Singers of the Eighteenth Century

By Paxton Hood


The greatest religious movements through all the Christian ages have acknowledged the power of sacred song. The Eighteenth century revival was no exception. One of the great aids to the revival was the music generated through the course of the revival.

Until Isaac Watts and Phillip Doddridge appeared, England had no popular sacred melodies. It ought never to be forgotten that Watts was the creator of the English hymn. The average majesty of thought and expression in Watts's hymns probably still exceeds that of any other English hymn writer. However, the hymns of Watts as a whole were well suited for expression of the kind of passionate spiritual experience produced in a great revival.

When the revival came, the general public were accustomed to songs that were thoughtless, foolish, and often licentious. New songs of praise were needed. In order to begin meeting this need, John and Charles Wesley took Count Zinzendorf's hymns from the Moravian community, translated them into English, and immensely improved them. Some of the finest hymns in the Wesleyan collection are these translations.

The Wesleys' first collection of hymns was published in 1739. Probably without knowing it, the Wesleys and their coadjutors did exactly what the Reformer had done. They gave emotional expression to the revival through the ordinance of song, and they preached the Gospel in sweet refrains.

The songs written during the revival were remarkably free from rigidity and ritual. As in all great religious movements that have shaken men's souls, they were spiritual, authentic expressions of God's work in the soul. Loud 'amens' resounded as the preacher spoke or prayed, and then hearty gushes of song united all hearts.

Among infuriated mobs, Wesley often found retreat in song. On one occasion in 1740, he was attacked by a crowd. It was proposed by one that they should take him away and drown him. He broke out singing, and the mob retreated, leaving him on a bridge. He took his stand on the bridge and preached a useful sermon to hundreds who remained to listen to from the text, 'If God be for us, who can be against us?'

But the contributions of John and Charles Wesley are so well known that it is more important to notice that, as the revival moved on, other lyricists made important contributions to the songs written during the revival. A remarkable example was Thomas Olivers, a 'sturdy Welshman.' Before his conversion, he was a thoroughly bad fellow, a kind of wandering reprobate. He ridiculed the revival and made comic songs about George Whitefield and sung them with in the barrooms.

When Whitefield came to town, he went with the purpose of obtaining fresh material for his mockery. But his heart was completely broken, and he felt so much grief for what he had done that he began to follow Whitefield through the streets, scarcely refraining from kissing the prints of his footsteps. By his own testimony, he now 'saw God in everything: the heavens, the earth, and the rain showed me something of Him.'

Olivers was about to enter into a business when John Wesley heard of him. Although he was converted under Whitefield, Wesley persuaded him to yield himself to the work of preaching as a member of his itinerant band.

For the next forty-six years, Olivers wrote poetry and hymns. He is the author of one of the most majestic of all hymns: 'The God of Abraham Praise!'