Blest be the tie that binds

Blest be the tie that binds. John Fawcett* (1740-1817). Written at Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, it was first published in Hymns: adapted to the circumstances of Public Worship and Private Devotion (1782). It appeared in influential collections on both sides of the Atlantic, such as John Rippon*’s Selection of Hymns (1787) and Benjamin Lloyd’s Primitive Hymns, Spiritual Songs and Sacred Poems (1841). It is found in most Baptist and Congregational hymnals, including those intended for the African American community, and other major nonconformist books of the 19th and 20th centuries. Its genesis is reputed to lie in Fawcett’s decision not to leave his small rural congregation for a larger...