came upon the midnight clear," by Edmund H. Sears; the Ascension hymn,
"Thou, who didst stoop below," by Mrs S. E. Miles; two by Dr Ray Palmer,
"My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary," and "Jesus, Thou joy
of loving hearts," the latter of which is the best among several good
English versions of "Jesu, dulcedo, cordium"; and "Lord of all being,
throned afar," by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
The more modern "Moody and Sankey" hymns (see Moody, D. L.) popularized
a new Evangelical type, and the Salvation Army has carried this still
farther.
7. _Conclusion._--The object aimed at in this article has been to trace
the general history of the principal schools of ancient and modern
hymnody, and especially the history of its use in the Christian church.
For this purpose it has not been thought necessary to give any account
of the hymns of Racine, Madame Guyon and others, who can hardly be
classed with any school, nor of the works of Caesar Malan of Geneva
(1787-1864) and other quite modern hymn-writers of the Reformed churches
in Switzerland and France.
On a general view of the whole subject, hymnody is seen to have been a
not inconsiderable factor in religious worship. It has been sometimes
employed to disseminate and popularize particular views, but its spirit
and influence has been, on the whole, catholic. It has embodied the
faith, trust and hope, and no small part of the inward experience, of
generation after generation of men, in many different countries and
climates, of many different nations, and in many varieties of
circumstances and condition. Coloured, indeed, by these differences, and
also by the various modes in which the same truths have been apprehended
by different minds and sometimes reflecting partial and imperfect
conceptions of them, and errors with which they have been associated in
particular churches, times and places, its testimony is, nevertheless,
generally the same. It has upon it a stamp of genuineness which cannot
be mistaken. It bears witness to the force of a central attraction more
powerful than all causes of difference, which binds together times
ancient and modern, nations of various race and language, churchmen and
nonconformists, churches reformed and unreformed; to a true fundamental
unity among good Christians; and to a substantial identity in their
moral and spiritual experience. (S.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account