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Joseph A. Seiss

1823 - 1904 Hymnal Number: 1423 Translator (from German) of "Fairest Lord Jesus" in The Cyber Hymnal Joseph A. Seiss was born and raised in a Moravian home with the original family name of Seuss. After studying at Pennsylvania College in Gettysburg and completing his theological education with tutors and through private study, Seiss became a Lutheran pastor in 1842. He served several Lutheran congregations in Virginia and Maryland and then became pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church (1858-1874) and the Church of the Holy Communion (1874-1904), both in Philadelphia. Known as an eloquent and popular preacher, Seiss was also a prolific author and editor of some eighty volumes, which include The Last Times (1856), The Evangelical Psalmist (1859), Ecclesia Lutherana (1868), Lectures on the Gospels (1868-1872), and Lectures on the Epistles (1885). He contributed to and compiled several hymnals. Bert Polman

D. S. Warner

1842 - 1895 Person Name: Daniel Sidney Warner, 1842-1895 Hymnal Number: 2856 Author of "I Know My Name is There" in The Cyber Hymnal Warner, Daniel Sidney. (near Marshallville, Wayne County, Ohio, 1842--1895). Church of God. Reared on an Ohio farm. During the Civil War, he substituted for a brother. Later he taught school. He attended Oberlin College briefly in 1865. By 1867 he was licensed to preach by the Western Ohio Eldership of the Church of God (Winebrennerian). His experience in preaching was gained on circuits in Nebraska and Ohio. In 1874 he was in trouble with the Eldership for preaching entire sanctification. Soon he joined the Indiana Eldership. In 1881 he was in trouble with this Eldership over sectism. Warner was an associate editor of the Herals of Gospel Freedom in 1878. this paper was merged with the Pilgrim about 1881, and the new paper was called the Gospel Trumpet, with Warner as its editor. Warner was forced to move the paper about, seeing for firm financial foundations. The publishing work was at last established in Grand Junction, Michigan, enabling Warner to travel more extensively with a group of evangelists. Warner's time was spent in editing the Trumpet, writing books, tracts, and songs, and making evangelistic tours of the United States. --John W.V. Smith, DNAH Archives =================================== Daniel Sidney Warner, 1842-1895 Born: June 25, 1842, Bris­tol (now Mar­shall­ville), Ohio. Died: De­cem­ber 12, 1895, Grand Junc­tion, Mi­chi­gan, of pneu­mon­ia. Buried: Near Grand Junc­tion, Mi­chi­gan, at the edge of the Church of God camp­ground that was once there. As of 1880, Warner was liv­ing in Rome Ci­ty, In­di­a­na. His works in­clude: Echoes From Glo­ry, with Bar­ney War­ren (Grand Junc­tion, Mi­chi­gan: The Gos­pel Trump­et Pub­lish­ing Com­pa­ny, 1893) Lyrics-- Ah Poor Ali­en Far from the Fold of Love Ah Poor Sin­ner, Think of Cal­va­ry All This World, Its Wealth and Hon­or All Ye People, Come Down to the Judg­ment Be­gun Along a Dark and Gloomy Path Are You of the Holy Rem­nant Are You Rea­dy, Wait­ing for the Lord? Are You Sow­ing Seeds of Kind­ness? Asleep in Je­sus, Oh, How Sweet A Gentle Hand Un­seen by Us A Long Time I Wan­dered Away Beautiful, Peace­ful Zi­on Behold a Form upon the Lone­ly Mount Behold, What Love, What Bound­less Love Bond of Per­fect­ness, The Borne Away in Mind and Spir­it Brighter Days Are Sweet­ly Dawn­ing By Thy Blessed Word Obey­ing Can the Spir­it of a Mor­tal Church of God, Thou Spot­less Vir­gin Church of the Liv­ing God Come, Be­hold the Love of Je­sus Come unto Me, All Ye That La­bor Come, With­in That Upper Cham­ber Dear Friends, We Have Pre­cious Tidings of Old Don’t Re­sist the Ho­ly Spirit Down into the Flow­ing Ri­ver Do You Tr­iumph, O My Bro­ther? Ere Christ Will Reign Within Thy Heart Fair C­ity of the Gos­pel Day Far Down o’er the Ag­es a Prom­ise Di­vine Fill Me with Thy Spir­it From My Soul and All With­in From the Mount of Heav­en­ly Vi­sion God Is Sit­ting in the Aw­ful Val­ley God Is Sweep­ing through the Na­tions God of Mer­cy, God of Love Great Peace Have They That Love Thy Law Hallelujah to Je­sus! Hark, in the Bi­ble a Warn­ing Hear the Tid­ings of a King­dom Hear the Voice of Our Com­mand­er Hear Ye the Moan of a Soul That Is Lost Here We Meet and Part in Je­sus His Yoke Is Ea­sy How Often I’ve Pondered My Struggles Within How Sweet Is My Walk with Je­sus! How Sweet This Bond of Per­fect­ness I Am Rest­ing in Je­sus, Hal­le­lu­jah! I Know My Name Is There I Heard the Dear Re­deem­er Say I Lost My Life for Je­sus on the Cross I Ought to