Wesley Wednesday: 25 February 2026

It has been some time, but I thought I would try to revive the Wesley Wednesday posts with one verse
from a Charles Wesley hymn, "Jesus, the Sinner's Friend," which I sang last night during Evening Prayer:

What Shall I say Thy grace to move?

Lord, I am sin, but Thou art love:

I give up every plea beside -

Lord, I am lost, but Thou hast died.

All Saints' Day

Today, November 1, is All Saints' Day!  Many Protestant churches transfer All Saints' Day to the following Sunday and observe All Saints' on Sunday.  We will be doing that in our congregation, as well.  However, I wanted to make sure that I published a post, today.  

As The United Methodist Book of Worship reminds us, "All Saints (November 1 or the first Sunday in November) is a day of remembrance for the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and place.  We celebrate the communion of saints as we remember the dead, both of the Church universal and of our local congregations.  For this reason, the names of persons in the congregation who have died during the past year may be solemnly read as a Response to the Word."

Since, All Saints' is not only a recognition of death, but also a celebration of life through the Resurrection, all of the paraments, banners & stoles are white, which is the joyful and festive color used at Christmas and Easter.

All Saints' was a favorite of John Wesley's.  He mentioned it four times in his journal.  On All Saints' in 1748, Wesley said, "Being All-Saints' day, we had a solemn assembly at the chapel; as I cannot but observe, we have had on this very day, for several years.  Surely, 'right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints!'"  In 1756 Wesley says, "November 1, was a day of triumphant joy, as All-Saints' Day generally is.  How superstitious are they who scruple giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints!"  In 1767, he included in his journal the following comments: "Being All-Saints' Day, (a festival I dearly love,) I could not but observe the admirable propriety with which the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for the day are suited to each other." 

The Collect for the day from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (which would be the Prayer Book Wesley used) reads as follows (and I would encourage all to pray):

O Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord; Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys, which thou hast prepared for them that unfeignedly love thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

 

The Epistle was Revelation 7:2-12.  The Gospel was Matthew 5:1-12.  -  I would encourage you to read these Scripture lessons.

 

The year prior to this entry, Wesley wrote, "'God, who hath knit together his elect in one communion and fellowship,' gave us a solemn season at West-Street (as usual) in praising him for all his Saints.  On this day in particular, I commonly find the truth of these words:

 

The Church triumphant in his love,

Their mighty joys we know;

They praise the Lamb in hymns above,

And we in hymns below."

 

 

That is the second verse of Charles Wesley's "Happy the Souls to Jesus Joined."  Unfortunately, that hymn is not found in either The United Methodist Hymnal, nor the Nazarene's Sing to the Lord hymnal.  Three verses of it did appear in the older The Methodist Hymnal.  (I still need to check the two most recent hymnals that include Wesley hymns!)  The four verses, below, were taken from the Wesley Hymns book, compiled by Ken Bible and published by Lillenas Publishing Company (Nazarene):

 

 

1.) Happy the souls to Jesus joined

And saved by grace alone.

Walking in all Thy ways they find

Their heaven on earth begun.

 

2.) The Church triumphant in Thy love,

Their mighty joys we know;

They sing the Lamb in hymns above,

And we in hymns below.

 

3.) Thee in Thy glorious realm they praise,

And bow before Thy throne;

We in the kingdom of Thy grace;

The kingdoms are but one.

 

4.) The holy to the holiest leads;

From thence our spirits rise.

He that in all Thy statutes treads

Shall meet Thee in the skies.

 

 

Since the hymn is in common meter, it can be sung to a number of familiar tunes, not the least of which is Wesley's "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" (Azmon).  We will be singing it this Sunday to Land of Rest (which is the tune that the Nazarene hymnal uses for Wesley's "All Praise to Our Redeeming Lord").

 

It is unfortunate that more of our churches do not have an All Saints' Day service on November 1, no matter the day on which it falls.  However, with the transference that most Protestant churches do, to the following Sunday, All Saints' becomes a major focus during the primary service of worship. 

 

May God be praised for all of His saints who have finished their course and have become for us such a great cloud of witnesses!

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

The Journal entries were taken from the Jackson edition of Wesley's Works.

