39o 
 
 Abide  in  me  ;  there  have  been  moments  blest 
 
 "When  I  have  heard  Thy  voice  and  felt  Thy  power, 
 
 Then  evil  lost  its  grasp,  and  passion  hushed, 
 Owned  the  divine  enchantment  of  the  hour. 
 
 These  were  but  seasons,  beautiful  and  rare  ; 
 
 Abide  in  me,  and  they  shall  ever  be ; 
 Fulfil  at  once  Thy  precept  and  my  prayer — 
 
 Come,  and  abide  in  me,  and  I  in  Thee. 
 
 Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe,  D.D.  (bom  1818),  Bishop 
 of  "Western  New  York,  is  known  by  three  hymns,  all  of 
 which  are  of  great  merit.  "How  beauteous  were  the 
 marks  divine!"  ''Saviour,  sprinkle  many  nations!" 
 —one  of  the  finest  of  our  Missionary  hymns — and  the 
 very  fine  verse  usually  set  to  a  part-song :  '*  Now  pray 
 we  for  our  country,"  but  originally  written :  "  Now 
 pray  we  for  our  Mother." 
 
 He  is  also  the  author  of  another  hymn  of  no  little 
 merit,  but  lacking  the  unity  of  thought  and  compactness 
 of  expression  of  those  we  have  named — "Breath  of  the 
 Lord,  0  Spirit  blest." 
 
 Eliza  Scudder  (born  1821)  possesses  a  poetic  gift  equal 
 
 to  that  of  Mrs.  Beecher  Stowe,  with  a  greater  mastery  of 
 
 hymn  forms,  which  renders  her  productions  more  available 
 
 for  public  worship.     Her  tiny  little  volume  of  only  fifty 
 
 pages,  "  Hymns  and  Sonnets,"  by  E.S.,  is  more  worthy  of 
 
 retention  than  many  a  portly  volume.     In  my  judgment, 
 
 two  of  her  hymns,  especially,  are  amongst  the  very  finest 
 
 of  modern  times — there  is  strength,  tenderness,  melody — 
 
 every  quality  needful  to  a  good  hymn  to  be  found  in 
 
 them.     This  is  high  praise,  but  my  readers  shall  judge 
 
 for  themselves    by   the   following.     The   first   she   calls 
 
 "Truth"— 
 
 Thou  long  disowned,  reviled,  oppressed. 
 
 Strange  Friend  of  human  kind. 
 Seeking  through  weary  years  a  rest 
 
 Within  our  hearts  to  find  : — 
 
396  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 How  late  Thy  bright  and  awful  brow 
 Breaks  through  these  clouds  of  sin  : 
 
 Hail,  Truth  Divine  !  we  know  Thee  now, 
 Angel  of  God,  come  in  ! 
 
 Come,  though  with  purifying  fire 
 And  swift-dividing  sword, 
 
 Thou  of  all  nations  the  Desire, 
 Earth  waits  Thy  cleansing  word. 
 
 Struck  b}'  the  lightning  of  Thy  glance. 
 
 Let  old  oppressions  die  ; 
 Before  Thy  cloudless  countenance 
 
 Let  fear  and  falsehood  fly. 
 
 Anoint  our  eyes  with  healing  grace, 
 
 To  see,  as  not  before, 
 Our  Father  in  our  brother's  face, 
 
 Our  Maker  in  His  poor. 
 
 Flood  our  dark  life  with  golden  day  : 
 Convince,  subdue,  enthral ; 
 
 Then  to  a  mightier  yield  Thy  sway, 
 And  Love  be  all  in  all. 
 
 The  second  is  on  "  The  Love  of  God  "— 
 
 Thou  Grace  Divine,  encircling  all, 
 A  shoreless,  boundless  sea, 
 
 Wherein  at  last  our  souls  must  fall  ; 
 0  Love  of  God  most  free. 
 
 When  over  dizzy  heights  we  go, 
 A  soft  hand  blinds  our  eyes. 
 
 And  we  are  guided  safe  and  slow  ; 
 0  Love  of  God  most  wise. 
 
 And  though  we  turn  us  from  Thy  face, 
 And  wander  wide  and  long, 
 
 Thou  hold'st  us  still  in  kind  embrace  ; 
 O  Love  of  God  most  strong. 
 
 The  saddened  heart,  the  restless  soul, 
 The  toil-worn  frame  and  mind. 
 
 Alike  confess  Thy  sweet  control, 
 0  Love  of  God  most  kind. 
 
 But  not  alone  Thy  care  we  claim, 
 Our  wayward  steps  to  win  ; 
 
 We  know  Thee  by  a  dearer  name  ; 
 0  Love  of  God  within. 
 
 And  filled  and  quickened  by  Thy  breath. 
 
 Our  souls  are  strong  and  free, 
 To  rise  o'er  sin  and  fear  and  death  ; 
 
 O  Love  of  God  !  to  Thee. 
 
A  ME  RIO  AN  HYMNS.  397 
 
 Her  hymn  on  "  AYhither  shall  I  go  from  Thy  Spirit,  or 
 whither  shall  I  flee  from  Thy  presence  ?"  which  she  calls 
 "  The  Quest,"  is  lovely,  hut  a  little  too  subtle  for  public 
 worship.  Her  "Vesper  Hymn"  and  "Collect  for 
 Ascension   Day "   are   both  admirable. 
 
 When  the  Church  fi-ees  herself  from  a  blind  clinging  to 
 old  hymns,  simply  because  they  are  old,  and  becomes  free 
 to  receive  whatever  is  worthy,  for  her  worship-song.  Miss 
 Scudder  will  be  more  largely  represented  in  our  hymnals. 
 I  shall  be  glad  if  my  reference  to  her  should  direct 
 any  future  editors  to  a  consideration  of  her  exquisite 
 hymns. 
 
 Turning  to  the  Presbyterian  section  of  the  Church 
 in  America,  there  is  little  to  detain  us.  She  has  no  Bonar 
 in  her  ranks.     All  her  writers  are  more  or  less  echoes. 
 
 Samuel  Davies  (1723-1761),  the  successor  of  Jonathan 
 Edwards  as  President  of  Princeton  College,  is  remem- 
 bered as  the  author  of  the  striking  hymn,  "  Great  God  of 
 wonders,  all  Thy  ways,"  which  used  to  be  popular,  but  is 
 somewhat  fading  in  popularity  on  account  of  its  very 
 strong  expressions  concerning  sinners. 
 
 James  Waddell  Alexander,  D.D.  (1804-1859),  is 
 remembered  as  the  translator  of  the  best  version  of 
 Paul  Gerhardt's  noble  hymn,  "  0  Haupt  voll  Blut  und 
 "Wunden,"  which  begins,  "0  Sacred  Head,  now 
 wounded,"  and  of  a  version  of  the  "  Stabat  Mater" 
 by   Jacopone   da   Tode. 
 
 Thomas  Mackellar  (bom  1812)  is  the  author  of  many 
 hymns,  which  have  a  certain  popularity  in  America,  but  I 
 have  not  been  able,  though  I  have  examined  them 
 carefully,  to  discern  a  single  one  distinctive  enough  to 
 be  worthy  of  importation  into  England. 
 
398  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 George  Duffield,  M.A.  (born  1818),  successively 
 pastor  of  Presbyterian  chuiThes  in  Brooklyn,  Bloomfield, 
 Philadelphia,  and  the  West,  is  the  author  of  one  of 
 the  best  known  and  most  popular  of  American  hymns. 
 As  no  other  hymn  from  his  pen  has  the  force  of  "  Stand 
 up !  stand  up  for  Jesus ! "  it  is  natural  to  conclude 
 that  this  hymn  owes  much  to  the  affecting  circumstances 
 under  which  it  was  written.  In  1858  the  Rev.  Dudley  A. 
 Tyng  had  been  engaged  in  a  remarkable  mission  in 
 Philadelphia,  and  on  the  Sunday  before  his  death  had 
 preached  in  Jaynes  Hall  one  of  the  most  stirring  sermons 
 of  modem  times,  so  that  out  of  the  5,000  present  at  the 
 delivery,  at  least  a  thousand  are  believed  to  have  been 
 converted.  On  the  following  Wednesday  he  left  his  study 
 for  a  moment,  and  went  to  a  barn  where  a  mule  was 
 at  work  on  a  horse-power,  shelling  corn.  Patting  him  on 
 the  neck,  the  sleeve  of  his  silk  study-gown  caught  in  the 
 cogs  of  the  wheel,  and  his  arm  was  torn  out  by  the  roots, 
 and  in  a  few  hours  he  died.  Just  before  his  death  he  sent 
 the  message,  "  Stand  up  for  Jesus  ! "  to  those  assembled 
 at  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  prayer-meeting 
 — a  message  which  suggested  this  hymn,  and  formed  the 
 concluding  exhortation  of  the  funeral  sermon  for  Mr. 
 Tyng,  which  was  preached  from  Eph.  vi.  14  by  its  author. 
 It  was  printed  as  a  fly-leaf  for  the  Sunday-school  scholars 
 by  the  superintendent ;  thence  it  found  its  way  into  a 
 Baptist  newspaper,  and  afterwards  passed,  either  in  its 
 English  or  in  translated  forms,  all  over  the  world.  It  was 
 the  favourite  song  of  the  Christian  soldiers  in  the  army  of 
 the  James  in  the  American  war.  The  original  contains 
 two  more  verses  than  are  usually  now  printed  in  most 
 hymnals. 
 
AMEBIGAN  HYMNS.  399 
 
 To  Thomas  Hastings,  Mus.  Doc.  (1784-1872),  we  owe 
 three  hymns,  "  Now  be  the  gospel  banner !  "  "  Hail  to  the 
 brightness  of  Zion's  glad  morning !  "  and  "  Eeturn,  0 
 wanderer,  to  thy  home  !  "  which  is  an  appeal  rather  than, 
 in  the  truest  sense,  a  hymn.  It  was  suggested  by  the 
 closing  words  of  a  sermon  to  which  Dr.  Hastings  listened 
 in  1830 — ''  Sinner,  come  home  !  come  home  !  come 
 home  ! " 
 
 Of  the  other  hymn-writers  of  this  section  of  the 
 Church,  about  twenty  in  number,  there  is  no  need  to 
 speak,  as  their  hymns  are  little  known  in  this  country. 
 
 The  Congregational  Church  in  America  has  produced  a 
 considerable  number  of  hymnists,  very  few  of  whom  are 
 represented  in  English  Hymnals. 
 
 Timothy  Dwight,  D.D.  (1752-1817).  President  of  Yale 
 College,  whose  "Theology"  used  to  be  much  in  favour, 
 published,  by  request,  a  revised  version  of  "Watts'  Psalms, 
 and  such  hymns  as  he  thought  suitable.  He  did  his  work 
 as  Professor  in  spite  of  failure  of  sight  consequent  on 
 small  pox,  which  rendered  it  impossible  for  him,  during 
 forty  years,  to  read  consecutively  for  fifteen  minutes  out 
 of  the  twenty -four  hours ;  whilst  the  pain  behind  the 
 eyeballs  and  in  the  frontal  region  of  the  brain  was 
 agonising.  The  hynm  by  which  he  is  known  in  England 
 is,  ''I  love  Thy  Kingdom,  Lord,"  which  is  marked  by 
 great  simplicity  and  pathos. 
 
 Ray  Palmer,  D.D.  (1808-1888),  pastor  of  churches  at 
 Bath,  Albany,  Bellevue  Avenue,  and  also  Corresponding 
 Secretary  of  the  American  Congregational  Union,  is  by 
 far  the  most  notable  hymnist  and  translator  of  the 
 American  Congregational  Church.  His  hymn,  *'  My  faith 
 looks  up  to  Thee,"  is  known  all  over  the  world.     The 
 
400  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 story  of  its  origin  is  thus  given  in  Dulfield's  **  English 
 Hymns  "  : — 
 
 "  The  hymn  was  written  in  1830,  but  not  published  (as 
 a  hymn)  until  1832.  The  author  was  in  New  York  City, 
 'between  his  college  and  theological  studies,'  and  was  in 
 poor  health,  and  a  teacher  in  a  ladies'  school.  Dr.  Palmer 
 says  :  '  I  gave  form  to  what  I  felt  by  writing,  with  little 
 effort,  the  stanzas.  I  recollect  I  wrote  them  with  very 
 tender  emotion,  and  ended  the  last  line  with  tears.'  The 
 manuscript  was  then  placed  in  a  pocket-book,  where  it 
 remained  for  some  time.  Its  true  discoverer  was  Lowell 
 Mason,  the  musician,  who  asked  young  Palmer  if  he  had 
 not  some  hymn  or  hymns  to  contribute  to  his  new  book. 
 The  pocket-book  was  produced,  and  the  little  hymn  (then 
 between  two  and  three  years  old,  and  never  previously 
 utilised,  though  it  had  been  in  print  as  a  poem)  was 
 brought  to  light.  Dr.  Mason  was  attracted  by  it,  and 
 desired  a  copy.  They  stepped  together  into  a  store  (it 
 was  in  Boston),  and  the  copy  was  made  and  taken  away 
 without  further  comment.  On  carefully  reading  the 
 hymn  at  home.  Dr.  Mason  was  so  interested  that  he 
 wrote  for  it  the  tune  '  Olivet,'  to  which  it  is  usually 
 sung.  Two  or  three  days  later,  he  again  met  the  author 
 in  the  street,  and  scarcely  waiting  to  salute  him,  he  said, 
 *  Mr.  Palmer,  you  may  live  many  years,  and  do  many 
 good  things,  but  I  think  you  will  be  best  known  to 
 posterity  as  the  author  of  '*  My  faith  looks  up  to 
 Thee."  '  " 
 
 The  full  publication  of  this  hymn  occurred  in  1832, 
 but  it  received  no  particular  notice  in  America.  It  had, 
 however,  obtained  a  reprint  in  some  religious  papers, 
 from  one  of    which   the  Hev.   Andrew  Reed,    D.D.,    of 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  401 
 
 London,  secured  it  while  he  was  in  that  country.  Dr. 
 Reed  took  it  away  for  his  prospective  hymn-book,  and 
 published  it  anonymously.  ''It  had,"  said  Dr.  J.  G. 
 Rankin,  "  several  years  of  transatlantic  life  before  it  was 
 much  known  in  America,  and  possibly  was  indebted  to  its 
 foreign  and  uncertain  origin  for  its  first  recognition  here, 
 as  many  another  native  production  has  been."  **  As 
 originally  written "  (says  Mr.  Frederick  Saunders,  in 
 "Evenings  with  the  Sacred  Poets"),  *'the  hymn  con- 
 sisted of  six  stanzas  ;  the  first  two  are  omitted,  four  only 
 being  given  in  the  Church  collections.  It  has  been 
 translated  into  Arabic,  and  much  used  at  missionary 
 stations  in  Turkey.  It  has  not  only  been  translated  into 
 Tamil,  but  into  Tahitian,  the  Mahratta,  and  will  doubtless 
 find  its  way  wherever  the  Bible  has  penetrated."  We 
 have  ourselves  seen  it  in  Chinese,  and,  in  fact,  it  is  to  be 
 found  wherever  American  missionaries  have  rendered  into 
 native  tongues  the  hymns  familiar  to  their  home  churches. 
 Its  first  appearance  in  America  was  in  "Spiritual  Songs 
 for  Social  "Worship  "  (by  Dr.  Thomas  Hastings  and  Dr. 
 Lowell  Mason),  in  1832.  In  this  book,  the  tune  is 
 entitled  "  My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee,"  but  is  the  same  as 
 "OHvet." 
 
 Equally  good,  but  in  quite  a  different  strain,  being 
 richer  in  thought  but  less  pathetic  in  expression,  is 
 the  following,  which  should  be  more  widely  known  than 
 it  is : — 
 
 Lord,  my  weak  thought  in  vain  would  climb 
 To  search  the  starry  vault  profound ; 
 
 In  vain  would  wing  her  flight  sublime. 
 To  find  creation's  utmost  bound. 
 
 But  weaker  yet  that  thought  must  prove 
 
 To  search  thy  great  eternal  plan, 
 Thy  sovereign  counsels,  born  of  love 
 
 Long  ages  ere  the  world  began.  D  2 
 
402  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 When  my  dim  reason  would  demand 
 
 Why  that,  or  this,  Thou  dost  ordain, 
 By  some  vast  deep  I  seem  to  stand 
 
 Whose  secrets  1  must  ask  in  vain. 
 
 When  doubts  disturb  my  troubled  breast, 
 
 And  all  is  dark  as  night  to  me, 
 Here,  as  on  solid  rock,  I  rest, — 
 
 That  so  it  seemeth  good  to  Thee. 
 
 Be  this  my  joy,  that  evermore 
 
 Thou  rulest  all  things  at  Thy  will ; 
 Thy  sovereign  wisdom  I  adore, 
 
 And  calmly,  sweetly,  trust  Thee  still. 
 
 In  a  strain  betwixt  tlie  two  is  tlie  following  : — 
 
 Jesus,  these  eyes  have  never  seen 
 
 That  radiant  form  of  Thine ; 
 The  veil  of  sense  hangs  dark  between 
 Thy  blessed  face  and  mine. 
 
 I  gee  Thee  not,  1  hear  Thee  not, 
 
 Yet  art  Thou  oft  with  me  ; 
 And  earth  has  ne'er  so  dear  a  spot 
 
 As  where  1  meet  with  Thee. 
 
 Like  some  bright  dream,  that  comes  unsought, 
 
 When  slumbers  o'er  me  roll, 
 Thine  image  ever  fills  my  thought, 
 
 And  charms  my  ravished  soul. 
 
 Yea,  though  I  have  not  seen,  and  still 
 
 Must  rest  in  faith  alone, 
 I  love  Thee,  dearest  Lord,  and  will. 
 
 Unseen  but  not  unknown. 
 
 When  death  these  mortal  eyes  shall  seal, 
 
 And  still  this  throbbing  heart ; 
 The  rending  veil  shall  Thee  reveal 
 
 All  glorious  as  Thou  art. 
 
 Quite  equal  to  these  are  some  of  his  translations — from 
 Eobert  II.  of  Prance,  "  Come,  Holy  Ghost,  in  love  " ; 
 from  St.  Eernard  of  Clairvaux,  "  Jesus,  Thou  joy  of 
 loving  hearts,"  one  of  the  finest  Communion  hymns  we 
 possess ;  and  from  anonymous  Latin  authors,  *'  I  give  my 
 heart  to  Thee,"  and  *'  0  bread  to  pilgrims  given." 
 
 During  the  last  three  or  four  days  of  his  life,  Dr.  Eay 
 Palmer   lay  most   of  the   time   apparently   unconscious. 
 
AMERICAN    HYMNS,  403 
 
 "Wlien  told  by  his  son  at  the  beginning  of  this  time  that 
 the  end  was  near,  he  answered  "  Thank  God,"  in  a  louder 
 tone  of  voice  than  he  had  employed  for  some  time. 
 Occasionally  he  would  be  heard  to  repeat  to  himself  a 
 hymn  of  faith  and  praise,  now  one  of  Wesley's  and  now 
 one  of  his  own.  The  last  words  he  was  heard  to  utter 
 were  spoken  not  many  hours  before  his  death.  His  lips 
 were  seen  to  move,  and  listening  ears  caught  a  few 
 syllables,  inarticulately  spoken,  of  the  last  verse  of  his 
 hymn  entitled,  '^  Jesus,  these  eyes  have  never  seen  " — 
 
 When  death  these  mortal  eyes  shall  seal, 
 
 And  still  this  throbbing  heart, 
 The  rending  veil  shall  Thee  reveal 
 
 All  glorious  as  Thou  art." 
 
 Dr.  Eay  Palmer  is  the  most  widely -known  and  deeply- 
 loved  hymnist  of  America. 
 
 The  Baptist  body,  like  the  Congregationalist,  has  had  a 
 large  number  of  hymnists,  but  there  is  no  one  amongst 
 them  at  all  to  be  compared  with  Ray  Palmer.  If  we 
 except  Philip  Bliss  (1838-1876),  who  has  become  popular 
 by  hymns  from  his  pen  included  in  "  Sacred  Songs  and 
 Solos,"  edited  by  Ira  D.  Sankey,  and  Samuel  Francis 
 Smith,  D.D.,  born  1808,  who  wrote  what  is  practically 
 the  American  national  hymn,  "  My  country!  'tis  of  thee," 
 and  who  wrote  four  verses  to  complete  Alaric  A.  "Watts' 
 hymn,  ""When  shall  we  meet  again,"  there  is  no  writer 
 of  this  Church  who  has  secured  sufficient  notice  in 
 England  to  deserve  mention. 
 
 The  Methodist  Church  has  been  so  dominated  by  the 
 hymns  of  Charles  Wesley  that  practically  she  has  done 
 nothing  to  enrich  the  stores  of  American  song.  Beyond 
 three  writers  of  children's  hymns — Br.  William  Hunter 
 (1811-1877),  Dr.  Thomas  0.  Summers  (1812-1882),  and 
 
404  THE  HYMN  L  0  VER. 
 
 !Faniiy  J.  Yan  Alstyne  (born  1823),  I  do  not  discover  a 
 single  hymnist  represented  in  English  collections.  A 
 great  hymn  writer  like  Charles  Wesley — perhaps  the 
 greatest  the  Church  has  ever  had — naturally  so  fills  the 
 worship  of  the  Church  he  did  so  much  to  found,  as  to 
 discourage  others  from  entering  the  field,  or  putting  their 
 work  into  comparison  with  his. 
 
 The  Unitarian  Church  never  had  a  Watts  or  "Wesley 
 to  express  its  conceptions  of  religion,  and  so  there  was  a 
 more  open  field  for  those  in  its  midst  who  possessed  the 
 poetic  gifts.  To  quote  the  words  of  a  great  authority 
 on  American  Hymnody,  belonging  to  the  Episcopal 
 Church:  ''It  possessed  a  large  share  of  the  best  blood 
 and  brain  in  the  most  cultivated  section  of  America."  It 
 has  probably  contributed  the  most  finished  hymns  to  the 
 treasury  of  American  song.  This  is  not  to  be  wondered 
 at,  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  great  majority  of  the 
 more  noteworthy  poets  of  America  belong  to  this  Church 
 — William  CuUen  Bryant,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  Henry 
 Wadsworth  Longfellow,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  Jones 
 Yery,  James  Russell  Lowell. 
 
 It  must  be  remembered  that,  in  the  main,  the  Unitariaii 
 Church  in  America  has  been  far  nearer  to  orthodoxy, 
 both  in  doctrine  and  spirit,  than  that  which  goes  under 
 the  same  name  in  England.  Many  of  its  hymns  are 
 sufficient  evidence  of  this ;  so  much  so  that  when,  many 
 years  ago,  the  Religious  Tract  Society  published  a  volume 
 called  Lyra  Americana,  the  Editor,  in  his  preface,  said : 
 **  It  would  be  difficult,  or  even  impossible,  to  determine 
 the  ecclesiastical  or  doctrinal  status  of  each  writer  from 
 the  internal  evidence  afforded  by  his  poetry.  The  great 
 object  of  their  adoration  and  their  grateful  love  is  Christ 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  405 
 
 crucified.  All  are  one  in  Him.  Differences  are  merged 
 in  a  common  unity  when  He  is  the  theme.  "With  *  diver- 
 sity of  gifts '  there  is  but  '  one  spirit.'  '  They  know 
 but  one  Saviour,  and  one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is 
 above  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  us  all.'"  In  a 
 book  thus  prefaced,  I  found,  out  of  a  total  of  one 
 hundred  and  twenty-four  hymns,  at  the  very  lowest 
 computation,  forty-three  by  writers  who  belong  to  the 
 Unitarian  Church.  But  the  Editor,  judging  them  only 
 by  their  productions,  declares  that  they  all  are  one  in 
 Christ.  And  the  unprejudiced  mind  which  goes  over  the 
 chief  hymns  of  this  school  will  agree  with  this  dictum. 
 The  spirit  is  eminently  and  deeply  Christian,  far  more  so 
 than  in  a  large  number  which  might  be  named  by 
 orthodox  writers.  Readers  may  judge  for  themselves  by 
 the  specimens  which  I  append. 
 
 Taking  them  in  chronological  order,  we  have — 
 
 John  Pierpont  (1785-1866),  whose  life  was  varied  and 
 remarkable.  After  graduating  at  Yale  College,  he  taught 
 for  a  time  both  in  an  academy  and  in  a  private  family, 
 then  he  studied  law,  and  became  a  barrister — a  profession 
 which  conscientious  scruples  led  him  to  give  up,  and  he 
 gave  himself  to  literary  and  commercial  pursuits.  At 
 last  he  entered  the  Cambridge  Divinity  School,  where  he 
 graduated  in  1818,  and  up  till  1859  was  engaged  in 
 the  regular  ministry  over  various  Unitarian  Churches. 
 "When  the  war  broke  out  in  1861,  he  became  chaplain  to 
 the  Massachusetts  regiment,  but  his  increasing  infirmities 
 compelled  him  to  retire,  and  the  rest  of  his  life  was 
 employed  in  the  Treasury  Department  at  Washington  in 
 arranging  its  Decisions.    His  hymns  combine  terseness  and 
 
406  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 tenderness  in  an  unusual  degree,  as  may  be  seen  in  tlie 
 one  by  wbich  he  is  best  known  in  England  : — 
 
 O  Thou,  to  whom  in  ancient  time 
 
 The  lyre  of  Hebrew  bards  was  strung ; 
 
 Whom  kings  adored  in  songs  sublime, 
 
 And  prophets  praised  with  glowing  tongue : 
 
 Not  now  on  Zion's  height  alone. 
 
 Thy  favoured  worshippers  may  dwell, 
 
 Nor  where  at  sultry  noon  Thy  Son 
 Sat  weary,  by  the  patriarch's  well : 
 
 From  every  place  below  the  skies. 
 
 The  grateful  song,  the  fervent  prayer, 
 
 The  incense  of  the  heart,  may  rise 
 To  heaven,  and  find  acceptance  there. 
 
 To  Thee  shall  age  with  snowy  hair. 
 
 And  strength  and  beauty,  bend  the  knee ; 
 
 And  childhood  lisp  with  reverent  air, 
 Its  praises  and  its  prayers  to  Thee. 
 
 O  Thou,  to  whom,  in  ancient  time. 
 
 The  lyre  of  prophet  bards  was  ttrung, — 
 
 To  Thee,  at  last,  in  every  clime. 
 
 Shall  temples  rise  and  praise  be  sung. 
 
 This    hymn    was    written     for    the     opening     of     the 
 
 Independent  Congregational  Church   in   Eartin   Square, 
 
 Salem,    Massachusetts,    December   7th,    1824,    to  which 
 
 reference  is  made  in  the  following  verse,  which  is  usually 
 
 omitted : — 
 
 In  this,  Thy  house,  whose  doors  we  now 
 
 For  social  worship,  first  unfold. 
 To  thee  the  suppliant  throng  shall  bow, 
 
 While  circling  years  on  years  are  rolled. 
 
 His  Morning  and  Evening  Hymns  for  a  child  are  marked 
 by  the  characters  to  which  I  have  already  referred,  and 
 are  very  beautiful. 
 
 Henry  "Ware,  junior  (1794-1843),  eldest  son  of  the 
 Hollis  Professor  of  Divinity  at  Cambridge,  was  pastor  of 
 the  Second  Church  at  Eoston,  in  which  charge,  on  account 
 of  illness,  he  had  for  a  time  as  colleague  Ealph  Waldo 
 Emerson.     Mr.    "Ware   afterwards    became    Professor    of 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  401 
 
 Pulpit  Eloquence  and  the  Pastoral  Care  in  the  Cambridge 
 
 Theological  School,  a  post  he  held  from  1829  to   1842, 
 
 and,     exhausted    by    his     arduous    work,     retired     to 
 
 Framingham,  where  he  died.     Dr.  Ware  was  a  hymnist 
 
 of  a  very  high  order.     Some  of  his  hymns  arel^full  of 
 
 lyric  fire.     Perhaps  the  finest  is  the  following  : — 
 
 Lift  your  glad  voices  in  triumph  on  high. 
 For  Jesus  has  risen,  and  man  cannot  die; 
 Vain  were  the  terrors  that  gathered  around  Him, 
 
 And  short  the  dominion  of  death  and  the  grave  ;^ 
 He  burst  from  the  fetters  of  darkness  that  bound  Him, 
 
 Resplendent  in  glory  to  live  and  to  save, 
 Loud  was  the  chorus  of  angels  on  high, 
 The  Saviour  hath  risen,  and  man  shall  not  die. 
 Glory  to  God,  in  full  anthems  of  joy  ; 
 The  being  He  gave  us  death  cannot  destroy; 
 
 Sad  were  the  life  we  must  part  with  to-morrow, 
 If  tears  were  our  birthright,  and  death  were  our  end  ; 
 
 But  Jesus  hath  cheered  the  dark  valley  of  sorrow, 
 And  bade  us,  immortal,  to  heaven  ascend. 
 Lift,  then,  your  voices  in  triumph  on  high, 
 For  Jesus  hath  risen,  and  man  shall  not  die  ! 
 
 Probably  the  best  hymn  we  possess  for  the  opening  of 
 an  organ  we  owe  to  him. 
 
 All  nature's  works  His  praise  declare, 
 
 To  whom  they  all  belong ; 
 There  is  a  voice  in  every  star. 
 
 In  every  breeze  a  song. 
 Sweet  music  fills  the  world  abroad 
 
 With  strains  of  love  and  power ; 
 The  stormy  sea  sings  praise  to  God, 
 
 The  thunder  and  the  show  er. 
 
 To  God  the  tribes  of  ocean  cry, 
 
 And  birds  upon  the  wing ; 
 To  God  the  powers  that  dwell  on  high 
 
 Their  tuneful  tribute  bring. 
 Like  them,  let  man  the  throne  surround, 
 
 With  them,  loud  chorus  raise. 
 While  instruments  of  loftier  sound 
 
 Assist  his  feeble  praise. 
 
 Great  God,  to  Thee  we  consecrate 
 
 Our  voices  and  our  skill ; 
 We  bid  the  pealing  organ  wait 
 
 To  speak  alone  Thy  will. 
 
408  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 O  teach  its  rich  and  swelling  notes 
 
 To  lift  our  souls  on  high, 
 And  while  the  music  round  us  floats, 
 
 Let  eai-th-born  passion  die. 
 
 The  following,  suitable  for  family  gatherings,  is 
 exquisitely  tender : — 
 
 In  this  glad  hour,  when  children  meet, 
 And  home  with  them  their  children  bring, 
 
 Our  hearts  with  one  affection  beat, 
 One  song  of  praise  our  voices  sing. 
 
 For  all  the  faithful,  loved  and  dear, 
 
 Whom  Thou  so  kindly,  Lord,  hast  given. 
 
 For  those  who  still  are  with  us  here, 
 And  those  who  wait  for  us  in  heaven  ; — 
 
 For  every  past  and  present  joy, 
 
 For,  honour,  competence,  and  health, 
 For  hopes  which  time  may  not  destroy, 
 
 Our  soul's  imperishable  wealth ; 
 
 For  all,  accept  our  humble  praise  ; 
 
 Still  bless  us,  Father,  by  Thy  love ; 
 And  when  are  closed  our  mortal  days. 
 
 Unite  us  in  one  home  above. 
 
 William  Cullen  Eryant  (1794-1881),  by  some  regarded 
 as  the  finest  poet  of  America,  has  contributed  hymns  of 
 great  delicacy  and  beauty.  These  were  included  in  a  little 
 book  published  in  1864,  which  contained  nineteen  hymns; 
 another  illustration  of  the  fact  that  the  nobler  the  poet 
 the  more  reticent  he  is  in  the  composition  of  hymns.  The 
 best  known  of  his  hymns  in  England,  was  written  for  the 
 dedication  of  a  church  in  Prince  Square,  JS'ew  York, 
 afterwards  destroyed  by  fire. 
 
 Thou,  whose  unmeasured  temple  stands 
 
 Built  over  earth  and  sea. 
 Accept  the  walls  that  human  hands 
 
 Have  raised,  O  God,  to  Thee. 
 
 And  let  the  Comforter  and  Friend, 
 
 Thy  Holy  Spirit,  meet 
 With  those  who  here  in  worship  bend 
 
 Before  Thy  mercy-seat. 
 
AMERICAN   HYMNS.  409 
 
 May  they  who  err  be  guided  here 
 
 To  find  the  better  way  ; 
 And  they  who  mourn,  and  they  who  fear, 
 
 Be  strengthened  as  they  pray. 
 
 May  faith  grow  firm,  and  love  grow  warm. 
 
 And  hallowed  wishes  rise, 
 While  round  these  peaceful  walls  the  storm 
 
 Of  earth-born  passion  dies. 
 
 The  above  is  tlie  original  rendering.  The  first  line  is 
 often  altered,  but  not  improved  by  the  alteration,  to  "  0 
 Thou  whose  own  vast  temple  stands." 
 
 The  following  hymn  for  Home  Missions  is  the  finest  we 
 possess  for  such  a  purpose  : — 
 
 Look  from  Thy  sphere  of  endless  day, 
 
 O  God  of*  mercy  and  of  might ; 
 In  pity  look  on  those  who  stray 
 
 Benighted,  in  this  land  of  light. 
 
 In  peopled  vale,  in  lonely  glen, 
 
 In  crowded  mart,  by  stream  or  sea, 
 How  many  of  the  sons  of  men 
 
 Hear  not  the  message  sent  from  Thee. 
 
 Send  forth  Thy  heralds.  Lord,  to  call 
 
 The  thoughtless  young,  the  hardened  old, 
 
 A  scattered  homeless  flock,  till  all 
 Be  gathered  to  Thy  peaceful  fold. 
 
 Send  them  Thy  mighty  word  to  speak. 
 Till  faith  shall  dawn,  and  doubt  depart, 
 
 To  awe  the  bold,  to  stay  the  weak. 
 And  bind  and  heal  the  broken  heart. 
 
 Then  all  these  wastes,  a  dreary  scene, 
 
 That  make  us  sadden  as  we  gaze, 
 Shall  grow,  with  living  waters  green. 
 
 And  lift  to  heaven  the  voice  of  praise. 
 
 His  hymn  of  Intercession  for  Children  is  very  tender. 
 
 Standing  forth  on  life's  rough  way, 
 
 Father,  guide  them  ; 
 Oh  !  we  know  not  what  of  harm 
 
 May  betide  them  ! 
 'Neath  the  shadow  of  Thy  wing. 
 
 Father,  hide  them ; 
 Waking,  sleeping.  Lord,  we  pray. 
 
 Go  beside  them. 
 
410  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 When  in  prayer  they  cry  to  Thee, 
 
 Thou  wilt  hear  them  : 
 From  the  stains  of  sin  and  shame 
 
 Thou  wilt  clear  them ; 
 'Mid  the  quicksands  and  the  rocks, 
 
 Thou  wilt  steer  them ; 
 In  temptation,  trial,  grief, 
 
 Be  Thou  near  them. 
 
 Unto  Thee  we  give  them  up, 
 
 Lord,  receive  them  ; 
 In  the  world  we  know  must  be 
 
 Much  to  grieve  them — 
 Many  striving  oft  and  strong 
 
 To  deceive  them  : 
 Trustful,  in  Thy  hands  of  love 
 
 We  must  leave  them. 
 
 William  Henry  Furness  (born  1802)  has  been  for  more 
 than  half  a  century  minister  of  the  Congregational 
 Unitarian  Church  of  Philadelphia.  He  has  been  a 
 voluminous  and  able  writer  on  many  subjects,  and  an 
 eloquent  advocate  of  freedom  and  peace.  To  a  volume  of 
 prayers,  called  ''Domestic  Worship,"  he  appended  six 
 hymns,  one  of  which  for  Evening  is  in  my  judgment  the 
 most  suggestive  we  possess.  It  embodies  the  exquisite  idea 
 of  Blanco  White's  sonnet — probably  the  finest  in  the 
 language,  beginning,  "Mysterious  night,  when  our  first 
 parents  knew." 
 
 Slowly,  by  Thy  hand  unfurled, 
 
 Down  around  the  weary  world 
 
 Falls  the  darkness ;  O  how  still 
 
 Is  the  working  of  Thy  will ! 
 
 Mighty  Maker,  here  am  I, 
 Work  in  me  as  silently ; 
 Veil  the  day's  distracting  sights  ; 
 Show  me  heaven's  eternal  lights. 
 
 From  the  darkened  sky  come  forth 
 Countless  stars— a  wondrous  birth ! 
 So  may  gleams  of  glory  start 
 From  this  dim  abyss,  my  heart. 
 
 Living  worlds  to  view  be  brought 
 In  the  boundless  realms  of  thought. 
 High  and  infinite  desires. 
 Flaming  like  those  upper  fires ! 
 
AMERICAN   HYMNS.  411 
 
 Holy  Truth,  Eternal  Right- 
 Let  them  break  upon  my  sight; 
 Let  them  shine  serenely  still, 
 And  with  light  my  being  fill. 
 
 Thou  who  dwellest  there,  1  know 
 Dwellest  here  within  me  too  ; 
 May  the  perfect  love  of  God 
 Here,  as  there,  be  shed  abroad. 
 
 Let  my  soul  attuned  be 
 To  the  heavenly  harmony 
 Which,  beyond  the  power  of  sound, 
 Fills  the  universe  around. 
 
 Ealph  Waldo  Emerson  (1803-1882),  who  fills  so  large  a 
 
 place  in  American  literature,  and   exercised  so  deep  an 
 
 influence  on  religious  thought  both  in  that  country  and  in 
 
 England,  is  represented  in  many  English  Hymnals  by  the 
 
 following  hymn,  which  is  very  distinctive  and  beautiful: — 
 We  love  the  venerable  house 
 
 Our  fathers  built  to  God  : — 
 In  heaven  are  kept  their  grateful  vows, 
 Their  dust  endears  the  sod. 
 
 Here  holy  thoughts  a  light  have  shed 
 
 From  many  a  radiant  face, 
 And  prayers  of  tender  hope  have  spread 
 
 A  perfume  through  the  place. 
 
 And  anxious  hearts  have  pondered  here 
 
 The  mystery  of  life. 
 And  prayed  the  eternal  Light  to  clear 
 
 Their  doubts  and  aid  their  strife. 
 
 From  humble  tenements  around 
 
 Came  up  the  pensive  train, 
 And  in  the  Church  a  blessing  found, 
 
 That  filled  their  homes  again ; 
 
 For  faith,  and  peace,  and  mighty  love, 
 
 That  from  the  Godhead  flow, 
 Showed  them  the  life  of  heaven  above 
 
 Springs  from  the  life  below. 
 
 They  live  with  God,  their  homes  are  dust ; 
 
 Yet  here  their  children  pray, 
 And  in  this  fleeting  life-time  trust 
 
 To  find  the  narrow  way. 
 
 On  him  who  by  the  altar  stands. 
 
 On  him  Thy  blessing  fall ! 
 Speak  through  his  lips  fhy  pure  commands 
 
 Thou  Heart,  that  lovest  all. 
 
412  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 It  is  a  doubtful  question,  which  I  have  not  been  able  to 
 determine,  whether  the  hymn,  "All  before  us  lies  the 
 way,"  is  by  him  or  by  his  brother,  Charles  Chauncy 
 Emerson,  who  died  in  1836. 
 
 Prederick  Henry  Hedge  (born  1805)  is  one  of  the  most 
 accomplished  scholars  of  America,  and  occupied  the  post  of 
 Professor  of  German  Literature  at  Harvard  College.  In 
 conjunction  with  Bishop  Huntington  he  edited  ''  Hymns 
 for  the  Church,"  where  most  of  his  own  hymns  are  to  be 
 found.  Perhaps  the  most .  striking  of  his  original  hymns 
 is  the  following,  which  is  finding  its  way  into  many 
 English  Hymnals. 
 
 It  is  finished !  Man  of  Sorrows  ! 
 From  Thy  cross  our  trailty  borrows 
 
 Strength  to  bear  and  conquer  thus  ! 
 
 While  extendedfthere  we  view  Thee, 
 Mighty  Sufferer  !  draw  us  to  Thee, 
 Sufferer  victorious ! 
 
 Not  in  vain  for  us  uplifted, 
 Man  of  Sorrows,  wonder  gifted. 
 May  that  sacred  emblem  be ; 
 
 Lifted  high  amid  the  ages, 
 Guide  of  heroes,  saints,  and  sages. 
 May  it  guide  us  still  to  Thee ! 
 
 Still  to  Thee  !  whose  love  unbounded, 
 Sorrow's  depths  for  us  hath  sounded. 
 Perfected  by  conflicts  sore. 
 
 Honoured  be  Thy  cross  for  ever  ; 
 Star  that  points  our  high  endeavour 
 Whither  Thou  hast  gone  before  ! 
 
 His  work  as  a  translator  is  very  fine.  His  rendering  of 
 Luther's  famous  '*Ein  feste  burg  ist  unser  Gott,"  is  of 
 very  high  merit.  The  same  may  be  said  of  his  translation 
 of  the  "  Yeni  Sancte  Spiritus." 
 
 Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow  (1807-1883),  the  most 
 popular,  though,  in  my  judgment,  not  the  greatest  poet  of 
 America,  has  written  much  sacred  poetry  of  a  very  tender 
 
AMERICAN   HYMNS.  4l» 
 
 kind;  but  although  some  editors  have  included  his  ''Psalm 
 of  Life,"  and  his  "Hymn  for  his  Brother's  Ordination,"  in 
 their  Hymnals,  I  cannot  say  that  these  can  rightly  be 
 accounted  hymns,  or  that  he  should  be  included  among  the 
 hymnists. 
 
 Susan  Elizabeth  Miles  (born  1807)  wrote  in  her  early 
 days  three  hymns  which  her  father  (j^athaniel  W. 
 Appleton)  recognised  as  worthy,  and  sent  to  be  printed. 
 One  of  these  is  of  great  merit,  and  is  known  all  over  the 
 English-speaking  world.  It  first  appeared  in  1827  in  the 
 "Christian  Examiner."  The  following  is  the  full  and 
 correct  text ;  it  has  often  been  altered,  but  not  improved  : 
 
 Thou  who  didst  stoop  below 
 
 To  drain  the  cup  of  woe, 
 Wearing  the  form  of  frail  mortality ; 
 
 Thy  bles-ed  labours  done, 
 
 Thy  crown  of  victory  won. 
 Hast  passed  from  earth,  passed  to  Thy  throne  on  high. 
 
 Our  eyes  behold  Thee  not, 
 
 Yet  hast  Thou  not  forgot 
 Those  who  have  placed  their  hope,  their  trust  in  Thee 
 
 Before  Thy  Father's  face 
 
 Thou  hast  prepared  a  place. 
 That  where  Thou  art,  there  they  may  also  be. 
 
 It  was  no  path  of  flowers. 
 
 Which,  through  this  world  of  ours, 
 Beloved  of  tlie  Father,  Thou  didst  tread  ; 
 
 And  shall  we,  in  dismay 
 
 Shrink  from  the  narrow  way. 
 When  clouds  and  darkness  are  around  it  spread  ? 
 
 O  Thou,  who  art  our  life. 
 
 Be  with  us  through  the  strife ; 
 Thy  holy  head  by  earth's  fierce  storms  was  bowed  ; 
 
 Raise  Thou  our  eyes  above, 
 
 To  see  a  Father's  love 
 Beam,  like  a  bow  of  promise,  through  the  cloud. 
 
 And  O,  if  thoughts  of  gloom 
 
 Should  hover  o'er  the  tomb. 
 That  light  of  love  our  guiding  star  shall  be : 
 
 Our  spirit  shall  not  dread 
 
 The  shadowy  path  to  tread, 
 Friend,  Guardian,  Saviour,  which  doth  lead  to  Thee. 
 
414  TEE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Stephen  Greenleaf  Bulfincli  (1809-1870),  who  minis- 
 tered to  various  churches  in  the  body  to  which  he  belonged, 
 was  a  man  of  beautiful  spirit,  a  good  classical  scholar,  and 
 possessed  considerable  poetic  power.  Many  of  his  hymns 
 appeared  in  "  Lays  of  the  Gospel."  Three  of  these  are 
 becoming  increasingly  popular.  One  of  the  most  poetic 
 of  our  hymns  for  "  The  Sabbath-day  "  is  from  his  pen. 
 
 Hail  to  the  Sabbath-day, 
 The  day  divinely  given, 
 When  men  to  God  their  homage  pay, 
 And  earth  draws  near  to  heaven. 
 
 Lord,  in  Thy  sacred  hour, 
 Within  Thy  courts  we  bend  ; 
 And  bless  Thy  love,  and  own  Thy  power, 
 Our  Father  and  our  Friend. 
 
 But  Thou  art  not  alone 
 In  courts  by  mortals  trod  ; 
 Nor  only  is  the  day  Thine  own 
 When  crowds  adore  their  God. 
 
 Thy  temple  is  the  arch 
 Of  yon  unmeasured  sky ; 
 Thy  Sabbath  the  stupendous  march 
 Of  vast  Eternity. 
 
 Lord,  may  a  holier  day 
 Dawn  on  Thy  servants'  sight : 
 And  grant  us  in  Thy  courts  to  pray 
 Of  pure,  unclouded  light. 
 
 Singularly  tender  and  sympathetic  is  the  following : — 
 
 Most  gracious  Saviour  !  'twas  not  Thine 
 To  spurn  the  erring  from  Thy  sight; 
 
 Nor  did  Thy  smile  of  love  divine 
 Turn  from  the  penitent  its  light. 
 