Love My Sav­ior I Seem to Hear an An­gel Choir I Will Be with Thee, O, Child of Love I Will Part with Thee, Old Mas­ter I Will Trust Thee, O My Fa­ther If Thou Wilt Know the Foun­tain Deep I’ll Sing of a Ri­ver Di­vine In the Cham­bers of Thy Bo­som In the Light of God In the Morn­ing of the Lord Is the Spirit Glow­ing in Thy Heart? It Is Writ­ten in the Bi­ble I’ve Found a Friend in Je­sus I’ve Found My Lord and He Is Mine I’ve Reached the Land of Pure De­light Jesus Drank the Cup of Sor­row Jesus Has Taken My Load of Sin Jesus, Thou a Fount­ain Art Last Great Day, The Let Us Sing an In­vi­ta­tion Let Us Sing a Sweet Song of the Home of the Soul Let Us Sing the Name of Je­sus Life Is Not a Mys­tic Dream Light in Our Dark­ness, Bro­ther Lord Our Shep­herd, The Listen, Sin­ner, to the Voice Lord, the Shades of Night Lo, Heav­en Now Opens to Rap­tur­ous View Lo the King­dom of Hea­ven We See Lo, wisdom Crieth in the Streets Mansion Is Wai­ting in Glo­ry, A Men Speak of a Church Tri­umph­ant Mighty Mes­sen­gers Are Run­ning My Je­sus Died for Me up­on the Cross My Name Is in the Book of Life My Soul in Trou­ble Roamed My Soul Is Sa­tis­fied My Soul Is Saved from Sin Not in the Tem­ples Made with Hands Now My Pil­grim toils Are Over Now the Great King of Ba­bel O Blessed Je­sus, for Thee W Are Wait­ing O Blessed Je­sus, Thy Love Is Su­preme O Careless Sin­ner, Wake to Mer­cy’s Call O God, In­spire Our Morn­ing Hymn O How Can Any­one Re­fuse O How Sublime Is the Life of the Christ­ian O Let Us Sing the Mighty Love O Love Di­vine, Un­fa­thomed! O Praise the Lord, My Soul Is Saved O Precious Bi­ble! Burn­ing Words from Hea­ven O Sin­ner, Come Home to the Sav­ior O W Love the Child­ren’s Mee­ting O What Deep and Pure Com­pas­sion O Wor­ship God, the Fa­ther O Ye Pil­grims, Sing an Ex­hor­ta­tion O’er the Door of Hea­ven’s King­dom Oft My Heart Has Bled with Sor­row Oh, Wor­ship God the Fa­ther, Just and True Oh, Come and Praise the Lord To­day Oh, When We Re­mem­ber the Good­ness O Who Can Stand the Judg­ment Day Oh, Why Should I Be Lost Onward Moves the Great Eter­nal Our God Is Love, the An­gels Know Perishing Souls at Stake Tod­ay! Pilgrim of Je­sus, o’er Life’s Trou­bled Sea Praise the Lord with Songs of Glo­ry Rejoice, Little Ones, in the Pro­mise Di­vine River of Peace Salvation Is the Sweet­est Thing See the Great King of Ba­bel Shall I Tell You Why I Ceased from Fol­ly? Shall My Soul As­cend with Rap­ture Shield of Faith, The Since I Have Found My Sa­vior Sing of Salvation, O, it Was Love Sinner, will You Lose Your Soul Sunbeams Spark­ling and Glanc­ing Sweet Fellowship, Thy Crys­tal Tide Sweetly Whis­pered the Lord in My Mind Take the Shield of Faith, My Bro­ther Tell Me, Pil­grim, Traveling Home­ward Tell Me, Watch­man, Oh, What of the Morn­ing There Are Some Rays of Hope Di­vine There Are Tidings of a Land Far Away There Is a Blest Pa­vil­ion There Is a Grace Few Mor­tals Find There Is a Story I Oft­en Must Pon­der There Is Joy in the Ser­vice of the Mas­ter There Was a Bright and Love­ly Boy There’s an An­gel of Mer­cy from Hea­ven There’s a Fact No Mortal Ever Can Deny There’s a Fount­ain of Blood That Atones for the Soul There’s a Land of Ev­er­last­ing Song There’s a Peace­ful Valley of De­ci­sion Found There’s a Song We Love to Sing There’s an Awful Day That’s Com­ing There’s Mercy, Poor Sin­ner, for Thee There’s Mu­sic in My Soul This Is Why I Love My Sav­ior Tho’ All Along My Hap­py Pil­grim Race Time Enough, the Slug­gard Cries Time On­ward Flows Like a R­iver Vast Trusting in Je­sus, My Sa­vior and Friend ’Twas Sung by the Po­ets Two Little Hands Are Sweet­ly Fold­ed Unheeding Win­ter’s Cru­el Blast Un­i­verse Is God’s Do­main, The We Are Com­ing, Hal­le­lu­jah! We Are Going Home to Hea­ven’s Gold­en City We Are the Hap­py Child­ren We Have Met To­day on the Old Camp­ground We Have Reached an Aw­ful Era We Have Read in Sac­red Sto­ry We Stand upon the Sea of Glass We Tread up­on the Aw­ful Verge We Will Work for Je­sus We’ll Fol­low the Lord All the Way We’re a Hap­py Christ­ian Band What Awful Dark­ness Shrouds All the Earth! When Lost in the Dark­ness of Guilt and Despair When We Pass the Gold­en Sum­mer Where Art Thou, Wan­d’ring Sin­ner? Where Shall We Look for Help in Af­flict­ion? While Sleep­ing Care­less on the Brink Whiter Than Snow Who but the Christ­ian Is Hap­py and Free? Who Can Sing the Won­drous Love of the Son Di­vine?? Who Is My Life but Christ Alone? Who Will Suf­fer with the Sav­ior? Why Should a Doubt or Fear Arise? Why Should a Mor­tal Man Com­plain? Wonderful Fount­ain of Glo­ry --hymntime.com/tch

