Born: May 1716, Broughton, Hamp­shire, Eng­land.

Died: November 11, 1778, Broughton, Hamp­shire, Eng­land.

Buried: Broughton, Hamp­shire, Eng­land.

Pseudonym: Theodosia.

Anne was the daugh­ter of William Steele, a tim­ber mer­chant who was al­so a lay preach­er at the Bap­tist church in Broughton. She lost her mo­ther at age 3. At age 19, a se­vere hip in­jury made her a life­long in­val­id. At age 21, her fi­an­cé drowned the day be­fore they were to be mar­ried. From this ser­ies of tra­ge­dies rose 144 hymns and 34 ver­si­fied Psalms, which were enor­mous­ly pop­u­lar. Her main work was Po­ems on Sub­jects Chief­ly De­vo­tion­al (1760). When Trin­i­ty Church in Bos­ton, Mass­a­chu­setts (where Phil­lips Brooks la­ter be­came rec­tor) pub­lished its hym­nal in 1808, 59 of its 144 hymns were from the pen of Anne Steele. She pre­ferred to re­main anon­y­mous, though, writ­ing under a pen name. Her tomb­stone car­ried the follow­ing words:

Silent the lyre, and dumb the tuneful tongue,
That sung on earth her great Redeemer’s praise;
But now in Heaven she joins the angelic song,
In more harmonious, more exalted lays.

Sources

Hymns

  1. Ah, Wretched Souls Who Strive in Vain
  2. Alas! What Hourly Dangers Rise
  3. Amazing Love That Stooped So Low
  4. Awake, Awake the Sacred Song
  5. Bright Scenes of Bliss, Unclouded Skies
  6. Come, Heavenly Love, Inspire My Song
  7. Come, Let Our Souls Adore the Lord
  8. Come, Tune Ye Saints, Your Noblest Strains
  9. Come Ye That Love the Savior’s Name
  10. Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul
  11. Deep Are the Wounds Which Sin Has Made
  12. Enslaved by Sin, and Bound in Chains
  13. Eternal Power, Mighty God
  14. Eternal Source of Joys Divine
  15. Far from These Narrow Scenes of Night
  16. Father of Mercies, in Thy Word
  17. Father, Whate’er of Earthly Bliss
  18. God of My Salva­tion Lives, The
  19. Gospel, O What Endless Charms, The
  20. Great God, to Thee My Evening Song
  21. Great Source of Boundless Power and Grace
  22. He Lives! the Great Redeemer Lives!
  23. Hear, Gracious Lord, My Humble Moan
  24. Hear, O My God, with Pity Hear
  25. How Blest Are Those, How Truly Wise
  26. How Far Beyond Our Mortal View
  27. How Helpless Guilty Nature Lies
  28. How Lovely, How Divinely Sweet
  29. How Oft, Alas!
  30. In Vain I Trace Crea­tion O’er
  31. In Vain My Roving Thoughts Would Find
  32. Jesus, and Didst Thou Leave the Sky?
  33. Jesus Demands This Heart of Mine
  34. Jesus, the Spring of Joys Divine
  35. Jesus, Thou Source Divine
  36. Look Up, My Soul, with Cheerful Eye
  37. Lord, How Mysterious Are Thy Ways
  38. Lord, in the Temple of Thy Grace
  39. Lord, in Thy Great, Thy Glorious Name
  40. Lord, My Shepherd and My Guide, The
  41. Lord, the God of Glory Reigns, The
  42. Lord, Thou Hast Been Thy Children’s God
  43. Lord, We Adore Thy Boundless Grace
  44. Lord, When My Raptured Thought Surveys
  45. Lord, When My Thoughts Delighted Rove
  46. Mind Was Formed to Mount Sublime, The
  47. My God, My Fa­ther, Bliss­ful Name!
  48. My God, O Could I Make the Claim
  49. My God, ’Tis to Thy Mercy Seat
  50. My God, to Thee I Call
  51. My Maker and My King
  52. My Soul, to God, Its Source, Aspires
  53. O Could Our Thoughts and Wishes Fly
  54. O for a Sweet, Inspiring Ray
  55. O for the Eye of Faith Divine
  56. O Jesus, Our Exalted Head
  57. O Thou Whose Tender Mercy Hears
  58. O World of Bliss, Could Mortal Eyes
  59. Once Loved form Now Could and Dead, The
  60. Permit Me, Lord, to Seek Thy Face
  61. Praise Ye the Lord, Let Praise Employ
  62. Savior Calls, The
  63. See, Lord, Thy Willing Sub­jects Bow
  64. Should Famine o’er the Mourning Field
  65. So Fades the Lovely, Blooming Flower
  66. Stern Winter Throws His Icy Chains
  67. Stretched on the Cross, the Savior Dies
  68. Sure, the Blest Comforter Is Nigh
  69. There Is a Glorious World on High
  70. Thou Lovely Source of True Delight
  71. Thou Only Sovereign of My Heart
  72. Thy Gracious Presence, O My God
  73. Thy Kingdom, Lord, Forever Stands
  74. To Jesus, Our Exalted Lord
  75. To Our Redeemer’s Glorious Name
  76. To Your Creator, God
  77. Triumphant, Christ Ascends on High
  78. When Blest with That Transporting View
  79. When Death Before My Sight
  80. When Gloomy Thoughts and Boding Fears
  81. When I Resolved to Watch My Thoughts
  82. When I Survey Life’s Varied Scene
  83. When Sins and Fears Prevailing Rise
  84. When Weary Souls with Sin Distressed
  85. Whene’er the Angry Passions Rise
  86. Where Is God? Does He Retire
  87. While My Redeemer’s Near
  88. Why Sinks My Weak Desponding Mind?
  89. Ye Earthly Vanities, Depart
  90. Ye Glittering Toys of Earth Adieu
  91. Ye Humble Souls, Approach Your God