When his potion and his pill,
His or none or little skill,
Meet for nothing but to kill,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me,”
one understands why, despite some fine lines, hymnal editors hesitate to use it.
Richard Baxter (1615-1691), chiefly remembered by his Saints’ Everlasting Rest and Call to the Unconverted and a mass of other most useful writings, prepared a metrical psalter which found little response; he also wrote some poetry, but, as a child of his age, delighted in antithesis. One of his books of poetry had as its subtitle The Concordant Discord of a Broken-healed Heart. His hymns, however, are simple in style and make a close approach to the practicable type. Two of them are still largely in use: “Lord, it belongs not to my care” and “Ye holy angels bright.” Had the churches in his day given a fair opportunity, or furnished the inspiration of demand, Baxter might have been one of our great hymnists, superior to Watts in his deeper spirituality.
John Austin (?-1669) wrote some excellent hymns for a book of “Devotions” for family use. Among them is
“Blest be Thy love, dear Lord,
That taught me this sweet way,
Only to love Thee for Thyself