Jean Sibelius

1865 - 1957 Hymnal Number: 478 Composer of "FINLANDIA" in The Cyber Hymnal Johann Julius Christian [Jean] Sibelius DM Finland 1865-1957. Born at Hameenlinna, Finland, the son of a Swedish-speaking medical doctor, he lost his father to typhoid in 1868, leaving the family in substantial debt. His mother, again pregnant, had to sell their property and move in with her widowed mother. His aunt Julia gave him piano lessons when he was seven on the family upright piano, wrapping him on the knuckles when he played a wrong note. He learned to improvise as he played. His uncle, Pehr Ferdinand Sibelius, was interested in music, especially the violin, and gave Jean a violin when he was 10. As his musical advisor his uncle encouraged him to play and compose music. He played music with sister on piano, brother on cello, and himself on violin. He attended a Finnish-speaking prep school in 1874 and continued his education at the Hameenlinna Normal Lyceum thereafter. Jean also showed a strong interest in nature, frequently walking around the countryside when the family moved to the Loviisa coast for the summer months. In 1881 he took violin lessons from the local bandmaster, and developed a strong interest in violin. He became an accomplished player, and thought of becoming a virtuoso, but realizing he began study too late in life for that, instead opted to compose. He often played music in quartets with neighboring families, adding to his chamber music experience. He took the French form of his name, Jean. He studied law at the Imperial Alexander University in Finland, but showed far more interest in music. He then studied music at the Helsinki Music Institute (now Sibelius Academy) from 1885-1889. The school’s founder, Martin Wegelius, did much to support education development in Finland and gave Sibelius his first lessons in composition. Another teacher,,Ferruccio Busoni, a pianist-composer, helped him as well and became a life-long friend. Other friends, pianist Adolf Paul, and conductor-to-be, Armas Jarnefelt, also helped him. In 1892 he married Armas ‘s sister, Aino Jarnefelt, daughter of General Alexander Jarnefelt, governor of Vaasa. They had six daughters, Eva, Ruth, Kirsti, Katarina, Margareta, and Heidi. He continued his musical studies in Berlin (1889-1890) with Albert Becker, and in Vienna (1890-1891) with Robert Fuchs and Karl Goldmark. In Berlin he had opportunity to attend concerts and operas. In Vienna he turned to orchestral composition and had much success, although he had gallstone surgery during that period. He also traveled to the UK, France, Germany, and the USA during this time in his life, composing, conducting, and socializing. In 1892 he took on teaching assignments at the Music Institute and at Kajanus’s conducting school, but this left him with little time for composing. Sibelius’ works were more and more appreciated in Helsinki concert halls as he composed and conducted symphonies in the mid-1890s. In 1898 he was awarded a substantial grant, initially for 10 years, and later extended for life, allowing him to concentrate on composition. Much of his music became popular in Finland and in Germany. In 1899 he began work on his first symphony. It went well, but other patriotic music hehad composed did even better, since Russia was trying to restrict the powers of the Grand Duchy of Finland. In 1900 Sibelius went on an international tour with Kajanus and his orchestra, presenting his recent works. In 1901 he wrote his second symphony, which received rave reviews. He continued to compose as he became popular and well-known. In 1903 he had a new home built near Lake Tuusula north of Helsinki, calleed Ainola (after his wife). He gave concerts in and around Finland, spending more and more time away from home, to the chagrin of his wife. After a time he returned home and composed from there. He spent much time wining and dining in Helsinki, and it had a disastrous effect on his wife, who finally entered a sanitorium. He resolved again to give up drinking and concentrate on composing his 3rd symphony. He met Gustav Mahler in Helsinki and they became friends. He performed his 3rd symphony in St Petersburg, Russia. In 1907 he underwent a serious operation for suspected throat cancer, and spent time in the hospital in 1908. His smoking and drinking had now become life-threatening. He cancelled concerts for Rome, Warsaw, and Berlin, but kept one in London. His health deteriorated further, And his brush with death inspired him to compose his 4th symphony. In 1909 his successful throat operation resulted in renewed happiness for him and his wife, Aino. He continued conducting concerts, and met Claude Debussy, who further encouraged his musical efforts. He began working on his 4th symphony in 1910, but had to write other music to compensate for dwindling funds. He finished his 4th symphony in Berlin and conducted concerts in Sweden in 1911. In 1912 he completed short orchestral works. Over the next several years he continued producing a variety of pieces of music, well-received, especially in America. He was given an honorary DM degree from Yale University and also another from the University of Helsinki about the same time. WW1 interrupted his music royalties in 1915, and he was forced to compose smaller works for publication to make ends meet. He completed his 5th symphony at age 50, but he was dissatisfied with it and reworked it three times In 1917 he starting drinking again, triggering arguments with his wife. The Russian Revolution in 1917 caused an improvement in their personal relationship, and he wrote his ‘Jager March’ to celebrate Finnish independence from Russia. The next year the Finnish Civil War began, putting a damper on his march. In 1919, after the war, he completed his 6th symphony. In 1920 George Eastman , of Eastman Kodak, asked him to teach for a year in New York, but he declined. He did enjoy a trip conducting several concerts in England in 1921. He premiered his 6th symphony in 1923. In 1924 he completed his 7th symphony. The next year he composed a number of small pieces. He began drinking again. He did write a few more major works, but for the last thirty years of his life he avoided publicly talking about his music. He tried to write an 8th symphony, but was unsatisfied with it and burned the scores. In fact, he burned a laundry basket full of music he had written, to the chagrin of his wife. But, afterward, he became calmer and gradually had a lighter mood. In 1935 he was awarded the Goethe-Metal, with a certificate signed by Adolf Hitler. A Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939 was repelled, but Finland gave up territory to Russia as a result. In 1941 Sibelius and his wife returned to their Finland home, Ainola, after a long absence. He did not compose much the last few years, and died at Ainola. His wife outlived him by 12 years. John Perry

