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The King of heaven His table spreads
Author: Doddridge Meter: 8.6.8.6 Appears in 233 hymnals Topics: Seventh Sunday after Trinity Lyrics: 1 The King of heaven His table spreads,
And dainties crown the board.
Not all the boasted joys of earth
Could such delight afford.
2 Pardon and peace to dying men,
And endless life are given;
And the rich Blood that Jesus shed
To raise the soul to heaven.
3 Ye hungry poor, who long have strayed
In sin’s dark mazes, come;
Come from the hedges and highways,
And Grace shall find you room.
4 Thousands of souls, in glory now,
Were fed and feasted here;
And thousands more, still on the way,
Around the board appear.
5 Yet are His house and heart so large,
That thousands more may come;
Nor could the wide assembled world
O’erfill the spacious room.
6 All things are ready: enter in,
Nor weak excuses frame.
Come, take your places at the feast,
And bless the Founder’s Name. Used With Tune: NUN DANKET ALL' U. BRINGET EHR
The King of heaven His table spreads
Abide with me! fast falls the eventide
Author: Henry Francis Lyte Appears in 1,673 hymnals Topics: Twenty Seventh Sunday after Trinity Lyrics: 1 Abide with me! fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
2 Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!
3 Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word,
But as Thou dwell'st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free,
Come, not to sojourn, but abide with me.
4 Come not in terrors as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing on Thy wings;
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea;
O Friend of sinners, thus abide with me!
5 Thou on my head in early youth didst smile,
And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee:
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me!
6 I need Thy presence every passing hour:
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me!
7 I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless:
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me!
8 Hold Thou Thy Cross before my closing eyes,
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies:
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me! Used With Tune: DALKEITH
Abide with me! fast falls the eventide
Praise to God, immortal praise
Author: Anna Letitia Barbauld Appears in 602 hymnals Topics: Seventh Sunday after Trinity Lyrics: 1 Praise to God, immortal praise,
For the Love that crowns our days!
Bounteous Source of every joy,
Let Thy praise our tongues employ!
2 For the blessings of the field,
For the stores the gardens yield;
Flocks that whiten all the plain;
Yellow sheaves of ripened grain:
3 All that Spring with bounteous hand,
Scatters o'er the smiling land;
All that liberal Autumn pours
From her overflowing stores:
4 These to Thee, O God! we owe,
Source whence all our blessings flow!
And for these our souls shall raise
Grateful vows and solemn praise. Used With Tune: ST. BASIL
Praise to God, immortal praise
WACHET AUF, RUFT UNS DIE STIMME
Appears in 322 hymnals Topics: Twenty Seventh Sunday after Trinity Tune Key: D Major Incipit: 13555 56551 51232 Used With Text: Wake, awake, for night is flying
WACHET AUF, RUFT UNS DIE STIMME
I Kristne, I, som træde
Author: Kingo Hymnal: Salmebog for Lutherske Kristne i Amerika #234 (1919) Topics: Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sunday; Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sunday Lyrics: 1 I Kristne, I som træde
Hver Dag med Hjertens Glæde
Til Jesus Kjærlighed,
Ifører dog de Dyder,
Som sande Kristne pryder,
Og Gud kan tækkes ved.
2 I drage dog til Minde,
At ingen er at finde,
I Verden uden Brøst,
Dog vilde Gud os kalde
Som Hellige, Udvalgte
Til al sin Glædes Høst.
3 Barmhjertighed I øve
Og gjøre Venskabs Prøve
I Ydmyghed og Tro,
Med stille Taal I søge
Al Kjærlighed at øge
Til Sjælens Fred og Ro.
4 Kan En med Rette klage,
Saa skal han dog fordrage
Og se til Jesus hen;
For eders Skyld han døde,
Forlod al eders Brøde,
Saa gjører I igjen!
5 Med Kjærligheden klæder
Ord, Gjerninger og Sæder,
Saa skal Guds gode Aand
Fast eder sammenbinde
Med Kjærlighedens Tvinde,
Fuldkommenhedens Baand.
6 Guds Fred og Fryd regjere
Og daglig sig formere
I eders Hjertested,
At som I kaldte ere,
Eet Legeme at være,
I prise Gud dermed!
