• Fruit of the Spirit,  Richard De Courcy

Jesus, At Thy Command

Psalm 107:23-32: “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.”

Richard De Courcy (1743-1803) was an Anglican sovereign grace preacher and hymn-writer. His gospel labours grew after meeting George Whitefield and receiving an invitation from Lady Huntingdon to fill the pulpits in her chapels. He attracted large crowds, often provoking the Arminians by his forceful proclamations of sovereign grace, incurring their slur and slander. In 1774, he was appointed Vicar of St. Alkmond's, Shrewsbury, a position he held until his death twenty-nine years later.