How firm a foundation

with
BROUGHTON
GEARD
ADESTE FIDELES
PROTECTION (FOUNDATION)

I. Text: Publication

The journey behind this hymn starts with its first publication in A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors (1787 | Fig. 1), compiled by John Rippon (1751–1836), where this hymn appeared in seven stanzas of four lines, without music.

Much can be learned from examining the original printings. This hymn was originally headed “Exceeding great and precious promises, 2 Pet. iii. 4.” Starting with the 3rd edition (ca. 1791), the Scripture reference was corrected to read “2 Pet. i. 4.,” which, when included in context with the preceding verse, says:

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (KJV).

The broader section heading was “Scripture Promises.” The word “Elevens” refers to the textual meter, being 11.11.11.11., anapestic (a triple meter starting with unstressed syllables). After the production of Rippon’s tune book in 1792, this text in subsequent editions of the hymnal (the 4th ed. and following) included a recommendation for the tune BROUGHTON (more on this below). In the 5th edition (1793) the tune name GEARD was added as a second option.

The most famous and confounding marking on the page is the ascription of authorship to “K—,” which is discussed in greater detail in section III below.

With an asterisk at the last line of the last stanza, Rippon included the note, “Agreeable to Dr. Doddridge’s Translation of Heb. xiii. 5.” This was in reference to the Bible commentary by fellow hymn writer Philip Doddridge (1702–1751), The Family Expositor, volume 6 (1756), where Doddridge both translated and elaborated on Hebrews 13:5, or as the title page called it, “a paraphrase and version of the New Testament” (brackets and italics are by Doddridge):

[Let your] Conversation [be] free from every Degree of Covetousness, and [be] contented with such Things as ye have, without eagerly or impatiently desiring what divine Providence may see fit to withhold. And though being so slenderly provided for, as most of you are, it may seem very probable you should soon come to want, even the Necessaries of Life, especially after the late Ravages you have suffered from your Enemies, who have plundered your Goods; (Chap. x. 34), be not anxiously solicitous about that; for he who hath all the Stores of Nature at his Command, and who owns the Relation of a Father to us, hath graciously said, (Josh. i. 5.) I will not, I will not leave thee, I will never, never, never forsake thee.

Doddridge’s emphatic, italicized statement of God’s promise through Joshua was therefore reflected at the end of “How firm a foundation” in similar fashion.

At some point between the 16th and 26th eds. (ca. 1806–1827) an eighth stanza was added:

Sweet promises these, Lord—then help me, I pray,
Strong in faith to believe and responsively say,
I will not, I will not despair of thy care,
I’ll never, no never, no never despair.

The authorship of this stanza was not credited; it did not appear in the posthumous Comprehensive Edition (1844) and it is rarely reprinted.

II. Text: Analysis

The Scripture reference in the heading, 2 Peter 1:4, speaks of God’s promises, enabled by his divine power, allowing the recipients of that promise (1) to share in his divine nature, and (2) escape corruption. These ideas are reflected in the hymn most especially in stanza 5, where it speaks of being tested and purified by the furnace, and in stanza 6, where it describes how God’s people will reflect his “sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love.” The additional reference of Hebrews 13:5 speaks of being freed from the corruption of covetousness, and it offers the promise of not being abandoned.

The hymn is unique in the way the main body of the text is presented as God speaking these assurances to his people through paraphrased quotes from Scripture. A hymn in which God speaks to worshipers is much less common than those in which worshipers speak to God, or to each other (via testimony/evangelism, or pedagogically through the conveyance of doctrine). Albert Edward Bailey said “The hymn is really a sermon in verse,”[1] or expressed more devotionally, writer April Brover called it “an opportunity to reflect on the assurances of God’s steadfast love and sufficient grace for His people.”[2]

The theme of the hymn, as it is presented in the first two lines (“How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord / Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word”), is representative of passages such as Ephesians 2:19–22, 1 Corinthians 3:11, or Psalm 119:28 (“Strengthen me according to your word!”). The end of the second stanza is a paraphrase of the blessing on the tribe of Asher in Deuteronomy 33:25. The third stanza is paraphrased from Isaiah 41:10 (see also Josh. 1:9, 10:25). The fourth and fifth stanzas are based closely on Isaiah 43:2 (see also Ex. 14:15–16, 2 Sam. 22:17, 1 Pet. 1:6–7, 4:12–13, Is. 1:25, Zech. 13:9). The sixth stanza draws from Isaiah 46:4 and 40:11 (“hoary” means greying with age). The seventh is especially connected to Hebrews 13:5, but these sentiments are also expressed in Deuteronomy 31:6–8, Psalm 16:10, Matthew 28:20, and Romans 8:35–39. The added eighth stanza acts as a recapitulation of the theme and response to the preceding message.

