“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all!
“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”, a perennially popular and eternally powerful hymn, has been published in 3102 hymnals.
The hymn was written by Edward Perronet (1721-1792), a multiple-generation preacher whose protestant preacher family emigrated as refugees from Catholic France in the reign of Loius XIV to Switzerland to England. Edward’s father, Vincent Perronet (1693-1785) was an instrumental part of the Evangelical Revival under the Wesleys and Whitefield.
In his diary in 1749, John Wesley wrote of Edward as follows:
“From Rochdale went to Bolton, and soon found that the Rochdale lions were lambs in comparison with those of Bolton. Edward Perronet was thrown down and rolled in mud and mire. Stones were hurled and windows broken” (Tyerman’s Life and Times of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., 3 vols., 1870; vol . ii, 57).
And in 1750 John Wesley wrote:
“Charles [Perronet] and you [Edward Perronet] behave as I want you to do; but you cannot, or will not, preach where I desire. Others can and will preach where I desire, but they do not behave as I want them to do. I have a fine time between the one and the other. I think Charles and you have in the general a right sense of what it is to serve as sons in the gospel; and if all our helpers had had the same, the work of God would have prospered better both in England and in Ireland. I have not one preacher with me, and not six in England, whose wills are broken to serve me” (ibid. ii. 85, and Whitehead’s Life of Wesley, ii. 259).
Edward Perronet’s father Vincent became Vicar of Shoreham, Kent in 1728 when Edward was about 7 years old. Edward’s education came from private tutors. Edward read The Dissenting Gentleman’s answer to the Rev. Mr. White, and in response wrote: “I was born, and am like to die, in the tottering communion of the Church of England; but I despise her nonsense; and thank God that I have once read a book that no fool can answer, and that no honest man will.” Edward’s prophesy was not self-fulfilling. Instead, he became pastor of a dissenting congregation, associated with the Wesleys at Canterbury and Norwich.
In one of his best volumes of sacred poetry verses, written in 1779, Edward penned a poem he titled “On the Resurrection” – which is now the text of the hymn known as “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” The rare volume in which this original text was later published may be found in the British Museum. The title of the work is:
“Occasional Verses, moral and sacred. Published for the instruction and amusement of the Candidly Serious and Religious. London, printed for the Editor: And Sold by J. Buckland in Paternoster Row; and T. Scollick, in the City Road, Moorfields, mdcclxxxv.
The “royal diadem” with which Jesus was crowned – was a mocking ring of thorns…
Shrubsole, organist at Spafield’s Chapel, London, composed the tune “Miles Lane” for the text, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” This tune will not be found in the Methodist hymnals, but it is in the Episcopal hymnal {The Hymnal 1982}. Edward Perronet was said to have left a large sum of money to Shrubsole, perhaps in gratitude for this composition which initially served to bring this text alive with music in worship. Over the years, many more people were evangelized by the hymn text sung during worship than have read the entire book of sacred poetry Edward wrote, now a rare volume in a museum…
“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” will be the opening hymn Sunday March 21, sung to the tune “Coronation” composed by Oliver Holden in 1792, and published in 1793, the year after Edward Perronet died. Like Shrubsole, Oliver Holden was inspired by Edward’s text and composed his tune specifically for the text. Now the tune Coronation is more widely known and used than Miles Lane although both are excellent compositions. Oliver Holden (1765-1844) was an American. He worked as a carpenter, teacher and music-seller. He edited and published hymnals and composed hymns. Coronation is his best-known hymn now. However, some of his best work is no longer in use. (reference John Julian Dictionary of Hymnology)
Source: www.hymnary.org
Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872
Rev. A. B. Grosart, D. D., LL. D.
Agnew’s Protestant Exiles from France in the Reign of Loius XIV
John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)