Chapter X: Book I: Hymns for Worship and Praise (4)

_MUSIC._ RATHBUN was composed by Ithamar Conkey, 1815-67, an organist and prominent bass soloist who took part in many oratorio performances in New York City. The tune was composed one Sunday afternoon after the minister, Dr. Hiscox, of the Central Baptist Church, Norwich, Conn., had preached one of a series of sermons on the “Words of the Cross.” Conkey named the tune after the leading soprano in his choir, Mrs. Beriah S. Rathbun.

111. Cross of Jesus, Cross of sorrow _William J. Sparrow Simpson_

From Stainer’s oratorio, _The Crucifixion_, where it appears as No. 4 under the title, “The Mystery of Divine Humiliation.” The original has 10 stanzas.

The libretto of _The Crucifixion_ was written by Wm. J. Sparrow Simpson, Church of England clergyman. He was educated at Cambridge, ordained in 1882, and became chaplain of St. Mary’s Hospital, Great Alford. His theological works include the _Catholic Conception of the Church_ and the _History of the Anglo-Catholic Movement_.

_MUSIC._ CROSS OF JESUS in Stainer’s _Crucifixion_ is intended among other numbers in the oratorio, “to be sung by the congregation.” Its depth of feeling is best realized if sung in rather slow tempo.

John Stainer, 1840-1901, began his career as a choir boy at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, at the age of seven, continuing there for nine years. He early became acquainted with Arthur Sullivan and the two remained fast friends throughout life. Stainer became one of England’s greatest organists and succeeded Sir John Goss, at St. Paul’s Cathedral. He was one of the most prolific and best-loved of the Victorian composers. A bronze tablet, installed in his honor in St. Paul’s, was dedicated by a service in which parts of his cantatas were sung, and closed with his “sevenfold Amen” (623).

112. Beneath the Cross of Jesus _Elizabeth Cecilia Clephane_, 1830-69

A hymn of Scottish origin, especially appropriate for use in Good Friday services, but it can also be used on more general occasions.

Elizabeth Cecilia Douglas Clephane, daughter of the Sheriff of Fife and Kinross, was born in Edinburgh. She was a member of the Free Church of Scotland. Her hymn, “There were ninety and nine,” became widely known through its use by Moody and Sankey in their famous evangelistic meetings.

The hymn, “Beneath the Cross of Jesus,” appeared in Scotland, three years after the death of Miss Clephane, in _The Family Treasure_, a home magazine, with this explanatory note by the editor:

These lines express the experiences, the hopes, and the longings of a
young Christian lately released. Written on the very edge of this
life, with the better land fully in view of faith, they seem to us
footsteps printed on the sands of Time, where those sands touch the
ocean of Eternity. These footprints of one whom the Good Shepherd led
through the wilderness into rest, may, with God’s blessing, contribute
to comfort and direct succeeding pilgrims.

_MUSIC._ ST. CHRISTOPHER was composed for this hymn by Frederick C. Maker, 1844-1927, an English organist and composer of numerous hymn tunes. Maker spent all his life in Bristol, England, thirty years of which were devoted to the position of organist at the Redland Park Congregational Church.

HIS RESURRECTION

113. Come ye faithful, raise the strain _John of Damascus_, _c._ 700
_Tr. John M. Neale_

A Greek hymn based on the Song of Moses, Exodus 15.

Αἴσωµεν, πάντες λαοί,
τῶ ἐκ πικρᾶς δουλείας
Φαραὼ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἀπαλλάξαντι
καὶ ἐν βυθῷ φαλάσσης
ποδὶ ἀβρόχως ὁδηγήσαντι
ᾠδὴν ἐπινίκιον,
ὅτι δεδόξασται.

Σήµερον ἔαρ ψυχῶν,
ὅτι Χριστὸς ἐκ τάφου,
ὥσπερ ἥλιος, ἐκλάµψας τριήµερος
τον ζοφερὸν χειµῶνα
ἀπήλασε τῆς ἁµαρτίας ἡµῶν,
αὐτὸν ἀνυµνήσωµεν,
ὅτι δεδόξασται.

Ἡ βασιλὶς τῶν ὡρῶν
τῆ λαµπροφόρῳ ἡµέρᾳ
ἡµερῶν τε βασιλίδι φανότατα
δωροφοροῦσα, τέρπει
τὸν ἔγκριτον τῆς ἐκκλησίας λαόν,
ἀπαύστως ἀνυµνοῦσα
τὸν ἀναστάτα Χριστόν.

Πύλαι θανάτου, Χριστέ,
οὐδὲ τοῦ τάφου σφραγῖδες,
οὐδὲ κλεῖθρα τῶν θυρῶν Σοι ἀντέστησαν,
ἀλλ’ ἀναστὰς ἐπέστης
τοῖς φίλοις σου εἰρήνην, Δέσποτα,
δωρούµενος τὴν πάντα
νοῦν ὑπερέχουσαν.

It was written by John of Damascus about the middle of the 8th century.

John of Damascus, Greek theologian and distinguished hymnist, as well as the greatest scholar and poet of his time, was born in Damascus of a prominent family, about A.D. 700. He was educated by an Italian monk named Cosmas, and retired to the monastery of St. Sabas in the Holy Land. He died between 754 and 787. He wrote a number of canons. A canon in Greek hymnology was a series of odes, usually eight or nine, threaded on an acrostic. This hymn is from his canon for the Sunday after Easter.

For comments on the translator, John M. Neale, see Hymn 67.

_MUSIC._ ST. KEVIN. The composer, Arthur Sullivan, 1842-1900, was born in London, the son of an Irish band-master. He received a thorough musical education in London and on the continent and became a famous choir leader, hymn book editor, conductor, and composer. In collaboration with W. S. Gilbert, he composed light operas for which he is best known.

114. Jesus Christ is ris’n today _Latin_
_Charles Wesley_, 1707-88

This hymn, which Percy Dearmer called “the Easter hymn par excellence,” is based upon some Latin verses of an Easter carol of the 14th century, except verse 4, which is attributed to Charles Wesley. It is of unknown authorship, appearing with the tune “Easter Hymn” in a now rare book, _Lyra Davidica_.

