Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1862-01-25
Origin Of Hymns.


ry production, is often the source Of the
highest interest. If we but knew the BIZ
ography Of the sacred songs which are the
favortes of the churches, we might fire.
qucntly see at glance, the explanation of
their powor, and of the strong hold they
have upon the heart. As deep feeling in
the orator kindles deep feeling in his hear.
ers, so the personal experience, of IRE
pressible emotion of the sacred poet, pour
ed fourth in the hymn, perpetuates itself
in the hearts of multitudes, who feel its
power, though they think not of its source.
The deep solemnity of the hymn,
"When rising from thc'bed of death,
O'erwhslmed with guilt and fear"
came, beyond question, from the circum.
stances in which Addison wrote it, just as
he was recovering from dangerous sick
ness, in which he had gone to the very
verge of eternity, and looked over upon
its realities. And so that beautiful and
impressive HYMN OF Cowper,
"God moves in a mysterious way.
His wonders to PERFORM"
had its origin in the mysterious dealings
of God with his own spirit, and in the
faith that, in the darkest hour, could say
"It will all yet be we'll" Both these
hyms were wrought out from the expert
ence of their authors, and thus clothed
with their singular and wonderful power
to thousands, to whom the names, even,
of those authors were never known.
As other illustrations of tho same gene
rel truth, tits said that the beautiful and
touching lines,
II would motive Away"
were written just after the death Of the
lovely and accomplished lady who was
soon to have been the wife of its author
and that it was when Cowper had taken
refuge from terrific storm, in a cottage,
that he penned the hymn,
Jesus, Saviour OF my soul"
We have lately met with the history CT
another hymn-one of Weslsy's-that is
sung in every quarter of the globe; and
though it originated rather in locality,
than personal eaperience, yat.that locality
was such as to give to truth all the viv-
idness of an experience, and clothe its ex~
preston with thrilling and heartfelt
power AT Lands End, on the Western
most point of England, where high and
narrow cliff of granite stretches out into
the Atlantic, while the boundless sea is on
either side, the Bishop Of Litcbfield was
told by his guide, a Cornish miner, "It
was here that Wesley wrote his famous
hymn" "What hymnl' asked the Bish-
op, Surprised at his ignorance, the man
replied, "Why,thc hymn on the sixty.frst
page p as if all the world must, of course.
know what that was. And the prelatc
was struck with the pertipency of the an
ecdote, when he found it was the hymn be-
ginning,
''Lo! narrow neck of land,
Twixt two unbounded ssss l stand.
Secure, nscnsble;
A point of time, O moments space,
Removes me 10 that heavenly place.
Or shuts mo up in hell"
And so, doubtless, almost every striking
and impressive hymn has its history which,
if known, would reveal the secret of its
popularity and power over the SOUL
Such hymns as
"Just as am, without one plea y
''Rise my soul. and stretch thy wings"
"Rock of ages, cleft for me -
aud many others that might be mentioned ,
each probably, had something peculiar il
its origin, clothing it with its peculiar in
terest to Christian hearts and for every
age. Would that all these histories might
be searched and written, and thus made
permanent for the Church. Who will
give US some of them . Boston Recorder.