Emphasis Preaching Journal
James Montgomery (1771-1854), a Scottish...
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James Montgomery (1771-1854), a Scottish Moravian, reflected the rich heritage of Moravian hymn writing. He started writing poetry at an early age. Later, as an adult he found his calling as an editor of a newspaper he named Iris. For more than thirty years he made his newspaper an instrument of social reform, fighting the causes of young chimney sweeps at home and black slaves abroad. All during this time his inner creative spirit expressed itself in writing no less than 400 hymns, several of which are still found in most hymnbooks today.