History of the Hymns
July 15, 2007
‘Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart’ (1870) Page 500
Words: George Croly (1780 – 1860)
Music: Frederick Cook Atkinson (1841 - 1896)
Following the celebration of Easter, there are two other important Church calendar days, which many Christians often neglect to recognize. The first is ‘Ascension Day’-forty days following Easter. The second important day is ‘Pentecost Sunday’-ten days after Christ's ascension. It is thrilling at Christmas to recall the events of our Savior's birth, or at Easter his triumph over death. Yet if He had never ascended to make intercession for us or had never sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within and to guide us, our relationship with God would be most incomplete.
One of the finest of all hymns for Pentecost is this hymn, ‘Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart.’ The Rev. George Croly, a minister in the Anglican Church, wrote it. Croly was born in Dublin, Ireland, and graduated from Trinity College. He came to London, England, around 1810, where he served a small parish church. He was also active during this time as a literary writer of poems and novels as well as biographical, historical and scriptural material. Later, in 1835, he was asked by the church's leadership to re-open a church in the worst slum area of London, St. Stephen's Church, which had been closed for more than a century. His forceful, magnetic preaching soon attracted large crowds. Croly was characterized by his associates as a "fundamentalist in theology, a fierce conservative in politics, and intensely opposed to all forms of liberalism."
In 1854, when he was seventy-four years of age, he desired a new hymnal for his congregation and eventually prepared and published his own: ‘Psalms and Hymns for Public Worship.’ This is Croly's only surviving hymn from that collection.
July 15, 2007
‘Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart’ (1870) Page 500
Words: George Croly (1780 – 1860)
Music: Frederick Cook Atkinson (1841 - 1896)
Following the celebration of Easter, there are two other important Church calendar days, which many Christians often neglect to recognize. The first is ‘Ascension Day’-forty days following Easter. The second important day is ‘Pentecost Sunday’-ten days after Christ's ascension. It is thrilling at Christmas to recall the events of our Savior's birth, or at Easter his triumph over death. Yet if He had never ascended to make intercession for us or had never sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within and to guide us, our relationship with God would be most incomplete.
One of the finest of all hymns for Pentecost is this hymn, ‘Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart.’ The Rev. George Croly, a minister in the Anglican Church, wrote it. Croly was born in Dublin, Ireland, and graduated from Trinity College. He came to London, England, around 1810, where he served a small parish church. He was also active during this time as a literary writer of poems and novels as well as biographical, historical and scriptural material. Later, in 1835, he was asked by the church's leadership to re-open a church in the worst slum area of London, St. Stephen's Church, which had been closed for more than a century. His forceful, magnetic preaching soon attracted large crowds. Croly was characterized by his associates as a "fundamentalist in theology, a fierce conservative in politics, and intensely opposed to all forms of liberalism."
In 1854, when he was seventy-four years of age, he desired a new hymnal for his congregation and eventually prepared and published his own: ‘Psalms and Hymns for Public Worship.’ This is Croly's only surviving hymn from that collection.
Meanwhile…1870…137 years ago…in the United States…
President: Ulysses S. Grant…V.P.: Schuyler Colfax
Mark Twain (at age 34) married Olivia Langdon in Elmira, NY
The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge began (would take 13 years)
Buffalo’s population: 117,714…Erie County’s population: 178,699
Grover Cleveland was elected Erie County Sheriff (later served 2 terms as President)
Ref. HymnHistories BuffaloHistory WebEdelic HymnNuts TanBible
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