Today in 1739 – How Rich Thy Bounty written
A lovely hymn about the wonder of God’s grace comes from the pen of Philip Doddridge. (You can see and hear the full hymn on the Cyber Hymnal.) The Bible speaks of “the riches of His grace,” and “the exceeding riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7; 2:7). We enjoy eternal treasures through His unmerited favour! Doddridge wrote this hymn for use in his own church. (In passing, what a blessing it would have been to attend the churches of such men as Doddridge and Newton, and Watts, and have a frequent spiritual feast from their writings!)
How rich Thy bounty, King of kings!
Thy favours, how divine!
The blessings which Thy gospel brings,
How splendidly they shine!
Gold is but dross, and gems but toys,
Should gold and gems compare;
How mean, when set against those joys
Thy poorest servants share!
(2) Today in 1897 – Frances Cox Died
Frances Elizabeth Cox was a nineteenth century English hymnist, known for her translations of many German hymns. She published two volumes of them. For example, there is Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above, written in 1675 by Johann Schutz. In its original publication, it was called Hymn of Thanksgiving, and it was based on Deut. 32:3, “I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God.” It says in part:
Sing praise to God who reigns above, the God of all creation,
The God of power, the God of love, the God of our salvation.
With healing balm my soul is filled and every faithless murmur stilled:
To God all praise and glory.
The Lord is never far away, but through all grief distressing,
An ever present help and stay, our peace and joy and blessing.
As with a mother’s tender hand, God gently leads the chosen band:
To God all praise and glory.
23 September 2009 @ 4:42 pm
Thanks for stopping by my blog. What a rich treasure you are mining for your readers! We have a wonderful heritage in the hymns of the Church. Thank you for sharing your heart and mind! MM
23 September 2009 @ 7:02 pm
You’re most welcome. I think if I preach that sermon again on Mary and Martha I may mention the interesting pen name you have, and what it means. God bless.
23 September 2009 @ 4:42 pm
Thanks for stopping by my blog. What a rich treasure you are mining for your readers! We have a wonderful heritage in the hymns of the Church. Thank you for sharing your heart and mind! MM
23 September 2009 @ 7:02 pm
You’re most welcome. I think if I preach that sermon again on Mary and Martha I may mention the interesting pen name you have, and what it means. God bless.