“Allelujah” is “Hallelujah” with the “H” omitted to soften it.

For comments on Wesley see Hymn 6.

_MUSIC._ EASTER HYMN, one of the most famous of all hymn tunes, is from _Lyra Davidica, or a Collection of Divine Songs and Hymns, partly New Composed, partly Translated from the High German and Latin Hymns; and set to easy and pleasant Tunes_, published in London, 1708. The composer is unknown. The hymn and tune were headed, “The Resurrection.”

115. The day of Resurrection _John of Damascus_, _c._ 700
_Tr. John M. Neale_

Ἀναστάσεως ἡµέρα,
λαµπρυνθῶµεν λαοί.
Πάσχα Κυρίου, πάσχα.
Ἐκ γὰρ θανάτου πρὸς ζωήν,
καὶ ἐκ γῆς πρὸς οὐρανόν,
Χριστὸς ὁ θεὸς
ἡµᾶς διεβίβασεν,
ἐπινίκιον ᾄδοντας.

Another resurrection hymn from the Eastern Church by John of Damascus. (See 113.) It is sung after midnight on Easter morning to set forth the fact of the resurrection. Julian describes the service in his _Dictionary of Hymnology_ (p. 62). The people assemble in the church with unlighted tapers in their hands. While the priest chants in a half whisper, they await the signal that Easter Day has begun. A cannon is fired when the moment comes, the Cross is raised, and the people cry, “_Christos anesti_” (Christ is risen.) The tapers are lighted and the church is set ablaze with light. Outside there is the sound of drums and trumpets, the people embrace and congratulate each other, and salute one another with “_Christos anesti_.”

The reference in stanza 2 is to Matt. 28:9: “Jesus met them, saying, ‘All Hail!’”

For comments on the translator, John M. Neale, see Hymn 67.

_MUSIC._ LANCASHIRE, a thrilling tune of steady swing, was composed for “From Greenland’s icy mountains,” to be used at a missionary meeting at Blackburn, England. It is also, in some hymn books, used with “Lead on, O King Eternal” (399).

For comments on the composer, Henry Smart, 1813-79, see Hymn 46.

116. The strife is o’er, the battle done _Latin_
_Tr. Francis Pott_, 1832-1909

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Finita iam sunt praelia,
Est parta iam victoria;
Gaudeamus et canamus:
Alleluia!

Post fata mortis barbara
Devicit Iesus tartara;
Applaudamus et psallamus:
Alleluia!

Surrexit die tertia
Caelesti clarus gratia
Insonemus et cantemus:
Alleluia!

Sunt clausa stygis ostia.
Et caeli patent atria;
Gaudeamus et canamus:
Alleluia!

Per tua, Iesu, vulnera
Nos mala morte libera,
Ut vivamus et canamus:
Alleluia! Amen.

One of the most celebrated of Easter hymns. It comes from an anonymous medieval Latin poem which appeared in the Jesuit _Symphonia Sirenum_, Cologne, 1695.

The translation is by Francis Pott, an Englishman. He was educated at Oxford University and after serving a long number of years as curate and rector in various churches, he retired on account of increasing deafness. Pott published several volumes of hymns and wrote a book on the “_Te Deum_.” He was a member of the original committee which produced _Hymns Ancient and Modern_.

_MUSIC._ VICTORY, also called “Palestrina,” is an adaptation from the “Gloria Patri” of a work called, _Magnificat Tertii Toni_, 1591, by the eminent Italian composer, Giovanni Pierluigi Sante Da Palestrina, 1525-94.

The present arrangement was made by Wm. H. Monk for this hymn.

Palestrina, foremost composer of the Roman Catholic Church and supreme master of polyphonic music, was born at Palestrina, Italy, the son of a wealthy peasant, Pierluigi Sante. He was named “Da Palestrina” after his birthplace, a common custom in his time. He received his musical training at Rome where he came under the powerful influence of Orlando di Lasso, the great master from the Netherlands. Palestrina served as chapelmaster in his home town, master of the boys in the Julian Chapel in Rome, and in 1555 was appointed one of the pontifical singers in the Sistine Chapel but was dismissed a few months later when he became guilty of the “crime” of matrimony. He then became chapelmaster at St. John Lateran and later of the Liberian Chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore, during which time he became known as “the saviour of church music.” Many abuses had crept into the music of the church, particularly in the use of secular airs grafted on stately church themes, and improvizations by the singers who sometimes departed from the solemn words of the service and substituted profane and lewd words in Italian and French. To correct this scandal, the Ecumenical Council of Trent, in 1552, asked Palestrina to prepare a mass free from the admixture of alien words and secular melodies, and suitable for church use. The result was the composition of three 6-part services, one of which, _Missa Papae Marcelli_, has been regarded as one of the most sublime creations of all music and the model of what church music should be. As a reward for this service, Palestrina was granted a stipend by papal decree which was not large but gave him a sufficient income. In 1571 he was re-elected to his old post as Chapelmaster of St. Peter’s, where he remained for life. His fame as teacher and composer extended throughout Europe, but his happiness was clouded by the loss of two sons and the death of his wife in 1580, while the remaining son, Igino, became a source of grief to him. Palestrina’s compositions were many and of great variety, including 93 masses, 179 motets, hymns, prayers, responses, madrigals, etc.

For comments on Monk see Hymn 40.

HIS ASCENSION

117. Hail the day that sees Him rise _Charles Wesley_, 1707-88

This hymn, originally in ten stanzas, appeared in Wesley’s _Hymns and Sacred Poems_, 1739, under the caption “For Ascension Day.” The Hallelujah was added later in White’s _Introits and Hymns_, 1852.

For comments on Charles Wesley see Hymn 6.

_MUSIC._ LLANFAIR, also named “Bethel,” is a Welsh hymn tune by Robert Williams, c. 1781-1821, a basket maker. He was born blind, but became a skilled craftsman and a musician of considerable ability.

118. Crown Him with many crowns _Matthew Bridges_, 1800-94

Based on Rev. 19:12: “On his head were many crowns.” The hymn mentions a four-fold crowning of Christ, as: (1) Lamb upon His throne; (2) Son of God; (3) Lord of life; (4) Lord of heaven. Two omitted stanzas mention “Lord of peace,” and “Lord of years.”

