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Samuel Wesley

1662 - 1735 Hymnal Number: d110 Author of "Behold the Savior of mankind" in Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Father of Samuel Wesley, John Wesley, and Charles Wesley. See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church ====================================================================================================== Samuel Wesley, M.A., the elder, was born in 1662 at Whitchurch in Dorsetshire, of which parish his father, John Wesley, was Vicar until the Act of Uniformity caused him to resign his living. He was educated at a Dissenting academy by a Mr. Morton, and was designed for the Nonconformist Ministry. But having been, on account of his talents, selected as a champion to defend the dissenters against some severe invectives, and having commenced a course of controversial reading for this purpose, he was led by his studies to embrace the opposite views, and became, and continued through life, a pronounced churchman. With the impetuosity which was a family trait, he set forth on foot to Oxford, and entered himself at Exeter College. In spite of his straitened means, he managed to keep his terms and take his degrees at the University. He then received Holy Orders and took a curacy of £28 a year. Having held this curacy for a year, he obtained a naval chaplaincy, and then took another curacy in London. About the year 1690 he married Susanna, daughter of Dr. Annesley, a famous Nonconformist minister, and a scion of the noble house of Anglesey. The wife, like the husband, had been brought up as a dissenter, but at the early age of 13 she had come over to the Church of England, and was afterwards a Jacobite in politics. In 1693 Mr. Wesley was presented to the living of South Ormsby in Lincolnshire. He was also chaplain to the Marquis of Normandy, afterwards Duke of Buckingham. In 1697 he was appointed by the Crown to the Rectory of Epworth, and there he spent the remainder of his life, nearly forty years. The first part of his residence at Epworth was marked by a series of troubles arising partly from his pecuniary embarrassments, which increased with his increasing family, partly from the animosity of his parishioners, who resented the part which he felt it his duty to take, as a staunch churchman, in politics, and partly from unfortunate accidents. These troubles reached their climax in 1705, when he was thrown into Lincoln gaol for debt. They are graphically described by his own pen. "I have been thrown behind," he writes to his good friends at Oxford, "by a series of misfortunes. My Parsonage Barn was blown down ere I had recovered the Taking my Living; My House great part of it burnt down about 2 years since. My Flax, great part of my Income now in my own Hands, I doubt wilfully fir'd and burnt in ye night, whilst I was last in London. My Income sunk about one half by the low price of Grain and my credit lost by the taking away my Regiment. I was brought to Lincoln Castle June 23rd last past. About 3 weeks since my very unkind People, thinking they had not yet done enough, have in ye night stabbed my 3 cows, wch were a great part of my poor Numerous Family's Subsistence.—For wch God forgive them." Some points in this letter require explanation. When he speaks of being in London, he means on Convocation business; for he was elected Proctor for the Diocese, and in one of his absences Mrs. Wesley instituted those religious meetings at the Rectory which are thought by some to have been the precursors of the Wesleyan Society Meetings. “His Regiment" was a Chaplaincy in the army which had been given him in reward for a poem in praise of the Duke of Marlborough. The last and worst of the many fires through which he suffered was in 1709, when the rectory was entirely burnt down, and the present house erected in its place. The latter part of his time at Epworth was more free from troubles. He met with many generous friends who enabled him to emerge from his pecuniary difficulties, the firmest and most constant of these friends being the admirable Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sharp; his sons grew up to be a comfort and a credit to him; his income was slightly increased by the addition of the neighbouring living of Wroot; and his parishioners gradually became more tractable. The annoyance caused by the famous Epworth Ghost can scarcely be reckoned among his serious troubles. In 1731 he met with an accident which probably hastened his end, and in 1735 he passed away and was buried in Epworth churchyard, leaving behind him the character of an excellent parish priest, a good husband and father, and a man of very considerable abilities and attainments. Mr. Wesley was a somewhat voluminous writer. His first publication was a volume of poems bearing the unpromising, not to say repulsive, title of Maggots. It appeared in 1685. In 1691 he became the clerical correspondent to the Athenian Gazette (afterwards Mercury) published by his brother-in-law, John Dunton. In 1693 appeared an Heroic Poem on the Life of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This was dedicated to Queen Mary, and led to his appointment to the living of Epworth. In 1695 he published Elegies on Queen Mary and Archbishop Tillotson; and in 1698 A Sermon preached before the Society for the Reformation of Manners. The Elegies are rather fulsome and in bad taste according to the standard of the present day; but it should be remembered that high-flown panegyrics were the fashion of the age. The Sermon is a spirited and energetic defence of the "Societies," which were regarded with some suspicion by many high-churchmen, but of which Mr. Wesley, like his friend Robert Nelson, was a warm supporter. In 1700 he published The Pious Communicant rightly prepared; or a Discourse concerning the Blessed Sacrament, &c, With Prayers and Hymns suited to the several parts of that holy office. To which is added A short Discourse of Baptism. In this work appeared his version of the "Great Hallel" or "Paschal Hymn." In 1704 he published The History of the Old and New Testaments in Verse, in three volumes, which he dedicated to Queen Anne. This, like his Life of Christ, was illustrated with numerous and costly engravings. In 1705 he published a poem of nearly 600 lines on the "Battle of Blenheim," entitled Maryborough, or The Fate of Europe. For this he was rewarded with the Chaplaincy of Colonel Lepell's regiment; but his political enemies at Epworth soon succeeded in getting him deprived of this office. In 1707 appeared A Reply to Mr. Palmer's Vindication of the Learning, Loyalty, Morals, and most Christian Behaviour of the Dissenters towards the Church of England. This originated in the publication, without his consent or knowledge, of a Letter he wrote to a friend Concerning the Education of the Dissenters in their Private Academies. The letter was attacked anonymously and defended by Mr. Wesley in a pamphlet (1704). The pamphlet was answered by Mr. Palmer. After this, Mr. Wesley's pen seems to have rested for some time; but during the last ten years of his life he was engaged in his elaborate Dissertation on the Book of Job, his incessant labours upon which are said to have hastened his end. This work was dedicated to Queen Caroline, the wife of George II., and presented to her by John Wesley some months after the author's death. Perhaps if he had written less, and spent more time in elaborating what he did write, he might have been more successful; but, after all, the "Divine afflatus" must have been wanting; and the best service which he rendered to sacred poetry was in being father of his children. Two of his hymns are in common use:— 1. Behold the Saviour of mankind. 2. 0 Thou Who, when I did complain. -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Elizabeth Scott