7 Guds Ord sin Bolig have
Hos eder og begave
Med Visdom og Forstand,
At I med Aand og Tunge
Ham Takkesalmer sjunge,
Som Himlen røre kan!
8 Alt det, som I vil gjøre
Og agter at udføre
Til eders Sjælegavn,
Det skal I tage fore
Med Hjertens Bøn saa saare
I Jesu Kristi Navn.
Languages: Norwegian
I Kristne, I, som træde
Forsøger eder selv
Author: Joakim Breithaupt; Brorson Hymnal: Salmebog for Lutherske Kristne i Amerika #494 (1919) Topics: Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sunday; Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sunday Lyrics: 1 Forsøger eder selv,
Om I i Troen ere,
Om I ved Troens Kraft
I Hjertet Jesus bære,
Og om I følge ham
I Kors taalmodig ind
Med kjærlig Ydmyghed
Og Troens rene Sind!
2 Vor Tro den er et Lys
I Hjertet dybt forborgen,
Som bryder deilig frem,
Ret som den klare Morgen,
Gjør Sjælen frydefuld,
Opklaret, deilig rig,
Ny, ret forandert og
I Sindet Jesus lig.
3 Den øser altid af
Sin Jesus rige Gaver,
Og deler gjerne med
Sin Næste, hvad den haver;
I Jesus kan den faa
Mer, end den har behov,
Og Naaden lyser frem
Til Herrens Pris og Lov.
4 Den tviler ei at faa,
Hvad Gud i Ordet lover,
Og derfor frisk sig ind
I Kors og Modgang vover,
Thi Troen føder Haab;
Af det, den har og ser,
Er den forsikret om,
At finde altid mer.
5 Af Haab er Kjærlighed,
Thi naar man sig paaminder,
Hvor sød en Gud vi har,
Og evig har og finder,
Saa bryder dette ud
I Hjertens Kjærlighed
Endog mod den, som er
Os bitter gram og vred.
6 Hvad Gud os gjør, vi da
Vil gjøre mod vor Næste,
Naar nogen gjør os ondt,
Vi søge deres Bedste,
Og bøde Andres Trods,
Forfølgelse og Spot
Med Forbøn, gode Ord,
Og gjør dem altid Godt.
7 Naar Gud ved meget Kors
Os ret paa Prøve sætter,
Gjør Tro Taalmodighed,
Som alt det tunge letter,
Den dæmper Kjødets Knur
Og tager bønnen fat,
Og veed, at al vor Nød
Gud Vei og Maal har sat.
8 Ransag, om Kristus sig
Udi din Sjæl forklarer;
Thi det er Kristi Liv,
Som Troen aabenbarer,
Den gjør retfærdig først,
Saa hellig, giver Lyst
Og Kraft til Gjerning god,
Er dette i dit Bryst?
9 O Jesus, styrk du mig
I Troen alle Dage!
Saa skal et helligt Liv
Og Levnet og tiltage;
Hvor Lyset er, der maa
Og Glansen ytre sig;
O lær mig, at jeg ret
Og al Tid følger dig!
Languages: Norwegian
Forsøger eder selv
Vor Tro er den Forvisning paa
Author: Johan Schrader; Brorson Hymnal: Salmebog for Lutherske Kristne i Amerika #165 (1919) Topics: Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sunday Lyrics: 1 Vor Tro er den Forvisning paa,
At vi Guds Naade have,
Som ingen af sig selv kan saa,
Men som er Aandens Gave;
Den faste Grund, i Hjertet lagt
Ved Ordet om den Naadepagt,
Som er i Kristus stiftet.
2 Den er et fast og stærkt Bevis,
Som Gud i Hjertet skriver,
At han os, sig til evig Pris,
I Kristus Naade giver,
Saa vi ei mer i Tvilen staa,
Men gribe med stor Sjæls Attraa
Til Jesu Død og Vunder.
3 Et eget Væsen er vor Tro,
Et meget mægtigt Gode,
Som kjendes udi Sjælens Ro
Og gjør os vel til Mode,
Hvad ingen ser, det ser den grant,
Og veed, at det er evig sandt,
Hvad Gud i Ordet lover.
4 Usynlige og høie Ting
Kan Troen se og høre
Og midt i Sukke Frydespring
Mod Naadens Solskin gjøre:
Gud er min Gud! og ved hans Aand
Jeg har alt Himlen i min Haand,
Thi Jesus i mig lever!
