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William Cullen Bryant

1794 - 1878 Hymnal Number: d249 Author of "Look from thy sphere of endless day" in The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal Bryant, William Cullen. First in order of time of the great American poets, Bryant was born at Cummington, Mass., Nov. 3, 1794, and was educated at Williams College. In 1815 he'was called to the Bar, and practised for a time at Great Barrington. In 1825 he retired from the Bar, settled at New York, and devoted himself to literary pursuits, founding the New York Review, and editing for a short time the New York Evening Post. He died June 12, 1878. His poetical and other works are well known. His hymns were written at intervals during his long life. They were collected and privately printed in 1869, and number over 20. Those in common use are:— 1. Almighty, listen while we raise. Praise. This is given as "Almighty hear us,” &c, in the Unitarian Hymn and Tune Book, Boston, 1868. It was introduced into Great Britain through Beard's Collection, 1857. 2. Deem not that they are blest alone. Mourning. In this form it is in Beard's Collection, 1837. It is best known as "0 deem not they are," &c, and in this form it is No. 964 in Songs for the Sanctuary, N. Y., 1865-72, No. 452, in Dr. Martineau's Hymns of Prayer and Praise, Lond., 1873, &c. 3. Father, to Thy kind love we owe. God's Lovingkindness. This is given in several modern collections, including the Unitarian Hymn and Tune Book, Boston, 1868, Martineau, 1873, &c. 4. 0 God, whose dread and dazzling brow. Compassion desired. Is No. 57 in the Boston Hymn and Tune Book, 1868, as above. 5. When he who from the scourge of wrong. Hope of the Resurrection. This is seldom found in modern hymnals. Text in Lyra Sacra Americana, 1868. The above hymns (1-5) appeared in Dr. H. D. Sewall's (Unitarian) Psalms & Hymns for Social and Private Worship, 1820, and were written at the instance of a Miss Sedgwick. Following as near as possible the chronological order of the hymns we have next:— 6. O Thou Whose own vast temple stands. Opening of a Place of Worship. Written in 1835 for the Dedication of a Chapel in Prince Street, N. Y. This is the most widely known of this author's hymns. It was introduced into Great Britain as early as 1837, when it was included in Beard's Collection, No. 405. It is in 4 stanzas of 4 lines. Orig. text in Songs for the Sanctuary, N. Y., 1865, No. 1017, and Martineau, 1873, No. 727. Another form of the hymn is "Thou, Whose unmeasured temple stands," This is No. 569 in the American Presb. Psalms and Hymns, Richmond, 1867, Horder's Congregational Hymns, Lond. 1884, No. 747, and others. 7. All that in this wide world we see. Omnipresence. This is dated 1836. In his Collection in 1837, No. 17, Beard gives it as an original contributed thereto, thus fixing its first publication. 8. Thou unrelenting past. The Past. Dates from 1836. Also in Martineau, 1873, No. 508. 9. Not in the solitude. God in the City. Dates from 1836, and is No. 26 in Martineau, 1873. 10. Whither, midst falling dew. Divine Guidance. This, in common with Nos. 8 and 9, is more a poem than hymn. It is addressed "To a Waterfowl," and dates from 1836. In Martineau, 1873. 11. Dear ties of mutual succour bind. Charity Sermons. No. 905 in the Amer. Methodist Episcopal Hymnal, 1878. It dates from about 1836. 12. 0 Thou whose love can ne'er forget. Ordination. Given (but not as an original contributed thereto) in Beard's Collection (Eng.), 1837. 13. Mighty One, before Whose face. Ordination. This is dated 1840 (but is probably earlier), and is given in several collections, including Mr. Beecher's Plymouth Collection, 1855, and others. 14. Look from Thy sphere of endless day. Home Missions. This hymn has also attained to considerable use both in Great Britain and America. It dates from 1840. It is in the Song. for the Sanctuary, N. Y., 1865, Horder's Congregational Hymns, 1884, &c. 15. Lord, who ordainest for mankind. Thanks for a Mother's love. Written at Dr. Osgood's suggestion, and printed in his Christian Worship, 1862. It is repeated in Martineau, 1873. 16. All praise to Him of Nazareth. Holy Communion. Dr. Hatfield in his Church Hymn Bk., 1872, No. 736, gives this in 3 stanzas of 4 lines. In the Songs for the Sanctuary it is in its full form of 5 stanzas. It dates from 1864. 17. As shadows cast by cloud and sun. Epiphany. In the Methodist Episcopal Hymnal, N. Y., 1878. It was contributed to that Hymnal, 1877, but was composed for the Semi-Centennial Celebration of the Church of the Messiah, Boston, March 19, 1875. 18. When doomed to death the Apostle lay. On behalf of Drunkards. Also in the Methodist Episcopal Hymnal, 1878. In addition to the above the following hymns by Bryant are in limited use:— 19. All things that are on earth. Love of God. In Beard's Collection, 1837. 20. Close softly, fondly, while ye weep. Death. In Mr. Beecher's Plymouth Coll., 1855. 21. How shall I know thee in the sphere which keeps? The Future Life. In the Supplement to the Boston Hymns for the Church of Christ, 1853. 22. Standing forth in life's rough way. On behalf of Children. In Dr. Alton's Children's Worship, 1878; Horder's Congregational Hymns, 1884, and others. 23. When this song of praise shall cease. Death anticipated. In his Hymns, 1869, and W. R. Stevenson's School Hymnal, 1880, No 313. 24. When the blind suppliant in the way. Opening the eyes of the blind. In the Methodist Episcopal Hymnal, 1878, N. Y., No. 201. It dates from 1874. 25. Wild was the day, the wintry sea. The Pilgrim Fathers. In Hymns of the Spirit, by Longfellow and Johnson. Boston, 1864. In 1869, Hymns by W. C. Bryant, 12mo, were privately printed. In this work the texts of many of the older hymns are altered. The dates of his hymns are difficult to determine, and many of those given above are approximate only. Bryant's genius was cool, meditative, and not distinguished by lyric fire. His hymns are correct and solid, but none reach the highest rank. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

