Batty, Christopher a religious poet and preacher, was born in England early in the last century, and became a minister among a small sect of the Methodists called the Inghamites. He was an itinerating minister, and was often the companion of the Wesleys on their preaching tours, and shared with them the severe persecutions through which they were called to pass. He is best known as the author of the beautiful hymn, found in many collections, commencing with the line, "Sweet the moment, rich in blessing." See Belcher, Historical Sketches of Hymns, p. 81.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More