1708 - 1776 Hymnal Number: d14 Author of "All hail, incarnate God, the wondrous things foretold" in Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Scott, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Scott, Independent Minister at Norwich, and sister of Thomas Scott, noted below, was born at Norwich about 1708. In 1751 she was married to Elisha Williams, who had been from 1726 to 1739 Rector of Yale College, U.S.A., and with him she proceeded to Connecticut. On the death of Mr. Williams she was married to the Hon. William Smith, of New York, who also predeceased her. She died at Wethersfield, Connecticut, June 13th, 1776. In connection with Miss Scott's hymns we are acquainted directly and indirectly with four manuscripts, each of which is interesting in itself. These are as follows:— i. The first manuscript is in the library of Yale College, New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. Franklin Bowditch Dexter, M.A., Assistant Librarian, has tabulated the hymns in this ms. for this Dictionary. He says (Jan. 29, 1889): "The label on the back of this volume is 'Hymns & Poems by Eliz. Scott.' There is no title to the ms. pages. Prefixed to the Hymns and Poems there is, however, a long and very tenderly written dedication (in prose) 'To my much Rever'd, much Lov'd, Father,' this signed ‘E. S.' and dated 1740. Then follows (without numbers) the Hymns with titles and first lines as below." Mr. Dexter adds on the first lines and the titles of 90 hymns. ii. The second manuscript is in our possession. It is headed "Poems on Several Occasion's by Miss Scott of Norwich, who married to Mr. Williams of New England, January 1750/1." Then follow 26 hymns in full. At the end this is written, "These transcribed from Mrs. Williams' Manuscript, Feb. 27, 1751, the week before she left Norwich to go to New England." The whole of these 26 hymns are in the Yale College manuscript. iii. The third manuscript we have consulted contains 8 hymns which are prefaced with these words, "Copied from a book of Mrs. Bury's, written by her Aunt Miss Elizabeth Scott, afterwards Mrs. Williamson." iv. In Dr. Dodd's Christian's Magazine for Dec. 1763 we find a writer who signs himself "CL—T." He had at that time a ms. of Miss Scott's hymns with a Dedication to her father prefixed thereto and signed "Eliz Scott." From this ms. he sent "Why droops my soul with guilt oppressed" (Christ, the Great Physician) to the Dec. number of the magazine; "Evil and few our mortal days" (Vanity of human Life), to the Feb. number, 1764, and "What finite power with ceaseless toil" (Praise for Temporal Blessings), to the April number of the same year. From these facts it is clear that before departing for America Miss Scott allowed copies of her hymns to be made from her manuscript, and it was mainly from these copies that those of her hymns composed before her marriage were printed in the English hymnbooks. None of those hymns date later than 1750. The collections in which they appeared, and through which they came into common use were the Bristol Baptist Collection of Ash and Evans, 1769, and the New Selection, &c, by J. Dobell, 1806. In Ash and Evans there are 19 hymns, signed "S.," all of which are in the Yale College manyuscruot under the same first lines except "Was it for man, apostate man ?" but this also may possibly be there under another first line. In Dobell there are 20 hymns signed " Scott” of which 17 are in the Yale College ms., 2 are parts of hymns from Ash and Evans, also in that manuscript, and "Sole Sovereign of the earth and skies," also probably in the ms. under another first line. Of the 90 hymns in the Yale ms., in addition there are also in common use:— i. From Ash and Evans's Collection of Hymns, 1769. 1. God of my life, to Thee belongs. On Recovery from Sickness. 2. My God, shall I for ever mourn? Covenant-keeping God. From this "Shall e'er the shadow of a change?" is taken (st. iii.). 3. When Abram full of sacred awe. For a Fast Day. Sometimes, “Thus Abram, full of sacred awe." 4. Why, O my heart, these anxious cares? Submis-sion. ii. From J. Dobell's New Selection, &c, 1806. 5. Dare we indulge to wrath and strife? Against Wrath. 6. Eternal Spirit, 'twas Thy breath. Whitsuntide. 7. For ever shall my fainting soul. Against grieving the Holy Spirit. Sometimes "0 Lord, and shall our fainting souls?" 8. Great God, Thy penetrating eye. God All and in All. 9. The glitt'ring spangles of the sky. The Mercies of God. 10. Thy bounties, gracious Lord. Offertory. 11. Where'er the Lord shall build my house. Family Religion. --Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================ Scott, Elizabeth, p. 1019, ii. Another of her hymns in common use from the Collection of Ash & Evans, 1769, No. 393, “The Lord of love will sure indulge," is given in some American hymnals as "The God of mercy will indulge" (Death of Parents), with the name of "Fawcett" prefixed in error. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Henry Ustick Onderdonk