III. Text: Authorship

This hymn’s authorship has been examined for decades, leading to two strong candidates and some lesser ones. Three hymns in Rippon’s collection were assigned the initial “K—,” the other two being “In songs of sublime adoration and praise,” and “The Bible is justly esteem’d.” If the mystery could be solved for any of these, the mystery is solved for all three, in theory.

1. John Rippon

The first candidate, whose involvement in the production of the hymn is undisputed, is John Rippon (1751–1836), editor of the collection, and pastor of the Carter Lane Baptist Church in London. In the preface to his Selection, he explained the placement of single initials in the volume:

In most places, where the names of the authors were known, they are put at full length, but the hymns which are not so distinguished, or which have only a single letter prefixed to them, were, many of them composed by a person unknown, or else have undergone some considerable alterations.

As Rippon was not averse to altering hymns (see “All hail the power of Jesus’ name”), he almost certainly deserves credit for shaping the hymn into the form as we know it, although to what extent, we might never know.

2. Robert Keene

The most likely candidate for identification with “K—” is Robert Keene, who had been a member of Carter Lane from 1776 to 1793 and was Rippon’s precentor before being dismissed for drunkenness.[3] Keene had also been involved with the production of Rippon’s tune book, A Selection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes, together with Thomas Walker (1764–1827). Thomas Walker, as it turns out, would be a key witness to Keene’s authorship. He had assisted Alexander Fletcher with A Collection of Hymns from the Best Authors (1822). In the preface to the collection, Fletcher remarked:

Great assistance has been obtained from Mr. Walker, compiler of Dr. Rippon’s tune book, and editor of the companion to it, called Walker’s Companion; and it is but justice to acknowledge that the principal choice of hymns, and the application of tunes, has been effected by his extensive knowledge of sacred poetry, and long tried acquaintance with the science of sacred music.

“How firm a foundation” appeared in that collection, and it was credited to Keene (“Keen”) in the index. Additional anecdotal evidence for Keene’s authorship was presented by H.L. Hastings of Boston, who investigated the authorship of the hymn while in London in 1886. Hastings met with Charles Gordelier, who had led the singing in Rippon’s church some fifty years prior and had known other members of the church. Gordelier supported the oral tradition within the church and the community naming Keene as the probable author.[4]

Although none of these facts definitively prove Keene’s authorship of the hymn, the circumstantial evidence is strong.

3. George Keith

Daniel Sedgwick (1814–1879), a London bookseller who was actively engaged in hymnological pursuits and assisted with the production of several hymnals and books, put forth the name George Keith as the author. Sedgwick had been involved in editing Charles Spurgeon’s Our Own Hymn Book (1866), for which he vetted the authorship and publication dates of all the hymns. “How firm a foundation” appeared at number 732. In the first edition, he credited the hymn to “Kirkham or Kennedy, 1787.” In the second edition (1867), this was changed to “K— Rippon’s Selection, 1787.” In the sixth edition (1873) and following, this was changed yet again to “George Keith, 1787.” The hymn “In songs of sublime adoration and praise” also appeared in Spurgeon’s hymnal, number 219. In the first edition, it was labeled “K—, 1787.” This was changed to “George Keith, 1787” in the sixth edition.

Keith had been a member of the Carter Lane church, son-in-law of Rippon’s predecessor John Gill, but Keith was one of thirty members who split from the church in adamant opposition to Rippon’s hiring in 1773.[5] Therefore, it seems unlikely (but not impossible) for Keith to have contributed to Rippon’s hymnal. In addition, George Keith is not otherwise known to have written hymns.

