"My father—mother— parents, are no more ! Heueath tl.e liou-star they sleep, Ueyond the Westeiu deep; And when the sun's noon glory crests the waves, He shines without a shadow on their graves."
Left to himself, he refused to study for the ministry, and the Brethren placed him as an apprentice to a grocer in Mirfield. He disliked the drudgery of the shop, wrote verses, and at length ran away, with three shillings and sixpence in his pocket. He was soon compelled by ne- cessity to engage as a shopboy in the village of Wath, in Yorkshire. He remained there but a year, and then, intent upon publishing a volume of verses, went up to London, and introduced himself to one of the Brethren in Paternoster Bow, and gained employment as clerk and general assistant; but he could get no one to under- take publishing his poetry. In eight months we find him back again at Watb. In his twenty-first year he went to Sheffield as clerk to the editor of the Sheffield lieffisfer; and when, two years aftenvards, a political prosecution was instituted against the editor, Montgom- ery succeeded him in the management of the paper, changing its name to that of 'J'he /ris. The tone of his paper was very temperate, but tirm. At that time the quailing cause of arbitrary power and divine right was making its last struggles against freedom and common- sense. Notwithstanding the moderation of our poet- editor, it was not long before the hands of the officers of the law were upon him. The publication of a song written i)y a clergyman to commemorate the destruc- tion of the Bastile, which had been printed in half the newspajwrs in the kingdom, was made the pretence of fining Montgomery .£20 and imprisoning him three months in the Castle of York. On his deliverance from his incarceration he resumed his editorial labors, and avoided every extreme in politics; but in giving a nar- rative of the circumstances attending the death of two men killed in a riot in the streets of Siieffield by the military, a volunteer officer, who was also a magistrate, feeling his honor wounded by the statement, ])rescnted him for libel. The result was another line of £'3(\ and imjjrisonment for six months. During his confinement, in 17!Hi, he wrote his poems entitled Prison Amuse- ments. He now became a regular contributor to maga- zines, and, despite adverse criticism in the Edinbunjh Review (Jan. 1807, p. 347-.S55; com]i. however, Julj-, 1835, p. 473), established his right to rank as a poet. (See the defence by Southey in [Lond.] Qii. Jiei: v'l, 405 sq., and by Wilson in Blackwood's Mae/uzine, Se]it. 1831, p. 476.) In 1805 he issued The Ocean ; in 180G, The Wanderer of Switzerland, and other Poems ; and the next year The West Indies—this last meetinc in its
various editions with a most extraordinary patronage. In 1813 appeared The World before the Flood; in 181!>, Gretitland; and in 1827 The Pelican Island, the most original and powerful of all Montgomery's works. He now also collected two volumes of his sketches from pe- riodicals, entitled Prose by a Poet. A PoeCs Portfolio appeared in 1835. In 1830-31 he delivered a course of lectures on poetrj' and general literature, which were afterwards published in one volume. liis collected works appeared in 1851 (1 vol. 8vo).
But it is with the j)oet as a writer of hymns and sa- cred songs that we have most to do, as it is by these that he has most endeared himself to his age, and will be longest and most favorably remembered. In 1822 he published his Songs of Zion, being Imitations of Psalms. This work consisted of sixty-seven pieces, being versions of fifty-nine Psalms, closely as well as beautifully rendered. In 1828 he published his Chris- tian Psalmist, containing 103 original hymns; in 1853, Original Hymns for Public, Private, and Social Devo- tion. Judged by the use made of these hymns by the Christian world, IMontgomery takes his place next to Watts and AVesley, in company with Doddri<lge. This place we think he has well earned. AVhat Advent song surpasses for comprehensiveness, appropriateness of expression, force, and elevation of sentiment, this one beginning "Angels from the realms of glory?" What a glorifying of God and his work from eternity to eternity is found in this hymn, " Songs of praise the an- gels sang!" Will the time ever come on earth when the Church will not respond to " Stand up and bless the Lord, ye people of his choice?" or cease to look for- ward with anticipations of victory in the "Hark, the song of jubilee?" or forbear to encourage one another with "Daughter of Zion, from the dust?" or fail to use "Oh, where shall rest be found?" What a spirit of Christian love, mingled with hope drawn from the deep- est truths of our iaith, Hoavs through the invitation, "Come to Calvary's holy mountain;" and a reaching out of the right hand of fellowship in this, " Come m, thou blessed of the Lord !"
In a letter written in 1807 Montgomery gives us the history of his hymnological eflforts. "When I was a boy," he says, " I wrote a great many hymns ; indeed, the first-fruits of my mind were all consecrated to Him who never despises the day of small things, even in the poorest of his creatures. But as I grew up, and my heart degenerated, I directed my talents, such as they were, to other services ; and seldom indeed, since my fourteenth year, have they been employed in the de- lightful duties of the sanctuary. Many consi)iring ami adverse circumstances that have confounded. alliicte<l, and discouraged my mind, have also compelled me to forbear from composing hymns of prayer and praise, be- cause I found that I could not enter into the sjiirit of such divine themes with that humble boldness, that eai- nest expectation and ardent feeling of love to God and truth which were wont to inspire me when I was an un- corrnpted boy, full of tenderness and zeal and simplic- ity." W'c have indicated here the main ground of the excellence and usefulness of his hymns. They are the offspring not only of a heart naturally sensitive to re- ligious themes, but of a deep, rich, and varied Christian experience. The}' were lived before they were sung. From the experiences of the Christian life came their expression in Christian song; hence they are apjdica- blc to every believer's feelings, and touch unexjiectedly the most secret springs of joy and sorrow, faith, fear, hope, love, despondency, and triumph. This was the reason for their success given by the aiiibur himself. When advanced in life and seriously ill, he placed in the hands of his friend. Dr. Holland. " transcripts of his orig- inal hymns to be read to him. But a-s the ixiei was much affected, the doctor was about to desist, when Montgomery said, ' Bead on ; I am glad to hear you. The words recall the feelings which first suggested them, aiul it is good for me to feel affected antl humbled by