Yesterday, for Morning Prayer, I sang the last of the hymns in Ken Bible's Wesley Hymns. The very last hymn is a short, two verse hymn that presents a prayer for the sacrament of Holy Baptism. In it, Charles Wesley presents a very different understanding of Baptism than is so often presented in modern Evangelical circles. In such circles (often times, including many within my own denomination), Baptism is seen as simply a testimony given by the one being baptized about their decision to accept Jesus. Perhaps it is also a testimony of what such faith in Jesus has previously done for them. However, Charles Wesley understands Baptism as a true sacrament. He understands it as a means of God's grace, and he makes that clear in this prayerful hymn.
In solemn pow'r come down!
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