Matthew Bridges was brought up in the church of England but became interested in the Oxford Movement and entered the Roman Catholic Church in 1848. He was a student of history and wrote _The Roman Empire under Constantine the Great_. He is also the author of several books of poems. The latter part of his life was spent in the Province of Quebec, Canada.

The hymn was recast by Godfrey Thring to eliminate several obvious Roman tendencies in it.

_MUSIC._ DIADEMATA, a solid, dignified tune which organists like to play and congregations enjoy singing, was written for this hymn and named after the Latin title given the hymn.

The composer, George Job Elvey, 1816-93, was a gifted organist and composer and a devout Christian. He received the Bachelor of Music and Doctorate in Music from Oxford University and was organist of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, for 47 years.

119. Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious _Thomas Kelly_, 1769-1854

A majestic coronation hymn ranking with the best hymns of Watts and Wesley. It is based on Rev. 11:15: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And he shall reign forever and ever.”

Thomas Kelly was born in Dublin, the son of an Irish judge. He at first intended to follow his father into the legal profession, but his profound religious convictions led him to train for the ministry. As a young clergyman, he was summoned, with others, to appear before the Archbishop of Dublin to answer for his evangelistic zeal. He was rebuked and prohibited from preaching in Dublin pulpits. He then withdrew from the Church of England and started a number of independent churches. He was much interested in the hymnody of the church and wrote 736 hymns in all. They are characterized by loyalty to Jesus Christ and a deep evangelical glow.

_MUSIC._ CORONAE is a virile tune, written in 1871, and well adapted by its voice range for congregational singing.

For comments on the composer, Wm. H. Monk, see Hymn 40.

120. Majestic sweetness sits enthroned _Samuel Stennett_, _c._ 1727-95

This hymn was published in John Rippon’s _Selection_, 1787, with the title, “Chief among Ten Thousand: or the Excellencies of Christ.” It is based on Song of Solomon 5:10-16. The original has 9 stanzas.

The author, Samuel Stennett, prominent non-conformist and champion of religious freedom, was a Baptist clergyman who in 1741 became his father’s assistant in Little Wild Street Church, London, and then succeeded his father in 1758, continuing in the pastorate of the church until his death in 1795.

_MUSIC._ ORTONVILLE has been a favorite hymn tune for over a century. It is associated with these words now, but at first it was set to “O for a closer walk with God.” Among Hastings’ tunes, this is second in popularity to “Toplady” (148), the tune he made for “Rock of Ages.”

Thos. Hastings, 1784-1872, was born in Connecticut, moved to New York state to farm but left the farm at the age of 33 to devote himself to music. In 1831 he moved to New York City to serve the musical interests of a group of churches. He wrote 600 hymns and about 1,000 hymn tunes. He published 50 books of music and collaborated with Lowell Mason in _Spiritual Songs for Social Worship_. The University of the City of New York gave him the degree of Doctor of Music in 1858.

121. Rejoice, the Lord is King _Charles Wesley_, 1707-88

A jubilant song of Christ’s exaltation and coming in power, based on Phil. 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say, rejoice.”

The hymn, in seven stanzas, appeared first in John Wesley’s _Sacred and Moral Poems_, 1744, and later in Wesley’s _Hymns for our Lord’s Resurrection_, 1746. Though the resurrection note is in the hymn, it is appropriate also for general occasions.

Charles Wesley wrote four great festival hymns: (1) “Hark! the herald angels sing” for Christmas; (2) “Christ the Lord is risen today” for Easter; (3) “Hail the day that sees Him rise” for Ascension; and (4) “Rejoice, the Lord is king” for Whitsuntide.

For comments on Charles Wesley see Hymn 6.

_MUSIC._ ARTHUR’S SEAT appeared in _Hymns and Songs of Praise_ 1874, by John K. Paine and Uzziah C. Burnap. The tune is believed to be an arrangement by Burnap from a melody composed by Sir John Goss, 1800-80, English organist and composer of church choir music. Handel composed a tune, “Gopsal,” especially for this hymn, but it is not well known and has not found its way into many of the hymn books.

For comments on Paine and Burnap see Hymn 134.

122. Hail, Thou once despisèd Jesus! _John Bakewell_, 1721-1819

A worshipful and strongly doctrinal hymn, bringing out plainly the doctrine of the atonement as well as the Saviour’s enthronement and glorification.

The authorship is traditionally assigned to John Bakewell, one of John Wesley’s lay preachers. But it is not clear that he wrote all of it. It appeared in 1760 in a collection by M. Madan, and later, in 1776, it was included in _Psalms and Hymns_ by Augustus M. Toplady. Both editors apparently made some changes and omissions in the hymn, resulting in our present version.

_MUSIC._ IN BABILONE is a Dutch traditional melody, its present arrangement having been made by Professor Julius Röntgen, 1855-1933, of Amsterdam. It appeared in _The English Hymnal_ in 1906 and has since won its way into many American hymn books. It is a joyous, robust melody well suited to carry this hymn.

123. Hark, ten thousand harps and voices _Thomas Kelly_, 1769-1854

Based on Heb. 1:6: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

The original poem has 7 stanzas. Lowell Mason added the “Hallelujahs” and the “Amen” when he set the hymn to music. Some hymn books have softened the “Hallelujah” to “Allelujah.” The last stanza is a prayer for the hastening of the day when heaven and earth shall pass away, which some may not be able to sing heartily and sincerely.

For comments on Thomas Kelly see Hymn 119.

_MUSIC._ HARWELL was written for this hymn in 1840. The original version had the men’s voices introduce lines 5 and 6 with a dotted eighth and a sixteenth note, in unison, while the soprano and altos observed a quarter rest. Later editing changed the tune so all the parts observed the quarter rest.

For comments on the composer, Lowell Mason, see Hymn 12.

124. Alleluia! sing to Jesus! _William C. Dix_, 1837-98

Based on Rev. 5:9: “Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every nation.”

