Johan Hjertén, an obscure country pastor at Hellstad, was the author of six hymns in the “Psalm-book,” among them the devotional hymn, “Jesus, in my walk and living.” It is said that the artless simplicity of his hymns provided an excellent pattern for the other writers of his day, many of whom were fond of the grandiloquent phrases so characteristic of the rationalist hymnody.
The last name of this group we would mention is that of a layman, Per Olof Nyström. This man, who was a high naval officer, wrote many excellent hymns, among them a devotional lyric that for more than a hundred years has been cherished almost as a national prayer by the pious folk of Sweden. Its first stanza reads:
O Fount of truth and mercy,
Thy promise cannot fail;
What Thou hast said must ever
In heaven and earth prevail;
“Call upon Me in trouble,
And I will help afford.”
Yea, to my latest moment,
I’ll call upon Thee, Lord.