John and Charles Wesley, following Watts, made enormous use of hymn singing in their evangelistic work, giving the movement for congregational singing a powerful impetus. Charles is said to have composed over 6,000 hymns.
From the Wesleys onward through the 19th century, the hymn writers in England became numerous. The restrictive shackles of psalm singing had been broken and the creative urge to worship in new forms resulted in a vast number of original religious lyrics and the publication of hundreds of hymnbooks. The development can be summarized here only in outline form.
English Hymnody in the Hymnary
Early—17th Century Henry Wotton, 1568-1639, “How happy is he” ([208]) George Herbert, 1593-1633, “Teach me, my God and King” ([226]) John Milton, 1608-74, “Let us with a gladsome mind” ([64]) “How lovely are Thy dwellings fair” ([592]) Thomas Ken, 1637-1711, “Awake, my soul, and with the sun” ([25]) “All praise to Thee, my God, this night” ([33]) “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow” ([618]) Joseph Addison, 1672-1719, “The spacious firmament on high” ([50]) “How are Thy servants blest” ([338]) 18th Century 1. Two Independents: Isaac Watts, 1674-1748, “Father of English Hymnody” “When I survey the wondrous cross” ([105]-6) “Joy to the world! the Lord is come” ([70]) “God is the refuge of His saints” ([257]) and many others Philip Doddridge, 1702-51, “How gentle God’s commands” ([56]) (and [128], [167], [218], [383], [465]) 2. The Wesleys and their Associates: John Wesley, 1703-91, translations ([170], [226], [246], [508], [558]) Charles Wesley, 1707-88, “Bard of Methodism” “Come, Thou long-expected Jesus” ([69]) “Jesus, Lover of my soul” ([158]-9) “Love divine, all loves excelling” ([178]-9) and many others William Williams, 1717-91, “Sweet Singer of Wales” “Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah” ([160]) John Cennick, 1718-55, “Lo, He comes, with clouds” ([130]) “Jesus, my all, to heav’n is gone” ([468]) Thomas Olivers, 1725-99, “The God of Abraham praise” ([14]) Edward Perronet, 1726-92, “All hail the power of Jesus” ([3], [4], [5]) 3. A Calvinistic Antagonist of Wesley Augustus Toplady, 1740-78, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me” ([148]) 4. The Olney Hymnists: John Newton, 1725-1807, “Glorious things of thee” ([274]) “Safely through another week” ([284]) “Amazing grace! how sweet the sound” ([463]) William Cowper, 1731-1800, “God moves in a mysterious way” ([60]) “O for a closer walk with God” ([197]) “There is a fountain filled with blood” ([492]) 5. Others—18th Century: Anne Steele, 1716-78, “Father, whate’er of earthly bliss” ([251]) Joseph Grigg, c. 1720-68, “Behold a Stranger at the door” ([141]) “Jesus, and shall it ever be” ([192]) Robert Robinson, 1735-90, “Mighty God, while angels bless” ([46]) “Come, Thou fount of every blessing” ([189]) John Fawcett, 1740-1817, “Blest be the tie that binds” ([41]) “Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing” ([45]) Modern English—19th Century 1. Earliest: Thomas Kelly, 1769-1854, “Look, ye saints, the sight” ([119]) “Hark, ten thousand harps and voices” ([123]) “On the mountain top appearing” ([336]) James Montgomery, 1771-1854, “Prayer is the soul’s sincere” ([184]) “Angels, from the realms of glory” ([81]) “In the hour of trial” ([195]) and many others Robert Grant, 1779-1838, “O worship the King” ([7]) “Savior, when, in dust to Thee” ([145]) Reginald Heber, 1783-1826, “Holy, holy, holy” ([1]) “Bread of the world in mercy broken” ([304]) “From Greenland’s icy mountains” ([333]) Charlotte Elliott, 1789-1871, “Just as I am, without one plea” ([458]) “O holy Savior, Friend unseen” ([233]) “My God and Father, while I stray” ([245]) Henry Milman, 1791-1868, “Ride on, ride on in majesty” ([101]) John Bowring, 1792-1872, “In the Cross of Christ I glory” ([110]) “Watchman, tell us of the night” ([66]) “God is love; His mercy brightens” ([55]) Henry F. Lyte, 1793-1847, “Abide with me” ([40]) 2. The Oxford Group: John Keble, 1792-1866, “New every morning is the love” ([22]) “Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear” ([30]) Matthew Bridges, 1800-94, “Crown Him with many crowns” ([118]) John Henry Newman, 1801-90, “Lead, kindly light” ([162]-3) Richard Trench, 1807-86, “Lord, what a change within” ([183]) Frederick Faber, 1814-63, “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” ([58]) “Faith of our fathers” ([154]) Mrs. Cecil Frances Alexander, 1823-95, “There is a green hill” ([104]) (Translators of Latin and Greek Hymns) John Chandler, 1806-76, “Christ is our Cornerstone” ([9]) “What star is this” ([87]) Edward Caswall, 1814-78, “Bethlehem, of noblest cities” ([88]) “Jesus, the very thought of Thee” ([155]) John M. Neale, 1818-66, “O come, O come Emmanuel” ([67]) “All glory, laud, and honor” ([100]) 3. Translators of German Hymns: Catherine Winkworth, 1829-78, “Wake, awake