 Shall  we  who  own  the  Christian  name, 
 
 A  brother's  fault  too  sternly  view, 
 Or  think  Thy  holy  name  can  blame, 
 
 The  tear  to  human  frailty  due  ? 
 
 May  we,  while  human  guilt  awakes 
 Upon  our  cheek  the  generous  glow, 
 
 Spare  the  offender's  heart  that  breaks 
 Beneath  its  load  of  shame  and  woe. 
 
AMEBIC  AN  HYMNS.  415 
 
 Conscious  of  frailty,  may  we  yield 
 Forgiveness  of  the  wrongs  we  bear ; 
 
 And  strive  the  penitent  to  shield 
 From  further  sin  or  dark  despair. 
 
 And  when  our  own  offences  weigh 
 
 Upon  our  hearts  with  anguish  sore, 
 May  we  remember  Thou  didst  say, 
 
 "  In  peace  depart,  but  sin  no  more." 
 
 His  hymn  for  the  Communion  strikes  a  new  note,  and  is 
 full  of  a  large-hearted  charity. 
 
 We  gather  to  the  sacred  board, 
 
 Perchance  a  scanty  band ; 
 But  with  us  in  sublime  accord 
 
 What  mighty  armies  stand  ! 
 
 In  creed  and  rite  howe'er  apart, 
 
 One  Saviour  still  we  own, 
 And  pour  the  worship  of  the  heart 
 
 Before  our  Fattier's  throne. 
 
 A  thousand  spires  o'er  hill  and  vale 
 
 Point  to  the  same  blue  heaven  ; 
 A  thousand  voices  tell  the  tale 
 
 Of  grace  through  Jesus  given. 
 
 High  choirs,  in  Europe's  ancient  fanes, 
 
 Praise  Him  for  man  who  died  ; 
 And  o'er  the  boundless  Western  plains 
 
 His  name  is  glorified. 
 
 Around  His  tomb,  on  Salem's  height, 
 
 Greek  and  Armenian  bend  ; 
 And  througli  all  Lapland's  months  of  night 
 
 The  peasants'  hymns  ascend. 
 
 Are  we  not  brethren  ?  Saviour  dear ! 
 r    Then  may  we  walk  in  love, 
 Joint  subjects  of  Thy  kingdom  here, 
 Joint  heirs  of  bliss  above  ! 
 
 Whilst  the  following  moves  along  a  line  very  rare  in 
 hymns : — 
 
 Hath  not  thy  heart  within  thee  burned 
 
 At  evening's  calm  and  holy  hour, 
 As  if  its  inmost  depths  discerned 
 
 The  presence  of  a  loftier  Power  ? 
 
 Hast  thou  not  heard  'mid  forest  glades, 
 While  ancient  rivers  murmured  by, 
 
 A  voice  from  forth  the  eternal  shades, 
 That  spake  a  present  Deity  ? 
 
416  THE  HYMN  LOVER, 
 
 And  as  upon  the  sacred  page, 
 
 Thine  eye  in  rapt  attention  turned 
 
 O'er  records  of  a  holier  age, 
 Hath  not  thy  heart  within  thee  burned  ? 
 
 It  was  the  voice  of  God,  that  spake 
 
 In  silence  to  thy  silent  heart ; 
 And  bade  each  holier  thought  awake, 
 
 And  every  dream  of  earth  depart. 
 
 Voice  of  our  God,  O  yet  be  near  ! 
 
 In  low,  sweet  accents,  whisper  peace  ; 
 Direct  us  on  our  pathway  here  ; 
 
 Then  bid  in  heaven  our  wanderings  cease. 
 
 Oliver    Wendell    Holmes,   M.D.    (born    1809),    whose 
 
 deliglitM  books,  "The  Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast  Table," 
 
 and  the  "Poet"  and  the  "  Professor"  in  the  same  series, 
 
 are  known  and  prized  by  all  lovers  of  suggestive  thought 
 
 and  beautiful  English,  fills  a  small  place  among  American 
 
 hymnists,  but  fills  it  as  no  one  else   could  do.     Every 
 
 reader  of  the  "Professor  at  the  Breakfast  Table"  will  have 
 
 been  struck  with  the  following  Sunday  hymn,  with  which 
 
 one  of  its  chapters  closes : — 
 
 Lord  of  all  being  !  throned  afar. 
 Thy  glory  flames  from  sun  and  star. 
 Centre  and  sun  of  every  sphere, 
 Yet  to  each  loving  heart  how  near ! 
 
 Sun  of  our  life  !  Thy  quickening  ray 
 Sheds  on  our  path  the  glow  of  day  : 
 Star  of  our  hope  !  Thy  softened  light 
 Cheers  the  long  watches  of  the  night. 
 
 Our  midnight  is  Thy  smile  withdrawn, 
 Our  noontide  is  Thy  gracious  dawn, 
 Our  rainbow  arch  Thy  mercy's  sign. 
 All  save  the  clouds  of  sin  are  Thine  ! 
 
 Lord  of  all  life,  below,  above, 
 
 Whose  light  is  truth,  whose  warmth  is  love ; 
 
 Before  Thy  ever  blazing  throne 
 
 We  ask  no  lustre  of  our  own. 
 
 Grant  us  Thy  truth  to  make  us  free, 
 And  kindling  hearts  that  burn  for  Thee ; 
 Till  all  Thy  living  altars  claim 
 One  holy  light,  one  heavenly  flame. 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  417 
 
 Equally  beautiful,  but  even  more  tender,  is  the  following 
 hymn  of  Trust : — 
 
 O  Love  Divine,  that  stooped  to  share 
 Our  sharpest  pang,  our  bitterest  tear, 
 
 On  Thee  we  cast  each  earth-born  care : 
 We  smile  at  pain  while  Thou  art  near  ! 
 
 Though  long  the  weary  way  we  tread, 
 And  sorrow  crown  each  lingering  year ; 
 
 No  path  we  shun,  no  darkness  dread, 
 
 Our  hearts  still  whispering,  Thou  art  near. 
 
 When  drooping  pleasure  turns  to  grief, 
 And  trembling  faith  is  changed  to  fear  : 
 
 The  murmuring  wind,  the  quivering  leaf, 
 Shall  softly  tell  us,  Thou  art  near ! 
 
 On  Thee  we  fling  our  burdening  woe, 
 
 0  Love  Divine,  for  ever  dear  : 
 Content  to  suffer,  while  we  know, 
 
 Living  and  dying.  Thou  art  near  ! 
 
 Oh  that  the  man  who  could  write  such  hymns  had  written 
 more  ! 
 
 There  are  three  hymnists  born  in  the  same  year  (1810) 
 who  deserve  notice.     The  first  is — 
 
 Edmund  Henry  Sears,  D.D.  (1810-1876),   one  of  the 
 
 most  spiritual  teachers  of  the  American  Unitarian  Church, 
 
 to  whom  we  owe  the  volume,  "The  Heart  of  Christianity," 
 
 has  given  us  two  Christmas  hymns.     The  first  of  these, 
 
 which  begins,  "  Calm  on  the  listening  ear  of  night,"  is 
 
 probably  the  more  popular  in  America,  and  is  described  by 
 
 Dr.  Wendell   Holmes   as   "one  of  the   finest   and   most 
 
 beautiful  hymns  ever  written."     The  second,  beginning, 
 
 "  It  came  upon  the  midnight  clear,"  is  the  more  popular 
 
 in  England,  and  is,  I  think,  the  finer  of  the  two.     Dr. 
 
 Morison'  of  Milton  says  of  this  hymn  :  "  I  always  feel  that 
 
 however  poor  my  Christmas  sermon  may  be,  the  readinrj^ 
 
 and  singing  of  this  hymn  are  enough  to  make  up  for  all 
 
 deficiencies."     It   is   happily   too   well    known   to   need 
 
 quotation  here. 
 
 E  2 
 
418  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 The  second  Js — 
 
 Chandler  Robbins,  D.D.,  the  successor  of  Ralph  Waldo 
 Emerson  in  the  charge  of  the  Second  Church  in  Boston, 
 did  much  good  work  in  improving  American  hymnody. 
 If  for  no  other,  he  deserves  remembrance  as  the  author 
 of  the  following  hymn  for  the  close  of  worship  : 
 
 Lo  !  the  day  of  rest  declineth, 
 
 Gather  fast  the  shades  of  night ; 
 May  the  Sun  that  ever  shineth 
 
 Fill  our  souls  with  heavenly  light. 
 
 Softly  now  the  dew  is  falling  : 
 Peace  o'er  all  the  scene  is  spread ; 
 
 On  His  children,  meekly  calling, 
 Purer  influence  God  will  shed. 
 
 While  Thine  ear  of  love  addressing, 
 Thus  our  parting  hymn  we  sing — 
 
 Father,  give  Thine  evening  blessing  ; 
 Fold  us  safe  beneath  Thy  witig. 
 
 Of  this  hymn  the  following  story  is  told  : — A  company  of 
 
 Bostonians,  among  whom  was  Mrs.  Hill,  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
 
 Bobbins,    were    returning    from    England   in   a   Cunard 
 
 steamer.     An  aged  Scotch  Presbyterian  minister  and  his 
 
 wife  were  among  the  passengers.     The  party  were  singing 
 
 hymns  on  deck  at  the  close  of  a  lovely  Sabbath  day,  when 
 
 the  clergyman  went  to  his  state-room  and  brought  a  book 
 
 of  hymns  and  tunes  to  show  them  what  he  said  was  the 
 
 sweetest  hymn  he  knew,  set  to  the  sweetest  tune.     What 
 
 was  the  Boston  lady's  surprise  to  hear  him  repeat  the  lines 
 
 which  her  own  father  had  written:  "Lo  !  the  day  of  rest 
 
 declineth,"  and  began  to  sing  "  Bedford  Street  " — a  tune 
 
 composed  for  the  words  by  Mr.  L.  B.  Barnes,  President  of 
 
 the  Handel  and  Haydn   Society,  and  named   after   the 
 
 author's    own    church,    which    was   in   Bedford    Street, 
 
 Boston.* 
 
 cy.  Putnam's  "  Singers  of  Songs  of  the  Liberal  Faith,"  p.  309. 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  419 
 
 The  third  is— 
 
 James  Freeman  Clarke,  D.D.  (1810-1888),  who  has 
 only  recently  passed  away,  was  one  of  the  most  erudite 
 and  popular  authors  of  America.  For  many  years  he  was 
 minister  of  the  Church  of  the  Disciples  in  Boston,  and  for 
 a  part  of  the  time  held  the  Professorship  of  I^atural  Theology 
 and  Christian  Doctrine  in  the  Theological  School  at 
 Cambridge.  Many  of  his  hymns  are  worthy  of  a  place  in 
 our  English  collections.  At  present,  however,  only  one, 
 perhaps  the  most  distinctive  and  beautiful  of  them  all,  is 
 known  at  allVidely  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
 
 Dear  Friend,  whose  presence  in  the  house, 
 
 Whose  gracious  word  benign, 
 Could  once,  at  Cana's  wedding- feast, 
 
 Change  water  into  wine — 
 
 Come,  visit  us,  and  when  dull  work 
 
 Grows  weary,  line  on  line. 
 Revive  our  souls,  and  make  us  see 
 
 Life's  water  glow  as  wine. 
 
 Gay  mirth  shall  deepen  into  joy, 
 
 Earth's  hope  shall  grow  divine, 
 When  Jesus  visits  us,  to  turn 
 
 Life's  water  into  wine. 
 
 The  social  talk,  the  evening  fire. 
 
 The  homely  household  shrine, 
 Shall  glow  with  angel-visits  when 
 
 The  Lord  pours  out  the  wine. 
 
 For  when  self-seeking  turns  to  love, 
 
 Which  knows  not  mine  and  thine. 
 The  miracle  again  is  wrought, 
 
 And  water  changed  to  wine. 
 
 William  Henry  Burleigh  (1812-1871),  on  his  mother's 
 side  a  descendant  of  Governor  William  Bradford  of  the 
 Mayflower^  was  the  harbourmaster  of  ^NTew  York,  and  an 
 earnest  advocate  of  temperance  and  freedom.  He  wrote 
 many  hymns,  through  which  there  runs  a  mingled  strain 
 of  tenderness   and   confidence   which   is   very   beautiful. 
 
420  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 They  are  becoming  better  known  and  more  largely  used  in 
 this  country.     The  most  popular  are  the  following  : — 
 
 Father  !  beneath  Thy  sheltering  wing 
 
 In  sweet  security  we  rest, 
 And  fear  no  evil  earth  can  bring, 
 
 In  life,  in  death,  supremely  blest. 
 
 For  life  is  good,  whose  tidal  flow 
 
 The  motions  of  Thy  will  obeys : 
 And  death  is  good,  that  makes  us  know 
 
 The  life  divine  that  all  things  sways. 
 
 And  good  it  is  to  bear  the  cross, 
 
 And  so  'I  hy  perfect  peace  to  win  ; 
 And  naught  is  ill,  nor  brings  us  loss. 
 
 Nor  works  us  haim,  save  only  sin. 
 
 Redeemed  fiom  this,  we  ask  no  more. 
 But  trust  the  love  that  saves  to  guide — 
 
 The  grace  that  yields  so  rich  a  store. 
 Will  grant  us  all  we  need  beside. 
 
 This,  too,  is  of  great  merit — 
 
 IStill  will  we  trust,  though  earth  seems  dark  and  dreary, 
 
 And  the  heart  faint  beneath  His  chastening  rod. 
 Though  rough  and  steep  our  pathway,  worn  and  weary, 
 Still  will  we  trust  in  God  ! 
 
 Our  eyes  see  dimly  till  by  faith  anointed. 
 
 And  our  blind  choosing  brings  us  grief  and  pain ; 
 Through  Him  alone,  who  hath  our  way  appointed, 
 We  find  our  peace  again. 
 
 Choose  for  us,  God,  nor  let  our  weak  preferring 
 
 Cheat  om-^poor  souls  of  good  Thou  hast  designed  : 
 Choose  for  us,  God  ;  Thy  wisdom  is  unerring. 
 And  we  are  fools  and  blind. 
 
 So  from  our  sky  the  night  shall  furljher  shadows. 
 
 And  day  pour  gladness  through  her  golden  gates ; 
 Our  rough  path  leads  to  flower-enamelled  meadows, 
 Where  joy  our  coming  waits. 
 
 Let^us  press  on  :  in  patient  self-denial. 
 
 Accept  the  hardship,  shrink  not  from  the  k  88  : 
 Our  guerdon  lies  beyond  the  hour  of  trial. 
 Our  crown  beyond  the  cross. 
 
 In  a  similar  vein  are  the  following: — '*We  ask  not  that 
 
 our  path  be  always  bright ;"  "  "When  gladness  gilds  our 
 
 prosperous ' day  ; "  ''Lead  us,  0  Father,  in  the  paths  of 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  421 
 
 peace  ;  "  whilst  his  Morning  Hymn  is  one  of  the  finest  we 
 possess  for  that  season. 
 
 For  the  dear  love  that  kept  us  through  the  night, 
 And  gave  our  senses  to  sleep's  gentle  sway — 
 
 For  the  new  miracle  of  dawning  light 
 Flushing  the  east  with  prophecies  of  day, 
 We  thank  Thee,  O  our  God  ! 
 
 For  the  fresh  life  that  through  our  being  flows 
 With  its  full  tide  to  strengthen  and  to  bless — 
 
 For  calm  sweet  thoughts,  upspringing  from  repose 
 To  bear  to  Thee  their  song  of  thankfulness, 
 We  praise  Thee,  0  om-  God ! 
 
 Day  uttereth  speech  to  day,  and  night  to  night 
 Tells  of  Thy  power  and  glory.     So  would  we, 
 
 Thy  children,  duly,  with  the  morning  light. 
 Or  at  still  eve,  upon  the  bended  knee 
 Adore  Thee,  O  our  God  ! 
 
 Thou  know'st  our  needs.  Thy  fulness  will  supply, 
 Our  blindness — let  Thy  hand  still  lead  us  on. 
 
 Till,  visited  by  the  dayspring  from  on  high 
 
 Our  prayer,  one  only,  "  Let  Thy  will  be  done  !  " 
 We  breathe  to  Thee,  O  God ! 
 
 Samuel  Longfellow  (born   1819),  brother  ^of   the  poet 
 
 H.  W.  Longfellow,  gave  a  large  amount  of  attention  to 
 
 Hymnody,  and,  with  Samuel  Johnson,  compiled  one  of  the 
 
 best  of  American  hymnals,  "Hymns  of  the  Spirit."     For 
 
 the  "Book  of  Yespers"  he  wrote  the  two  evening  hymns 
 
 now  so  well  known  in  this  country,  "Now  on  land  and  sea 
 
 descending,"  and   "Again  as  evening's   shadow  falls;" 
 
 very  fine  they  are.     Eut  beyond  these  the  following  are 
 
 finding  their  way  into  English  hymnals : — 
 
 "  Prayer  for  inspiration  :  " 
 
 Holy  Spirit,  Truth  Divine  ! 
 Dawn  upon  this  soul  of  mine; 
 Word  of  God,  and  inward  Light, 
 Wake  my  spirit,  clear  m}^  sight. 
 
 Holy  Spirit,  Love  Divine  ! 
 Glow  within  this  heart  of  mine ; 
 Kindle  every  high  desire  ; 
 Perish  self  in  Thy  pure  fire ! 
 
422  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Holy  Spirit,  Power  Divine  ! 
 Fill  and  nerve  this  will  of  mine  ; 
 By  Thee  may  I  strongly  live, 
 Bravely  bear,  and  nobly  strive  ! 
 
 Holy  Spirit,  Right  Divine ! 
 King,  within  my  conscience  reign  : 
 Be  my  Lord,  and  1  shall  be 
 Firmly  bound,  for  ever  free. 
 
 Holy  Spirit,  Peace  Divine ! 
 Still  this  restless  heart  of  mine ; 
 Speak  to  calm  this  tossing  sea, 
 Stayed  in  Thy  tranquillity. 
 
 Holy  Spirit,  Joy  Divine  ! 
 Gladden  Thou  this  heart  of  mine; 
 In  the  desert  ways  Pll  sing. 
 Spring,  0  Well,  for  ever  spring  ! 
 
 **  A  Xew  Commandment :  " 
 
 Beneath  the  shadow  of  the  cross, 
 As  earthly  hopes  remove : 
 
 His  new  commandment  Jesus  gives, 
 His  blessed  word  of  love. 
 
 O  bond  of  union,  strong  and  deep  ! 
 
 0  bond  of  perfect  peace  ! 
 Not  e'en  the  lifted  cross  can  harm, 
 
 If  we  but  hold  to  this. 
 
 Then,  Jesus,  be  Thy  spirit  ours, 
 And  swift  our  feet  shall  move 
 
 To  deeds  of  pure  self-sacrifice. 
 And  the  sweet  tasks  of  love. 
 
 And  ''  The  Church  Universal :  " 
 
 One  holy  church  of  God  appears 
 Through  every  age  and  race, 
 
 Unwasted  by  the  lapse  of  years, 
 Unchanged  by  changing  place. 
 
 From  oldest  time,  on  farthest  shores, 
 Beneath  the  pine  or  palm. 
 
 One  unseen  presence  she  adores, 
 With  silence  or  with  psalm. 
 
 Her  priests  are  all  God's  faithful  sons. 
 To  serve  the  world  raised  up  ; 
 
 The  pure  in  heart  her  baptised  ones, 
 Love  her  communion-cup. 
 
 •   The  truth  is  her  prophetic  gift, 
 The  soul  her  sacred  page ; 
 And  feet  on  mercy's  errand  swift, 
 Do  make  her  pi]grimage. 
 
AMERICAN  HYMN'S.  423 
 
 O  living  Church,  thine  errand  speed, 
 
 Fulfil  thy  task  sublime ; 
 With  bread  of  life  earth's  hunger  feed  ; 
 
 Redeem  the  evil  time  ! 
 
 Jones  Yery  (1813-1880),  was  a  preacher  without  pastoral 
 charge,  who  devoted  his  time  chiefly  to  literary  pursuits. 
 There  are  those  who  regard  him  as  one  of  the  foremost 
 poets  of  America.  His  hymns  are  very  beautiful,  but 
 more  suited  for  private  reading  and  family  worship  than 
 for  public  worship.  The  best  known  are  the  following : — 
 "  Father  !  Thy  wonders  do  not  singly  stand ;  "  ''  Father  ! 
 there  is  no  change  to  live  with  Thee ;  "  "  Wilt  Thou  not 
 visit  me?" 
 
 James  Eussell  Lowell  (bom  1819),  the  delightful 
 literary  critic,  the  versatile  poet,  the  successful  diplomatist, 
 has  been  regarded  by  some  as  holding  a  place  among  the 
 hymnists  ;  but  after  a  careful  search  among  his  writings, 
 I  cannot  find  anything  which  rightly  can  be  called  a  hymn. 
 His  lines  on  "Freedom,"  and  even  his  magnificent  poem, 
 "All  Saints'  Day,"  perhaps  the  finest  thing  he  ever  wrote, 
 have  been  included  in  hymnals,  but  they  are  out  of  place 
 there. 
 
 Thomas  Wentworth  Higginson  (born  1823),  a  descendant 
 of  the  Rev.  Francis  Higginson,  one  of  the  Puritan 
 Senators  of  America — originally  a  pastor  of  a  Free  Church 
 at  Worcester,  and  afterwards  a  colonel  of  black  troops  in 
 the  American  War,  in  which  he  was  wounded,  is  one  of 
 the  literati  of  America,  but  he  is  at  the  same  time  one  of 
 its  most  remarkable  hymnists.  In  his  hymns  there  is  a 
 warmth  and  vigour  and  tenderness  which  are  all  too  rare. 
 They  grow  more  dear  the  better  they  are  known.  Take 
 the  following  as  examples  : — 
 
424  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 ''The  Mystery  of  God:" 
 
 No  human  eyes  Thy  face  may  see ; 
 
 No  human  thought  Thy  form  may  know  ; 
 But  all  creation  dwells  in  Thee, 
 
 And  Thy  great  life  through  all  doth  flow ; 
 
 And  yet,  O  strange  and  wondrous  thought ! 
 
 Thou  art  a  God  who  hearest  prayer, 
 And  every  heart  with  sorrow  fraught 
 
 To  seek  Thy  present  aid  may  dare. 
 
 And  though  most  weak  our  efforts  seem 
 Into  one  creed  these  thoughts  to  bind, 
 
 And  vain  the  intellectual  dream. 
 To  see  and  know  th'  Eternal  Mind ; 
 
 Yet  Thou  wilt  turn  them  not  aside, 
 
 Who  cannot  solve  Thy  life  divine, 
 But  would  give  up  all  reason's  pride 
 
 To  know  their  hearts  approved  by  Thine. 
 
 And  Thine  unceasing  love  gave  birth 
 
 To  our  dear  Lord,  Thy  holy  Son, 
 Who  left  a  perfect  proof  on  earth, 
 
 That  Duty,  Love,  and  Trust  are  one, 
 
 So  though  we  faint  on  life's  dark  hill, 
 
 And  thought  grow  weak  and  knowledge  flee. 
 
 Yet  faith  shall  teach  us  courage  still, 
 And  love  shall  guide  us  on  to  Thee. 
 
 ''I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father;" 
 
 To  Thine  eternal  arms,  O  God, 
 
 Take  us,  Thine  erring  children,  in  ; 
 From  dangerous  paths  too  boldly  trod. 
 
 From  wandering  thoughts  and  dreams  of  sin. 
 
 Those  arms  were  round  our  childhood's  ways, 
 
 A  guard  through  helpless  years  to  be ; 
 O  leave  not  our  maturer  days, 
 
 We  still  are  helpless  without  Thee  ! 
 
 We  trusted  hope  and  pride  and  strength ; 
 
 Our  strength  proved  false,  our  pride  was  vain, 
 Our  dreams  have  faded  all  at  length — 
 
 We  come  to  Thee,  0  Lord,  again  ! 
 
 A  guide  to  trembling  steps  yet  be ! 
 
 Give  us  of  Thine  eternal  power ! 
 So  shall  our  paths  all  lead  to  Thee, 
 
 And  life  still  smile,  like  childhood's  hour. 
 
 Mr.    Higginson    has    recently    published    a    volume    of 
 poems — "  The    Afternoon   Landscape  " — which    includes 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  425 
 
 all  Ills  liyoins,  and  a  series  of  his  translations  from 
 Petrarch. 
 
 From  the  Grerman  Eeformed' Church  we  have — 
 
 Edward  H.  J^evin,  D.D.  (born  1814),  who  wrote  the 
 popular  hymn,  "Always  with  us,  always  with  us,"  whilst 
 the  following  are  difficult  to  classify  ecclesiastically  : — 
 
 The  two  sisters,  Alice  and  Phoebe  Gary  (who  both  died 
 in  1871),  and  to  whom  we  owe  many  delightful  sacred 
 verses  more  suited  for  private  than  public  use.  To  Phoebe 
 we  owe  the  well-known  "  One  sweetly  solemn  thought." 
 
 The  same  remark  applies  to  Lucy  Larcom  (born  1826), 
 whose  poetry  often  reaches  a  very  high  level.  She  has 
 found  a  place  in  one  or  two  English  hymnals  by  her 
 hymns,  "  Hand  in  hand  with  angels,"  and  "  When  forme 
 the  silent  oar." 
 
 John  Greenleaf  Whittier  (born  1807)  belongs  ecclesias- 
 tically but  scarcely  theologically,  to  the  Society  of  Friends. 
 His  writings,  pathetically  beautiful  beyond  those  of  any 
 poet  of  America,  are  becoming  increasingly  prized,  and  are 
 exerting  an  immense  influence  on  the  religious  thought 
 and  feeling  of  England. 
 
 It  is  strange  to  find  among  the  Quakers,  whose  as- 
 semblies are  never  enlivened  or  inspired  by  song,  one 
 contributing  so  many  verses  to  the  worship  song  of  the 
 Church  at  large.  Few  of  these  were  written  for  use  in 
 public  worship,  but  many  of  his  verses  are  so  beautiful,  so 
 pathetic,  so  charged  with  the  tenderest  Christian  feeling, 
 that  they  have  again  and  again  been  arranged  and  inserted 
 in  recent  Hymnals.  His  greatest  hymn  is  one  extending 
 to  thirty -nine  verses,  called  '*  Our  Master,"  from  which 
 many  contributions  have  been  taken.  At  first  only  a  very 
 few  verses  were  taken,  but  these   have   gradually  been 
 
426  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 increased  until  now  nearly  the  whole  hymn  has  found  its 
 way  into  public  worship.     I  give  one  part  as  a  specimen. 
 
 Our  Friend, ^our  Brother,  and  our  Lord, 
 
 What  may  Thy  service  be  ? 
 Nor  name,  nor  form,  nor  ritual  word, 
 
 But  simply  following  Thee. 
 
 Thou  judgest  us ;  Thy  purity 
 
 Doth  all  our  lusts  condemn  ; 
 The  love  that  draws  us  nearer  Thee 
 
 Is  hot  with  wrath  to  them. 
 
 Our  thoughts  lie  open  to  Thy  sight, 
 
 And  naked  to  Thy  glance : 
 Our  secret  sins  are  in  the  light 
 
 Of  Thy  pure  countenance. 
 
 Yet  weak  and  blinded  though  we  be, 
 
 Thou  dost  our  service  own  ; 
 We  bring  our  varying  gifts  to  Thee, 
 
 And  Thou  rejectest  none. 
 
 To  Thee  our  full  humanity, 
 
 Its  joys  and  pains,  belong ; 
 The  wrong  of  man  to  man  on  Thee 
 
 Inflicts  a  deeper  wrong. 
 
 Deep  strike  Thy  roots,  O  heavenly  Vine, 
 
 Within  our  earthly  sod, 
 Most  human  and  yet  most  divine, 
 
 The  flower  of  man  and  God  ! 
 
 Apart  from  Thee  all  gain  is  loss, 
 
 A.11  labour  vainly  done ; 
 The  solemn  shadow  of  Thy  Cross 
 
 Is  better  than  the  sun. 
 
 Alone,  O  love  ineffable  ! 
 
 Thy  saving  name  is  given  ; 
 To  turn  aside  from  Thee  is  hell, 
 
 To  walk  with  Thee  is  heaven. 
 
 We  faintly  hear,  we  dimly  see, 
 
 In  diff'ering  phrase  we  pray ; 
 But  dim  or  clear,  we  own  in  Thee 
 
 The  Light,  the  Truth,  the  Way  ! 
 
 Other  examples  of  adaptations  from  Mr.  Whittier  may 
 be  found  in  the  following: — "To  weary  hearts,  to 
 mourning  homes,"  from  "The  Angel  of  Patience,"  a 
 free  paraphrase  from  the  German.  "Another  hand  is 
 beckoning  us,"  from  "Gone."     "All  as  God  wills  who 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  427 
 
 wisely  heeds,"  from  ''  My  Psalm."  "  With  silence  only 
 as  their  benediction,"  from  ''To  my  Friend  on  the  death 
 of  his  Sister."  "  Shall  we  grow  weary  in  our  watch," 
 from  "  The  Cypress-Tree  of  Ceylon,"  beneath  which 
 venerable  Jogees  or  saints  sit,  silent  and  motionless, 
 patiently  awaiting  the  falling  of  a  leaf. 
 
 What  can  be  finer  than  such  hymns  as  the  following: — 
 Dear  Lord  and  Father  of  mankind, 
 
 Forgive  our  feverish  ways  i 
 Keclothe  us  in  our  rightful  mind ; 
 In  purer  lives,  Thy  service  find, 
 In  deeper  reverence,  praise. 
 
 0  Sabbath  rest  by  Galilee  ! 
 
 O  calm  of  hills  above  ! 
 Where  Jesus  knelt  to  share  with  Thee 
 The  silence  of  eternity 
 
 Interpreted  by  love  ! 
 
 With  that  deep  hush  subduing  all 
 
 Our  words  and  works  that  drown 
 The  tender  whisper  of  Thy  call^ 
 As  noiseless  let  Thy  blessing  fall, 
 
 As  fell  Thy  manna  down. 
 
 Drop  Thy  still  dews  of  quietness, 
 
 Till  all  our  strivings  cease  : 
 Take  from  our  souls  the  strain  and  stress  ; 
 And  let  our  ordered  lives  confess 
 
 The  beauty  of  Thy  peace. 
 
 Breathe  through  the  pulses  of  desire 
 
 Thy  coolness  and  Thy  balm ; 
 Let  sense  be  dumb, — its  heats  expire : 
 Speak  through  the  earthquake,  wind,  and  fire, 
 
 O  still  small  voice  of  calm ! 
 
 Or    the    hymn   written   for   the    Anniversary   of    the 
 Children's  Mission,  Boston,  1878  : — 
 
 Thine  are  all  the  gitts,  0  God  ! 
 
 Thine  the  broken  bread  ; 
 Let  the  naked  feet  be  shod, 
 
 And  the  starving  fed. 
 
 Let  Thy  children,  by  Thy  grace. 
 
 Give  as  they  abound, 
 Till  the  poor  have  breathing-space, 
 
 And  the  lost  are  found. 
 
428  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Wiser  than  the  miser's  hoards 
 
 Is  the  giver's  choice ; 
 Sweeter  than  the  song  of  birds 
 
 Is  the  thankful  voice. 
 
 Welcome  smiles  on  faces  sad 
 
 As  the  flowers  of  spring ; 
 Let  the  tender  hearts  be  glad 
 
 With  the  joy  they  bring. 
 
 Or  that  for  the  American  Horticultural  Society,  1882; 
 
 O  Painter  of  the  fruits  and  flowers, 
 
 We  own  Thy  wise  design, 
 Whereby  these  human  hands  of  ours 
 
 May  share  the  works  of  Thine  ! 
 
 Apart  from  Thee,  we  plant  in  vain 
 
 The  root,  and  sow  the  seed  ; 
 Thy  early  and  Thy  latter  rain. 
 
 Thy  Buu  and  dew  we  need. 
 
 Our  toil  is  sweet  with  thankfulness, 
 
 Our  burden  is  our  boon  ; 
 The  curse  of  earth's  grey  morning  is 
 
 The  blessing  of  its  noon. 
 
 Why  search  the  wide  world  everywhere, 
 For  Eden's  unknown  ground  ? — 
 
 That  garden  of  the  primal  pair 
 May  never  more  be  found. 
 
 But,  blest  by  Thee,  our  patient  toil 
 
 May  right  the  ancient  wrong. 
 And  give  to  every  clime  and  soil 
 
 The  beauty  lost  so  long. 
 
 Our  homestead,  flowers,  and  fruited  trees. 
 
 May  Eden's  orchard  shame ; 
 We  taste  the  tempting  sweets  of  these. 
 
 Like  Eve,  without  her  blame. 
 
 And  North  and  South,  and  East  and  West, 
 
 The  pride  of  every  zOlie ; 
 The  fairest,  rare8t,and  the  best, 
 
 May  all  be  made  our  own. 
 
 Its  earliest  shrines  the  young  world  sought, 
 
 In  hill-groves,  and  in  bowers  ; 
 The  fittest  offerings  thither  brought 
 
 Were  Thy  own  fruits  and  flowers. 
 
 And  still  with  reverent  hands  we  cull 
 
 Thy  gifts  each  }ear  renewed ; 
 The  good  is  always  beautiful, 
 
 The  beautiful  is  good. 
 
AMERICAN  HYMNS.  429 
 
 Or  that  for  the  opening  of  Plymouth  Church,   St.  Paul, 
 
 Minnesota : — 
 
 All  things  are  Thine :  no  gifts  have  we, 
 Lord  of  all  gifts  !  to  offer  Thee  ; 
 And  hence  with  grateful  hearts  to-day, 
 Thy  own  before  Thy  feet  we  lay. 
 
 Thy  will  was  in  the  builders'  thought ; 
 Thy  hand  unseen  amidst  us  wrought ; 
 Through  mortal  motive,  scheme,  and  plan, 
 Thy  wise  eternal  purpose  ran. 
 
 No  lack  Thy  perfect  fulness  knew  ; 
 From  human  needs  and  longings  grew 
 This  house  of  prayer,  this  home  of  rest 
 In  the  fair  garden  of  the  West. 
 
 In  weakness  and  in  want  we  call 
 On  Thee  for  whom  the  heavens  are  small ; 
 Thy  glory  is  Thy  children's  good, 
 Their  joy  Thy  tender  Fatherhood. 
 
 O  Father  !  deign  these  walls  to  bless ; 
 FiU  with  Thy  love  their  emptiness; 
 And  let  their  door  a  gateway  be 
 To  lead  us  trom  ourselves  to  Thee  I 
 
 "Where  can  a  hymn  for  the  aged  be  found,  so  real,  so 
 tender,  so  truly  humble  in  its  tone,  as  the  following, 
 included  in  one  of  his  last  volumes,  "The  Bay  of  the  Seven 
 Islands  and  other  Poems,  1883." 
 
 When  on  my  day  of  life  the  night  is  falling, 
 
 And,  in  the  winds  from  unsunned  spaces  blown, 
 I  heai"  far  voices  out  of  darkness  calling 
 My  feet  to  paths  unknown. 
 
 Thou  who  hast  made  my  home  of  life  so  pleasant, 
 Leave  not  its  tenant  when  its  walls  decay  ; 
 
 0  Love  Divine,  O  Helper  ever  present. 
 
 Be  Thou  my  strength  and  stay ! 
 
 Be  near  me  when  all  else  is  from  me  drifting — 
 
 Earth,  sky,  home's  pictures,  days  of  shade  and  shine, 
 And  kindly  faces  to  my  own  uplifting 
 
 The  love  which  answers  mine. 
 
 1  have  but  Thee,  my  Father!  let  Thy  Spirit 
 Be  with  me  then  to  comfort  and  uphold  ; 
 
 No  gate  of  pearl,  no  branch  of  palm  I  merit. 
 Nor  street  of  shining  gold. 
 
430  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Suffice  it  if-^my  good  and  ill  unreckoned, 
 
 And  both  forgiven  through  Thy  abounding  grace — 
 1  find  myself  by  hands  familiar  beckoned 
 Unto  my  fitting  place. 
 
 Some  humble  door  among  Thy  many  mansions, 
 
 Some  sheltering  shade  where  sin  and  striving  cease, 
 And  flows  for  ever  through  heaven's  green  expansions 
 The  river  of  Thy  peace. 
 
 There,  from  the  music  round  about  me  stealing, 
 
 I  fain  would  learn  the  new  and  holy  song, 
 And  find  at  last,  beneath  Thy  trees  of  healing, 
 The  life  for  which  1  long. 
 
 Such  hymns  are  endearing  their  author  to  an  ever- 
 increasing  number,  and  Tvherever  sung  speedily  become 
 favourites. 
 
 The  examples  I  have  given,  and  they  are  only  a  few 
 flowers  out  of  the  great  garden  of  American  song,  are 
 sufficient  to  show  not  only  what  our  friends  across  the 
 Atlantic  have  done,  but  what  may  be  expected  from  them 
 in  the  future.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  any 
 hymnal  which  does  not  draw,  and  that  largely,  on  the 
 stores  of  American  hymnody,  must  fall  very  far  short  of 
 being  an  ideal  one.  And  editors  of  the  hymnals  of  the 
 future  will  be  more  richly  repaid  for  their  search  in  this 
 quarter  :than  for  one  [devoted  to  the  ancient  treasury  of 
 the  Church — the  best  of  which  have  been  already  utilised, 
 and  many  of  which  represented  a  less  pure  and  Christ- 
 like Gospel  than  those  of  modein  times.  Of  this 
 department  it  may  be  truly  said,  "  Thou  hast  kept  the 
 good  wine  until  now." 
 
431 
 
 CHAPTER    XXL 
 
 CHILDREN'S  HYMNS. 
 
 It  was  late  in  the  history  of  the  Church  before  any- 
 special  provision  was  deemed  necessary  for  the  worship 
 of  children.  It  was  probably  thought  sufficient  to  admit 
 them  to  the  Church  by  the  rites  of  Baptism  and  Confirma- 
 tion, and  if  they  sang  at  all,  they  had  to  be  content  with 
 the  provision  made  for  their  elders.  The  only  ancient 
 hymn  for'J  jchildi'cn  existing  is  that  of  Clemens 
 Alexandrinus,  which  I  quote  below  in  Dr.  Dexter' s 
 translation.  It  will  be  seen  that  this  is  a  hymn  on  'behalf 
 of  childi^en,  rather  than  one  to  be  sung  by  them  : — 
 
 Shepherd  of  tender  youth, 
 Guiding,  in  love  and  truth. 
 
 Through  devious  ways : 
 Christ,  our  triumphant  King, 
 We  come  Thy  name  to  sing, 
 And  here  our  children  bring, 
 
 To  shout  Thy  praise. 
 
 Thou  art  our  Holy  Lord, 
 The  all-subduing  Word, 
 
 Healer  of  strife ; 
 Thou  didst  Thyself  abase. 
 That  from  sin's  deep  di.>grace 
 Thou  mightest  save  our  race, 
 
 And  give  us  life. 
 
 0  wisdom's  Great  High  Priest, 
 Thou  hast  prepared  the  feast 
 
 Of  holy  love ; 
 And  in  our  mortal  pain. 
 None  calls  on  Thee  in  vain  ; 
 Help  Thou  dost  not  refrain, — 
 
 Help  from  above. 
 
432  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Be  ever  near  our  side, 
 
 Our  Shepherd  and  our  Guide, 
 
 Our  staff  and  song  : 
 Jesus,  Thou  Christ  of  God, 
 By  Thy  perennial  word, 
 Lead  us  where  Thou  hast  trod  ; 
 
 Make  our  faith  strong. 
 
 So  now,  and  till  we  die, 
 Sound  we  Thy  praises  high. 
 
 And  joyful  sing. 
 Infants,  and  the  glad  throng 
 Who  to  Thy  Church  belong. 
 Unite,  and  swell  the  song 
 
 To  Christ  our  King. 
 
 That  children  sang  hymns  is  clear  from  the  story  of  the 
 seven  boys  who  sang  "Gloria,  lans,  et  honor"  (see 
 p.  51)  before  the  Emperor  Louis,  and  so  obtained  St. 
 Theodulph's  liberation  from  prison,  but  it  may  be  doubted 
 whether  any  beyond  the  smallest  provision  was  made  of 
 verses  suited  to  their  young  minds.  Even  of  the  early 
 carols,  none  seem  to  have  been  composed  for  the  young. 
 The  ancient  hymns  which  were  used  in  some  of  the  great 
 public  schools  of  England,  and  which  have  been  preserved 
 to  our  own  day,  have  no  special  adaptation  to  this 
 purpose.  Indeed,  it  is  pretty  clear  from  the  title  to 
 the  1560  edition  of  Sternhold  and  Hopkins,  that,  at  that 
 time,  ordinary  hymns  were  considered  suitable  enough  for 
 children.  The  following  extract  shows  this — of  that 
 version,  it  says  : — ''  Very  much  to  be  used  of  all  sorts  of 
 people  privately,  for  their  godly  solace  and  comfort  ; 
 laiying  aparte  all  ungodly  songs  and  ballades,  which  tend 
 only  to  the  nourishing  of  vice  and  cori'upting  of  youth." 
 Here  and  there  a  hymn  may  be  found  for  children  in  the 
 17th  century  in  the  writings  of  "Wither,  Herrick,  and 
 Jeremy  Taylor,  but  even  these  do  not  seem  to  have  been 
 intended  for  use  in  public  worship.  Good  Bishop  Ken's 
 three  hymns,  now  so  well  known,  were  written  for  use  in 
 
CHILDBEN'8  HYMNS.  433 
 
 Wincliester  College,  and  are  almost  equally  suited  for 
 adults  and  for  the  young.  In  the  beginning  of  the  18th 
 century,  Bishop  George  Hickes  gives  in  "The  Little  Office 
 for  two  or  more  Young  Ladies  under  the  same  Governess," 
 a  translation  of  Bernard's  **  Jesu  dulcis  Memoria,"  for  use 
 at  any  time.  This  shows  pretty  clearly  what  the  ideas  of 
 those  times  were  on  this  matter.  To  all  intents  and 
 purposes,  no  special  provision  was  made  for  children  until 
 Dr.  "Watts  published  his  "Divine  and  Moral  Songs,"  so 
 that  he  is  the  first  founder  of  the  choir  of  the  children 
 as  well  as  that  of  their  elders.  The  dedication  seems  to 
 show  that  he  was  led  to  write  such  hymns  for  the  use  of 
 the  children  of  Sir  Thomas  Abney,  to  whose  house  he 
 went  for  a  short  visit,  and  remained  for  the  rest  of  his  life, 
 never  wearing  out  his  welcome ;  but  the  preface  speaks  of 
 the  book  as  having  been  written  at  the  request  of  a  friend 
 engaged  in  catechising,  who  had  doubtless  felt  the  need  for 
 hymns  more  suitable  to  children  than  then  existed.  The 
 work  gained,  as  it  deserv^ed,  a  great  success,  and  edition  after 
 edition  of  it  appeared,  both  in  London  and  the  provinces. 
 These  "  Divine  and  Moral  Songs  "  must  not  be  judged,  as 
 they  too  often  have  been,  from  the  standpoint  of  our  own 
 time,  which  has  attained  to  a  more  gracious  theology,  and 
 possesses  so  fine  a  store  of  children's  hymns.  This  would 
 be  as  unfair  as  to  judge  Copernicus  or  Galileo  from  the 
 standpoint  of  the  age  of  the  Herschels.  The  first  worker 
 in  any  field  is  of  necessity  a  pioneer,  and  only  roughly 
 tills  the  land  he  occupies  ;  it  remains  for  his  successors  to 
 reach  a  higher  style  of  culture.  Dr.  Watts' s  hymns 
 enshrine  the  theology  and  taste  of  his  age ;  it  could  not  be 
 otherwise.  They  have  been  thrown  into  the  shade  by  the 
 finer  work  of  his  successors ;  but  we  must  give  him  his 
 
 F  2 
 
4,34.  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 due  as  opening  and  first  cultivating  the  field  of  cliildren's 
 hymnody.  Moreover,  as  lie  never  married,  tlie  instinct 
 and  knowledge  of  fatherhood  were  hidden  from  him, 
 and  his  hymns  for  children,  as  a  consequence,  suffer. 
 Without  doubt,  the  finest  from  his  pen  is  his  Cradle 
 Hymn,  which,  it  must  be  confessed,  like  too  many 
 so-called  childi^en's  hymns,  is  suited  for  singing,  not  by, 
 but  on  behalf  of,  children.  It  has  of  late  somewhat 
 dropped  out  of  sight,  and  I  therefore  quote  it : — 
 
 Hush,  dear  child,  lie  still  and  slumber, 
 
 Holy  angels  guard  thy  bed, 
 Heavenly  blessings  without  number 
 
 Gently  falling  on  thy  head. 
 
 Sleep,  my  babe  ;  thy  food  and  raiment, 
 
 House  and  home,  thy  friends  provide. 
 All  without  thy  care  and  payment ; 
 
 All  thy  wants  are  well  supplied 
 
 How  much  better  thou'rt  attended 
 
 Than  the  Son  of  God  could  be, 
 When  from  heaven  He  descended, 
 
 And  became  a  child  like  thee. 
 
 Soft  and  easy  is  thy  cradle  : 
 
 Coarse  and  hard  thy  Saviour  lay. 
 When  His  birthplace  was  a  stable, 
 
 And  His  softest  bed  was  hay. 
 
 Was  there  nothing  but  a  manger 
 
 Wretched  sinners  could  afford, 
 To  receive  the  heavenly  Stranger  ? 
 
