NETTLETON
NETTLETON takes its name from Asahel Nettleton, the prominent New England revivalist preacher whose name became attached to this tune through its association with the hymn collections he promoted during the Second Great Awakening. The tune first appeared in John Wyeth's 'Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second,' published in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1813, though it was widely disseminated and associated with Nettleton's revival meetings through the 1820s. Wyeth's collection was a landmark in
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: From invocation of God's mercy → ascent to praise → memorial of grace received → Christ's redemptive rescue → confession of debt → commitment despite human weakness