The original poem of five stanzas appeared in Dix’s _Altar Songs_, 1867, and was entitled “Redemption by the Precious Blood.” The hymn was linked to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The third and fourth stanzas, omitted here, are as follows:

Alleluia! Bread of Heaven,
Thou on earth our food, our stay!
Alleluia! here the sinful
Flee to thee from day to day:
Intercessor, friend of sinners,
Earth’s Redeemer, plead for me,
Where the songs of all the sinless,
Sweep across the crystal sea.

Alleluia! King eternal,
Thee the Lord of lords we own:
Alleluia! born of Mary,
Earth thy footstool, heav’n thy throne:
Thou within the veil hast entered,
Robed in flesh, our great High Priest:
Thou on earth both Priest and Victim
In the eucharistic feast.

For comments on William C. Dix see Hymn 78.

_MUSIC._ The tune was taken from _St. Basil’s Hymnal_, Chicago, 1918, where it appears unnamed. It is a traditional Dutch melody. The present arrangement of it is anonymous.

HIS COMING AGAIN

125. The King shall come when morning dawns _From the Greek_
_Tr. by John Brownlie_, 1859-1925

This hymn, setting forth the hope of Christ’s Second Coming in triumph, comes from the Greek, but no information is at hand concerning the original poem. It is not included in Julian’s _Dictionary_.

The translation is by John Brownlie, a Scottish minister, born in Glasgow. He published several books of original hymns and translations from the Greek.

_MUSIC._ JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM is wrongly attributed here to Thomas Hastings though it is possible that the arrangement is his. The same tune, named “St. Michel’s,” appears at No. 93, which see for comments.

For comments on Thomas Hastings see Hymn 120.

126. Thou art coming, O my Savior _Frances R. Havergal_, 1836-79

The first hymn Miss Havergal wrote after Advent Sunday, December 2, 1873, when she “first saw clearly the blessedness of true consecration.”

Frances Ridley Havergal was the daughter of Rev. Wm. H. Havergal, an Anglican clergyman who was greatly interested in the hymns and music of the church and composed a number of tunes still in use. His tune, “Evan,” is used in the _Hymnary_ (153 and 253). Frances thus grew up in a cultured religious environment in which hymns and church music held a prominent place. She was handicapped by a frail body and died at the early age of forty-three. But throughout her short life, from the time of her confirmation at seventeen until the end, she had an unbounded joy in Christian service. No suffering could diminish her faith in the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Despite her poor health, she was a devoted student of the Bible and was able to repeat from memory the four Gospels, the Epistles, Revelations, all the Psalms, Isaiah, and the Minor Prophets. Besides writing many letters counselling those who sought her advice, she wrote devotional books and composed sacred hymns and poems, always emphasizing consecration and service. She made a considerable contribution to the hymnody of the church. Six of her compositions are to be found in the _Hymnary_ (126, 190, 215, 219, 296, 380).

_MUSIC._ BEVERLEY was composed for this hymn for use in _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, Rev. ed., 1875.

For comments on W. H. Monk see Hymn 40.

127. Christ is coming, let creation _John R. Macduff_, 1818-95

A Scottish hymn setting forth the glowing hope and expectation of the coming of Christ in glory. It is based on Rev. 22:20: “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

John R. Macduff was minister of the Sandyford Parish, Glasgow. He is the author of several books of devotions and wrote numerous hymns. His ministry at Sandyford was singularly fruitful. George Mattheson, blind Scottish preacher, then a boy in Macduff’s congregation, afterwards said of him: “Dr. Macduff gave me my first real conviction of the beauty of Christianity.” Macduff held strongly to the premillennial view of the coming of Christ.

_MUSIC._ NEANDER. This famous tune has been associated with various words. The composer first published it in 1680 set to the hymn, “_Unser Herrscher, unser König_.” It is also used with Schmolk’s “Open now the gates of beauty” (505), and in England it is almost invariably associated with “Come, ye saints, and raise an anthem,” by J. Hupton and others.

Joachim Neander, 1650-80, whose real name was Neumann, was born at Bremen, where he spent most of his life. As a youth he was somewhat wild but in time became converted and associated himself with the Pietists of Germany. He was a friend of Spener, the leader of the Pietists. His unconventional zeal brought him into conflict with the authorities of the Reformed Church of which he was a member, and he was dismissed for a time from his office as teacher in the Düsseldorf schools. Being obliged to leave town, he lived for some months in a cave in the region of the Rhine, where he composed many of his hymns. He is the foremost hymn writer of the German Reformed Church and is called “the Paul Gerhardt of the Calvinists.” Neander, like Luther, was a man of scholarship and accomplishment in poetry and music, as well as theology. He wrote more than 60 hymns and composed tunes for them.

128. Ye servants of the Lord _Philip Doddridge_, 1702-51

“The Active Christian” is the author’s title of this hymn. It appeared first in Job Orton’s posthumous edition of _Hymns founded on Various Texts_, 1755. It is founded on Luke 12:35-37:

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will
return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may
open unto him immediately.

Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find
watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make
them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

Doddridge, known for his sound learning and genuine Christian character, was a first-rate hymn writer. He taught Hebrew, Greek, algebra, trigonometry, logic, philosophy, and theology to classes of candidates for the Congregational ministry.

For further comments on Doddridge see Hymn 56.

_MUSIC._ OLD 134TH (ST. MICHAEL) is one of the greatest of short-meter tunes, derived from the tune composed by L. Bourgeois for Psalm 101 in the _Genevan Psalter_ of 1551.

For comments on L. Bourgeois see Hymn 34.

129. Come, Lord, and tarry not _Horatius Bonar_, 1808-89

A plaintive, sad hymn bordering almost on pessimism, by an able, pious author who held the doctrine of the premillenarian coming of Christ. All his life, Bonar’s mind was occupied with the subject of the second advent, an interest which inspired much of his writing.

Horatius Bonar, born in Edinburgh, was the prince of Scottish hymn writers. Educated at the University of Edinburgh, he was ordained in 1837 and became a minister in the Established Church of Scotland at Kelso. At the Disruption in 1843, Bonar “came out” and was one of the founders of the Free Church of Scotland (Presbyterian). Leaving Kelso, he became the minister of Chalmer’s Memorial Church in Edinburgh, where he served, a greatly beloved man, until his death. He was known as a man of wide scholarship and culture. His mind was saturated with Scripture and his heart possessed by a broad and generous faith.

