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