 Did  they  thus  affront  their  Lord  ? 
 
 See  the  joyful  shepherds  round  Him, 
 
 Telling  wonders  from  the  sky  ; 
 Where  they  sought  Him,  there  they  found  Him, 
 
 With  His  virgin-mother  by. 
 
 'Twas  to  save  thee,  child,  from  dying. 
 
 That  thy  blest  Redeemer  came  ; 
 He  by  groans  and  bitter  crying 
 
 Saved  thee  from  burning  flame. 
 
 Mayst  thou  live  to  know  and  fear  Him, 
 
 Trust  and  love  Him  all  thy  days ; 
 Then  go  dwell  for  ever  near  Him, 
 
 See  His  face,  and  sing  His  praise. 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  435 
 
 Many  of  his  hymns  are  still  remembered,  though  little 
 sung: — "How  doth  the  little  busy  bee,"  '"Tis  the  voice  of 
 the  sluggard,"  "  Let  dogs  delight  to  bark  and  bite,"  while 
 others,  such  as  "  I  sing  the  almighty  power  of  God,"  are 
 as  frequently  sung  by  adults  as  children,  for  whom  they 
 are  equally  suited.  For  a  considerable  time.  Dr.  Watts's 
 hymns  for  children  practically  held  undisputed  possession 
 of  the  field.  In  1754,  Cennick  published  at  Dublin 
 "  Hymns  for  Children,"  in  2  vols. ;  only  one  copy  of  this, 
 (in  the  Pulneck  Library),  is  known  to  exist,  but  later 
 Moravian  collections  drew  many  hymns  from  this  source, 
 and  one  or  two  in  altered,  but  not  improved,  forms  may  be 
 found  in  children's  hymn  books  of  our  own  time.  The 
 following  is  probably  the  best : — 
 
 0  Thou,  before  whose  Father's  face 
 
 The  children's  angels  stand, 
 Grant  me,  a  helpless  child,  the  grace, 
 
 That  Thy  angehc  band 
 
 May  watch  my  ways  and  guard  my  bed, 
 
 And  minister  to  me. 
 Till  I  in  death  shall  bow  my  head, 
 
 And  go  to  live  with  Thee. 
 
 Happy  the  children  who  are  gone. 
 
 To  Jesus  Christ  in  peace, 
 Who  stand  around  His  glorious  throne. 
 
 Clad  in  His  righteousness. 
 
 The  Saviour  whom  they  loved  while  here 
 
 Hath  wiped  their  tears  away ; 
 They  never  more  can  grieve,  or  fear, 
 
 Or  sin,  or  go  astray. 
 
 In  ceaseless  happiness  they  view 
 
 Our  Saviour's  smiling  face ; 
 That  face  once  marred,  in  which  below 
 
 Men  saw  no  comeliness. 
 
 Methinks  I  hear  them  joyful  sing 
 
 (Ten  thousands  do  the  same), 
 "Salvation  to  the  immortal  King,    ' 
 
 To  God  and  to  the  Lamb  !  " 
 
436  THE  HYMN  LOVBB. 
 
 O  that  I  may  so  favoured  be, 
 
 With  them  above  to  join  ; 
 0  that,  like  them,  I  Christ  may  see, 
 
 And  He  be  ever  mine. 
 
 Grant  me  but  this,  Thou  great  High  priest 
 
 And  when  I'm  here  no  more, 
 Convey  me  home  to  endless  rest, 
 
 Where  Thou  art  gone  before. 
 
 Charles  Wesley  attempted,  in  1763,  to  make  provision 
 
 for  children's  song,  by  the  publication  of  his  "  Hymns  for 
 
 Children,"  but  with  little   success,  since  he  started  with 
 
 the  wrong   idea,  attempting  to  lift   children  up   to  the 
 
 level  of  adults,  merely  adapting  his  compositions  to  them 
 
 by  ^simplicity   of    diction.     Only   one   hymn    from    this 
 
 source  ever  gained  any  popularity  : — 
 
 Gentle  Jesus,  meek  and  mild, 
 Look  upon  a  little  child ; 
 Piiy  my  simplicity. 
 Suffer  nie  to  come  to  Thee. 
 
 Fain  I  would  to  Thee  be  brought ; 
 Dearest,  God,  forbid  it  not : 
 Give  me,  dearest  God,  a  place 
 In  the  kingdom  of  Thy  grace. 
 
 Put  Thy  hands  upon  my  head. 
 Let  me  in  Thine  arms  be  stayed  ; 
 Let  me  lean  upon  Thy  breast. 
 Lull  me,  lull  me,  Lord,  to  rest. 
 
 Hold  me  fast  in  Thy  embrace, 
 Let  me  see  Thy  smiling  face. 
 Give  me.  Lord,  Thy  blessing  give; 
 Pray  for  me,  and  I  shall  live. 
 
 I  shall  live  the  simple  life, 
 Free  from  sin's  uneasy  strife. 
 Sweetly  ignorant  of  ill, 
 Innocent  and  happy  still. 
 
 Oh  that  I  may  never  know 
 What  the  wicked  people  do  ! 
 Sin  is  contrary  to  Thee, 
 Sin  is  the  forbidden  tree. 
 
 Keep  me  from  the  great  offence, 
 Guard  my  helpless  innocence  ; 
 Hide  me,  from  all  evil  hide. 
 Self  and  stubbornness  and  pride, 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYNN8.  437 
 
 Lamb  of  God,  I  look  to  Thee ; 
 Thou  shalt  my  Example  be ; 
 Thou  art  gentle,  meek,  and  mild, 
 Thou  wast  once  a  little  child. 
 
 Fain  I  would  be  as  Thou  art ; 
 Give  me  Thy  obedient  heart. 
 Thou  art  pitiful  and  kind ; 
 Let  me  have  Thy  loving  mind. 
 
 Meek  and  lowly  may  I  be  ; 
 Thou  art  all  humility. 
 Let  me  to  my  betters  bow  ; 
 Subject  to  Thy  parents  Thou. 
 
 Let  me  above  all  fulfil 
 God  my  heavenly  Father's  will ; 
 Never  His  good  Spirit  grieve, 
 Only  to  His  glory  live. 
 
 Thou  didst  live  to  God  alone, 
 Thou  didst  never  seek  Thine  own  ; 
 Thou  Thyself  didst  never  please, 
 God  was  all  Thy  happiness. 
 
 Loving  Jesu,  gentle  Lamb, 
 In  Thy  gracious  hands  I  am, 
 Make  me.  Saviour,  what  Thou  art. 
 Live  Thyself  within  my  heart. 
 
 I  shall  then  show  forth  Thy  praise, 
 Serve  Thee  all  my  happy  days  : 
 Then  the  world  shall  always  see 
 Christ,  the  Holy  Child,  in  me. 
 
 Up  to  this  time  the  idea  prevailed  that  the  same  author 
 could  provide  a  collection  of  hymns  for  children  as  well 
 as  for  adults,  and  that  if  he  could  do  the  one  he 
 could  also  do  the  other.  But  now  the  idea  began  to 
 dawn  that  a  hymn  book,  like  the  Prayer  Book  and 
 the  Bible,  required  variety  in  its  authorship.  One  of 
 the  earliest  collections  contained  one  hundred  and  four 
 hymns,  made  up  of  forty-four  by  Dr.  Watts,  thirty- 
 five  of  the  Olney  hymns,  two  by  Dr.  Hawker,  the 
 Editor,  and  a  few  by  other  writers.  This  may  serve 
 as  a  sample  of  the  sort  of  thing  that  was  then  done. 
 But  it  was  not  till  Women,  with  their  deeper  insight 
 into,    and   tenderer   sympathy   with   child    life,    entered 
 
438  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 on   this   field,   that   anything  like   adequate  or   suitable 
 provision  was  made  for  children's  song.     Indeed,  it  may 
 be  that  the  way  in  which  the  church  repressed  woman, 
 and  kept  her  from  bearing  a  part  in  its  work,  accounts, 
 to  some  extent,  for  the  lateness  of  the  development  of 
 children's  hymnocly.     With   the  entrance  of   woman  on 
 this  sphere  there  arises   a  new  era.     Henceforward  she 
 becomes  the  chief  contributor.     It  will  be  noticed  that 
 a  very  large  proportion  of  the  writers  mentioned  in  this 
 chapter  belong  to  that  sex.     This  was  to  be  expected. 
 The   new   fera   dawned    in    1810,    when   Ann   and  Jane 
 Taylor  issued  their  "Hymns  for  Infant  Minds."     These 
 threw   into    the    shade   all    previous    ones    for   children 
 save  the  best  by  Dr.  "Watts,   and  for  many  years  were 
 the     chief     favourites.      Like     Dr.    Watts' s,    many    of 
 them  look   rather   poor   by   the    side   of  the    still   finer 
 work   of    our   day,    but    they   mark   a   distinct   step   in 
 advance   of    all   that  preceded,    and   the   following   still 
 hold,    and   are   likely   to   hold    their   ground.     By   Ann 
 Taylor,  afterwards   Mrs.  Gilbert   (1782-1866)  :—'' Great 
 God,  and  wilt   Thou  condescend,"   "  God   is   in  heaven, 
 can  He  hear,"  "Jesus  who  lived  above  the  sky,"  "The 
 God  of  heaven  is  pleased  to  see,"  and  "A  Captain  forth 
 to  battle  went,"  perhaps  rather  more  of  a  poem  than  a 
 hymn,  but  which   should   be  better  known  ;   whilst   by 
 Jane  Taylor  (1783-1824)  there  are  "When  daily  I  kneel 
 down   to  pray,"  "Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord  and  Saviour," 
 "Love  and  kindness  we  must  measure."     Perhaps  most 
 popular  of  all  is  "Good  David,  whose  psalms  have  so  often 
 been  sung;"  to  which  of  the  sisters  this  is  due  is  not 
 known  with  [certainty.     Jane  Taylor  gives  the  following 
 account  of  her  method  of  writing  her  children's  hymns  : — 
 
CHILDBEN'S  HYMNS. 
 
 "  I  think  I  have  some  idea  of  what  a  child's  hymn  ought 
 to  be  ;  and  when  I  commenced  the  task,  it  was  with  the 
 presumptuous  determination  that  nothing  should  fall  short 
 of  the  standard  I  had  formed  in  my  mind.  In  order  to  do 
 this,  my  method  was  to  shut  [my  eyes,  and  imagine 
 the  presence  of  some  pretty  little  mortal,  and  then  endea- 
 vour to  catch,  as  it  were,  the  very  language  it  would  use 
 on  the  subject  before  me.  If  in  any  instances  I  have 
 succeeded,  to  this  little  imaginary  being  I  should  attribute 
 my  success,  and  I  have  failed  so  frequently,  because  so 
 frequently  I  was  compelled  to  say,  '  Now  you  may  go,  my 
 dear;  I  shall  finish  this  hymn  myself."  It  is  rather  a 
 curious  thing,  that  the  hymns  written  by  Helen,  a  cousin 
 of  Ann  and  Jane  Taylor,  and  published  under  the  title  of 
 "  The  Sabbath  Bell,"  and  "  Missionary  Hymns,"  though 
 in  some  senses  equal  to,  and  perhaps  finer,  than  her  better- 
 known  cousin's  should  have  almost  escaped  notice.  Until 
 I  drew  forth  some  of  their  treasures  and  included  them  in 
 "  The  Book  of  Praise  for  Children,"  they  had  almost 
 entirely  been  lost  sight  of.  I  have  an  impression  that 
 whilst  the  "  Hymns  for  Infant  Minds  "  are  likely  to  wane 
 in  popularity,  some  of  those  by  Helen  Taylor  are  likely  to 
 become  more  widely  known  and  used.  They  seem  to  me  to 
 reach  a  higher  literary  standard,  to  be  more  picturesque, 
 and  to  be  more  filled  with  the  wider  thoughts  of  religion 
 that  now  prevail.  I  anticipate  for  them  a  great  future. 
 My  readers  shall  judge  for  themselves.  Here  is  one  of 
 the  finest  missionary  hymns  ever  written  for  children  : — 
 
 There  is  joy  above  the  skies 
 
 If  a  sinner,  only  one, 
 Lifts  to  Thee,  O  Lord,  his  eyes; 
 And  Thy  holy  will  is  done. 
 
 Earth  and  heaven  will  happy  be 
 When  all  nations  worship  Thee  ! 
 
440  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 If  we  live  to  see  those  days, 
 
 Live  to  hear  the  holy  songs, 
 How  will  better  hymns  of  praise 
 Pass  in  music  from  our  tongues  ! 
 Happier  children  we  shall  be 
 When  Thy  glory  we  shall  see. 
 
 Now  like  waters  gushing  up, 
 
 Are  the  thankful  thoughts  we  think 
 For  the  good  and  pleasant  cup 
 We  have  every  day  to  drink. 
 
 Happy  Christian  children,  we 
 Every  day  Thy  mercy  see ! 
 
 But  the  glory  will  be  bright. 
 
 Brighter  than  our  words  can  show ; 
 When  all  kingdoms  see  the  light 
 
 When  all  lands  Thy  goodness  know  ! 
 Earth  and  heaven  will  happy  be 
 When  the  heathen  worship  Thee ! 
 
 This  is  almost  equal : — 
 
 O,  let  us  all  be  glad  and  sing. 
 
 Like  angels  in  the  sky, 
 With  all  our  hearts  to  God  our  King — 
 
 Hosanna  let  us  cry ! 
 
 He  placed  us  in  this  happy  land, 
 
 Like  blossoms  in  the  sun — 
 Like  open  blossoms  we  should  stand, 
 
 Rejoicing  every  one. 
 
 But  while  we  praise  Him,  let  us  pray 
 
 For  countries  dark  and  sad, 
 That  they  may  hear  the  word  one  day, 
 
 Which  makes  our  land  so  glad. 
 
 That  heathen  men  may  bend  their  knees 
 
 To  one  great  Name  alone, 
 And  idols  hewed  from  forest  trees 
 
 To  moles  and  bats  be  thrown. 
 
 These  are  froin  her  tiny  volume  "  Missionary  Hymns  for 
 the  use  of  Children,"  published  in  1846.  The  following 
 from  her  ''  Sabbath  Bells  "  (both  vols,  are  very  rare)  seems 
 to  me  very  true  and  beautiful,  and  far  more  likely  to  do  a 
 child  good  than  most  of  the  hymns  about  heaven  that  have 
 been  written  for  them  : — 
 
CHILDBEN'S  HYMNS.  441 
 
 I  love  that  holy  scripture, 
 
 Where  I  am  truly  told 
 About  the  heavenly  city, 
 
 With  wall  of  precious  gold ; 
 
 About  the  shining  river, 
 
 That  goeth  thro'  the  street, — 
 The  boughs  of  life  above  it, 
 
 With  fruit  and  blossoms  sweet. 
 
 About  the  good  and  perfect, 
 
 With  crowns  like  yonder  sun, 
 Who  won  those  shining  gai'lands 
 
 Where  children's  feet  may  run. 
 
 This  world  is  sometimes  happy, 
 
 With  pleasant  things  1  love  ; 
 But  it  must  be  far  better. 
 
 To  dwell  in  heaven  above. 
 
 Not  that  the  walls  are  golden, 
 
 The  gates  are  always  bright ; 
 Not  that  the  river  poureth 
 
 Through  every  street  its  light. 
 
 Not  that  a  pleasant  music 
 
 From  golden  harps  is  stirred, 
 And  every  sound  is  sweeter 
 
 Than  ear  hath  ever  heard. 
 
 But  there  shall  never  enter. 
 
 The  dark  rude  thoughts  of  sin, 
 That  here,  are  always  watching, 
 ,  To  come  the  heart  within. 
 
 And  there  we  shall  not  find  it 
 
 So  very  hard  to  be 
 Gentle  and  true  and  patient 
 
 For  we  the  Lord  shall  see. 
 
 And  so  we  shall  grow  like  Him 
 
 All  holy  things  to  love  ; 
 Oh !  it  must  be  far  better 
 
 To  dwell  in  heaven  above ! 
 
 The  number  of  hymn- writers  for  children  now  begins  to  be 
 large,  and  the  ideal  still  higher.  "Writers  begin  to  recog- 
 nise the  fact  that  a  hymn  to  be  really  loved  by  children 
 must  above  all  things  be  quick  in  movement,  and 
 picturesque  in  treatment  of  its  subject.  These  are  the 
 great  essentials.  Montgomery  wrote  many  for  the 
 Sheffield  Whitsuntide  gatherings  of  Sunday  schools,  but 
 
442  TEE  HYMN  LOVEE. 
 
 these,  though  marked  by  his  high  qualities,  have  never 
 become  popular.  The  writer  of  this  period  who  showed 
 that  he  knew  exactly  what  is  required  in  a  children's 
 hymn,  but  who  unfortunately  died  too  early  to  leave  more 
 than  one  or  two,  was  Thomas  E-awson  Taylor  (1807- 
 1835).  The  following  from  his  pen  has  never  been 
 excelled  : — 
 
 There  was  a  time  when  children  sang 
 The  Saviour's  praise  with  sacred  glee, 
 
 And  all  the  hills  of  Judah  rang 
 With  their  exulting  Jubilee. 
 
 O  to  have  joined  their  rapturous  songs, 
 And  swelled  their  sweet  hosannas  high, 
 
 And  blessed  Him  with  our  feeble  tongues 
 As  He — the  Man  of  grief— went  by  ! 
 
 But  Christ  is  now  a  glorious  King, 
 
 And  angels  in  His  presence  bow  ; 
 The  humhle  songs  that  we  can  sing — 
 
 0  !  will  He — can  He — hear  them  now  ? 
 
 He  can — He  will — He  loves  to  hear 
 
 The  notes  which  babes  and  sucklings  raise : 
 
 Jesus,  we  come  with  trembling  fear, 
 
 O  teach  our  hearts  and  tongues  to  praise  ! 
 
 We  join  the  hosts  around  Thy  throne, 
 
 Who  once,  like  us,  the  desert  trod : 
 And  thus  we  make  their  song  our  own — 
 
 *  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  God  ! ' 
 
 A  far  finer  and  healthier  hymn  than  his  better-known  one 
 for  adults  ''  I'm  but  a  stranger  here,"  with  its  depreciation 
 of  earth. 
 
 Elizabeth  Parson,  nee  Eooker  (born  1812),  wrote  two 
 hymns  which  have  been  exceedingly  popular,  and  are  full 
 of  melody  and  movement — "Jesus,  we  love  to  meet,"  and 
 "  0  happy  land  !  0  happy  land  !  " 
 
 Mrs.  Shelly,  nie  Jackson,  wrote  "Lord,  a  little  band 
 and  lowly,"  a  hymn  set  in  a  very  tender  key,  under  the 
 following  circumstances,  which  may  show  that  the  most 
 effective   hymns   are   usually  not  laboured   compositions, 
 
GHILDEBN'S  HY3IN8.  443 
 
 but  thrown  of£  in  a  moment  of  inspiration.  **At  a  Sunday 
 School  meeting  in  Manchester,  the  Kev.  John  Curwen  one 
 evening  gave  a  lecture  on  singing.  He  sang  a  very 
 pretty  and  simple  tune,  to  which  he  said  he  had  no 
 suitable  words,  and  wished  that  some  one  would  write  a 
 hymn  to  it.  I  wrote  these  verses,  and  gave  them  to 
 him  after  the  close  of  the  meeting.""^ 
 
 Many  writers  now  essayed  the  task  of  providing 
 children  with  hymns,  but  none  with  very  great  success. 
 John  Burton,  Dorothy  Ann  Thriipp,  J.  Cawood,  and 
 others  who  belonged  to  the  Evangelical  school.  The 
 leaders  of  the  Tractarian  movement  felt  the  need  of 
 hymns  embodying  their  doctrine,  and  an  attempt  was 
 made  in  "The  Child's  Christian  Year"  (1841)  to  meet 
 the  want,  but  this,  though  a  pleasant  book  for  reading, 
 was  utterly  unsuitable  for  use  in  schools.  Its  chief 
 contributors,  John  Keble,  Joseph  Anstice,  Isaac  AVilliams, 
 and  John  Henry  Newman,  did  not  possess  the  gifts  for 
 such  a  work.  In  my  judgment,  though  some  will  differ 
 from  me  on  this  point,  the  same  may  be  said  of  Dr. 
 Neale's  "  Hymns  for  Children  "  ;  they  do  not  catch  the 
 ear  of  children.  Indeed,  Dr.  !N'eale  owes  his  distinguished 
 place,  not  to  his  original  hymns,  but  to  his  versions  from 
 ancient  writers.  I  do  not  think  a  really  popular  hymn  for 
 children  can  be  named  from  any  member  of  the  High 
 Church  party  until  1848,  when  Mrs.  Cecil  Frances 
 Alexander  put  forth  her  *'  Hymns  for  Children,"  which  at 
 once  created  a  new  school,  and  became  its  model. 
 She  saw  that  hymns  for  children  should  not  only  be  in 
 plain   language,    but  that   they   should   be   picturesque, 
 
 *  "  Biographical  Notes  on  the  New  Child's  Own  Hymn  Book," 
 by  J.  S.  Curwen. 
 
444  TEE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 pathetic,  and  not  confined  to  the  severe  metres  which  had 
 so  long  held  possession  of  the  field.  Before  her  there  is 
 no  writer,  save  Thomas  Rawson  Taylor,  who  fully  realised 
 this.  In  some  of  her  hymns,  High  Church  doctrine  is 
 prominent,  and  robs  them  of  their  beauty,  but  in  the 
 majority,  she  writes  so  largely  as  a  poetess,  that  formal 
 doctrine  is  not  apparent.  Her  hymns  are  too  well-known 
 to  need  quotation.  The  best  are  ''Once  in  royal  David's 
 City;"  ''Every  morning  the  red  sun" — to  which  Mr. 
 Moss's  tune,  "St.  Silas,"  is  one  of  the  most  exquisite 
 settings  for  a  children's  hymn  ever  produced ;  "  We 
 are  but  little  children  weak;"  "All  things  bright  and 
 beautiful."  One  little  known,  and  not  included  in  her 
 published  books,  is  the  following,  written  for  a  clergyman 
 in  Liverpool,  which  seems  to  me  specially  picturesque: — 
 
 Once  in  the  town  of  Bethlehem, 
 
 Far  away  across  the  sea, 
 There  was  laid  a  little  Baby, 
 On  a  Virgin  mother's  knee. 
 
 O  Saviour !  gentle  Saviour  1 
 
 Hear  Thy  little  children  sing, 
 The  God  of  our  Salvation, 
 The  Child  that  is  our  King. 
 
 It  was  not  a  stately  palace 
 
 Where  that  little  Baby  lay. 
 With  tall  servants  to  attend  Him, 
 
 And  red  guards  to  keep  the  way, 
 O  Saviour !  gentle  Saviour  !  &c. 
 
 But  the  oxen  stood  around  Him, 
 
 In  a  stable,  low  and  'dim — 
 In  the  world  He  had  created, 
 
 There  was  not  a  room  for  Him  ! 
 
 O  Saviour  !  gentle  Saviour  !  &c. 
 
 For  He  left  His  Father's  glory. 
 
 And  the  golden  halls  above. 
 And  He  took  our  human  nature, 
 
 In  the  greatness  of  His  love. 
 
 O  Saviour !  gentle  Saviour  !  &c. 
 
GHILDBEN'8  HYMNS.  445 
 
 Of  His  infinite  compassion, 
 
 He  can  feel  our  want  and  woe, 
 For  He  suffered,  He  was  tempted 
 
 When  He  lived  our  life  below. 
 
 O  Saviour  !  gentle  Saviour  !  &c. 
 
 Still  His  childhood's  bright  example 
 
 Gives  a  light  to  our  poor  homes  : 
 From  the  blood  of  His  atoning 
 
 Still  our  hope  of  pardon  comes. 
 
 0  Saviour !  gentle  Saviour  !  &c. 
 
 Still  He  stands  and  pleads  in  heaven 
 
 For  us  weak  and  sin-defiled, 
 God  who  is  a  man  for  ever, 
 
 Jesus  who  was  once  a  child. 
 
 0  Saviour !  gentle  Saviour  !  &c. 
 
 Esther  Wiglesworth,  who  belongs  to  the  same   school 
 
 of  religious  thought,  has  produced  some  fine  hymns  for 
 
 children,  which  deserve  to  be  more  widely  known.     The 
 
 following  may  be  taken  as  an  illustration  :  — 
 
 God  sets  a  still  small  voice 
 Deep  every  soul  within ; 
 It  guideth  to  the  right, 
 And  warneth  us  of  sin. 
 
 ^  If  we  that  voice  obey, 
 
 Clearer  its  tones  will  be, 
 Till  all  God's  wiU  for  us 
 Clear  as  noonday  we  see. 
 
 If  we  that  voice  neglect. 
 Fainter  will  be  its  tone ; 
 If  still  unheeded,  it 
 Will  leave  us  quite  alone. 
 
 0  grief !  to  be  allowed 
 To  go  our  own  wild  way ; 
 Lord,  hold  Thy  children  back, 
 Lest  we  so  sadly  stray. 
 
 And  help  us  to  attend 
 To  Thy  sweet  voice  divine  ; 
 Then,  in  the  judgment  day, 
 Own  us,  good  Lord,  as  Thine. 
 
 The  Ecv.  John  Curwen  only  wrote  two  hymns,  one  of 
 
 which  had  a  curious  origin.     ''A  hymn  with  a  similar  first 
 
 line  had  been  inserted  in  a  new  edition  of  the  '' Child's 
 
 Own  Hymn  Book,"  without  the  knowledge  that  it  was 
 
446  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 copyright.  At  the  last  moment,  when  the  index  was 
 stereotyped,  and  the  book  was  at  press,  Mr.  Curwen 
 discovered  the  authorship,  and  permission  to  insert  it 
 was  refused,  either  for  love  or  money,  by  the  owner  of 
 the  copyright.  As  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty,  he  wrote 
 this  hymn,  which  now  appears  in  almost  every  children's 
 collection.  Its  more  extended  popularity  dates  from  the 
 time  when  it  came  back,  with  a  tune  and  a  chorus,  from 
 
 America  "'^' : — 
 
 I'm  a  little  pilgrim, 
 
 And  a  stranger  here  ; 
 Though  this  world  is  pleasant, 
 
 Sin  is  always  near. 
 
 [Jesus  loves  our  pilgrim  band. 
 
 He  will  lead  us  by  the  hand  ; 
 
 Lead  us  to  the  better  land — 
 
 To  our  home  on  high.] 
 
 Mine's  a  better  country, 
 
 Where  there  is  no  sin. 
 Where  the  tones  of  sorrow 
 
 Never  enter  in. 
 
 But  a  little  pilgrim 
 
 Must  have  garments  clean, 
 If  he'd  wear  the  white  robes, 
 
 And  with  Christ  be  seen. 
 
 Jesus,  cleanse  and  save  me, 
 
 Teach  me  to  obey ; 
 Holy  Spirit,  guide  me 
 
 On  my  heavenly  way. 
 
 I'm  a  little  pilgrim. 
 
 And  a  stranger  here, 
 But  my  home  in  heaven 
 
 Cometh  ever  near. 
 
 Mr.  Curwen  did  much,  however,  to  stimulate  children's 
 hymnody  by  the  publication  of  "  The  Child's  Own  Hymn 
 Book,"  which,  at  the  time  it  was  issued,  was  far  the  most 
 suitable  collection  in  existence.     Indeed,  I  am  not  sure 
 
 *  ''Biographical  Notes  on  the  New  Child's  Own  Hymn  Book," 
 by  J.  S.  Curwen. 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  447 
 
 that  it  is  not  the  first  collection  which  really  deserved 
 such  a  title.  Beyond  many,  even  of  our  own  day,  it 
 kept  in  view  the  characteristics  which  should  mark  a 
 hymnal  for  children. 
 
 The  most  noteworthy  of  modern  hymnists  for  children 
 are  the  following.     I  will  take  first  the  departed. 
 
 Among  women  hymnists,  we  have  Mary  Lundie  Duncan 
 (1814-1840),  the  authoress  of  one  of  the  best  known  of 
 children's  hymns,  "  Jesus,  tender  Shepherd,  hear  me," 
 which  was  included  in  her  tiny  book,  "  Ehymes  for  my 
 Children."  This  is  probably  more  frequently  used  as  a  little 
 child's  evening  prayer  than  any  other  hymn. 
 
 Dorothy  Ann  Thrupp  (1779-1847)  is  remembered  by 
 one  hymn,  which  used  to  be  a  great  favourite  with  little 
 children,  "  A  little  ship  was  on  the  sea." 
 
 Anne  Shepherd,  nee  Houlditch  (1809-1857),  wrote  a 
 little  book,  "Hymns  adapted  for  the  comprehension  of 
 Infant  Minds,"  in  which  was  included  "Around  the 
 throne  of  God  in  heaven,"  which,  when  children  suno- 
 more  about  heaven,  was  a  great  favourite.  It  is  very 
 lyric  and  e:ffective. 
 
 Elizabeth  Strafford's  hymns  are  well  adapted,  in  their 
 sentiment,  for  childi'en,  but  they  lack  picturesqueness 
 and  melody,  and  so  have  never  become  popular.     Perhaps 
 
 the  best  is:- 
 
 Once  to  our  world  there  came 
 A  little  holy  child ; 
 Gentle  and  good  and  mild, 
 And  Jesus  was  His  name. 
 
 He  suffered  want  and  pain 
 
 Was  sliglited,  scorned,  and  poor; 
 
 All  this  He  did  endure, 
 
 That  we  in  heaven  might  reign. 
 
448  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 He  never  disobeyed 
 His  Father's  sacred  laws ; 
 We  only  were  the  cause 
 Why  grief  on  Him  was  laid. 
 
 And  yet  He  loves  us  still ; 
 Nor  grudges  aught  we  cost ; 
 No  sinner  would  be  lost 
 According  to  His  will. 
 
 Oh  !  that  indeed  we  could 
 Our  naughty  ways  forsake, 
 And  for  our  pattern  take 
 This  Saviour  kind  and  good. 
 
 The  path  that  Jesus  trod 
 Oh  may  we  also  tread, 
 Jesus,  our  living  head, 
 Lead  Thou  us  up  to  God. 
 
 Jane   E.   Leeson,    who,    after   a   period   of   retirement 
 
 from  the  workl,  passed  away  in  1883,  wrote  many  verses 
 
 for    children,    which   were    included    in    ''  Hymns   and 
 
 Scenes  of  Childhood  "  (1842).     They  are  more  remarkable 
 
 for  the   suitability  of   their  ideas,  than   their  form   and 
 
 style,  to  the  young.     The  following,  which  is  her  best 
 
 may  serve  as  a  specimen  : — 
 
 Sweet  the  lessons  Jesus  taught, 
 When  to  Him  fond  parents  brought 
 Babes  for  whom  they  blessing  sought — 
 Little  ones,  like  me. 
 
 Jesus  did  not  answer  nay, 
 Bid  them  come  another  day  ; 
 Jesus  did  not  turn  away 
 
 Little  ones,  like  me. 
 
 No,  my  Saviour's  hand  was  laid 
 Softly  on  each  infant  head ; 
 Jesus,  when  He  blessed  them,  said 
 Let  them  come  to  Me. 
 
 Babes  may  still  His  blessing  share  : 
 Lambs  are  His  peculiar  care ; 
 He  will  in  His  bosom  bear 
 Little  ones,  like  me. 
 
 Saviour,  on  my  infant  head 
 Let  Thy  gracious  hand  be  laid, 
 While  I  do  as  Thou  hast  said, 
 Coming  unto  Thee. 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  449 
 
 Frances  Eidley  Havergal  (1836-1879),  of  whom  I  have 
 already  spoken,  has  written,  as  was  to  be  expected,  very 
 good  hymns  for  children.  Her  version  of  the  Lord's 
 Prayer  is  both  tender  and  concise  : — 
 
 God  in  heaven,  hear  our  singing, 
 
 Only  little  ones  are  we, 
 Yet,  a  great  petition  bringing, 
 
 Father,  now  we  come  to  Thee, 
 
 Let  Thy  kingdom  come,  we  pray  Thee, 
 
 Let  the  world  in  Thee  find  rest ; 
 Let  all  know  Thee,  and  ohey  Thee, 
 
 Loving,  praising,  blessing,  blest. 
 
 Let  the  sweet  and  joyful  story 
 
 Of  the  Saviour's  wondrous  love 
 Make  on  earth  a  song  of  glory, 
 
 Like  the  angels'  song  above. 
 
 Send  Thy  Spirit's  mighty  shower, 
 
 Bring  the  heathen  to  Thy  Throne, 
 For  the  kingdom,  and  the  power, 
 
 And  the  glory,  are  Thine  own. 
 
 The  following   is  rather  an   addi-ess  to   a   child   than  a 
 hymn,  but  if  that  be  overlooked,  it  is  of  great  merit : — 
 
 God  will  take  care  of  you.     All  through  the  day 
 Jesus  is  near  you,  to  keep  you  from  ill ; 
 Waking  or  resting,  at  work  or  at  play, 
 Jesus  is  with  you,  and  watching  you  still. 
 
 He  will  take  care  of  you.     All  through  the  night 
 Jesus,  the  Shepherd,  His  little  one  keeps  ; 
 Darkness  to  Him  is  the  same  as  the  light. 
 He  never  slumbers,  and  He  never  sleeps. 
 
 He  will  take  care  of  you.     All  through  the  year. 
 Crowning  each  day  with  His  kindness  and  love ; 
 Sending  you  blessings,  and  shielding  from  fear, 
 Leading  you  on  to  the  bright  home  above. 
 
 He  will  take  care  of  you.     Yes.  to  the  end 
 Nothing  can  alter  His  love  for  His  own  ; 
 Children,  be  glad  that  you  have  such  a  Friend  ; 
 He  will  not  leave  you  one  moment  alone.  g  2 
 
450  TEE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 Among  male  authors  we  have — 
 
 John  Henley  (1800-1842),  a  minister  of  the  Wesleyan 
 Church,  wrote  "  Children  of  Jerusalem,"  a  hymn 
 singularly  crisp  and  effective,  and  greatly  liked  by 
 children. 
 
 James  Edmeston  (1791-1867),  already  mentioned  in  a 
 previous  chapter,  wrote  many  hymns  for  children,  of 
 which  the  best  known  is  "Little  travellers  Zionwards," 
 which  is  now  made  to  commence  with  the  second  verse, 
 "Who  are  they  whose  little  feet,"  which  used  to  be 
 frequently  sung  in  Sunday  Schools. 
 
 Andrew  Young  (born  1807),  formerly  Head-master  of 
 Madras  College,  in  the  University  of  St.  Andrews', 
 is  the  author  of  the  very  bright,  and,  on  the  whole, 
 healthy  hymn  on  heaven,  "  There  is  a  happy  land." 
 "  The  story  of  the  origin  of  this  hymn,  kindly 
 supplied  by  Mr.  Colin  Brown,  of  Glasgow,  is 
 interesting.  One  of  the  songs  which  the  Indian  palan- 
 quin bearers  sing  as  they  go,  was  set  to  English  words 
 about  thirty  years  ago.  It  became  very  popular,  its 
 burden  being  '  There  is  a  happy  land,  where  care's 
 unknown.'  This  song  was  sung  one  evening  by  a  lady  in 
 Edinburgh,  and  heard  by  Mr.  Young,  then  teacher  of 
 Mddiy  School.  Eeing  much  touched  by  the  beauty  of 
 the  music,  and  of  the  opening  idea  of  the  words,  Mr. 
 Young  was  led  to  write  the  exquisite  hymn,  '  There  is  a 
 happy  land,  far,  far  away,'  to  suit  the  music. "^' 
 
 John  Burton's  (1803-1877)  hymn,  "Saviour,  while  my 
 heart  is  tender,"  is  one  of  the  most  tender  and  graceful 
 
 *  "  Biographical  Notes  on  the  New  Child's  Own  Hymn  Book," 
 bv  J.  6.  Curweii. 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  451 
 
 hymns  of  consecration  for  the  young  we  possess ;  whilst 
 to  another  author  of  precisely  the  same  name  (1773-1822) 
 we  owe  the  most  popular  children's  hymn  on  the  Bible, 
 beginning  "  Holy  Bible,  Book  Divine." 
 
 Henry  Bateman  (1802-1872)  published  a  little  volume 
 of  hymns  for  children,  called  "  Sunday  Sunshine," 
 remarkable  for  simplicity  and  naturalness  of  tone.  It 
 is  a  pity  that  they  are  all  in  one  metre,  and  of  the 
 same  number  of  verses,  since  this  renders  them  some- 
 what monotonous ;  but  some  of  them  are  very  good. 
 The  use  made  of  Scripture  events  is  often  very  happy. 
 The  following  are  amongst  the  best : — 
 
 In  my  soft  bed,  when  quite  alone, 
 
 God  watches  me  with  care : 
 Sees  me  at  rising,  kneeling  down. 
 
 And  listens  to  my  prayer. 
 
 He  follows  me  through  all  the  day, 
 
 Knows  everything  I  do  : 
 Remembers  every  word  I  say, 
 
 My  thoughts,  and  temper  too. 
 
 If  I  am  kind,  God  knows  it  well : 
 
 If  I  am  cross,  He  hears  : 
 A  falsehood,  from  the  truth,  can  tell : 
 
 He  sees  my  smiles,  and  tears. 
 
 Great  God,  my  footsteps  guide,  and  bless. 
 
 That  this  to  me  may  be 
 A  thankfulness  and  happiness. 
 
 That,  "  Thou  God  seest  me." 
 
 The  thought  of  the  last  verse  is  very  fine.  The  following, 
 on  the  Bible,  too,  is  good  : — 
 
 The  good  old  Book  !  with  histories 
 
 Of  many  a  bygone  age  ; 
 And  promises  and  prophecies 
 
 On  almost  every  page. 
 
 The  glorious  Psalms,  so  full  of  thought 
 
 And  teaching  good  and  wise ! 
 And  everywhere  examples  fraught 
 
 With  human  sympathies. 
 
452  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 The  holy  life  of  Christ,  our  Lord, 
 
 His  love  so  pure  and  free, 
 And  every  kind  and  gentle  word 
 
 That  helps  and  teaches  me. 
 
 Wonderful  Book  !  oh,  fill  my  heart, 
 
 Great  God,  vv^ith  Thy  true  fear  : 
 And,  as  I  read,  Thy  grace  impart 
 
 To  make  it  plain  and  clear, 
 
 Mr.  Bateman  also  wrote  a  hymn  for  adults  that  is  worthy 
 of  a  place  in  our  collections  : — 
 
 Light  of  the  world  !  whose  kind  and  gentle  care 
 
 Is  joy  and  re.et, 
 Whose  counsels  and  commands  so  gracious  are, 
 
 Wisest  and  best, 
 Shine  on  my  path,  dear  Lord,  and  guard  the  way, 
 Lest  my  poor  heart,  forgetting,  go  astray. 
 
 Lord  of  my  life,  my  sours  most  pure  desire. 
 
 Its  hope  and  peace  ! 
 Let  not  the  faith  Thy  loving  words  inspire 
 
 Falter,  or  cease ; 
 But  be  to  me,  true  Friend,  my  chief  delight, 
 And  safely  guide,  that  every  step  be  right. 
 
 My  blessed  Lord,  what  bliss  to  feel  Thee  near, 
 
 Faithful  and  true ; 
 To  trust  in  Thee,  without  one  doubt  or  fear. 
 
 Thy  will  to  do  ; 
 And  all  the  while  to  know  that  Thou,  our  Friend, 
 Art  blessing,  and  wilt  bless  us  to  the  end. 
 
 And  then,  oh  then  !  when  sorrow's  night  is  o'er. 
 
 Life's  daylight  come, 
 And  we  are  safe  within  heaven's  golden  door, 
 
 At  home,  at  home  ! 
 How  full  of  glad  rejoicing  will  we  raise. 
 Saviour,  to  Thee,  our  everlasting  praise. 
 
 Richard   Henry   Smith,   the   founder   and  minister   of 
 
 several    Congregational   churches,    whose   books   on   Art 
 
 were  appreciative  and  suggestive,  wrote  a  few  hymns  for 
 
 children.     The  one  quoted  helow,  for   a   little  child,  is 
 
 remarkable  for  its  simplicity  : — 
 
 I  am  a  little  child. 
 And  Jesus  cares  for  me. 
 For  even  me  He  wants 
 His  little  child  to  be. 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  453 
 
 Jesus  would  take  me  up, 
 And  keep  me  on  His  knee, 
 And  fold  me  in  His  arms, 
 His  little  child  to  be. 
 And  I  will  go  to  Him, 
 And  I  will  let  Him  see 
 How  glad  1  am  to  come, 
 His  little  child  to  be. 
 
 And  I  will  stay  with  Him, 
 For  Jesus  wishes  me. 
 Though  I  grow  big  and  old, 
 His  little  child  to  be. 
 
 Among  authoresses  still  happily  spared  to  us,  we  have  : 
 Mrs.  Shepcote,  whose  "  Hymns  for  Infant  Children  "  is 
 
 well   suited   to   those   for  whom   it   was   written.     The 
 
 following  is  probably  the  best : — 
 
 Jesus,  holy,  undefiled, 
 
 Listen  to  a  little  child. 
 
 Thou  hast  sent  the  glorious  light, 
 
 Chasing  far  the  silent  night. 
 
 Thou  hast  sent  the  sun  to  shine 
 O'er  this  glorious  world  of  Thine, 
 Warmth  to  give,  and  pleasant  glow 
 On  each  tender  flower  below. 
 
 Now  the  little  birds  arise. 
 Chirping  gaily  in  the  skies ; 
 Thee  their  tiny  voices  praise 
 In  the  early  songs  they  raise. 
 
 Thou,  by  whom  the  birds  are  fed, 
 Give  to  me  my  daily  bread  ; 
 And  Thy  Holy  Spirit  give, 
 Without  Whom  I  cannot  live. 
 
 Make  me.  Lord,  obedient,  mild, 
 As  becomes  a  little  child  ; 
 All  day  long,  in  every  way. 
 Teach  me  what  to  do  and  say. 
 Help  me  never  to  forget 
 That  in  Thy  great  book  is  set 
 All  that  children  think  and  say. 
 For  the  awful  Judgment  Day. 
 Let  me  never  say  a  word 
 That  will  make  Thee  angry,  Lord  ; 
 Help  me  so  to  live  in  love 
 As  Thine  angels  do  above. 
 
454  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Make  me,  Lord,  in  work  and  play, 
 Thine  more  truly  every  day, 
 And  when  Thou  at  last  shall  come, 
 Take  me  to  Thy  heavenly  home. 
 
 Emily  E.  S.  Elliot  is  the  authoress  of  two  hymns  which 
 are  poetic  and  original  in-  form.  Eoth  of  them  are  on  the 
 birth  of  Christ,  and  are  deservedly  popular.  They  should 
 be  in  every  collection  for  children's  use.  To  render  them 
 still  more  widely  known,  I  quote  them : — 
 
 There  came  a  little  Child  to  earth 
 
 Long  ago ! 
 And  the  angels  of  God  proclaimed  His  birth, 
 
 High  and  low. 
 
 Out  in  the  night,  so  calm  and  still, 
 
 Their  song  was  heard  ; 
 For  they  knew  that  the  Child  on  Bethlehem's  hill 
 
 Was  Christ  the  Lord. 
 
 Far  away  in  a  goodly  land. 
 
 Fair  and  bright, 
 Children  with  crowns  of  glory  stand 
 
 Robed  in  white ; 
 
 In  white  more  pure  than  the  spotless  snow. 
 
 And  their  tongues  unite 
 In  the  psalm  which  the  angels  sang  long  ago 
 
 On  Christmas  night. 
 
 They  sing  how  the  Lord  of  that  world  so  fair 
 
 A  Child  was  born  ; 
 And  that  they  might  a  crown  of  glor}'  wear. 
 
 Wore  a  crown  of  thorn  ; 
 
 And  in  mortal  weakness,  in  want  and  pain. 
 
 Came  forth  to  die  ; 
 That  the  children  of  earth  might  for  ever  reign 
 
 With  Him  on  high. 
 
 He  hath  put  on  His  kingly  apparel  now, 
 
 In  that  goodly  land, 
 And  He  leads  to  where  fountains  of  water  flow 
 
 That  chosen  band. 
 
 And  for  evermore,  in  their  robes  so  fair 
 
 And  undefiled. 
 Those  ransomed  children  His  praise  declare 
 
 Who  was  once  a  child. 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  455 
 
 The  second  is  equally  suitable  for  those  of  riper  age  : — 
 
 Thou  didst  leave  Thy  throne  and  Thy  kingly  crown 
 
 When  Thou  earnest  to  earth  for  me  : 
 But  in  Bethlehem's  home  waa^there  found  no  room 
 For  Thy  holy  nativity. 
 
 O  come  to  my  heart,  Lord  Jesus, 
 There  is  room  in  my  heart  for  Thee. 
 
 Heaven's  arches  rang  when  the  angels^eang, 
 
 Proclaiming  Thy  royal  degree ; 
 But  in  lowly  birth  Thou  didst  come  to  earth, 
 And  in  great  humility  : 
 
 O  come  to  my  heart,  Lord  Jesus, 
 There  is  room  in  my  heart  for  Thee. 
 
 The  foxes  found  rest,  and  the  birds  had  their  nest 
 
 In  the  shade  of  the  cedar  tree ; 
 But  Thy  couch  was  the  sod,  O  Thou  Son  of  God, 
 In  the  deserts  of  Galilee. 
 