John Bakewell

1721 - 1819 Hymnal Number: d146 Author of "Hail, thou once despised Jesus" in The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal Bakewell, John, born at Brailsford, Derbyshire, 1721. At about the age of eighteen his mind was turned towards religious truths by reading Boston's Fourfold State. From that date he became an ardent evangelist, and in 1744 (the year of the first Methodist Conference) he begun to preach. Removing to London some short time after, he became acquainted with the Wesleys, M. Madan, A. M. Toplady, J. Fletcher, and other earnest evangelical men. After conducting for some years the Greenwich Royal Park Academy, he resigned in favour of his son-in-law, Dr. James Egau, and employed much of his time in preaching at various places for the Wesleyans. He died at Lewisham, near Greenwich, March 18, 1819, aged 98, and was buried in the Wesleyan burying ground connected with the City Road Chapel, London. Mr. Bakewell was the author of a few hymns, the best known being, "Hail Thou once despised Jesus," the abbreviations of the same, "Paschal Lamb, by God appointed," and “Jesus, hail, enthroned in glory." A short memoir of him was published by Mr. Stelfox, Belfast, 1864. - John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

William Augustus Muhlenberg

1796 - 1877 Person Name: William A. Muhlenberg Hymnal Number: d207 Author of "I would not live alway [always], I ask not to stay" in The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal Mühlenberg, William Augustus, D.D., son of the Rev. Dr. Mühlenberg, and grandson of Henry Melchior Mühlenberg, the patriarch of Lutheranism in America, was born in Philadelphia Sept. 16, 1796. He graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1814. Entering Holy Orders in 1817, he was successively Assistant Rector of St. James's Lancaster, 1823; Rector of the Church of the Holy Communion, New York, 1843; St. Paul's College, Flushing (1828); St. Luke's Hospital, New York (1855); St. John's and Long Island (1865), were established by him. He died April 6, 1877. His poetical gift was genuine, but not largely used. In 1826 he contributed four hymns to the Prayer Book Collection (of which he was one of the Committee). His Poems appeared in 1859. He had previously published Church Poetry, 1823; and The People's Psalter, 1858. I would not live alway followed in 1859 (revised in 1871). This last contains 26 pieces, the hymns in the Prayer Book Collection, 1826, with the exception of "I would not live alway," being omitted. The following are his principal lyrics:— 1. Carol, brothers, carol. Christmas Carol. "Made for the boys of St. Paul's College—-the Chorus adapted from one of the Rev.[Bishop] A.C. Coxe's Christian Ballads"-—in 1840. 2. How short the race our friend has run. Death of a Young Person. Contributed to the Prayer Book Collection, 1826. 3. I would not live alway. Eternal rest desired. Four texts of this poem are extant: 1st the Original; 2nd the version given in the Prayer Book Collection, 1826; 3rd the author's revised version of 1859; and 4th his rewritten text of 1871, the second of these being that known to the hymnbooks. The history of the poem is somewhat complicated. We quote it here as given by us in the History of the American Episcopal Church, 1885, p.637, as we have nothing further to add thereto:-— "The most famous of these (Dr. Mühlenberg's hymns) was probably first written. 'I will not live alway' has an intricate history, which was not simplified by the author's lapse of memory in his later years. In his brief ‘story of the hymn,' printed with its ‘evangelized’ text in 1871, every date is wrong by two or three years; and his assertion, ‘The legend that it was written on an occasion of private grief is a fancy,' hardly agrees with the clear and minute recollections of persons of the highest character, still living, and who knew the circumstances thoroughly. The date of composition assigned, 1824, is probably (not certainly) correct; it was written at Lancaster, in a lady's album, and began:— I would not live alway; no, no, holy man, Not a day, not an hour, should lengthen my span.' In this shape it seems to have had six eight-line stanzas. The album was still extant in 1876, at Pottstown, Pa., and professed to contain the original manuscript. Said the owner's sister, ‘It was au impromptu. He had no copy, and, wanting it for some occasion, he sent for the album.' In 1826 he entrusted his copy to a friend, who called on him on the way from Harrisburg to Philadelphia, to carry to the Episcopal Recorder, and in that paper it appeared June 3, 1826 (not 1824). For these facts we have the detailed statement of Dr. John B. Clemson, of Claymont, Del., the Ambassador mentioned, who also chances to have preserved that volume of the paper. Thus appearing (without name) it was adopted by the sub-committee [of the Prayer Book Collection, 1826]. When their report was presented to the entire committee in 1826—-not 1829, as Dr. Mühlenberg had it—-'each of the hymns was passed upon. When this came up one of the members remarked that it was very sweet and pretty, but rather sentimental, upon which it was unanimously thrown out. Not suspected as the author, I voted against myself. That, I supposed, was the end of it.’ The committee, which sat until late at night at the house of Bishop White, agreed upon their report to the Convention, and adjourned. But the next morning Dr. Onderdonk (who was not one of their number, but who, on invitation, had acted with the sub-committee, which in fact consisted of him and myself), called on me to inquire what had been done. Upon my telling him that among the rejected hymns was this one of mine, he said, 'That will never do,' and went about among the members of the committee soliciting them to restore the hymn in their report, which accordingly they did; so that to him is due the credit of giving it to the Church.' As thus adopted it was a small and altered selection from the original lines, made by Dr. Onderdonk ‘with some revision' by the author. He was never satisfied with these texts, but revised the poem in 1859, and re¬wrote it in 1871….The authorship of this, as of many another popular lyric, has been disputed. The claim of Henry Ward, a printer of Lichfield, Conn., has been vehemently urged, and revived but a few years ago. Of course it is unsupported by adequate evidence. When Dr. Mühlenberg was asked to assure ‘some of his brethren, editors of Church papers,' of his paternity, his manly reply was, ‘If they thought I was capable of letting the work of another pass for so many years as my own, they would not be sure of anything I might say.'" 4. Jesus' Name shall ever be. The Holy Name, Jesus. This is entitled "The Blessed Name of Jesus. An Evangelical Rosary." It was written in 1842, and revised for Schaff's Christ in Song in Aug., 1868. 5. King of kings, and wilt Thou deign. Submission to Jesus. Appeared in his Poems, 1859. 6. Like Noah's weary dove. The Ark of the Church. Contributed to the Prayer Book Collection, 1826, No. 24, in 5 st. of 4 1. It sometimes begins with st. ii., "0 cease, my wandering soul;" and again with st. in., "Behold the Ark of God." 7. Saviour, Who Thy flock art feeding. Holy Baptism. This is the most widely known of Dr. Mühlenberg's hymns. It was contributed to the Prayer Book Collection, 1826, No. 86, in 4 st. of 4 1. It is sometimes given as "Jesus, Who Thy flock art feeding." 8. Shout the glad tidings, exultingly sing. Christmas. Contributed to the Prayer Book Collection, 1826, No. 46, in 3 st. of 4 1., with the chorus :— "Shout the glad tidings, exultingly sing, Jerusalem triumphs, Messiah is King;" the opening lines, followed by the first stanza, and a repetition of the chorus, and so on to the end. Sometimes the hymn opens with st. i.: "Zion, the marvellous story be telling," or as “Sion the marvellous story be telling," instead of the chorus. Dr. Mühlenberg says that the hymn was written— "at the particular request of Bishop Hobart, who wanted something that would go to the tune by Avison, then popular, to the words of Moore, ‘Sound the loud timbrel,' &c. He liked the verses I made so well that he had them struck off before the hymns (Prayer Book Collection] were published, and sung in Trinity Church on Christmas day." 9. Since o'er Thy footstool here below. Earth and Heaven. Appeared in the Episcopal Register, 1824, and in his Poems, 1859. 10. The mellow eve is gliding. Evening. Dated 1825 (?) and published in his Poems, 1859. 11. The throne of his glory—-as snow it is white. Advent. Dated 1839, and published in his Poems, 1859. 12. Thine handmaid,Saviour, can it be? Admission of a Nursing Sister. Written on the words, "Come, follow me," for the reception of a Sister at St. Luke's Hospital, New York, 1859. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

Henry Harbaugh

1817 - 1867 Hymnal Number: d218 Author of "Jesus, I live to thee" in The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal Harbaugh, Henry, D.D., born in Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, Oct. 24, 1817, was of Swiss descent. In early life he was a farmer, carpenter, and teacher; but in 1840 he entered Marshall College, Mercersburg. Entering the ministry of the German Reformed body, he became, in 1844, Pastor at Lewisburg, Lancaster and Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and in 1864 Professor in Theology at Mercersburg. He died Dec. 27, 1867. He was Editor of the Guardian and the Mercersburg Review, in which he advocated what was called "Mercersburg Theology." His published works include sundry books about Heaven; Poems, Philadelphia, 1860, and Hymns & Chants for Sunday Schools, Lebanon, 1861. This last includes his hymns. The best known and most widely used of his compositions are:— 1. Jesus, I live to Thee. [Life consecrated to Jesus.] This hymn is dated 1850. It is No. 391 in the Hymns of the Church, N. Y., 1869; No. 255 in Allon's Supplementary Hymns, London, 1868, and is also in other collections. 2. God most mighty, sovereign Lord. [National Hymn.] Appeared in his Poems, 1860, in 8 stanzas of 8 lines, and headed, "A National Litany hymn." In some collections it is abridged, as in Hatfield's Church Hymnbook, N. Y., 1872, No. 1307; and in others part of it is altered to "Christ by heavenly hosts adored," as in the Reformed Dutch Hymns of the Church, 1869, No. 935, and others. 3. Make the cross your meditation. [Passiontide.] This translation of "Recordare sanctae crucis" (q.v.) appeared in the Mercersburg Review, 1858, p. 481, and in his Poems 1860. It is worthy of more attention than it has received. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================== Harbaugh, H., p. 484, ii. From No. 2, “God most mighty, &c," the cento, "Thou, by heavenly hosts adored" in the Songs of Christian Praise, N. Y., 1880, No. 658, is taken. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