Wesley Wednesday: Charles Wesley on Baptismal Regeneration

 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.

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

1. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
In solemn pow'r come down!

Present with Thy heav'nly host,

Thine ordinance to crown,

See a sinful soul of earth!

Bless to him the cleansing flood!

Plunge him, by a second birth,

Into the depths of God.

2. Let the promised inward grace

Accompany the sing;

On this new-born soul impress

The character divine!

Father, all Thy name reveal;

Jesus, all Thy name impart;

Holy Ghost, renew and dwell

Forever in his heart!

Wesley Wednesday: A Charles & John Combination

 As I was singing my way through "Wesley Hymns" (Lillenas Publishing), I came upon the following hymn from Charles Wesley, as well as the quote by John.  They provide an important reminded that we keep our priorities in their proper order.

O MY ALL-SUFFICIENT GOD

O my all-sufficient God,

Thou know'st my heart's desire;

Be this only thing bestowed;

I nothing else require,

Nothing else in earth or skies,

Not through all eternity;

Heav'n itself could not suffice:

I seek not Thine, but Thee.

One design you are to pursue to the end of time, the enjoyment of God in time and in eternity. Desire other things so far as they tend to this; love the creature, as it leads to the Creator. But in every step you take, be this the glorious point that terminates your view. Let every affection, and thought, and word, and action, be subordinate to this. Whatever you desire or fear, whatever you seek or shun, whatever you think, speak, or do, be it in order to your happiness in God, the sole end, as well as source, of your being (from John Wesley's A PLAIN ACCOUNT OF CHRISTIAN PERFECTION).

God: The Sole End and Source Of Our Being

Currently, during the Daily Office, I am singing my way through Wesley Hymns, a great little hymnal put together by Ken Bible.  -  In fact, over the years, I have made this little hymnal a Christmas gift to musicians in the churches where I have served.  -  During today's Morning prayer, I sang a wonderful little song by Charles Wesley entitled "O My All-sufficient God," and read a brief excerpt from John Wesley's A Plain Account of Christian Perfection.  The two go hand in hand (which is probably why Ken Bible put them together in the hymnal!).

I am reproducing them, here, praying that they will be a blessing to you:

O My All-sufficient God

O my all-sufficient God,
Thou know'st my heart's desire;
Be this only thing bestowed;
I nothing else require,
Nothing else in earth or skies,
Not through all eternity;
Heav'n itself could not suffice:
I seek not Thine, but Thee.
-  (Charles Wesley)

     One design you are to pursue to the end of time, the enjoyment of God in time and in eternity.  

     Desire other things so far as they tend to this; love the creature, as it leads to the Creator.  But in 

     every step you take, be this the glorious point that terminates your view.  Let every affection, and 

     thought, and word, and action, be subordinate to this.  Whatever you desire or fear, whatever you 

     seek or shun, whatever you think, or speak, or do, be it in order to your happiness in God, the sole 

     end, as well as source, of your being.  -  From John Wesley's A Plain Account of Christian 

     Perfection.

O Jesus, Full of Truth and Grace

I sang this powerful Charles Wesley hymn during Morning Prayer, today.  Just wanted to share.

 

1. O Jesus, full of truth and grace,

More full of grace than I of sin,

Yet once again I seek Thy face;

Open Thine arms and take me in,

And freely my backslidings heal,

And love the faithless sinner still.

 

2.  Thou know'st the way to bring me back,

My fallen spirit to restore;

O for Thy truth and mercy's sake,

Forgive, and bid me sin no more.

The ruins of my soul repair,

And make my heart a house of prayer.

 

3.  The stone to flesh again convert,

The veil of sin again remove;

Sprinkle Thy blood upon my heart

And melt it by Thy dying love.

This rebel heart by love subdue

And make it soft, and make it new.

 

4.  O give me, Lord, the tender heart

That trembles at th'approach of sin.

A godly fear of sin impart,

Implant, and root it deep within,

That I may dread Thy gracious pow'r

And never dare to offend Thee more.

The Sacramental Nature of Baptism

It caught me by surprise!  I didn't realize that I was that far along, but, during Morning Prayer, I finished singing through Wesley Hymns (edited by Ken Bible), once again. 