John Milton

1608 - 1674 Hymnal Number: 3669 Author of "Let Us with a Gladsome Mind" in The Cyber Hymnal Milton, John, was born in London, Dec. 9, 1608, and died there Nov. 8, 1674. His poetical excellences and his literary fame are matters apart from hymnology, and are fully dealt with in numerous memoirs. His influence on English hymn-writing has been very slight, his 19 versions of various Psalms having lain for the most part unused by hymnal compilers. The dates of his paraphrases are:— Ps. cxiv. and cxxxvi., 1623, when he was 15 years of ago. These were given in his Poems in English and Latin 1645. Ps. lxxx.-lxxxviii., written in 1648, and published as Nine Psalmes done into Metre, 1645. Ps. i., 1653; ii., “Done August 8, 1653;" iii., Aug. 9, 1653; iv. Aug. 10, 1653; v., Aug. 12, 1653; vi., Aug. 13, 1653; vii.Aug. 14, 1653; viii., Aug. 14, 1653. These 19 versions were all included in the 2nd ed. of his Poems in English and Latin, 1673. From these, mainly in the form of centos, the following have come into common use:— 1. Cause us to see Thy goodness, Lord. Ps. lxxxv. 2. Defend the poor and desolate. Ps. lxxxii. 3. God in the great assembly stands. Ps. lxxxii. 4. How lovely are Thy dwellings fair. Ps. lxxxiv. From this, "They pass refreshed the thirsty vale," is taken. 5. Let us with a gladsome [joyful] mind. Ps. cxxxvi. 6. O let us with a joyful mind. Ps. cxxxvi. 7. The Lord will come and not be slow. Ps. lxxxv. Of these centos Nos. 4 and 5 are in extensive use. The rest are mostly in Unitarian collections. There are also centos from his hymn on the Nativity, "This is the month, and this the happy morn" (q.v.). --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Robert Williams

1782 - 1818 Hymnal Number: 2219 Composer of "LLANFAIR" in The Cyber Hymnal Robert Williams United Kingdom 1782-1818. Born at Mynydd Ithel, Anglesey, Wales, blind from birth, he became a basket weaver. He had great innate musical ability. Although blind, he could write out a tune after hearing it just once. He sang hymns at public occasions. No information found regarding family. He died at Mynydd Ithel, Anglesey, Wales. John Perry

Julie von Hausmann

1825 - 1901 Person Name: Julie K. von Hausmann Hymnal Number: 13554 Author of "So Nimm Denn Meine Hände" in The Cyber Hymnal Julie Katharina von Hausmann (born 7 March [O.S. 19 March] 1826 in Riga; died 2 August [O.S. 15 August] 1901 in Võsu, Estonia) was a Baltic German poet, known for the hymn Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me (German: So nimm denn meine Hände) with a melody by Friedrich Silcher. Earlier translations had been made by Herman Brueckner as "O take my hand, dear Father" and Elmer Leon Jorgenson as "Take Thou My Hand, and Lead Me." The hymn has also been translated by Martha D. Lange, whose version appears in the Great Songs of the Church Revised (1986). Julie Hausmann was the daughter of a teach­er. She worked for a while as a gov­ern­ess, but due to her ill health she lived with and cared for her fa­ther, who had gone blind. Af­ter his death in 1864, she lived with her sis­ters in Ger­ma­ny, Southern France and St. Petersburg, Russia. She died during a summer vacation in Es­ton­ia. A legend circulates that Hausmann wrote her most famous poem "So nimm denn meine Hände" after journeying to see her fiancé at a mission and, on arriving, finding that he had just died. Various explorations of her biography have yet to confirm or deny the rumor. She never married. Her poetry was published by others, including Gustav Knak without mentioning her name, at her request. Maiblumen. Lieder einer Stillen im Lande.(May flowers) 2 volumes, 1862 (6th edition around 1880: Front cover Vol. 1) Bilder aus dem Leben der Nacht im Lichte des Evangeliums. 1868 Hausbrot. Schlichte Morgen- und Abend-Andachten. 1899 Blumen aus Gottes Garten. Lieder und Gedichte. 1902 (posthumous collection) --en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Samuel Medley

