We think of hymns as components of worship. Right and proper. But hymns are more than that. Hymns are not just components; they are prayer itself. To sing a hymn (a good hymn that is) is to pray. A hymn is not just an aid to prayer; it is the thing itself. We can sustain our prayer life by means of hymns. Hymns can with profit be read in the quiet as well as sung in public.
If we read a hymn such as ‘Praise my soul the king of heaven’ we are praying. It is pure praise, and prayer is often that. The words by H.F. Lyte are a means of praise. The same can be said of ‘Praise the Lord, ye heavens adore him’ from the Foundling collection. And we are indebted to Charles Wesley for his ‘Hark the herald angels sing’ and its celebration of the incarnation. Graham Kendrick in ‘Meekness and Majesty’ pursues the same theme. Michael Saward’s ‘Christ triumphant’ makes every word count. The same can be said of Stuart Townend’s range of worship-songs.
With William Cowper we come to prayer of a different order. ‘God moves in a mysterious way’ is a meditative excursion. God’s ‘frowning providence’ and ‘smiling grace’ are illuminating phrases that help out our impoverished imagination. ‘Through all the changing scenes of life’ by Tate and Brady is another example of such a hymn.
A hymn that recognises our modest capabilities is ‘Jesus bids us shine’ --- as we have to do in the particular small corners we inhabit. It is a hymn that keeps us in our place. A hymn that similarly accepts our frailty and our need of grace is the ancient ‘Lord Jesus, think on m.’ Robert Bridges’s ‘All my hope on God is founded’ takes the same approach. John Keble joins him in ‘Blest are the pure in heart’.
‘Be up and doing hymns’ venture perilously close to extravagance. Many present-day worship songs fail to avoid the trap. Charles Wesley just manages to maintain a balance with his ‘And can it be.’ No overweening triumphalism. Grace alone is enough, he is saying.
A hymn book and a prayer book are not just for Sundays, not just for public use. Individuals can make good use of them in private.
OLNEY HYMNS
John Newton and William Cowper collaborated in the production of ‘Olney Hymns’ published in 1779. By 1836 37 editions had made an appearance. Cowper’s fragile personality led him into depression. He attempted suicide. His versatile talent led to a translation of the Iliad and the comic poem ‘John Gilpin’. We find in his hymn ‘Oh for a closer walk with God’ an expression of heart-felt faith that is aware of its imperfections. Lord David Cecil gave his biography of Cowper the title ‘The Stricken Deer’. It was a phrase coined by Cowper himself in his domestic epic ‘The Task’.
SCOTT’S GREAT WORK
Olney has not only John Newton as its claim to fame. It also had another curate, Thomas Scott, with a considerable reputation. His commentary on the whole Bible (KJV version) began to appeared in 1788 in weekly instalments and was popular in the UK and USA. It was often incorporated into family Bibles. My such Bible in all its immensity accompanied me until it was discarded during a removal. Scott was one of the founders of the Church Missionary Society.
Scott, son of a cattle farmer, was born in Bratoft, Lincolnshire and worked for ten years as a labourer. His friendship with Newton led to his becoming a convinced Christian believer and commentator.
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