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A great post, Bobby.  What a privilege to meet Mr. Hammon.  Wow, hear the Truth.  I'll bet Mr. Hammon found the mystery of contentment in any circumstance that Paul wrote about in Phil 4.  

As I'm typing this, I'm so filled with the power of our Heavenly Father.  What a blessing.  Thank you.

Steve

I love the spirit of Jupiter Hammon! Thanks for sharing his beautiful prayer thought.

Oddly enough, it set itself to some sort of music in my head as I read it.  Maybe it has been given a score & I've heard it before somewhere...

Two tunes, really; I heard it a bit like a simple Shaker song in my head.  Now that I'm not reading it any more I hear it echoing in men's voices, a cappella, in a big cathedral.

I really need to learn to write down the things that pop up in my head.

Jupiter Hammon's place in history is secure.  As far as the historical record shows he is the first African-American slave to have written and published a work in what is now the United States.  He was born between 1720 and 1730 and died in the 1790s.  He passed through several hands but mostly in the same family.  This publication, a poem, is entitled, "An Evening Thought: Salvation By Christ, With Penetential Cries."  It was printed in New York in 1761 but was written on Christmas Day, 1760.  It was published with the assistance of Hammon's "owner" John Loyd.  The poem is lengthy so I reproduce only a portion of it. Jupiter was uneducated but his poetry has the ring of faith to it -- so enjoy.

"An Evening Thought: Salvation By Christ, With Penetential Cries

Salvation comes by Christ alone,
the only Son of God;
Redemption now to everyone,
That love his holy Word . . .

Dear Jesus, unto Thee we cry,
Gid us the Preparation;
Turn not away thy tender Eve;
We seek thy true Salvation.

Salvation comes from God we know,
The true and only One;
It's well agreed and certain true,
He gave his only Son.

Lord, hear our penetential Cry:
Salvation from above;
It is the Lord that doth supply,
With his Redeeming Love.

Dear Jesus by thy precious Blood,
Thy World Redemption have:
Salvation now comes from the Lord,
He being thy captive slave.

Dear Jesus, let the Nations cry,
And all the People say,
Salvation comes from Christ on high,
Haste on Tribunal Day.

We cry as Sinners to the Lord,
Salvation to obtain;
It is firmly fixt his holy Word,
Ye shall not cry in vain. . .

Come, Blessed Jesus, Heavenly Dove,
Accept Repentance here;
Salvation give, with tender Love;
Let us with Angels share. Finis."

The entire poem is quite moving, I believe. It expresses simple trusting faith -- of one who lived only on faith.

The text I quote comes from Early Negro American Writers, Edited by Benjamin Brawley (Dover, 1970).

A thought for Black History Month,
Bobby Valentine
Milwaukee, WI

[!--QuoteBegin--][/span][table border=\"0\" align=\"center\" width=\"95%\" cellpadding=\"3\" cellspacing=\"1\"][tr][td]Quote (segell @ Feb. 08 2003,6:59)[/td][/tr][tr][td id=\"QUOTE\"][!--QuoteEBegin--]A great post, Bobby.  What a privilege to meet Mr. Hammon.  Wow, hear the Truth.  I'll bet Mr. Hammon found the mystery of contentment in any circumstance that Paul wrote about in Phil 4.  

As I'm typing this, I'm so filled with the power of our Heavenly Father.  What a blessing.  Thank you.

Steve[/quote]
Steve, thanks. I agree with you. Jupiter Hammon is a person that I have come to know.  It is amazing where we can find faith when we look. It is even more amazing under what circumstances faith can thrive.  Mr. Hammon did not love slavery.  He in fact he wrote "An Address to the Negroes of the State of New York" in which he advocated the manumission of slaves in 1787.  Some scholars credit this with being the seed for the abolition of slavery in NY in 1799 (when that manumission began).  At any rate his faith is beautiful as it is simple.  I thank God for him.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Milwaukee, WI

Bobby,

Do you know if this has been set to music?

Sorry, guys but as far as I know Hammon's poem was never put to music.  That does not mean that it does not have a natural musical quality to it.  

I love the thought of the poem -- and the circumstances in which it was written.  Truly a testimony of grace.

Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
Milwaukee, WI