5 Hvad vil nu Satans hele Hær
Med mine Synder gjøre?
Lad ham den alle, hver især,
Mig haardt til Hjertet føre;
Jeg veed vel, at min Synd er stor,
Men Jesus siger i sit Ord:
De ere dig forladte.
6 Det Ord, det Ord mig giver Ro
Og er mit faste Anker,
Naar Satan stormer mod min Tro
Med mange Tvilens Tanker.
Hvad agter jeg hans Trusel mer!
Min Tro Guds milde Hjerte ser,
Igjennem Jesu Vunder.
7 Er Troen ofte svag, især
Naar jeg af Korset trænges,
Saa maa dog Troen være der,
Saafremt kun Sjælen længes
At finde Hjælp, og merke kan
Af Haabet kun det mindste Grand,
Saa er der Tro i Hjertet.
8 Imidlertid formerer sig
Vor Tro, des mer vi kjæmper,
Især naar Gud tidt underlig
Vor Fiende slaar og dæmper,
Saa vi i Troen haabe kan,
Om end i Korsets mørke Stand
Vi ingen Hjælp kan skue.
9 Jeg veed, paa hvem min Tro er sat,
Ham faar man mig at unde;
Den, som har Gud til Hjerte-Skat,
Skal aldrig gaa til Grunde.
Vel den, som bygger fast paa Gud,
Lad det end tumles ind og ud,
Han staar, naar al Ting falder.
10 Saa vil jeg da i denne Tro
Mit ganske Levnet føre,
I Jesu Værdskylds søde Ro
Mit Hjerte trøstigt gjøre;
Hans Aand er mig et Pant derpaa,
At endelig min Tro skal faa
En sød og salig Ende.
Languages: Norwegian
Vor Tro er den Forvisning paa
James Montgomery
1771 - 1854 Topics: Seventh Sunday after Trinity Author of "Father of all our mercies, Thou" in Evangelical Lutheran hymnal James Montgomery (b. Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, 1771; d. Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, 1854), the son of Moravian parents who died on a West Indies mission field while he was in boarding school, Montgomery inherited a strong religious bent, a passion for missions, and an independent mind. He was editor of the Sheffield Iris (1796-1827), a newspaper that sometimes espoused radical causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall of the Bastille and again when he described a riot in Sheffield that reflected unfavorably on a military commander. He also protested against slavery, the lot of boy chimney sweeps, and lotteries. Associated with Christians of various persuasions, Montgomery supported missions and the British Bible Society. He published eleven volumes of poetry, mainly his own, and at least four hundred hymns. Some critics judge his hymn texts to be equal in quality to those of Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley . Many were published in Thomas Cotterill's Selection of Psalms and Hymns (1819 edition) and in Montgomery's own Songs of Zion (1822), Christian Psalmist (1825), and Original Hymns (1853).
Bert Polman
========================
Montgomery, James, son of John Montgomery, a Moravian minister, was born at Irvine, Ayrshire, Nov. 4, 1771. In 1776 he removed with his parents to the Moravian Settlement at Gracehill, near Ballymena, county of Antrim. Two years after he was sent to the Fulneck Seminary, Yorkshire. He left Fulneck in 1787, and entered a retail shop at Mirfield, near Wakefield. Soon tiring of that he entered upon a similar situation at Wath, near Rotherham, only to find it quite as unsuitable to his taste as the former. A journey to London, with the hope of finding a publisher for his youthful poems ended in failure; and in 1792 he was glad to leave Wath for Shefield to join Mr. Gales, an auctioneer, bookseller, and printer of the Sheffield Register newspaper, as his assistant. In 1794 Mr. Gales left England to avoid a political prosecution. Montgomery took the Sheffield Register in hand, changed its name to The Sheffield Iris, and continued to edit it for thirty-one years. During the next two years he was imprisoned twice, first for reprinting therein a song in commemoration of "The Fall of the Bastille," and the second for giving an account of a riot in Sheffield. The editing of his paper, the composition and publication of his poems and hynms, the delivery of