One of the great results of the Reformation was the use of the vernacular in Church worship. Luther was the first hymn-writer of the German Church, enriching its worship with no less than thirty-seven hymns. The best-known is Kin' fcste Burg ist unser Gott ("A Mighty Fortress is our God"). Time first evangelical hymn-book of 1524 contained eight Subsequent edi tions contained more and more until that of 1553 contains one hundred and thirty-one. Co-workers with Luther added much to the hyinnology of the Church. Justus Jonas (1493-1555) : Paul Eber 11511.15691 : Erasmus Alber Id. 15531: Lazarus Spengler (1479-15341 : Bans savhs, the shoemaker poet of Nuremberg (1494-15761: Paul Speratus (14S-1-1551) : and others among the early Re former published hymns of value. The Bohe mian Brethren. notably Miehael Weisse Id. 1534), furnished a number of hymns in this period. Their hymns breathed a deep spiritual atmo sphere. The French Reformation produced the poetieal translation of the Psalms by Cl•nent Ain't ((l. 1544) and Theodore Bozo (d. 1605) ; the German Reformed lipnn-book of 15'0 pub lished at Zurich; and the Genevan Psalter of Calvin of 156:. In England the Reformers issued Coverdalc's Goostiy Psafaos and Spirita all• Similes (London, 1539); Robert Crowley's versification of the Psalter and Litany (15.19) ; and, last and most famous of all, the rendering of the Psalms by Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins (1560).
The time of the Thirty Years' War was marked by the production of many tine German hymns of a more or less martial character. The prin cipal composers were Martin Opitz (1597-1639) ; Johann Heermann (1585-1647) ; Johann Michael Altenburg (1584-1640), who composed part of the battle hymn of Gustavus Adolphus, "Fear not, 0 little dock, the foe;" Paul Fleming (1609 40), author of the Pityrim Hymn, beginning "In all my deeds ;" and Martin Rinkart (1586-1649), who composed the German Te Deum Nun &trace( one Golf ("Now thank we all our God").
Germany continued to produce Feat hymns and hymn-writers after this Paul Ger hardt (1607-76) wrote one hundred and twenty three hymns. Many have been translated into English, and some are in common use. Probably the most familiar is "0 sacred head once wounded," translated by John Wesley. Johann Franck (1618-77), burgomaster of Guben, an ticipated the Pietists in his mysticism as shown in his hymns. Johann list (1607-77) produced 610 hymns, a few having merit. Johann Schef fier, known as 'Angelus Silesius' (1624-77), was a writer of force, and sonic of his hymns are yet used. All the hymns of the period are somewhat mystical in their teachings.
Pietism was a reaction against Protestant Scholasticism, and swung to the other extreme of Mysticism. The leaders of the movement, Philipp Jacob Simmer (1635-1705), and August Hermann Franche (1663-1727). wrote a hymns. Christian Friedrich Richter (1676 1711) wrote thirty-three hymns. Johann Ail:1s t:1411S Freylinghausen (1670-1739) wrote a few hymns, and published the first hymn-book of the movement at Halle in 1704. Gottfried Arnold (1666-1714), the Church historian, wrote several hymns of value. :Joachim Lange (1670-1714), a friend of Franeke, wrote the morning hymn, O .less, susses Licht ("0 Jesus, sweet light"). Johann Friedrich S(arck (16S0-1756) of Frank fort wrote 939 hymns. Karl Heinrich Bogatzsky (1690-1774) wrote hymns, as well as devotional works. Philipp Friedrich Hiller (1699-1769) of Wiirt temberg wrote many hymns. The Moravian Church has produced many fine hymns, some of which have been translated by .Iohn Wesley, Miss Catherine Winkworth, and others. Count Nico lans Ludwig Zinzendorf (1700-60) produced 2000 hymns. "Jesus. Thy blood and righteousness." and "1 thirst, thou wounded Iamb of Cod," have been favorite translations from his hymns. Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg (1704-92) wrote ten hymns. That on Christian simplicity, beg.in ning "Holy simplicity, miracle of as a birthday hymn for his sister, is considered his hest. Christian Gregor (1723-1801) compiled the Moravian hymn-book of 1778, published at Barbs, still in use. To this he contributed sev eral hymns. The inspiration of the hymnology of the Evangelical Revival in England can be traced directly to the Moravian Brethren. To this period belong a few other hymn-writers of note, such as Joachim Neander (1050-80), some times called the 'Psalmist of the New Covenant,' and Friedrich Adolph Lampe (1613-1729), the author of thirty hymns. Gerhard Tersteegen
(1697-1769), a ribbon-weaver, produced one hun dred and eleven.hymns, of which are worthy to be placed in the tirst rank. From the writers of this school we have the first introspective hymns of value.
