Hymn History
Hail to the Lord's Anointed
Hail to the Lords anointed, great Davids greater Son!
Hail in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression, to set the captive free;
To take away transgression and rule in equity.
He comes in succor speedy to those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy, and bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing, their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying, were precious in His sight.
By such shall He be fearèd while sun and moon endure;
Beloved, obeyed, reverèd; for He shall judge the poor
Through changing generations, with justice, mercy, truth,
While stars maintain their stations, or moons renew their youth.
He shall come down like showers upon the fruitful earth;
Love, joy, and hope, like flowers, spring in His path to birth.
Before Him, on the mountains, shall peace, the herald, go,
And righteousness, in fountains, from hill to valley flow.
Arabias desert ranger to Him shall bow the knee;
The Ethiopian stranger His glory come to see;
With offerings of devotion ships from the isles shall meet,
To pour the wealth of oceans in tribute at His feet.
Kings shall fall down before Him, and gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him, His praise all people sing;
For He shall have dominion oer river, sea and shore,
Far as the eagles pinion or doves light wing can soar.
James Montgomery
(1771-1854)
When James Montgomery was just five years old his fam¬i¬ly moved to a Mo¬rav¬i¬an set¬tle¬ment. Two years later, at the age of seven he was sent to a seminary in Yorkshire. He left the seminary when he was sixteen-years-old and began working in various shops. His main goal however was to write poetry. He tried to find a publisher for his poems but was unsuccessful.
In 1792 he became an assistant to the printer of the Sheffield Register, a small newspaper. Two years later he found himself running the paper completely and changed the name to the Sheffield Iris. He remained editor for the next 32 years.Montgomery led an active life as an editor, speaker and lecturer but still found time to do what he loved most, write poetry including 400 hymns.
