New Book on Steele's Hymns

A new book has appeared in the Monographs in Baptist History series. it is called. The Sung Theology of the English Particular Baptist Revival: A Theological Analysis of Anne Steele’s Hymns in Rippon’s Hymnal . The author is Joseph V Carmichael. It is available as a paperback and on kindle. See more here. The book arises out of the dissertation mentioned elsewhere in this blog.

Steele Papers 03 Poetry 1 [33-46]

33. Papers of Anne Steele Hymns and Devotional Verses by Anne Steele (Published and Unpublished) Hymns Manuscript pages in Anne Steele's hand (152 pages, lacking pp. 111–117, 131–134). Contains hymns and verses numbered 1–104 (some numbers void), which were subsequently published in Theodosia, “Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional” (1780), vol. 1, with the exception of: 5 Praise for the Gospel (“Great God to Thee”); 16 The nativity of Christ (“O glorious morning”); 17 On 17 February ... General Prayer (“Great God before Thy awful throne”); 31 On the [condescension of God] (“O what a strange surprising scene”); 33 Penitence and hope (“Long have I wander'd”); 40 The presence of Christ the joy of His people (“The wond'ring nations”); 57 [untitled] (“When e'er my God thy wond'rous love”); 96 Luke xxii.19 (“And can we so ungrateful prove”). 

34. Hymn Copies from Ann Cator Steele Diaries Copies of six hymns and devotional verses found between the pages of the diaries of Anne's stepmother Ann Cator Steele. All six were published in Theodosia, “Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional” (1780), vol. 1. For originals see STE 3/1/1 nos 98, 101, 27, 77, 26, 76. 35. Unpublished Verses Twenty-three verses unpublished during Anne Steele's lifetime.

36. Presentation Verses

Six verses by Anne Steele or given to her by others.

37. William Steele Transcripts of Anne Steele Verses

Devotional verses by Anne Steele, transcribed by William Steele.

38. Selina Bompas Transcripts of Anne Steele Hymns

Unpublished hymns by Anne Steele, transcribed by her great-great-grandniece Selina Bompas. Booklet of fourteen verses, originals D/STE 3/1/1/16–17, 96; 3/1/4/1–2, 6, 8–9, 11–12; 3/3/2, p. 25. Also Psalm xxxiv (“Forever still I bless the Lord”); Psalm ciii (“Bless O my soul”); On being desired to write on the death of Dr Watts (“Oh could I sin[g?] like Watts". 

39. “The Excellency of the Holy Scriptures” Transcript

Late 19th-century transcript of Anne Steele's poem “The Excellency of the Holy Scriptures”.

40. Psalms “Attempted in Verse” by Anne Steele 

Psalms in verse by her (published and unpublished).

41. Psalms

Unbound manuscript of Psalms: most of these were published either in Theodosia, “Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional” (1780), vol. 2 (Psalms i–xxiii) or in Anne Steele, “Hymns, Psalms, Poems” (London, 1863) (Psalms i–cxlviii). Items not published in either are as follows: Psalm xvi (“Preserve me, o my God”); Psalm xix (“The heav'ns declare”); Psalm xxiv (“Through all her wide dominion”); Psalm xxix (“Give to the Lord”); Psalm xxxii (“Blest is the man”); Psalm xxxiii (“Rejoice ye righteous”); Psalm xxxiv (“Forever will I bless the Lord”); Psalm xlvi (“God is our strength”); Psalm xlvii (“Ye happy tribes proclaim”); Psalm xcvii (“The Lord, the mighty God”); Psalm civ (“Awake my soul”); Psalm cv (“Ye grateful tribes approach”); Psalm cxxxix (“O Lord thy awful searching eye”); Psalm cxlviii (“Jehovah's praise”). NB Psalms published in 1863 which are not in D/STE 3/2/1 include Psalm xxxix, li, cxxxvii [but see D/STE 3/2/2], cxxxviii, cxlix, cl.
42. Psalm cxxxvii
Undated manuscript of Anne Steele's Psalm cxxxvii (“Where Babel's rivers”), found loose inside one of Ann Cator Steele's diaries.
43. Psalm ciii
Undated manuscript of Anne Steele's Psalm ciii (“Bless, O my Soul”), which differs from that published in “Hymns, Psalms, Poems” by Anne Steele (London, 1863).

44. Psalms xxviii, lxxix, cxlviii
Undated manuscript of three unpublished psalms by Anne Steele (Psalm xxviii, Psalm lxxix, Psalm cxlviii).
45. William Steele Transcript of Psalm xxiii
Undated transcript by William Steele of Anne Steele's Psalm xxiii.
46. Verses by Anne Steele (Published and Unpublished)

Steele's hymns

A collection of hymns adapted to public worship which appeared in 1769 included 62 hymns by Steele.

John Ripon used 47 of them in his widely circulated A selection of hymns from the best authors of 1787

A hymnal published in Boston in 1808 including 59 hymns by Steele, nearly one third of the total number of hymns in the book.

G W Bethune on Anne Steele listing some of her work

In an anthology of British female poets Bethune writes

Daughter of a dissenting preacher at Broughton, in Hampshire, ranks with Toplady, Charles Wesley, Cowper and Newton, in that very difficult branch of composition, the devotional lyric. She also made an excellent version of the Psalms, which for literalness, smoothness, and evangelical power, may almost compare with that of Dr. Watts. None but those who have attempted a similar task, can appreciate the talent which she has displayed. Her compositions were, with few exceptions, all strictly devotional. She died about 1779, and her poems were collected shortly after and published in two volumes.

We give the first lines of her most popular hymns, that the pious may know to whom they are indebted for the language so often employed by them in their offerings of praise, as some or all of them are to be found in the Hymn-books of most Christian denominations:

"Lord, when my raptured thought surveys;"

"The Saviour! O what endless charms!"

"Ye wretched, hungry, starving poor;"

"Great God! to thee my ev'ning song;"

"Come, weary souls with sins distrest;"

"Jesus, the spring of joys divine;"

"Thou only sov'reign of my heart;"

"Father of mercies, in thy word;"

"Dear Lord, and shall thy Spirit rest;"

"Deep are the wounds which sin hath made;"

"He lives, the great Redeemer lives!"

"And will the Lord thus condescend?"

"Awake, awake the sacred song;"

"Should famine in the mourning field;"

"Ye humble souls, approach your God;"

"When blooming youth is snatched away;"

"O Thou whose tender mercy hears!"

"Ah! wretched, vile, ungrateful heart!"

"And is the Gospel peace and love!"

"Dear refuge of my weary soul!"

"When death appears before my sight;"

"The Saviour calls, let ev'ry ear;"

"Thou only source of true delight;"

"Jesus, in thy transporting name;"

"And did the holy and the just?"

"To Jesus our exalted Lord;"

"Jesus, what shall I do to •how?"

"Where is my God? does he retire!"

"Come ye that love the Saviour's name;"

"How helpless guilty nature lies!"

"Ye glittering toys of earth, adieu!" &c.

Many of these, though miserably mutilated by presumptuous hands, which had the impertinence to alter what they never could have written, will serve to make good our assertion of Mrs. Steele's merits as one of Israel's sweetest singers. We add one at length, which will compare favourably with the hymn in the Spectator (generally ascribed to Addison, but which, as the editor believes, has been shown in the preface to Andrew Marvell's works to be his): "When all thy mercies, O my God."

More on Anne Steele

More on Anne Steele can be found here

Hymns

A list of Anne Steele's hymns can be fond here