I somewhat belatedly realized there was a question in an earlier thread that started all this.

I'd like to make a plug for singing the Newton words, especially if you are doing 19th cent. re-enactments. This type of lyric really is in disfavor but I have loved this hymn - words and tune- for many years. They really do speak the way I sometimes feel, but am not really allowed to say in a lot of current religious settings. The 1st verse may sound morose, but the tune itself is really uplifting & somewhere in the middle of singing it- No mortal is so happy as I, My summer does feel as if it would last all the year.

Having checked with some hymn mavens I've discovered some more details.

Edson has nothing to do with the Green Fields/Tedious & tasteless version. He did write a completely different fuging tune called Greenfield that can be found in the Southern Harmony p. 121 or online

For the secular version of Green Fields look for an 18c. English song beginning "Farewell, ye green fields and sweet groves."

Another Newton hymn that works well with this tune is When Joseph his brethren beheld.

I've had 2 people tell me that the Bach Peasant Cantata does have a melody related to Green Fields.