1789 - 1858 Hymnal Number: d132 Author of "Blest be thou, the [O] God of Isr'l" in Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Henry Ustick Onderdonk, Bishop of Pennsylvania, was born in New York, March 16, 1789, and educated at Columbia College, B.A. 1805, M.A. 1808, D.D. 1827. Having decided to devote his life to medicine, he studied first in London and then in Edinburgh, receiving his M.D. from that university in 1810. Returning to New York, he began to study theology under Bishop Hobart and was ordained in 1815. He was rector of St. Ann's, Brooklyn, until 1827 when, following a famous controversy, he was elected bishop coadjutor of Pennsylvania, becoming diocesan in 1836 upon the death of Bishop White. He, with W.A. Muhlenberg, q.v., was influential on the committee appointed by General Convention to prepare the so-called Prayer Book Collection, 1826. The two men were also instrumental in the publication of the volume known as Plain Music for the Book of Common Prayer, in 1854. These books served until the Hymnal of 1874. Although some metrical psalms were included in the Prayer Book Collection, the book marked the change in America from psalmody to hymnody. Onderdonk contributed nine hymns, of which only one survives. He also wrote several works on the episcopacy. His weakness for alcohol necessitated his resignation in 1844, but his life from then on was so exemplary that he was restored to his bishopric two years before his death, which occurred in Philadelphia on December 6, 1858. --The Hymnal 1940 Companion ================================================ Onderdonk, Henry Ustic, D.D., was born in New York, March 16, 1789, and educated at Columbia College. Taking Holy Orders, he was for some time Rector of St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn, New York. On the 27th Oct., 1827, he was consecrated at Philadelphia, and acted as Assistant Bishop of Philadelphia to Bishop White from that date to 1836, when upon the death of Bishop White, he entered upon the full charge of the diocese. He was suspended by the House of Bishops on the ground of intemperance in 1844, but restored in 1856. He died in Philadelphia, Dec. 6th, 1858. Without Bishop Doane's commanding talents, he yet rendered large and useful service to hymnody as author and compiler. He was a member (and apparently a leading one) of the Committee which compiled the American Prayer Book Collection of 1826 and was by far the largest contributor thereto. Apart from hymnwriting, so far as we know, he wrote nothing in verse. His original hymns contributed to the Prayer Book Collection, 1826, are:— 1. Although the vine its fruit deny. Confidence in God. A paraphrase of Hab. iii. 17-19. 2. Blest be Thou, the God of Israel. Praise. A paraphrase of 1 Chron. xxix. 10-13. 3. How wondrous and great. Missions. A paraphrase of Rev. xv. 3, 4, being the Song of Moses and of the Lamb. 4. On Zion, and on Lebanon. Missions. Based on the text, Is. xxxv. 2. 5. Seek, my soul, the narrow gate. The Narrow Way. A paraphrase of St. Luke xiii. 24-27. 6. Sinner, rouse thee from thy sleep. Exhortation to awake out of sin. Based upon Eph. v. 14-17. 7. The Spirit in our hearts. Invitation. Based upon Rev. xxii. 17-20. This hymn may possibly have been suggested by Dr. Gibbons's "The Spirit in the word," which appeared in Hymns adapted to Divine Worship, 1769, p. 149. Bishop Onderdonk's hymn is in extensive use. Sometimes it is given as "The Spirit to our hearts." 8. Though I should seek to wash me clean. Need of the Mediator. This is not only used in full, but sts. iii.— v. are also used separately as "Ah, not like erring man is God." 9. When, Lord, to this our western land. Missions. This, and No. 4, were given in the Prayer Book Collection. "For Missions to the new Settlements in the United States." In addition to these original hymns, Onderdonk contributed to the same collection the following adaptations from others:— 10. Ah, how shall fallen man? Redemption, This is I. Watts's "How should the sons of Adam's race?" (p. 539. i.), rewritten from the form given to it in the Scottish Translations and Paraphrases, 1781. 11. Heirs of unending life. Trust in God. Of this st. i. is by Onderdonk, and st. ii. and iii. are altered from Beddome's hymn "That we might walk with God." Sometimes given as "Heirs of immortal life." 12. The gentle Saviour calls. Christ accepting Children. This is altered from Doddridge's "See Israel's gentle Shepherd stand." It is sometimes given as "The Saviour kindly calls." [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Benjamin Francis