His son, Rev. H. N. Bonar, wrote his father’s _Life_ which gives some interesting information concerning his hymn writing. Bonar carried notebooks with him in which he jotted thoughts, verses, and hymns as they came to his mind.

“These notebooks,” writes the son, “contain most of the better-known hymns, hastily written down in pencil in his spare moments. They are full of contractions, with an occasional word or phrase in shorthand; sometimes a line is struck out and another substituted, yet in nearly every case the complete hymn, almost as it was afterwards published, can be gleaned from this rough draft.”

_MUSIC._ SHIRLAND was composed by Samuel Stanley, 1767-1822, English composer and precentor of Carr’s Lane Congregational Chapel, in Birmingham. Through his skilled leadership the music of this church became famous. The hymn singing attracted attention and resulted in a great growth in the congregation.

For further comments on Stanley see Hymn 20.

130. Lo, He comes, with clouds descending _John Cennick_, 1718-55

A hymn on the Second Advent, based on Rev. 1:7: “Behold He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

The author, John Cennick, came from a Quaker family though he grew up in the Church of England. For some years his religious convictions were unsettled. Then while engaged in land surveying, he came under the influence of Wesley and became one of his lay preachers. Later he became a follower of George Whitefield, and finally he joined the Moravians. While limited in culture and outlook, he possessed genuine lyric fire; and his name is of note among the hymnists, even though only a few of his many hymns survive.

This hymn has been much revised. It owes not a little to Charles Wesley who changed Cennick’s first line, “Lo! he cometh; countless trumpets,” to the familiar “Lo, He comes with clouds descending.” Martin Madan, who issued the hymn in his _Collection of Psalms and Hymns_, also gave it certain finishing touches. The hymn possesses a scriptural vividness and impressive treatment of theme which have carried it throughout the English speaking world, despite the apocalyptic form of the description it sets forth.

_MUSIC._ HOLYWOOD is attributed to Samuel Webbe, probably the elder, 1740-1816, a London organist and composer and a member of the Roman Catholic Church. His son, Samuel Webbe, Jr., 1770-1843, following his father in the musical profession, likewise became an organist and composer.

Its solidity and triumphant note give this tune a worthy place in the music of the church.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

131. Come, Holy Ghost, in love _Ray Palmer_, 1808-87
_Tr. from the Latin_

Veni, Sancte Spiritus,
Et emitte caelitus
Lucis tuae radium:
Veni, Pater pauperum;
Veni, Dator munerum;
Veni, Lumen cordium.

Consolator optime,
Dulcis Hospes animae,
Duce Refrigerium,
In labore Requies,
In aestu Temperies,
In fletu Solacium.

O Lux beatissima,
Reple cordis intima
Tuorum fidelium.
Sine tuo numine
Nihil est in homine.
Nihil est innoxium.

Lava, quod est sordidum,
Riga, quod est aridum,
Rege, quod est devium,
Fove, quod est languidum,
Flecte, quod est rigidum,
Sana, quod est saucium.

Da tuis fidelibus
In te confidentibus
Sacrum septenarium;
Da virtutis meritum,
Da salutis exitum,
Da perenne gaudium. Amen.

This truly great Latin hymn, addressed to the Holy Spirit, comes from the 12th or 13th century. Its authorship is uncertain. Archbishop Trench characterized it as “the loveliest of all the hymns in the whole cycle of Sacred Latin Poetry.” Many translations have been made of it, this one by Ray Palmer.

Ray Palmer, who held pastorates at Bath, Me., and Albany, N. Y., was for a time corresponding secretary for the American Congregational Union. His name remains the greatest among hymnists and translators in the American Congregational church. His hymn, “My faith looks up to Thee” (150), is known all over the world.

_MUSIC._ MALVERN is from _The Hallelujah_, a series of compilations of tunes, edited by J. J. Waite and H. J. Gauntlett, first published in 1842. The work was intended to encourage the congregation to sing in parts, an altogether novel principle in the English churches of that time. To make the music easy to read, the notes were numbered, the tonic sol-fa system having, as yet, not been developed. The present arrangement is by John Roberts, 1822-77, Welsh Methodist pastor and musician of extraordinary ability. He did much to improve congregational singing in the church and was an eminent conductor of school music festivals. Roberts wrote a number of tunes that are high in favor throughout Wales and was incomparable as an arranger of congregational hymn tunes.

132. Lord God, the Holy Ghost _James Montgomery_, 1771-1854

One of the few hymns which deals distinctively with the Day of Pentecost. For this reason, as well as for its inherent quality, it is especially valuable.

For comments on James Montgomery see Hymn 62.

_MUSIC._ OLD 134TH. For comments on this tune see Hymn 128.

133. Spirit of God, descend upon my heart _George Croly_, 1780-1860

Based on Gal. 5:25: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

George Croly was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. After ministering in Ireland for a number of years, he went to London to engage in literary pursuits. He had varied talents and became well known for his poetry, fiction, plays, and contributed articles to magazines. In 1835, he entered parish work in London, where he was greatly admired and loved. His outspoken utterances attracted large congregations of all ranks to his church. He prepared, at the request of his people, a collection of _Psalms and Hymns for Public Worship_, of which only one edition was printed. Dr. Croly dropped dead while walking one day on Holborn Street. A man of scholarship and culture, and author of many volumes, he is remembered chiefly through this hymn.

_MUSIC._ MORECAMBE, originally called “Hellespont,” was written to be sung with “Abide with me,” for use in the church at Mannington, England, where its composer was serving as organist.

Frederick Cook Atkinson, 1841-97, was an English organist and choirmaster, having received his musical education at Cambridge.

134. Holy Ghost, dispel our sadness _Paul Gerhardt_, 1607-76

A hymn of entreaty for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The original is as follows:

O Du allersüsste Freude,
O Du allerschönstes Licht,
Der Du uns in Lieb und Leide
Unbesuchet lässest nicht;
Geist des Höchsten, höchster Fürst
Der Du hältst und halten wirst
Ohn’ Aufhören alle Dinge
Höre, höre, was ich singe.

