246. Give to the winds thy fears
Paul Gerhardt, 1607-76
Tr. by John Wesley, 1703-91
A hymn of comfort to the afflicted and courage to the dying. It is a part of Paul Gerhardt’s poem, “Befiehl du deine Wege” ([558]). These are stanzas 9, 10, 12, 13, unaltered, of Wesley’s translation, which contains 16 four-line stanzas. Gerhardt passed through the agonies of the Thirty Years’ War, and suffered, in addition, the loss of his wife and four children. He gives expression in this hymn to his own deep feelings of trust and assurance. His words have helped many anxious souls maintain faith in God who “sitteth on the throne, and ruleth all things well.”
For comments on Paul Gerhardt see [Hymn 134].
For comments on John Wesley, who translated the hymn, see [No. 170].
MUSIC. STATE STREET is a popular tune, scarcely any hymn book missing it, but it is not wedded to any single hymn. The composer, J. C. Woodman, 1813-94, born at Newbury, Mass., became one of Lowell Mason’s assistants in introducing music into the public schools of Boston. He was one of the first soloists of the Boston Academy of Music and served for a time as organist of the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn. In 1858, Woodman compiled The Musical Casket, which contained many of his songs, sacred and secular. “State Street” is the last tune in the book, set to Watts’ lyric, “Blessed are the sons of peace.”
247. Day by day the manna fell
Josiah Conder, 1789-1855
A hymn of confidence that God will supply daily strength for daily needs, based on Exodus 16:12-21 and the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.”