1734 - 1799 Hymnal Number: d356 Author of "Great King of glory, come" in Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Francis, Benjamin , M.A., was born in Wales in 1734. He was baptized at the age of 15, and began to preach at 19. He studied at the Bristol Baptist College, and commenced his ministry at Sodbury. In 1757 he removed to Horsley (afterwards called Shortwood), in Gloucestershire. There he remained, through a happy and very successful ministry of 42 years, until his death in 1799. He was the author of many poetical compositions :— (1) Conflagration, a Poem in Four Parts, (1770); (2) Elegies on the Deaths of the Revs. George Whitefield , Caleb Evans, Robert Day, and Joshua Thomas; (3) The Association, a Poem (1790); (4) a Poetical Address to the Stockbridge Indians (5) two satirical pieces on the Baptismal controversy; The Salopian Zealot; and The Oracle, the former passing through several editions and being reprinted in America. Francis was the author of five hymns in Rippon's Selections, 1787, all of which are still in common use :— 1. Before Thy throne, eternal King . Meetings of Ministers: or Church Conferences. 2. Glory to the eternal King. Majesty of God. In Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory for Private, Family and Public Worship, 1872. 3. In tweet [loud] exalted strains . Opening of a Place of Worship . This was given in Rippon, No. 338, in 6 st. of 6 1. with the note:—“Sung on opening the Meeting House at Horsley, Gloucestershire, [his Chapel,] September 18, 1774; and also at the opening of the New Meeting House, at Downend, near Bristol, October 4, 1786."This hymn is abbreviated in the Baptist Hymnal, 1879, to 4 stanzas, and begins with st. iii. which is altered to "Come, King of glory, come." No. 1020 in Spurgeon's Our Own Hymnbook is the same arrangement of stanzas altered by Mr. Spurgeon to "Great King of Zion, now." In several American hymnals it reads: "Great King of glory, come." 4. My gracious Redeemer, I love. The love of Christ to Men. In various collections. 5. Praise the Saviour, all ye nations . Offertory. In Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory, 1872, No. 739, "With my substance I will honour," is a cento from this hymn. 6. Ye objects of sense and enjoyments of time . Death. A long hymn of 16 st. of 4 l. given in the new and improved edition of Rippon, 1837, No. 553, Pt. ii. with the heading, "The dying Christian bidding adieu to the world." This hymn had previously appeared in the Baptist Register, 1795. It was as a writer of Welsh hymns, however, that Francis excelled. In 1774 he published his Alleluia, neu Hymnau perthynol i Addoliad Cyhoeddus (Hymns pertaining to Public Worship) To this he contributed 103 hymns. A second volume appeared in 1786, to which he contributed 91 hymns, being a total of 194 in all [D. Sedgwick’s Manuscript]. Of these many are still in common use in Wales, the most popular being:— 1. Clod i'r bendigedig Oen—-a oddefodd. 2. Deffro 'nghalon, deffro 'nghan—-i ddyrchafu. 3. Gwyn fyd y dyn a gred yn Nuw. 4. Arglwydd grasol, clyw fy nghri—-a'm griddfanau. 5. Wele gadarn sylfaen Sion. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