1738 - 1799 Hymnal Number: 311 Author of "Awake, My Soul, to Joyful Lays" in The Cyber Hymnal Medley, Samuel, born June 23, 1738, at Cheshunt, Herts, where his father kept a school. He received a good education; but not liking the business to which he was apprenticed, he entered the Royal Navy. Having been severely wounded in a battle with the French fleet off Port Lagos, in 1759, he was obliged to retire from active service. A sermon by Dr. Watts, read to him about this time, led to his conversion. He joined the Baptist Church in Eagle Street, London, then under the care of Dr. Gifford, and shortly afterwards opened a school, which for several years he conducted with great success. Having begun to preach, he received, in 1767, a call to become pastor of the Baptist church at Watford. Thence, in 1772, he removed to Byrom Street, Liverpool, where he gathered a large congregation, and for 27 years was remarkably popular and useful. After a long and painful illness he died July 17, 1799. Most of Medley's hymns were first printed on leaflets or in magazines (the Gospel Magazine being one). They appeared in book form as:— (1) Hymns, &c. Bradford, 1785. This contains 42 hymns. (2) Hymns on Select Portions of Scripture by the Rev. Mr. Medley. 2nd ed. Bristol. W. Pine. 1785. This contains 34 hymns, and differs much from the Bradford edition both in the text and in the order of the hymns. (3) An enlargement of the same in 1787. (4) A small collection of new Hymns, London, 1794. This contains 23 hymns. (5) Hymns. The Public Worship and Private Devotion of True Christians Assisted in some thoughts in Verse; principally drawn from Select Passages of the Word of God. By Samuel Medley. London. Printed for J. Johnson. 1800. A few of his hymns are also found in a Collection for the use of All Denominations, published in London in 1782. Medley's hymns have been very popular in his own denomination, particularly among the more Calvinistic churches. In Denham's Selections there are 48, and in J. Stevens's Selections, 30. Their charm consists less in their poetry than in the warmth and occasional pathos with which they give expression to Christian experience. In most of them also there is a refrain in the last line of each verse which is often effective. Those in common use include:— 1. Come, join ye saints, with heart and voice. (1800). Complete in Christ. 2. Death is no more among our foes. Easter. 3. Eternal Sovereign Lord of all. (1789). Praise for Providential Care. 4. Far, far beyond these lower skies. (1789). Jesus, the Forerunner. 5. Father of mercies, God of love, whose kind, &c. (1789.) New Year. 6. Great God, today Thy grace impart. Sermon. 7. Hear, gracious God! a sinner's cry. (1789). Lent. 8. In heaven the rapturous song began. Christmas. 9. Jesus, engrave it on my heart. (1789). Jesus, Needful to all. 10. Mortals, awake, with angels join. (1782). Christmas. 11. My soul, arise in joyful lays. (1789). Joy in God. 12. Now, in a song of grateful praise. Praise to Jesus. In the Gospel Magazine, June, 1776. 13. O could I speak the matchless worth. (1789.) Praise of Jesus. 14. O for a bright celestial ray. Lent. 15. O God, Thy mercy, vast and free. (1800). Dedication of Self to God. 16. O let us tell the matchless love. Praise to Jesus. 17. O what amazing words of grace. (1789). Foutain of Living Waters. 18. Saints die, and we should gently weep. (1800). Death and Burial. From his "Dearest of Names, Our Lord and King." 19. See a poor sinner, dearest Lord. Lent. 20. Sing the dear Saviour's glorious fame. (1789). Jesus the Breaker of bonds. In 1800 a Memoir of Medley was published by his son, which is regarded by members of the family now living as authoritative. But in 1833 appeared another Memoir by Medley's daughter Sarah, to which are appended 52 hymns for use on Sacramental occasions. These she gives as her father's. But 8 of them are undoubtedly by Thos. Kelly, published by him in 1815, and reprinted in subsequent editions of his Hymns. The remainder are by Medley. Nearly all of these 52 hymns (both Medley's and Kelly's) have been altered in order to adapt them to Sacramental use. In Sarah Medley's volume, Kelly's hymns all follow one another, and three of them are in a metre which Medley apparently never used. What could have been Sarah Medley's motive in all this it is hard to divine. She is said to have been a clever, though unamiable woman, and was herself the author of a small volume of Poems published in 1807. In the Memoir she does not conceal her hatred of her brother. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