A copy of Rippon’s Selection once owned by hymnologist Frederick Bird, who had corresponded with Sedgwick, is now held by Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary. It contains a note in the back, quoting a letter from Sedgwick, “‘George Keith, Bookseller & Pubr, son in law to Dr Gill & clerk to Dr Rippon. It is said he used to make his hymns from the [heads?] of the Dr’s sermons while he was delivering them.’ D. Sedgwick, Aug. 13, ’68” (Fig. 4). The note is curious but also incongruous. If Keith was a hymn writer, where are his other hymns? If Keith left the church in protest of Rippon’s hiring, then his hymns would have been written under Gill. John Julian, who had access to Sedgwick’s manuscripts, shed light on the situation, lamenting, “The ascription [to Keith] is based upon nothing but the statement of an old woman whom Sedgwick met in an almshouse.”[6]

4. Kirkham

Starting with the posthumous Comprehensive Edition (1844), the hymn was ascribed to “Kirkham.” This is possibly a reference to Thomas Kirkham, who had published A Collection of Hymns, Intended as a Supplement to Dr. Watts’s Psalms and Hymns (1788), a year after Rippon’s first edition, but people who have examined this collection have indicated “How firm a foundation” is not in it. Joseph Belcher, in his Historical Sketches of Hymns (1859), suggested this was John Kirkham, an associate of the Wesleys and Whitefield.

5. Kennady

A rather obscure attribution to “Kennady” appeared in Asahel Nettleton’s Village Hymns (1824 | Archive.org), where “How firm a foundation” appeared at number 161. Nothing more is known of this person.

IV. Tunes

1. BROUGHTON

In Rippon’s Selection of Hymns, two tunes were recommended for “How firm a foundation,” as given in Rippon’s Selection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes (1792). BROUGHTON is by Thomas Walker (1764–1827), arranged in three parts, melody in the middle voice. The abbreviation at the top (“Hy 128. I.R.S.”) is a cross reference back to the hymnal, to “How firm a foundation.”

The name BROUGHTON is possibly a nod to the home of Anne Steele, who was very well represented in Rippon’s hymnal, with 47 hymns.

2. GEARD

The other tune originally recommended for this text is GEARD, by Robert Keene. In the testimony of Charles Gordelier, who had led the singing in Rippon’s church in the first part of the nineteenth century, this was the tune he remembered using for “How firm a foundation.” His interviewer, H.L. Hastings, struck by how well the text and tune fit together, remarked, “they seemed to be made for each other.”[7] This, of course, is true in the sense that both Walker and Keene composed their tunes specifically for the texts in Rippon’s collection.

The cross reference to hymn 11 is an error, corrected in later editions to say 15, which is “Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,” a hymn attributed to “S—” by Rippon, and “J.S.” in the Gospel Magazine (March 1776), credited to John Stocker in the works of Daniel Sedgwick. The repeat signs in the second system indicate a repetition of the text only, not of the music (the tune is longer than the text, so some phrases are repeated).

3. ADESTE FIDELES

Many collections have paired “How firm a foundation” with the tune ADESTE FIDELES by John Francis Wade (ca. 1711–1786). Although this pairing used to be very common, it has largely been abandoned (for good reason) since the mid twentieth century because of the strong connection between the tune and its proper text, “O come, all ye faithful,” and the existence of another capable tune, FOUNDATION, which was written for “How firm a foundation.”

4. PROTECTION (FOUNDATION)

This pentatonic American tune first appeared in A Compilation of Genuine Church Music (1832), edited by Joseph Funk (1778–1862), set to “How firm a foundation,” originally called PROTECTION. The tune is considered anonymous (not usually credited to Funk). Funk was a German Mennonite who settled in the Shenandoah Valley near Harrisonburg, Virginia. Later editions of his tune book (renamed Harmonia Sacra in 1851), have continued to be printed long after his death; a 26th edition was published in 2008.

The cross reference at the top is to Asahel Nettleton’s Village Hymns (1824). In the Sacred Harp (1844) tradition, the tune is known as BELLEVUE. One particular harmonization printed in The Wesleyan Hymn and Tune Book (1859 | Fig. 8), music edited by L.C. Everett, continues to be repeated in major denominational hymnals.

Hymnologist Carl P. Daw Jr. has noted, “The melody of FOUNDATION has an AA’BA’ structure that makes it easy to learn and remember. The economy of elements is quite remarkable.”[8] When the melody is broken into segments of two measures, the structure is ab–ac–db–ac. Notice also the consistent rhythm of quarters and halves, which Daw called “an effective match for the meter of the text.”