lectures on poetry in Sheffield and at the Royal Institution, London, and the earnest advocacy of Foreign Missions and the Bible Society in many parts of the country, gave great variety but very little of stirring incident to his life. In 1833 he received a Royal pension of £200 a year. He died in his sleep, at the Mount, Sheffield, April 30, 1854, and was honoured with a public funeral. A statue was erected to his memory in the Sheffield General Cemetery, and a stained glass window in the Parish Church. A Wesleyan chapel and a public hall are also named in his honour. Montgomery's principal poetical works, including those which he edited, were:—
(1) Prison Amusements, 1797; (2) The Wanderer of Switzerland, 1806; (3) The West Indies, 1807; (4) The World before the Flood, 1813; (5) Greenland and Other Poems, 1819; (6) Songs of Zion, 1822; (7) The Christian Psalmist, 1825; (8) The Christian Poet, 1825; (9) The Pelican Island, 1828; (10) The Poet’s Portfolio, 1835; (11) Original Hymns for Public, Private, and Social Devotion, 1853. He also published minor pieces at various times, and four editions of his Poetical Works, the first in 1828, the second in 1836, the third in 1841, and the fourth in 1854. Most of these works contained original hymns. He also contributed largely to Collyer's Collection, 1812, and other hymnbooks published during the next 40 years, amongst which the most noticeable was Cotterill's Selections of 1819, in which more than 50 of his compositions appeared. In his Christian Psalmist, 1825, there are 100 of his hymns, and in his Original Hymns, 1853, 355 and 5 doxologies. His Songs of Zion, 1822, number 56. Deducting those which are repeated in the Original Hymns, there remain about 400 original compositions.
Of Montgomery's 400 hymns (including his versions of the Psalms) more than 100 are still in common use. With the aid of Montgomery's MSS. we have given a detailed account of a large number. The rest are as follows:—
i. Appeared in Collyer's Collection, 1812.
1. Jesus, our best beloved Friend. Personal Dedication to Christ.
2. When on Sinai's top I see. Sinai, Tabor, and Calvary.
ii. Appeared in Cotterill's Selection, 1819.
3. Come to Calvary's holy mountain. The Open Fountain.
4. God in the high and holy place. God in Nature. The cento in Com. Praise, 1879, and others, "If God hath made this world so fair," is from this hymn.
5. Hear me, O Lord, in my distress. Ps. cxliii.
6. Heaven is a place of rest from sin. Preparation for Heaven.
7. I cried unto the Lord most just. Ps. cxlii.
8. Lord, let my prayer like incense rise. Ps. cxxxix.
9. O bless the Lord, my soul! His grace to thee proclaim. Ps. ciii.
10. Out of the depths of woe. Ps. cxxx. Sometimes "When from the depths of woe."
11. The world in condemnation lay. Redemption.
12. Where are the dead? In heaven or hell? The Living and the Dead.
iii. Appeared in his Songs of Zion, 1822.
13. Give glory to God in the highest. Ps. xxix.
14. Glad was my heart to hear. Ps. cxxii.
15. God be merciful to me. Ps. lxix.
16. God is my strong salvation. Ps. xxvii.
17. Hasten, Lord, to my release. Ps. lxx.
18. Have mercy on me, O my God. Ps. li.
19. Hearken, Lord, to my complaints. Ps. xlii.
20. Heralds of creation cry. Ps. cxlviii.
21. How beautiful the sight. Ps. cxxxiii.
22. How precious are Thy thoughts of peace. Ps. cxxxix.
23. I love the Lord, He lent an ear. Ps. cxvi.
24. In time of tribulation. Ps. lxxvii.
25. Jehovah is great, and great be His praise. Ps. xlviii. Sometimes, "0 great is Jehovah, and great is His Name."
26. Judge me, O Lord, in righteousness. Ps. xliii.
27. Lift up your heads, ye gates, and wide. Ps.xxiv.
28. Lord, let me know mine [my] end. Ps. xxxi.
29. Of old, 0 God, Thine own right hand. Ps. lxxx.
30. O God, Thou art [my] the God alone. Ps. lxiii.
31. 0 Lord, our King, how excellent. Ps. viii. Sometimes, "0 Lord, how excellent is Thy name."