John Newton

1725 - 1807 Hymnal Number: 39 Author of "Afflictions, Though They Seem Severe" in The Cyber Hymnal John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumul­tuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide-surveyor in Liverpool, England, Newton came under the influence of George Whitefield and John and Charles Wesley and began to study for the ministry. He was ordained in the Church of England and served in Olney (1764-1780) and St. Mary Woolnoth, London (1780-1807). His legacy to the Christian church includes his hymns as well as his collaboration with William Cowper (PHH 434) in publishing Olney Hymns (1779), to which Newton contributed 280 hymns, including “Amazing Grace.” Bert Polman ================== Newton, John, who was born in London, July 24, 1725, and died there Dec. 21, 1807, occupied an unique position among the founders of the Evangelical School, due as much to the romance of his young life and the striking history of his conversion, as to his force of character. His mother, a pious Dissenter, stored his childish mind with Scripture, but died when he was seven years old. At the age of eleven, after two years' schooling, during which he learned the rudiments of Latin, he went to sea with his father. His life at sea teems with wonderful escapes, vivid dreams, and sailor recklessness. He grew into an abandoned and godless sailor. The religious fits of his boyhood changed into settled infidelity, through the study of Shaftesbury and the instruction of one of his comrades. Disappointing repeatedly the plans of his father, he was flogged as a deserter from the navy, and for fifteen months lived, half-starved and ill-treated, in abject degradation under a slave-dealer in Africa. The one restraining influence of his life was his faithful love for his future wife, Mary Catlett, formed when he was seventeen, and she only in her fourteenth year. A chance reading of Thomas à Kempis sowed the seed of his conversion; which quickened under the awful contemplations of a night spent in steering a water-logged vessel in the face of apparent death (1748). He was then twenty-three. The six following years, during which he commanded a slave ship, matured his Christian belief. Nine years more, spent chiefly at Liverpool, in intercourse with Whitefield, Wesley, and Nonconformists, in the study of Hebrew and Greek, in exercises of devotion and occasional preaching among the Dissenters, elapsed before his ordination to the curacy of Olney, Bucks (1764). The Olney period was the most fruitful of his life. His zeal in pastoral visiting, preaching and prayer-meetings was unwearied. He formed his lifelong friendship with Cowper, and became the spiritual father of Scott the commentator. At Olney his best works—-Omicron's Letters (1774); Olney Hymns (1779); Cardiphonia, written from Olney, though published 1781—were composed. As rector of St. Mary Woolnoth, London, in the centre of the Evangelical movement (1780-1807) his zeal was as ardent as before. In 1805, when no longer able to read his text, his reply when pressed to discontinue preaching, was, "What, shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak!" The story of his sins and his conversion, published by himself, and the subject of lifelong allusion, was the base of his influence; but it would have been little but for the vigour of his mind (shown even in Africa by his reading Euclid drawing its figures on the sand), his warm heart, candour, tolerance, and piety. These qualities gained him the friendship of Hannah More, Cecil, Wilberforce, and others; and his renown as a guide in experimental religion made him the centre of a host of inquirers, with whom he maintained patient, loving, and generally judicious correspondence, of which a monument remains in the often beautiful letters of Cardiphonia. As a hymnwriter, Montgomery says that he was distanced by Cowper. But Lord Selborne's contrast of the "manliness" of Newton and the "tenderness" of Cowper is far juster. A comparison of the hymns of both in The Book of Praise will show no great inequality between them. Amid much that is bald, tame, and matter-of-fact, his rich acquaintance with Scripture, knowledge of the heart, directness and force, and a certain sailor imagination, tell strongly. The one splendid hymn of praise, "Glorious things of thee are spoken," in the Olney collection, is his. "One there is above all others" has a depth of realizing love, sustained excellence of expression, and ease of development. "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds" is in Scriptural richness superior, and in structure, cadence, and almost tenderness, equal to Cowper's "Oh! for a closer walk with God." The most characteristic hymns are those which depict in the language of intense humiliation his mourning for the abiding sins of his regenerate life, and the sense of the withdrawal of God's face, coincident with the never-failing conviction of acceptance in The Beloved. The feeling may be seen in the speeches, writings, and diaries of his whole life. [Rev. H. Leigh Bennett, M.A.] A large number of Newton's hymns have some personal history connected with them, or were associated with circumstances of importance. These are annotated under their respective first lines. Of the rest, the known history of which is confined to the fact that they appeared in the Olney Hymns, 1779, the following are in common use:— 1. Be still, my heart, these anxious cares. Conflict. 