author
John Mason
d. 1694
A 17th-century English clergyman, poet, and hymn writer, he is best remembered for devotional verse that helped shape early English hymnody. His work stands out for its strong spiritual feeling and for bridging older psalm traditions with the more personal hymn style that followed.
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About the author
John Mason, who died in 1694, was an English Anglican priest, poet, and early hymn writer. Sources consistently describe him as a significant devotional writer of the late 17th century, and he is especially known for Spiritual Songs, or Songs of Praise, first published in 1683.
He was educated at Clare Hall, Cambridge, and served in Buckinghamshire, including at Water Stratford. Writers on hymn history often note that his verse came before Isaac Watts and helped prepare the way for later English hymn writing through its direct, heartfelt religious voice.
Details of his life are not abundant, but his reputation has lasted because of the influence of his hymns and sacred poetry. He is still remembered as an important early figure in English devotional literature.