 O  come  to  my  heart.  Lord  Jesus, 
 There  is  room  in  my  heart  for  Thee. 
 
 Thou  earnest,  O  Lord,  with  the  living  word 
 
 That  should  set  Thy  people  free  ; 
 But  with  mocking  scorn,  and  with  crown  of  thorn, 
 They  bore  Thee  to  Calvary: 
 
 O  come  to  my  heart.  Lord  Jesus, 
 There  is  room  in  my  heart  for  Thee. 
 
 When  heaven's  arches  shall  ring  and  her  choir  shall  sing 
 
 At  Thy  coming  to  victory, 
 Let  Thy  voice  call  me  home,  saying,  "  Yet  there  is  room, 
 There  is  room  at  My  side  for  Thee  "  : 
 
 And  my  heart  shall  rejoice.  Lord  Jesus, 
 When  Thou  comest  and  callest  for  me. 
 
 Jemima  Luke  (born  I8I0)  is  the  authoress  of  the  well- 
 known  hymn,  which  deserves  to  be  reckoned  classic,  "I 
 think  when  I  read  that  sweet  story  of  old,"  and  which 
 makes  us  wonder  that  she  never  followed  it  up  by  the 
 production  of  others.  It  was  written  in  a  stage  coach, 
 for  a  village  school  near  Poundsford  Park,  Bath,  where 
 the  writer's  father  resided. 
 
 Mrs.  H.  P.  Hawkins,  one  of  the  Editors  of  "The 
 Home  Hymn  Book,"  which,  both  for  its  words  and 
 their  musical  setting,  deserves  very  high  praise,  has 
 written   several   hymns  for   children,    all   of  which  are 
 
456  THE  HYMN  LOVER, 
 
 tender  and  beautiful  in  a  very  high  degree.     Perhaps  the 
 finest  are  the  following.     The  first  is  for  Evening:  — 
 
 Kind  Shepherd,  see,  Thy  little  lamb 
 Comes  very  tired  to  Thee  ; 
 
 0  fold  me  in  Thy  loving  arms, 
 
 And  smile  on  me. 
 
 I've  wandered  from  Thy  fold  to-day, 
 
 And  could  not  hear  Thee  call, 
 And  oh,  I  was  not  happy  then, 
 Nor  glad  at  all. 
 
 1  want,  dear  Saviour,  to  be  good, 
 And  follow  close  to  Thee, 
 
 Through  flowery  meads  and  pastures  green. 
 And  happy  be. 
 
 Thou  kind,  good  Shepherd,  in  Thy  fold 
 
 1  evermore  would  keep, 
 In  morning's  light  or  evening's  shade, 
 And  while  I  sleep. 
 
 But  now,  dear  Jesus,  let  me  lay 
 
 My  head  upon  Thy  breast ; 
 I  am  too  tired  to  tell  Thee  more, 
 Thou  know'st  the  rest. 
 
 The  second  is  for  Morning  : — 
 
 Thy  little  one,  O  Saviour  dear, 
 
 Has  just  awoke  from  sleep, 
 And  through  the  coming  day  I  know 
 
 Thou  wilt  in  safety  keep. 
 
 Thou  hast  been  watching  over  me, 
 
 Through  all  the  long,  dark  night : 
 The  darkness  is  not  dark  to  Thee, 
 
 Because  Thou  art  the  Light. 
 
 I  felt  so  safe  and  happy,  Lord, 
 
 Although  I  could  not  see. 
 And  softly  whispered,  ere  I  slept, 
 
 "  O  God,  Thou  seest  rtie." 
 
 I  think  Thou'rt  smiling  on  me  now, 
 
 For  all  seems  bright  and  glad, 
 But  when  I'm  naughty.  Saviour  dear, 
 
 My  heart  is  always  sad. 
 
 I  want  Thy  kind  and  loving  smile 
 
 To  light  me  all  the  way  ; 
 O,  keep  me,  then,  from  doing  wrong, 
 
 Or  grieving  Thee  to-day. 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  457 
 
 E.  C.  W.,  who  prefers  to  keep  her  anonymity,  deserves 
 mention  for  the  simplicity  and  tenderness  of  her  hymns 
 for  childi'en.  They  were  first  included  in  my  "Book  of 
 Praise  for  Children."  This,  for  Evening,  is  very 
 beautiful : — 
 
 My  Father,  hear  my  prayer 
 
 Before  I  go  to  rest ; 
 It  is  Thy  little  child 
 
 That  cometh  to  be  blest. 
 
 Forgive  me  all  my  sin, 
 
 And  let  me  sleep  this  night 
 In  safety  and  in  peace 
 
 Until  the  morning  light. 
 
 Lord,  help  me  every  day 
 
 To  love  Thee  more  and  more, 
 And  try  to  do  Thy  will 
 
 Much  better  than  before. 
 
 Now  look  upon  me,  Lord, 
 
 Ere  I  lie  down  to  rest ; 
 It  is  Thy  little  child 
 
 That  cometh  to  be  blest. 
 
 As  is  the  following  : — 
 
 Lord,  Who  hast  made  me  Thy  dear  child, 
 
 And  loved  me  tenderly. 
 Oh,  hear  me  when  I  come  to  own 
 
 My  many  faults  to  Thee ! 
 
 How  often  I  have  thought  that  I 
 
 A  better  child  would  be. 
 More  gentle,  loving,  kind,  and  true, 
 
 And  pleasing  unto  Thee. 
 
 And  yet  I  have  not  conquered  sin, 
 
 Nor  striven  as  I  should  : 
 I  have  not  always  looked  to  Thee 
 
 When  trying  to  be  good. 
 
 Yet  turn  not  from  me,  dearest  Lord, 
 
 But  all  my  faults  forgive ; 
 And  grant  that  I  may  love  Thee  more 
 
 Each  day  on  earth  I  live. 
 
 To  Jeannette  Threlf all  we  owe  one  of  the  finest  of 
 our  hymns  for  children,  which  has  every  characteristic 
 needful  for  such  a  composition  : — 
 
458  te:e  hymn  lover. 
 
 Hosanna  !  loud  hosanna ! 
 
 The  little  children  sang  : 
 Through  pillared  court  and  temple 
 
 The  lovely  anthem  rang  ; 
 To  Jesus,  who  had  blessed  them, 
 
 Close  folded  to  His  breast, 
 The  children  sang  their  praises, 
 
 The  simplest  and  the  best. 
 
 From  Olivet  they  followed, 
 
 'Midst  an  exultant  crowd, 
 Waving  the  victor  palm  branch, 
 
 And  shouting  clear  and  loud  : 
 Bright  angels  joined  the  chorus, 
 
 Beyond  the  cloudless  sky — 
 "  Hosanna  in  the  highest : 
 
 Glory  to  God  on  high  !  " 
 
 Fair  leaves  of  silvery  olive 
 
 They  strewed  upon  the  ground, 
 Whilst  Salem's  circling  mountains 
 
 Echoed  the  joyful  sound  : 
 The  Lord  of  men  and  angels 
 
 Rode  on  in  lowly  state. 
 Nor  scorned  that  little  children 
 
 Should  on  his  bidding  wait. 
 
 '*  Hosanna  in  the  highest !  " 
 
 That  ancient  song  tve  sing ; 
 For  Christ  is  our  Redeemer, 
 
 The  Lord  of  heaven  our  King : 
 Oh  !  may  we  ever  praise  Him 
 
 With  heart,  and  life,  and  voice, 
 And  in  His  blisslul  presence 
 
 Eternally  rejoice ! 
 
 Sarah  Doudney  is  better  known  by  her  stories  than  her 
 hymns,  but  the  latter  deserve,  and  will  probably  secure,  a 
 larger  place  in  collections  for  chikben  than  they  have,  as 
 yet,  received,  as  may  be  judged  from  the  following 
 (published  in  1871)  :— 
 
 For  all  Thy  care  we  bless  Thee, 
 
 O  Father,  God  of  might ! 
 For  golden  hours  of  morning, 
 
 And  quiet  hours  of  night ; 
 Thine  is  the  arm  that  shields  us 
 
 When  danger  threatens  nigh, 
 And  Thine  the  hand  that  yields  us 
 
 Rich  gifts  of  earth  and  sky. 
 
GHILDBEN'S  HYMNS.  459 
 
 For  all  Thy  love  we  bless  Thee ; 
 
 No  mortal  lips  can  speak 
 Thy  comfort  to  the  weary, 
 
 Thy  pity  for  the  weak  : 
 By  Thee  life's  path  is  brightened 
 
 With  sunshine  and  with  song; 
 The  heavy  loads  are  lightened, 
 
 The  feeble  hearts  made  strong. 
 
 For  all  Thy  truth  we  bless  Thee  ; 
 
 Our  human  vows  are  frail, 
 But  through  the  strife  of  ages 
 
 Thy  word  can  never  fail ; 
 The  kingdoms  shall  be  broken, 
 
 The  mighty  ones  will  fall, 
 The  promise  Thou  hast  spoken 
 
 Shall  triumph  over  all. 
 
 0  teach  us  how  to  praise  Thee, 
 
 And  touch  our  lips  with  fire ! 
 Yea,  let  Thy  Dove  descending, 
 
 Our  hearts  and  minds  inspire  ; 
 Thus  toiling,  watching,  singing, 
 
 We  tread  our  desert  way. 
 And  every  hour  is  bringing 
 
 Nearer  the  dawn  of  day. 
 
 To  turn  to  the  other  sex  : — 
 
 John  Ellerton  (born  1826)  has  clone  excellent  work  in 
 this  department.  The  following  hymn  is  as  remarkable 
 for  its  lyric  as  its  practical  tone  : — 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee,— 
 When  our  hymns  in  school  we  raise  ; 
 
 Daily  work  begun  and  ended, 
 With  the  daily  voice  of  praise. 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, — 
 
 When,  as  each  new  day  is  born. 
 On  our  knees,  at  home,  we  bless  Thee 
 
 For  the  mercies  of  the  morn. 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, — ■ 
 I  In  our  hymns  before  we  sleep  ; 
 
 Angels  hear  them,  watching  by  us. 
 Christ's  dear  lambs  all  night  to  keep. 
 
 I       Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, —  ^ 
 
 Not  in  words  of  praise  alone ; 
 Truthful  lips,  and  meek  obedience, 
 Show  Thy  glory  in  Thine  own. 
 
460  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, — 
 
 When,  for  Jesu's  sake,  we  try 
 Every  wrong  to  bear  with  patience, 
 
 Every  sin  to  mortify. 
 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee, — 
 
 Till  our  days  on  earth  shall  cease, 
 Till  we  rest  from  these  our  labours, 
 
 Waiting  for  Thy  day  in  peace. 
 
 Then  on  that  eternal  morning, 
 
 With  Thy  great  redeemed  host, 
 May  we  fully  magnify  Thee — 
 
 Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 
 
 William  Walsham  How,   of  whose  hymns  for  Church 
 
 use  I  have  spoken  in  a  previous  chapter,  has  also  written 
 
 some  admirable  ones  for  children.     The  following,  which 
 
 appeared,  I  believe,  for  the  first  time  in  my  "  Book  of 
 
 Praise  for  Children,"  is  equal  to  those  of  Ann  and  Jane 
 
 Taylor,  but  touched  with  an  altogether  tenderer  spirit, 
 
 which  is  so  characteristic  of  the  theology  of  our  day  : — 
 
 It  is  a  thing  most  wonderful. 
 
 Almost  too  wonderful  to  be, 
 
 That  God's  own  Son  should  come  from  heaven, 
 
 And  die  to  save  a  child  like  me. 
 
 And  yet  I  know  that  it  is  true : 
 
 He  came  to  this  poor  world  below, 
 
 And  wept,  and  toiled,  and  mourned,  and  died, 
 
 Only  because  He  loved  us  so. 
 
 I  cannot  tell  how  He  could  love 
 A  child  so  weak  and  lull  of  sin ; 
 His  love  must  be  most  wonderful. 
 If  He  could  die  my  love  to  win. 
 
 I  sometimes  think  about  the  cross, 
 And  shut  my  eyes,  and  try  to  see 
 The  cruel  nails  and  crown  of  thorns, 
 And  Jesus  crucified  for  me. 
 
 But  even  could  I  see  Him  die, 
 
 I  could  but  see  a  little  part 
 
 Of  that  great  Love,  which,  like  a  fire. 
 
 Is  always  burning  in  His  heart. 
 
 It  is  most  wonderful  to  know 
 His  love  for  me  so  free  and  sure ; 
 But  'tis  more  wonderful  to  see 
 My  love  for  Him  so  faint  and  poor. 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  461 
 
 And  yet  1  want  to  love  Thee,  Lord, 
 O  light  the  flame  within  my  heart, 
 And  I  will  love  Thee  more  and  more, 
 Until  I  see  Thee  as  Thou  art. 
 
 In  an  altogether  bolder  and  more  jubilant  strain  is  the 
 
 following,  with  separate  verses  for  boys  and  girls: — 
 
 Come,  praise  your  Lord  and  Saviour 
 
 In  strains  of  holy  mirth  ; 
 Give  thanks  to  Him,  O  children, 
 
 Who  lived  a  child  on  earth. 
 He  loved  the  little  children. 
 
 And  called  them  to  His  side. 
 His  loving  arms  embraced  them 
 
 And  for  their  sake  He  died. 
 
 [Boys  only). 
 
 O  Jesu,  we  would  praise  Thee, 
 
 With  songs  of  holy  joy, 
 For  Thou  on  earth  didst  sojourn 
 
 A  pure  and  spotless  boy. 
 Make  us,  like  Thee,  obedient. 
 
 Like  Thee,  from  sin-stains  free. 
 Like  Thee,  in  God's  own  temple, 
 
 In  lowly  home,  like  Thee. 
 
 {Girls  only). 
 
 O  Jesu,  we  too  praise  Thee, 
 
 The  lowly  maiden's  Son  : 
 In  Thee  all  gentlest  graces 
 
 Are  gathered  into  one ; 
 Oh  !  give  that  best  adornment 
 
 That  Christian  maid  can  wear, 
 The  meek  and  quiet  spirit 
 
 Which  shone  in  Thee  so  fair. 
 
 {Ad). 
 
 O  Lord,  with  voices  blended. 
 
 We  sing  our  songs  of  praise  : 
 Be  Thou  the  light  and  pattern 
 
 Of  all  our  childhood's  days  ; 
 And  lead  us  ever  onward. 
 
 That,  while  we  stay  below. 
 We  may,  like  Thee,  O  Jesu, 
 
 In  grace  and  wisdom  grow. 
 
 Both  Bishop  How  and  Mr.  Ellerton  have  also  done  good 
 service  by  the  taste  and  judgment  they  have  brought  to 
 bear  on  the  Children's  Hymnals  which  they  have  borne  a 
 part  in  editing. 
 
462  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Thomas    Benson    Pollock,    of    Biimingham,    deserves 
 
 mention  as  tlie  author  of  a  number  of  Metrical  Litanies, 
 
 some  of  which  are  admirably  suited  for  children's  use,  as 
 
 may  be  seen  from  the  following  Litany,  of  which  I  quote 
 
 the  first  part : — 
 
 Jesu,  from  Thy  throne  on  high, 
 Far  above  the  bright  blue  sky, 
 Look  on  us  with  loving  eye. 
 Hear  us,  Holy  Jesu. 
 
 Little  children  need  not  fear 
 When  they  know  that  Thou  art  near, 
 Thou  dost  love  us,  Saviour  dear. 
 Hear  us,  Holy  Jesu. 
 
 Little  lambs  may  come  to  Thee  ; 
 Thou  wilt  fold  us  tenderly, 
 And  our  careful  Shepherd  be, 
 Hear  us,  Holy  Jesu. 
 
 Little  lives  may  be  divine, 
 Little  deeds  of  love  may  shine, 
 Little  ones  be  wholly  Thine, 
 Hear  us,  Holy  Jesu. 
 
 Little  hearts  may  love  Thee  well, 
 Little  lips  Thy  love  may  tell : 
 Little  hymns  Thy  praises  swell. 
 Hear  us,  Holy  Jesu. 
 
 Jesu,  once  an  infant  small, 
 Cradled  in  the  oxen's  stall. 
 Though  the  God  and  Lord  of  all, 
 Hear  us,  Holy  Jesu. 
 
 Once  a  child  so  good  and  fair. 
 Feeling  want  and  toil  and  care, 
 All  that  we  may  have  to  bear, 
 Hear  us.  Holy  Jesu. 
 
 Jesu,  Thou  dost  love  us  still. 
 And  it  is  Thy  holy  will 
 That  we  should  be  safe  from  ill : 
 Hear  us,  Holy  Jesu. 
 
 Fold  us  to  Thy  loving  breast, 
 
 There  may  we,  in  happy  rest, 
 
 Feel  that  we  indeed  are  blest : 
 
 Hear  us.  Holy  Jesu. 
 
CEILDBEN'S  EY2INS.  463 
 
 Benjamin  "Waugh  (born  1839),  whose  "  Sunday 
 Evenings  with  my  Chikben"  are  so  well  known,  and 
 whose  untiring  labours  on  behalf  of  children,  in 
 connection  with  the  London  Society  for  their  protection, 
 deserves  grateful  record,  has  written  many  hymns  for 
 childi'en,  which  have  not,  as  yet,  come  into  use  so 
 largely  as  their  merit  deserves.  The  following  enforces, 
 with  great  tenderness,  a  much  needed  idea  : — 
 
 Where  is  Jesus,  little  children  ? 
 
 Is  He  up  in  heaven  ? 
 Has  God  taken  back  the  present 
 
 Which  of  old  was  given  ? 
 
 Where  is  Jesus,  little  children  ? 
 
 Is  He  in  a  book  ? 
 Has  He  ceased  to  talk  to  people, 
 
 And  on  them  to  look  ? 
 
 Where  is  Jesus,  little  children  ? 
 
 With  us  evermore 
 He  is  here,  and  we  may  find  him 
 
 Shut  within  this  door. 
 
 Jesus  is  a  lovely  spirit, 
 
 Lowly,  pure,  and  kind  ; 
 Feeling  in  the  hearts  of  people, 
 
 Thinking  in  their  mind. 
 
 Self-forgetting,  gentle  mercy. 
 
 Love  that  will  not  die. 
 These  betray  the  heart  of  Jesus, 
 
 Tell  us  He  is  nigh. 
 
 Shut  within  the  souls  of  children, 
 
 Jesus  makes  His  home  ; 
 Where  the  heart  has  heard  Him  knocking, 
 
 And  has  bid  Him  come. 
 
 Jesus,  make  in  us  Thy  dwelling ; 
 
 Come  with  us  to  live  ; 
 And  to  each  and  all  our  doings 
 
 Thy  dear  beauty  give. 
 
 This,  too,  is  equally  good:  — 
 
 I'll  come  to  Thee,  O  Jesus  Christ ! 
 
 I'll  Thy  disciple  be ; 
 Not  tears,  not  deeds,  but  self  I'll  bring, 
 
 Because  Thou  callest  me. 
 
464  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 I'll  follow  Thee  to  watch  Thy  ways, 
 
 From  manger  on  to  grave ; 
 For,  step  by  step,  'tis  Ihus  I  learn 
 
 Thy  sovereign  power  to  save. 
 
 I'll  strive  to  do  Thy  blessed  will, 
 
 Renounce  my  foolish  ways, 
 And  live  a  life,  though  stained  by  sin, 
 
 More  worthy  of  Thy  grace. 
 
 I'll  hope  through  all  my  mortal  days 
 
 Thee  by  my  side  to  find ; 
 To  feast  my  eyes,  to  fire  my  heart, 
 
 To  beautify  my  mind. 
 
 I'U  sing  Thee  here,  my  spirit's  Prince, 
 
 And  follow  in  Thy  train. 
 Until  Thy  will  my  place  shall  change, 
 
 And  death  shall  be  my  gain  ; 
 
 Then,  brighter  far  than  summer's  sun, 
 
 More  glad  than  marriage  joy. 
 In  serving,  praising,  crowning  Thee, 
 
 Eternal  life  employ. 
 
 This,  though  rather  a  tender  appeal  from  the  child  to  tne 
 teacher,  is  yet  very  natural : — 
 
 O,  who  will  show  me  Jesus  Christ  ? 
 
 0,  who  will  take  my  hand  ? 
 And  lead  to  Him  whose  words  they  say 
 
 A  child  can  understand  ! 
 
 Will  some  one  let  me  see  the  face 
 
 Which  made  the  children  smile, 
 And  lead  me  through  the  crowd  and  throng 
 
 And  stop  with  me  awhile  ? 
 
 Will  some  one  let  me  feel  the  touch 
 
 Which  made  the  children  well, 
 Cast  out  the  evil  things  within. 
 
 And  made  the  good  ones  dwell  ? 
 
 They  say  that  He  is  somewhere  now  ; 
 
 Will  some  one  show  me  where  ? 
 Will  those  who  know  just  take  my  hand, 
 
 And  kindly  lead  me  there  ? 
 
 It  seems  as  if  I  heard  a  call : 
 
 "  Come,  little  child,  to  me." 
 O,  Jesus,  put  it  in  some  heart 
 
 To  bring  me  unto  Thee. 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  465 
 
 ]S"ewinan  Hall,  who  has  written  many  hymns  for  adults, 
 which  do  not  seem  to  me  very  distinctive  or  original,  has 
 however,  struck  a  really  beautiful  note  in  the  following 
 hymn  for  children;  which,  he  tells  me,  came  into  his 
 mind  as  he  was  walking  down  Hampstead  Hill : — 
 
 Day  again  is  dawning, 
 
 Darlmess  flies  away, 
 Now  from  sleep  awaking 
 
 Let  me  rise  and  pray. 
 Jesus,  tender  Shepherd, 
 
 A\  atching  while  I  slept. 
 Bless  the  little  lambkin 
 
 Thou  hast  safely  kept. 
 
 Help  me,  Lord,  to  praise  Thee, 
 
 For  my  cosy  bed  ; 
 For  my  clothes  and  playthings, 
 
 For  my  daily  bread  ; 
 For  my  darling  mother, 
 
 For  my  father  dear ; 
 For  the  friends  who  love  me, 
 
 Far  away  and  near. 
 
 Robin  blithe  is  chirping, 
 
 Glad  the  night  is  o'er ; 
 Larks  the  light  are  greeting, 
 
 Singing  as  they  soar : 
 I'm  Thy  little  bii'die. 
 
 May  I  ever  sing, 
 Goodness  making  music 
 
 Unto  Christ  my  King. 
 
 Daisies  now  are  turning 
 
 Bright  eyes  to  the  sun  ; 
 And  the  light  is  shining 
 
 On  them  every  one : 
 I'm  Thy  little  flower, 
 
 Jesus,  shine  on  me, 
 Tm-ning  all  my  lifetime 
 
 Grateful  eyes  to  Thee. 
 
 I  omit  the  doxology,  as  experience  has  shown  that  it  is 
 not  suitable  for  children,  and  somewhat  mars  the  simplicity 
 of  the  previous  verses. 
 
 Samuel  Baring  Gould  (born  1834),  vicar  of  Lew 
 Trenchard,  to  whom  we  owe  the  fine  rendering  from  the 
 Danish   of   Ingemann's   hymn,    "Through   the   night   of 
 
 H    2 
 
466  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 doubt  and  sorrow,"  and  who  is  the  author  of  "  Onward, 
 Christian  soldiers,  marching  as  to  war,"  also  wrote  an 
 Evening  Hymn  for  children,  remarkable  for  its  simplicity 
 and  picturesqueness,  "]^ow  the  day  is  over."  It  is  one 
 of  the  finest  children's  hymns  for  that  season  in  the 
 language. 
 
 Albert  Midlane  (born  1825)  has  written  many  hymns, 
 most  of  which  do  not  rise  above  mediocrity ;  but  one  for 
 childi-en,  "  There's  a  friend  for  little  children,"  has 
 attained  to  great  popularity,  and  is  included  in  most 
 children's  hymnals.  It  has  the  picturesqueness  and 
 melody  which  are  so  vital  to  a  good  hymn  for  children. 
 
 Some  of  AYilliam  Chatterton  Dix's  hymns,  to  which  I 
 have  already  referred  (see  page  299),  are  suitable,  and, 
 indeed,  prized  by  children,  but  the  following  one,  written 
 specially  for  them,  seems  to  me  singularly  healthy  and 
 
 beautiful : — 
 
 In  our  work,  and  in  our  play, 
 Jesu,  be  Thou  ever  near, 
 Guarding,  guiding,  all  the  day, 
 Keeping  in  Thy  holy  fear. 
 
 Thou  didst  toil,  a  lowly  Child 
 In  the  far-off  Holy  land. 
 Blessing  labour  undefiled. 
 Pure,  and  honest  of  the  hand. 
 
 Thou  wilt  bless  our  playhour  too, 
 If  we  ask  Thy  succour  strong ; 
 Watch  o'er  all  we  eay  or  do. 
 Hold  us  back  from  guilt  and  wrong. 
 
 Oh  !  how  happy  thus  to  spend 
 Work  and  playtime  in  His  sight, 
 Till  the  Rest  which  shall  not  end. 
 Till  the  Day  which  knows  no  night. 
 
 Francis  Turner  Palgrave,  of  whom  I  have  spoken  in 
 a  previous  chapter,  has  written  some  of  the  best  hymns 
 for  children  in  the  language,  among  which  may  be  named 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  467 
 
 "  Thou  that  once  on  mother's  knee,"  and  the  following 
 Morning  Hymn,  which  should  he  better  known  than  it  is : 
 
 0  God,  who,  when  the  night  was  deep, 
 Hast  kept  me  safe,  and  lent  me  sleep, 
 Now  with  Thy  sun  Thou  bid'st  me  rise. 
 And  look  around  with  older  eyes. 
 
 Each  blessed  morning  Thou  dost  give, 
 
 1  have  one  morning  less  to  live ; 
 O  help  me  so  this  day  to  spend, 
 To  make  me  fitter  for  the  end. 
 
 O  bid  all  evil  wishes  fly. 
 
 The  fretful  word,  and  idle  eye  ; 
 
 Help  me  to  think,  in  all  1  do, 
 
 "  God  sees  me  :  would  He  have  it  so  ?  " 
 
 Make  my  first  wish  and  thought  to  be 
 For  others  sooner  than  for  me ; 
 And  let  me  pardon  them,  as  I 
 Hope  for  God's  pardon  when  I  die. 
 
 Be  with  me  when  I  work  and  play. 
 Be  with  me  now  and  every  day, 
 Be  near  me,  when  I  pray  Thee  hear ; 
 And  when  I  pray  not.  Lord,  be  near. 
 
 His  Evening  Hymn,  beginning  "  0  Lord,  who,  when  Thy 
 cross  was  nigh,"  is  not  quite  equal  to  that  for  Morning. 
 
 Among  hymns  by  anonymous  writers,  mention  should 
 be  made  of  the  following: — "Little  children,  wake  and 
 listen,"  "The  fields  are  all  white,"  and  "0,  what  can  little 
 hands  do  ?  " 
 
 Perhaps  the  only  hymn  (if  that  word  be  used  in  its 
 
 proper  sense)  for  children  by  one  of  the  great  English 
 
 poets,    is   the   following,    by   Samuel   Taylor    Coleridge, 
 
 which  is  very  simple  and  beautiful : — 
 
 Ere  on  my  bed  my  limbs  I  lay, 
 
 God  grant  me  grace  my  prayers  to  eay  ; 
 
 O  God,  preserve  my  mother  dear 
 
 In  strength  and  health  for  many  a  year. 
 
 And  0  preserve  my  father  too. 
 And  may  I  pay  him  reverence  due  ; 
 And  may  I  my  best  thoughts  employ 
 To  be  my  parents'  hope  and  joy. 
 
468  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 And  now,  O  Lord,  to  me  impart 
 An  innocent  and  gratetul  heart, 
 That  after  ray  last  sleep  I  may 
 Awake  to  Thy  eternal  day. 
 
 It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  greater  poets  did  not 
 
 consecrate  their  powers  to   such   a  work.     What  noble 
 
 verses  we  might  have  had,  if  a  man  like  Charles  Kingsley 
 
 had  written  verses  for  children,  suffused  with  the  spirit  of 
 
 his   lovely  poem  addressed   to   a  child,  which  I  cannot 
 
 forbear  quoting : — 
 
 My  fairest  child,  I  have  no  song  to  give  you : 
 No  lark  could  pipe  to  skies  so  dull  and  gray ; 
 Yet,  ere  we  part,  one  lesson  I  can  leave  you 
 For  every  day. 
 
 Be  good,  sweet  maid,  and  let  who  will  be  clever  : 
 Do  noble  things,  not  dream  them  all  day  long ; 
 And  so  make  life,  death,  and  that  vast  forever 
 One  grand,  sweet  song. 
 
 The   only  hymnal  of    any  merit   for    children   of   the 
 
 Roman   Catholic   Church,    is   that    issued    by  the   Rev. 
 
 Henry  Eormby,    under   the    title   of    "  School    Songs.'* 
 
 Concerning  the  authorship  of  the  hymns  included  in  this 
 
 book,  the  Editor  gives  no  hint ;  some  are  probably  from 
 
 his  own  pen.     This  is  one  of  the  best : — 
 
 When  Jesus  halted  on  his  way, 
 
 And  many  throng'd  to  see, 
 Though  some  forbade,  yet  would  He  say, 
 
 "  Come,  little  ones,  to  me." 
 
 O,  happy  then  that  infant  band 
 
 That  gathered  round  His  knee, 
 And  happy  they  who  kiss'd  the  hand 
 
 That  bled  to  set  them  free. 
 
 Had  I  been  near  Him  on  that  day. 
 
 His  gracious  smile  to  see  ; 
 Had  I  been  near  to  hear  Him  say, 
 
 <'  Come,  httle  ones,  to  me  " — 
 
 0,  what  were  then  a  throne  above, 
 
 Or  seraph's  seat  on  high, 
 Compared  with  one  sweet  glance  of  love 
 
 From  that  all- pitying  eye  ! 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  469 
 
 Yet  hast  Thou  not,  my  Lord  and  God, 
 
 Though  on  Thy  throne  above. 
 Still  here  on  earth  Thy  own  abode, 
 
 The  altar  of  Thy  love  ? 
 
 O,  thither,  then,  let  me  repair. 
 
 Thy  gracious  smile  to  see, 
 And  hear  Thee  say,  in  stillness  there, 
 
 **  Come,  little  one,  to  Me.'* 
 
 Though  no  hymnal  for  childien  of  any  great  value  has 
 been  issued  by  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church,  yet  many  in 
 that  communion|  have  written  good  hymns  for  children  ; 
 among  whom  may  be  named  Father  Stansfeld,  Jane  E. 
 Leeson  (who  late  in  life  joined  that  communion),  and  the 
 Sister  Mary  Clare  of  Kenmare,  whose  Easter  Hymn  I 
 append : — 
 
 Hark,  the  angels  bright  are  singing 
 
 In  the  glorious  Easter  sky : 
 Jesus  from  the  grave  has  risen, 
 Jesus  now  no  more  may  die. 
 Alleluia,  alleluia,  this  is  what  the  angels  say, 
 Alleluia,  alleluia,  we  will  sing  with  them  to-day. 
 
 Pilate's  soldiers  tried  to  keep 
 
 Jesus  fast  within  the  grave ; 
 And  they  put  a  seal  and  stone 
 
 Upon  the  entrance  to  the  cave. 
 Alleluia,  alleluia,  &c. 
 
 But  when  three  days  passed  away. 
 
 At  the  awful  midnight  hour, 
 Jesus  rose  all  gloriously 
 
 By  His  own  almighty  power. 
 Alleluia,  alleluia. 
 
 We  must  die  as  Jesus  died, 
 But  we,  too,  from  death  shall  rise, 
 
 Then  with  Him,  if  we  are  good, 
 We  shall  reign  beyond  the  skies. 
 Alleluia,  alleluia. 
 
 Father  Eaber's  hymn  to  the   Guardian  Angel,  ''  Dear 
 
 Angel,  ever  at  my  side,"  is  usually  altered  and  addressed 
 
 to  Jesus  in  children's  hymn  books,  but  it  is  not  quite 
 
 congruous  to  its  altered  object.     The  following  is  better 
 
 suited  to  its  puipose  : — 
 
470  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 Jesus,  gentlest  Saviour, 
 God  of  might  and  power, 
 
 Thou  Thyself  art  dwelling 
 In  us  at  this  hour. 
 
 Nature  cannot  hold  Thee, 
 Heaven  is  all  too  strait, 
 
 For  Thine  endless  glory. 
 Or  Thy  royal  state. 
 
 Out  beyond  the  shining 
 
 Of  the  farthest  star, 
 Thou  art  ever  stretching 
 
 Infinitely  far. 
 
 Jesus,  gentlest  Saviour 
 
 Thou  art  in  us  now  ; 
 Fill  us  full  of  goodness 
 
 Till  our  hearts  o'erflow. 
 
 Yet  the  hearts  of  children 
 Hold  what  words  cannot. 
 
 And  the  God  of  wonders 
 Loves  the  lowly  spot. 
 
 As  men  to  their  gardens 
 Go  to  see"k  sweet  flowers, 
 
 In  our  hearts  dear  Jesus 
 Seeks  them  at  all  hours. 
 
 Pray  the  prayer  within  us 
 That  to  heaven  shall  rise ; 
 
 Sing  the  song  that  angels 
 Sing  above  the  skies. 
 
 Multiply  our  graces. 
 Chiefly  love  and  fear ; 
 
 And,  dear  Lord,  the  chiefest, 
 Grace  to  persevere. 
 
 Oh  !  how  can  we  thank  Thee 
 
 For  a  gift  like  this — 
 Gift  that  truly  maketh 
 
 Heaven's  eternal  bliss. 
 
 Ah  !  when  wilt  Thou  always 
 Make  our  hearts  Thy  home? 
 
 We  must  wait  for  heaven, 
 Then  the  day  will  come. 
 
 Now  at  least  we'll  keep  Thee 
 All  the  time  we  may  ; 
 
 But  Thy  grace  and  blessing 
 We  will  keep  alway. 
 
CHILDREN'S  HYMNS.  471 
 
 Even  the  Jews  have,  of  late,  felt  the  need  of  hymns 
 for  the  use  of  the  children  in  their  schools.  A  few  years 
 ago,  a  selection  from  ''  The  Eook  of  Praise  for  Children," 
 edited  by  myself,  was  prepared  and  published  by  a  Jewish 
 lady,  and,  strange  to  say,  its  origin  frankly  acknowledged 
 on  the  title  page,  and  the  name  of  the  Editor  of  the 
 original  book  given.  ISTot  a  single  hymn  by  any  Jewish 
 writer  was  added,  probably  because  they  have  never 
 entered  on  this  field. 
 
 It  is  pleasant  to  note  that  the  sickly  sentimentalism 
 which  once  prevailed  in  not  a  few  children's  hymns,  in 
 which  they  were  made  to  express  disgust  at  earth,  and 
 longing  for  heaven,  such  as  in  "  Here  we  suffer  grief  and 
 pain,"  and  ''  I  want  to  be  an  angel,"  is,  save  in  quarters 
 least  spiritually  enlightened,  dying  out,  and  before  long 
 will  probably  be  regarded  as  a  folly  of  the  past.  To 
 help  on  such  a  result,  I  edited  and  published,  thirteen 
 years  ago,  "  The  Book  of  Praise  for  Children,"  which,  I 
 have  been  glad  to  know,  was  the  beginning  of  a  more 
 healthy  style  of  children's  hymnal ;  but,  in  spite  of  all 
 that  has  since  been  done,  and  all  the  improvement  that 
 has  been  made,  the  ideal  children's  hymnal  is  yet  a  thing 
 of  the  future.  The  existing  materials  are  now  ample, 
 and  all  that  is  wanted  is  an  Editor  with  sufficient 
 critical  discrimination  to  discern  the  really  good,  and 
 sufficient  courage  rigorously  to  exclude  the  unworthy. 
 
472 
 
 CHAPTEE  XXII. 
 
 MISSION    HYMjS'S. 
 
 In  most  great  revivals  of  religion,  alike  in  ancient  and 
 modern  times,  song  lias  played  a  very  important  part. 
 This  was  the  ca^  in  early  times  hoth  in  the  Eastern  and 
 Western  Churches,  and  later — in  the  days  of  the  Refor- 
 mation— both  in  Germany  and  England.  But  in  such 
 times  there  does  not  seem  to  have  sprung  up,  as  ia  later 
 ones,  a  distinct  type  of  hymns,  but  the  ordinary  ones  of 
 the  Church  were  deemed  suitable.  The  great  Methodist 
 revival  of  the  last  century  would  seem  to  have  been  the 
 first  which  gave  birth  to  a  class  of  hymns  specially 
 written  for  revival  services.  That  movement,  however, 
 was  fortunate  in  having  for  one  of  its  leaders  a  really 
 great  hymnist,  perhaps  the  greatest  the  Church  has  yet 
 produced.  The  hymns  of  Charles  Wesley,  however,  though 
 suffused  with  religious  feeling,  full  of  emotional 
 expression,  and  cast  in  forms  eminently  adapted  to  fit 
 them  for  popular  use,  were  nevertheless  so  touched  with 
 the  essentially  poetic  nature  of  their  author  that  they 
 were  adopted  not  only  in  the  gatherings  of  the  rude  and 
 unlettered,  but  also  in  the  ordinary  worship  of  the 
 Churches.  Doubtless  hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of  his 
 hymns  were  used  during  the  first  Methodist  revival  which 
 have  since  been  neglected,  and  are  now  only  to  be  found 
 
MISSION  HYMNS.  473 
 
 in    the     collected    edition    of     his     works,     now    used 
 merely  as  a  work  of  reference. 
 
 More  recent  revivals  of  religion  have  not  been  so 
 fortunate  as  to  possess  hymnists  with  the  exceptional  ability 
 of  Charles  Wesley.  Dr.  Bonar  is  probably  the  only 
 example  of  a  really  great  hymnist  in  modern  times  who 
 has  consecrated  his  gifts  to  the  production  of  verses 
 specially  adapted  for  times  of  religious  .revival.  The 
 leaders,  therefore,  of  such  movements  have  been  compelled 
 to  fall  back  on  hymns  which  had  established  themselves 
 already  in  the  favour  of  the  Church,  and  for  the  novelties 
 which  they  deemed  essential  to  their  collections  they  have 
 been  driven  to  writers  of  a  very  inferior  type.  And  we 
 find,  as  a  consequence,  singularly  few  hymns  of  permanent 
 value  have  been  produced.  Here  and  there  we  meet  with 
 a  hymn  of  merit,  such  as  "Hark!  'tis  the  watchman's 
 cry,"  by  an  anonymous  writer  (which  though  published 
 in  "The  Eevival,"  has  not  been  included  in  the  well- 
 known  Mission  Hymnals),  and  "There  were  ninety-and- 
 nine  which  safely  lay,"  by  Elizabeth  C.  Clephane  ;  but 
 modern  revival  movements  have  been  strikingly  deficient 
 in  the  production  of  hymns  of  any  great  value.  A  large 
 number  of  hymns  have  indeed  been  written  for  mission 
 services,  but  they  are  either  so  devoid  of  poetic  inspiration 
 or  literary  merit,  or  are  so  marred  by  objectionable 
 elements  or  crude  theology,  that  they  have  not  passed  into 
 the  general  worship  of  the  Church.  To  many  of  them 
 the  remark  of  Lord  Lindsay  applies  :  "  The  metaphors,  it 
 should  be  observed,  derived  from  love  and  marriage,  as 
 typical  of  union  with  God,  have  given  sanction  to  very 
 reprehensible  language  and  imagery,  not  only  among 
 the     Mystic     poets     of     the     East,     but     among    the 
 
474  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 hymn -writers  of  Christeuclom."^'  Such  popularity  as 
 they  havejattained  is  to  be  ascribed  to  the  lively  tunes  to 
 which  they  have  been  wedded,  and  the  catching,  easy 
 choruses  by  which  they,  are  accompanied.  The  great 
 success  of  "  Sacred  Songs  and  Solos,"  by  Ira  D.  Sankey, 
 has  chiefly  arisen  fi'om  these  causes,  for  most  of  the  new 
 hymns  included  are  exceedingly  dull  and  altogether 
 lacking  in  the  elements  which  would  catch  the  popular 
 ear,  but  the  bright  melodious  music,  and  the  chorus  in 
 which  the  common  people  can  readily  join,  is  an  excuse  for 
 all  shortcomings.  Indeed,  in  many  cases  the  words  seem 
 to  have  been  written  for  the  music,  and  are  destitute  of 
 all  that  goes  to  make  up  a  worthy  hymn.  Illustrations  of 
 this  will  occur  to  all  thoughtful  readers  of  ''  Songs  and 
 Solos."  It  is  a  great  misfortune^that  a  collection  which 
 has  attained  such  a  phenomenal  popularity  was  not  com- 
 piled with  greater  care  and  taste,  since  its  music  might 
 have  given  currency  to  hymns  of  a  far  higher  and  more 
 helpful  type.  Mr.  Sankey  himself  seems  to  have  felt  this, 
 for  he  once  said,  ''I  find  it  much  more  difficult  to  get 
 good  words  than  good  music.  Our  best  words  come  from 
 England ;  the  music  which  best  suits  our  purpose  comes 
 from  America."!  The  common  people  would  sing  the 
 nobler  hymns  of  the  Church  just  as  readily  were  they  set 
 to  easy  and  melodious  tunes  if  suitable  choruses  were 
 added.  This  remark  applies  in  a  still  stronger  degree  to 
 many  of  the  hymns  used  by  the  Salvation  Army.  "  Songs 
 and  Solos "  are  classic  compared  with  "  The  Salvation 
 Soldier's  Song  Book,"  in  which  such  verses  as  the 
 following  occur. 
 
 *  *'  Lectures  on  Christian  Art,"  page  77. 
 t"  Studies  in  Worship  Music,"  vol.  ii,  p.  39. 
 
JlIISSION  EYjMNS.  475 
 
 The  Devil  and  me,  we  can't  agree, 
 I  hate  him,  and  he  hates  me  ; 
 He  had  me  once,  but  he  let  me  po. 
 He  wants  me  again,  but  I  will  not  go. 
 
 The  publicans  are  crying  out, 
 Because  the  Army  is  going  about ; 
 But  still  about  we  mean  to  go. 
 And  rout  the  Devil  and  every  foe. 
 
 We'll  sing  and  pray,  and  we'll  believe, 
 And  sinners  shall  the  truth  receive  ; 
 We'll  preach  the  truth  in  every  town, 
 And  pull  the  Devil's  kingdom  down. 
 
 My  old  companions,  fare  you  well, 
 
 I  will  not  go  with  you  to  hell ; 
 
 My  happy  comrades  are  so  kind, 
 
 I've  left  the  world  and  the  Devil  behind. 
 
 This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  when  the  method  of  their 
 production  is  remembered.  It  is  said  that  "there  are  four 
 men  at  headquarters  whose  business  it  is  to  keep  a  look- 
 out for  new  tunes,  write  '  Armj  '  words  to  them,  arrange 
 them  for  brass  bands,  and  see  them  through  the  press."* 
 It  will  of  course  be  said  that  by  means  of  such  move- 
 ments hymns  have  been  made  popular,  and  are  sung 
 on  week-days  as  well  as  Sundays,  in  the  shop  as  well  as  in 
 the  Church,  in  the  street  as  well  as  in  the  midst  of 
 worship.  This  seems  a  gain,  and  it  is  such,  if  devout 
 feeling  be  in  the  heart  when  they  are  sung.  But  it  is 
 quite  as  possible  to  render  sacred  things  common  as  to 
 render  common  things  sacred.  People  may  almost  as  well 
 sing  the  Devil's  songs  as  sing  the  Lord's  songs  in  an 
 utterly  careless  spirit.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  truth  in 
 the  following  words  of  Montaigne  : — "  It  is  not  without 
 very  good  reason,  in  my  opinion,  that  the  Church  interdicts 
 the  promiscuous,  rash,  and  indiscreet  use  of  the  sacred 
 and  divine  songs  with  which  the  Holy  Ghost  inspired 
 King  David.     AVc  ought  not  to  mix  God  in  our  actions 
 
 *  •'  Studies  in  Worship  Music,'  vol.  ii,  pp.  24-25. 
 
476  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 but  with  the  highest  reverence  and  honour.  That  poesy 
 is  too  divine  to  be  employed  only  to  exercise  the  lungs 
 and  to  delight  our  ears.  It  ought  to  come  from  the  soul 
 and  not  from  the  tongue.  It  is  not  fit  that  a  boy  in  a 
 shop,  amongst  his  vain  and  frivolous  thoughts  should  be 
 permitted  to  entertain  and  divert  himself  with  psalmody." 
 
 Indeed,  even  Marot's  translations  of  the  Psalms,  whose 
 superior  quality  and  sacredness  should  have  preserved 
 them  from  such  a  use,  were  sung  all  over  France,  and 
 especially  in  Paris,  by  the  courtiers  and  courtesans  of  that 
 corrupt  court  and  city,  and  for  a  time  it  was  the  fashion 
 to  sing  them — a  fashion  which  had  little  influence  on  the 
 spiritual  or  even  ethical  life  of  the  singers. 
 
 Aubrey  de  Yere  well  says : — 
 
 Ye  who  would  build  the  churches  of  the  Lord, 
 See  that  ye  make  the  western  portals  low  : 
 Let  no  one  enter  who  disdains  to  bow. 
 High  truths  profanely  gazed  at,  unadored, 
 Will  be  abused  at  tii'st,  at  last  abhorred. 
 
