Religious life in England suffered great upheavals during the 17th century, during which many Puritans and Quakers were persecuted and banished. Amongst the many who were affected was Samuel Crossman who, uniquely, had been ministering to both an Anglican congregation in Sudbury and a Puritan one at the same time, until he, along with some 2,000 other Puritan-leaning ministers in the Church of England, was expelled by the draconian Act of Uniformity of 1662.
Crossman wrote this moving hymn during this period of forced separation from the Church of England. It speaks of how Jesus, too, was excluded and chased away from living amongst His own people – permanently as the leaders hoped, but only temporarily as God intended - for nothing could prevent Him from living in the hearts of those who loved Him by the power of His Spirit.
In this lovely new version that Carol has recorded for us, Carol Sampson is accompanied by Francis Cummings and Philippa Barton (violins), Corinne Frost (cello), Nicola Gerrard (flute), Mike Halliday (clarinet).