32. O my soul, with all thy powers. Ps. ciii.
33. One thing with all my soul's desire. Ps. xxvii. From this, "Grant me within Thy courts a place."
34. Searcher of hearts, to Thee are known. Ps. cxxxix.
35. Thank and praise Jehovah's name. Ps. cvii.
36. Thee will I praise, O Lord in light. Ps. cxxxviii.
37. The Lord is King; upon His throne. Ps. xciii.
38. The Lord is my Shepherd, no want shall I know. Ps. xxiii.
39. The tempter to my soul hath said. Ps. iii.
40. Thrice happy he who shuns the way. Ps. i.
41. Thy glory, Lord, the heavens declare. Ps. xix.
42. Thy law is perfect, Lord of light. Ps. xix.
43. Who make the Lord of hosts their tower. Ps. cxxv.
44. Yea, I will extol Thee. Ps. xxx.
iv. Appeared in his Christian Psalmist. 1825.
45. Fall down, ye nations, and adore. Universal adoration of God desired.
46. Food, raiment, dwelling, health, and friends. The Family Altar.
47. Go where a foot hath never trod. Moses in the desert. Previously in the Leeds Congregational Collection, 1822.
48. Green pastures and clear streams. The Good Shepherd and His Flock.
49. Less than the least of all. Mercies acknowledged.
50. Not to the mount that burned with fire [flame]. Communion of Saints.
51. On the first Christian Sabbath eve. Easter Sunday Evening.
52. One prayer I have: all prayers in one. Resignation.
53. Our heavenly Father hear. The Lord's Prayer.
54. Return, my soul, unto thy rest. Rest in God.
55. Spirit of power and might, behold. The Spirit's renewing desired.
56. The Christian warrior, see him stand. The Christian Soldier. Sometimes, "Behold the Christian warrior stand."
57. The days and years of time are fled. Day of Judgment.
58. The glorious universe around. Unity.
59. The pure and peaceful mind. A Children's Prayer.
60. This is the day the Lord hath made (q. v.). Sunday.
61. Thy word, Almighty Lord. Close of Service.
62. What secret hand at morning light ? Morning.
63. While through this changing world we roam. Heaven.
64. Within these walls be peace. For Sunday Schools.
v. Appeared in his Original Hymns, 1853.
65. Behold yon bright array. Opening a Place of Worship.
66. Behold the book whose leaves display. Holy Scriptures.
67. Come ye that fear the Lord. Confirmation.
68. Home, kindred, friends, and country, these. Farewell to a Missionary.
69. Let me go, the day is breaking. Jacob wrestling.
70. Not in Jerusalem alone. Consecration of a Church.
71. Praise the high and holy One. God the Creator.
In common with most poets and hymnwriters, Montgomery strongly objected to any correction or rearrangement of his compositions. At the same time he did not hesitate to alter, rearrange, and amend the productions of others. The altered texts which appeared in Cotterill's Selections, 1819, and which in numerous instances are still retained in some of the best hymnbooks, as the "Rock of Ages," in its well-known form of three stanzas, and others of equal importance, were made principally by him for Cotterill's use. We have this confession under his own hand.
As a poet, Montgomery stands well to the front; and as a writer of hymns he ranks in popularity with Wesley, Watts, Doddridge, Newton, and Cowper. His best hymns were written in his earlier years. In his old age he wrote much that was unworthy of his reputation. His finest lyrics are "Angels from the realms of glory," "Go to dark Gethsemane," "Hail to the Lord's Anointed," and "Songs of praise the angels sang." His "Prayer is the soul's sincere desire," is an expanded definition of prayer of great beauty; and his "Forever with the Lord" is full of lyric fire and deep feeling. The secrets of his power as a writer of hymns were manifold. His poetic genius was of a high order, higher than most who stand with him in the front rank of Christian poets. His ear for rhythm was exceedingly accurate and refined. His knowledge of Holy Scripture was most extensive. His religious views were broad and charitable. His devotional spirit was of the holiest type. With the faith of a strong man he united the beauty and simplicity of a child. Richly poetic without exuberance, dogmatic without uncharitableness, tender without sentimentality, elaborate without diffusiveness, richly musical without apparent effort, he has bequeathed to the Church of Christ wealth which could onlv have come from a true genius and a sanctified! heart.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
James Montgomery
Catherine Winkworth
1827 - 1878 Person Name: Miss Winkworth Topics: Twenty Seventh Sunday after Trinity Translator of "Wake, awake, for night is flying" in Church Book Catherine Winkworth (b. Holborn, London, England, 1827; d. Monnetier, Savoy, France, 1878) is well known for her English translations of German hymns; her translations were polished and yet remained close to the original. Educated initially by her mother, she lived with relatives in Dresden, Germany, in 1845, where she acquired her knowledge of German and interest in German hymnody. After residing near Manchester until 1862, she moved to Clifton, near Bristol. A pioneer in promoting women's rights, Winkworth put much of her energy into the encouragement of higher education for women. She translated a large number of German hymn texts from hymnals owned by a friend, Baron Bunsen. Though often altered, these translations continue to be used in many modern hymnals. Her work was published in two series of Lyra Germanica (1855, 1858) and in The Chorale Book for England (1863), which included the appropriate German tune with each text as provided by Sterndale Bennett and Otto Goldschmidt. Winkworth also translated biographies of German Christians who promoted ministries to the poor and sick and compiled a handbook of biographies of German hymn authors, Christian Singers of Germany (1869).
