751 75725 18871 Preface. THIS volume is intended for all who need comfort and strength, and especially for invalids. I have thought it best to include some of the familiar and cherished old hymns, as well as a large number which are not in the common collections. In many cases, I have given a portion of the hymn instead of the whole. As it was desirable not to make the book too heavy for an invalid to handle, and at the same time to have the type as large as practicable, I preferred to give only the verses which would be most suitable for the special purpose of the book. These songs of the soul range from the Greek Church of the eighth century to the present day, including the devout lyrics of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries from "Lyra Germanica," the quaint and earnest words of George Herbert, the glowing utterances of Charles Wesley, Madame Guyon, and Tersteegen, and the fervent and beautiful poems of men and women who still live among us. It gives me pleasure to express my thanks to the authors who have kindly allowed me to print their poems here; and also to the publishers-Messrs. J. R. OSGOOD & Co., E. P. DUTTON & Co., HURD & HOUGHTON, D. APPLETON & Co., and ROBERTS BROTHERS for their permission to use copyrighted poems. M. W. T. SEPTEMBER, 1877. |