Perhaps Anglican
Hymn #75.
Very little detail is available as to John Stocker. He was born at Honiton, Devonshire, England. He is considered a friend of A. M. Toplady (who wrote “Rock of Ages”) who lived for a while near to Honiton. John Stocker contributed nine hymns to “The Gospel Magazine” in 1776-1777. These were reissued in 1861 by a Daniel Sedgewick. We quote part of one of the nine:
“Gracious Spirit, Love divine!
Let thy light within me shine;
All my guilty fears remove,
Fill me with thy heavenly love.
Let me never from Thee stray,
Keep me in the narrow way.
Fill my soul with joy divine.
Keep me, Lord, forever thine!”
Another source remarks: “John Stocker remains as the shadow of a name. No investigation detects anything beyond the facts that he was from Honiton, Devonshire, and that he contributed nine hymns to the magazine.”
We shall bring this item to an end with the words of the author in hymn #75:
“Thy mercy, O God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue;
‘Tis free grace alone, from the first to the last,
That wins the affections, and binds the soul fast.”