Scripture Verse

Introduction

Origin of the Hymn

The foun­da­tion stone of St. George’s Church, Shef­field…was laid on the day of the co­ro­na­tion of George IV, July 19, 1821.

On that day Mont­go­me­ry pub­lished in his Ir­is news­pa­per a lead­ing ar­ti­cle on [Na­po­le­on] Bo­na­parte, who died on the 5th of the pre­vi­ous May. Mont­go­me­ry’s orig­in­al ma­nu­script of that ar­ti­cle and a set of the co­ro­na­tion med­als, and other us­ual me­mo­ri­als, were placed in a glass jar un­der the foun­da­tion stone (Mem­oirs, iii. p. 241).

This hymn was com­posed for the oc­ca­sion; was sung dur­ing the ce­re­mo­ny, and was print­ed in the Ir­is of Tues­day, July 24,1821. It was in­clud­ed in Mont­go­me­ry’s Chris­tian Psalm­ist, 1825, No. 475, and in his Orig­in­al Hymns, 1853, No. 301, and in both in­stanc­es head­ed On Op­en­ing a Place of Wor­ship.

Julian, p. 691