 Doggerel  tends  to  such  irreverence,  whilst  hymns  of  the 
 nobler  sort  usually,  though  not  alway,  tend  to  uplift  and 
 solemnise  the  minds  even  of  the  careless. 
 
 There  is  another  danger  in  relation  to  hymns  of  a 
 revival  kind.  They  are  naturally  and  properly  occupied 
 with  the  initial  stage  of  the  Christian  life — faith  in  our 
 Lord  Jesus  Christ — but  in  too  many  cases  they  are  re- 
 tained as  the  permanent  and  only  collection  for  worship. 
 Por  this  they  are  certainly  not  suited,  since  they  leave 
 untouched  many  of  the  great  truths  which  should  after- 
 wards occupy  the  mind,  whilst  they  are  not  only 
 singularly  deficient  in  those  ethical  elements  by  which 
 faith  should  be  directed  into  right  channles,  but  in  some 
 cases  they  even  cast  contempt  on  what    Christ   laid  so 
 
MISSION  HYMNS,  471 
 
 mucli  stress — the  doing  of   the  will  of  God — as  in  the 
 
 following  verses,  which  are  an  exaggerated  and  one-sided 
 
 delineation  of  faith  : — 
 
 Nothing  either  great  or  small — nothing,  sinner,  no  ; 
 Jesus  did  it,  did  it  all,  long,  long  ago. 
 
 "  It  is  finish'd!  "    Yes,  indeed,  finish'd  every  jot, 
 Sinner,  this  is  all  you  need  ;  tell  me,  is  it  not  ? 
 
 When  He  from  His  lofty  throne  stooped  to  do  and  die, 
 Everything  was  fully  done.     Hearken  to  His  cry — 
 
 "  Weary,  working,  burden'd  one,  wherefore  toil  you  so?" 
 Cease  your  doing :  all  was  done  long,  long  ago. 
 
 Till  to  Jesus'  work  you  cling  by  a  simple  faith, 
 
 "  Doing  "  is  a  deadly  thing — "  doing  "  ends  in  death. 
 
 Cast  your  deadly  "  doing  "  down — down  at  Jesus'  feet ; 
 Stand  "  in  Him,"  in  Him  alone,  gloriously  "  complete." 
 
 And  the  result  is  often  seen  in  a  religion  more  erotic 
 
 than  spiritual ;  more  sentimental  than  practical.     Their 
 
 theology,  indeed,  is  sadly  one-sided,  and  wanting  in  some 
 
 of  the  elements  most  conspicuous  in  the  teaching  of  our 
 
 Lord  and  His  Apostles.     It  is  a  great  misfortune  for  any 
 
 Christian  community  to  ho  restricted  to  hymns  suitable 
 
 enough  for  the  origination  of  the  Christian  life,  but  not 
 
 full  or  varied  enough  for  its  after  culture.     This  is  like 
 
 making  the  lesson  books  of  the  Infant  class  suffice  for  the 
 
 whole  course  of  education.     The  piety  of  the  Church  is  thus 
 
 emasculated,  and  fails  in  that  robustness  which  should  be 
 
 one   of   its  chief   characteristics.     And  men  and  women 
 
 love  rather  to  sing  about  religion  than  to  practise  it — 
 
 they  easily  acquire  a  habit  of   singing  words  to   sweet 
 
 music  with  but  very  little  regard  to  the  meaning  of  the 
 
 words  themselves.     The  precept  addressed  in  the  ancient 
 
 Church  to  the  Choregus  needs  to  be  borne  in  mind  by  all 
 
 who  sing  holy  songs  : — *'  See  that  what  thou  singest  with 
 
 thy  lip,  thou  believest  also  in  thine  heart,  and  what  thou 
 
 believest  in  thine  heart,  thou  practisest  also  in  thy  life." 
 
478 
 
 CHAPTEE    XXIIL 
 
 or  ALTERATIONS  m  HYMNS. 
 
 The  special  cross  most  hymn-writers  have  had  to  complain 
 of,  and  yet  to  bear,  is  the  alteration  of  their  verses 
 by  Editors  of  Hymnals.  In  many  cases,  however,  these 
 very  writers  have  themselves  done  a  considerable  amount 
 of  alteration  to  hymns  by  other  authors.  John  Wesley, 
 in  the  preface  to  his  hymn-book,  complains  bitterly  of  the 
 way  in  which  his  brother  Charles's  hymns  had  been 
 altered.  James  Montgomery,  in  the  preface  to  the 
 collected  edition  of  his  hymns,  makes  a  similar  complaint. 
 But  with  a  strange  inconsistency,  both  of  them  had  been 
 guilty  of  the  very  thing  they  blame  in  others.  John 
 Wesley,  in  his  "Hymn  Book  for  Methodists,"  altered 
 the  hymns  of  Herbert,  Sandys,  Austin,  and  Watts  ;  and 
 in  his  "  Christian  Psalmist,"  James  Montgomery  did 
 the  same  in  the  case  of  other  writers.  It  would  be 
 difficult,  indeed,  to  find  a  hymn-hooh  for  actual  use  in 
 puhlic  worshi]^  in  which  a  like  course  has  not  been  adopted. 
 Collections  of  hymns  could  be  named  in  which  the  original 
 texts  of  hymns,  as  written  by  their  authors,  have  been 
 duly  preserved ;  but  these  were  edited  on  purely  literacy 
 principles,  and  without  any  view  to  being  used  by 
 worshippers.  Ada^Dtation  to  worship  makes  a  vast 
 difference,  and  renders  necessary  a  totally  distinct  method 
 on  the  paii:  of  the  compiler,  who  is  compelled  to  consider 
 
OF  ALTERATIONS  IN  HYMNS.  479 
 
 the  needs,  not  of  a  literary  class  only,  but  of  many  classes, 
 to  make  sure  that  the  verses  are  metrically  correct,  and  so 
 capable  of  being  wedded  to  music  ;  and  that  the  terms 
 used  should  be  in  good  taste.  He  must,  moreover,  see 
 to  it  that  the  verses  are  in  general  agreement  with  the 
 religious  views  of  the  congregations  for  whose  use  his 
 hymnal  is  intended.  Such  considerations  render  altera- 
 tions in  the  case  of  certain  hymns,  if  they  are  to  be 
 included,  imperatively  necessary.  Moreover,  some  hymns 
 are  the  result  of  gradual  growth,  and  represent  the  work, 
 not  only  of  the  original  author,  but  of  succeeding 
 hymnists.  Examples  of  this  are  to  be  found  in  such 
 hymns  as  "  0  God  of  Bethel,  by  whose  hand,"  and  ''  Lo, 
 He  comes,  with  clouds  descending."  To  present  these  in 
 their  original  forms  would  be  well  in  a  Thesaurus  of 
 Hymns,  for  purposes  of  reference  or  private  reading,  but 
 would  render  them  distasteful  to  the  great  bulk  of  wor- 
 shippers. Moreover,  some  alterations  have  so  established 
 themselves  in  public  favour,  that  they  are  accepted  as  the 
 acknowledged  forms  in  which  the  hymns  should  appear. 
 It  would  show  pedantry,  and  not  skilful  editing,  to  give 
 Charles  Wesley's  hymn,  "Hark!  how  all  the  welkin 
 rings,"  in  its  original  form,  and  not  in  that  in  which  it 
 is  known  all  over  the  world,  as  ''Hark!  the  herald 
 angels  sing."  In  some  cases  hymn- writers  have  welcomed 
 certain  alterations  as  being  improvements,  and  afterwards 
 published  them  in  their  acknowledged  texts.  If  my 
 readers  will  pardon  the  personal  reference — I  once  said 
 of  a  certain  hymn  by  a  living  writer,  "  That  is  a  fine 
 hymn,"  to  which  he  at  once  replied,  "  It  owes  much  to 
 your  revision."  In  the  case  of  hymns  by  writers  still 
 amongst  us,  permission  should  undoubtedly  be  souii-ht  a:id 
 
480  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 obtained  for  any  desired  alteration,  and  without  such 
 permission  they  should  not  be  adopted.  In  most  cases, 
 where  the  alterations  are  based  on  intelligent  criticism, 
 and  render  the  hymn  more  perfect,  they  are  gladly 
 welcomed.  Every  one  who  has  set  his  hand  to  the  task 
 of  editing  a  hymnal  knows  full  well  that  it  is  impossible 
 to  adhere  in  every  case  to  the  form  in  which  hymns  first 
 appeared,  or  even  where  altered  by  their  authors,  to  the 
 text  finally  adopted  by  them. 
 
 But  when  all  this  has  been  said,  it  must  be  acknow- 
 ledged that,  beyond  every  other  form  of  composition, 
 hymns  have  sufiered  at  the  hands  of  incompetent  or 
 bungling  editors,  whose  alterations,  in  the  vast  majority 
 of  cases,  have  been  unmistakably  for  the  worse,  and 
 very  rarely  for  the  better.  In  many  cases,  the  men  who 
 have  undertaken  the  task  of  editing  hymnals  have  not 
 had  a  spark  of  poetic  insight  or  literary  ability.  The 
 canon  that  should  guide  an  editor  in  the  matter  of 
 alteration  is,  that  he  should  first  of  all  hnotv  the  original 
 form  in  which  the  hymns  appeared  (which,  unhappily, 
 many  do  not),  and  that  he  should  not  make  the  slightest 
 alteration  without  a  distinct  and  intelligible  reason — a 
 reason  which  should  commend  itself  to  any  critic  of  taste 
 and  judgment.  This  would  preserve  our  hynmals  from 
 the  senseless  and  silly  mutilations  for  which  so  many  of 
 them  are  at  present  conspicuous.  I  will  give  a  few 
 examples  of  this  from  a  book  which  o:ffends  more  fre- 
 quently and  flagrantly  against  this  canon  than  any  with 
 which  I  am  acquainted.  Here  are  a  few  instances : — 
 John  Morrison  wrote  "  Long  hath  the  night  of  sorrow 
 reigned,"  his  mind  full  of  the  length  of  the  night  of 
 which  he  was  thinking ;  the  whole  force  of  which  was 
 
OF  ALTERA  TIONS  IN  HYMNS.  481 
 
 taken  ont  by  the  compilers  rendering  it  ''  The  night  of 
 sorrow  long  hath  reigned."  The  keynote  of  J".  D.  Burns' 
 lovely  hymn  is  struck  in  the  first  line,  "  Still  with  Thee, 
 0  my  God,"  which  is  developed  in  the  after  verses  of  the 
 hymn,  where  the  different  portions  of  the  life  are 
 enumerated.  The  compilers  struck  out  the  key  word 
 stilly  and  gave  us  this  feeble  line,  with  its  senseless 
 reduplication  of  the  name  of  God,  "  With  Thee,  my 
 Lord,  my  God."  Dr.  Paber's  grand  hymn,  "  I  worship 
 Thee,  sweet  will  of  God,"  is  so  mangled  as  to  be 
 unrecognisable,  and  in  most  of  the  verses  the  theme — the 
 will  of  God — is  conspicuous  by  its  absence.  Charles 
 "Wesley's  lovely  lyric  on  "  Wrestling  Jacob,"  the 
 loveliest  he  ever  wrote,  too  perfect  to  be  touched 
 even  by  the  greatest  hand,  is  reduced  to  the  veriest 
 commonplace  in  many  of  its  parts.  One  verse  of 
 Kelly's  fine  hymn  on  ''  The  Cross "  is  rendered 
 absolute  nonsense.  Dr.  Bonar's  fine  litany,  ''  When 
 the  weary,  seeking  rest,"  is  arranged  so  that  the 
 refrain  of  each  verse  answers  to  the  lines  which  go 
 before — 
 
 Hear  then,  in  love,  O  Lord,  the  cry. 
 In  heaven,  Thy  dwelling-place  on  high. 
 
 By  the  substitution  of  Thou  for  then^  the  whole  symmetry 
 of  the  hymn  is  destroyed.  Such  treatment  of  hymns, 
 unjustified  either  by  theological  or  literary  considerations, 
 deserves  to  be  pilloried,  so  as  to  serve  as  a  warning  to 
 future  compilers.  It  is  an  offence  not  only  against  the 
 writers  whose  hymns  have  been  thus  mangled,  but 
 against  the  religious  body  for  whose  use  it  was 
 compiled.  1 2 
 
482  THE  HYMN  LOVER, 
 
 Wlien  alterations  are  made  for  theological  reasons  they 
 should  be  based  on  sound  principles,  and  not  made  to 
 pander  to  some  silly  popular  prejudice,  as  in  the  case  of 
 Dean  Milman's  hymn  "When  our  heads  are  bowed  with 
 woe,"  which  is  clearly  an  appeal  to  the  Christ  on  His 
 human  side,  and  therefore  addresses  Him  as  "  Gracious 
 Son  of  Mary,  hear."  To  alter  this  line  to  "  Jesu,  Son  of 
 David,  hear,"  is  not  only  to  miss  the  point  of  the  whole 
 hymn,  but  to  yield  to  a  silly  and  ultra-Protestant  prejudice. 
 When  an  objection  was  raised  to  the  original  line  by  a 
 member  of  the  Committee  for  preparing  "The  Scottish 
 Hymnal,"  that  it  would  tend  to  Mariolatry,  Dr.  Eobertson, 
 of  the  Greyfriars  Church,  rose  with  flushed  face  and  cried 
 aloud,  "  That  line  can  only  lead  to  Mariolatry  if  our  con- 
 gregations consist  exclusively  of  bom  idiots,"  which 
 happily  ended  the  debate.  Many  a  theological  alteration 
 in  hymns  has  had  no  better  justification. 
 
 When  alterations  are  made  on  literary  grounds  it  should 
 be  quite  clear  that  the  change  is  in  that  sense  an  improve- 
 ment. It  is  such  when  words  which  once  had  a  particular 
 meaning,  which  has  since  become  obsolete,  are  altered  for 
 their  present  equivalents,  orwhen  words  permitted  by  the  less 
 fastidious  taste  of  an  earlier  time  are  made  to  give  way  to 
 those  more  in  harmony  with  present  ideas.  Thus  an  editor  is 
 justified  in  substituting  for  the  word  frequently  used  by  the 
 older  hymnists,  "bowels,"  the  more  acceptable  word 
 "heart." 
 
 Alterations  are  justifiable  when  verses  not  originally  writ- 
 ten with  a  view  to  being  sung,  and  not  metrically  accurate, 
 are  rendered  so  by  revision,  as  in  the  case  of  Sir  Thomas 
 Browne's  grand  hymn,  "The  night  is  come,  like  to  the 
 
OF  ALTERATIONS  IN  HYMNS.  483 
 
 day,"*  or  Bishop  Jeremy  Taylor's  on  Christ  entering  into 
 Jerusalem,  or  some  of  Miss  Waring's  delightful  com- 
 positions.    If  hymns  like  these  are  to  be  used  in  public 
 
 *  I  append  an  admirable  rendering  of  this  hymn  for  use  in  worship, 
 kindly  prepared  for  me  by  Dr.  George  MacDonald,  which  shows  how 
 exceedingly  slight  are  the  alterations  which  often  need  to  be  made. 
 I  regret  that  this  version  did  not  come  into  my  hands  before 
 the  publication  of  my  "  Congregational  Hymns."  If  it  had,  I  should 
 certainly  have  inserted  it  instead  of  the  version  there  adopted.  My 
 readers  should  compare  this  rendering  with  the  original  as  printed 
 
 The  night  is  come  :  like  to  the  day 
 Depart  not  Thou,  great  God,  away. 
 Let  not  my  sins,  black  as  the  night, 
 Eclipse  the  lustre  of  Thy  light. 
 *Keep  my  horizon,  for  to  me, 
 The  sun  makes  not  the  day,  but  Thee 
 
 0  Thou,  whose  nature  cannot  sleep, 
 Upon  my  temples  sentry  keep ; 
 Guard  me  against  those  watchful  foes 
 Whose  eyes  are  open  while  mine  close  ; 
 And  let  no  dreams  my  head  infest 
 But  such  as  Jacob's  temples  blest. 
 While  I  do  rest,  my  soul  advance. 
 And  make  my  sleep  a  holy  trance, 
 
 fThat  1  may,  when  my  rest  is  wrought, 
 Awake  into  some  holy  thought ; 
 And  with  as  active  vigour  run 
 My  course  as  doth  the  nimble  sun. 
 Sleep  is  a  death,  Oh  make  me  try 
 By  sleeping  what  it  is  to  die ; 
 And  down  as  gently  lay  my  head 
 ^on  my  grave  as  now  my  bed. 
 Howe'er  I  rest,  great  God,  let  me 
 Awake  again  at  least  with  Thee. 
 
 And  thus  assured,  behold  1  lie 
 
 Securely,  or  to  wake  or  die. 
 
 These  are  my  drowsy  days — in  vain 
 
 1  do  now  wake  to  sleep  again, 
 
 JO  come  that  hour  when  sleep  is  o'er^ 
 And  I  shall  wake  for  evermore. 
 
 *  Keep  still  in  my  horizon,  for  to  me 
 ^     .  The  sun  makes  not  the  day,  but  Thee. 
 
 But  IS  a  preposition  for  without. 
 +  Changed  for  the  accent. 
 
 t  O  come  that  hour  when  I  shall  never 
 Sleep  again,  but  wake  for  ever. 
 The  rhyme,  being  a  feminine  one,  is  awkward  for  singers. 
 
484  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 worsliip  such  revision  must  be  undertaken.  Even  then, 
 however,  the  alterations  should  be  the  least  that  are 
 necessary. 
 
 Beyond  these,  however,  there  are  verses  where  the 
 thoughts  are  beautiful,  and  eminently  adapted  to  quicken 
 devotional  feeling,  but  cast  in  a  form  unsuited  for  use  in 
 worship.  It  is  a  perfectly  justifiable  thing  to  recast  such, 
 and  if  it  be  done  skilfully,  as  in  the  case  of  Francis 
 Quarles's  hymn,  by  that  eminent  hymnist,  Henry  Francis 
 Lyte,  "  Long  did  I  toil,  and  knew  no  earthly  rest,"  the 
 result  may  be  gratefully  accepted.  Such  a  work, 
 however,  needs  both  poetic  feeling  and  skilful 
 manipulation. 
 
 Akin  to  the  question  of  alteration  is  the  justifiableness 
 of  the  omission  of  verses.  This  must  be  conceded  on 
 three  grounds :  first,  that  many  hymns  are  far  too  long 
 for  use  in  public  worship;  second,  that  in  most  long 
 hymns  there  are  inferior  verses,  which  mar  rather  than 
 improve  their  effect;  third,  that  some  of  the  finest  hymns 
 in  the  language,  such  as  Father  Faber's,  contain  verses 
 whose  sentiment  would  exclude  them  from  all  Protestant 
 worship.  But  whilst  this  exclusion  be  allowed,  care 
 must  be  taken  (which,  alas !  has  often  been  wanting),  to 
 preserve  the  symmetry  and  course  of  thought  of  the 
 hymn.  Too  many  editors  have  only  cared  to  reduce 
 hymns  to  the  required  length,  careless  altogether  whether 
 they  preserved  their  structural  unity  or  not.  In  many  a 
 case,  the  very  verse  on  which  the  whole  meaning  of  the 
 hymn  turned  has  been  carelessly  omitted,  as  in  Mont- 
 gomery's fine  hymn,  "  Songs  of  praise  the  angels  sang," 
 the  two  parts  of  which  are  brought  into  unity  by  the 
 verse  which  asks : — 
 
OF  ALTERATIONS  IN  HYMNS.  485 
 
 And  shall  man  alone  be  dumb 
 Till  that  glorious  kingdom  come  ? 
 
 And  then  answers : — 
 
 No  !  the  Chm'ch  delights  to  raise 
 Psalms  and  hymns  and  songs  of  praise. 
 
 or  in  Keble's  '^  There  is  a  book  who  runs  may  read," 
 
 where  the  visible  Book  of  J^ature  is  made  to  suggest  the 
 
 invisible  one  of  Grace,  and  the  reason  why  the  soul  does 
 
 not  at  once  pass  from  the  one  to  the  other  is  indicated  in 
 
 the  following  verse,  too  often  omitted  by  editors : — 
 
 Two  worlds  are  ours  :  'tis  only  sin 
 
 Forbids  us  to  descry 
 The  mystic  heaven  and  earth  within, 
 
 Plain  as  the  sea  and  sky. 
 
 To  omit  such  verses  is  like  building  a  house  and  leaving 
 out  the  passage  which  connects  the  various  rooms. 
 
 As  to  the  question  whether  additions  to  already  existing 
 hymns  are  justifiable,  I  will  not  pronounce  a  definite 
 opinion.  I  will  only  say  this,  that  if  a  hymn  be  worth 
 retaining,  it  is  very  improbable  that  the  writer  can  be 
 found  who  will  add  to  it  without  something  like  a  patch- 
 work effect.  In  the  case  of  hymns  by  writers  of  an 
 earlier  time,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  avoid  this,  since 
 every  age  has  its  own  undefinable  manner,  which  can 
 scarcely  be  caught  by  writers  of  a  later  day.  ' '  Hymns 
 Ancient  and  Modern  "  furnish  many  illustrations  of  the 
 futility  of  such  attempts.  The  critical  ear  is  offended  by 
 passing  from  verses  by  Dr.  Watts  to  additions  in  the  same 
 metre,  but  in  a  more  modern  style,  from  the  pen  of  the 
 compilers  of  that  popular  work  ;  whilst  Bishop  Bicker- 
 steth,  in  attempting  to  add  to  Cardinal  IS'ewman's 
 incomparable  hymn,  "Lead,  kindly  light,"  and  perhaps 
 render  it  a  little  more  definitely  orthodox,  has,  by  the 
 comparison  of  styles,  only  revealed  more  fully  the  glory 
 
486  THE  HYMN  LOVER, 
 
 of  the  original  verses  and  the  poverty  of  the  added  one. 
 An  editor  might  as  well  attempt  to  add  a  book  to  the 
 'aiiad,"  or  a  scene  to  "Hamlet !  " 
 
 A  man  should  not  enter  on  the  work  of  editing  a 
 Hymnal  unless  he  is  prepared  to  touch  with  reverent 
 hand  the  treasures  of  thought  and  feeling  with  which  he 
 has  to  deal ;  only  absolute  necessity  should  lead  him  to 
 alter,  omit,  or  add  to  hymns — in  many  cases,  the 
 offspring  of  the  holiest  moments  of  saintly  lives. 
 
487 
 
 CHAPTEE   XXIV. 
 
 THE    NEW    ERA    IN    HYMNODT. 
 
 The  late  Dean  Stanley,  in  a  brief  estimate  of  the  poetry 
 of  Jolm  and  Charles  Wesley,  relates  the  following 
 significant  incident :  "A  distinguished  critic  of  our 
 times,  in  his  professorial  chair  at  Oxford,  is  reported 
 to  have  held  out  in  one  hand  '  The  Golden  Treasury 
 of  English  Lyrics,'  collected  by  Francis  Turner  Palgrave, 
 and  in  the  other  '  The  Book  of  Praise,'  collected  from 
 all  English  hymnody  by  Lord  Selborne,  and  to  have 
 asked  *  Why  is  it  that  "  The  Golden  Treasury  "  contains 
 almost  nothing  that  is  bad,  and  why  is  it  that  the 
 **  Book  of  Praise  "  contains  almost  nothing  that  is 
 good  ? '  "  And  the  Dean  then  proceeded  to  give  this 
 three-fold  answer  to  the  question : — (1)  that  the  moment 
 poetry  is  made  a  vehicle  of  theological  argument  it 
 becomes  essentially  prosaic,  as  much  or  almost  as  much 
 as  if  it  were  employed  for  arguments  on  political  or 
 philosophical  problems ;  (2)  that  the  very  greatness  of 
 the  words  which,  either  from  Biblical  or  ecclesiastical 
 usage,  have  been  consecrated  to  the  sublime  thoughts 
 of  religion,  misleads  the  writer  into  the  belief  that 
 they  are  of  themselves  sujQS.cient  to  carry  on  the  poetical 
 afflatus  ;  and  (3)  the  temptation  which  Biblical  metaphors 
 have  afforded  of    pursuing  into  detail,    and    especially 
 
488  THE  HYMN  LOVER.. 
 
 into    anatomical    detail,    expressions    derived    from    the 
 physical  structure  of  the  human  frame. 
 
 A  careful  examination  of  the  books  of  Mr.  Palgrave 
 and  Lord  Selborne,  however,  brings  to  light  other 
 reasons  for  the  vast  superiority  of  the  lyrical  over  the 
 hymnal  collection,  amongst  which  these  may  be  men- 
 tioned. (1)  Both  by  nature  and  training  Mr.  Palgrave 
 was  fitted  for  the  work  of  editing  a  collection  of  lyrics, 
 but  as  much  cannot  be  said  of  Lord  Selborne,  whilst  it 
 may  even  be  affirmed  that  his  legal  training  rather 
 unfitted  him  for  editing  such  a  work  as  "  The  Book  of 
 Praise."  And  so  it  has  come  to  pass  that  whilst  Mr. 
 Palgrave  recognised  the  real  lyric  note  wherever  he 
 heard  it.  Lord  Selborne,  hearing  did  not  hear,  so  that 
 some  of  the  finest  sacred  lyrics  of  earlier  days  are 
 sought  for  in  vain  in  his  pages.  The  reader  cannot 
 find  there  such  noble  examples  of  poetic  hymnody  as 
 Herrick's  lovely  litany,  "In  the  dark  and  cloudy  day,"  or 
 John  Mason's  ''Thou  wast,  0  God,  and  Thou  wast  blest," 
 Sir  Thomas  Browne's  "The  night  is  come,  like  to  the 
 day  ; "  Madame  Guion's  nobly  mystical  hymn,  known  to 
 English-speaking  folk  through  Cowper's  translation,  "  0 
 Thou  by  long  experience  tried  ;  "  John  Milton's  version  of 
 the  84th  Psalm,  "How  lovely  are  Thy  dwellings,  Lord," 
 and  many  others  belonging  to  earlier  days,  which  might 
 be  named ;  whilst,  if  we  come  to  our  own  time,  some  of 
 the  greatest  names  are  conspicuous  by  their  absence.  It 
 seems  scarcely  possible,  but  it  is  true,  nevertheless,  that 
 not  a  single  hymn  by  Father  Paber  (in  some  senses,  the 
 finest  hymnist  of  the  century),  Adelaide  Ann  Procter, 
 Thomas  Hornblower  Gill,  George  Eawson,  and  many 
 others,    can   be    found    in    a    book   which    professes   to 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  HYMNODY.  489 
 
 represent  ''the  best  English  hymn- writers."  If  my 
 memory  serves  me  aright,  I  have  seen  somewhere  a  remark 
 of  Lord  Selborne's  that  Mr.  Dix's  hymn,  "  As  with 
 gladness  men  of  old,"  shows  that  the  power  of  hymn- 
 writing  has  not  departed.  Departed !  Who  but  a  lawyer, 
 held  in  the  iron  chain  of  precedent,  would  ever  think  of 
 the  power  of  hymn-writing  as  likely  to  depart?  Rather 
 has  it  in  the  present  century  flourished  in  a  way  to  which 
 no  previous  one  can  lay  claim.  Dean  Stanley  seems  to 
 have  felt  this,  since,  in  the  article  from  which  I  have 
 already  quoted,  speaking  of  the  uniform  pedestrian  style 
 which  is  unfortunately  familiar  to  English  Churchmen  in 
 the  vast  mass  of  the  verses  contained  in  "  Hymns  Ancient 
 and  Modern,"  says:  "It  is  the  English  poet  of  the 
 nineteenth  century,  not  the  Latin  hymnodists  of  the 
 fourteenth  or  fifteenth  that  ha^e  furnished  whatever  there 
 is  of  poetical  in  the  collection."  It  is  very  greatly  to  be 
 regretted  that  a  recent  editor  should  have  put  in  a 
 plea  for  the  retention  of  such  inferior  hymns,  supporting 
 it,  as  he  does,  by  a  reference  to  the  popularity  of  national 
 ballads.*  No  illustration  could  have  been  more  unfortu- 
 nate, since  the  ballads  that  still  hold  their  ground  are  full 
 of  lyric  fire — a  quality  in  which  the  hymns  of  inferior 
 writers  are  singularly  deficient.  It  is  the  absence  of  such 
 lyric  fire  from  a  multitude  of  hymns  still  printed  which 
 prevents  their  being  sung,  and  only  renders  them  an 
 incumbrance  to  the  hymnals  in  which  they  are  retained, 
 hindering  them  from  being  valued  as  a  hymnal  should  be. 
 This  is  one  of  the  lessons  that  the  Church  at  large  sorely 
 needs  to  lay  to  heart.     Up  to  the  present  time  she  has 
 
 *Dr.   AUon  in  the   preface    to    the    "Congregational    Psalmist 
 Hymnal." 
 
490  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 given,  or  rather  hymn-book  editors  have  forced  upon  her 
 hymns  of  the  past  which  once  had  a  place  because  none 
 better  were  obtainable,  hymns  which  satisfied  the  cruder 
 taste  of  those  less  cultured  days,  but  which  are  no  longer 
 acceptable  to  intelligent  worshippers.  In  the  Episcopal 
 church  this  remark  applies  to  the  hymns  of  early  and 
 mediseval  times,  of  which  but  a  very  small  number 
 deserve,  on  their  merits,  to  be  retained,  and  in  the 
 Nonconformist  churches  to  the  great  mass  of  the  hymns  by 
 Watts  and  Wesley,  both  of  whom  wrote  far  too  much  for 
 it  to  be  possible  that  all  should  be  of  a  high  quality. 
 Watts  wrote  between  five  and  six  hundred  hymns,  whilst 
 C.  Wesley  wrote  as  many  thousands.  All  Nonconformist 
 hymnals  with  anything  like  official  sanction  have  too 
 large  an  infusion  of  hymns  from  these  and  similar 
 Sources.  The  *' Wesleyan  Methodist  Hymn-Book"  is 
 chiefly  from  the  pen  of  the  Wesleys — the  hymna 
 of  other  writers  are  only  supplemental  thereto.  The 
 **  Congregational  Hymn  Eook,"  consisting  of  1,000 
 hymns,  contains  393  by  Dr.  Watts.  The  ''Baptist 
 Hymnal,"  containing  920,  has  59  of  Watts's ;  whilst  the 
 recently -issued  and  unofficial  hymnal  edited  by  Dr.  Allon 
 has  65,  a  fourteenth  of  the  whole.  The  result  is  that  the 
 remark  of  the  Oxford  professor  with  regard  to  ''The  Book 
 of  Praise "  applies  to  the  great  majority  of  hymnals. 
 The  insertion  of  a  large  number  of  mediocre  and  even 
 inferior  hymns  on  the  ground  that  they  were  written  by 
 authors  whose  compositions,  on  account  of  the  paucity  of 
 good  hymnists,  were  once  highly  valued,  gives  a  tone  of 
 dulness  and  insipidity  to  the  collections  in  which  they 
 form  so  large  a  part.     It  renders  them  like  a  wilderness  in 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  HYMNODY.  491 
 
 which  the  oases  are  few  and  far  apart.  And  one  result  is 
 that  to  most  persons  of  cultivated  taste,  they  seldom,  if 
 ever,  become,  as  they  should,  manuals  of  devotion  for 
 private  and  family  use.  In  this  respect  the  great  majority 
 of  hymnal  editors  have  not  kept  pace  either  with  the 
 tastes  or  the  wishes  of  the  people  for  whom  they  cater. 
 This  is  capable  of  proof  from  the  actual  usage  of  the 
 Church.  The  hymns  actually  used  in  the  Established 
 Church  are  chiefly  the  more  poetic  of  the  older  times 
 and  those  by  recent  or  still  living  writers ;  whilst  in 
 churches  of  the  Baptist  and  Independent  order,  hymns 
 by  Watts  and  those  of  his  school  are  rapidly  passing  out 
 of  use,  only  the  finest  retaining  their  hold  on  the 
 affections  of  the  worshippers.  It  would  seem,  therefore, 
 that  the  day  of  rhymed  prose  of  which  Dr.  Watts's 
 hymns,  save  in  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  examples, 
 consists,  is  over,  and  that  the  church  in  both  its 
 Episcopal  and  Nonconformist  branches  is  longing  to  be 
 free  from  all  but  the  noblest  hymns,  whether  ancient 
 or  mediaeval,  or  those  of  Watts  and  his  followers. 
 Indeed,  the  reason  that  once  existed  for  the  former 
 bondage  no  longer  holds.  Our  forefathers  in  the  Estab- 
 lished Church  were  obliged  to  be  content  with  Sternhold 
 and  Hopkins,  or  Tate  and  Brady,  because  no  sweeter 
 singers  were  available.  Our  forefathers  in  Independency 
 were  content  with  Watts  because  he  held  the  field, 
 with  scarcely  a  competitor.  But  this  is  no  longer  the 
 case.  The  hymnists  whose  works  are  now  available  are 
 legion.  The  forthcoming  "Dictionary  of  Hymnology," 
 to  be  published  by  Mr.  Murray,  under  the  editorship  of 
 the  Eev.  John  Julian,  will  include  accounts  of  no  less 
 than    3,000   hymn-writers   and    30,000   hymns,    so   that 
 
492  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 there  is  an  almost  boundless  treasury  on  whicli  tlie 
 church  [may  draw  for  her  worship-song.  And  this  will 
 render  it  possible  for  the  church  to  have  hymnals  of 
 which  it  may  be  said  that  in  them  "there  is  almost 
 nothing  that  is  bad."  There  is,  indeed,  no  reason  why 
 collections  for  the  purpose  of  ivorship  as  good  as  the 
 "  Golden  Treasury  of  Lyrics,"  by  Mr.  Palgrave,  is  for 
 reading  J  should  not  be  at  the  command  of  our  churches. 
 By  means  of  such  they  might  be  lifted  to  a  nobler  and 
 more  spiritual  worship,  which  .would  ere  long  produce 
 corresponding  results  both  in  heart  and  life. 
 
 James  Montgomery,  in  the  preface  to  his  ' '  Christian 
 Psalmist,"  published  in  1825,  says,  "Hymns,  looking  at 
 the  multitude  and  mass  of  them,  appear  to  have  been 
 written  by  all  kinds  of  persons  except  poets."  This 
 remark  to  a  certain  extent  still  holds  good,  but  in  a  less 
 degree  than  when  he  penned  it.  It  may  still  be  said  that 
 in  hymnody  the  poets  of  the  first  order  are  conspicuous  by 
 their  absence  ;  but  poets,  who,  if  they  do  not  stand  in  the 
 first  rank,  are  yet  really  poets,  are  more  and  more  con- 
 spicuous by  their  presence.  Some  little  very  real  poetry 
 may  be  found  among  the  older  treasures  of  hymnody, 
 though  such  poetic  hymns  were  not  incorporated  with  the 
 earlier  hymnals.  I  refer  to  hymns  by  Herrick,  Francis 
 Quarles,  Sir  Thomas  Browne,  George  Herbert,  and  others  j 
 but  in  recent  years^  there  may  be  numbered  among  the 
 hymnists  of  our  own  country,  such  poets  as  William 
 Cowper,  Pelicia  Dorothea  Hemans,  Henry  Francis  Lyte, 
 Frederick  "William  Faber,  John  Keble,  John  Henry 
 ISTewman,  Francis  Turner  Palgrave,  Walter  Chalmers 
 Smith,  and  others ;  whilst  if  we  pass  across  the  sea  to 
 our  kinsmen  in  the  New  World,  scarcely  a  poet  can  be 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  HYMNODY.  493 
 
 named  who  has  not  produced  hymns.  E.  W.  Emerson, 
 W.  C.  Bryant,  J.  G.  Whittier,  and  0.  W.  Holmes,  are  all 
 represented  in  hymnals.  The  reason  for  this  nnion  of  the 
 poet  and  hymnist  in  America  is  to  be  found  in  two  facts — 
 one  being  that  all,  or  nearly  all,  the  Ameriean  poets  were 
 deeply  religious  men,  definitely  associated  at  some  time  in 
 their  history  with  particular  churches ;  the  other  being  that 
 where,  in  England,  a  speech  would  be  asked  for  some 
 great  occasion,  in  America  it  is  the  custom  to  ask  for  an 
 ode  to  be  recited,  or  a  hymn  to  be  sung,  ^o  one  who  has 
 considered  the  subject  can  doubt  that,  in  our  age,  poetry 
 in  the  form  of  hymns  is  being  furnished  for  the  use  of  the 
 Church  in  a  degree  unknown,  or  known  but  rarely,  in 
 earlier  days.  Even  those  hymnists  who  can  scarcely  be 
 classed  as  poets,  and  who  have  not  produced  poems,  are 
 more  filled  with  the  poetic  spirit  than  was  the  case  in 
 earlier  days. 
 
 It  is  not  too  much  to  say,  therefore,  that  we  have  of 
 late  entered  on  a  new  era  in  relation  to  hymnocly,  and  that 
 the  hymnals  of  the  future  will  be  more  poetic  than  those 
 of  the  past.  A  hymn  should  be  a  lyric  poem.  Ehymed 
 prose  dealing  with  theological  doctrine  is  not  a  hymn. 
 There  must  be  that  indescribable  element  we  call  poetic, 
 proceeding  from  "  the  vision  and  the  faculty  divine,"  to 
 render  verses,  though  metrically  faultless,  a  hymn. 
 "Wanting  this,  they  want  the  very  life  blood  of  a  true 
 hymn.  This  is  the  great  point  of  difference  between 
 earlier  and  modern  hymns  taken  as  a  whole.  There  are 
 exceptions.  Hymns  could  be  mentioned  belonging  to 
 every  age  in  which  the  true  poetic  note  can  be  heard. 
 In  Gregory  the  Great's  "  Now,  when  the  dusky  shades  of 
 night  retreating."     In  Godescalcus's  "  The  strain  upraise 
 
494  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 of  joy  and  praise."  In  Bernard  of  Clairvaux's  ''0  Jesus, 
 King  most  wonderful,"  and  "Jesus,  the  very  thought  of 
 Thee,"  from  his  "  Jesu  dulcis  memoria."  In  Bernard  of 
 Clugny's  *'To  thee,  0  dear,  dear  country,"  and  other 
 centos  from  his  "  Hora  Novissima."  In  the  "  Dies  Irse," 
 theologically  terrible  as  it  is.  Even  Dr.  Watts,  prosaic  as 
 most  of  his  hymns  are,  now  and  then  catches  the  poetic 
 fire,  as  in  *'  I'll  praise  my  Maker  with  my  breath," 
 "When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross,"  "Hear  what  the 
 voice  from  heaven  proclaims,"  and  others  which  might  be 
 named.  Erom  Charles  Wesley's  thousands,  many  grand 
 poetic  hymns  may  be  culled,  notably  "  Come,  0  thou 
 Traveller  unknown"  (which  Dr.  Watts  said  was  worth  all 
 the  hymns  he  had  ever  written),  "  0  Love  divine,  how 
 sweet  thou  art,"  "Jesus,  Lover  of  my  soul,"  and  others; 
 but  still,  speaking  broadly,  it  may  be  said  that  the  poetic 
 element  is  more  conspicuous  in  the  hymns  of  the  later 
 than  of  the  earlier  time.  And  the  reasons  for  this  are  not 
 far  to  seek.  One  may  be  found  in  the  fact  that,  amid  the 
 paucity  of  hymns  in  earlier  times,  the  writers  too  often 
 strove  to  provide  hymns  in  sufficient  numbers  wholly  to 
 supply  the  needs  of  the  churches  to  which  they  belonged. 
 This  was  probably  the  case  with  Gregory,  at  Milan ;  it 
 certainly  was  so  with  Dr.  Watts,  who  in  his  own  person 
 provided  for  the  worship-song  of  the  Independents :  for  a 
 century,  at  least,  no  other  hymns  than  his  were  commonly 
 sung  in  their  assemblies  ;  and  with  Charles  Wesley,  who, 
 with  his  brother  John,  may  be  said  to  have  met  all  the 
 needs  of  the  great  Methodist  body  for  a  like  period. 
 
 But  now  no  man  feels  charged  with  the  duty  of 
 providing  the  entire  hymnody  of  his  particular  church. 
 Thomas    Kelly    was    probably    the    last    hymnist    who 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  HYMNODT.  495 
 
 attempted  to  rival  Watts  in  the  number  of  the  hymns  he 
 wrote  ;  in  fact,  he  excelled  him,  since  he  wrote  700,  where 
 "Watts  only  wrote  about  500.  No  church  now  draws  its 
 hymnodyfrom  a  single  author.  Even  the  Methodists  have 
 added  hymns  by  other  writers  to  those  by  the  founders  of 
 their  great  Church.  JS'o  man,  therefore,  attempts  to 
 produce  hymns  by  the  hundred.  Quality  rather  than 
 quantity  is  the  end  now  sought.  Where  formerly,  hymnals 
 were  the  product  of  one  or  two  writers,  they  are  now 
 composed  of  the  writings  of  hundreds.  My  own  hymnal 
 represents  the  work  of  nearly  350  writers  and  translators. 
 The  all  of  one  writer  has  given  way  to  the  hest  of  many. 
 Thus  quality  and  variety  are  increasingly  the  characteristics 
 of  our  modern  hymnals.  Every  collection  at  all  worthy 
 of  use  is  compiled  on  an  eclectic  principle,  and  draws  its 
 materials  from  all  the  Christian  ages,  lands,  and  churches. 
 
 Another  reason  may  be  found  in  the  fact  that  in  earlier 
 times  the  educated  who  could  appreciate  that  which  is 
 poetic  were  few  compared  with  those  too  illiterate  for  such 
 appreciation.  The  spread  of  culture  has  changed,  or  is  rapidly 
 changing  all  this.  The  scheme  of  national  education  now 
 at  work  includes  the  teaching  of  English  literature,  so  that 
 the  scholars  grow  familiar  with  some  of  its  noblest  works 
 both  in  prose  and  verse.  This  renders  the  mind  capable  of 
 appreciating  what  in  former  times  would  have  been  quite 
 beyond  such  appreciation.  Literature,  once  the  possession 
 of  the  few,  is  fast  becoming  the  privilege  of  the  many. 
 It  will  not  be  long  before  it  will  be  impossible  to  present 
 a  hymnal  too  poetic  for  common  use. 
 
 Closely  connected  with  this  is  the  freer  theological 
 spirit  of  our  day.  In  earlier  times  a  Churchman  would 
 have  looked  askance   at  hymns   by  a  Konconformist,   a 
 
496  THE  HYMN  L  0  VEB, 
 
 Trinitarian  at  hymns  by  a  Unitarian ;  but  this  is  no 
 longer  the  case.  The  Presbyterian  Eonar,  the  Inde- 
 pendent Watts,  the  Eoman  Catholic  JS'ewman,  are  all 
 represented  in  "Hymns  Ancient  and  Modem,"  whilst 
 Churchmen  of  every  shade  of  opinion,  Quakers,  and  even 
 Unitarians,  are  represented  in  recent  hymnals  of  the 
 Pree  Churches.  This  shows  how,  in  spite  of  all  our 
 ecclesiastical  and  theological  strife,  there  is  growing  up  a 
 real  religious  unity.  Hymns  are  regarded  less  and  less  as 
 the  media  for  the  expression  of  theological  opinion,  and 
 more  and  more  as  the  expression  of  religious  feelings — 
 feelings  common  to  believers  in  every  church.  The 
 noblest  hymns  of  our  day  may  be  sung  by  men  of  widely 
 differing  views.  They  move  more  in  the  realm  of  poetry, 
 which  deals  with  the  essentials  rather  than  the  accidents 
 of  the  faith.  Their  writers  dwell  in  a  more  distinctively 
 religious  atmosphere — a  larger  realm  in  which  their 
 feelings  and  thoughts  can  move  more  freely.  Dogmatic 
 theology  strikes  at  the  very  life  of  poetry.  Even  the 
 dogmatist  ceases  to  be  a  dogmatist  when  he  becomes  a 
 poet.  And  so  the  decay  of  dogmatism  is  synchronous  with 
 the  growth  of  poetry  in  hymns.  Even  Father  Eaber 
 sinks  from  poetry  into  prose  when  he  makes  his  hymns  the 
 vehicle  for  Boman  teaching.  Dr.  Kewman  ceases  to  be 
 the  theological  disputant  whilst  dealing  with  the  essentials 
 of  Christianity  in  his  verses.  There  is  scarcely  a  trace  of 
 Calvinism  in  the  hymns  of  Dr.  Bonar.  JSTo  one  would 
 know  that  Sir  John  Bowring  was  a  Unitarian  from  his 
 hymns,  certainly  not  from  his  best-known  one,  "  In  the 
 cross  of  Christ  I  glory."  As  some  one  has  said:  "there  is 
 little  heresy  in  hymns,"  for  poetry,  dealing  as  it  does  with 
 the  essentials  of  things,  leaves  behind  points  of  difference, 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  HYMNODY.  497 
 
 which,  after  all,  are  not  of  the  essence  of  the  matter* 
 Whilst  it  may  still  further  be  noted  that  the  poetic  spirit 
 so  characteristic  of  our  age  has  not  only  prepared  men  to 
 appreciate  poetry  in  hymns,  but  has  also  quickened  a  larger 
 number  to  attempt  their  production.  In  earKer  days  the 
 Nonconformists  were  the  chief  contributors  to  hymnody  ; 
 but  in  recent  days  Churchmen  have  more  than  rivalled 
 them  in  this  respect.  This  has  brought  a  new  element 
 into  our  hymnody.  Culture  is  more  evident  in  recent 
 than  in  early  hymns.  In  this  the  Universities  have 
 exercised  a  deep  and  widespread  influence.  Our  modern 
 hymnody  owes  not  a  little  to  the  classical  training, 
 especially  the  verse-making  of  Cambridge  and  Oxford, 
 particularly  the  latter.  The  versifying  in  the  classical 
 languages— much-ridiculed,  and  often  justly  so — has  had 
 much  to  do  with  the  change.  In  this  respect,  if  in  no 
 other,  it  has  had  its  uses.  University  culture  is  a  very 
 marked  feature  in  the  hymn-writing,  not  only  of  Dean 
 Milman,  John  Keble,  J.  H.  Newman,  P.  T.  Palgrave, 
 John  Ellerton,  Bishop  How,  Dean  Plumptre,  and  others 
 who  might  be  named  belonging  to  the  English  Church, 
 but  also  in  that  of  the  finest  American  hymnists.  Their 
 hymns  often  combine  the  fervour  of  less  cultured  hymnists 
 with  greater  purity  of  taste.  The  poetic  feeling  is  both 
 quickened  and  refined  by  the  atmosphere  and  pursuits  of 
 the  places  in  which  the  formative  years  of  their  life  were 
 passed.  It  is  only  bare  justice  to  acknowledge  how 
 valuable  are  the  contributions  which  many  of  the  cultured 
 sons  of  the  Established  Church  have  made  to  the  hymnals 
 of  our  age.  The  hymns  most  frequently  sung,  even  in 
 our  Nonconformist  churches,  have  been  drawn  from  this 
 source,   in   many  cases  almost  displacing  hymns   on  the 
 
 K  2 
 
498  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 same  subjects  by  earlier  writers.  Dr.  Newman's  hymu, 
 written  whilst  he  was  in  the  English  Church,  "  Lead, 
 kindly  light,"  has  almost  taken  the  place  of  the  "Welsh 
 hymn,  "  Guide  me,  0  Thou  great  Jehovah,"  a  fine  hymn, 
 but  disfigured  by  the  unpoetic  line,  "  Death  of  death,  and 
 hell's  destruction,"  whilst  Bishop  Ken's  great  hymn,  "All 
 praise  to  Thee,  my  God,  this  night,"  is  not  sung  half  so 
 frequently  at  evening  services  as  Lyte's  -'Abide  with 
 me,  fast  falls  the  eventide,"  or  Keble's  "  Sun  of  my 
 soul,  thou  Saviour  dear,"  or  Ellerton's  ''  Saviour, 
 again  to  Thy  dear  name  we  raise."  This  is  to  be 
 accounted  for  1^  the  greater  tenderness  of  these  more 
 recent  hymnists.  Hymns  of  what  may  be  called  a  harder 
 type  are  fast  being  displaced  by  those  in  which  the 
 pathetic  note  is  more  clearly  heard — 
 
 Such  songs  have  power  to  quiet 
 
 The  restless  pulse  of  care. 
 And  come,  like  the  benediction 
 
 Which  follows  after  prayer. 
 