The last hymn in the book is wonderful.  It is a baptismal hymn, and it, of course, expresses a very Wesleyan understanding of holy baptism as a sacrament.  In fact, it does such a good job, I think I will quote it during my upcoming workshop on the Sacraments for the Southwest Indiana District Church of the Nazarene.  It fits very nicely with our new Article of Faith on Baptism.

What this hymn does is remind Wesleyan Christians (especially Evangelical ones) that we are not quite like many of our "Evangelical" sisters and brothers when it comes to our understanding of the sacraments.  Instead, we stand in line with our Methodist and Anglican forefathers, back to the Ancient and New Testament Church.

Many of our Evangelical sisters and brothers (e.g., Baptists), view holy baptism (and holy communion) as a mere ordinance.  (I say mere, because ordinances they surely are.  Even the hymn uses that term.  However, they are not merely so.)  As a mere ordinance, our sisters and brothers of these traditions view baptism as something that, while commanded by Christ, is exclusively understood to be a testimony by the one being baptized concerning what Christ has done in his/her life by faith.  (The very sad and frustrating thing is, as I have been trying to help my son find a good church home while in college at Olivet Nazarene University, I have just recently read a website statement on baptism from a NAZARENE CHURCH that echoes this very Baptist, i.e., non-Nazarene/non-Wesleyan, understanding of baptism!)

We Wesleyans would affirm that, when a convert is being baptized, s/he is, indeed, testifying to what Christ has done in her/his life by faith . . . BUT we believe that this testimony is secondary.  Along with our forefathers in the faith, we believe that holy baptism is primarily God's work.  That is to say, we believe that baptism is not just an ordinance.  It is also a sacrament.  Whether the one being baptized is an infant or an adult convert, when we come to the waters of baptism with faith in Christ, God is present and at work.  Further, as the hymn makes clear, we believe that the whole of the Holy Trinity is at work in this sacrament.

Charles Wesley says it so well:

 

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

1. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
In solemn pow'r come down!

Present with Thy heav'nly host,
Thine ordinance to crown,
See a sinful soul of earth!
Bless to him the cleansing flood!
Plunge him, by a second birth,
Into the depths of God.

2. Let the promised inward grace
Accompany the sign;
On this newborn soul impress
The character divine!
Father, all Thy name reveal;
Jesus, all Thy name impart;
Holy Ghost, renew and dwell
Forever in his heart!

Advice from Charles Wesley When Seeing Sin in Others

Lord, save me from a worse extreme,

When sin in others I condemn.

Assist me first to lay aside

The spiteful bitterness of pride;

Reflecting on myself, to see

A soul not half so vile as me;

And then my neighbor to reprove

In meekness, humbleness, and love.

 

(#111 in Ken Bible's Wesley Hymns)

 

I would point out both the call for humbleness and the call to reprove in love.  That is to say, this is not the same thing as a harsh, judgmental rebuke.  Neither is it the same thing as accepting sin in our sisters and brothers because we recognize and accept it in ourselves.  This cuts down the straw man that is so often erected by those who want to embrace sin as being okay, and it destroys the judgmental position of pride by those who exhibit little humbleness, love or Christlikeness.

May we be those who heed Charles' advice.

Depth of Mercy! / Jesus, the Sinner's Friend

Two powerful Charles Wesley hymns:

 

Depth of Mercy!

 

Depth of mercy! can there be

Mercy still reserved for me?

Can my God His wrath forbear -

Me, the chief of sinners, spare?

 

I have long withstood His grace,

Long provoked Him to His face,

Would not hearken to His calls,

grieved Him by a thousand falls.

 

Now incline me to repent;

Let me now my sins lament;

Now my foul revolt deplore,

Weep, believe, and sin no more.

 

There for me the Saviour stands,

Holding forth His wounded hands;

God is love! I know, I feel,

Jesus weeps and loves me still.


Jesus, the Sinner's Friend

 

Jesus, the sinner's Friend, to thee,

Lost and undone, for aid I flee,

Weary of earth, myself, and sin:

Open Thine arms, and take me in.

 

Pity and heal my sinsick soul;

'Tis Thou alone canst make me whole:

Dark, till in me Thine image shine,

And lost, I am, till Thou art mine.