Anne Dutton

1698 - 1765 Hymnal Number: d253 Author of "Faith, 'tis [is] a precious grace" in Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Dutton, Anne, born cir. 1698, died 1765, was a native of Northampton, and at the age of 22 became wife of Benj. Dutton, Baptist minister of Great Gransden, Hunts. In 1743 her husband, on returning from a visit to America, was wrecked and lost near to the English coast. From that time to her death she devoted her time and much of her income to the service of religion. 13 volumes of her letters were published, some being translated into the Dutch language. She was the author of several theological treatises, and in 1734 published a poem entitled, A narrative of the wonders of Grace, in six parts, to which was added A Poem on the special work of the Spirit in the hearts of the Elect, also Sixty-one hymns on several Subjects. These poems and hymns were reprinted in 1833, with a Memoir of the author, by John Andrews Jones. The hymns are prosaic in style, and may be described as short chapters of Calvinistic theology set to rhyme and metre. They have almost entirely passed out of use. One beginning "Faith is a precious grace," not improbably suggested Beddome's well-known hymn with the same first line. And another one "The Soul's joy in God as its Portion" so much resembles, both in thought and expression, Ryland's fine hymn, "0 Lord, I would delight in Thee," that it seems almost certain that, when writing it, he had in his mind, perhaps unconsciously, memories of Mrs. Dutton's composition. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

James Allen

1734 - 1804 Hymnal Number: d302 Author of "Glory to God on high, Let heaven and earth reply" in Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs 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)

P. H. Brown

1783 - 1861 Person Name: Phoebe H. Brown Hymnal Number: d467 Author of "I love awhile to steal away" in Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs 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)

Maria De Fleury

? - 1794 Person Name: Maria DeFleury Hymnal Number: d1204 Author of "Ye angels, who stand round the throne" in Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs De Fleury, Maria (died circa 1794), was an intimate friend of Dr. John Ryland (1753-1815), and resided at one time at 31 Jewin Street, Cripplegate, London. She entered very earnestly into the religious controversies of her day, and wrote several works thereon, including Unrighteous Abuses Detected and Chastised, &c, 1781, Antinomianism Unmasked, &c, 1791, and others. Several of her hymns were published in the Protestant Magazine, 1781-3: 5 in Joseph Middleton's Hymns, 1793; and 2 in Dr. Collyer's Collection, 1812. Her Divine Poems, and Essays on Various Subjects, is dated 1791. From this are taken, (1) "Thou soft flowing Kedron, by thy silver stream" (Sufferings and Glory of Christ), from which hymn the cento "O garden of Olivet, dear honour'd spot" is derived; and (2) "Ye angels who [that] stand round the throne," (Heaven Desired). These hymns have passed into modern use through Collyer's Collection, 1812. The cento "Come, saints, and adore Him, come bow at His feet" (Praise to Christ), in Bickersteth's Christian Psalmody, 1833: Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book, &c, is composed of (st. i.) the chorus of her hymn, "Thou soft flowing Kedron, by thy silver stream," as above in her Divine Poems, 1791, and (st. ii.) a stanza from an unknown source. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Hugh Blair

