Nevin, Edwin Henry

Edwin Henry Nevin, Doctor of Divinity, was the son of Major David Nevin. He was born at Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, on May 9, 1814. His early academic pursuits led him to Jefferson College, where he graduated in Arts in 1833, before moving on to Princeton Seminary to complete his theological training in 1836. Following his graduation, he embarked on a diverse ministerial career, serving first as a Presbyterian minister from 1836 until 1857. He then transitioned to the Congregational ministry, serving from 1857 to 1868. After a necessary six-year period of rest brought on by failing health, he returned to active service as a minister of the Reformed Church, holding successive pastorates first in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and subsequently in Philadelphia.

Throughout his active ministry, Nevin composed several noteworthy hymns that gained recognition across various denominational collections. Among his earliest published works were "Always with me, always with me," which focused on the enduring presence of Jesus, "Come up hither, come away," an invitation heavenward, and "Happy, Saviour, would I be," a hymn centered on spiritual trust. These three pieces initially appeared in Nason's Congregational Hymn Book in 1857. When "Happy, Saviour, would I be" was later selected for inclusion in the compilation Lyra Sacra Americana, the editor altered the text to "Saviour! happy should I be," a modification made with the explicit consent and approval of Nevin himself.

Many of Nevin's hymns were deeply reflective of his personal experiences and spiritual aspirations. His prominent hymn, "O heaven, sweet heaven," was written and published in 1862 following the heartbreaking loss of a beloved son. This tragic event profoundly altered Nevin's perspective, making the concept of heaven feel significantly closer and dearer to him through the comforting conviction that a member of his immediate family had become one of its inhabitants. His other published compositions included "Live on the field of battle," a hymn concerning Christian duty that appeared in the Baptist Devotional Hymn Book in 1864, as well as "I have read of a world of beauty," and "Mount up on high! as if on eagle's wings," which expressed intense divine aspirations. With the sole exception of his hymn on duty, all of these compositions were eventually anthologized together in the 1868 edition of Lyra Sacra Americana.