The two volumes entitled "HYMNS OF TER STEEGEN AND OTHERS", by Mrs. Frances Bevan, having been out of print for some years, the Lord has given us the unspeakable privilege of once again sending forth to the Lord's people these beautiful hymns.
They are for the most part translations from old German hymns of the Middle Ages. Another has said: "There is found in them, that mystical touch, that indefinable quality (also found in the hymns of J. N. Darby) that reaches the inmost recesses of the soul, and calls forth the deepest longings of the spirit. By her beautiful translations, Mrs. Bevan has taught us something of that wealth of hymnology found in the German language.”
The two words "AND OTHERS" in the title of these unpretentious books not only include hymns by Heinrich Suso, Johann Tauler, Paul Gerhardt, and other old writers, but in them Mrs. Bevan, with true humility, hides her own identity as the gifted authoress of upwards of sixty of these beautiful hymns. The little book "Songs of Pilgrimage and Glory" by E. E. Cornwall (from which we quoted above) tells us that certain initials have been attached to these hymns. "These letters simply mean the house in which any given poem was composed: e.g., the letters T.P. signify that it was written at her house in Trent Park. These initials are as follows: P.G., T.P., F.M., V.M.C., C.P.C., P.B., W.R., T.S.M., S.B., G.P.G., but only the first five can now be located.
P.G. Princes Gate, London T.P.
Trent Park, Middlesex F.M.
Fosbury Manor, Wilts,
V.M.C. Villa Madeline, Cannes
C.P.C. Chalet Passifiora, Cannes.”
And so this beloved saint of God seeks in every way to hide herself, while she exalts her Divine Master.
The former publishers, Messrs. James Nisbet & Co., Limited, have kindly given their permission for this reprint. Every effort has been made to find the owners of these beautiful hymns, but without success. If we have infringed the rights of any one we most sincerely regret it.
HYMNS