1718 - 1800 Hymnal Number: d453 Author of "How still and peaceful is [Lord] the grave" in Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Blair, Hugh, D.D., eldest son of John Blair, merchant. Edinburgh, was born at Edinburgh, April 7, 1718. In 1730 he entered the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated M.A. in 1739. In 1742 he was ordained parish minister of Collessie, in Fife, became, in 1743, second minister of the Canongate, Edinburgh, in 1754 minister of Lady Yester's, and in 1758 joint minister of the High Church (now styled St. Giles's Cathedral). In 1762, while still retaining his pastoral charge, he was appointed the first Professor of Rhetoric in the University of Edinburgh—a chair founded for him. He received the degree of D.D. from the University of St. Andrews, in 1757. He died in Edinburgh, Dec. 27, 1800. In 1744 Dr. Blair was appointed a member of the Committee of Assembly which compiled the Translations and Paraphrases of 1745, and in 1775 of that which revised and enlarged them. To him are ascribed by the Rev. W. Thomson and the Rev. Dr. Hew Scott, Nos. 4, 33, 34, 44, of the 1781 collection. He is also credited with the alterations made on Paraphrases 32 and 57, in 1745-51, and on Paraphrase 20, in 1781. The Rev. J. W. Macmeeken would ascribe these 4 Paraphrases to his second cousin, the Rev. Robert Blair, author of The Grave [eldest son of the Rev. David Blair, born in Edinburgh, 1699, ordained Parish minister of Athelstaneford, East Lothian, in 1731,appointed, in 1742,a number of the Committee which compiled the 1745 collection, died at Atholstaneford. Feb. 4, 1746]. Dr. C. Rogers, in his Lyra Britannica (pp. 66 & 664, ed. 1867) holds that, though Dr. Hugh Blair may have altered Paraphrases 44 and 57, neither he, nor Robert Blair, wrote any original hymns. While the weight of opinion and of probability is in favour of Dr. Hugh Blair, no very definite evidence is presented on either side, though the records of the Presbytery of Edinburgh in 1748 show Dr. Hugh Blair as selected to revise Nos. 18 (7 in 1781), 21 (46 in 1781), and probably others. [Rev. James Mears, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Daniel Turner

1710 - 1798 Hymnal Number: d251 Author of "Faith adds new charms to earthly bliss" in Church Melodies, a Collection of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Turner, Daniel, M.A., was born at Blackwater Park, near St. Albans, March 1, 1710. Having received a good classical education, he for some years kept a boarding-school at Hemel Hempstead, but in 1741 he became pastor of the Baptist church, Reading. Thence he removed, in 1748, to Abingdon, and continued pastor of the Baptist church there until his death on Sept. 5, 1798. He was much respected throughout his denomination, and was the friend and correspondent of Robert Robinson, Dr. Rippon, and other eminent men of that day. He probably received the honorary degree of M.A. from the Baptist College, Providence, Rhode Island. Turner was the author of works on Open Communion and Social Religion; also of Short Meditations on Select Portions of Scripture. His Divine Songs, Hymns and other Poems were published in 1747, and his work, Poems Devotional and Moral, was printed for private circulation in 1794. Four of his hymns are in the Bristol Baptist Collection of Ash & Evans (1769), and eight (including the four already named) in Rippon's Baptist Selection 1787). Only the following are now in common use:— 1. Faith adds new charms to earthly bliss (1769). Excellence of Faith. 2. Jesus, full of all compassion (1769). Sinner's appeal to Christ. 3. Lord of hosts, how lovely fair (1787). Divine Worship. Altered in Baptist Psalms and Hymns, 1858, to “Lord of hosts, how bright, how fair!" The well-known hymn "Beyond the glittering starry skies," in its enlarged form of 28 stanzas, was the joint production of Turner and his brother-in-law, the Rev. J. Fanch. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)