Here, Lord of Life and Light

Author: Leonard Bacon

Leonard Bacon, D.D., was born in Detroit (where his father was a missionary to the Indians), February 19, 1802, and educated at Yale college and at Andover. In 1825 he was ordained Pastor of the Centre Church, New Haven, and retained that charge until 1866, when he was appointed Professor of Theology in Yale Divinity School. This professorship he resigned in 1871; but till his death in 1881, he was Lecturer on Church Polity. He died December 23, 1881. Dr. Bacon rendered important service to hymnology both as writer and compiler. While a student at Andover, he edited an important and now rare tract entitled Hymns and Sacred Songs for the Monthly Concert [of Prayer for Missions], Andover, September 1823. This contained the three hymns fo… Go to person page >

In 1845 Dr. Bacon was joint compiler with Dr. E. T. Fitch, and several others, of Psalms & Hymns for Christian Use and Worship,, published "by the General Association of Connecticut."
To this collection he contributed the four hymns following:-

Here, Lord of life and light, to Thee. Institution of a Minister. This was written March 9, 1825, for his installation as pastor of the First Church, New Haven, and first published as above, No. 559, in 4 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed "Ordination in an ancient New England Church."

--Excerpt from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)