Father, whate’er of earthly bliss

Father, whate’er of earthly bliss. Anne Steele* (1717-1778). This hymn is not found in JJ, but it was chosen for inclusion by the compilers of  A&M  (1904), and it remained in A&M books until it was omitted by the editors of A&MNS. It consists of the last three stanzas of a hymn in ten stanzas. The hymn in Steele’s Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional (1760) was entitled ‘Desiring Resignation and Thankfulness’.  It began: When I survey life’s varied scene,   Amid the darkest hours Sweet rays of comfort shine between,   And thorns are mix’d with flowers. Augustus Montague Toplady* took the last three stanzas and printed them, without an author’s name, in his Psalms and Hymns...