remains at least the satisfaction of recognizing the striking moral coincidences between his conception of universal religion and our own of Christianity. There remains the greater satisfaction of finding in his character and ways so many illustrations of what Christianity has done for life. But among those who care for Mr. Longfellow's hymns there will be very many who prefer to think of this free spirit as poet rather than as theologian. For the latter office he was indeed hardly qualified either by his mental bent or his habits of study. His was a mind of the sentimental cast, which sincerely loved truth and sought to find it, but in reality rejoiced more in a sense of unfettered freedom in the search itself than in any logical coherence of the beliefs that rewarded the search.

THE STORY OF THE HYMN

Mr. Longfellow wrote many hymns, most of which were included in Hymns of the Spirit. This hymn, beautiful and heartfelt as it is, has no striking features in its history. There is no account of its origin anywhere printed, and those who have written of it have simply said that it was composed for Hymns of the Spirit in 1864. The present writer, however, has in his possession an autograph letter of Mr. Longfellow's in which he states that "the hymn was originally written to be sung by a class graduating from the divinity school at Cambridge." He does not say in what year, and most probably did not remember, since his niece, who published a volume of his hymns after his death, was not able to give the date of this one.

The hymn is becoming very popular in this country; abroad it is less used than Mr. Longfellow's beautiful

evening hymn, "Again, as Evening's Shadow Falls," and his "Holy Spirit, Truth Divine" (The Hymnal, Nos. 22, 279). It takes a great many years for a hymn to get into general use throughout all English-speaking countries, and very few hymns attain such an honor. Whether this or any of Mr. Longfellow's hymns shall gain such a distinction can hardly be foretold.

SOME POINTS FOR DISCUSSION

(1) There is still some difference of opinion in regard to the propriety of the use by Orthodox churches of hymns by those writers of "liberal" or "radical" opinions whom we generally group together under the term "Unitarian." The following opinions are set down here, not for the purpose of settling that question, but rather as laying the ground for the discussion of it.

When one comes to think about it, there is nothing singular in the fact that a Unitarian should write hymns. that prove acceptable to Christians who have no share whatever in the beliefs peculiar to Unitarianism. As a matter of fact, it is not the purpose of every hymn to glorify the nature of our Lord as divine. Some hymns, for example, celebrate God's fatherhood or providence, some the work of the Spirit in our hearts, some are of heaven, some of the moral life, and some of missions. On these and other subjects there is very much ground held in common by all people of reverent mind and religious faith. There are, no doubt, hymns written by Dr. Holmes, Mr. Longfellow, and other "liberals," which contain their peculiar personal beliefs, some that even sound a note of protest against other peoples' beliefs; and those are passed by, as a matter of course,

Behold the fields one white"

O still in accents Oweet & Shong
Sounds forth the ancient word -
More leapers for white harvest fields

Move labriers for the Lord?

We hear The Call, in theams no more
In selfish lase we hie,
Prut Girded for air father's work
Go forth beneath His Sky.

Where prophets' word, & Martyrs Hood
And prayers of saints were sown,

السا

have stron

We to their labors entering
Would reap where they

Sam. Longfellow

ΙΟ

AUTOGRAPH VERSES

by churches which profess the Orthodox faith. But the fact of their writing such sectarian hymns does not spoil the quality of such of their hymns as are not sectarian, but are simply religious. Is it not properly a matter of rejoicing that there are so many hymns that religious people of all shades of belief can agree to love and to sing?

(2) It has been said before now that the best hymns are those which use most freely the thoughts and even the language of the Bible. If that is true, the hymn of Mr. Longfellow would not need to be excluded from the best hymns, for it is Scriptural to a somewhat unusual degree. From what passages in the gospel are the thoughts and some of the phrases of this hymn taken ?

XIV

JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN TO-DAY

THE TEXT OF THE HYMN

I Jesus Christ is risen to-day,
Our triumphant holy day,

Who did once, upon the cross,
Suffer to redeem our loss.

Alleluia!

2 Hymns of praise then let us sing
Unto Christ our heavenly King
Who endured the cross and grave,
Sinners to redeem and save.

Alleluia !

3 But the pains which He endured
Our salvation have procured;
Now above the sky He's King,
Where the angels ever sing.

Alleluia !

4 Sing we to our God above

Praise eternal as His love;
Praise Him, all ye heavenly host,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Alleluia!

[A composite hymn]

NOTE. The text is that printed in connection with early nineteenth century issues of Tate and Brady's Psalms, except that some (possibly all) of these issues read "hath" instead of "have" in the second line of the third verse; treating "pains " as a singular— a usage not without precedents.