for night” ([522]) and 24 others Frances E. Cox, 1812-97, “Sing praise to God” ([512]) “Jesus lives” ([543]) Jane L. Borthwick, 1813-97, “Be still, my soul” ([54]) “My Jesus, as Thou wilt” ([250]) “Jesus, still lead on” ([574]) Sarah Borthwick Findlater, 1823-1907, “O happy home” ([358]) 4. Other Hymnists—19th Century: Christopher Wordsworth, 1807-85, “Gracious Spirit,” ([174]) “O day of rest and gladness” ([285]) Horatius Bonar, 1808-89, “I heard the voice of Jesus say” ([142]) “I lay my sins on Jesus” ([444]) “When the weary, seeking rest” ([203]) and others Alfred Tennyson, 1809-92, “Strong Son of God” ([149]) “Sunset and evening star” ([265]) “Ring out, wild bells” ([379]) Henry Alford, 1810-71, “We walk by faith, and not by sight” ([152]) “Come, ye thankful people, come” ([377]) W. W. How, 1823-97, “O Jesus, Thou art standing” ([144]) “For all the saints who from their labor rest” ([317]) “O Word of God Incarnate” ([289]) and others Godfrey Thring, 1823-1903, “From the Eastern mountains” ([89]) “Thou to whom the sick and dying” ([370]) Adelaide Proctor, 1825-64, “My God, I thank Thee” ([177]) “I do not ask, O Lord” ([471]) Edward H. Bickersteth, 1825-1906, “Peace, perfect peace” ([256]) John Ellerton, 1826-93, “Savior, again to Thy dear name” ([43]) “Now the laborer’s task is o’er” ([315]) “Throned upon the awful tree” ([109]) and others S. Baring-Gould, 1834-1924, “Now the day is over” ([29]) “Onward, Christian soldiers” ([225]) Edwin Hatch, 1835-89, “Breathe on me, breath of God” ([135]) Frances R. Havergal, 1836-79, “Take my life, and let it be” ([215]) “Lord, speak to me, that I may speak” ([296]) “Thou art coming, O my Savior” ([126]) and others Samuel Stone, 1839-1900, “The Church’s one foundation” ([273]) George Matheson, 1842-1906, “O love that wilt not let me go” ([175]) Recent English Hymns Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936, “Father in heav’n” ([401]) Stopford A. Brooke, 1832-1916, “Let the whole creation cry” ([49]) John Oxenham, 1852-1941, “In Christ there is no East” ([320]) “Peace in our time, O Lord” ([357]) Percy Dearmer, 1867-1936, “Remember all God’s children” ([436]) Richard Roberts, 1874—, “For them whose ways” ([166]) Laurence Housman, 1865—, “Father Eternal” ([354])
10. American Hymns.
The English speaking colonists who settled in America during the 17th century continued the psalm singing traditions of their forebears in England. The practice prevailed in their churches for two hundred years. The first book printed by them was the Bay Psalm Book, in 1640, at Cambridge, Massachusetts. It contained no original hymns. The singing of psalms, and later of hymns borrowed from England made up nearly the entire repertory of church music until the middle of the 19th century.
On the other hand, the German speaking colonists, including the Mennonites, had brought with them the hymn books of the Lutheran tradition and continued the use of the German chorales in their worship. The two streams of hymnody, English psalms and German chorales, went their independent courses for two centuries, scarcely influencing each other.
In the meantime there was very little original hymnody produced in America, with the exception of the work of the Wesleys during their brief experiment in Georgia, and the composition of certain hymns and tunes by the German people of Pennsylvania, which have remained, until recently, in manuscript form. Timothy Dwight’s hymn on the church, “I love Thy Kingdom, Lord” ([275]) is probably the earliest American hymn still in use.
After the middle of the 19th century the number of hymn writers became large and their works came into increasing use, some choice examples finding their way into English hymnbooks. America’s original contribution to Christian hymnody has not been only the Gospel Songs represented by the writings of Fanny Crosby, but the more permanent works of Whittier, George W. Doane, Hosmer, Samuel Longfellow, Washington Gladden, S. F. Smith, and many others. Our musical contributions have been less conspicuous, but the tunes of Mason are coming into their own again and many of them will doubtless survive for a long time, as will also those of Bradbury, Hastings, and others.
The tendency today in American hymnbooks is to unite the best in English and German traditions. The Hymnary illustrates this trend. It makes large use of the English hymns while at the same time preserving a considerable body of the German chorales. In keeping with this trend, the recent hymnbooks of the Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist and other churches of English origin, incorporate some of the German chorale tunes and in some cases the translations of the words. The hymn books of our time have become the channels through which flow the rich contributions to the stream of Christian hymnody from Christian people of all times and places.