Leonard Swain

Leonard Swain (1821–1869) was a Congregationalist, and the first minister of Central Congregational Church in Providence, Rhode Island from 1852 to 1869.[1][2] He was a notable preacher, and author of multiple hymns.[3][4]

Swain was born Feb. 26, 1821 in Concord, New Hampshire.[4][5]

Swain graduated from Dartmouth College, Phi Beta Kappa in 1841,[6] and Andover Theological Seminary in 1846. In 1847, he married Julia Maria Allen[5] and took a position as a Congregational minister of the Pearl Street Church in Nashua, New Hampshire.[4][5] In 1852 he became minister of the Central Congregational Church in Providence, Rhode Island.[4] Swain required that this new church be completely free of debt when he accepted his call.[7]

In 1858 two hymns that he wrote were published in the Sabbath Hymn Book (a hymnal), anonymously. His authorship was determined "only recently" before a 1907 Dictionary of Hymnology was published. The two hymns are "My soul, weigh not thy life" (The Good Fight of Faith) and "My soul, it is thy God" (The Christian Race). He also wrote "My soul, whene'er thou shalt arrive", published in about 1840. These hymns appeared in 56,[8] 21,[9] and 2[10] hymnals, respectively, that were published during 1840 to 1920.[4]

He wrote five sermons that were published as booklets:[5] Our Banners Set Up (1861),[11] God in the Strife (1861),[12] On the Death of President Lincoln (1865),[13] On the Death of Rowell Park Perry and Lemuel Grosvenor Perry (1867),[14] and God's Ownership of the Sea (1869)[5][15]

He was "active" in the 1845-founded Rhode Island Institute of Instruction (predecessor of the National Education Association Rhode Island).[2][16]

He was the commencement speaker at Wheaton Female Seminary (now Wheaton College) in 1864.[2] He spoke in 1861 on "The Sea", and in 1864 on "Puritan Education". He also gave welcoming addresses in some years.[2]

He also served as secretary for the Evangelical Consociation of Rhode Island.[2]

He died July 14, 1869, in Providence, while still minister.[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ Wright, Albert J. (printer) (1878). History of Providence: Ecclesiastical History. Hong, Wade & Co. (republished on internet by Rootsweb).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Reverend Leonard Swain, Commencement speaker". Wheaton College: History.
  3. ↑ The Fiske Family: a history of the family (ancestral and descendent) of William Fiske, sen. p. 143.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Hymnary.org: People: Leonard Swain". Hymnary.Org. (with text attributed to John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907); two typos of "New Haven" where "New Hampshire" meant are apparent)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Rev. D.D. Leonard Swain". Rootsweb.
  6. ↑ A catalogue of the New-Hampshire Alpha of the # B K, Dartmouth college, Hanover, 1851.
  7. ↑ "History". Central Church.Org.
  8. ↑ Hymnary.org: Texts: "My soul, weigh not thy life" (includes page scans)
  9. ↑ Hymnary.org: Texts: "My soul, it is thy god" (includes page scans)
  10. ↑ Hymnary.org: Texts: "My soul whene'er thou shalt arrive" (includes page scans)
  11. ↑ "Our banners set up: a sermon preached at the Central Congregational Church, Providence, R.I., April 21, 1861". (at WorldCat)
  12. ↑ "God in the strife. A sermon preached at the Central Congregational Church, Providence, R.I. April 28, 1861". (at WorldCat)
  13. ↑ "A nation's sorrow: a sermon preached on the Sabbath after the assassination of President Lincoln, in the Central Congregational church, Providence, April 15 [i.e. 16] 1865". (at WorldCat)
  14. ↑ "The true ground of Christian submission : a sermon on the occasion of the death of Roswell Park Perry, who died January 18, 1867, and of his brother Lemuel Grosvenor Perry, who died July 12, 1867 : preached in the Central Congregational Church, Providence, July 14, 1867". (at WorldCat)
  15. ↑ "God's ownership of the sea: a sermon preached at the Central Congregational Church, Providence, R.I., October 7, 1860". (at WorldCat)
  16. ↑ "NEARI: History of the Association". Retrieved 2015-03-17.