Arthur Campbell Ainger

Arthur Campbell Ainger (4 July 1841, Greenwich, Kent – 26 October 1919, Eton, now in Berkshire) was an assistant master at Eton College from 1864 to 1901. and wrote the text of more than ten Christian hymns, one of notability being '' God Is Working His Purpose Out'' (1894).

Ainger, whose father was Rev. Thomas Ainger, was educated at Eton College, and in 1860 matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge; there he became a Scholar in 1863 and graduated B.A. (16th in Classics Tripos) in 1864 and M.A. in 1867. At Trinity College he gave two Clark Lectures: ''Chaucer'' (1900) and ''Shakespeare as a humorist'' (1901). He was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 1908.

Ainger also wrote several books

However he is most well known for His Hymn ‘God of our fathers, unto Thee’ which originally was written to exemplify the idea that Heaven is the fatherland of the Christian, yet was later altered by J.M.Morris to glorify England as the ‘New Jerusalem.’

Original words:

1 God of our fathers, unto Thee
Our fathers cried in danger's hour,
And then Thou gavest them to see
The acts of Thine Almighty power.
They cried to Thee, and Thou didst hear;
They called on Thee and Thou didst save;
And we, their sons, today draw near
Thy Name to praise, Thy help to crave.

2 Thine is the Majesty, O Lord,
Thine dominion over all;
When Thou commandest, at Thy word
Great kings and nations rise or fall.
For eastern realms, for western coasts,
For islands wash'd by wave an’ sea,
The praise be given, Lord of Hosts,
Not unto us but unto Thee.

3 If in Thy grace Thou should'st allow
Our fame to wax thro' coming days,
Still grant us humbly, then as now,
Thy help to crave, Thy Name to praise.
Not all alike in speech nor birth,
Alike we bow before Thy throne;
Our fatherland throughout the earth
Our Father's noble acts we own.

4 God of our fathers, now we stand,
United in eternal bond,
In death, we reach our father land,
With Christ, our Savior, and our God.
With grateful hearts, we sing Thy praise,
For all the wonders Thou hast done,
And as we journeyed through life's maze,
We’d trust the Father, Ghost, and Son.

Selected publications

*with H. G. Wintle:
* (See Fives.)
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*with H. G. Wintle:
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References

External links

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1841 births
1919 deaths
People educated at Eton College
Teachers at Eton College
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Members of the Royal Victorian Order
English hymnwriters

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