 The  hymns  of  earlier  days  were  chiefly  written  by 
 men  whose  religious  ideas  were  so  saturated  by  theology 
 that  their  hymns  became  of  necessity  theology  in  verse — 
 their  prayers,  their  hopes,  their  joys,  expressed  them- 
 selves naturally  in  theologic  language.  Their  starting- 
 point  was  doctrinal,  they  were  students  of  theology 
 even  more  than  of  Scripture,  and  so  the  hymn-book 
 became  a  modified  manual  of  theology. 
 
 In  nothing  was  the  theological  prepossession  of  the 
 older  hymnists  more  manifest  than  in  their  versions  of  the 
 Psalms  ;  here  the  Jewish  singer  becomes  often  a  Calvinist 
 of  the  purest  type,  all  "  the  five  points  "  are  brought  in, 
 the  struggles,  needs,  yearnings,  fears,  proper  to  the  life  of 
 that  day,  and  even  of  this   are  rejected,  to  be  replaced  by 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  HYMNODY,  499 
 
 others  of  quite  a  different  kiDcl,  proper  only  to  men 
 living  in  an  atmosphere  poisoned  by  the  fume  of  creeds 
 — sovereignty,  satisfaction,  purchase,  perseverance,  and 
 perdition  usurping  and  utterly  transforming  the  words 
 and  thoughts  of  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel.  (See  Psalms 
 69,  51,  and  many  others  in  "Watts's  version.)  Of  course 
 every  Psalm  was  not  thus  treated,  but  about  as  many  as 
 would  allow  of  it  were  so  treated.  It  should  be  noted, 
 however,  that  the  Scotch  version  does  not  offend  in  this 
 way,  but  is  an  actual  version  of  the  Biblical  Psalms. 
 
 In  that  age  dogmatic  theology  was  supreme,  and  hence 
 it  will  be  found  that  very  rarely  did  its  hymns  grow 
 out  of  Scripture  scenes  or  events,  save  those  on  which 
 theology  has  too  often  exclusively  fixed  its  gaze,  such 
 as  the  Birth,  the  Crucifixion,  the  Resurrection,  and 
 Ascension  of  our  Lord.  Pew,  indeed,  are  the  hymns  by 
 writers  of  the  older  time  which  grew  out  of  the  other 
 scenes  and  works  of  our  Lord's  ministry.  It  seems  to 
 me  that  the  writers  of  later  times,  and  of  our  own 
 age,  have  drawn  their  inspiration  rather  from  the  Gospels 
 than  book  divinity,  and  are,  therefore,  less  theological 
 and  more  biblical.  JSTearly  every  great  scene  in  our 
 Lord's  career  has  given  birth  to  some  hymn,  not  merely, 
 as  formerly,  the  opening  and  closing  scenes  of  that 
 ministry,  but  the  visit  to  the  Temple,  the  Baptism  in 
 the  Jordan,  the  Temptation,  the  Miracles  of  healing  or 
 power,  the  Entry  into  Jerusalem.  The  representation 
 of  Christ  is  thus  much  fuller.  It  is  no  longer  an 
 outline  sketch,  but  more  like  a  finished  picture.  This 
 has  rendered  our  modern  hymns  more  picturesque,  more 
 vivid,  and  so  more  helpful  to  the  worshipper.     One  of 
 
500  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 our  modern  hymn-books  is  called  "  The  Hymnal  Com- 
 panion to  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer."  A  really 
 good  hymn-book  ought  to  be  a  companion  to  the  New 
 Testament — a  veritable  "  Christ  in  Song." 
 
 The  theological  standpoint  of  many  of  the  earlier 
 hymn-writers  ^had  this  further  effect  on  their  hymns, 
 that  there  was  not  sufficient  thought  of  the  needs  and 
 times  of  worship.  How  few  of  their  hymns  are  suitable 
 for  the  opening  and  close  of  public  worship ! — how  few 
 those  for  morning  and  evening !  Hymns  of  this  kind 
 have  to  be  drawn  almost  exclusively  from  the  writers 
 of  the  present  century.  This  remark  does  not  apply 
 to  the  hymns  of  the  Latin  Breviaries,  ^^ which  are  rich 
 in  verses  for  the  various  times  of  the  day,  but  then 
 these  have  only  of  late  found  their  way,  by  means  of 
 English  translations,  into  our  hymnals,  l^early  all  our 
 much-loved  and  often-sung  evening  hymns  are  by 
 writers  either  living  or  recently  departed.  And 
 the  same  remark  may  be  made  as  to  hymns  for  the 
 various  seasons]  of  the  year.  To  all  such  sublunary- 
 matters  the  elder  writers,  immersed  in  theological 
 questions,  were  quite  oblivious.  So  regardful  were  they 
 of  the  future  world  that  the  present  one  seemed  beneath 
 their  notice.  The  spirit  of  their  time  is  well  set  forth 
 in  the  words  of  Mr.  Cecil — "  I  want  to  see  no  more 
 sea,  hills,  valleys,  fields,  abbeys,  or  castles.  I  feel 
 vanity  pervading  everything  but  eternity  and  its  concerns, 
 and  perceive  these  things  to  be  suited  to  children." 
 
 There  was  indeed  a  subtle  kind  of  Manichseism  abroad, 
 which  regarded  this  as  the  devil's  world  rather  than 
 God's,  and  interest  in  it,  or  love  for  its  beauty,  was 
 reckoned   a   sign    of    worldliness.      Men    might    gather 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  HYMNODY,  501 
 
 for  worship  amid  the  freshness  of  spring,  or  the  glory 
 of  summer,  or  the  mellowness  of  autumn,  or  the  frost 
 of  winter,  but  no  hymns  rose  from  their  lips  in  harmony 
 with  the  season.  Praise  for  the  visible  world,  for  its 
 beauty,  its  variety,  its  loveliness,  was  a  thing  almost 
 unheard  of,  in  the  worship  of  former  times.  A  new 
 feeling  has  grown  up  in  relation  to  the  world,  thanks 
 to  the  influence  of  poets  like  Wordsworth,  or  prose- 
 writers  like  Charles  Kingsley,  or  scientists  whose  name 
 is  legion.  It  is  felt  that  thankfulness  for  the  present 
 world  is  as  much  a  duty  as  anticipation  of  the  world 
 to  come.  It  is  considered  no  mark  of  piety  to  grumble 
 at  our  earth  or  call  it  a  waste  howling  wilderness,  but 
 the  sign  that  the  piety  is  either  absent,  or  of  an  un- 
 healthy kind.  And  with  the  growth  of  this  feeling, 
 hymns  of  a  new  order — full  of  discernment  for  the 
 beauty  of  the  world,  full  of  thankfulness  on  its  account — 
 have  come  into  existence.  Do  we  gather  for  worship  on  a 
 lovely  morning  of  spring,  we  can  sing, 
 
 "  The  glory  of  the  spring  how  sweet." 
 Amid  the  richer  foliage  and  beauty  of  the  summer  we 
 
 can  sing, 
 
 "  Summer  suns  are  glowing." 
 
 As    the   leaves    grow  to    a    golden    tint    we    can    sing, 
 
 with  a  regretful  feeling  for  the  passing  of  the  summer, 
 
 *'  The  year  is  swiftly  waning." 
 
 As   winter  strides   with   iron  tread  over  the   earth,  we 
 
 can  comfort  ourselves  with  the  touching  words — 
 
 And  yet  God's  love  is  not  withdrawn, 
 
 His  life  within  the  keen  air  breathes, 
 His  beauty  paints  the  crimson  dawn, 
 
 And  clothes  the  boughs  with  glittering  wreaths. 
 
502  THE  HYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 0  God  !  who  giv'st  the  winter's  cold 
 
 As  well  as  summer's  joyous  rays, 
 Us  warmly  in  Thy  love  enfold, 
 
 And  keep  us  through  life's  wintry  days. 
 
 So  intent  were  the  older  writers  on  the  unseen  world, 
 that  scarcely  a  hymn  is  to  be  found  in  their  writings 
 expressive  of  harvest  joys  ;  indeed,  for  the  most  part  they 
 so  intensely  regarded  the  soul  of  man,  that  in  view  of  it 
 all  the  other  parts  and  faculties  of  his  nature  seemed 
 nothing  worth.  Without  any  diminution  of  regard  for 
 man's  soul,  but  rather  with  a  clearer  discernment  of  its 
 spii'itual  nature,  our  modern  hymnists  include  in  their 
 thought  his  whole  humanity  as  belonging  to  God.  And 
 so  a  more  human  feeling  runs  thi'ough  their  hymns. 
 They  express  real  sorrows  and  joys,  not  imaginary  ones. 
 Their  hymns  spring  out  of  the  human  heart,  and  not 
 out  of  theological  thoughts  concerning  man.  Many  of 
 the  older  hymns  are  far  off  from  men,  pitched  in  too 
 high  a  key  to  be  sung  quite  truthfully  by  ordinary  men 
 and  women.  They  are  not  suited  for  "human  nature's 
 daily  food."  They  delight  in  generalities,'  and  so  their 
 words  are  vague,  whether  they  utter  the  note  of 
 contrition  or  of  praise.  For  the  most  part  we  discern 
 the  theologian  rhyming  about  sin,  rather  than  the  peni- 
 tent confessing  his  wrong-doing ;  theologic  thought  of  the 
 world,  not  discernment  and  thankfulness  for  its  beauty  ; 
 the  ecclesiastic  zealous  for  church  relationships  rather 
 than  one  filled  with  the  enthusiasm  of  humanity,  and 
 keenly  alive  to  the  brotherhood  of  man.  The  actual 
 feelings  and  aspirations  of  men  rarely  find  expression  in 
 the  ordinary  hymnody  of  the  older  time.  Its  producers 
 turn  rather  to  the  doctrinal  than  the  practical  parts  of 
 Scripture,  and  embody  the  arguments  rather  than  express 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IX  HYMNODY.  503 
 
 the  spirit  tliey  should  waken  in  the  hearts  of  men.  In 
 seeking  expression  for  many  of  the  feelings  of  the 
 Chi'istian  life,  especially  such  as  sympathy,  calmness, 
 humility,  generosity,  we  are  obliged  to  turn  to  the  works 
 of  hymnists  of  our  own  age.  The  Gospel  heard  in  our 
 pulpits  has  grown  more  sympathetic,  and  our  song  must 
 be  in  harmony  with  our  teaching.  Sermon  and  song  must 
 keep  touch  with,  and  be  supplemental  of,  each  other. 
 Those  who  come  to  our  churches  do  not  want  to  give 
 utterance  to  theological  platitudes,  but  to  speak  out  of 
 their  hearts  to  their  Father.  Conscious  of  manifold 
 failure,  they  long  to  confess  the  actual  sins  they  have 
 committed.  Burdened  with  life's  many  trials,  they  would 
 lay  down  their  burden  at  their  Father's  feet.  Often  filled 
 with  sorrow  as  are  their  hearts,  they  would  be  assured  of 
 a  Divine  sympathy,  whilst  amid  their  seasons  of  prosperity 
 they  would  discern  the  hand,  and  give  thanks  to  the 
 Giver  of  all  good.  Who  are  the  men  able  to  give  voice 
 to  their  feelings  so  fully  as  those  whose  lot  has  been  cast 
 amid  like  surroundings,  troubled  by  the  same  doubts, 
 harrassed  by  the  same  temptations,  burdened  with  the 
 same  anxieties,  filled  with  the  same  joys  ? 
 
 I  will  undertake  to  say  that  the  hymns  by  far  the  most 
 fi-equently  sung  in  our  day  are  those  produced  during  the 
 present  century.  The  extraordinary  popularity  of  Mr. 
 Sankey's  "Songs  and  Solos"  is  due  to  the  hymns  by 
 recent  writers,  in  its  pages ;  those  by  earlier  ones  are  rarely 
 used.  Of  course,  among  the  older  hymns  there  are  some 
 so  instinct  with  life,  so  really  songs  of  the  heart,  that 
 they  live,  and  are  likely  to  live.  Only  a  living  hymnody 
 has  much  chance  of  surviving.  "  The  deadest  of  all  dead 
 things,"  says  a  recent  author,  "  is  a  dead  theology,"  and 
 
504  TEE  EYMN  LOVEB. 
 
 it  may  be  added  that  the  deadest  of  all  dead  things  is  a 
 hymn  which  has  sprung  out  of  a  dead  theology.  Being 
 dead,  they  will  soon  be  buried  out  of  the  sight  of  all,  save 
 antiquarian  hymnologists.  Their  removal  fi^om  the  pages 
 of  our  hymn-books  would  be  an  unmixed  blessing,  and 
 would  render  such  books  more  valued,  not  only  as  helps  to 
 public  worship,  but  as  companions  for  a  quiet  hour  within 
 the  home. 
 
 In  his  introduction  to  "  The  English  Poets,"  edited  by 
 T.  H.  Ward,  Mr.  Matthew  Arnold  says:  "The  future  of 
 poetry  is  immense,  because  in  poetry  where  it  is  worthy 
 of  its  high  destinies,  our  race,  as  time  goes  on,  will  find 
 an  ever  surer  and  surer  stay.  There  is  not  a  creed  which 
 is  not  shaken,  not  an  accredited  dogma  which  is  not  shown 
 to  be  questionable,  not  a  received  tradition  which  does  not 
 threaten  to  dissolve.  Our  religion  has  materialised  itself 
 in  the  fact,  in  the  supposed  fact,  or  has  attached  its 
 emotion  to  the  fact,  and  now  the  fact  is  failing  it.  But 
 for  poetry  the  idea  is  everything ;  the  rest  is  a  world  of 
 illusion,  of  divine  illusion.  Poetiy  attaches  its  emotion  to 
 the  idea  ;  the  idea  is  the  fact.  The  strongest  part  of  our 
 religion  to-day  is  its  unconscious  poetry." 
 
 Now,  in  this,  as  in  most  of  Mr.  Arnold's  utterances, 
 there  is  much  that  is  valuable,  and  much  that  is  the 
 reverse.  I  do  not  agree  with  him  when  he  says  that  the 
 fact  is  failing  us.  "We  are  getting  ever  nearer  to  the  fact, 
 and  relying  more  and  more  upon  it.  Christ,  the  eternal 
 fact,  is  appearing  ever  more  near  and  distinct  to  the  eyes 
 of  men,  and  just  in  proportion  to  the  degree  in  which 
 many  of  the  dogmas  and  creeds  of  the  past  are  fading 
 from  our  sight  does  His  peerless  Personality  shine  out 
 the  more  clearly.     With  this  proviso,  I  do  agree  with 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  HYMNODT.  505 
 
 him  when  he  speaks  of  poetry  reaching  the  idea,  or, 
 as  I  should  prefer  to  say,  the  essence  of  everything. 
 Theologians  and  commentators,  who,  with  a  few  noble 
 exceptions,  never  get  beneath  the  surface,  will  have  to 
 give  way  to  the  poets — the  seers  who  really  see — 
 see  into  the  heart  of  things.  It  is  so  to  a  large  extent 
 even  now.  Where  commentaries  used  to  occupy  the  shelves 
 of  ministers,  their  place  is  largely  taken  by  the  works  of 
 the  best  poets.  Tennyson  and  Browning  are  exerting  a 
 deeper  influence  on  the  theological  thought  of  the  age  than 
 the  professed  theologians.  The  most  revealing  portions  of 
 the  Old  Testament  scriptures  have  come  to  us  through 
 Prophet  and  Psalmist,  who  were  the  Hebrew  analogues  of 
 the  modern  poet.  The  portions  of  the  Old  Testament, 
 most  potent  in  our  religious  thinking,  are  its  poetical 
 books,  and  the  most  inspiring  preachers  of  Christianity  in 
 recent  times  have  been  men  of  poetic  insight.  To  say 
 nothing  of  men  happily  still  spared  to  us,  and  to  confine 
 ourselves,  to  those  known  to  the  elders  of  the  present 
 generation,  I  may  name  Frederick  "William  Eobertson,  of 
 Brighton,  Thomas  Toke  Lynch,  Thomas  Jones,  Alexander 
 Raleigh,  James  Baldwin  Brown,  John  Ker,  Horace 
 Bushnell,  and  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  The  only  sermons 
 that  live  and  are  read  are  those  with  the  poetic 
 insight.  In  his  remarkable  essay  on  ''  Our  Gospel 
 a  Gift  to  the  Imagination,"  in  the  volume  entitled,  "  The 
 Moral  Uses  of  Dark  Things,"  Br.  Bushnell  institutes 
 a  comparison  between  Turretin  and  Bunyan,  in  which  the 
 following  striking  passage  occurs :  "  The  venerable 
 dogmatiser  (Turretin)  is  already  far  gone  by  .  .  .  but 
 the  glorious  Bunyan  fire  still  burns,  because  it  is  fire, 
 kindles   the   world's   imagination,    more  and    more,    and 
 
506  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 claims  a  right  to  live  till  the  sun  dies  out  in  the  sky.  His 
 Pilgrim  still  holds  on  his  way,  still  fresh  and  strong  as 
 ever— nay,  fresher  and  stronger  than  ever — ^never  to  he 
 put  off  the  road  till  the  last  traveller  is  conducted  in." 
 All  theological  books  which  do  not  possess  the  poetic 
 insight  soon  cease  to  be  read,  and,  as  a  theological  book- 
 seller once  told  me,  find  their  way  to  the  mill  to  furnish 
 paper  for  the  inscription  of  fresher  thought.  And  the 
 same  principle  holds  good  of  hymns ;  only  those  alive  with 
 poetry,  which  is  another  way  of  saying,  instinct  with  life, 
 keep  their  hold  over  the  hearts  of  men.  But  those  which 
 are  thus  alive,  si^ce  to  be  so  they  must  touch  the  reality 
 of  the  gospel,  live  on  amid  all  the  changes  of  theological 
 thought.  The  mere  drapery  of  truth  may  be  removed  ; 
 she  herself  remains,  and  only  the  men  who  have  gazed 
 thereon  and  embodied  their  vision  in  their  verse,  keep 
 their  place  in  the  worship  of  the  church.  Changes  of 
 theological  thought  do  not  touch  such  hymns  because  they 
 enshrine  not  the  vanishing,  but  the  permanent  in 
 Christianity.  Even  the  uncultured  recognise  the  presence 
 of  life  in  a  hymn ;  and  though  editors  may  include  the 
 dead,  which  ought  to  have  been  buried,  in  their  hymnals, 
 the  people  will  consign  them  to  the  oblivion  they  deserve. 
 As  Dr.  Eushnell  well  says — and  his  remarks  have  a  close 
 bearing  on  the  subject  before  us — ''  This  endeavour  to  get 
 the  truths  of  religion  away  from  the  imagination  into 
 propositions    of    the    speculative    understanding,    makes 
 
 a     most     dreary     and  sad     history 
 
 They  were  plants  alive  and  in  flower,  but  now  the  flowers 
 are  gone,  the  juices  are  dried,  and  the  skeleton  parts 
 packed  away  and  classified  in  the  dry  herbarium  called 
 theology."     The  mass  of  the  older  hymns  were  written  in 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  HYMNODY.  507 
 
 times  when  "theology"  was  dominant,  and  their  writers 
 busied  themselves  with  the  herbarium  rather  than  walked 
 amid  the  living  gardens  of  truth,  and  so  their  writings 
 smack  of  the  theological  museum,  instead  of  being  beauti- 
 ful and  fragrant  as  freshly -plucked  flowers.  A  writer  may 
 be  found  here  and  there  who  walked  in  the  living  garden, 
 whilst  some,  occupied  chiefly  with  the  herbarium,  strayed 
 now  and  again  into  the  garden  of  life.  Every  now  and 
 then  Dr.  "Watts  finds  his  way  to  the  fresher  air,  and  when 
 he  does,  his  hymns  are  living  ones,  and  rightly  hold  their 
 place  in  the  Church's  worship-song.  Happily,  the  her- 
 barium time^is  nearly  over,  and  now  the  theologian  has  to 
 give  way  to  the  poet.  I  once  handed  a  copy  of  my  own 
 Hymnal  to  a  distinguished  Eoman  ecclesiastic,  who  has 
 himself  produced  some  living  hymns,  and  as  he  turned  its 
 pages  he  exclaimed,  "  But  this  is  poetry."  I  rex)lied, 
 "  What  right  has  it  to  be  there  unless  it  be  poetry?" 
 In  so  far  as  this  living  spirit  pervades  our  song  will  our 
 hymnals  be  in  touch  with  the  age,  and  if  they  are  not, 
 they  are  unsuited  to  it.  You  may  as  well  try  to  clothe  men 
 of  to-day  with  the  armour  of  the  barons,  as  expect  them 
 to  sing  hymns  charged  with  the  thoughts  of  an  age  that 
 has  departed.  In  so  far  as  the  poetic  afflatus  is  in  the  older 
 hymns,  they  are  not  for  an  age,  but  for  all  time  ;  but  in 
 so  far  as  this  is  wanting,  their  day  is  over.  They  are  no 
 more  fitted  for  our  time  than  the  Homilies  of  tlie  English 
 Church  are  for  the  congregations  which  gather  in  that 
 Church  to-day.  The  sermons  of  Jeremy  Taylor  might  be 
 used  with  profit  because  they  are  alive,  but  the  Homilies 
 would  empty  any  church !  Our  plea  is  for  living  hymns, 
 to  whatever  age  they  may  belong,  or  from  whosoever' s 
 pen  they  may  come.     Such  hymns  will,  for  the  most  part^ 
 
508  THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 be  found  as  really  in  touch  with  our  present  thought  as 
 with  that  of  the  age  in  which  they  first  saw  the  light. 
 We  can  rejoice  in  the  "  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  though  most 
 of  the  sermons  of  that  period  would  send  us  quickly  to 
 sleep.  And  we  can  sing  the  Te  Deum  with  as  much 
 fervour  as  the  devoted  followers  of  Ambrose  did  in  his 
 church  at  Milan  centuries  ago.  Dr.  I^eale,  with  a  poet's 
 instinct,  drew  from  the  storehouses  of  the  Ancient  Church 
 some  of  her  living  hymns,  and  they  are  among  the  greatest 
 favourites  of  this  nineteenth  century,  whilst  a  mass  of 
 hymns  of  later  times,  which  lack  the  poetic  life,  remain 
 in  our  hymnals  unsung,  and  even  unread.  We  must  let 
 the  dead  bury  their  dead,  for  we  cannot  galvanise  them 
 into  life,  no  matter  how  powerful  be  the  battery  we  may 
 employ.  And  when  they  are  buried,  our  hymn-books  will 
 be  among  our  most  highly -prized  treasures,  and  best  aids 
 to  devotion.  Editors  and  editorial  committees  want  more 
 courage.  A  very  competent  editor  of  a  well-known 
 Hymnal  once  told  me,  when  I  criticised  his  work,  "My 
 committee  would  include  many  hymns  I  wanted  left  out, 
 and  would  not  put  in  many  I  greatly  desired  to  include." 
 The  result  is  that  the  book  is  not  nearly  so  good  as  it 
 would  have  been  if  the  editor  had  been  allowed  to  have 
 his  way.  Congregations  are  often  in  advance  of  their 
 leaders,  and  show  far  greater  readiness  to  appreciate  really 
 good  hymns  than  those  leaders  suppose.  Worshippers  are 
 tired  of  the  didactic  hymns  they  are  often  called  upon  to 
 sing,  whilst  many  of  them  stand  with  closed  lips  when 
 hymns  expressive  of  long-since  discarded  conceptions  of 
 the  Gospel  are  announced  in  the  church.  Their  quickened 
 consciences  revolt  against  doctrines  which  cast  a  darkening 
 shadow  over  the  fair  face  of  truth,  and  they  stand  with 
 
THE  NEW  ERA  IN  HYMNODY.  509 
 
 closed  lips  when  they  should  be  singing  the  praise  of  the 
 Great  Father.  They  have  learnt  that  He  is  better  than  the 
 best  they  can  conceive  of,  and  they  demand  hymns  which 
 will  enable  them,  like  the  Psalmist  of  the  olden  time,  to 
 cry,  "  So  will  I  go  unto  the  altar  of  Grod,  unto  God  my 
 exceeding  joy  ;  yea,  upon  the  harp  will  I  praise  Thee,  0 
 God,  my  God."  And  when  within  the  pages  of  our 
 hymnals  none  but  such  hymns  are  included,  the  worship 
 of  the  church  will,  more  than  in  the  past,  lead  us  up  to 
 "  those  shining  table-lands  to  which  our  God  is  Sun  and 
 Moon." 
 
510 
 
 WORKS    OF    REFERENCE. 
 
 AETICLES   ON   HYMNS  IN 
 
 Dictionary  of  Christian  Antiquities,  edited  by  Dr.  W. 
 
 Smith,  and  Professor  Cheetham. 
 EnclycloiDsedia  Britannica  (9th  edition). 
 Maclintock's  and  Strong's  Cyclopaedia. 
 DANIEL.     Thesaurus  Hymnologicus.     o  vols. 
 
 Leij)sic,  1855-6. 
 
 MONE.     Hymni  Latini  Medii  Aevi.  Freiburg,  1853. 
 
 KOCH.     Geschichte  des  Kirchenlieds  und  Kirchengesangs 
 
 der  Christlichen.     4  vols.  Stuttgart,  1856. 
 
 AUGUST!.     De  Hymnis  Syrorum  Sacris. 
 
 Wratislaw,  1841. 
 BIRAGHI.     Inni  Sinceri  e  Carmi  di  Sant'  Ambrogio. 
 
 Milan,  1862. 
 EBEET.     Geschichte  der  Christlich-Lateinischen  Literatur. 
 
 Leipsic,  1874. 
 THEHREIN,  J.     Lateinische  Sequenges  des  Mittelalters. 
 
 Mainz,  1873. 
 
 NEWMAN,  J.  H.     Hymni  Ecclesise  e  Breviariis  Sarisbu- 
 
 riense  Eomano,  &c.  1838. 
 
 Hvmni  Ecclesise  e  Breviario  Parisiense.  1839. 
 
 NEALE,  J.  M.     Hymni  Ecclesiee.  1851. 
 
 ■ Sequentise  ex  Missalibus.  1852. 
 
 ■ Hymns  of  the  Eastern  Church.  London,  1862. 
 
 Mediseval  Hymns  and  Sequences  (3rd  edition). 
 
 1866. 
 MILLER,  JosiAH.     Singers  and  Songs  of  the  Church. 
 
 1869. 
 
 CHARLES,   Elizabeth.     The  Voice  of   Christian  Life  in 
 
 Song  (3rd  edition).  1872. 
 
 CREAMER,  D.     Methodist  Hymnology.  1848. 
 
 PUTNAM,  A.  P.     Singers  and  Songs  of  the  Liberal  Faith. 
 
 Boston,  1875. 
 
 DUFFIELD,  S.  W.     English  Hymns :  Their  Authors  and 
 
 History  (3rd  edition).  New  York,  1888. 
 
WORKS  OF  BEFEBENGE.  511 
 
 WINKWOETH,  C.     Christian  Singers  of  Germany. 
 
 London,  1869. 
 
 EXTBLEE,  Theodore.    Historical  Notes  to  the  Lyra  Ger- 
 
 manica.  London,  1865. 
 
 MACDONALD,    George.     England's  Antiphon.     London, 
 
 N.  D. 
 CHEISTOPHEES,  S.  W.     Hymn-Writers  and  their  Hymns. 
 
 The  New  Methodist  Hymn-Book,  and  its  Writers. 
 
 BIGG,  L.  C.     English  Hymnology.  1873. 
 
 PEESCOTT,  J.  E.     Christian  Hymns  and  Hymn-Writers. 
 
 Cambridge,  1886. 
 KING,  James.     Anglican  Hymnology.  London,  1885. 
 
 SCHAFE,  Philip.     Christ  in  Song.  London,  1870. 
 
 EOGEES,  Charles.     Lyra  Britannica  (2nd  edition). 
 
 London,  1868. 
 ODENHEIMEE,  W.  H.  and  BIED,  E.  W.     Songs  of  the 
 Spirit.  New  York,  1874. 
 
 HOOD,  E.  P.     Isaac  Watts  :  His  Life  and  Writings. 
 GLASS,  H.  A.     The  Story  of  the  Psalters.       London,  1888. 
 KEE,  John.     The  Psalms  in  History  and  Biography. 
 
 Edmburgh,  1886. 
 
 WEANGHAM,  D.  S.     The  Liturgical  Poetry  of  Adam  of  St. 
 
 Victor.  London,  1881. 
 
 CUEWEN,  J.  S.     Biographical  Notes  to  The  Child's  Own 
 
 Hymn  Book. 
 JULIAN,  John.     A  Dictionary  of  Hymnology  (to  be  pub- 
 lished at  an  early  date). 
 TEENCH,  E.  C.     Sacred  Latin  Poetry.  London,  1864. 
 
 THE  NOTES  IN 
 
 The  Irish  Church  Hymn  Book. 
 
 The   Book  of    Praise,   edited    by  Lord  Selborne    (5th 
 
 edition.  London,  1865. 
 
 The  Free  Church  Hymn  Book.  Edinburgh,  1882. 
 
 Hymns    for    Church    and    Home,    edited    by    W.    E. 
 
 Stevenson. 
 Church  HjTQns,  annotated  by  J.  Ellerton. 
 The  Presbyterian  Hymnal,  edited  by  James  Thin.   1888. 
 Hjmmale  Ecclesige  Sarisburiensis,  edited  by  W.  Stubbs, 
 C.  Marriott,  and  A.  C.  Wilson.  Littlemore,  1850. 
 
 THE  INDEX  OF  AUTHOES  IN 
 
 W.  T.  Brooke's   edition   of   Giles   Fletcher's  "Christ's 
 
 Victory  and  TriumiDh."  London,  1888. 
 
 The  Church  of  England  Hymn  Book,  edited  by  Godfrey 
 
 Thring.  London,  1882. 
 
 Congregational  Hymns,  edited  by  W.  Garrett  Horder. 
 
 London,  1884. 
 Primitive  Mctliodist  Hymnal.  London,  1887. 
 
513 
 
 INDEX  OF  NAMES. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Abelard,  Peter     234 
 
 Adam  of  St.  Victor    55,378 
 
 Adams  (»ee Flower),  Sarah      160 
 
 Addiscott,  Henry 160 
 
 Addison,  Joseph 94 
 
 Adkins,  Thomas 144 
 
 Adolphus,  Gustavus,  of  Sweden    ...    386 
 
 Ainger,  Alfred      314 
 
 Alexander,  Mrs.  Cecil  Frances       ...     443 
 
 Alexander,  J.  W 361,397 
 
 Alexander,  WilUam  Lindsay 168 
 
 Alford,  Heni-y,  D.D 168 
 
 Allen,  James 127 
 
 Alstyne  ( see  Van  Alstyne)       
 
 Ambrose,  St 37,  42,  36,  41, 159 
 
 Anatolius,  St 39,184,274 
 
 Andi-ew,  St.,  of  Crete , 39 
 
 Anstice,  Joseph    165,443 
 
 Anton,  Ulrick,  Duke  of  Brimswick    377 
 
 Arnold,  Miss 
 
 Aquinas,  Thomas 53 
 
 Athenagoras 34 
 
 Auber,  HaiTiet     140 
 
 Austin,  John 78 
 
 Bacon,  Lord 
 
 Baker,  Francis,  Priest       
 
 Baker,  Sir  Henry  Williams,  Bart 
 
 Bakewell,  John    
 
 Barbauld,  Anna  Loetitia 
 
 Bardesanes     
 
 Baring,  Gould  (see  Gould) 
 
 Barlow,  Joel 
 
 Barry,  Alfred       
 
 Bartholomew,  William      ...   352, 
 
 Barton,  Bernard 
 
 Barton,  W 6 
 
 Bateman,  Henry 
 
 Bathui-st,  William  Hiley 
 
 Batty,  Christopher      
 
 Baxter,  Richard 
 
 Beddome,  Benjamin 
 
 Bede,  Venerable 
 
 Benedictis  (see  De  Benedictis) . . 
 Bernard  of  Clairvaux ...     58,  361, 
 Bei-nard  of  Morlais,  or  Clugny 
 
 Berridge,  John     
 
 Berwick,  Miss       
 
 Bethune,  G,  W 
 
 Beza,  Theodore    
 
 Bickersteth,  Bishop     .. 
 
 Binney,  Thomas 
 
 Blackie,  John  Stuart  .. 
 Blacklock,  Thomas     .. 
 
 Blackmore     
 
 Bliss,  Philip  ... 
 
 Blunt,  Abel  Gerald  Wilson 
 
 Bode,  John  Ernest      
 
 70 
 81 
 187 
 122 
 129 
 35 
 
 391 
 314 
 358,  364 
 147 
 
 70,85 
 451 
 202 
 119 
 
 97,80 
 121 
 50 
 
 402,  494 
 59,  494 
 ...  119 
 196, 197 
 380 
 66 
 485 
 156 
 315 
 122 
 67 
 403 
 316 
 202 
 
 Bogatzsky,  Charles  Henry  von       ...     368 
 
 Bonar,  Horatius 233,473,481 
 
 Borthwick,  Jane 240,  375 
 
 Borthwick,  Robert  Brown 317 
 
 Bowi'ing,  Sir  John      151,152,496 
 
 Brady  (see  Tate) 
 
 Brady,  Nicholas 
 
 Bridges,  Matthew       
 
 Bright,  William 
 
 Bronte,  Anne        
 
 Brooke,  Stopford  Augustus 
 Brown,  James  Baldwin     . . . 
 
 Brown,  Dr.  Morton    
 
 Browne,  Simon     
 
 Browne,  Sir  Thomas  ... 
 
 Bruce,  Michael    I 
 
 Bryant,  William  Cullen  ... 
 Bubier,  George  Burden  ... 
 Btdtinch,  Stephen  Greenleaf 
 
 Burder,  Dr.  G 
 
 Bui'gess,  Dr 
 
 Burleigh,  William  Henry ... 
 Burman,  Ellen  Elizabeth  . . . 
 Burns,  James  Drummond  .. 
 
 Burton,  Jolin 
 
 Butcher,  Edmund       
 
 Byrom,  John 
 
 Calvin      
 
 Cambridge,  Ada  (see  Cross)     
 
 Cameron,  William      
 
 Campbell,  Thomas      
 
 Canitz,    Frederick  Rudolph    Louis 
 
 Baron  von 
 
 Carlyle,  Joseph  Dacre       
 
 Carlyle,  Thomas    
 
 Cary,  Alice  and  Phoebe      
 
 Caswall,  Edward 173,384 
 
 Cawood,  John       140,443 
 
 Cennick,  John      120,435 
 
 Chandler,  John    159,379 
 
 Charlemagne 49 
 
 Charles  («eV'  Rundle),  Elizabeth 37, 304,386 
 
 ..  215 
 ..  317 
 ..  185 
 ..  290 
 ..     203 
 
 144 
 
 104 
 
 77,  92,  482,  488 
 
 108,  130 
 
 404,408 
 
 203 
 
 414 
 
 ...    130,131 
 
 37 
 
 419 
 
 318 
 193,  375,  481 
 ...    443,450 
 
 132 
 
 105 
 
 131 
 140 
 
 143 
 347 
 425 
 
 Chrysostom    . . 
 
 Churchyard    
 
 Clare,  Sister  Mary,  of  Kenmare 
 
 Clarke,  James  Freeman     
 
 Clarke,  Samuel  Childs       
 
 Clement,  of  Alexandria    
 
 Clephane,  Elizabeth  C 
 
 Cobbe,  Frances  Power       
 
 Cobbin,  Ingram    ... 
 
 Coffin,  Charles      
 
 Coleridge,  Samuel  Taylor 
 
 Colly  er,  William  Bengo      
 
 Conder.  Josiah      
 
 Cooke,  W 
 
 Corneille 
 
 36 
 
 ...  419 
 ...  320 
 34,  431 
 ...  473 
 ...  320 
 ...  380 
 159,  379 
 ...  467 
 ...  144 
 ...  149 
 ...  379 
 ...  381 
 
 L  2 
 
514 
 
 THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Cosin,  Bishop        49,77 
 
 Coster.  George  Thomas     321 
 
 Coverdale,  Miles 66 
 
 Cowper,  William 117,  123,  379,  488 
 
 Cox,  Frances  Elizabeth     372,375 
 
 Coxe ,  Ai'thm-  Cleveland    395 
 
 Craig-        68 
 
 Cramer,  Johann  Andreas 372 
 
 Crashaw,  Richard 78 
 
 Crewdson  («««  Fox),  Jane 168 
 
 Croly,  George  143 
 
 Cross  (;/«'e  Cambridge),  Ada     304 
 
 Crossman,  Samuel       89 
 
 Curwen,  John       445 
 
 Da  Toda  (see  Tode)     
 
 D'Aiibigne,  Dr.  Merle       381 
 
 Da  vies,  Sir  John 106 
 
 Davies,  Samuel     397 
 
 De  Benedictis,  Jacobus     53 
 
 Decius,  Nicholas , 352 
 
 Denny,  Sir  Edward     213 
 
 De  Santeuil,  Claude    379 
 
 De  Santeuil,  J.  B 379 
 
 Dexter,  Dr 431 
 
 Dickson,  Da%id     81 
 
 Dix,  William  Chatterton  ...    299,  466,  488 
 
 Doane,  George  Washington     392 
 
 Dobell.  John 132 
 
 Doddridge,  Philip        106 
 
 Doudney,  Sarah 458 
 
 Do wnton,  Rev.  Henry        381-383 
 
 Dryden,  John       90 
 
 Duffiekl,  George 398 
 
 Duncan,  Mary  Lundie       447 
 
 D wight,  Timothy 391 ,  399 
 
 E.B 
 
 Eber,  Paul     ...     . 
 
 E.C.W 
 
 Edmeston,  James 
 EUerton,  John     .. 
 Elliott,  Charlotte 
 Elliot,  Emily  E.  S. 
 
 319 
 
 352 
 
 457 
 
 151,450 
 
 43,  152,  284,  459,  498 
 
 157 
 
 454 
 
 Elliot    [nee  Marshall),  Julia   Anne    159 
 
 Emerson,  Charles  Chauncy      412 
 
 Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo     404,411 
 
 Ephr em  of  Edessa      35,  37 ,  38 
 
 Evans,  Jonathan  .. .  130 
 
 Everest,  Charles  William 393 
 
 Faber,  Father       ...     . 
 Fabricius,  Dr.  Jacob  . 
 
 Fawcett,  John      
 
 Findlater,  Sarah 
 
 Flatman  ...  
 
 Flowerdew,  Alice 
 
 FoUen,  Eliza  Lee 
 
 Formby,  Rev.  Henry  . . . 
 Fortunatus,  Venantius 
 
 Fountain,  John     
 
 Fox,  Jane  (see  Crewdson) 
 Francis,  Benjamin 
 Furness.  William  Henry 
 Fumivall,  Mi- 
 
 179,  469,  481,  488 
 
 386 
 
 128 
 
 ...    242,  369,  375 
 
 92 
 
 133 
 
 158 
 
 468 
 
 46 
 
 122 
 
 '.'.'.  127 
 
 ...  410 
 
 ...  71 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Gaskell,  William 203 
 
 Gellert,  Christian  Fiirchtegott        ...     371 
 George,  Margrave  of   Brandenberg    353 
 
 Gerhardt,  Paul     360,361,397 
 
 Gerok      372 
 
 Gibbons,  Dr.  Thomas 122 
 
 Gilbert,  Mrs.  (see  Taylor)         
 
 Gill,  Thomas  Homblower  ...    88,  248,  488 
 
 Godescalcus    60,185,493 
 
 Goflfe,  Eliza  Fanny  (see  Morris) 
 
 Goode,  William     133 
 
 Gould,  Samuel  Baring        ...  299,  386,  465 
 
 Grant,  James 118 
 
 Grant,  Sir  Robert        148 
 
 Greenwood,  John  Brooke 323 
 
 Greg,  Samuel 174 
 
 Gregory,  The  Great     46,48,493 
 
 Grigg,  Joseph       117 
 
 Griinbeck,  Esther        107 
 
 Gurney,  John  Hampden   158 
 
 Guyon,  Madame 379,488 
 
 Hal dane,  Robert 
 
 Hall,  Bishop  Joseph   ...     . 
 
 Hall,  Newman      
 
 Hamilton,  James 
 
 Hammond,  William   ...     . 
 
 Hansar,  Meta       
 
 Harmonius     
 
 Han-is,  John 
 
 Hart,  Joseph 
 
 Hastings,  Thomas 
 Havergal.  Frances  Ridley. 
 
 Haweis,  Thomas 
 
 Hawker,  Dr 
 
 Hawkes worth,  Dr.  John   . 
 
 Hawkins,  Mrs.  H.  P 
 
 Haym,  Luise  H.  von  ...     . 
 
 Heber,  Bishop       
 
 Hedge,  Frederick  Henry   . 
 Hemans,  Felicia  Dorothea 
 
 Henley  John 
 
 Henry,  Matthew 
 
 Hensel,  Luise        
 
 Herbert,  George 
 
 Hermann.  Nicolas       ...     . 
 
 Herrick,  Robert    
 
 Hickes,  Bishop  Georce 
 Higginson,  Thomas  Wentworth 
 
 Hill.  Rowland       
 
 Hincks,  Thomas 
 
 HL.L 
 
 Hogg,  .Lames 
 
 Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell     ...    39' 
 
 Hood,  Edwyn  Paxton 
 
 Hopkins  (see  Stemhold)    
 
 Hopps,  John  Page       
 
 Home,  Bishop       
 
 Houlditch,  Anne  (see  Shepherd) 
 
 How.  William  Walsham 
 
 Hughes,  Thomas 
 
 Humphreys,  Joseph    
 
 Hunter,  Dr.  William 
 
 Hupton,  Job 
 
 Hutton,  James      
 
 200, 
 
 381 
 92 
 465 
 246 
 117 
 372 
 35 
 157 
 118 
 399 
 449 
 126 
 437 
 119 
 455 
 370 
 144 
 412 
 155 
 450 
 98 
 372 
 336 
 354 
 74,  432,  488 
 
 433 
 
 423 
 130 
 245 
 244 
 140 
 ,416 
 185 
 
 6,  88, 
 
 460 
 325 
 122 
 403 
 134 
 119 
 
INDEX  OF  names;. 
 