2. Begone, unbelief, my Saviour is near. Trust. 3. By the poor widow's oil and meal. Providence. 4. Chief Shepherd of Thy chosen sheep. On behalf of Ministers. 5. Darkness overspreads us here. Hope. 6. Does the Gospel-word proclaim. Rest in Christ. 7. Fix my heart and eyes on Thine. True Happiness. 8. From Egypt lately freed. The Pilgrim's Song. 9. He Who on earth as man was Known. Christ the Rock. 10. How blest are they to whom the Lord. Gospel Privileges. 11. How blest the righteous are. Death of the Righteous. 12. How lost was my [our] condition. Christ the Physician. 13. How tedious and tasteless the hours. Fellowship with Christ. 14. How welcome to the saints [soul] when pressed. Sunday. 15. Hungry, and faint, and poor. Before Sermon. 16. In mercy, not in wrath, rebuke. Pleading for Mercy. 17. In themselves, as weak as worms. Power of Prayer. 18. Incarnate God, the soul that knows. The Believer's Safety. 19. Jesus, Who bought us with His blood. The God of Israel. "Teach us, 0 Lord, aright to plead," is from this hymn. 20. Joy is a [the] fruit that will not grow. Joy. 21. Let hearts and tongues unite. Close of the Year. From this "Now, through another year," is taken. 22. Let us adore the grace that seeks. New Year. 23. Mary to her [the] Saviour's tomb. Easter. 24. Mercy, 0 Thou Son of David. Blind Bartimeus. 25. My harp untun'd and laid aside. Hoping for a Revival. From this "While I to grief my soul gave way" is taken. 26. Nay, I cannot let thee go. Prayer. Sometimes, "Lord, I cannot let Thee go." 27. Now may He Who from the dead. After Sermon. 28. 0 happy they who know the Lord, With whom He deigns to dwell. Gospel Privilege. 29. O Lord, how vile am I. Lent. 30. On man in His own Image made. Adam. 31. 0 speak that gracious word again. Peace through Pardon. 32. Our Lord, Who knows full well. The Importunate Widow. Sometimes altered to "Jesus, Who knows full well," and again, "The Lord, Who truly knows." 33. Physician of my sin-sick soul. Lent. 34. Pleasing spring again is here. Spring. 35. Poor, weak, and worthless, though I am. Jesus the Friend. 36. Prepare a thankful song. Praise to Jesus. 37. Refreshed by the bread and wine. Holy Communion. Sometimes given as "Refreshed by sacred bread and wine." 38. Rejoice, believer, in the Lord. Sometimes “Let us rejoice in Christ the Lord." Perseverance. 39. Salvation, what a glorious plan. Salvation. 40. Saviour, shine and cheer my soul. Trust in Jesus. The cento "Once I thought my mountain strong," is from this hymn. 41. Saviour, visit Thy plantation. Prayer for the Church. 42. See another year [week] is gone. Uncertainty of Life. 43. See the corn again in ear. Harvest. 44. Sinner, art thou still secure? Preparation for the Future. 45. Sinners, hear the [thy] Saviour's call. Invitation. 46. Sovereign grace has power alone. The two Malefactors. 47. Stop, poor sinner, stop and think. Caution and Alarm. 48. Sweeter sounds than music knows. Christmas. 49. Sweet was the time when first I felt. Joy in Believing. 50. Ten thousand talents once I owed. Forgiveness and Peace. 51. The grass and flowers, which clothe the field. Hay-time. 52. The peace which God alone reveals. Close of Service. 53. Thy promise, Lord, and Thy command. Before Sermon. 54. Time, by moments, steals away. The New Year. 55. To Thee our wants are known. Close of Divine Service. 56. We seek a rest beyond the skies. Heaven anticipated. 57. When any turn from Zion's way. Jesus only. 58. When Israel, by divine command. God, the Guide and Sustainer of Life. 59. With Israel's God who can compare? After Sermon. 60. Yes, since God Himself has said it. Confidence. 61. Zion, the city of our God. Journeying Zionward. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================= Newton, J., p. 803, i. Another hymn in common use from the Olney Hymns, 1779, is "Let me dwell on Golgotha" (Holy Communion). --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) ----- John Newton was born in London, July 24, 1725. His mother died when he was seven years old. In his eleventh year he accompanied his father, a sea captain, on a voyage. For several years his life was one of dissipation and crime. He was disgraced while in the navy. Afterwards he engaged in the slave trade. Returning to England in 1748, the vessel was nearly wrecked in a storm. This peril forced solemn reflection upon him, and from that time he was a changed man. It was six years, however, before he relinquished the slave trade, which was not then regarded as an unlawful occupation. But in 1754, he gave up sea-faring life, and holding some favourable civil position, began also religious work. In 1764, in his thirty-ninth year, he entered upon a regular ministry as the Curate of Olney. In this position he had intimate intercourse with Cowper, and with him produced the "Olney Hymns." In 1779, Newton became Rector of S. Mary Woolnoth, in London, in which position he became more widely known. It was here he died, Dec. 21, 1807, His published works are quite numerous, consisting of sermons, letters, devotional aids, and hymns. He calls his hymns "The fruit and expression of his own experience." --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872 See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church =======================