James Allen

1734 - 1804 Hymnal Number: d124 Author of "Worthy the Lamb" in The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal Allen, James, born at Gayle, Wensleydale, Yorkshire, June 24, 1734, and educated with a view to taking Holy Orders, first with two clergymen at different times, and then for one year at St. John's Coll., Cambridge. Leaving the University in 1752 he became a follower of Benjamin Ingham, the founder of the sect of the Inghamites, but subsequently joined himself to the Sandemanians; and finally built a chapel on his estate at Gayle, and ministered therein to the time of his death; died 31st Oct., 1804. He published a small volume, Christian Songs, containing 17 hymns, and was the editor and a principal contributor to the Kendal Hymn Book, 1757, and Appendix to the 2nd edition, 1761. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

George Heath

1745 - 1822 Hymnal Number: d294 Author of "My soul be on thy [your] guard" in The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal Rv George Heath DD United Kingdom 1745-1822. Born at Exeter, Devon, England, he was educated at the Dissenting Academy and King’s College, Cambridge. He married Mary Ann Kean, and they had 4 children: Louisa, John, Charles, and Benjamin (also a minister). He served as pastor of the Honiton, Devonshire, Presbyterian Church, but proved unworthy and was dismissed for cause. He later became a Unitarian minister. In 1781 he published “Hymns & poetic essays sacred to the worship of the Deity”. He also authored a “History of Bristol”. He became Headmaster of Eton College (1792-1802). He joined the Anglican Church and became Canon of Windsor (1800-1822), Rector of Monks Risborough, Vicar of Sturminster Marshall, Dorset, Vicar of Piddletown, Vicar of East Beachsworth (1805-1814), and Fellow of the Royal Society (1795-1822). He was appointed to the 4th stall in St. George’s Chapel in 1800, Windsor Castle, and died at his residence in the Cloisters, Windsor Castle. John Perry ======================= Heath, George, became pastor of a Presbyterian Church at Honiton, Devon, in 1770, and died in 1822. He published a History of Bristol, 1797. Also Hymns and Poetic Essays Sacred to the Public and Private Worship of the Deity, &c, Bristol, 1781, from which "My soul, be on thy guard" (Steadfastness), is taken. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Arthur Penrhyn Stanley

