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��OUR HYMNS :

��This is part of a hymn of ten stanzas, &quot; For a Day of Public Humiliation ; or, a Day of Prayer for the Revival of Religion.&quot; It begins in the original,

&quot;Indulgent Sovereign of the .skies.&quot; &quot; Thrice happy souls, who, born from heaven.&quot; No. 983.

&quot; Of spending the day with God,&quot; from Prov. xxiii. 11. March 27, 1737.

&quot; Great God of heaven and earth, arise. No. 996.

This is entitled in Doddridge s manuscript, &quot; A Hymn for the Fast-day.&quot; January 9, 1739-40.

For several of the above notes on Dr. Doddridge s hymns the author of this work is indebted to W. S. Rooker, Esq., of Bide- ford, who has supplied them from an autograph MS., con taining 100 hymns, and headed &quot; Hymns written by P. D.&quot; The hymns are in some cases slightly different from the form in which they are given by Orton. The MS. is believed to be older than Orton s collection, but it is possible that Dr. Dod- dridge may have supplied Mr. Oxton with variations that were not inserted in the MS. It is not difficult to trace the history of the MS. to its present possessor. Dr. Doddridge resided for a time in the house of a Mr. Shepherd, at Northamp ton, and took an interest in his son James, who was one of his students. When this young man died early in his ministry, a few of his sermons were printed, together with a funeral sermon by Dr. Doddridge, who composed expressly for the funeral occa sion a hymn, beginning, &quot; Jesus, we own Thy sovereign hand.&quot; A sister of this James Shepherd was Mrs. Laviugton, the wife of the late Rev. Samuel Laviugton, of Bideford, and grandmother of Mr. Rooker, the present possessor of the MS. The pre cious document is justly valued as an heirloom in the family.

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