HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION, is one of those stalwart hymns in evangelical churches. This sermon in music includes 5 verses...each inspired by a different passage of scripture...from Isaiah to Hebrews to 2 Corinthians.
The hymn first appeared in 1787 when it was published in a hymnal by Dr. John Rippon. Dr. Rippon was one of the most popular and influential ministers of his time and was the pastor of Carter’s Lane Baptist Church in London, England for 63 years. The authorship has always been a mystery and originally was indicated merely as ‘K’. It has been generally thought that the author of the text was R. Keene who was the Music Director at the church Dr. Rippon served. The composer of the music also remains unknown.
This favourite hymn has been a musical testimony of many of God’s people including...Theodore Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson. Robert E. Lee requested this hymn to be sung at his funeral because it was an expression of his full trust in the ways of the Heavenly Father.