The Hymns of Vernon Higham

The Hymns of W. Vernon Higham
Tentmaker Publications,
121 Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 7LU.
162 hymns, includes index of each hymn and first line of each verse.
£9.95 post-free.
ISBN 1 899003 24 4

Vernon Higham has already established himself as a hymn-writer. A number of his hymns are in current use and some have found a place in the hearts of Christian people as well as in their hymnbooks.
This collection of 162 hymns is the largest he has offered to the Christian public. They are classified in the usual manner of hymnbooks and are written on a wide variety of themes. There is a good selection on the Christian life and, as would be expected, a useful number on the revival and restoration of the church, but other themes are not neglected.
How many of these hymns will secure a permanent place in the hymnody of the Christian church remains to be seen. Some certainly will. The confidence of the publishers is reflected in this handsome, well-bound volume. That confidence is surely well-grounded. There is a timelessness about Mr Higham's hymns because they express eternal truths and reflect the deepest desires and concerns of believers. Like Joseph Hart, one of the greatest of all hymn-writers, Mr Higham has prefaced this collection with an account of his own spiritual experience (see page 18 of this issue of EN). This gives value to the book. It explains something of the quality of a work which reflects a deep experience of the grace of God. Mr Higham's own life is seen to underlie his deep desire for revival.
Unlike some earlier single author collections, it is unlikely that this book will be adopted by congregations for worship, although the hymns are intended to be sung and tune suggestions are included. Future hymnbook compilers will be able to quarry from its resources. Its immediate and widest value, however, will be as a devotional manual. Those who use it thus will be enriched.

Robert Oliver,
Bradford on Avon

© Evangelicals Now - December 1998
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