 

At last I own it cannot be

That I should fit myself for Thee;

Here, then, to Thee I all resign;

Thine is the work, and only Thine.

 

What shall I say Thy grace to move?

Lord, I am sin, but Thou art love:

I give up every plea beside -

Lord, I am lost, but Thou hast died.

But, O, Thyself Reveal!

I just finished singing through "The Eucharistic Hymns of John and Charles Wesley" during Evening Prayer, last night.  (Some really good stuff there!  I'll have to blog about the Eucharist as a sacrifice, somewhere down the road.)   

This morning, I began singing through "Hymn Poems of Charles Wesley For Reading and Singing."  The second hymn is "Jesus, We Look to Thee."  The last verse of the hymn encapsulates what many of us in the Wesleyan-holiness tradition often long for during our services of worship.  On the one hand, it expresses a conviction of the objective presence of  God with us in worship.  On the other hand, it cries out for the "manifest presence" of the Lord in the midst of the worshipping people of God.

I invite you to sing this, my prayer for Sunday, paying special attention to the final verse:

Jesus, we look to Thee,

Thy promised presence claim;

Thou in the midst of us shalt be,

Assembled in Thy Name:

 

Thy Name salvation is,

Which here we come to prove;

Thy Name is life, and health, and peace,

And everlasting love.

 

We meet, the grace to take

Which Thou hast freely given;

We meet on earth for Thy dear sake

That we may meet in heaven.

 

Present we know Thou art;

But, O, Thyself reveal!

Now, Lord, let ev'ry waiting heart

The mighty comfort feel.

Another Great Wesley Hymn

This past Sunday, we sang the following Wesley hymn.  Amazingly, it is not found in "The United Methodist Hymnal," though it was in the previous "The Methodist Hymnal."  (What in the world would cause the editors/compilers of the most recent United Methodist hymnal to leave this one out??!!).  -  Thankfully, it still appears in the Nazarene hymnal, "Sing to the Lord."  -  In any case, we sang it at both my United Methodist and my Nazarene churches.

It is a powerful hymn!  May God use it in speaking words of assurance to you!

                                                             

Arise, My Soul, Arise

 

1. Arise, my soul, arise.
Shake off thy guilty fears.

The bleeding Sacrifice

In my behalf appears.

Before the throne my Surety stands,

Before the throne my Surety stands;

My name is written on His hands.

 

2.   He ever lives above

For me to intercede,

His all-redeeming love,

His precious blood to plead.

His blood atoned for all our race

His blood atoned for all our race,

And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

 

3.  Five bleeding wounds He bears,

Received on Calvary.

They pour effectual prayers;

They strongly plead for me.

"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry.

"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,
"Nor let that ransomed sinner die."

 

4.  The Father hears Him pray,
His dear Anointed One;

He cannot turn away

The presence of His Son.

His Spirit answers to the blood,

Hi Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

 

5.  My God is reconciled;
His pard'ning voice I hear.

He owns me for His child;

I can no longer fear.

With confidence I now draw nigh,

With confidence I now draw nigh,

And, "Father, Abba, Father," cry.

The Sacramental Nature of Baptism As Seen In Song

This evening, during Evening Prayer, I finished singing through Wesley Hymns (edited by Ken Bible) . . . at least for this go around!  -  The last hymn in the book expresses the sacramental nature of baptism, nicely.  This is a good reminder for Wesleyan Christians (especially Evangelical ones) that we differ from many "Evangelical Christians" at this point.  Instead, we stand in line with our Methodist and Anglican forefathers, back to the Ancient and New Testament Church.

Many of our Evangelical sisters and brothers (e.g., Baptists), view holy baptism (and holy communion) as a mere ordinance.  (I say mere, because ordinances they surely are.  Even the hymn uses that term.  However, they are not merely so.)  As a mere ordinance, our sisters and brothers of this tradition view baptism as something that, while commanded by Christ, is exclusively understood to be a testimony by the one being baptized concerning what Christ has done in his/her life by faith.