1815 - 1881 Hymnal Number: d334 Author of "O Master, it is good to be" in The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn, Dean of Westminster, one of the most distinguished English Churchmen of the nineteenth century, was the son of Rev. Edward Stanley, Bishop of Norwich, and was born at Alderly, in Cheshire, December 13, 1815. At the age of fourteen he became a pupil of Dr. Arnold, of Rugby, in whose famous school he displayed a strength of moral character which was a prophecy of the frank and courageous man that was to be. He took well-nigh all the honors at Oxford, where he graduated in 1837. Entering the ministry of the Church of England, he filled successively various positions of honor and responsibility until in 1855 he was appointed Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford. In 1864 he became Dean of Westminster. His marriage that same year to Lady Augusta Bruce, a personal friend and attendant of Queen Victoria, increased the freedom and intimacy of his already cordial relations with the royal family. He died July 18, 1881. He was a Churchman of broad and liberal views. His catholicity of spirit was one of his most notable characteristics. His contributions to theological literature are numerous and well known. His Life of Dr. Arnold, of Rugby, 1844, is one of the most successful volumes of biography in the English language. Among his historical writings his lectures on the Eastern Church, 1861, Jewish Church (two volumes), 1863-65, and the Church of Scotland, 1868, are accounted as of highest value. He is the author of about a dozen hymns, and of several translations. These, although of a high order of excellence, do not take rank with his prose writings, which for choice English diction, scholarly erudition, and Christian catholicity are not surpassed, perhaps, by anything in the religious literature of England in the nineteenth century. Day of wrath, O dreadful day 599 He is gone; a cloud of light 170 O Master, it is good to be 131 From Hymn Writers of the Church by Charles S. Nutter, 1915 ============================ Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn, D.D., was born at Alderley, in Cheshire, Dec. 13, 1815. His father, Edward Stanley, was the son of Sir Edward Stanley of Alderley, and younger brother of the first Lord Stanley of Alderley, and was rector of the parish until 1837, when he became Bishop of Norwich. His mother, Catherine Stanley, was daughter of tho Rev. Oswald Leycester, Rector of Stoke-upon-Tern, Shropshire. Arthur Stanley received his early education under the superintendence of his father; but in 1829 he was sent to Rugby to be under the direct charge of Dr. Arnold, who bad been appointed to the head-mastership the year before, and of whom Mr. Stanley had been an early friend and admirer. Arthur Stanley bore the stamp of Rugby and of its great headmaster to the end of his life. In 1834 he went up to Oxford, having won a Balliol scholarship, the "blue ribbon of undergraduate life," and commenced a career of unusual brilliancy at the University. He gained the Newdigate prize for English Verse (the subject being The Gypsies); the Ireland scholarship (the highest test of Greek scholarship), and a First Class in Classical Honours, all in 1837. He won the Prize for the Latin Essay in 1839, the Prize for the English Essay, and the Ellerton Prize for the Theological Essay in 1840, and was in the same year elected to a Fellowship at University College. He was then appointed College Tutor, and held that office for twelve years. In 1845-6 he was Select Preacher for the University. From 1850 to 1852 he was Secretary to the Oxford University Commissioners. In 1851 he was appointed Canon of Canterbury, and held that post until 1855, when he was elected Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford, to which a Canonry at Christ Church was attached. He was also chosen in 1858 Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of London, his fellow Rugbeian, Dr. Tait. These offices he held until 1863, when, on the elevation of Dean Trench to the Archbishopric of Dublin, he was appointed to the Deanery of Westminster. In the same year he married Lady Augusta Bruce, a sister of the Earl of Elgin, and a personal friend and attendant of Queen Victoria. This marriage brought him into still closer relation with the Court, at which he had before been so highly valued, that he had been twice chosen to accompany the Prinoe of Wales in his travels in the East. He was singularly happy in his married life, and felt the death of Lady Augusta, which occurred in 1876, as an irreparable loss. In 1872, he took part in the Old Catholic Congress at Cologne; and at the close of the same year he was again appointed Select Preacher, not, however, without considerable opposition being made to the appointment on account of the Dean's theological views; the vote, however, was carried by 349 against 287. In 1875 he was installed Lord Rector of the University of St. Andrews, having received the degree of LL.D. from that University four years previously. He died at the Deanery, Westminster, on July 18, 1881, after a short illness. Dr. Stanley was a voluminous and very popular writer, his pure and picturesque style being singularly fascinating. The first work by which he became known to the literary world was the Life and Correspondence of Dr. Arnold, published in 1844. This is an almost perfect model of biography. Though the writer is distinctly a hero-worshipper, he never allows his worship to violate the rules of good taste, while he brings out all the points in his hero's character most vividly, and exercises a most wise discretion in permitting him, as far as possible, to tell his own tale. This was followed in 1850 by Memoirs of Edward Stanley, Bishop of Norwich, and Catherine Stanley, which is very interesting both for its intrinsic merits, and also as a pious tribute of filial affection; but it does not reach the level of the Life of Arnold. In 1854 appeared the Epistles to the Corinthians, the value of which will be variously estimated according to the theological standpoint of the reader. But his next two works will command the admiration of all persons who are competent to judge. In his Historical Memorials of Canterbury, published in 1854, and Sinai and Palestine in connexion with their History, published in 1856, Dr. Stanley was again on his own proper ground where his almost unique powers of description had their full scope. The former was a very popular work, reaching a 6th edition in 1872; but Sinai and Palestine was still more warmly welcomed, and may be con¬sidered, with the Life of Dr. Arnold, as Dr. Stanley's chef-d'oeuvre. Passing over for the present his sermons, we next come to his Lectures on the History of the Eastern Church, pub. in 1861; this also was very popular, reaching a 5th ed. in 1869. Then followed a series of Lectures on the History of the Jewish Church, in 2 volumes (1863-5). His next publication again showed him at his best. The Historical Memorials of Westminster Abbey, pub. in 1867, may be regarded as a companion volume to the Historical Memorials of Canterbury, and is, at least, worthy of its predecessor. Dr. Stanley attained great eminence as a preacher, especially in his own Abbey. His manner was most solemn and impressive, and his style of composition was exactly suited for a sermon. It is fair to add that sermons would also, of course, be the species of composition in which what many considered the most unsatisfactory features of Dr. Stanley's intellectual character, his vagueness of doctrine and extreme breadth of statement, were most conspicuous. He published several volumes of sermons and single sermons. The chief are: Sermons and Essays on the Apostolical Age (1846), Sermons preached in Canterbury Cathedral (1857), Sermons on the Unity of Evangelical and Apostolical Teaching (1859), Sermons in the East preached before the Prince of Wales (1863), Address and Sermons at St. Andrews, 1877. The point of view from which this sketch naturally regards Dean Stanley as a writer is that from which he appears at the least advantage. Thirteen of his hymns which had been published singly have been incorporated in the Westminster Abbey Hymn Book, but none of them have attained any extensive popularity; and, to tell the truth, they do not deserve it. That exquisite taste and felicity of diction which distinguish more or less all his prose writings seem to desert him when he is writing verse. This is all the more strange because one would have said that he regarded outward nature, as well as the works and history of man, with a poet's eye. Like another great writer, Jeremy Taylor, his prose is poetical, but his poetry is prosaic. The divine afflatus is wanting. Of course he always writes as a scholar; hence his translations are more successful than his original hymns; but in neither department has he produced anything that can at all be termed classical; and it is from his general eminence rather than from his contributions to hymnology that he requires even the small space which has been devoted to him in this article. [Rev. J. H. Overton, D.D.] In addition to Dean Stanley's trsanslations from the Latin, and his popular hymns, "He is gone! beyond the skies,'' and "Master, it is good to be," the following are also in common use:— 1. Let us with a gladsome mind. National Hymn. The Accession. This hymn is called "Hymn for the Accession (June 20 2. 0 frail spirit, vital spark. Easter. Given in Macmillan's Magazine, May 1878, and headed "Our Future Hope." 3. Spirit unseen, our spirits' home. Whitsuntide. This hymn was published in Macmillan's Magazine, May, 1879, in 7 stanzas of 8 lines, and 1 stanza of 9 lines, with the following note:—"Manzoni's Hymn for Whitsuntide.” 4. The Lord is come! On Syrian soil. Advent. This hymn appeared in Macmillan's Magazine, Dec. 1872, in 6 stanzas of 8 lines, with the following introduction:— “Hymn for Advent.” 5. When the Paschal evening fell. Holy Communion. This appeared in Macmillan's Magazine, Nov. 1874, in 5 st. of 8 1., 1 st. of 12 1., and 1 st. of 8 1., with this introduction:—" This do in Remembrance of Me. It is intended in the following lines to furnish a sacred hymn founded on the one common idea of commemoration which lies at the basis of all views of the Eucharist, whether material or spiritual, and to express this undoubted intention of the original institution apart from the metaphorical language by which the ordinance is often described." 6. Where is the Christian's Fatherland? The Christian's Fatherland. This poem (it cannot be called a hymn) was given in Macmillan's Magazine, Nov. 1872, in 7 st. of 8 1., with the following introduction:—"The Traveller's Hymn for All Saints' Day. Being an adaptation of Arndt's Poem, 'Was ist des Deutschen Vaterland.'" 7. Where shall we find the Lord? Epiphany. Given in Macmillan's Magazine, March 1880, in 7 st. of 8 1., and introduced thus: —"The Divine Life 8. Where shall we learn to die? Good Friday. This was published in Macmillan's Magazine, March 1880, in 7 st. of 8 1., with the simple heading, "The Perfect Death. Disce mori." 9. Who shall be the last great Seer? St. John Baptist. Appeared in Macmillan's Magazine, July 1879, in 4 st. of 8 1., as a "Hymn for St. John the Baptist Day, June 24." All these hymns were given in full, and without alteration, in the Westminster Abbey Hymn Book, 1883. Their use is mainly confined to that collection. --Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

