John
Bowring
Born:
October 17, 1792, Exeter, England.
Died:
November 23, 1872, Exeter, England.
Buried:
Exeter, England. On his tombstone were the words from his famous hymn:
In the Cross of Christ I Glory.
At age 33, Bowring became editor of the Westminster Review. An
accomplished linguist, it has been said he was fluent in over 20 languages and
could speak 80 more; he was known for his translations of Dutch poetry. He was
also one of the preeminent British statesmen of his day: Commissioner to France,
Consul at Canton, Minister Plenipotentiary to China, Governor of Hong Kong, and
twice a member of Parliament. He was knighted in 1854. His works include:
- Matins and
Vespers, 1823
- Hymns, as a
Sequel to the Matins, 1825
Hymns
- Clay to Clay, and
Dust to Dust
- Come the Rich, and
Come the Poor
- Drop the Limpid
Waters Now
- Earth’s Transitory
Things Decay
- Father, Glorify Thy
Name
- Father and Friend!
Thy Light, Thy Love
- Father of Spirits,
Humbly Bent Before Thee
- From All Evil, All
Temptation
- From the Recesses of
a Lowly Spirit
- Gather Up, O Earth,
Thy Dead
- Gently the Shades of
Night Descend
- God Is Love; His
Mercy Brightens
- Heavenly Spheres to
Thee, O God, The
- How Dark, How
Desolate
- How Shall We Praise
Thee, Lord of Light?
- How Sweetly Flowed
the Gospel Sound
- In
the Cross of Christ I Glory
- Lead Us with Thy
Gentle Way
- O Let My Trembling
Soul Be Still
- O Sweet It Is to
Feel and Know
- On the Dust I’m
Doomed to Sleep
- Upon the Gospel's
Sacred Page
- Watchman, Tell Us of
the Night
- When Before Thy
Throne We Kneel
- Where Is Thy Sting,
O Death?