THE STORY OF THE HYMNS AND THEIR WRITERS 413
Hymn 812. O God, our help in ages past. ISAAC WATTS, D.D. (3).
Psalms of David, 1719. Ps. xc. 1-5. Man frail and God eternal. The original reads
Ver. I. Our God, our help in ages past. Ver. 2. Thy saints have dwelt secure. Ver. 5. With all their lives and cares.
Ver. 4 of the original is omitted, and ver. 8
Thy word commands our flesh to dust,
Return, ye sons of men ; All nations rose from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.
Like flow ry fields the nations stand,
Pleas d with the morning light : The flow rs beneath the mower s hand
Lie with ring ere tis night.
It appeared in Wesley s Psalms and Hymns in 1738.
On Sunday, September 30, 1810, Henry Martyn had the joy of preaching in the church which he had induced the authorities to form out of a bungalow at Cawnpore. The band of the regiment led the music, and he preached to the natives, giving them a short account of our Lord s life and teaching. He was known to be in a most dangerous state of health, and the flush on his cheek showed that his days were few. After service he returned to his bungalow, and fell almost fainting on a sofa in the hall. His friend, Mrs. Sherwood, says, Soon, however, he revived a little, and called us all about him to sing. It was then that we sang to him that sweet hymn which thus begins : " O God, our help in ages past."
In Shirley Charlotte I ronte describes this as the hymn which, at the invalid s request, Mrs. Pryor sang by the bedside of Caroline Helstone just before she made known to the girl that she was her mother. No wonder Caroline liked to hear her sing ; her voice, even in speaking, was sweet and silver clear ; in song it was almost divine ; neither flute nor dulcimer has tones so pure. But the tone was secondary compared to the expression which trembled through : a tender vibration from a feeling heart.
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