Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you (1 Peter 5:7) A hymn that talks about how the Lord cares for us is "How Gentle God's Commands." The text was written by Philip Doddridge (1702–1751) who was the youngest of twenty children. His mother died when he was eight years old. Then his father died when the boy was thirteen, and Philip became an orphan. Only one of his siblings, a sister, survived to adulthood.
In 1730, he married a young lady named Mercy. They had nine children, with four living to adulthood. A friend and admirer of fellow minister and hymn writer Isaac Watts, Philip himself wrote 400 hymns, mostly to accompany his sermons. This one was published posthumously under the title "God's care - a remedy for ours" .
Doddridge belonged to the Non-conformist Church (not associated with the Church of England). Its members were frequently the focus of discrimination. Offered an education by a rich patron to prepare him for ordination in the Church of England, Doddridge chose instead to remain in the Non-conformist Church. For twenty years he pastored a poor parish in Northampton, where he opened an academy for training non-conformist ministers and taught most of the subjects himself.
Doddridge also served as a Presbyterian minister at a time and place of religious contention. Yet, having seen enough of intolerance and bigotry, he sought tirelessly for healing and unity. One biographer said of him, "Doddridge carried out his own ideal with great fidelity and with conspicuous success. He did more than any man in the 18th century to obliterate old party lines and to unite nonconformists on a common religious ground."
In this hymn Doddridge tells us to cast our cares on the Lord because of His gentleness. In stanza 2 he mentions God's providence and in stanza 3 he mentions God's throne. Stanza 4 shares God's goodness. The entire hymn stands as a tribute to this gentle man and his gentle beliefs
Doddridge suffered from tuberculosis, and when Lady Huntington, one of his patrons, offered to finance a trip to Lisbon for his health. But it was too late and he died shortly after the offer.
In 1730, he married a young lady named Mercy. They had nine children, with four living to adulthood. A friend and admirer of fellow minister and hymn writer Isaac Watts, Philip himself wrote 400 hymns, mostly to accompany his sermons. This one was published posthumously under the title "God's care - a remedy for ours" .
Doddridge belonged to the Non-conformist Church (not associated with the Church of England). Its members were frequently the focus of discrimination. Offered an education by a rich patron to prepare him for ordination in the Church of England, Doddridge chose instead to remain in the Non-conformist Church. For twenty years he pastored a poor parish in Northampton, where he opened an academy for training non-conformist ministers and taught most of the subjects himself.
Doddridge also served as a Presbyterian minister at a time and place of religious contention. Yet, having seen enough of intolerance and bigotry, he sought tirelessly for healing and unity. One biographer said of him, "Doddridge carried out his own ideal with great fidelity and with conspicuous success. He did more than any man in the 18th century to obliterate old party lines and to unite nonconformists on a common religious ground."
In this hymn Doddridge tells us to cast our cares on the Lord because of His gentleness. In stanza 2 he mentions God's providence and in stanza 3 he mentions God's throne. Stanza 4 shares God's goodness. The entire hymn stands as a tribute to this gentle man and his gentle beliefs
Doddridge suffered from tuberculosis, and when Lady Huntington, one of his patrons, offered to finance a trip to Lisbon for his health. But it was too late and he died shortly after the offer.
1 How gentle God's commands!
How kind His precepts are!
Come, cast your burdens on the Lord,
And trust His constant care.
2 While Providence supports,
Let saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears all nature up
Shall guard His children well.
3 Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your heavenly Father's throne,
And sweet refreshment find.
4. His goodness stands approved,
Down to the present day:
I'll drop my burden at His feet,
And bear a song away.
You can listen to it here. CARE
https://youtu.be/0SOntM9fDHk
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