 »15 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Ingemann.  Bernliai'dt  Severin 385 
 
 Irons,  William  Josiali 52,171 
 
 Jackson  (see  Mrs.  Shelly) 
 
 Jacobi      144 
 
 James,  King  of  England 67.  70 
 
 John,  Damascene  St 39,184 
 
 John,  Elector  of  Saxony 353 
 
 Johnson,  Samuel 421 
 
 •Jonas,  Justus        352 
 
 Jones,  Edmund    ...  134 
 
 Joseph,  St.,  of  the  Studium     184 
 
 Julian,  John 326 
 
 Keble,  John 
 
 31,151,152,336,443, 
 
 485, 
 
 Keith,  George 
 Kelly,  Thomas 
 Ken,  Bishop    . 
 
 Kent,  John     
 
 Kethe      
 
 King,  Bishop 
 
 Xingsley,  Charles 
 
 Kippis,  Andi'ew    
 
 IQopstock.  Friedrich  Gottlieb  . . 
 
 136,138, 
 
 39,  90, 128, 153,  432, 
 
 351, 
 
 498 
 140 
 481 
 498 
 134 
 68 
 70 
 468 
 122 
 372 
 ,  372 
 
 292 
 
 425 
 
 367 
 
 329 
 
 292,448,469 
 387 
 
 Knapp,  Albrecht . . . 
 
 Lamartine      
 
 Larcom,  Lucy       , 
 
 Iiaurentii.  Laurentius.. 
 
 Lee,  Holme  
 
 Leeson,  Jane  E 
 
 Lewis,  Rev.  H.  Elvet ... 
 
 Le  Tourneaux  (see  Tourneaux) 
 Littledale.  Richard  Frederick  ...     ... 
 
 Lloyd,  William  Freeman 
 
 Logan,  John 108, 
 
 Longfellow,  Henry  Wadsworth     404, 
 
 Longfellow,  Samuel 
 
 Louisa  Henrietta,  Electress  of  Bran- 
 denburg           362 
 
 Lowell,  James  Russell       404, 
 
 Lucas       
 
 Luke,  Jemima      
 
 Luther     99,340,344, 
 
 Lutteroth,  Henri 
 
 Lynch,  Thomas  Toke 
 
 Lyte,  Henry  Francis  151, 152, 154, 484. 
 
 McCheyne,  Robert  MuiTay      
 
 MacDonald.  George    ...      279, 
 
 Mackellar,  Thomas      
 
 Maitland,  Fanny  Fuller    
 
 Malan,  Cse-sar       
 
 Mant,  Richard      
 
 Marckant,  John   
 
 Mardley,  John      
 
 Marot,  Clement    
 
 Man-iott,  John     
 
 Martineau,  James       
 
 Marvell,  Andrew 
 
 Mary,  Countess  of  Pembroke 
 
 Mason,  John 
 
 Mason,  William    
 
 Massie,  Richard    361,372, 
 
 Matson,  William  Tidd       
 
 Matthesius,  Johann    
 
 ),  97, 
 
 296 
 204 
 180 
 412 
 421 
 
 377 
 423 
 343 
 455 
 350 
 381 
 187 
 498 
 
 173 
 
 372 
 
 397 
 
 148 
 
 380 
 
 140 
 
 72 
 
 72 
 
 66 
 
 143 
 
 222 
 
 95 
 
 70 
 
 188 
 
 126 
 
 375 
 
 293 
 
 354 
 
 Maude,  Mary  Fawler 
 
 Medley,  Samuel    
 
 Merrick,  James     
 
 Middleton,  Thomas  Fanshaw  ... 
 
 Midlane,  Albert    
 
 Miles,  Susan  Elizabeth      
 
 Mills,  Elizabeth    
 
 Milman,  Dean      
 
 Milton,  John 78, 
 
 Monod.  Adolphe 
 
 Monsell,  Jolin  Samuel  Bewley  . . . 
 Montgomery,  James   . . .  138J  441, 
 
 Maore,  Thomas     
 
 More,  Henry 
 
 MoiTis,  Alfred  James 
 
 Morris  {nee  Gotfe),  Eliza  Fanny 
 
 MoiTison,  John     
 
 Moultrie,  Gerald 
 
 Mudie,  Charles  Edward 
 Mulilenberg,  William  Augustus 
 
 Naur,  Elias  Elkildsen 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ...  327 
 ...  128 
 ...  121 
 ...  134 
 ...  466 
 ...  413 
 ...  160 
 151,  482 
 336,  488 
 
 484,  492 
 ...  141 
 ...  80 
 ...     204 
 
 327 
 131,  480 
 ...  303 
 ...     328 
 
 392 
 
 Neale,  Dr.  Mason 
 Neander,  Joachim 
 
 Neflf,  Felix     
 
 Neumarck,  George 
 Nevin,  Edward  H. 
 Newman,  Cardinal 
 Newton,  James  ... 
 Newton,  John 
 Nicolai,  Philip 
 
 Noel,  Gerard 
 
 Notker     ... 
 
 Novalis     
 
 Nunn,  Marianne  ... 
 
 384 
 59,  134,  183,  443 
 
 368 
 
 381 
 
 117, 
 
 425 
 
 153, 217,  443,  485,  498 
 
 127 
 
 123,  142 
 ...  354 
 ..  143 
 61,  350 
 ...  372 
 ...     142 
 
 Oberlin,  Jean  Frederic      381 
 
 Olivers,  Thomas  126 
 
 Onderdonk,  Henry  Ustic   392 
 
 Opie,  Amelia 134 
 
 Palgrave.  Francis  Turner 261,466 
 
 Palmer,  Ray 399,403 
 
 Park,  Thomas       133 
 
 Parr,  Hamet 329 
 
 Parson  (wee  Rooken^,  Elizabeth      ...    442 
 
 Patrick     67,  70 
 
 Pearce,  Samuel      1,34 
 
 Pennefather   (»e'e  King),  Catherine    330 
 
 Pennefather,  William 205 
 
 Phillimore,  George      206 
 
 Pictet  .381 
 
 Pierpoint,  FoUiott  Sandford    3,30 
 
 Piei-pont,  John  405 
 
 Plumptre.  Edward  Hayes         ...      34,  2.59 
 
 Pollock,  Thomas  Benson 462 
 
 Pope,  Alexander ...     104 
 
 Prince,  Thomas    391 
 
 Procter,  Adelaide  Anne     195,  488 
 
 Prynne,  George  Rmidle     246 
 
 Punshon,  William  Morley        206 
 
 Q,uarles,  Francis  .. 
 
 Racine     
 
 RaflEies,  Thomas   .. 
 Rawson,  George  .. 
 
 ...  155,484 
 
 381 
 
 ...  144,149 
 ...  223,488 
 
616 
 
 THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Eeed,  Eev.  Andrew    
 
 148,  400 
 
 Taylor,  Ann  and  Jane 
 
 ...     438 
 
 PJngwaldt      
 
 Rinkart,  Martin 
 
 144,  354 
 
 Taylor,  Clare 
 
 ...     122 
 
 ...     357 
 
 Taylor,  Emily       
 
 ...     208 
 
 Eobbins,  Chandler      
 
 ...     418 
 
 Taylor,  Helen       
 
 ...     439 
 
 Robert  II,  King  of  Fiance  60, 
 
 61, 
 
 Taylor,  Jane 
 
 ...     438 
 
 377 
 
 ,  379,  402 
 
 Taylor,  Bishop  Jeremy 
 
 78,  432,  483 
 
 Robinson,  George  Wade    
 
 ...     207 
 
 Taylor,  John 
 
 91 
 
 Robinson,  Richard  Hayes 
 
 ...     331 
 
 Taylor,  Thomas  Rawson   . . 
 
 161 
 
 442,  444 
 
 Robinson,  Robert 
 
 ...     127 
 
 Tersteegen,  Gerhardt 
 
 242,  369 
 
 Rooker,  Elizabeth  (see  Parson) 
 
 Theodulph,  of  Orleans      . . . 
 
 51,184 
 
 Roscommon,  Earl  of   
 
 .'.'.      90 
 
 Thomas,  David     
 
 ...     334 
 
 Rosenr<  ith,  Knorr  von        
 
 ...     366 
 
 Thomas,  of  Celano      
 
 ...      52 
 
 Rosetti,  Christina  Georgina     . . . 
 
 ...     331 
 
 Threlfall,  Jeannette    
 
 ...     457 
 
 Rous 
 
 ...       68 
 
 Thi-ing,  Godfrey 
 
 272,  347 
 
 Rundle,  Elizabeth  (see  Charles) 
 
 Thrupp,  Dorothy  Ann 
 
 443, 447 
 
 Russell,  Arthur  Tozer       
 
 '..'.    160 
 
 Tode,  Jacopone  da      
 
 ...     397 
 
 Ryland,  John 
 
 ...     131 
 
 Toplady,  Augustus  Montague. . . 
 
 ...     128 
 
 Tourneaux,  Nicholas  le 
 
 ...     379 
 
 Sachs,  Hans 
 
 ...     353 
 
 Trench,  Richard  Chenevix. , 
 
 ...     161 
 
 Sandys,  George    
 
 70,73 
 
 Turner,  Daniel      
 
 118 
 
 Sankev,  IraD.             
 
 403,  474 
 
 Tuttiett,  Lawrence      
 
 ...     281 
 
 Santeuil,  De  (see  De  Santeuil) 
 
 Twells,  Hemy       
 
 ...     335 
 
 Santolius,  Maglorianus      
 
 Santolius,  Victorinus 
 
 '.'.'.     379 
 ...     379 
 
 Upton,  James       
 
 ...     133 
 
 Saxby  ( n  e«  Browne ) ,  Jane  Euphemia    332 
 
 Van  Al.styne,  Fanny  J. 
 
 ...     404 
 
 Scheffler,  Johann         
 
 ...     364 
 
 Vaughan,  Henry 
 
 89,  336 
 
 Sober er,  M .  Edmond 
 
 ...     383 
 
 Very,  Jones   
 
 404,  423 
 
 Scott,  Thomas       
 
 ...     117 
 
 Vinet,  Alexander 
 
 381,  382 
 
 Scudder,  Eliza      
 
 ...     395 
 
 Voke,  Mrs 
 
 ...     139 
 
 Seagrave,  Robert 
 
 ...     106 
 
 Sears,  Edmund  Henry       
 
 ...     417 
 
 Wardlaw,  Ralph 
 
 ...     143 
 
 Shelly  (we'fi  Jackson) ,  "Mrs. 
 
 ...     442 
 
 Ware,  jun.,  Hemy      
 
 ...     406 
 
 Shepcote,  Mrs 
 
 ...     453 
 
 Waring,  Anna  Loetitia      . . . 
 
 307,  483 
 
 Shepherd  (»eV  Houlditch),  Anne 
 
 ...     447 
 
 Watts,  Alaric  A .. 
 
 ...     403 
 
 Shepherd,  Rev  .Thomas     
 
 85,  88,  97 
 
 Watts,  Dr.  24,  67,  69,  70,  86 
 
 96,' 
 
 112, 
 
 ShMey,  W.  W 
 
 ...     127 
 
 113,  389 
 
 ,391 
 
 433,  485 
 
 Shrubsole,  William     
 
 ...     133 
 
 Waugh,  Benjamin      
 
 ...     463 
 
 Sidney,  Sir  Philip        
 
 24,70 
 
 Wedderburn 
 
 ...      66 
 
 Silesius,  Angelus 
 
 Smith,  Charles      
 
 ...     364 
 
 Weiss,  Michael     
 
 ..     353 
 
 ...     333 
 
 Wesley,  Charles,  70, 109, 110, 
 
 112,436, 
 
 Smith,   Sir    James  Edward     ... 
 
 ...     132 
 
 479 
 
 481,  494 
 
 Smith,  Richard  Henry       
 
 ...     452 
 
 Wesley,  John  109,  110,  114, 
 
 361, 
 
 365,  375 
 
 Smith,  Samuel  Fi-ancis      
 
 ...     403 
 
 Wesley,  Samuel 
 
 93,109 
 
 Smith,  Walter  Chalmers 
 
 ...     276 
 
 Wesley,  jun.,  Samuel 
 
 ...     105 
 
 Smyttan,  George  Hunt      
 
 ...     334 
 
 White,  Henry  Kirke 
 
 ...     147 
 
 Spitta,  C.  J.  P 
 
 242,  372 
 
 Whiting,  William       
 
 ..      208 
 
 Spurgeon,  Rev.  C.  H 
 
 ...     134 
 
 Whittier,  John  Greenleaf ... 
 
 292 
 
 390,  425 
 
 Stainer,  Sir  John 
 
 ...     301 
 
 Whittingham        
 
 ...       68 
 
 Stanley.  Arthur  Penrhyn 
 
 ...     176 
 
 Wiglesworth,  Esther 
 
 ...     445- 
 
 Stansf eld.  Father 
 
 ...     469 
 
 Williams,  Helen  Maria      . . . 
 
 ...     133 
 
 Steele,  Anne 
 
 ...     119 
 
 Williams,  Isaac    
 
 158 
 
 379,  443 
 
 Stennett,  Joseph 
 
 ...       94 
 
 Williams,  Sarah 
 
 209 
 
 Stennett,  Dr.  Samuel 
 
 ...     126 
 
 Williams,  William     
 
 218,  387 
 
 Stephen,  St. ,  The  Sabaite 
 
 39,  184 
 
 Wilson,  Lucy       
 
 ...     38.1 
 
 Sternhold  and  Hopkin       ...67, 
 
 72,  70,  93 
 
 Winkworth,  Catherine      ... 
 
 363 
 
 364,  375 
 
 Stone,  Samuel  John    
 
 ...     301 
 
 Wither,  George    
 
 24,  67,  73,  432 
 
 Stowe,  Harriet  Beecher     
 
 ...     394 
 
 Woodd,  Basil 
 
 ...     133 
 
 Strafford,  Elizabeth    
 
 ...     447 
 
 Woodford,  Bishop       
 
 ...     37^ 
 
 Summers,  Dr.  Thomas  0 
 
 .  .     403 
 
 Wordsworth,  Christopher.. 
 
 Swain,  Joseph       
 
 ...     133 
 
 Xavier,  Francis    
 
 ...     174 
 
 Tait,  Gilbert 
 
 Tate,  Nahum 
 
 ...    384 
 93 
 
 Young,  Andrew   
 
 ...     450- 
 
 Tate  and  Brady    
 
 67,  391 
 
 Zimmern        
 
 9 
 
 Taylor,  Ann  (Mrs.  Gilbert)      ... 
 
 ...    438 
 
 Zinzendorf,  Count       
 
 212,36? 
 
317 
 
 INDEX  OF  FIRST  LINES  OF  HYMNS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Abide  with  me,  fast  falls  the  eventide 
 
 154,  498 
 
 A  Captain  forth  to  battle  went      . . .  438 
 
 According  to  Thy  gracious  word    . . .  139 
 
 Across  the  sky  the  shades  of  night  246 
 
 Adore,  my  soul,  that  awful  name  . . .  132 
 
 Adoro  te  devote,  latens  Deltas        ...  54 
 
 A  few  more  years  shall  roll      234 
 
 A  fitly  spoken  word    203 
 
 Again  as  evening's  shadow  falls     ...  421 
 
 Again  retiu-ns  the  day  of  holy  rest  126 
 
 A  hymn  of  glory  let  us  sing     51 
 
 Alas  !  my  God,  that  we  should  be  . . .  89 
 
 A  little  ship  was  on  the  sea             . .  447 
 
 All  as  Grod  wills  who  wisely  heeds . . .  427 
 
 All  before  us  lies  the  way 412 
 
 Alleluia  !  song  of  sweetness    184 
 
 All  glory,  laud,  and  honour     184 
 
 All  hail  the  power  of  Jesu's  name 
 
 126,  135 
 
 All  nature's  works  His  praise'declare  407 
 All  praise  to  Thee,  my  God,  this  night 
 
 91,  498 
 Ail  things  are  Thine,  no  gifts  have 
 
 we ...            429 
 
 All  things  bright  and  beautiful      . . .  444 
 
 Almighty  God,  Thy  word  is  cast    . . .  140 
 
 Always  with  us,  always  with  us     ...  425 
 
 And  is  there,  Lord,  a  cross  for  me  ?  160 
 And  now  the  wants  are  told,  that 
 
 brought       317 
 
 Angels  holy 315 
 
 Angels,  roll  the  I'ock  away       Il7 
 
 Animula,  vagula,  blandula      105 
 
 Another  hand  is  be  I'koning  us 426 
 
 Another  six  days'  work  is  done      ...  94 
 
 Another  year  has  fled,  renew 161 
 
 Another  year  is  dawning 201 
 
 A  quiet  heart,  submissive,  meek    ...  280 
 
 Arm  of  the  Lord,  awake !  awake !  . .  133 
 
 Around  a  table,  not  a  tomb            ...  305 
 
 Around  the  throne  of  God  in  heaven  447 
 Art  thou  wearj-,  art  thou  languid  ? 
 
 39,  184 
 
 A  safe  stronghold  our  God  is  still ...  347 
 
 As  helpless  as  u,  child  who  clings   . . .  194 
 
 As  now  the  sun's  declining  rays    159,  379 
 
 A  ship  comes  sailing  onwards 3  U 
 
 As  the  sun's  enlivening  eye      124 
 
 As  Thou  didst  rest,  (J  Father,  o'er 
 
 nature's  tinished  birth    314 
 
 As  with  gladness  men  of  old  489 
 
 At  even  ere  the  sun  w  as  set     335 
 
 At  Thy  feet,  our  God  and  Father  ...  194 
 
 Aurora  lucis  dum  novae 379 
 
 A  voice  upon  the  midnight  air 223 
 
 Awake,  and  sing  the  .song 117 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Awake,  my  soul,  in  joyful  lays      ...  128 
 
 Awake,  sweet  harp  of  Judah,  wake  148 
 
 Bear  Thou  my  bui-den,  Thou  who 
 
 bear'st  my  siu 235 
 
 Because  I  knew  not  when  my  life 
 
 was  good     ...            209 
 
 Behold  a  Stranger  at  the  door        . . .  117 
 
 Behold  how  glorious  is  yon  sky       .  356 
 Behold,  the  Bridegroom  cometh  in 
 
 the  middle  of  the  night 304 
 
 Behold,  the  expected  time    draws 
 
 near      140 
 
 Behold  the  glories  of  the  Lamb     ...  98 
 
 Behold  the  mountain  of  the  Lord...  130 
 
 Behold  the  Saviour  of  mankind     ..  93 
 
 Beneath  the  shadow  of  the  cross  ...  422 
 
 Be  not  dismay' d  thou  little  flock    . . .  386 
 
 Beyond,  beyond  that  boundless  sea  150 
 
 Birds  have  their  quiet  nest      170 
 
 Blest  be  the  God  of  love   203 
 
 Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds        128 
 
 Blest  be  Thy  love,  dear  Lord 79 
 
 Blest  day  of  God,  most  calm,  most 
 
 bright 88 
 
 Blest  Savioiu",  let  me  be  a  child      . . .  204 
 
 Bread  of  Heaven,  on  Thee  we  feed  150 
 Break,  new-born  year,  on  glad  eyes 
 
 break 255 
 
 Breath  of  the  Lord,  O  Spirit  blest ...  395 
 Brief  life  is  here  our  portion  ...      59,  185 
 Bi-ight  as  the  sun's  meridian  blaze  ..  133 
 Bright  queen  of  heaven,  God's  vir- 
 gin spouse 89 
 
 Bright  the  vision  that  delighted      . .  141 
 By  Christ  redeemed,  in  Christ  res- 
 tored      231 
 
 Calm  me,  my  God,  and  keep  me  calm  235 
 
 Calm  on  the  listening  ear  of  nigbt 
 Captain  and  Saviour  of  the  host  . . . 
 Captain  of  Thine  enlisted  host 
 
 Children  of  Jerusalem       
 
 Children  of  the  heavenly  King 
 Christ  in  His  word  draws  near 
 
 Christ  is  our  Corner  stone 
 
 Christ  is  my  light,  my  life,  my  care 
 Christ  leads  me  through  no  darker 
 
 417 
 229 
 119 
 450 
 120 
 191 
 159 
 102 
 
 rooms  ...              81 
 
 Christ,  the  Lord,  is  risen  to-day    113,  340 
 
 Chi'istian,  dost  thou  see  them  ?       ...  39 
 
 Christian,  seek  not  yet  repose 157 
 
 Christians,  awake,  salute  the  happy 
 
 morn     105 
 
 Cold  and  cheerless,  dark  and  drear  311 
 
 Come,  gracious  Spu-it,  heavenly  dove  104 
 
 Come,  Holy  Ghost,  in  love       402 
 
518 
 
 THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 PACiK 
 
 Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  hearts  inspire  113 
 
 Come,  Holy  Ghost,  our  souls  inspire  77 
 
 Come,  Holy  Spirit,  come 118 
 
 Come,  labour  on  ! 241 
 
 Come,  let  us  join  oui'  cheerful  songs  102 
 
 Come,  let  us  join  our  friends  above  113 
 
 Come,  let  us  to  the  Lord  our  God ...  131 
 
 Come,  my  soul,  thou  must  be  waking  367 
 
 Come,  O  come,  with  sacred  lays  ...  73 
 Come,  O  Thou  Traveller  unknown,113,491 
 
 Come,  praise  your  Lord  and  Saviour  461 
 
 Come,  Thou  fount  of  every  blessing  127 
 
 Come  to  our  poor  nature's  night     . .  227 
 
 Come  to  the  house  of  prayer 208 
 
 Come  unto  Me,  ye  weary 300 
 
 Come,  ye  faithful,  raise  the  anthem  134 
 
 Come,  ye  saints,  and  raise  an  anthem  134 
 
 Come,  ye  sinners,  poor  and  wretched  118 
 
 Come,  ye  thankful  people,  come  168 
 Commit  thou  all  thy  griefs       . . .     114,  361 
 
 Creator  Spirit,  by  whose  aid    90 
 
 Crown  Him  with  many  crowns       ...  216 
 
 Crown  with  Thy  benediction  , 324 
 
 Curb  for  the  stubborn  steed     34 
 
 Dark  is  the  sky  that  overhangs  my 
 
 soul      303 
 
 Darkly  rose  the  guilty  morning      . . .  166 
 
 Day  again  is  dawning        465 
 
 Day  by  day  the  manna  fell  ...  150 
 Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee . . .     288,  459 
 
 Day  of  -rtTath  !  O  day  of  mourning  172 
 
 Dayspring  of  Eternity  ...  366 
 Dear  Angel,  ever  at  my  side  ...  183,  469 
 Dear  Friend,  whose  presence  in  the 
 
 house 419 
 
 Dear  Jesus,  ever  at  my  side     183 
 
 Dear  Lord  and  Father  of  marikind  427 
 
 Dear  Lord  and  Master  mine    253 
 
 Deathless  principle,  arise 129 
 
 Descend  to  Thy  Jerusalem,  O  Lord  78 
 
 Did  Christ  o'er  sinners  weep  ? 121 
 
 Dismiss  me  not  Thy  service,  Lord  193 
 
 Divine,  erescebas,  Puer     379 
 
 Ein  f  este  burg  ist  unser  Gott  . . .     276,  412 
 
 Enthroned  on  high.  Almighty  Lord  127 
 
 Ere  God  had  built  the  mountains  . . .  125 
 
 Ere  I  sleep,  for  every  favour 120 
 
 Ere  on  my  bed  my  limbs  I  lay 467 
 
 Eternal  God  !  we  look  to  Thee       ...  121 
 
 Eternal  Light,  Eternal  Light 156 
 
 Evening  and  morning        361 
 
 Evei7  morning  the  red  sun      444 
 
 Exalted  mistress,  whose  command 
 
 prevails       9 
 
 Faith, 'tis  a  precious  grace      ...  121 
 
 Far  from  these  narrow  scenesof  night  119 
 
 Far  from  the  world,  O  Lord,  I  flee  125 
 
 Father!  beneath  Thy  sheltering  wing  420 
 
 Father,  by  Thy  love  and  power      ...  166 
 
 Father,  here  we  dedicate 283 
 
 Father,  I  know  that  all  my  life      ...  307 
 
 Father,  lead  me  day  by  day     312 
 
 Father,  let  Thy  kingdom  come       ...  310 
 
 Father,  now  the  day  is  over     319 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Father  of  love,  our  Guide  and  Friend  172 
 
 Father  of  mercies,  bow  Thine  ear . . .  121 
 
 Father,  our  children  keep 239' 
 
 Father!  there  is  no  change  to  live 
 
 with  Thee ...  42S 
 
 Father !  Thy  wonders  do  not  singly 
 
 stand 423 
 
 Father,  we  humbly  pray     165 
 
 Father,  whate'er  of  earthly  bliss  ..  119 
 Fierce  raged  the  tempast  o'er  the 
 
 deep      274 
 
 Fierce  was  the  wild  billow               ...  274 
 
 Fling  out  the  banner  !  let  it  float  . . .  392 
 For  all  the  saints  who  from  their 
 
 labour  rest 269 
 
 For  all  Thy  care  we  bless  Thee      ...  458 
 
 For  a  sea.son  called  to  part       124 
 
 For  ever  to  behold  Him  shine 133 
 
 Forgive  me,  dearest  Lord,  for  Thy 
 
 dear  Son     92 
 
 For  the  beauty  of  the  earth     330 
 
 Forthe  dear  love  that  kept  us  through 
 
 the  night     421 
 
 For  thee,  O  dear,  dear  country       ...  185 
 
 For  Thy  dear  saint,  O  Lord     141 
 
 For  Thy  mercy  and  Thy  grace        . . .  244 
 
 Forty  days  and  forty  nights     334 
 
 Forward  be  our  watchword      168 
 
 Fountain  of  mercy,  God  of  love     ...  133 
 
 From  all  evil,  all  temptation   152 
 
 From  Greenland's  icy  mountains  ...  145 
 From  north  and  south,  and  east  and 
 
 west      ..      ..  322 
 
 From  the  recesses  of  a  lowly  spirit  152 
 
 Glad  sight,  the  Holy  Church   36 
 
 Gloria,  laus,  et  honor 482 
 
 Glorious  things  of  thee  are  spoken  124 
 
 Glory,  and  laud,  and  honour 51 
 
 Gloiy  be  to  Jesus 384 
 
 Gloiy,  glory  to  God  in  the  highest. . .  294 
 
 Glory  to  God  on  high 127 
 
 Glory  to  Thee,  my  God,  this  night...  91 
 Glory  to  Thee,  my  God,  who  safe  has 
 
 kept      91 
 
 Go,  labour  on,  spend  and  be  spent  . .  235 
 
 Go  not  far  from  me,  0  my  strength  309 
 
 God  bless  the  little  children     312 
 
 God  draws  a  cloud  over  each  gleam- 
 ing morn     320 
 
 God  from  on  high  hath  heard 379 
 
 God  in  heaven,  hear  our  singing     ...  449 
 
 God  is  in  heaven,  can  he  hear 438 
 
 God  is  in  His  temple 294 
 
 God  is  love.  His  mercy  brightens  ...  152 
 
 God  is  love,  by  Him  upholden 170 
 
 God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way  . . .  125 
 God  of   my  health !   I  would  Thy 
 
 praise  proclaim        382 
 
 God  of  pity,  God  of  grace       328 
 
 God  of  the  living,  in  whose  eyes    . . .  285 
 
 God  sets  a  still  small  voice       445 
 
 God,  who  hast  made  the  daisies  . .  187 
 God  will  take  care  of  you,  all  through 
 
 the  day        449 
 
INDEX  OF  FIRS  T  LINES  OF  HYMNS. 
 
 519 
 
 PAGE 
 
 201 
 
 Golden  hai-ps  are  sounding-      
 
 Good  David,  wh  se  psalms  have  so 
 
 often  been  sung:        
 
 Grace !    gi-ace !    oh  that's  a  joyful 
 
 sound 107 
 
 Grace, 'tis  a  charming  sound 107 
 
 Gracious  Spirit,  dwell  with  me      189,  192 
 
 Gracious  Spirit,  Holy  Ghost     165 
 
 Great  Giver  of   all  good,  to  Thee 
 
 again    
 
 Great    God,    and    wilt    Thou    con- 
 descend         
 
 Great  God,  as  seasons  disappear  . . . 
 Great  God  of  wonders,  all  Thy  ways 
 Great  God,  the  nations  of  the  earth 
 Great  God,  what  do  I  see  and  hear  144,  354 
 
 Great  King  of  nations,  hear    158 
 
 Great  Mover  of  all  hearts,  whose 
 
 hand     379 
 
 Great  is  Thy  mercy,  Lord 203 
 
 Great  the  joy  when  Christians  meet    131 
 Guide  me,  O  Thou  great  Jehovah 
 
 218,  387,  498 
 
 438 
 
 320 
 
 438 
 132 
 397 
 122 
 
 Hail !  Father,  whose  creating  call... 
 Hail,  festal  day,  ever  exalted  high  .. 
 Hail !  gladdening  Light,  of  His  pure 
 
 glory  poured      
 
 Hail,  sacred  day  of  earthly  rest 
 He.il !  Thou  once  despised  Jesus    . . 
 Hail  to  the  brightness  of  Zion's  glad 
 
 morning      
 
 Hail  to  the  Lord's  Anointed    
 
 Hail  to  the  Sabbath  day     
 
 Hand  in  hand  with  angels       
 
 Happy  sons  of  Israel         
 
 Hark  !  how  all  the  welkin  rings 
 Hark,  my  soul,  how  everything     ... 
 
 Hark  !  my  soul  it  is  the  Lord 
 
 Hark  !  the  angels  bright  are  singing 
 Hark  !  the  glad  sound,  the  Saviour 
 
 comes 
 
 Hark  !  the  herald  angels  sing ...     113, 
 
 Hark  !  the  song  of  Jubilee       
 
 Hark  I    the  sound  of    holy  voices, 
 
 chanting  at  the  crystal  sea   
 
 Hark !  the  voice  of  love  and  mercy 
 Hark  !  'tis  the  watchman's  cry 
 
 Hasten,  O  sinner,  to  be  wise    
 
 Hath    not    thy    heart  within   thee 
 
 burned 
 
 He  calls  us  to  a  day  of  gladness     . . . 
 He  is  gone  beyond  the  skies    ... 
 He    knelt,   the  Saviour  knelt    and 
 
 prayed  
 
 He  sendeth  sun.  He  sendeth  shower 
 He  spoke,  and  straight  oui'  hearts 
 
 and  brains    
 
 Head  of  the  Church,  our  risen  Lord 
 Head  of  the  Church  triumphant    . . . 
 Hear  my  prayer,  O  heavenly  Father 
 Hear  us.  Thou  that  broodedst 
 Hear  what  the  voice  from  heaven 
 
 proclaims    101, 
 
 105 
 
 274 
 122 
 
 139 
 414 
 425 
 
 73 
 479 
 
 79 
 125 
 
 107 
 479 
 
 165 
 130 
 473 
 117 
 
 415 
 37 
 
 178 
 
 156 
 160 
 
 101 
 150 
 113 
 329 
 275 
 
 494 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Heart-broken  and  weary,  where'er 
 
 thou  may' st  be 187 
 
 Heaven  and  earth,  and  sea  and  air  195, 368 
 
 Heavenly  Father,  by  whose  care    ...  245 
 
 Heavenly  Father,  to  whose  eye  150 
 Here,  Lord,  we  offer  Thee  all  that  is 
 
 fairest 317 
 
 Here,  O  my  Lord,  I  see  Thee  face  to 
 
 face      239 
 
 Hei'e  we  suffer  gi-ief  and  pain 471 
 
 High  in  yonder  realms  of  light      . . .  149 
 
 Holy  Bible,  Book  Divine 451 
 
 Holy  Father,  cheer  our  way     331 
 
 Holy  Father,  whom  we  praise 156 
 
 Holy,  holy,  holy,  Loi'd  God  Almighty  146 
 
 Holy,  holy  Lord 150 
 
 Holy  Spirit,  Lord  of  Light      60 
 
 Holy  Spirit,  Truth  iJivine 421 
 
 Hosanna  !  loud  ho.sanna !    458 
 
 Hosanna  to  the  living  Lord     147 
 
 How  are  Thy  servants  blest,  0  Lord  95 
 
 How  beauteous  were  the  marks  divine  395 
 
 How  blest  the  righteous  when  he  dies  130 
 How  bright  those  glorious  spirits 
 
 shine     131 
 
 How  doth  the  little  busy  bee   435 
 
 How  calmly  the  evening  once  more 
 
 is  descending      193 
 
 How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of 
 
 the  Lord       140 
 
 How  lovely  are  Thy  dwellings  fair. . .  78 
 
 How  lovely  are  Thy  dwellings,  Lord  488 
 
 How  shall  I  follow  Him  I  serve      . . .  150 
 
 How  sweet,  how  heavenly  is  the  sigh*;  133 
 
 How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds  124 
 
 How  welcome  was  the  call       187 
 
 Humbly  I  adore  Thee,  hidden  Deity  54 
 
 Hush,  dear  child,  lie  still  and  slumber  434 
 
 Hushed  was  the  evening  hymn      . . .  194 
 
 I  am  a  little  child        452 
 
 I  do  not  ask,  0  Lord,  that  life  may  be  199 
 
 I  give  my  heart  to  Thee     402 
 
 I  heard  the  voice  of  Jesus  say 234 
 
 I  lay  my  sins  on  Jesus       235 
 
 I  lift  my  heart  to  Thee      328 
 
 I'll  come  to  Thee,  0  Jesus  Christ !  . .  463 
 I'll  praise  my  Maker  with  my  breath 
 
 101,  494 
 
 I'll  purge  my  family  around    101 
 
 I  love  that  holy -scripture 441 
 
 I  love  Thy  kingdom.  Lord       399 
 
 I'm  a  little  pilgrim      446 
 
 I'm  but  a  stranger  here     161,442 
 
 I'm  kneeling  at  che  threshold 168 
 
 I  sing  the  almighty  power  of  God . . .  435 
 I  think  when  I  read  that  sweet  story 
 
 of  old 455 
 
 I  want  to  be  an  angel 471 
 
 I  wish  to  have  no  wishes  left 182 
 
 I  wor.ship  Thee,  sweet  will  of  Godl81,481 
 
 I  would  commune  with  Thee,  my  God  203 
 I  would  have  gone ;  God  bade  me 
 
 stay      332 
 
520 
 
 THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 If  God  His  voice  of  tempest  rears  ...  102 
 
 If  human  kindness  meets  returp   ...  143 
 
 If  thou  but  suffer  God  to  guide  thee  363 
 
 Igjennem  Nat  og  Traengsel     386 
 
 IlUc  nee  Sabbato 235 
 
 Immortal,  invisible,  God  only  wise  ..  277 
 Immortal  Love,  within  whose  right- 
 eous will       291 
 
 In  all  things  like  Thy  brethren.  Thou  166 
 
 In  my  soft  bed,  when  quite  alone  . . .  451 
 
 In  our  work,  and  in  our  play 466 
 
 In  sleep's  serene  oblivion  laid 119 
 
 In  stature  grows  the  Heavenly  Child  379 
 
 Interval  of  grateful  shade  ...  108 
 In  the  dark  and  cloudy  day     . . .     226,  448 
 
 In  the  dark  and  silent  night    292 
 
 In  the  cross  of  Christ  I  glory . . .     152,  496 
 
 In  the  hour  of  my  distress      75 
 
 In  the  midst  of  life  we  are  in  death  61 
 In  this  glad  hour,  when  children 
 
 meet     408 
 
 In  Thy  service  will  I  ever 374 
 
 In  token  that  thou  shalt  not  fear    ..  169 
 
 Is  not  this  our  King  and  Prophet  . . .  172 
 Is  thy  cruse   of    comfort  wasting? 
 
 rise  and  share  it  with  another     . . .  306 
 
 It  came  upon  the  midnight  clear  ...  417 
 
 It  is  a  thing  most  wonderful   460 
 
 It  is  finished  !  Man  of  Sorrows      ...  412 
 
 It  is  not  death  to  die 380 
 
 Jam  desinant  susperia       379 
 
 Jerusalem,  my  happy  home 81,92 
 
 Jerusalem  on  high  my  joy  and  city  is      90 
 
 Jerusalem  the  golden 59, 185 
 
 Je  suis  a  toi 383 
 
 Jesu  dulcis  memoria  . . .  53,  58,  174,  433 
 Jesu,  from  Thy  tlu'one  on  high  . . .  462 
 Jesu,  great  Redeemer,  source  of  life 
 
 divine 304 
 
 Jesu,  meek  and  gentle       246 
 
 Jesu,  the  very  thought  of  Thee     ...      58 
 
 Jesus,  and  can  it  ever  be 117 
 
 Jesus,  at  Thy  command     129 
 
 Jesus  came — the  heavens  adoring  . . .    275 
 
 Jesus,  cast  a  look  on  me   120 
 
 Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord  and  Saviour    438 
 
 J  esus,  forgive  us 152 
 
 Jesus,  gentlest  Saviour     470 
 
 Jesus,  holy,  undefiled 453 
 
 Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  taken 155 
 
 Jesus  lives,  no  longer  now       ...  371 
 
 Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul      113,494 
 
 Jesus,  my  all,  to  heaven  is  gone     ...     120 
 
 Jesus !  stand  among  us     206 
 
 Jesus,  still  lead  on      242,370 
 
 Jesus,  tender  Shepherd,  hear  me  ...  447 
 Jesus,  these  eyes  have  never  seen  402-403 
 Jesus,  the  very  thought  of  Thee  174,  494 
 Jesu,  Thou  joy  of  loving  hearts  58,  402 
 Jesus,  Thy  blood  and  righteousness  370 
 Jesus,  Thy  boundless  love  to  me  114, 361 
 Jesus,  Thy  Church,  with  longing  eyes    202 
 
 Jesus,  we  love  to  meet      442 
 
 Jesus,  where'er  Thy  people  meet  ...    125 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Jesus,  who  lived  above  the  sky      ...    438 
 
 Jordanis  oras  prsevia 379 
 
 Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea       . . .    157 
 
 Kind  Shepherd,  see  Thy  little  lamb  456 
 King  Divine! 383 
 
 Labente  jam  solis  rota      379 
 
 Labouring  and  heavy  laden     170 
 
 Lamp  of  our  feet,  whereby  we  trace    147 
 Lauded  be  Thy  name  for  ever  .      . .      140 
 Laudes  Deo  concinat  orbis  universus      62 
 Lead,  kindly  light,  amid  the  encir- 
 cling gloom     218,485,498 
 
 Lead  us,  heavenly  Father,  lead  us  152 
 Lead  us,  O  Father,  in  the  paths  of 
 
 peace 420 
 
 Lead  us  with  Thy  gentle  sway  . . .  152 
 Leader  of  faithful  souls  and  Guide  113 
 Leaning  on  Thee,  my  Guide,  my 
 
 Friend 157 
 
 Leave  God  to  order  all  thj^  ways  . . .  363 
 Let  all  men  know  that  all  men  move    162 
 
 Let  all  men  praise  the  Lord     358 
 
 Let  all  the  world  in  every  corner  sing  76 
 Let  dogs  delight  to  bark  and  bite  . . .  435 
 Let  me  be  with  Thee  where  Thou  art    157 
 
 Let  no  tears  to-day  be  shed     298 
 
 Let  party  names  no  more 121 
 
 Let  us  with  a  gladsome  mind 78 
 
 Life  is  weary  ;  Saviour  take  me  . . .  362 
 Lift  up  to  God  the  voice  of  praise    .    143 
 
 Lift  up  your  heads,  rejoice       192 
 
 Lift  up  your  heads,  ye  gates    133 
 
 Lift  your  glad  voices  in  ti'iumph  on 
 
 high      407 
 
 Light  of  the  lonely  pilgrim's  heart  . .  214 
 Light  of  the  world!  for  ever,  ever 
 
 shining        237 
 
 Light  of  the  world !  whose  kind  and 
 
 gentle  care 452 
 
 Light  up  this  house  with  glory,  Lord  157 
 
 Like  the  first  disciples       232 
 
 Little  children,  wake  and  listen     . . .     467 
 
 Little  Ti-avellers  Zionwards 450 
 
 Lo,  God  is  here,  let  us  adore  ...     114,  369 
 Lo,  He  comes,  with  clouds  descend- 
 ing             120,479 
 
 Lo !  He  Cometh,  countless  trumpets    121 
 
 Lo !  the  day  of  rest  declineth 418 
 
 Lo !  the  storms  of  life  are  breaking  169 
 Long  did  I  toil,  and  knew  no  earthly 
 
 rest      155,484 
 
 Long   hath    the    night    of    sorrow 
 
 reigned 480 
 
 Long  time  the  fallen  human  race  . . .  379 
 Look  from  Thy  sphere  of  endless 
 
 day       409 
 
 Look,  ye  saints,  the  sight  is  glorious    137 
 
 Lord,  a  little  band  and  lowly 442 
 
 Lord,  as  to  Thy  dear  cross  we  flee...  158 
 Lord,  at  Thy  feet  we  sinners  lie     ...     104 
 
 Lord,  come  away 78 
 
 Lord,  dismiss  us  with  Thy  blessing  131 
 Lord  give  me  light  to  do  Thy  work    235 
 
INDEX  OF  FIRS  T  IINES  OF  HYMNS. 
 
 521 
 
 250 
 264 
 278 
 151 
 
 295 
 
 158 
 
 liOrd  God,  by  whom  all  change  is 
 
 wrought      
 
 liOrd  God  of  morning  and  of  night 
 
 Xiord,  God  Omnipotent      
 
 Lord,  have  mercy  when  we  pray    . . . 
 LiOrd,  I  am  Thine,  all  gloiy  to  Thy 
 
 name    
 
 Iiord,  I  was  blind,  I  could  not  see... 
 
