The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-09-10

trumpeC; DlOW, anu jesus. io' u VI IL
SOUL" He was brother of John Wesley,
the founder of NIethodism, who came to
Georgia with him in 1885.
Rev. John Newton has twenty hymns
in this collection. What a strange, event
full life was his. Seized and impressed
for a seaman on board man..of war
when he was OILY nineteen years Of age
deserted-was caught and flogged and de-
graded-deserted again and hired himself
to slave-trading vessel, Four years at
forwards he went back to England and
married Mary Catlctt, tho girl he had
loved for years. He then cquippeda sla-
yer of his own, and shipped negroes from
Africa to the West Indies and made a
fortune. In a few years he became dis
gusted with the business, and studied
Mathematics, Latin, Greek and Hebrew
withouta teacher. About that time West
ley and Whitfield began their great re-
ligious uprising, and be was converted
and Joined them and went TO preaching.
When eighty years old he preached three
times a week, and when urged TO stop on
account of his feeble health, he replied !:
"What! Shall the old African negro
trader and blasphemer stop while he can
speak mop No wonder that the great
change inspired him to writc those beau
full hymns: "Amazing Grace! How
Sweet the Sound" "One There is Above
All Others" "Glorious Things of Thee
Are Spoken, !" Saviour, Visit Thy Plan
tation."
And next comes Cowper-the amiable,
lovable, miserable Cowper-whose life
was spent in alternating between hope
and despair, and was sent several times
To the insane asylum. In his lucid
intervals of hope he composed such
hymns as
"Sometimes a Light Surprises
'There is 6 Fountain Filled with
Blood"
"oh, for Closer Walk With God" and
many others.
James Montgomery, Moravian, has
twenty-three hymns in this book. His
early life was full of trouble. He was
indicted, tried and imprisoned for writing
a ballad on the fall Of The bastile. Soon
after his release he wrote an account Of
the riot at Sheffield, and was again i'm
prisoned. The press had but little free
dom in those days, but his gentle, earnest
Christian character finally won for him
the regard of his enemies, and he was
granted pension by the crown. There
are no hymns in this book or any book
sweeter than his. Such, for instance, as
"Oh, where shall rest be found"
"Prayer is the souls sincere desire" and
"People of the living God," etc.
Addison, too, that stately, polished wsi-
ter of essays, found time and inclination
to pay poetic tribute to his maker. There
is no poetry more majestic than The
hymns beginning, "When all thy mercies,
obi my God," and "The spacious firma-
nent on High" And next wo have He
Der, the gifted bishop Of Calcutta, the
Christian gentleman who never knew a
want but, nevertheless, spent his life in
charity and missionary work. His
world renowned hymn would have i'm
mortalized him if he had written nothing
else.
"From Greenland's Icy Mountains"
still stands as the chief of all missionary
hymns. He wrote others of exquisite
beauty, such as brightest and Best of
the Sons of tho Morning." and "By Cool
Siloam's Shady Rill."
Then there are many other composers
who did not write much, but wrote ex-
ceeding well. There is
'How Firm a Foundation" by George
Keith; "Come Yo Disconsolate," by
Thomas Moore, the poet laureate Of Eng
land; "Awake My Soul" by Medley !;
"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"
by Robert Robinson.
Rev. Augustus Toplady has several
beautiful hymns, but none compare with
his crock of Ages Cleft for Me-" Sir
William Gladstone, the great premier Of
England, was so much impressed with
this hymn that he has translated 1t into
Latin and other languages. Of later
date we find "Nearer My God to Thee"
by Mrs. Adams, an English lady.
The oldest hymn in this book was
written by Thomas Sternholn, in 1919.
He was groom to Henry VIII. The next
oldest is well worth remembrance, for it
was written in 1890 by Thomas Ken, and
has but one verse, and that verse is sung
oftener than any other verse in the world.
It's first line is "Praise God from whom
all blessings fiow." If Thomas Ken is
in the heavenly choir, (and we believe he
ISL what serene comfort does his transla-
ted soul enjoy as i! listens every Sabbath
to his own doxology as it goes up from a
million voices and swells hcavenward
from thousands Of organs all over Chris
tendon.
Then we have hymns from Richard
Baxter, who was Chaplain to Charles II,
and resisted the usurpation of Crom-
well.
And here we have hymns from Mrs.
Charles, the gifted authoress of the
Schonberg Gotta Stories, and from Will
liam Cullen Bryant, our own poet laure-
ate, and Francis S. Key, the author of the
''Star Spangled Banner" and from Mrs.
Sigourney and John Dryden, another
poet laureate of England, and Henry Kirk
White, who died in his twonty-irst year,
but left on his monument "The Star of
Bethlehem" Here, too, is the litany by
Sir Robert Grant. And here are many
hymns from Dr. Muhlenberg, who
wrote, II would not liYe Away"
And now let mo pause to remember
that all these men and women are dead.
Some have been dead 300 years, some 200,
and very many 100, and some for less,
but all are dead. But poetry outlives
prose, and song outlives sermon. 1t
is comforting fact that most all Of the
famous poets have been Christian men
and women and have given to the
Church some of their sweetest and loliest
thoughts in song.
DR.. Oliver w. Holmes and John G..
Whitford are represented in this collcc-
ton.
But hymns without music loso half
tj,o;r hooutv rrbov orn like birds will.