O mean may seem this house of clay

O mean may seem this house of clay. Thomas Hornblower Gill* (1819-1906).  In JJ this was one of the hymns annotated separately (p. 844), as being one of Gill’s best-known hymns. It was written, according to that entry, in 1850, and published in ‘G. Dawson’s  Ps. & Hys, 1853’. This refers to a collection by George Dawson (1821-1876), the inspirational philosopher and preacher of Birmingham, whose work had a considerable influence in America. His book was published in London and Birmingham (available through Hathi Trust; https://discover.libraryhub.jisc.ac.uk/search?q=%20Dawson%20Psalms%20and%20Hymns&rn=6&for=hat). It was prefaced by ‘As we have borne the image of the earthy...