Du bist ja die beste Gabe
Die ein Mensch nur nennen kann;
Wenn ich Dich erwünsch’ und habe,
Geb’ ich alles Wünschen d’ran.
Ach, ergib Dich, komm zu mir,
In mein Herze, das Du Dir,
Eh ich in die Welt geboren
Selbst zum Tempel auserkoren.

Sei mein Retter, führ’ mich eben;
Wenn ich sink’, mein Stab sei Du;
Wenn ich sterbe, sei mein Leben;
Wenn ich lieg’, sei meine Ruh;
Wenn ich wieder aufersteh’,
O so hilf mir, dass ich geh
Hin, da Du in ew’gen Freuden
Wirst die Auserwählten weiden.

The first translation was made by John Christian Jacobi, 1670-1750, for his _Psalmodia Germanica_. His rendering began

“O Thou sweetest source of gladness”

which Augustus Montague Toplady recast into the familiar

“Holy Ghost, dispel our sadness.”

For comments on Toplady see Hymn 148.

Paul Gerhardt, next to Martin Luther, is the most noteworthy hymn writer of the Evangelical Church in Germany. Even the hymns of Luther are not as widely used today in the English speaking world as those of Gerhardt. He was born March 12, 1607, in Gräfenhynichen, a village near the celebrated Wittenberg. At 21 he began the study of theology in Wittenberg, but he received no church position until 45, when he was ordained and appointed provost at Mittenwalde, a small village. During his six years there, his hymns were published and he became widely known. In 1657, he was appointed third assistant pastor of the famous Church of St. Nicholas in Berlin. From this position he was deposed because he refused to sign a document promising that all clergymen would abstain from any references in their sermons to doctrinal differences between the Lutherans and Calvinists. Though he felt the blow keenly, he met it with Christian patience and fortitude. “This,” he said, “is only a small Berlin affliction; but I am also willing and ready to seal with my blood the evangelical truth, and, like my namesake, St. Paul, to offer my neck to the sword.” Additional sorrows came into his life with the death of his wife and four of his children. He was left with a single child, a boy of six, when he was called to the church at Lübden, where he labored faithfully and successfully until his death on June 7, 1676. Most of his life being spent in the distractions and disasters of the Thirty Years War, which left Germany in misery and ruins, Gerhardt knew the depths of human sorrow. Out of the depths came his hymns of comfort and hope which have been a source of strength to a multitude of believers.

_MUSIC._ INVOCATION was composed by Uzziah C. Burnap, 1834-1900, organist at the Church of the Heights, Brooklyn, and co-editor with John K. Paine, Professor of Music at Harvard, of _Hymns and Songs of Praise_.

135. Breathe on me, breath of God _Edwin Hatch_, 1835-89

An earnest prayer for an inbreathing of the Holy Spirit and a greater consecration of life. The hymn was first published in a privately printed leaflet called, _Between Doubt and Prayer_, 1878. It is based on John 20:22: “He breathed on them and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”

Edwin Hatch, Church of England clergyman and University Reader of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford, was a scholar of world reputation. His Bampton Lectures, _The Organization of the Early Christian Church_, 1881, were translated into German by Prof. Adolph Harnack, who wrote of Hatch: “In his learning that of England’s great old theologians, Ussher and Pearson, lived to me again. He was a glorious man, whose loss I shall never cease to mourn.” Though a man of profound learning, his faith was as simple and unaffected as that of a child.

_MUSIC._ TRENTHAM is a tune of great beauty, well fitted for these words of devotion. The tenor part is especially melodious.

Robert Jackson, 1840-1914, English composer of many anthems, hymn tunes, songs and part songs, succeeded his father as organist and choirmaster at St. Peter’s church, Oldham, the father and son together having a record of continuous service at the same church for 92 years. His whole life was devoted to music. He was a member of Sir Charles Halle’s orchestra and conductor of the Oldham Musical Society.

136. Holy Spirit, Truth divine _Samuel Longfellow_, 1819-92

Entitled a “Prayer for Inspiration,” this superb hymn of the Holy Spirit appeared in _Hymns of the Spirit_, 1864, edited by Samuel Johnson and the author. Stanzas 5 and 6 are omitted.

For comments on Samuel Longfellow see Hymn 28.

_MUSIC._ MERCY is an arrangement of a piano composition called, “The Last Hope,” by Louis Gottschalk, 1829-69, American composer, conductor, and popular concert pianist. Among Gottschalk’s works are two operas, two symphonies, and some piano pieces and songs—most of which are forgotten today. The arrangement of the tune is the work of Dr. Edwin P. Parker, 1836-1925, hymnologist and distinguished Congregationalist minister at Hartford, Conn.

137. Holy Spirit, faithful Guide _Marcus M. Wells_, 1815-95

The hymn and tune were written by Marcus M. Wells, a farmer and maker of farm implements who lived all his life in New York State. Born at Otsego, N. Y., he was converted in a mission at Buffalo. Regarding the origin of the hymn and tune he wrote:

On a Saturday afternoon, Oct. 1858, while at work in my cornfield, the
sentiment of the hymn came to me. The next day, Sunday, being a very
stormy day, I finished the hymn and wrote a tune for it and sent it to
Prof. I. B. Woodbury.

The hymn sets forth God as a Presence, near the Christian’s side, friendly and helpful and true, guiding him through the storms and floods and desert wastes of his pilgrimage from earth to his heavenly home. It was first published in the _New York Musical Pioneer_, edited by Isaac B. Woodbury.

138. Our blest Redeemer, ere He breathed _Harriet Auber_, 1773-1862

One of the finest of our hymns on the Holy Spirit. It was written for Whitsunday and published in the author’s _The Spirit of the Psalms_, 1829, in seven stanzas, the second and third being omitted here. The hymn appears in most modern hymnals and has been translated into several languages.

Harriet Auber, whose grandfather went from Normandy to England in 1685 as a Huguenot refugee, was born in London. She was a woman of refinement and culture who spent most of her life in the quiet villages of Broxbourne and Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. She wrote numerous poems and hymns, but her name survives as the author of this exquisite lyric.

