2 The few that truly call thee Lord, 3 O let them all thy mind express, 4 In them let all mankind behold Charles Wesley. Author's title: "Primitive Christianity." The original contains thirty stanzas, divided into two parts. These are verses one, two, six, and eight of Part II., unaltered. The hymn was first published by John Wesley in 1743 at the end of An Earnest Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion. It was a great favorite with Wesley, and with Fletcher of Madeley as well. Two of the omitted stanzas show the "manner of spirit" of these men: 12 O might my lot be cast with these; O that my Lord would count me meet 14 After my lowly Lord to go, And wait upon Thy saints below; Enjoy the grace to angels given And serve the royal heirs of heaven. From Charles Wesley's Hymns and Sa cred Poems, 1749. 7s. OD of love, that hearest prayer, Kindly for thy people care, Who on thee alone depend; Love us, save us to the end. 2 Save us in the prosperous hour, 3 Never let the world break in, Fix a mighty gulf between; Keep us humble and unknown, Prized and loved by God alone. 4 Let us still to thee look up, Thee, thy Israel's strength and hope; 5 Far above created things Look we down on earthly kings; Charles Wesley. This is taken from a hymn of six stanzas of eight lines each, found in the author's Hymns for Those That Seek and Those That Have Redemption in the Blood of Jesus Christ, 1747, where it begins: "God of love that hear'st the prayer." We have here the first and fifth of the six double stanzas of the original and also the last half of the last stanza. In verse one, line four, the author wrote "Save us, save us" instead of "Love us, Till we meet, till we meet, God be with you till we meet again! 2 God be with you till we meet again! 'Neath his wings securely hide you, Daily manna still provide you; God be with you till we meet again! 3 God be with you till we meet again! When life's perils thick confound you, Put his arms unfailing round you; God be with you till we meet again! 4 God be with you till we meet again! Keep love's banner floating o'er you, Smite death's threatening wave before you; God be with you till we meet again! Jeremiah E. Rankin. We have from the author himself an account of the origin of this hymn and of the tune to which it is universally sung. Не was pastor of a Congregational Church in Washington City at the time he composed this hymn, becoming later President of Howard University, which is loIcated in the same city. He says: Written in 1882 as a Christian good-by, it was called forth by no person or occasion, but was deliberately composed as a Christian hymn on the basis of the etymology of "goodby," which is "God be with you." The first stanza was written and sent to two composers one of unusual note, the other wholly unknown and not thoroughly educated in music. I selected the composition of the latter, submitted it to J. W. Bishoff (the musical director of a little book we were preparing), who approved of it but made some criticisms which were adopted. It was sung for the first time one evening in the First Congregational Church in Washington, of which I was then the pastor and Mr. Bishoff the organist. I attributed its popularity in no little part to the music to which it was set. It was a wedding of words and music, at which it was my function to preside; but Mr. Tomer should have his full share of the family honor. Mr. W. G. Tomer, the composer of the tune, was teaching school in Washington City at the time he wrote the well-known and familiar tune to which this hymn is always sung and to which it is indebted for its popularity quite as much as to the literary and devotional qualities of the hymn itself. Of all good-by hymns that are used in public worship, this is the most popular written in recent times. 6, 6, 6, 6, 8, 8. 565 LE ET earth and heaven agree, The Saviour of mankind; To adore the all-atoning Lamb, And bless the sound of Jesus' name. 2 O unexampled love! O all-redeeming grace! How swiftly didst thou move To save a fallen race! What shall I do to make it known What thou for all mankind hast done? 3 O for a trumpet voice, On all the world to call ! In him who died for all! Part of a poem of ten stanzas, from Hymns on God's Everlasting Love, 1741. The hymn is made up of the first, the Christian believers are united in and seventh, and ninth stanzas. Charles Wes- around their divine Head, the closer they ley was never weary of insisting upon the are to him the closer they are to each truth of the last two lines of this hymn. other. John Wesley on one occasion He had a most intense aversion to the quoted the cheerful conversation between opposite doctrine of unconditional elec- Jehonadab and Jehu: "Is thine heart tion. In another hymn, published in the right, as my heart is with thy heart? . . . above book, he exclaims: "Take back my If it be, give me thine hand." "This does interest in Thy blood unless it streamed not mean," said Wesley, "Be of my opinfor all the race." In holy audacity this ion; thou needest not.' Neither do I reminds us of the prayer of Moses for mean, I will be of thine opinion; I canIsrael: "Now, if thou wilt forgive their not. Let all opinions alone; give me sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book." 6 So, when the world shall pass away, Christopher Wordsworth. This hymn, which is titled "A Prayer for Unity," was written by the Bishop of Lincoln immediately after the Nottingham Church Congress in 1871, at the request of Christian friends, and was set to music by Dr. H. J. Gauntlett, a composer of note. It was published in the 1872 edition of the author's collection of hymns titled The Holy Year. When thine hand.'" 8s, 7s. D. 567 HROUGH the night of doubt and sorrow Singing songs of expectation, Marching to the promised land. 2 One, the light of God's own presence, One, the faith which never tires, 3 One, the strain that lips of thousands 4 Onward, therefore, pilgrim brothers, Bernhardt S. Ingemann. 568 COMER HYMNS ON TIME AND ETERNITY P. M. ME, let us anew our journey pursue, And never stand still till the Master appear. And our talents improve, morning visited a school of young ladies and sat with them during the breakfast hour. At its close he invited them all to visit him the next morning at the vicarage at seven o'clock. On their arrival Mr. Fletcher took his basin of bread and milk and asked the girls to look By the patience of hope, and the labor of at his watch and tell him how much time he love. 2 Our life is a dream; our time, as a stream, Glides swiftly away, And the fugitive moment refuses to stay. The arrow is flown, the moment is gone; The millennial year Rushes on to our view, and eternity's here. took for breakfast. When he had finished, And the fugitive moment refuses to stay.'" 3 O that each in the day of his coming may and the worth of a soul, and, after praying say, "I have fought my way through; I have finished the work thou didst give me to do!" O that each from his Lord may receive the glad word, "Well and faithfully done! Enter into my joy, and sit down on my throne!" Charles Wesley. This celebrated New Year hymn by Charles Wesley has been called "a silver cord on which the beads of life seem threaded." It is one of his seven Hymns for New Year's Day, 1750; "price, one penny." This was a favorite meter with the Wesleys and the early Methodists, but it is not popular with modern choirs and congregations in many parts of our Church. It is the most suitable of all Wesleyan hymns for use at the watch night services and to be sung in connection with New Year sermons. It is to be regretted that the tune is becoming less and less familiar to our people, making it impractical to use it on many occasions when the preacher would like to do so. In Tyerman's Life of Fletcher is the following reference to this hymn: with them at eight o'clock, they returned to school more deeply impressed than ever before. In the first line of verse three the author wrote "might" instead of "may." It is otherwise unaltered and entire. 569 COME C. M. NOME, let us use the grace divine, In a perpetual covenant join 2 Give up ourselves, through Jesus' power, His name to glorify; And promise, in this sacred hour, 3 The covenant we this moment make 4 We never will throw off his fear 5 Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 6 To each the covenant blood apply, Charles Wesle |