Bert Polman
========================
Winkworth, Catherine, daughter of Henry Winkworth, of Alderley Edge, Cheshire, was born in London, Sep. 13, 1829. Most of her early life was spent in the neighbourhood of Manchester. Subsequently she removed with the family to Clifton, near Bristol. She died suddenly of heart disease, at Monnetier, in Savoy, in July, 1878. Miss Winkworth published:—
Translations from the German of the Life of Pastor Fliedner, the Founder of the Sisterhood of Protestant Deaconesses at Kaiserworth, 1861; and of the Life of Amelia Sieveking, 1863.
Her sympathy with practical efforts for the benefit of women, and with a pure devotional life, as seen in these translations, received from her the most practical illustration possible in the deep and active interest which she took in educational work in connection with the Clifton Association for the Higher Education of Women, and kindred societies there and elsewhere. Our interest, however, is mainly centred in her hymnological work as embodied in her:—
(1) Lyra Germanica, 1st Ser., 1855. (2) Lyra Germanica, 2nd Ser., 1858. (3) The Chorale Book for England (containing translations from the German, together with music), 1863; and (4) her charming biographical work, the Christian Singers of Germany, 1869.
In a sympathetic article on Miss Winkworth in the Inquirer of July 20, 1878, Dr. Martineau says:—
"The translations contained in these volumes are invariably faithful, and for the most part both terse and delicate; and an admirable art is applied to the management of complex and difficult versification. They have not quite the fire of John Wesley's versions of Moravian hymns, or the wonderful fusion and reproduction of thought which may be found in Coleridge. But if less flowing they are more conscientious than either, and attain a result as poetical as severe exactitude admits, being only a little short of ‘native music'"
Dr. Percival, then Principal of Clifton College, also wrote concerning her (in the Bristol Times and Mirror), in July, 1878:—
"She was a person of remarkable intellectual and social gifts, and very unusual attainments; but what specially distinguished her was her combination of rare ability and great knowledge with a certain tender and sympathetic refinement which constitutes the special charm of the true womanly character."
Dr. Martineau (as above) says her religious life afforded "a happy example of the piety which the Church of England discipline may implant.....The fast hold she retained of her discipleship of Christ was no example of ‘feminine simplicity,' carrying on the childish mind into maturer years, but the clear allegiance of a firm mind, familiar with the pretensions of non-Christian schools, well able to test them, and undiverted by them from her first love."
Miss Winkworth, although not the earliest of modern translators from the German into English, is certainly the foremost in rank and popularity. Her translations are the most widely used of any from that language, and have had more to do with the modern revival of the English use of German hymns than the versions of any other writer.
-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
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See also in:
Hymn Writers of the Church
Catherine Winkworth
William Cowper
1731 - 1800 Person Name: W. Cowper Topics: The Church Year Seventh Sunday after Trinity Author of "God moves in a mysterious way" in The Lutheran Hymnary William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper"; b. Berkampstead, Hertfordshire, England, 1731; d. East Dereham, Norfolk, England, 1800) is regarded as one of the best early Romantic poets. To biographers he is also known as "mad Cowper." His literary talents produced some of the finest English hymn texts, but his chronic depression accounts for the somber tone of many of those texts. Educated to become an attorney, Cowper was called to the bar in 1754 but never practiced law. In 1763 he had the opportunity to become a clerk for the House of Lords, but the dread of the required public examination triggered his tendency to depression, and he attempted suicide. His subsequent hospitalization and friendship with Morley and Mary Unwin provided emotional stability, but the periods of severe depression returned. His depression was deepened by a religious bent, which often stressed the wrath of God, and at times Cowper felt that God had predestined him to damnation.