Reformed scholar Bert Polman offered alternative possibilities for performing the tune:

There are several options for singing: congregation throughout, soloists on the middle stanzas, or in canon. Like many folk tunes, FOUNDATION is pentatonic and should be sung with vigor. It can be sung either in two-part canon (two measures apart) or in four parts (one measure apart). Try having the choir’s men and women sing in canon on the inner stanzas, perhaps following a soloist. For the final stanza, try dividing the entire congregation into four groups for a stirring conclusion. When singing in canon, sing unaccompanied.[9]

by CHRIS FENNER
for Hymnology Archive
5 September 2020

Footnotes:

1. Albert Edward Bailey, The Gospel in Hymns (1950), p. 140.

2. April Brover, Happy Hymnody (August 2020).

3. Some sources say Richard; the name Robert is preferred by Rippon’s biographer, Ken Manley, who confirmed his membership records at the church. See Manley (2004), p. 125. This Keene, the Baptist, is not to be confused with the Robert Keene who was a close associate of George Whitefield, the Methodist.

4. H.L. Hastings, The Christian (May 1887), quoted in Louis Benson, Studies (1903), pp. 43–44.

5. Ken Manley (2004), p. 37.

6. John Julian, “How firm a foundation,” A Dictionary of Hymnology (London: J. Murray, 1892), p. 537: HathiTrust; see also the biography of Sedgwick in the Dictionary, in which he was both praised for his work and castigated for his inability to admit when he was wrong.

7. H.L. Hastings, The Christian (May 1887), quoted in Louis Benson, Studies (1903), p. 44.

8. Carl P. Daw Jr., “How firm a foundation,” Glory to God: A Companion (2016), p. 468.

9. Bert Polman, “How firm a foundation,” Psalter Hymnal Handbook (1998), p. 670.

Related Resources:

Alexander Fletcher, A Collection of Hymns from the Best Authors (London: Ogles, Duncan & Co., 1822): PDF | Google Books

Louis Benson, “How firm a foundation,” Studies in Familiar Hymns (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1903), pp. 37–50: Archive.org

Albert Edward Bailey, “How firm a foundation,” The Gospel in Hymns (NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1950), pp. 139–140.

Stanley L. Osborne, “How firm a foundation,” If Such Holy Song (Whitby, Ontario: Institute of Church Music, 1976), no. 139.

Robin Leaver & M.H., “How firm a foundation,” The Hymnal 1982 Companion, vol. 3B (NY: Church Hymnal Corp., 1994), pp.

Bert Polman, “How firm a foundation,” Psalter Hymnal Handbook (Grand Rapids: CRC, 1998), pp. 669–670.

Ken R. Manley, Redeeming Love Proclaim: John Rippon and the Baptists (Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster, 2004): Amazon

Robert Cottrill, “How firm a foundation,” Wordwise Hymns (18 July 2011): https://wordwisehymns.com/2011/07/18/how-firm-a-foundation/

Carl P. Daw Jr., “How firm a foundation,” Glory to God: A Companion (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2016), pp. 468–469.

Robert Cottrill, “How firm a foundation,” Wordwise Hymns (6 May 2019): https://wordwisehymns.com/2019/05/06/how-firm-a-foundation-2/

Kevin Hildebrand, “How firm a foundation,” Lutheran Service Book Companion to the Hymns, vol. 1 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2019), pp. 1024–1026.

Brett Nelson, “How firm a foundation,” Latter-Day Saint Hymnology (17 Feb. 2019): https://ldshymnology.wordpress.com/2019/02/17/how-firm-a-foundation/

Leland Ryken, “How firm a foundation” 40 Favorite Hymns on the Christian Life (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2019), pp. 44–46: Amazon

April Brover, “How firm a foundation,” Happy Hymnody (August 2020): https://happyhymnody.wordpress.com/2020/08/01/how-firm-a-foundation-august-2020/

P. Munson & J. F. Drake, “How firm a foundation,” Congregational Singing: http://www.congsing.org/how_firm_a_foundation.html

“How firm a foundation,” Hymnary: https://hymnary.org/text/how_firm_a_foundation_ye_saints_of

Hymn Tune Index: https://hymntune.library.uiuc.edu/default.asp