Excerpt from A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of Universalist Societies and Families
The names of the authors so far as I havebeen able to ascertain them, are prefixed. I had wished to insert the hymns just as their authors left them, only omitting such stanzas as were superfluous or objectionable. But alter spending a considerable time in trac mg them back to their original state, end finding that many, which were excellent on the whole, did absolutely require some changes, Iconcluded to take them in the best form in which I could find them, and sometimes to venture my own hsndat their unprove ment. But in every case of known alteration, (accept bare mic. Dam) Ihave beenecrupulous to signifythe fsetbypredxings star P] to the author's name. As for the anonymous hymns, I could seldom determine what was their original state; and in them.
Hosea Ballou was an American Universalist clergyman and theological writer. osea Ballou was born in Richmond, New Hampshire, to a family of Huguenot origin. The son of Maturin Ballou, a Baptist minister, he was self-educated, and devoted himself early on to the ministry. In 1789 he converted to Universalism, and in 1794 became a pastor of a congregation in Dana, Massachusetts.
He founded and edited The Universalist Magazine (1819 -- later called The Trumpet), and The Universalist Expositor (1831 -- later The Universalist Quarterly Review), and wrote about 10,000 sermons as well as many hymns, essays and polemic theological works. He is best known for Notes on the Parables (1804), A Treatise on Atonement (1805) and Examination of the Doctrine of a Future Retribution (1834). These works mark him as the principal American expositor of Universalism.
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