John Byrom
John Byrom
John Byrom, John Byrom of Kersal, or John Byrom of Manchester was an English poet, the inventor of a revolutionary system of shorthand and later a significant landowner. He is most remembered as the writer of the lyrics of Anglican hymn "Christians, awake, salute the happy morn", which was supposedly a Christmas gift for his daughter.
"Endless Perfections after all conspire, And to adore excite and to admire; But to plain Minds the Plainest Powr Above Is Native Goodness to attract our Love; Centre of all Its various Powr and Skill Is One Divine, Immutable Good Will."
John Byrom"Were I a king (God bless me) I should hate My chaplains meddling with affairs of state; Nor would my subjects, I should think, be fond, Whenever theirs the Bible went beyond."
John Byrom"No rest is to be found But in Thy blessèd love; O let my wish be crowned And send it from above."
John Byrom"Th Eternal Mind, evn Heathens understood, Was Infinitely Powerful, Wise, and Good. In their Conceptions, who conceivd aright, These Three Essential Attributes unite. They saw that, wanting any of the Three, Such an All-perfect Being could not be."
John Byrom"The One Unbounded, Undivided Good, By all His Creatures partly understood. If therefore Sense of its apparent Parts Raise not His Love or Worship in our Hearts, Our selfish Wills or Notions we may feast, And have no more Religion than a Beast."
John Byrom"My spirit longs for Thee, Within my troubled breast, Though I unworthy be Of so divine a Guest."
John Byrom"In reading authors, when you find Bright passages that strike your mind, And which perhaps you may have reason To think on at another season, Be not contented with the sight, But take them down in black and white; Such a respect is wisely shown That makes anothers sense ones own."
John Byrom"Of all Religions if we take a View, There is but one that ever can be true, — One God, One Christ, One Spirit, none but He. All else is Idol, whatsoeer it be,— A Good that our Imaginations make, Unless we love it purely for His Sake."
John Byrom"Sir, you must be all caution and no fear, and youll find true what our old friend Archimedes said some while ago."
John Byrom"Christians, awake! salute the happy morn, Whereon the Saviour of mankind was born."
John Byrom"Take time enough: all other graces Will soon fill up their proper places."
John Byrom"Religion, then, is Loves Celestial Force That penetrates thro all to Its True Source; Loves all along, but with proportiond Bent, As Creatures further the Divine Ascent, Not to the Skies or Stars, but to the part That will be always uppermost, — the Heart, There is the Seat, as Holy Writings tell, Where the Most High Himself delights to dwell; Whither attracting the desirous Will To its true Rest, He saves it from all Ill, Gives it to find in His Abyssal Love An Heavn within, — in other Words, Above."
John Byrom