William H. Burleigh

1812 - 1871 Person Name: William Henry Burleigh Hymnal Number: d119 Author of "From lips divine, like healing balm" in The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal Burleigh, William Henry, an active reformer and member of the Unitarian body, was born at Woodstock, Connecticut, Feb. 12, 1812, and brought up on a farm at Stainfield in the same state. In 1837 he went to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where, having been previously apprenticed to the printing trade, he published the Christian Witness and Temperance Banner. In 1843 he undertook the duties of editor of the Christian Freeman, at Hartford. From 1849 to 1855 he was agent of the New York State Temperance Society; and from 1855 to 1870 Harbour Master at New York. Died at Brooklyn, March 18, 1871. His poetical pieces and hymns were contributed to various periodicals and journals. Many of these were collected and published as Poems, Phila. in 1841. This volume was enlarged by additional pieces, and republished by his widow, in 1871. The dates of these hymns and poems are most difficult to determine. Where possible they are given in detail. It is somewhat curious that Burleigh's hymns are generally more extensively used in England than at home. The introduction of some of his best compositions into the English collections is due to the Lyra Sacra Americana, whence they were mostly taken by the compilers. Those in use in Great Britain and America are:— 1. Fades from the west the farewell nigh. Night . This poem, entitled “A Psalm of Night," is given in his Poems, N. Y., 1871, pp. 275-6. Although not in the 1st edition of his Poems, 1841, it was in common use as early as 1844. It is in 5 stanzas of 8 lines. From it the following centos have come into common use:— (1) “Day unto day uttereth speech." This is composed of stanzas iii.-v., and was given in the Christian Hymns of the Cheshire Pastoral Association (Amer. Unitarian), 1844, as an "Evening Hymn." (2) "O Holy Father, mid the calm." This cento In Longfellow and Johnson's Book of Hymns, 1846, and their Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, &c, is composed of stanzas iv.-v. (3) "Not only doth the voiceful day," No. 324 in Longfellow and Johnson's Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, is composed of st. ii.-iii. Another arrangement beginning with the same stanza is in the Lyra Sacra Americana, p. 41. (4) “The brightening dawn and voiceful day." In the Hymnary (Lond.), 1872, is, altered from the Lyra Sacra Americana as above, with the addition of a doxology. In and through these various forms, the use of this hymn is very extensive. 2. Father, beneath Thy sheltering wing. Trust and Peace. Appeared in Longfellow and Johnson's Hymns of the Spirit, 1864, No. 471, in 4 stanzas of 4 lines. It is given in many American collections, and in the Baptist Hymnal, 1879, Horder's Cong. Hymns , 1884, and others in Great Britain. Orig. text in Lyra Sacra Americana, p. 39, with "that" for "which” in st. ii. line 4. 3. For the dear love that kept us through the night. Morning. From Poems, 1871, into Horder's Congregational Hymns, 1884. 4. From profoundest depths of tribulation. Lent. This appeared in the Supplement to Hedge and Huntington's Hymns, &c. (Unitarian), 1853, No 843. 5. Lead us, 0 Father, in the paths of peace. Divine Guidance. No. 32 of the Lyra Sacra Americana, in 4 stanzas of 4 lines, being "A Prayer for Guidance." With English compilers this hymn ranks amongst Burleigh’s productions next in popularity to No. 8, and is found in most of the collections there named. 6. Not in vain I poured my supplication . Lent. This is a continuation of the same thought as No. 4 preceding, and follows it in the same Supplement. 7. O deem not that earth's crowning bliss. Mourning. This, passed from the Lyra Sacra Americana, 1868, into the Eng. Bap. Hymnal , 1879; Horder's Congregational Hymns, 1884, and others. It is in his Poems, 1i871, p. 258. The hymn, "From lips divine, like healing balm," in the Methodist Episcopal Hymnal, N. Y., 1878, is a cento from this hymn. 8. Still will we trust though earth seems dark and dreary. Faith. Appeared in the Lyra Sac. Amer., 1868, pp. 43-44, in 5 stanzas of 4 lines. This is the most widely adopted of this author's hymns by the English compilers. It is given in some of the best collections, as the New Congregational Hymn Book, Thring, Horder, the Baptist Hymnal, Allon, &c. 9. There is a beautiful land by the spoiler untrod. Heaven. Dr. Cleveland Lyra Sac. Americana, 1868, p. 298) says, "This piece was first published in the Independent, Jan. 18, 1866." 10. They who have kept their spirit's virgin whiteness. Purity. In Lyra Sacra Americana, 1868, p. 46. 11. Thou Who look'st with pitying eye. Lent. In Lyra Sacra Americana, 1868, p. 47. 12. Through the changes of the day. Evening. From his Poems, 1841. It is given in the Lyra Sac. Amer., p. 50, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Psalms. and Hymns, 1852, Thring's Collection, and others. 13. We ask not that our path be always bright. Trust in God. From the Lyra Sac. Amer, 1868, into Horder's Congregational Hymns, 1884. 14. When gladness gilds our prosperous day. Good in all. Also from Lyra Sacra Americana into Horder's Cong. Hymns, 1884. It has been already noted that Burleigh's hymns have a more extended use in Great Britain, than in his own country. The foregoing notes will also show that his productions are more widely known and used outside of his own denomination than by his own people. Concerning the hymns included in the Lyra Sac. Amer., Dr. Cleveland, the editor, says, "Most of these beautiful hymns of Mr. Burleigh's were given to me in manuscript by the author," but he does not indicate what was new and what was old. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