For the last two decades of his life Cowper lived in Olney, where John Newton became his pastor. There he assisted Newton in his pastoral duties, and the two collaborated on the important hymn collection Olney Hymns (1779), to which Cowper contributed sixty-eight hymn texts.
Bert Polman
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Cowper, William, the poet. The leading events in the life of Cowper are: born in his father's rectory, Berkhampstead, Nov. 26, 1731; educated at Westminster; called to the Bar, 1754; madness, 1763; residence at Huntingdon, 1765; removal to Olney, 1768; to Weston, 1786; to East Dereham, 1795; death there, April 25, 1800.
The simple life of Cowper, marked chiefly by its innocent recreations and tender friendships, was in reality a tragedy. His mother, whom he commemorated in the exquisite "Lines on her picture," a vivid delineation of his childhood, written in his 60th year, died when he was six years old. At his first school he was profoundly wretched, but happier at Westminster; excelling at cricket and football, and numbering Warren Hastings, Colman, and the future model of his versification. Churchill, among his contemporaries or friends. Destined for the Bar, he was articled to a solicitor, along with Thurlow. During this period he fell in love with his cousin, Theodora Cowper, sister to Lady Hesketh, and wrote love poems to her. The marriage was forbidden by her father, but she never forgot him, and in after years secretly aided his necessities. Fits of melancholy, from which he had suffered in school days, began to increase, as he entered on life, much straitened in means after his father's death. But on the whole, it is the playful, humorous side of him that is most prominent in the nine years after his call to the Bar; spent in the society of Colman, Bonnell Thornton, and Lloyd, and in writing satires for The Connoisseur and St. James's Chronicle and halfpenny ballads. Then came the awful calamity, which destroyed all hopes of distinction, and made him a sedentary invalid, dependent on his friends. He had been nominated to the Clerkship of the Journals of the House of Lords, but the dread of appearing before them to show his fitness for the appointment overthrew his reason. He attempted his life with "laudanum, knife and cord,"—-in the third attempt nearly succeeding. The dark delusion of his life now first showed itself—a belief in his reprobation by God. But for the present, under the wise and Christian treatment of Dr. Cotton (q. v.) at St. Albans, it passed away; and the eight years that followed, of which the two first were spent at Huntingdon (where he formed his lifelong friendship with Mrs. Unwin), and the remainder at Olney in active piety among the poor, and enthusiastic devotions under the guidance of John Newton (q. v.), were full of the realisation of God's favour, and the happiest, most lucid period of his life. But the tension of long religious exercises, the nervous excitement of leading at prayer meetings, and the extreme despondence (far more than the Calvinism) of Newton, could scarcely have been a healthy atmosphere for a shy, sensitive spirit, that needed most of all the joyous sunlight of Christianity. A year after his brother's death, madness returned. Under the conviction that it was the command of God, he attempted suicide; and he then settled down into a belief in stark contradiction to his Calvinistic creed, "that the Lord, after having renewed him in holiness, had doomed him to everlasting perdition" (Southey). In its darkest form his affliction lasted sixteen months, during which he chiefly resided in J. Newton's house, patiently tended by him and by his devoted nurse, Mrs. Unwin. Gradually he became interested in carpentering, gardening, glazing, and the tendance of some tame hares and other playmates. At the close of 1780, Mrs. Unwin suggested to him some serious poetical work; and the occupation proved so congenial, that his first volume was published in 1782. To a gay episode in 1783 (his fascination by the wit of Lady Austen) his greatest poem, The Task, and also John Gilpin were owing. His other principal work was his Homer, published in 1791. The dark cloud had greatly lifted from his life when Lady Hesketh's care accomplished his removal to Weston (1786): but the loss of his dear friend William Unwin lowered it again for some months. The five years' illness of Mrs. Unwin, during which his nurse of old became his tenderly-watched patient, deepened the darkness more and more. And her death (1796) brought “fixed despair," of which his last poem, The Castaway, is the terrible memorial. Perhaps no more beautiful sentence has been written of him, than the testimony of one, who saw him after death, that with the "composure and calmness" of the face there “mingled, as it were, a holy surprise."
