whole series of hymns on various phases of Christian
faith and life. In 1739, all these hymns were collected into one volume
and published under the title: _The Rare Clenod of Faith_.

This now famous book contains in all 67 original and 216 translated
hymns. The arrangement of the hymns follows in the main the order of the
Lutheran catechism, covering not only every division but almost every
subdivision of the book. Brorson, it appears, must have written his hymns
after a preconceived plan, a rather unusual method for a hymnwriter to
follow.

_The Rare Clenod of Faith_ fails as a whole to maintain the high standard
of the Christmas hymns. Although the language, as in all that Brorson
wrote, is pure and melodious, the poetic flight and fresh sentiment of
his earlier work is lacking to some extent in the latter part of the
collection. One reason for this is thought to be that Brorson, on
locating at Toender, had come into closer contact with the more extreme
views of Pietism. The imprint of that movement, at least, is more
distinct upon his later than upon his earlier work. The great
preponderance of his translated over his original hymns also affects the
spirit of the collection. He was not always fortunate in the selection of
the original material for his translations. Some of these express the
excessive Pietistic contemplation of the Savior's blood and wounds;
others are rhymed sermons rather than songs of praise.

Despite these defects, _The Rare Clenod of Faith_, still ranks with the
great books of hymnody. It contains a wealth of hymns that will never
die. Even the less successful of its compositions present a true
Evangelical message, a message that, at times, sounds a stern call to
awake and "shake off that sinful sleep before to you is closed the open
door" and, at others, pleads softly for a closer walk with God, a deeper
understanding of His ways and a firmer trust in His grace. There are many
strings on Brorson's harp, but they all sound a note of vital faith.

Judging Brorson's original hymns to be far superior to his translations,
some have deplored that he should have spent so much of his time in
transferring the work of others. And it is, no doubt, true that his
original hymns are as a whole superior to his translations. But many of
these are so fine that their elimination would now appear like an
irreplaceable loss to Danish hymnody. The constant love with which many
of them have been used for more th