Hymn No. 164
Thomas Aquinas:  “ A hymn is the praise of God with song; a song is the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things bursting forth in voice.” 
We been involved with hymns, more or less, since mother’s knee and they have a long and glorious history. We have our likes and dislikes. Hymns divide the generations, with pop and rock hymns appealing to the young plucking guitars. whilst some of us tend to cling to the traditional organ driven stuff.     
And they go back centuries into various cultures.
The Egyptians had them: The Great Hymn to Aten composed by a pharaoh.  The Hindus had them and in the Western tradition there were so called Homeric hymns dating from 7th century BC praising Greek gods. 
Our own hymns were inspired by the Psalms of David.  The early Christians sang them as we know from the Bible, but we don’t know of course what they sounded like since notation survives until the Gregorian chants of the Middle Ages.  
16th Century:  The real age of hymn singing began with Martin Luther whose great “ A Mighty Fortress is Our God” is sung in both Catholic & Protestant churches. 
The eighteenth century had a great outpouring: Olney Hymns John Newton and William Cowper.
Isaac Watts :  “O God our help in Ages Past”  and 600 others.  Credited with the first hymn in English that was not a direct paraphrase of scriptures. 
Charles Wesley brings personal feelings in relationship with God into hymns:
“ Where shall my wandering soul begin ? 
How shall I all to heaven aspire?
A slave redeemed from death & sin
A brand plucked from eternal fire. “
Stirring stuff.
19th century the Americans revivalist stuff for camp meetings and religious crusades. The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
The most beautiful hymn I know is not in the hymn book nor set to music so far as I am aware
“ When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, 
And look upon myself and curse my fate
Haply I think on thee – and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings” 
That’ s Shakespeare Sonnet 29.   And I know of no words that better fit Thomas Aquinas’s  description of a hymn as  “ the exultation of the mind dwelling on eternal things bursting forth in voice.” 
The words of  “Angel Voices ever Singing Round Thy throne of grace”,  hymn No. 164,  are not in that league, I’m afraid.  But they well express feelings of praise for God,  and have a memorable tune.
 
So as we sing Hymn No. 163,  and the other hymns to-day, I hope we’ll all feel that God’s  “ sweet love remembered such wealth brings that we can scorn to change our state with kings. “ 