P. H. Brown

1783 - 1861 Person Name: Phoebe H. Brown Hymnal Number: d200 Author of "I love to steal awhile away" in The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal Brown, Phoebe, née Hinsdale. A member of the Congregational body, born at Canaan, Columbia County, New York, May 1, 1783, she was left an orphan when two years old. At nine she fell into the hands of a relative who kept a county gaol. These, says her son, "were years of intense and cruel suffering. The tale of her early life which she has left her children is a narrative of such deprivations, cruel treatment, and toil, as it breaks my heart to read." Escaping from this bondage at 18, she was sought by kind people, and sent for three months to a common school at Claverack, N.Y., where she learned to write, and made profession of faith in Christ. In 1805 she was married to Timothy H. Brown, a painter, and subsequently lived at East Windsor and Ellington, Connecticut, Monison, Mass., and at Marshall, Henry County, Illinois. She died at the last-named place, Oct 10, 1861. Most of her hymns were written at Monison, Mass. Through a life of poverty and trial she was "a most devoted mother, wife, and Christian." Her son, the Rev. S. R. Brown, D.D. became the first American Missionary to Japan, and two of her grandchildren are now in the same mission. In addition to her hymns, two or more volumes of prose by her have been published. Her Autobiography and Poems were being prepared for publication, when the editor died, and they are yet to appear. Despite all her disadvantages, Mrs. Brown's talents and work are superior to those of any other early female hymnist of America. It is hoped that her manuscript may some day be competently examined, and selected portions from them be published. Four of her hymns appeared in Nettleton's Village Hymns, 1824, with the signature "B." 1. As once the Saviour took His seat. Penitence. 2. Go, messenger of love, and bear. Missions. 3. I love to steal awhile away. Retirement. 4. Welcome, ye hopeful heirs of heaven. Young Converts. Of these No. 2 is a Missionary hymn, written in 1817, but first published in the Village Hymns, 1824; No. 3 was written in 1818, and few hymns have a more pathetic history. It is this:— Mrs. Brown was living at Ellington with "four little children, in a small unfinished house, a sick sister in the only finished room, and not a place above or below where I could retire for devotion." Not far off stood the finest house in the neighbourhood, with a large garden. To-wards this the poor woman used to bend her steps at dusk, loving, as she writes, “to smell the fragrance of fruits and flowers, though I could not see them," and commune with Nature and God. This she did, never dreaming that she was intruding, her habits watched, or her motives misconstrued, till one day the lady of the mansion turned rudely upon her with "Mrs. Brown, why do you come up at evening so near our house, and then go back without coming in? If you want anything, why don't you come in and ask for it?" Mrs. B. adds, "There was something in her manner more than her words, that grieved me. I went home, and that evening was left alone. After my children were all in bed, except my baby, I sat down in the kitchen with my child in my arms, when the grief of my heart burst forth in a flood of tears. I took pen and paper, and gave vent to my oppressed heart." The Poem then written is headed "An Apology for my Twilight Rambles, addressed to a Lady, Aug. 1818.” The original has nine stanzas, the second beginning “I love to steal awhile away.” Years after, when Nettleton was seeking original matter for his Village Hymns (1824), this piece was abridged and altered into the present familiar form, either by Mrs. Brown herself, her pastor (Mr. Hyde), or Nettleton. Its popularity was great from the first. In 1853 it was included in the Leeds Hymn Book, and thus became known to English collections. It is found in Lyra Sacra Americana, p. 29. In 1819 Mrs. Brown wrote two hymns which were strangely overlooked by Nettleton, and did not appear till 1831 in Hastings's Spiritual Songs. These are:— 5. How sweet the melting lay. Morning. 6. 0 Lord, Thy work revive. For a Revival. Both are found in Lyra Sacra Americana, pp. 28-30. No. 6 was altered by the author for Nason's Congregational Hymn Book, 1857. This, according to Nason, is her authorized text. It is widely used in America, and is also found in a few English collections, including Reed's Hymn Book and the New Congregational Hymn Book, and sometimes is attributed in error to Hastings. 7. Great God, we would to Thee make known. This appeared in the Mother's Hymn Book, 1834. 8. We come, 0 Lord, before Thy throne. For Sailors. 9. Grant the abundance of the sea. For Sailors. Two hymns for sailors, which appeared in Linsley and Davis's Select Hymns, 1836. 10. Assembled at [round] Thine altar, Lord. Holy Communion. This also appeared in the Select Hymns, 1836, and was altered for Nason's Congregational Hymn Book, 1857. It is a good hymn, and deserves wider adoption. 11. Jesus, this mid-day hour. Noon. "Written by special request for the Fulton Street [Noon] Prayer Meeting," about 1857. In addition to the foregoing there are four hymns by her in Parish Hymns (Phila.), 1843, to which they were contributed; and there may be many others in various collections which are uncredited. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Alexander Clark

