Introduction

Biography

Hill was edu­cat­ed at Shrews­bu­ry Gram­mar School, Eton, and St. John’s Col­lege, Cam­bridge (BA 1769).

Taking Ho­ly Or­ders, he was for a time cur­ate of King­ston, near Taun­ton.

Leaving there, but with­out re­nounc­ing his Or­ders or his con­nect­ion with the Church of Eng­land, he served as an itin­er­ant preach­er for twelve years, most­ly in Wilt­shire, Glou­ces­ter­shire, So­mer­set­shire, and Lon­don.

At Wot­ton-un­der-Edge, he built a cha­pel where he oft­en preached. He al­so opened the Sur­rey Cha­pel in Lon­don in 1783; it was there he min­is­tered for near­ly 50 years.

Hill took great in­ter­est in ev­an­gel­ism and mis­sions, and helped found the Lon­don Mis­sion­ary So­ci­ety. He was al­so on the first com­mit­tee of the Re­li­gious Tract So­ci­ety.

Works

He was the au­thor of sev­er­al prose works, plus:

• A Col­lect­ion of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of the Poor, 1774
• A Col­lect­ion of Psalms and Hymns, Chief­ly In­tend­ed for Pub­lic Wor­ship, 1783. This was en­larged in 1787, and a Sup­ple­ment add­ed in 1796. Oth­er re­vi­sions fol­lowed, the last in 1830.
• Divine Hymns At­tempt­ed in Ea­sy Lang­uage for the Use of Child­ren, 1790. Se­cond edi­tion, 1794; lat­er edi­tions in 1808 and 1819.
• A Col­lect­ion of Hymns for Child­ren, 1808
• Hymns for Schools, 1832