Life of ages, richly poured
Life of ages, richly poured. Samuel Johnson* (1822-1882).
First published in Hymns of the Spirit (Boston, 1864), a notable Unitarian hymnbook edited by Johnson and his friend Samuel Longfellow*. The hymn's undogmatic celebration of ‘the prophet’s word’ (stanza 1 line 3), ‘the people’s liberty’ (stanza 1 line 4) and ‘the thinker’s creed’ (stanza 3 line 1) has earned it a place in many books besides those of the Unitarians. Percy Dearmer*, who called it ‘this excellent thing’ (Songs of Praise Discussed, 1933, p. 298), altered stanza 4 from
Consecrating art and song,
Holy book and pilgrim track,
Hurling floods of tyrant wrong
From the sacred limits back.
to
Consecrating art and song,
Holy...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "Life of ages, richly poured."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 10 Dec. 2025.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/l/life-of-ages,-richly-poured>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Life of ages, richly poured."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed December 10, 2025,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/l/life-of-ages,-richly-poured.