1835 - 1879 Hymnal Number: d161 Author of "Bless me now" in The Methodist Protestant Church Hymnal Clark, Alexander, D.D., born March 10, 1835, died July 6, 1879. Dr. Clark was for many years a Minister of the American Methodist Episcopal Church, and the editor of the Methodist Recorder, published at Pittsburgh. Two of his hymns:— 1. Heavenly Father, bless me now. Lent. 2. Make room for Jesus. Lent. are given in I. D. Sankey's Sacred Songs & Solos. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ========================= Clark, Alexander, D.D. (March 10, 1835--July 6, 1879). Of Scottish descent, he was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, and received his education in the common schools, guided by a very competent father. After teaching in the public schools of Ohio for some years, he founded and edited Schoolday Visitor, a young people's journal which he published by himself in Knoxville, Ohio. It reached a circulation of more than 30,000 and eventually was merged with St. Nicholas, a well-known magazine for youth. Originally a Presbyterian, he joined the Methodist Protestant Church and received his preaching license in 1862. For four years, from 1866, he served the First Methodist Protestant Church, Pittsburgh, and then became editor of the Methodist Recorder and the Sunday School papers of his church, retaining that position until his death. Chairman of the Committee which compiled the Voice of Praise, 1872, he was largely responsible for including in it much new hymnic material. He was the author of five hymns which were included in the book. His "Heavenly Father, bless me now," originally in six four-line stanzas, continued in the series of Methodist Protestant hymnals through that of 1901. Stanzas 1, 2, 5, 6, are in 0/1935. [note: up to 1966 Methodist Hymnal.] He was the recipient of honorary degrees from Mt. Union College, Otterbein University, and Ohio Wesleyan University. While on a lecture tour in Georgia, he became ill at Atlanta and was taken to the Executive Mansion by the then Governor Colquitt, where he died after three weeks' severe suffering. The following glowing tribute to Dr. Clark by Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll, nationally known atheist writer and lecturer of the late nineteenth century was published in the Methodist Recorder, July 26, 1879: "Upon the grave of Rev. Alexander Clark I wish to place one flower. Utterly destitute of cold dogmatic pride that often passes for the love of God, without the arrogance of the 'elect'--simple, free, and kind--this earnest man made me his friend by being mine. I forgot that he was a Christian, and he seemed to forget that I was not, while each remembered that the other was a man. Frank, candid and sincere, he practiced what he preached, and looked with the holy eyes of charity upon the failings and mistakes of men. He believed in the power of kindness, and spurned with divine sympathy the hideous gulf that separates the fallen from the pure. Giving freely to others the rights that he claimed for himself, it never occurred to him that his God hated a brave and honest unbeliever. He remembered that even an infidel has rights that love respects; that hatred has no saving power, and that in order to be a Christian it is not necessary to become less of a man. He knew that no one can be maligned into kindness; that epithets cannot convince; that curses are not arguments, and the finger of scorn never points toward heaven. With the generosity of an honest man, he accorded to all the fullest liberty of thought, knowing, as he did, that in the realm of mind a chain is but a curse. He sympathies were not confined within the prison of a creed, but ran out and over the walls like vines, hiding the cruel rocks and rusted bars with leaf and flower. He could not echo with his heart the fiendish sentence of eternal fire. In spite of book and creed, he read 'between the lines' the words of tenderness and love, with promises for all the world. Above, beyond the dogmas of his church--humane even to the verge of heresy--causing none to doubt the love of God because he failed to hate his unbelieving fellow-men--he labored for the welfare of mankind, and to his work gave up his life with all his heart." An intimate friend of William Cullen Bryant and other well-known authors, he was considered an exceptionally fine lecturer and his work as editor and author was highly regarded. Among his published works are: The Old Log Schoolhouse, 1864 Working Christianity, or, the Gospel in the Trades, 1878. --Robert G. McCutchan, DNAH Archives

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