Henry Alford – died

ON THIS DATE

Henry Alford died 1/12/1871 at Can­ter­bu­ry, Kent, Eng­land – for his own ep­i­taph he wrote: “The inn of a pil­grim tra­vel­ing to Je­ru­sa­lem.”  At 16 he wrote in his Bi­ble, “I do this day in the pre­sence of God and my own soul re­new my cov­e­nant with God and sol­emn­ly de­ter­mine hence­forth to be­come his and to do his work as far as in me lies.”  Alford at­tend­ed Il­min­ster Gram­mar School and Trin­i­ty Coll­ege, Cam­bridge, and was or­dained in 1833.  He was a church man and a schol­ar, pro­duc­ing vol­umes on Homer, Eng­lish po­et­ry, and a Greek New Test­a­ment.  Alford was born 10/7/1810 at Blooms­bu­ry, Mid­dle­sex, Eng­land.

Stanza 1 (of 4) – written in 1844

“Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home;

All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.

God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied;

Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.”

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