 Lord,  in  this  Thy  mercy's  day 
 
 Lord,  it  belongs  not  to  my  care      ...      80 
 
 Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be     177 
 
 Lord,  like  the  publican  I  stand      . . .     149 
 
 Lord,  living  here  are  we    73,  74 
 
 Lord,  my    weak   thought   in  vain 
 
 would  climb      401 
 
 Lord,  now  my  sleep  does  me  forsake  91 
 Lord  of  all  being  !  throned  afar    . . .     416 
 
 Lord  of  mercy  and  of  might 147 
 
 Lord  of  the  harvest,  once  again    ...     166 
 
 Lord  of  the  living  harvest       170 
 
 Lord  of  the  sea  !  afar  from  land  . . .  322 
 Lord  our  God,  in  reverence  lowly  243, 369 
 Lord,  speak  to  me,  that  I  may  speak  201 
 Lord,  that  I  may  learn  of  Thee  ...  120 
 Lord,  Thou  didst  arise  and  say  . . .  151 
 Lord,  Thou  in  all  things  like  wert 
 
 made    166 
 
 Lord,  Thy  word  abideth    187 
 
 Lord,  we  come  before  Thee  now  . . .  118 
 Lord,  when  through  sin  I  wander...  333 
 Lord,  when  we    bend   before  Thy 
 
 thi-one 144 
 
 Lord,  'Who  hast  made  me  Thy  dear 
 
 child     457 
 
 Love  and  kindness  we  must  measure    438 
 
 Love  me,  O  Lord,  forgivingly 193 
 
 Lowly  and  solemn  be 155 
 
 Make  channels  for  the  streams  of 
 
 love       162 
 
 Master,  it  is  good  to  be     177 
 
 Media  in  vita  in  morte  sumus 350 
 
 Mighty  God,  while  angels  bless  Thee  127 
 
 Millions  within  Thy  courts  have  met  139 
 Morn's  roseate  hues  have  decked  the 
 
 sky       379 
 
 Mortals  awake,  with  angels  join    ...  128 
 
 Moses,  the  patriot  fierce,  became  . . .  221 
 Most  gracious  Saviom- !    'twas  not 
 
 Thine 414 
 
 Much  in  sorrow,  oft  in  woe      148 
 
 My  country  !  'tis  of  thee 403 
 
 My  fairest  child,  I  have  no  song  to 
 
 give  you      468 
 
 My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee 399 
 
 My  Father,  hear  my  prayer      457 
 
 My  God,  and  is  Thy  table  spread  ...  107 
 
 My  God,  how  wonderful  Thou  art...  180 
 
 My  God,  I  love  Thee  for  Thyself   ...  203 
 
 My  God,  I  love  Thee,  not  because . . .  174 
 
 My  God,  is  any  hour  so  sweet 157 
 
 My  God,  my  Father,  while  I  stray...  157 
 
 My  heart  is  resting,  0  my  God       ...  307 
 
 My  inmost  heart  now  raises     354 
 
 My  life's  a  .shade,  my  days      90    I 
 
 My  Lord,  in  the  anger  of  His  heart, 
 
 has  punished  me      9 
 
 My  song  is  love  unknown 90 
 
 My  soul,  there  is  a  countrie     89 
 
 My  spirit  longeth  for  Thee      105 
 
 My  thoughts  on  awful  subjects  roll  102 
 
 My  times  are  in  Thy  hand        204 
 
 Mysterious  Spirit,  unto  whom 293 
 
 Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee 160 
 
 Never  further  than  Thy  cross 305 
 
 Nobis,  Olympo,  redditus 379 
 
 No  human  eyes  Thy  face  may  see  . . .  424 
 
 Non  parta  solo  sanguine   379 
 
 Not  by  the  Martyr's  death  alone    ...  379 
 
 Not  Lord,  unto  that  mount  of  di-ead  194 
 Not  now,   my  child,   a  little  more 
 
 rough  tossing    330 
 
 Not  what  I  am,  O  Lord,  but  what 
 
 Thou  art     235 
 
 Nothing    either    great    or    small  — 
 
 nothing,  sinner,  no 447 
 
 Now  be  the  gospel  banner        399 
 
 Now  from  the  altar  of  our  hearts  ...  87 
 Now  God  be  with  us,  for  the  night 
 
 is  closing    353 
 
 Now  have  we  met  that  we  may  ask  193 
 
 Now  hush  yoiir  cries,  and. shed  no  tear  354 
 
 Now  is  the  accepted  time 132 
 
 Now  let  oui'  souls  on  wings  sublime  122 
 
 Now  on  land  and  sea  descending    . .  421 
 
 No  w  pray  we  for  our  country 395 
 
 Now  pray  we  for  our  Mother 395 
 
 Now  thank  we  all  our  God       357 
 
 Now  that  the  daylight  fills  the  sky  42 
 
 Now  that  the  sun  is  gleaming  bright  220 
 
 Now  the  day  is  over     299,  466 
 
 Now,  when  the  dusky  shades  of  night 
 
 retreating     49,  493 
 
 O  bread  to  pilgrims  given 402 
 
 O  Christ,  our  hope  and  heart's  desire  159 
 
 O  Christ,  who  hast  prepared  a  place  379 
 
 O  come  and  mourn  with  me  awhile  183 
 
 O  day  most  calm,  most  bright  ..      ..  88 
 
 O  day  of  rest  and  gladness      165 
 
 O  Father,  hear  our  longing  prayer. . .  280 
 
 O  for  a  closer  walk  with  God 125 
 
 O  for  a  thousand  tongues  to  sing  ...  113 
 
 O  give  thanks  to  Him  who  made  ...  150 
 O  God  of  Bethel,  by  whose  hand  108, 
 
 130,  479 
 
 O  God  of  God  !  O  Light  of  Light !  326 
 
 O  God  of  Hosts,  the  mighty  Lord...  93 
 
 O  God  of  life,  whose  power  benign  ]  61 
 
 O  God  of  love,  O  King  of  peace    ...  187 
 
 O  God  of  truth,  whose  living  word  325 
 
 O  God  !  Thy  power  is  wonderful    ...  180 
 
 O  God,  who  know'st  howfrailwe  are  204 
 
 O  God,  who  metest  in  Thine  hand  297 
 
 O  God,  who,  when  the  night  was  deep  467 
 
 O  grant  us  light,  that  we  may  know  283 
 
 O  happy  band  of  pilgrims        184 
 
 O  happy  land  !  O  happy  land !        ...  442 
 
 O  Haupt  voll  Blut  und  Wunden    ...  397 
 
522 
 
 THE  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 O  Holy  Jesu,  Prince  of  Peace 317 
 
 O  Holy  Saviour,  Friend  un?een      ...  157 
 
 O  Jesu,  ever  present 282 
 
 O  Jesu,  Bang  most  wonderful ...      58,  174 
 
 O  Jesu,  Lord  of  heavenly  grace     ...  42 
 
 O  Jesu,  Thou  art  standing       269 
 
 O  Jesus,  I  have  promised 202 
 
 O  Jesus,  King  mnst  wonderful 494 
 
 O  Jesus,  Lord  of  heavenly  grace   . . .  159 
 
 O  let  us  all  be  glad  and  sing    440 
 
 O  Light  of  Life,  O  Savioiu-  dear    ...  264 
 
 O  Lord,  another  day  is  flown 148 
 
 O  Lord  Divine,  how  sweet  Thou  art  112 
 
 O  Lord,  how  happy  should  we  be  ...  166 
 
 O  Lord,  how  joyful  'tis  to  see 379 
 
 O  Lord,  I  would  delight  in  Thee    ...  132 
 O  Lord  of   health  and  life,  what 
 
 tongue  can  tell 206 
 
 O  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  and  sea  165 
 
 O  Lord  of  hosts,  whose  glory  fills  . . .  185 
 
 O  Lord,  Thine  everlasting- grace    ...  114 
 O  Lord,  Thou  art  not  tickle              .191 
 
 O  Lord,  Thy  heavenly  grace  ijpapart  381 
 
 O  Lord,  turn  not  Thy  face  from  me  72 
 O  Lord,  who  by  Thy  presence  hast 
 
 madelight 374 
 
 O  Lord,  who,  when  Thy  cross  was 
 
 nigh      467 
 
 O  Lord,  with  toil  our  days  are  filled  314 
 
 O  Love,  divine  and  golden       170 
 
 O  Love  Divine,  how  sweet  thou  art  494 
 
 O  Love  Divine,  that  stooped  to  share  417 
 
 O  love  of  God,  how  strong  and  true  234 
 
 O  Love  that  casts  out  fear       236 
 
 O  Love,  who  f ormedst  me  to  wear. . .  364 
 
 O  lovely  voices  of  the  sky 156 
 
 O  Master,  it  is  good  to  be 177 
 
 O  naean  may  seem  this  house  of  clay 
 
 250,  251 
 
 O  Painter  of  the  fruits  and  flowers  428 
 
 O  Paradise  !  O  Paradise  ! 182 
 
 O  quam  juvat  fratres,  Deup     379 
 
 O  quickly  come,  dread  Judge  of  all  282 
 
 O  Sacred  Head,  now  wounded 397 
 
 O  Sacred  Head,  once  wounded. . .      58,  361 
 
 O  saints  of  old  !  not  yours  alone   . . .  253 
 
 O  Saviour,  I  have  nought  to  plead  168 
 
 O  Saviour,  may  we  never  rest 202 
 
 O  Saviour,  precious  Saviour    201 
 
 O  say  not  Thou  art  left  of  God      . . .  220 
 
 O  show  me  not  my  Saviour  dying  . . .  150 
 
 O  sing  to  the  Lord      296 
 
 O  Son  of  Man— Thy  name  by  choice  280 
 
 O  Source  of  good !  aroimd  me  spread  208 
 
 O  Spirit  of  the  living  God       139 
 
 O  Strength  and  Stay  upholding  all 
 
 creation       289 
 
 O  teach  us  more  of  Thy  blest  ways  119 
 
 O  thou  accomplished,  great  Hau-chi  6 
 
 O  Thou,  before  whose  Father's  face  435 
 O  Thou  by  long  experience  tried  380,  488 
 
 O  Thou  from  whom  all  goodness  flows  127 
 
 O  Thou  not  I  lade  with  hands 265 
 
 O  Thou,  to  whom  in  ancient  time  . . .  406 
 
 O  Thou  who  earnest  from  above    ...  112 
 
 PAGE 
 
 O  Thou  who  dry'st  the  mourner's 
 
 tear      142 
 
 O  Thou  who  dwellest  in  eternity    . . .  320 
 
 O  Thou  whose  grace  first  f  ound'us. . .  373 
 O  Thou,  whose  own    vast    temple 
 
 stands 409 
 
 O  Thou  whose  tender  feet  have  trod  193 
 
 O  timely  happy,  timely  wise    153 
 
 O,  what  can  little  hands  do     467 
 
 O,  what  shall  I  do,  my  Saviour  to 
 
 praise 113 
 
 O  where  is  He  that  trod  the  sea     . . .  192 
 
 O  where  shall  rest  be  found     139 
 
 O,  who  will  show  me  Jesus  Christ...  464 
 
 O  Word  of  God  Incarnate        272 
 
 O  world,  I  must  forsake  thee 343 
 
 U  worship  the  King    148 
 
 O  worship  tlie  Lord  in  the  beauty  of 
 
 holiness       170 
 
 O  Zion,   afilieted  with  wave  upon 
 
 wave     118 
 
 O'er  the  gloomy  hills  of  darkness . . .  387 
 
 Of  the  glorious  Body  telling   53 
 
 Of  t  when  of  God  we  ask    193 
 
 Oh  !  let  us  all  be  glad  to-day 350 
 
 Oh  Lord  !  with  one  accord       205 
 
 Oh,  the  bitter  shame  and  sorrow    . . .  381 
 
 On  the  dewy  breath  of  even    159 
 
 On  Jordan's  bank  the  Baptist's  cry  379 
 
 Once  in  royal  David' s  city 444 
 
 Once  in  the  town  of  Bethlehem     . . .  444 
 
 Once  to  our  world  there  came 447 
 
 One  holy  church  of  God  appears   . . .  422 
 
 One  sweetly  solemn  thought    425 
 
 One  there  is  above  all  others 142 
 
 Onv>'ard,  Christian  soldiers,  marching 
 
 as  to  war     466 
 
 Oppressed  with  sin  and  woe    185 
 
 Our  blest  Redeemer,  ere  He  breathed  140 
 
 Our  dear  Lord  of  grace  hath  given  339 
 Our  God !  our  God  !   Thou  shinest 
 
 here      252 
 
 Our  God,  our  help  in  ages  past  ...  101 
 Our  God,  we  thank  Thee,  who  hast 
 
 made    197 
 
 Our  Friend,  our  Brother,  and  our 
 
 Lord     426 
 
 Out  of  the  depths  I  cry  to  Thee     348, 349 
 
 Panee  lingua  gloriosi 48,53 
 
 Phosilaron    31,34 
 
 Praise,  Lord,  for  Thee  in  Zion  waits  155 
 
 Praise,  my  soul,  the  King  of  heaven  155 
 Praise  the  Lord,  ye  heavens  adore 
 
 Him      141 
 
 Praise  to  our  God,  whose  bounteous 
 
 hand     288 
 
 Praise  to  the  Holiest  in  the  height  219 
 
 Praise  ye  the  Lord  !  immortal  quire  225 
 
 Pulsum  supernis  sedibus 379 
 
 Quae  Stella  sole  pulchrior 379 
 
 Clue  ne  puis-je  6  mon  Dieu      381 
 
 Quiet,  Lord,  my  froward  heart      ...  124 
 
INDEX  OF  FIRST  LINES  OF  HYMNS. 
 
 523 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Eejoice,  all  ye  believers     367 
 
 Rejoice,  ye  pure  in  heart 259 
 
 Eeturn,  O  wanderer,  return    144 
 
 Return,  O  wanderer,  to  Thy  home...  399 
 
 Eide  on,  ride  on  in  majesty     151 
 
 Eise,  my  soul,  and  stretch  thy  wings  106 
 Eock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me      ...     128, 135 
 
 EoidesAuges      382 
 
 Eound  the  Lord  in  glory  seated     ...  141 
 
 Salve  Caput  cruentatum 
 
 Savioiu-,  again  to  Tny  dear  name  we 
 
 raise      284, 
 
 Saviour  and  Master    
 
 Saviour-,  blessed  Saviour 
 
 Saviour,  breathe  an  evening  blessing 
 
 Saviour,  now  receive  him         
 
 Saviour,  sprinkle  many  nations 
 Saviour,  when  in  dust  to  Thee 
 Savioiu-,  while  my  heart  is  tender . . . 
 Saviour,  who  Thy  flock  art  feeding 
 
 Seeing  I  am  Jesu's  lamb 
 
 Shall  this  life  of  mme  be  wasted  . . . 
 Shall  we  grow  weary  in  our  watch... 
 
 Shepherd  of  tender  youth        
 
 Shew  pity.  Lord,  for  we  are  frail  and 
 
 faint     
 
 Show  me  the  way,  O  Lord       
 
 Since  Jesus  freely  did  appear 
 
 Sing  a  hymn  to  Jesus 
 
 Sing  Hallelujah   forth  in  duteous 
 
 praise 42, 
 
 Sing,  my  tongue,  the  glorious  battle 
 Sing  to  the  Lord  a  joyful  song 
 
 Sing  to  the  Lord  of  harvest     
 
 Sing  to  the  Lord  our  might      
 
 Sing  we,  brethren,  faithful-hearted 
 Sleepers,  wake  !  a  voice  is  calling  . . . 
 Slowly,  by  Thy  hand  unf lu-led 
 
 Slowly,  slowly  darkening 
 
 Soldiers  of  Christ,  arise     
 
 Son  of  God,  to  Thee  I  ci-y 
 
 Songs  of  praise  the  angels  sang  . . . 
 Souls  of  men,  why  wll  ye  scatter  ... 
 Sound  the  loud  timbrel  o'er  Egypt's 
 
 dark  sea      
 
 Speak,  lips  of  mine     
 
 Spirit  Divine  attend  our  prayers  ... 
 Spii-it  of  Christ,  Thine  earnest  give 
 
 Stand  up  !  stand  up  for  Jesus 
 
 Standing  forth  on  life's  rough  way 
 Stay,  Master,  stay  upon  this  heavenly 
 
 hill       175, 
 
 Still,  still  with  Thee,  when  purple 
 
 morning  breaketh   
 
 Still  will  we    trust,   though  earth 
 
 seems  dark  and  dreary 
 
 Still  with  Thee,  O  my  God  193, 
 
 Strangers  and  pilgrims  here  below 
 Summer  suns  are  glowing  over  land 
 
 and  sea       
 
 Sun  of  my  soul.  Thou  Saviour  dear 
 
 153,  154, 
 Supreme  Motor  cordium 
 
 58 
 
 274 
 151 
 156 
 
 395 
 148 
 450 
 392 
 370 
 238 
 427 
 431 
 
 335 
 332 
 
 120 
 
 187 
 
 289 
 48 
 170 
 170 
 155 
 244 
 356 
 410 
 175 
 113 
 141 
 484 
 182 
 
 142 
 237 
 148 
 154 
 
 177 
 
 394 
 
 420 
 481 
 207 
 
 209 
 
 Sweet  is  the  solace  of  Thy  love 
 
 Sweet  is  the  Spirit' s  strain       
 
 Sweet  Saviour,  bless  us  ere  we  go  ... 
 Sweet  the  lessons  Jesus  taught 
 Sweet  the  moments,  rich  iu  blessing 
 Sweetly  sang  the  angels  in  the  clear 
 calm  light 
 
 PAGE 
 
 308 
 167 
 182 
 448 
 127 
 
 327 
 
 Take  my  life,  and  let  it  be       
 
 Take  up  Thy  cross,  the  Saviour  said 
 Teach  me,  6  Lord,  Thy  holy  way  . . . 
 
 Teach  me,  my  God  and  King 
 
 Teach  me  to  live!  'tis  easier  far  to 
 
 die 
 
 Tell  it  out  among  the  heathen 
 
 Ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  . . . 
 
 Ter  sancte,  ter  potens  Deus     
 
 That    mystic    word    of    Thine,    O 
 
 Sovereign  Lord 
 
 That  Thou,  O  Lord,  art  ever  nigh... 
 The  child  leans  on  its  parent's  breast 
 The  Church's  One  Foundation 
 The  dawn  of  God's  dear  Sabbath  ... 
 The  day  Thou  gavest  Lord,  is  ended 
 The  day  is  gently  sinking  to  a  close 
 
 The  day  is  past  and  over    39, 
 
 The  day,  O  Lord,  is  spent 
 
 The  devil  and  me,  we  can't  agree  ... 
 The  festal  morn,  my  God,  is  come... 
 
 The  fields  are  all  white      
 
 The  foe  behind,  the  deep  before     . . . 
 
 The  Galilean  tishers  toil    
 
 The  glory  of  the  spring,  how  sweet 
 
 The  God  of  Abraham  praise   
 
 The  God  of  heaven  is  pleased  to  see 
 The  God  of  Love  my  Sliepherd  is  ... 
 The  good  old  Buok  !   witii  histories 
 
 The  happy  morn  is  come 
 
 The  happy  sunshine  all  is  gone 
 The  Head  that  once  was  crowned 
 
 with  thorns        
 
 The  livelong  night  we've  toiled  in 
 
 vain       
 
 The  Lord  be  with  us  as  we  bend    . . . 
 The  Lord  is  come  on  Syrian  soil     . . . 
 The  Lord  is  King,  and  weareth 
 The  Lord  is  King,  lift  up  Thy  voice 
 
 The  Lord  is  ricli  and  merciful 
 
 The  Lord  my  pasture  shall  prepare 
 The  Lord  of  might  from  Sinai's  brow 
 The  Lord  of  Sabbath  let  us  praise 
 The  Lord  will  come,  and  not  be  slow 
 The  morning  flowers  display  their 
 
 sweets  ...  
 
 The  night  is  come,  like  to  the  day 
 
 77,  482,  483, 
 The  night  of  sorrow  long  hath  reigned 
 The  old  year's  long  campaign  is  o'er 
 
 The  pilgrims  of  the  night 
 
 The  race  that  long  in  darkness  pined 
 The  radiant  morn  hath  passed  away 
 The  Eoyal  Banners  forward  go 
 The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war... 
 The  spacious  firmament  on  high    . . . 
 
 201 
 
 393 
 
 296 
 
 76 
 
 318 
 201 
 169 
 379 
 
 394 
 140 
 159 
 302 
 304 
 287 
 165 
 184 
 185 
 475 
 122 
 467 
 185 
 165 
 255 
 126 
 
 451 
 127 
 354 
 
 154 
 
 287 
 178 
 
 73 
 150 
 193 
 
 94 
 147 
 105 
 
 78 
 
 182 
 131 
 273 
 
 47 
 
 147 
 
 94 
 
524 
 
 THK  HYMN  LOVER. 
 
 450 
 439 
 168 
 
 342 
 
 473 
 427 
 
 260 
 327 
 286 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The  Spirit  in  our  hearts     392 
 
 The  springtide  hour  brings  leaf  and 
 
 flower 170 
 
 The  strain  upraise  of  joy  and  praise 
 
 60,  184,  493 
 
 The  sun  is  sinking  fast      174 
 
 The  Voice  that  breathed  o'er  Eden    154 
 
 The  way  is  long  and  dreary     198 
 
 The  year  is  swiftly  waning         270 
 
 Thee  will  I  love,  my  strength,  my 
 
 tower. 114,365 
 
 There  came  a  little  Child  to  earth ...    454 
 
 There  is  a  blessed  home     187 
 
 Thereis  a  book  who  runs  may  read  154,  485 
 There  is  a  dwelling-place  above  ...  141 
 There  is  a  fountain  tilled  with  blood    125 
 
 There  is  a  happy  land         
 
 There  is  joy  above  the  skies 
 
 There  is  no  sorrow,  Lord,  too  light 
 
 There's  a  friend  for  little  children. . .    466 
 
 There  was  a  time  when  children  sang 
 
 ^  161,  442 
 
 There  went  three  damsels  ere  break 
 
 of  day * 
 
 There  were  ninety  and  nine  which 
 
 safely  lay     
 
 Thine  are  all  the  gifts.  O  God 
 
 Thine  arm,  O  Lord,  in  days  of  old 
 
 Thine  for  ever,  God  of  love     
 
 Tliis  is  the  day  of  Light 
 
 Thou  art  gone  to  the  grave,  but  we 
 
 will  not  deplore  Thee     147 
 
 Thou  art,  O  God,  the  life  and  light  142 
 Thou  art  the  way :  to  Thee  alone  ...  392 
 Thou  brightness  of  Thy  Father's  face  159 
 Thou  did.st  leave  Thy  throne  and  Thy 
 
 kingly  crown     455 
 
 Thou  Grace  Divine,  encircling  all  ...  396 
 Thou  gracious  God  and  kind  ...     134 
 
 Thou  hidden    love  of  God,  whose 
 
 height 114.369 
 
 Thou  hidden  source  of  calm  repose  113 
 Thou  knowest,  Lord,  the  weariness 
 
 and  sorrow 240 
 
 Thou  long   disowned,  reviled,  op- 
 pressed      39.5 
 
 Thou,  Lord,  art  Love,  and  everj'- 
 
 where 193 
 
 Thou  say'st,  take  up  thy  cross  '...  265 
 Thou  Son  of  God  and  Son  of  man. . .  132 
 Thou  that  once  on  mother's  knee  264,  467 
 Thou  wast,  O  God,  and  Thou  wast 
 
 blest     87,488 
 
 Thou  who  didst  stoop  below    413 
 
 Thou  who  hast  known  the  careworn 
 
 breast 229 
 
 Thou,  who  oui-  faithless  hearts  canst 
 
 read      203 
 
 Thou,  whose  Almighty  word   ...  143 
 
 Thou,    whose    unmeasui-ed   temple 
 
 stands 408 
 
 Though  lowly  here  our  lot  may  be. . .  204 
 Though    we    long    in    sin-wrought 
 
 blindness     267 
 
 Thrice  holy  God  of  wondrous  might    379 
 
 Thrice-holy  Name  !  —  that  sweeter 
 
 sounds 267 
 
 Throned  upon  the  awful  Tree 285 
 
 Through  all  the  changing  scenes  of 
 
 life        93 
 
 Through  centuries  of  sin  and  woe...  158 
 
 Through  good  report  and  evil.  Lord  238 
 Through  the  day  Thy  love  has  spared 
 
 us 137 
 
 Through   the  night  of   doubt  and 
 
 sorrow...  299,386,465 
 
 Throw  away  Thy  rod 76 
 
 Thus  far  my  God  hath  led  me  on  . .  128 
 
 Thy  home  is  with  the  humble,  Lord  182 
 
 Thy  little  one,  O  Saviour-  dear 456 
 
 Thy  way  is  in  the  deep,  O  Lord     ...  223 
 
 Thy  way,  not  mine,  0  Lord     235 
 
 'Tis  for  conquering  kings  to  gain  ..  159 
 
 'Tisgonethat  bright  and  orbed  blaze  1.53 
 'Tis  the  day  of  ressuii-ection   ...      39,  184 
 
 'Tis  the  voice  of  the  sluggard 435 
 
 To  God  be  glory,  peace  on  earth    ...  93 
 
 To  God  on  high  be  thanks  and  praise  352 
 
 To  Thee,  O  dear,  dear  country       ...  59 
 
 To  Thee,  O  dear,  dear  Saviour  170 
 
 To  Thee,  O  Lord,  I  yield  my  spii'it  364 
 
 To  Thee,  O  Lord,  our  hearts  we  raise  301 
 
 To  Thine  eternal  arms,  O  God        . . .  424 
 
 To  weary  hearts,  to  mourning  homes  426 
 
 Up  to  those  bright  and  gladsome 
 
 hills      89 
 
 Veni,  Creator,  Spiritus      42,90 
 
 Veni  Sancte  Spiritus 42,  60,  90,  412 
 
 Vexil  la  Regis  prodeunt     47 
 
 Vital  spark  of  heavenly  flame 104 
 
 Viva,  viva  Gesu  ! 384 
 
 Von  Himmel  hoch  da  komm  ich  her  349 
 
 "Wake,  awake,  for  night  is  flying   ...  355 
 
 Walk  in  the  light,  so  slialt  thou  know  147 
 
 230 
 444 
 
 Walking  with  Thee,  my  God 
 We  are  but  little  children  weak 
 We  are  the  Lord's,  whether  we  live 
 
 or  die 
 
 We  ask  for  peace,  O  Lord       
 
 We  ask  not  that  our  path  be  always 
 
 bright 420 
 
 We  gather  to  the  sacred  board       . . .    415 
 
 We  give  Thee  but  Thine  own 269 
 
 We  limit  not  the  truth  of  God       .  .     228 
 
 We  love  the  venerable  house 411 
 
 We  love  Thee,  Lord,  yet  not  alone    159 
 
 We  name  Thy  Name,  O  God 266 
 
 We  praise  and  bless  Thee,  gracious 
 
 Lord     242,373 
 
 We  praise,  we  bless  Thee,  Lord,  we 
 
 confess  Thee      
 
 We  praise,  we  wor.ship  Thee,  O  God 
 We  rose  to-day  with  anthems  sweet 
 We  saw  Thee  not  when  Thou  didst 
 
 come     
 
 We  sing  His  love  who  once  was  slain 
 We  sing  the  praise  of  Him  who  died 
 
 372 
 198 
 
INDEX  OF  FIRST  LINES  OF  HYMNS. 
 
 525 
 
 PAGE 
 
 We  sing  to  Thee,  Thou  Son  of  God  120 
 
 "We  speak  of  the  realms  of  the  blest  160 
 Weary  and  sad,  a  wanderer  from 
 
 Thee     170 
 
 Weary  of  earth,  and  laden  with  my 
 
 sin        301 
 
 Welcome,  happy  morning,  age  to 
 
 age  shall  say      289 
 
 We've  no  abiding  city  here      137 
 
 What  grace,   O  Lord,  and  beauty 
 
 shone    214 
 
 What  shall  we  render,  Lord,  to  Thee  324 
 
 What  star  is  this  more  glorious  far  379 
 What  sweetness  on  Thine  earth  doth 
 
 dwell 254 
 
 When  all  Thy  mercies,  O  my  GTod ...  95 
 
 When  daily  1  kneel  down  to  pray  . . .  438 
 
 When  for  me  the  silent  oar     425 
 
 When  gathering   clouds  around  I 
 
 view      148 
 
 When  gladness  gilds  our  prosperous 
 
 day       420 
 
 When  I  survey  life's  varied  scene  . . .  119 
 When  I  survey  the  wondrous  cross 
 
 101,  494 
 
 When  Jesus  halted  on  His  way      . .  468 
 
 When  Jordan  hush'd  his  waters  still  141 
 
 When  my  tongue  can  sing  no  more  385 
 When  on  my  day  of  life  the  night  is 
 
 falling 429 
 
 Wlien  on  Sinai's  top  I  see 139 
 
 When  our  heads  are  bowed  with  woe 
 
 151,  482 
 
 When  rising  from  the  bed  of  death  95 
 
 PAGE 
 
 When  shall  we  meet  again        403 
 
 When  sugar  in  the  lump  I  see 188 
 
 When  the  dark  waves  round  us  roll  271 
 
 When  the  Lord  of  love  was  here  . . .  290 
 
 When  the  Paschal  evening  fell  . . .  178 
 When  the  weary,  seeking  rest. . .     235,  481 
 
 When  this  passing  world  is  done  . . .  173 
 When  winds  are  raging    o'er    the 
 
 upper  ocean       394 
 
 Where  high  the    heavenly  temple 
 
 stands          130 
 
 Where  is  thy  God,  my  soul  ?    190 
 
 Where  is  Jesus,  little  children  ?        . .  463 
 
 Where  shall  we  learn  to  die  ? 178 
 
 While  shepherds  watched  their  flocks 
 
 by  night      93 
 
 While  Thee  I  seek,  protecting  power  133 
 
 While  with  ceaseless  course  the  sun  124 
 
 Who  are  they  whose  little  feet  ?  ...  450 
 Why  art  Thou  thus  cast  down,  my 
 
 heart     353 
 
 Wilt  Thou  not  visit  me  ?           423 
 
 Winter  reigneth  o'er  the  land  . .      ..  270 
 
 With  silence  only  as  thei  r  benediction  427 
 
 With  Thee,  my  Lord,  my  God 481 
 
 Te  holy  angels  bright. . . 
 Ye  messengers  of  Christ 
 Ye  servants  of  the  Lord 
 
 Yes,  God  is  good 
 
 Yesterday,  with  exultation 
 
 81 
 140 
 106 
 158 
 
 57 
 
 Yet  who  knows  the  cross  is  precious    332 
 Your  harps,  ye  trembling  saints    . . .     129 
 
526 
 
 INDEX  or  TITLES  OF  HYMNS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Abide  with  me      394 
 
 All  live  unto  Him 285 
 
 All  Saints' Day     423 
 
 Angel  of  Patience,  The       426 
 
 Ascension  Day,  Collect  for       397 
 
 Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for 
 
 theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ..  280 
 
 •Carmen  Speculare        10 
 
 Church  Universal,  The      422 
 
 ■Children's  Song  from   the    Second 
 
 Chapter  of  St.  Luke,  A 350 
 
 Comforter,  The     140 
 
 Covenant  and  Confidence  of  "Faith, 
 
 The       80 
 
 Cross,  The              481 
 
 Cypress  tree  of  Ceylon,  The    427 
 
 Dayspring  of  Eternity      
 
 De  contemptu  mundi 
 
 Desolation      
 
 Dies  Irpe 
 
 Divine  Eenewer,  The 
 
 Elixir,  The     
 
 Faith  and  sight  in  the  latter  days 
 Freedom 
 
 ...  59 
 
 ...  220 
 
 52,  172 
 
 ...  245 
 
 ...  76 
 
 ...  265 
 
 ...  423 
 
 31,  34,  352 
 
 426 
 
 Gloria  in  Excelsis . . 
 Gone 
 
 Holy  Catholic  Church,  the  Commu- 
 nion of  Saints,  The 302 
 
 Holy  Spirit,  The 275 
 
 Home  Missions     409 
 
 Hora  Novissima 59,185 
 
 Hymn  for  his  brother's  ordination  413 
 
 I  am  debtor    173 
 
 I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  Father    . . .  424 
 
 Intercession  for  Children 409 
 
 It  is  I,  be  not  afraid    271 
 
 Joy  and  sorrow  alike  from  God      ...  334 
 
 Jubilus  of  St.  Bernard      58 
 
 King  Eternal,  Immortal,  luvisible. 
 
 The       277 
 
 Litany  to  the  Holy  Spirit 74 
 
 Litany  to  the  name  of  Jesus    ...  267 
 Living  and  Dying  Prayer  for   the 
 
 Holiest  Believer  in  the  world,  A...  128 
 
 Lord  reigneth,  let  the  earth  rejoice, 
 
 The              278 
 
 Lost  and  Found    267 
 
 Love  of  God,  The 396 
 
 Love  of  Jesus,  The     71 
 
 Meditation  for  Wednesday  in  Pas- 
 sion Week,  A     106 
 
 Meek  inherit  the  earth.  The     280 
 
 My  Psalm       427 
 
 Mystery  of  God,  The 424 
 
 New  Commandment,  A     422 
 
 Our  Master    425 
 
 Peace  of  God,  The      198 
 
 Pilgrims,  The        198 
 
 Praise  for  Inspiration 421 
 
 Prayer  for  the  morning,  A       91 
 
 Prayer  in  thp  Temple,  The       328 
 
 PsaimofLife       413 
 
 Quest,  The     397 
 
 Return  of  the  Dove    323 
 
 Rosy  Hymn    58 
 
 Sabbath  Day,  The 414 
 
 Second  Advent  of  Christ,  or  Christ 
 coming  to  Jerusalem  in  triumph, 
 
 The       78 
 
 Shame  of  Jesus  conquered  by  love  117 
 
 Son  of  Man,  The 279 
 
 Song  to  the  Tune  "Diana,"  A 81 
 
 Stabat  Mater 
 Sweetness  of  Jesus,  The 
 
 52,  53,  397 
 71 
 
 TeDeum 42,350 
 
 Thankfulness 197 
 
 Thanksgiving  for  the  highest  bene- 
 fits which  God  has  shown  in  Christ  348 
 
 Through  and  thi-ough        266 
 
 To  my  friend  on  the  death  of   his 
 
 sister     427 
 
 Transfiguration,  The 175 
 
 Truth       395 
 
 Vesper  Hymn       397 
 
 Voice  from  Galilee,  A 234 
 
 Wedding  Hymn 120 
 
 Whither  shall  I  go  from  Thy  Spirit  397 
 
 Witness  of  earth  to  heaven,  The  ...  254 
 
 Wrestling  Jacob 481 
 
THE      MUSICAL     HEEALD 
 ann  %omt  ^oWa  Heporter* 
 
 EDITED    BY    J.     SI^ENCEH    CTJRW^ElSr. 
 
 Published  on  the  1st  of  each  month,  price  Id.     Annual  Subscription,  post  free,  ]  s.  6c?. 
 
 The  Musical  Herald"  is  the  cheap- 
 est of  the  musical  papers,  and— with  one  excep- 
 tion—has  the  largest  circulation  of  any  musical 
 journal.  It  circulates  over  the  "whole  of  the 
 United  Kingdom,  in  Canada;  the  United  States, 
 Australia,  India,  South  Africa,  New  Zealand, 
 and  many  other  parts  of  the  world. 
 
 Music.  —  Each  number  contains  music 
 suited  to  the  varying  purposes  of  Church 
 Choirs,  Choral  Societies,  tfec. 
 
 The  Literary  Contents  of  the  paper 
 are  comprehensive.  Its  pages  are  occupied 
 with  articles  intended  to  promote  the  general 
 musical  culture  and  growth  of  its  readers,  and 
 to  aid  in  the  application  of  music  to  the  pur- 
 poses of  the  Church,  the  Home,  the  School,  and 
 recreation. 
 
 Biographies  of  prominent  musical 
 workers  and  composers  are  given,  with  Por- 
 traits. 
 
 Church  Services.  —  Descriptive  and 
 critical  articles  ajipear  from  time  to  time  on 
 the  Church  Services  of  all  denominations. 
 Faults  are  pointed  out  and  excellences  com- 
 mended. 
 
 Church  Music  Notes.— New  plans  of 
 organising  the  music  in  worship  are  explained; 
 novel  services  and  sacred  concerts  are  reported. 
 
 Sunday  School  Siiigring:  is  frequently 
 referred  to.  Visiting  correspondents  describe 
 their  impressions  of  the  singing  at  representa- 
 tive schools,  and  apply  their  experiences  to 
 general  purposes.  The  question  of  Sunday 
 School  Bands  is  discussed. 
 
 The  Editor,  who  frequently  travels  in 
 the  United  Kingdom  and  on  the  Continent, 
 relates  everything  worthy  of  musical  note  in 
 Churches,  Schools,  Choral  Unions,  &c.,  in  de- 
 soriptive  articles. 
 
 Provincial  Towns. —The  "Musical 
 Herald"  gives  careful  accounts,  by  local  cor- 
 respondents, of  the  varied  uiusical  life  of  such 
 towns.  Nut  only  are  the  high-class  concert 
 societies  dcscrihcd,  but  all  phases  of  popular 
 music,  even  of  the  humblestkind,  are  included. 
 
 Musical  Competitions,  which  are 
 becoMiing  so  freciueut,  are  announced  and 
 reported  by  special  correspondents.  Schemes 
 for  popular  musical  mstruction.  wherever  they 
 may  originate,  are  described. 
 
 Symposiums  on  questions  of  practical 
 interest  are  occasionally  held,  the  writers  being 
 musicians  in  full  practice. 
 
 Papers  read  at  Cong-resses  are 
 printed  in  lull  or  summarised.    Ttie  proceed- 
 
 ings of  the  Musical  Association,  the  Nationa 
 Society  of  Professional  Musicians,  the  College 
 of  Organists,  and  the  Welsh  National  Eistedd- 
 fod are  noticed. 
 
 A  Prize  Competition  takes  place 
 every  month.  The  unsuccessful  answers  are 
 arranged  in  classes  under  initials  or  "noms  de 
 plume,"  so  that  every  competitor  has  his 
 attempt  criticised  and  placed. 
 
 Reviews  of  Musical  Works  are 
 given,  with  extracts  of  interest. 
 
 The  Correspondence  columns  of  the 
 "Musical  Herald"  are  open  to  all  who  have 
 things  of  weight  and  value  to  say. 
 
 Festivals  of  a  National  character,  the 
 Handel  Festival,  and  the  various  Choral  Fetes 
 in  London  and  the  provinces,  are  reported. 
 
 Instruraental  Music  in  its  progress 
 is  chronicled.  The  best  methods  of  teaching 
 instruments  are  discussed  and  described. 
 
 Teachers  of  Music  find  the  Model 
 Lessons  by  leading  teachers  (generally  re- 
 ported verbatim)  of  much  value. 
 
 School  Teachers  of  Sing-ing-  find 
 the  alterations  in  the  Education  Code  an- 
 nounced, the  reports  of  H.  M.  Inspectors 
 reprinted  and  quoted  ;  articles  supplied  on 
 the  treatment  of  children's  voices  ;  papers  on 
 common  faults  and  how  to  avoid  them,  written 
 by  experienced  singing  inspectors.  Training 
 College  music  is  also  chronicled. 
 
 Questions  and  Answers  are  given  on 
 points  relating  to  the  difficulties  encountered 
 by  practical  musical  students  and  workers. 
 Skilled  specialists  answer  the  questions,  which 
 deal  with  Churcii  Music,  Choral  Mu.sic,  Voice 
 Training,  School  Music,  Pianoforte,  Violin 
 and  Organ  Music,  Harmon^■,  Counterpoint' 
 and  Musical  Theory. 
 
 The  Tonic  Sol-fa  Colleg-e  announces 
 all  its  new  regulations  through  the  medium  of 
 the  "Musical  Herald,"  which  is  its  organ 
 The  names  of  the  successful  candidates  for  the 
 higher  certificates  are  published.  Council  and 
 Public  Meetings,  &c.,  reported. 
 
 Concerts  and  the  foi-mation  of  new 
 Societies  and  Classes  are  chronicled  in  the 
 "J5usical  Herald,"  news  beinu  supplied  by 
 correspondents  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 
 
 Current  Notes  are  written  on  all 
 passing  topics  of  importance,  and  the  progress 
 of  all  musical  reforms- such  as  the  French 
 Cheve  system— is  narrated. 
 
 The  Extension  of  the  Tonic  Sol- 
 fa  Movement  in  new  quarters,  at  home 
 and  abroad,  is  observed,  and  its  influence  in 
 cultivating  or  increasing  the  love  of  music  bv 
 the  people  is  discussed.  ' 
 
 The  "  iMusiCAL  Herald  "  may  be  ordered  through  any  Bookskller. 
 London  :  J.  CUEWEN  &  SONS,  8  &  9  Warwick  Lai^e,  E.G.     9/89 
 
STANDARD  WOEKS  ON  MUSIC, 
 
 CANDIDATE   IN   MUSIC,    THE. 
 
 H.  PisHER,  Mus.D.  Price  3/- ;  postage,  Ijd. 
 A  text -book  of  Musical  Elements  for  stu- 
 dents preparingf  or  the  public  examinations. 
 
 CHORAL  SOCIETY,  THE.  By 
 L.  C.  Venables.  Price  3/-  ;  post.  22d.  A 
 book  of  practical  hints  and  experiences  for 
 the  use  of  Conductors,  Secretaries,  «&c. 
 
 COMPANION  FOR  TEACHERS. 
 By  J.  S.  CuRWEN.  Price  1/-;  post.,  l^d. 
 Gives  tlie  school  teacher  all  the  information 
 on  the  Tonic  Sol-fa  system  necessary  for 
 the  requirements  of  the  New  Code. 
 
 COMPENDIUM  OF  HARMONY. 
 By  Geo.  Oakey,  Mus.  B.  Price  2/- ;  pos- 
 tage, 2d.  Comprises  the  subject  matter  of 
 the  tii'st  half  of  the  author's  "Text  Book 
 of  Harmony,"  the  examples  in  Sol-fa  only. 
 
 HANDBELL  RINGING.  By  C.  W. 
 Pletcher.  Price  2/6;  postage  2d.  Ex- 
 plains the  method  on  which  the  "  Criterion  " 
 Handbell  Ringers  play,  shows  how  to  or- 
 ganise and  train  troupes  of  handbell  ringers, 
 and  gives  exercises  and  tunes. 
 
 HANDBOOK  OF  ACOUSTICS.  By 
 T.F.Harris,  B.Sc,  F.C.S.  Price  4/6,  post.  3d. 
 Handbook  for  musical  students,  illustrated. 
 
 HOW  TO  EARN  THE  MUSIC 
 GRANT.  By  An  Inspector  OF  Schools. 
 Price  4d.     Sol-fa. 
 
 HOW  TO  OBSERVE  HARMONY. 
 By  Jo:iN  Curwen.  Ninth  edition,  with 
 Appendix.  Price  2/-;  postage,  2d.  The 
 Text-book  used  for  teaching  Harmony  on 
 the  Tonic  Sol-fa  Method.    Both  notations. 
 
 HOW  TO  READ  MUSIC.  By  John 
 Curwen.  Seventh  edition.  24  chapters,  pp. 
 128,  price  1/-  ;  postage  l^d.  Teaches  Sight- 
 singing  by  the  Tonic  Sol-fa  system,  then 
 applies  that  knowledge  to  the  Old  Notation. 
 
 HYMN  LOVER,  THE.  By  Eev.  W. 
 Garrett  Horder.  Price  7/6 ;  postage, 
 4^d.  An  account  of  the  rise  and  progress 
 of  Encrlish  Hymnody. 
 
 MANUAL  of  ORCHESTRATION. 
 By  Hamilton  Clarke,  Mus.B.  Price  2/-  ; 
 post.  2d.  Gives  much  information  that  will 
 help  young  conductors  and  amateurs. 
 
 MECHANISM  OF  THE  HUMAN 
 VOICE.  Emil  Behnke.  3rded.,  enlarged. 
 Cloth.  2/6;  paper,  1/6  ;  post.  2d. 
 
 MEMORIALSof  JOHN  CURWEN. 
 By  liis  son,  J.  Spencer  Cukwen.  Price 
 3  6;  postage  3d. 
 
 MUSICAL  INSPECTION,  and 
 How  to  prepare  for  it,  The.  By  a 
 School  Inspector.  Price  1/6;  postage  2d. 
 Lessons  and  instructions  on  the  Tonic  Sol-fa 
 method,  for  teachers  in  elementary  schools. 
 
 MUSICAL  PROFESSION,  THE. 
 By  II.  FisHKR,  Mus.D.  Price  6/- ;  post.  4^d. 
 Contains  much  advice  for  music  teachers  in 
 in  eveiy  department  of  the  art. 
 
 MUSICAL  THEORY.  By  John 
 CuuwEN.     Price  3/6  ;  postage,  3d. 
 
 MUSICIANS  OF  ALL  TIMES. 
 Compiled  by  David  Baptie.  Price  3/6. 
 A  concise  biographical  handbook  of  com- 
 posers, &c.,  containing  nearly  12,000  names. 
 
 LONDON:    J.  CURWEN  &  SONS, 
 
 ORGANS,  ORGANISTS,  AND 
 CHOIRS.  By  E.  Minshall.  Price 
 1/6;  po-tage,  Ijd.  A  Book  of  hints  and 
 suggestions  for  all  interested  in  Noncon- 
 formist Church  Music. 
 
 PRONUNCIATION  for  SINGERS. 
 By  A.  J.  Ellis,  E.E.S.    Price  4/6 ;  post.4d. 
 
 SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHER,  The. 
 By  J.  Evans  and  W.  G.  M'Naught.  Second 
 edit.,  revised  and  enlarged.  3/-;  post.  3d. 
 A  guide  to  teaching  singing  in  schools,  and 
 a  text-book  for  the  School  Teacher's^  Music 
 Certificate  of  the  Tonic  Sol-fa  College. 
 
 SHORT  DICTIONARY  OF  MUSI- 
 CAL TERMS.  By  Arnold  Kennedy, 
 M.A.  Price  1/-,  postage  Id. ;  cloth,  1/6 
 postage  l^d.    Includes  about  2,700  terms. 
 
 SINGING  IN  ELEMENTARY 
 SCHOOLS.  ByA.WATKiNS.  Cloth,!/-; 
 postage.  Id. 
 
 SOLO  SINGER,  THE.  By  Sinclair 
 Dunn.  Price  1/6  ;  postage,  Ijd.  A  hand- 
 book giving  hints  to  those  who  desire  to 
 become  solo  singers. 
 
 SPECIMEN  LESSONS  ON  THE 
 TONIC  SOL-FA  METHOD.  Edited 
 by  John  S.  Curwen.  Cloth,  limp,  1/6; 
 postage,  Id.  Contains  specimen  first  lessons 
 on  Time,  Tune,  Transition,  &c. 
 
 STAFF  NOTATION  PRIMER,  for 
 Tonic  Sol-fa  pupils.  Price  6d. ;  postage  Id. 
 Size  and  style  of  "  Musical  Theory." 
 
 STANDARD  COURSE,  THE.  By 
 John  Curwen.  Tenth  Edition  of  the  re- 
 written work.  Price  3/6;  postage  3d. 
 Lessons  and  Exercises  on  the  Tonic  Sol-fa 
 Method  of  Teaching  Music. 
 
 STUDIES  IN  WORSHIP  MUSIC. 
 1st  Series.  By  J.  S.  Curwen.  Second 
 edition,  revised  and  enlarged,  7s.  6d.:  post. 
 42d.  Contains  articles  and  information  on 
 various  matters  relative  to  AV'orship  Music. 
 
 Studies  m  Worship  Music- 2nd 
 Series.  By  J.  S.  Curwen.  Price  3/-; 
 post.  'l^d..  A  continuation  of  the  above  work. 
 
 TEACHER'S  MANUAL,  THE.  By 
 John  Curwen.  Fourth  edit.,  5s.  ;  post.  5d. 
 A  manual  of  the  art  of  teaching  in  general, 
 and  especially  as  applied  to  music. 
 
 TEXT-BOOK  of  COUNTERPOINT. 
 Fifth  edition.  By  Geo.  Oakey,  Mus.B. 
 Price  1/-;  postage,  Jd.  All  the  examples 
 ai'e  given  in  both  notations;  with  a  set  of 
 graded  subjects  at  the  end. 
 
 TEXT-BOOK  OF  HARMONY.  By 
 Geo.  Oakey,  Mus.B.  Fourth  Edition,  price 
 3s.;  post.2^d.  Allexamples  in  5o^/i  notations. 
 
 TEXT-BOOK  OF  MUSICAL 
 ELEMENTS.  By  Geo.  Oakey,  Mus.B. 
 Price  2s.,  cloth;  postage,  l^d.  The  usual 
 topics  arranged  on  a  new  plan. 
 
 TRAINING  COLLEGE  MUSIC 
 COURSE.  By  E.  Mills,  Mus.B.  Price 
 3/-,  post.  2^d.  Old  Notation  Course,  Vocal 
 and  Theoretical,  on  the  Movable  Do  system, 
 arranged  so  as  to  prepare  directly  tor  the 
 various  Examinations. 
 
 UNITED  PRAISE.  By  F.  G. 
 Edwards.  Price  3/6 ;  post.  3d.  Handbook 
 of  Nonconformist  Church  Music. 
 
 8  &  9  WARWICK  LANE.  E.G.  ^'^^ 
 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Libraries 
 
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