_MUSIC._ ST. CUTHBERT was composed for these words by J. B. Dykes for the original edition of _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, 1861.

For comments on Dykes see Hymn 1.

139. Spirit divine, attend our prayer _Andrew Reed_, 1787-1862
_Samuel Longfellow_, 1819-92

This is a revision by Samuel Longfellow of a hymn written by Andrew Reed, an English Congregational minister. Reed, a philanthropist and great organizer, and founder of six asylums and orphanages, wrote 21 hymns and published several hymn books. He was an ardent supporter of missionary work at home and abroad. Writing to his son who suggested that the father should write his autobiography, Dr. Reed summed up his own life in these words:

I was born yesterday, I shall die tomorrow, and I must not spend today
in telling what I have done, but in doing what I may for HIM who has
done all for me. I sprang from the people, I have lived for the
people—the most for the most unhappy; and the people when they know it
will not suffer me to die out of loving remembrance.

_MUSIC._ BRECON. The origin of this tune has not been traced. It is a useful tune as a choir response after the prayer.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE—THE CALL OF CHRIST

140. Jesus calls us o’er the tumult _Cecil Frances Alexander_, 1823-95

A hymn of consecration which has had far-reaching influence especially over young people. It is based on Matt. 4:18, 19: “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon, called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” There is also a reference to the incident by the lake recorded in John 21:15: “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?”

The hymn appeared first in _Hymns_, 1852, published by the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. In the Episcopal Church in the United States and Canada, it has been adopted as the hymn of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew.

Mrs. Alexander is known principally as a writer of children’s hymns (410 and 412), but she also contributed excellent church songs for adults.

For comments on Mrs. Alexander see Hymn 104.

_MUSIC._ GALILEE was written for this hymn by William H. Jude, 1852-1922, English organist, composer, and lecturer on musical subjects. The tune becomes waltz-like when sung in quick tempo. Recognizing this danger, some hymn books are using other tunes with this hymn.

141. Behold a stranger at the door _Joseph Grigg_, 1720-68

A lyric revealing in a remarkable manner the tenderness and love of Christ. It is based on Rev. 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Bishop How’s hymn, “O Jesus Thou art standing” (144), with which this may be compared, is based on the same passage.

Joseph Grigg, an English Presbyterian minister, began writing hymns when only ten years old. After a brief pastorate, he retired from the active ministry to devote himself to literary work. He published about 40 volumes, including several collections of hymns. Only two of his 43 hymns are found in modern hymnals, this one and “Jesus, and shall it ever be” (192), the latter written when he was only ten years of age.

_MUSIC._ BERA, a very useful tune, was composed by John Edgar Gould, 1822-75, an American musical editor, dealer in musical instruments, choral conductor, and publisher of music books. He was born in Maine, but spent most of his adult life in New York City and Philadelphia.

142. I heard the voice of Jesus say _Horatius Bonar_, 1808-89

Based on John 1:16: “Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace,” and originally published with the title, “The Voice from Galilee.”

The hymn is constructed on three sayings of Jesus: (1) “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” Mt. 11:28; (2) “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give shall never thirst,” John 4:14; (3) “I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12. In the hymn, these three sayings, blended into a perfect unity, have sounded down the ages by the “Voice from Galilee.”

The hymn, as C. S. Robinson reminds us, employs the personal pronoun to emphasize the intimate relationship between Christ and the individual. “Christ says, ‘Come to _me_,’ and the Christian says, ‘_I_ come.’ Christ says, ‘_I_ give the living water’; and the listener answers, ‘_My_ thirst was quenched’; Christ says, ‘I am the light’; and the child of God replies, ‘I found in him _my_ Star, _my_ Sun.’”

For comments on Horatius Bonar see Hymn 129.

_MUSIC._ VOX DELECTI was composed by J. B. Dykes for this hymn in _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, Appendix, 1868. The musical difficulties of the tune are more apparent than real. They can be overcome and its possibilities appreciated by careful study and practice. The first half is written in the minor key to carry the quiet, invitational words of Jesus. The second part, the glad acceptance of the invitation, is written in the strongly contrasting major key.

For comments on J. B. Dykes see Hymn 1.

143. Art thou weary, heavy laden _Stephen the Sabaite_, 725-94
_Tr. John M. Neale_, 1818-66

A restful, appealing lyric on the theme, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” Matt. 11:28.

It is one of the few dialog hymns. [Others are “Watchman, tell us of the night” (66), and “Who is He in yonder stall?” (96)]. It may be sung antiphonally, the choir singing the questions and the congregation the answers.

Neale published this hymn in his _Hymns of the Eastern Church_, 1862, as a translation of a Greek hymn by Stephen the Sabaite. It is a paraphrase, however, rather than a translation.

For comments on John Neale see Hymn 67.

Hymnody in the Eastern Church reached its height in the 8th century. Stephen was a nephew of John of Damascus. At the age of 10 he was placed by his uncle in the monastery of Saint Sabas, located on a lofty cliff overhanging the ravine of the Kidron, between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. Here he lived for more than half a century, known as Stephen the Sabaite. The monastery, many of the cells cut out of solid rock, still stands. The monks have been subjected to persecution, at various times, at the hands of Persians, Moslems, and Bedouin Arabs, and the monastery looks much like a fortress.

_MUSIC._ STEPHANOS was composed for this hymn by Henry W. Baker, and was first published in the appendix of the original edition of _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, 1868. The tune was harmonized by W. H. Monk (See 40).

Henry Williams Baker, 1821-77, was educated at Cambridge, ordained in 1844, and served as vicar of Monkland, Herefordshire, from 1851 till his death in 1877. He was editor-in-chief of the epoch-making book, _Hymns Ancient and Modern_, to which he contributed several of his own hymns and tunes. As a High Churchman, he held to the doctrine of the celibacy of the clergy and was never married.

144. O Jesus, Thou art standing _William W. How_, 1823-97

Based on Rev. 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.” It was composed after the author had been reading the beautiful poem by Jean Ingelow, entitled “Brothers and a Sermon,” describing two brothers listening to an old parson in a fishing-village church. A part of the poem is as follows:

The parson knew that he had lost the eyes
And ears of those before him for he made
A pause ...
... then with a sigh
Fronted the folk, lifted his grand gray head,
And said, as one that pondered now the words
He had been preaching on with new surprise,
And found fresh marvel in their sound, “Behold!
Behold!” saith He, “I stand at the door and knock.”

