THEIR AUTHORS AND ORIGIN. 229
buted to Toplady. The collection includes forty-five Petitionary Hymns, fifteen Hymns of Thanksgiving, twenty Select Para phrases, eight Hyrnns of Invitation, nine pieces on the Death of Friends, eight miscellaneous pieces in an Appendix, and there are added twenty-eight Occasional Hymns and Poems, composed be tween the years 1760 1778. Montgomery has justly said of Toplady s hymns " There is a peculiarly ethereal spirit in some of these, in which, whether mourning or rejoicing, praying or praising, the writer seems absorbed in the full triumph of faith, and whether in the body or out of the body, caught up into the third heaven and beholding unutterable things. " And he adds, that though his poetic torch is inferior in breadth and volume of flame to Charles Wesley s, " yet the light which it sheds is not less vivid and sparkling, while it may be said to be more delicate to the eye and refreshing to the spirits than that prodigality of radiance which the rival luminary casts alike on everything it touched." The correctness of this criticism may be seen by ex amining Toplady s almost peerless hymn
" Deathless principle, arise ! " No. 724 ; and especially verses four and five
" See the haven full in view," &c., and
" Mount, their transports to improve," &c.,
and then comparing it with one of Charles Wesley s very bold flights : for instance
" Come, let us join our friends above." No. 708.
Toplady s hymns are full of great Scripture doctrines, and of the richest and deepest experience of the Christian in the use of them ; but they do not contain many references to his own special circumstances. There is, however, one, entitled " Praise for Con version," which contains such verses as these :
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