Cowper's poetry marks the dawn of the return from the conventionality of Pope to natural expression, and the study of quiet nature. His ambition was higher than this, to be the Bard of Christianity. His great poems show no trace of his monomania, and are full of healthy piety. His fame as a poet is less than as a letter-writer: the charm of his letters is unsurpassed. Though the most considerable poet, who has written hymns, he has contributed little to the development of their structure, adopting the traditional modes of his time and Newton's severe canons. The spiritual ideas of the hymns are identical with Newton's: their highest note is peace and thankful contemplation, rather than joy: more than half of them are full of trustful or reassuring faith: ten of them are either submissive (44), self-reproachful (17, 42, 43), full of sad yearning (1, 34), questioning (9), or dark spiritual conflict (38-40). The specialty of Cowper's handling is a greater plaintiveness, tenderness, and refinement. A study of these hymns as they stood originally under the classified heads of the Olney Hymns, 1779, which in some cases probably indicate the aim of Cowper as well as the ultimate arrangement of the book by Newton, shows that one or two hymns were more the history of his conversion, than transcripts of present feelings; and the study of Newton's hymns in the same volume, full of heavy indictment against the sins of his own regenerate life, brings out the peculiar danger of his friendship to the poet: it tends also to modify considerably the conclusions of Southey as to the signs of incipient madness in Cowper's maddest hymns. Cowper's best hymns are given in The Book of Praise by Lord Selborne. Two may be selected from them; the exquisitely tender "Hark! my soul, it is the Lord" (q. v.), and "Oh, for a closer walk with God" (q. v.). Anyone who knows Mrs. Browning's noble lines on Cowper's grave will find even a deeper beauty in the latter, which is a purely English hymn of perfect structure and streamlike cadence, by connecting its sadness and its aspiration not only with the “discord on the music" and the "darkness on the glory," but the rapture of his heavenly waking beneath the "pathetic eyes” of Christ.
Authorities. Lives, by Hayley; Grimshaw; Southey; Professor Goldwin Smith; Mr. Benham (attached to Globe Edition); Life of Newton, by Rev. Josiah Bull; and the Olney Hymns. The numbers of the hymns quoted refer to the Olney Hymns. [Rev. H. Leigh Bennett, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
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Cowper, W. , p. 265, i. Other hymns are:—
1. Holy Lord God, I love Thy truth. Hatred of Sin.
2. I was a grovelling creature once. Hope and Confidence.
3. No strength of nature can suffice. Obedience through love.
4. The Lord receives His highest praise. Faith.
5. The saints should never be dismayed. Providence. All these hymns appeared in the Olney Hymns, 1779.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)
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Cowper, W., p. 265, i. Prof. John E. B. Mayor, of Cambridge, contributed some letters by Cowper, hitherto unpublished, together with notes thereon, to Notes and Queries, July 2 to Sept. 24, 1904. These letters are dated from Huntingdon, where he spent two years after leaving St. Alban's (see p. 265, i.), and Olney. The first is dated "Huntingdon, June 24, 1765," and the last "From Olney, July 14, 1772." They together with extracts from other letters by J. Newton (dated respectively Aug. 8, 1772, Nov. 4, 1772), two quotations without date, followed by the last in the N. & Q. series, Aug. 1773, are of intense interest to all students of Cowper, and especially to those who have given attention to the religious side of the poet's life, with its faint lights and deep and awful shadows. From the hymnological standpoint the additional information which we gather is not important, except concerning the hymns "0 for a closer walk with God," "God moves in a mysterious way," "Tis my happiness below," and "Hear what God, the Lord, hath spoken." Concerning the last three, their position in the manuscripts, and the date of the last from J. Newton in the above order, "Aug. 1773," is conclusive proof against the common belief that "God moves in a mysterious way" was written as the outpouring of Cowper's soul in gratitude for the frustration of his attempted suicide in October 1773.
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)
William Cowper