Open the door with shame, if ye have sinned;
If ye be sorry, open it with sighs.
Albeit the place be bare for poverty,
And comfortless for lack of plenishing,
Be not abashed for that, but open it,
And take Him in that comes to sup with thee;
“Behold!” He saith, “I stand at the door and knock!”

Speak, then, O rich and strong:
Open, O happy young, ere yet the hand
Of Him that knocks, wearied at last, forbear;
The patient foot its thankless quest refrain.
The wounded heart forevermore withdraw.

Holman Hunt’s picture, “The Light of the World,” is an exquisite illustration of the spirit of this hymn.

William Walsham How was born at Shrewsbury, England, educated at Oxford, and ordained to the ministry in 1846. He served various churches as pastor and declined offers of positions of more distinction. He refused the bishopric of Durham, one of the most distinguished posts in the Anglican Church, with an income more than double what he then had. He was a man of broad sympathies and apostolical zeal, and was a master of the pastoral art. He collaborated with Thos. Baker Morrell in editing _Psalms and Hymns_, 1854, and in 1871 was joint editor of _Church Hymns_, published by the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, the latter becoming the greatest rival of _Hymns Ancient and Modern_ which that book had had to date. His poems are marked by simplicity and beauty of diction and constitute some of the richest treasures of modern hymnody.

_MUSIC._ ST. HILDA, also known as “St. Edith,” is an arrangement by Rev. Edward Husband of a tune published by Justin H. Knecht in _Vollständige Sammlung_, Stuttgart, 1799.

For comments on Knecht see Hymn 511.

Edward Husband, 1843-1908, was an English clergyman with a great deal of musical talent and interest and was a well-known lecturer on the subject of church music.

PENITENCE AND CONFESSION

145. Savior, when in dust to Thee _Robert Grant_, 1779-1838

A hymn of penitence which has had a wide use. It was published in the _Christian Observer_, 1815, as a Lenten “Litany.” The last line of each stanza (five in the original) read, “Hear our solemn litany,” here changed to “Hear thy people when they cry.” Stanzas 2 and 4 have been much altered by an unknown hand. Grant’s original hymn of five stanzas reads as follows:

1.
Savior, when in dust to Thee
Low we bow the adoring knee,
When, repentant, to the skies
Scarce we lift our weeping eyes,
Oh, by all Thy pains and woe
Suffered once for man below,
Bending from Thy throne on high,
Hear our solemn litany!

2.
By Thy helpless infant years,
By Thy life of want and tears,
By Thy days of sore distress
In the savage wilderness,
By the dread, mysterious hour
Of the insulting Tempter’s power,
Turn, O turn, a favoring eye,
Hear our solemn litany!

3.
By the sacred griefs that wept
O’er the grave where Lazarus slept;
By the boding tears that flowed
Over Salem’s loved abode;
By the anguished sigh that told
Treachery lurked within Thy fold;
From Thy seat above the sky
Hear our solemn litany!

4.
By Thine hour of dire despair,
By Thine agony of prayer,
By the cross, the nail, the thorn,
Piercing spear, and torturing scorn,
By the gloom that veiled the skies
O’er the dreadful sacrifice,
Listen to our humble cry,
Hear our solemn litany!

5.
By Thy deep expiring groan,
By the sad sepulchral stone,
By the vault whose dark abode
Held in vain the rising God,
Oh, from earth to heaven restored,
Mighty, reascended Lord,
Listen, listen, to the cry
Of our solemn litany!

For comments on Robert Grant see Hymn 7.

_MUSIC._ SPANISH HYMN, also called “Spanish Chant,” is from an old 17th century melody of unknown origin.

146. Come, let us to the Lord our God _John Morison_, 1750-98
_Scottish Paraphrase_, 1781

A version, from the Scottish Presbyterian Church, of Hosea 6:1-4:

Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will
heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will
he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live
in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord:
his going forth is prepared as the morning: and he shall come unto us
as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto
thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it
goeth away.

Our hymn is one of the 67 “Translations and Paraphrases, in Verse, of Several Passages of Sacred Scriptures,” together with five hymns, that are appended to the _Scottish Psalter_ for use in public worship in the Scotch Presbyterian Church.

John Morison was a Scotch scholar, teacher, and minister. He wrote a number of paraphrases of scriptural passages, seven of which were accepted into the authorized collection of _Scottish Paraphrases_, 1781.

_MUSIC._ BALLERMA. For comments on this tune see Hymn 57.

147. Lord, thy mercy now entreating _Mary Ann Sidebotham_, 1833-1913

A hymn of penitence which was contributed to _The Children’s Hymn Book_, 1881, published by the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, London.

The author, Mary Ann Sidebotham, was an accomplished musician and a lifelong friend of Henry Smart, the eminent organist and composer. She spent much of her life in her brother’s vicarage, St. Thomas-on-the-Bourne, Surrey, England, where she served as organist. She composed numerous songs for children and was the music editor of the above-mentioned _Children’s Hymn Book_.

_MUSIC._ RINGE RECHT. For comments on this tune see Hymn 563.

FAITH AND VISION

148. Rock of Ages, cleft for me _Augustus M. Toplady_, 1740-78

Few hymns are more generally familiar or more treasured in the affections of all ranks of people than this. It appeared first in the _Gospel Magazine_, edited by Toplady, March, 1776, at the end of an article entitled, “A remarkable calculation Introduced here for the sake of the Spiritual Improvements subjoined. Questions and answers relating to the National Debt.” The article points out that the national debt is so large that the government will never be able to pay it off. The author then proceeds to calculate the number of sins each human being commits. Figuring the rate to be one per second, he arrives at this:

Our dreadful account stands as follows: At ten years old each of us is
chargeable with 315 millions and 360,000 sins. At twenty, with 630
millions and 720,000. At thirty with 946 millions and 80,000.... At
eighty, with 2,522 millions and 880,000.