Walter Chalmers Smith

File:Walter Chalmers Smith.jpg

Walter Chalmers Smith

Walter Chalmers Smith (5 December 1824 - 19 September 1908), was a hymnist, poet and minister of the Free Church of Scotland, chiefly remembered for his hymn "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise".

Life

He was born in Aberdeen and attended Marischal College at the University of Aberdeen and New College, Edinburgh. He received the degrees of D.D. and LL.D. He was mentioned in Lord Adam Gifford's will.

Service

He was ordained pastor of the Chadwell Street Scottish Church, Pentonville, Islington, London, on Christmas Day, 1850. He later served at:

• Roxburgh Free Church, Edinburgh
• Orwell Free Church, Milnathort, Kinrossshire(1853–1858)
• Free Tron Church, Glasgow
• Reid Memorial Church, Edinburgh
• Free High Church, Edinburgh (1874–1884)

The Free Church of Scotland elected him its moderator during its Jubilee year in 1893. He was a distinguished preacher and a man of catholic sympathies.

Published works

He attained considerable reputation as a poet. Among his works are The Bishop's Walk (1861), Olrig Grange (1872), Hilda among the Broken Gods (1878), Raban (1880), Kildrostan (1884), and A Heretic (1890). Some of these were written under the names of "Orwell" and Hermann Kunst.

Hymns

• Earth was waiting, spent and restless
• Immortal, invisible, God only wise

Further reading

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London: J. M. Dent & Sons. Wikisource 

External links

• Biography at the Cyber Hymnal;