John Mason

1645 - 1694 Hymnal Number: 576 Author of "Blest Day of God, Most Calm, Most Bright" in The Cyber Hymnal Mason, John. The known facts of his life are scanty. He was the son of a Dissenting Minister, and the grandfather of John Mason, the author of A Treatise on Self-Knowledge. He was educated at Strixton School, Northants, and Clare Hall, Cambridge. After taking his M.A., he became Curate of Isham; and in 1668, Vicar of Stantonbury, Bucks. A little more than five years afterwards he was appointed Rector of Water-Stratford. Here he composed the volume containing The Songs of Praise, his paraphrase of The Song of Solomon, and the Poem on Dives and Lazarus, with which Shepherd's Penitential Cries was afterwards bound up. This volume passed through twenty editions. Besides the Songs of Praise, it contains six Penitential Cries by Mason, and it is this portion of his work which harmonizes with the compositions of Shepherd. Probably his hymns were used in public worship, and if so, they are among the earliest hymns so used in the Church of England. Some of his hymns are often found in the early Hymn Collections of the 18th century. The most notable work besides this volume is Select Remains of the Rev, John Mason, a collection of sententious and practical sayings and Christian letters, published by his grandson, and much eulogized by Dr. Watts. His friend, Shepherd, who was at Water-Stratford at the remarkable period to which reference is made below, published two of Mason's Sermons, with a preface of his own. Mason was a man of true piety and humility; known for eminent prayerfulness; faithful, experimental, effectual preaching; "a light in the pulpit, and a pattern out of it." His friendship with Baxter, and Shepherd, the Nonconformist Minister of Braintree, probably indicates his sympathies and theological position. Baxter calls him "the glory of the Church of England," and says :— "The frame of his spirit was so heavenly, his deportment so humble and obliging, his discourse of spiritual things so weighty, with such apt words and delightful air, that it charmed all that had any spiritual relish.” The close of his life was sensational enough. One night, about a month before his death, he had a vision of the Lord Jesus, wearing on His head a glorious crown, and with a look of unutterable majesty in His face. Of this vision he spoke; and preached a Sermon called The Midnight Cry, in which he proclaimed the near approach of Christ's Second Advent. A report spread that this Advent would take place at Water-Stratford itself, and crowds gathered there from the surrounding villages. Furniture and provisions were brought in, and every corner of the house and village occupied. Most extraordinary scenes occurred, singing and leaping and dancing. The excitement had scarcely died out when the old man passed away (1694), still testifying that he had seen the Lord, and that it was time for the nation to tremble, and for Christians to trim their lamps. His last words were, “I am full of the loving kindness of the Lord." [Rev. H. Leigh Bennett, M.A.] The full titles of his Songs of Praise, and the additions thereto, are:— (1) Spiritual Songs; or, Songs of Praise to Almighty God upon several occasions, 1683. (2) The Song of Songs which is Solomon's first Turned, then Paraphrased in English Verse. Published with the former. (3) Dives and Lazarus, incorporated with the former 1685. (4) Penitential Cries, Begun by the Author of the Songs of Praise, And carried on by another Hand. Licensed and Entered, Sept. 13, 1693. This forms the concluding part of all editions of the Songs of Praise after 1693. The complete work was reprinted by D. Sedgwick in 1859. This reprint was accompanied by a short Memoir. In this reprint Mason's Penitential Cries and Ps. 86 are given under Songs of Praise, pp. 49-61, those under Penitential Cries being all by Shepherd (q.v.). Mason's Life, by John Dunton, was published in 1694, and included some miscellaneous poems; and another, by Henry Maurice, in 1695, in which are two hymns not found elsewhere. We may add that Mason published a Catechism, with some Verses for Children. Of this, however, no copy is known to exist. Mason's Songs are commonly presented in modern hymnbooks in the form of centos, which are sometimes compiled from a single Song, and in other instances from several Songs. Many of these are annotated under their respective first lines. The rest include:— 1. Blest be my God that I was born. Praise for the Gospel. 2. Lord, for the mercies of the night. Morning. 3. Lord of my life, Length of my days. Praise for Deliverance from Immediate danger of Death. 4. My God, a God of pardon is. Praise for Pardon of Sin. 5. My God, my only Help and Hope. Praise for Providence. 6. My God, my reconciled God. Praise for Peace of Conscience. 7. My God was with me all this night. Morning. 8. Thou wast, 0 God; and Thou wast blest. Praise for Creation. 9. Thousands of thousands stand around. Praise. A cento from Songs i. and ii. In Griffith, Farran & Co.'s Ancient and Modern Library, No. 12, Giles Fletcher's Christ's Victory and Triumph, &c, 1888, p. 208 (edited by W. T. Brooke), a short hymn by Mason is given from Multum in Parvo: or the Jubilee of Jubilees, 1732, beginning "High praises meet and dwell within." It is an indifferent example of Mason's powers as a writer of sacred verse. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ==================== Mason, J., p. 716, ii. Mason's Midnight Cry, stated on p. 717, i. as having been preached in 1694, was delivered in 1691. The 1st ed. of this sermon is:— “The Midnight Cry. A Sermon Preached On the Parable of the Ten Virgins . . . . By J. M., M.A., Rector of W. in the County of B., London: Nathanael Ranew . . 1691. This edition has no hymns. To the 4th ed. in 1692, published by the same Nathanael Ranew, there was added:— The Fourth Edition, with the Addition of two Hymns for the Coming of Christ. By the same Author. The first of these hymns begins:— "The evening of the Day Portends a dismal night," and is in 12 stanzas of 8 lines. The second hymn is:— "Come, come, my dearest, dearest Lord, Make haste and come away." This is in 14 stanzas of 4 lines. Of the first and fifth eds. there are copies in the Brit. Museum, and of the first in the Julian Collection of the Church House, London. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Russell Kelso Carter

1849 - 1928 Person Name: R. Kelso Carter Hymnal Number: 653 Author of "Breathe upon Us" in The Cyber Hymnal Russel Kelso Carter was a professor in the Pennsylvania Military College of Chester. While there he was licensed to preach by the Methodist Episcopal Church. He became very active in leading camp meetings and revivals. After failing health forced him to abandon this work, he studied and became a medical doctor as well as a writer. He wrote novels as well as hymns. Dianne Shapiro, from "The Singers and Their Songs: sketches of living gospel hymn writers" by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (Chicago: The Rodeheaver Company, 1916)

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