This anthology reflects the Christian faith as it has been professed and practised in all its varieties through the centuries. Most fully represented are those four writers whom Donald Davie considers the masters of the sacred poem in English--George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, Christopher Smart, and William Cowper--but he also includes works by many other writers from all over the English-speaking world. In addition, there are many congregational hymns and anonymous pieces, exemplifying 'the plain style' of direct, unswerving English, which Christian poets have found most appropriate for speaking their faith.
