them in any Pietistic hymn-book. This may be
seen in the hymn, "Jesus sinners doth receive," which has also been
translated "Sinners may to Christ draw near:"

"Jesus sinners doth receive!"
Word of surest consolation;
Word all sorrow to relieve,
Word of pardon, peace, salvation!
Naught like this can comfort give:
"Jesus sinners doth receive!"

Neumeister became pastor of St. James church in Hamburg in 1715, where he
remained for forty-one years until his death in 1756. His fame does not
rest merely upon his hymns, although he wrote 650 in all, but Neumeister
will also be remembered as the originator of the Church Cantata. In this
new field of musical art he was fortunate in having the cooperation of
such a genius as Bach.

Bach belonged to the fifth generation of a remarkable family of
musicians. As many as thirty-seven of the family are known to have held
important musical positions. John Sebastian, who is by far the greatest
musician the Protestant Church has produced, was born in Eisenach, on
March 21, 1685. The greater part of his life was spent in Leipzig, where
he labored from 1723 until his death in 1750 as cantor of the Thomas
school and director of music at the Thomas and Nicolai churches.

Bach's devotion to the Lutheran Church has been likened to that of
Palestrina to the Catholic Church. There is no loftier example of musical
genius dedicated to the service of the Christian religion than we find in
the life of Bach. He felt that his life was consecrated to God, to the
honor of his Church, and to the blessing of mankind. Although it was the
age when the opera was flourishing in Europe, Bach gave no attention to
it, but devoted all his remarkable talent to church music.

As master of the organ, Bach has never been equaled. His chorales and
passion music also belong in a class by themselves. A famous critic has
written: "Mozart and Beethoven failed in oratorio, Schubert in opera; the
Italian operas of Gluck and Handel have perished. Even in the successful
work of these men there is a strange inequality. But upon all that Bach
attempted--and the amount of his work is no less a marvel than its
quality--he affixed the stamp of final and inimitable perfection."

With the passing of years, Bach's genius is being recognized more and
more throughout the Christian Church. The performance of his cantatas by
the Catholic Schola Cantorum of Paris "is one of the many testimonies to
the u