TheOldCourse
Puritan Board Sophomore
The thread on the dying words of Puritans brought to mind Anne Ross Cousin's 1854 poem based on Samuel Rutherford's final words which also were turned into the popular hymn "The Sands of Time or Sinking" or "Immanuel's Land." Out of curiosity I did a quick search on the background of the poem and was surprised to see a number of internet sources writing that she authored this poem among others as hymns for use in her minister husband's church services in the Free Church of Scotland.
Given that the FCoS only began to allow non-inspired hymns to be used in public services in 2010, this surprised me. Cousin authored her poems and hymns well before the declaratory act loosed confessional subscription and the denomination began toying with liberalism en route to the union of 1900. Was the original Free Church not EP in those earlier days or did it change its practice at some point along the way?
Given that the FCoS only began to allow non-inspired hymns to be used in public services in 2010, this surprised me. Cousin authored her poems and hymns well before the declaratory act loosed confessional subscription and the denomination began toying with liberalism en route to the union of 1900. Was the original Free Church not EP in those earlier days or did it change its practice at some point along the way?