The hymns of the Evangelical Revival are not by any means the first great hymns produced in England. The Elizabethan period produced the hymn by F. II. 1'. (the initials may stand for Francis Baker, pater. i.e. priest), "Jerusalem. my happy home," translated from the Latin; also the first English hymn-book. This was by George Wither, and was published in Loudon in 1623. The Puritans produced as hymn-writers, Robert Herrick ( 1591-1674) ; John Milton ( 1601-74) ; Henry Vaughan (1622-95) ; and Jeremy Taylor (1613-67). In the Restoration period Samuel Grossman published The Young Man's Medita tion (1664), which contains several hymns, a good speeimen of which can be seen in Lord Sel borne's (Sir Roundel' Palmer) Book of Praise (1863). henry More in his Divine Dialogues (1668) published seven long hymns on the fes tivals of the Church. But the greatest lyric poet of the period was Thomas Ken (1637-1711), the good Bishop of Bath and Wells. His evening, morning, and midnight hymns stand at the head of all worship poetry of the English language. The first two have never been surpassed, and hardly approached. Joseph Addison, his con temporary, furnished a few hymns of an exalted character. In I 683 John Mason published Songs of Praise, a hymn-book which went through many editions. Benjamin Keaeli published Spiritual Melody (1691), the first Baptist hymn-book. Among Independents the first hymn-book used was .t Collection of Divine Hymns (1690). The metrical version of the Psalms by Sternhold and Hopkins was followed by that of Francis Rouse (1646), and that in turn by Nahum Tate and Nicholas Brady (1606), which exerted a great influence. The tendency, however, came to be less and less to base hymns on the Hebrew Psalter for a whole hymn-book. A preparation for the work of Isaac Watts (167i-1748), sometimes called the 'father of English hymnody,' was thus made. His hymns have been more widely sting than those of any other English writer, with the possible exception of Charles Wesley. llis first work, Dora. Lyrica•, appeared in 1706; Hymns and Spiritual Songs in 1707. 'Besides these he published Divine and floral Songs for Children (1720). long extremely popular. To the school of Watts belong., Philip Doddridge (1702-51). His hymns were almost all written to follow ser mons. reinforcing the tnith which had been preached. The Wesley family, and the men who gathered about them, both in and out of the Church of England. were prolific writers, and produced some of the best hymns in the history of the Church. Samuel Wesley (1662-1735) was no mean poet. His son, John (1703-91), trans lated several hymns, and mended many more. Samuel, Jr. (1691-1739), wrote some hymns. To Charles (1707-88). however, we must turn as the leader of the lyrical forces of the Evangeli cal Revival. He wrote over 6000 hymns. Out of three hundred and twenty-five standard hymns James King assigns twenty-two to Charles Wesley, a larger number than ascribed to any other writer. At the present time not far from four hundred of his hymns are in common use. They include a Adder range of subjects than those of any other writer of hymns. They chronicle the events of the time as well as the devotional experiences of the writer. Some were impromptu. Many have hits of personal history as a back ground. Around some hymns have grown beau tiful stories, the historical data for which is ex ceedingly slight. The original hymn-books of the Wesleys were issued in thirteen volumes under the direction of George Osborn (London, 1868 72). Thomas Olivers (1725-99), John Cennick (1718-55), Edward Perronet (1721-92), and John Bakewell (born 1721), were of the Wesleyan party; while John Gambold, the Moravian (1711 71), Joseph Hart (c.1712-68), Miss Anne Steele (1717-78). John Newton (1725-1807), William Cowper (1731-1800), Robert Robinson (1735 90), John Fawcett (1740-1817), Augustus Mon tagu Toplady (1740-78), Joseph Swain (1761 96), William Williams (1717-91), and still others were more or less affected by the move ment. The hymns of the movement are char acterized by greater breadth of view than any previously issued. They include hymns of all kinds, but very few didactic hymns.