We Wesleyans would affirm that, when a convert is being baptized, s/he is, indeed, testifying to what Christ has done in her/his life by faith . . . but we believe that this testimony is secondary.  Along with our forefathers in the faith, we believe that holy baptism is primarily God's work.  That is to say, we believe that baptism is not just an ordinance.  It is also a sacrament.  Whether the one being baptized is an infant or an adult convert, when we come to the waters of baptism with faith in Christ, God is present and at work.  Further, as the hymn makes clear, we believe that the whole of the Holy Trinity is at work in this sacrament.

To be sure, it is not an "automatic thing" simply because we go through the outward motions of a ritual.  Nevertheless, God's promised presence is granted to those who come with faith in Him.

Charles Wesley expresses this sacramental nature of baptism in this hymn:

 

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

1. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
In solemn pow'r come down!

Present with Thy heav'nly host,
Thine ordinance to crown,
See a sinful soul of earth!
Bless to him the cleansing flood!
Plunge him, by a second birth,
Into the depths of God.

2. Let the promised inward grace
Accompany the sign;
On this newborn soul impress
The character divine!
Father, all Thy name reveal;
Jesus, all Thy name impart;
Holy Ghost, renew and dwell
Forever in his heart!

 

 

(Charles Wesley)

One Desire

We live in a world in which we hear from certain supposed "Christian leaders" that God's greatest desire is to bless us with financial success.  This supposed "gospel message" is broadcast via TV, radio and the internet, and is found in print in best selling "Christian" books.  These "Christian leaders" encourage Christians to pursue such "blessings" in the name of Jesus; a pursuit, it must be pointed out, that is no different in kind than the pursuit of secular minded non-Christians throughout the world . . . save that it is done "in Jesus' name."

As readers of this blog know, it is my custom to (usually) include some hymns while praying the office of Morning Prayer.  Currently, I am singing from Wesley Hymns, compiled by Ken Bible (Lillenas Publishing).  Today's hymn, along with the passage quoted below the hymn, provide a wonderful corrective to the popular message described, above.  The hymn, of course, is a (very short) hymn by Charles Wesley, and the quote following the hymn comes from John Wesley's A Plain Account of Christian Perfection.

May the words of this hymn and John Wesley's words be true for me and for the whole Church!

O My All-sufficient God

O my all-sufficient God,

Thou know'st my heart's desire;

Be this only thing bestowed;

I nothing else require,

Nothing else in earth or skies,

Not through all eternity;

Heav'n itself could not suffice:

I seek not Thine, but Thee.

 

"One design you are to pursue to the end of time, the enjoyment of God in time and in eternity.  Desire other things so far as they tend to this; love the creature, as it leads to the Creator.  But in every step you take, be this the glorious point that terminates your view.  Let every affection, and thought, and word, and action, be subordinate to this.  Whatever you desire or fear, whatever you seek or shun, whatever you think, speak, or do, be it in order to your happiness in God, the sole end, as well as source, of your being."



A Hymn for All Saints

Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above

 

1.  Come, let us join our friends above

Who have obtained the prize,

And on the eagle wings of love

To joys celestial rise.

Let saints on earth unite to sing

With those to glory gone;

For all the servants of our King,

In earth and heav'n, are one.

 

2.  One family we dwell in Him,

One Church above, beneath,

Though now divided by the stream,

The narrow stream of death.

One army of the living God,

To His command we bow;

Part of His host have crossed the flood

And part are crossing now.

 

3.  Ten thousand to their endless home

This solemn moment fly;

And we are to the margin come,

And we expect to die.

E'en now by faith we join our hands

With those who went before,

And greet the blood-besprinkled bands

On the eternal shore.

 

4.  Our spirits, too, shall quickly join,

Like theirs with glory crowned,

And shout to see our Captain's sign,

To hear His trumpet sound.

Jesus, be Thou our constant Guide;

Then, when the word is giv'n,

Bid Jordan's narrow stream divide

And bring us safe to heav'n.

 

(Charles Wesley)

All Saints'

Yesterday was All Saints' Day.  Thus, I'm a little late with this post, but, since many Protestant churches transfer All Saints' Day to the following Sunday and observe All Saints' on Sunday, I thought I would go ahead and post!  (Plus, I did post an article on All Hallow's Eve, so that's not too bad!)

As The United Methodist Book of Worship reminds us, "All Saints (November 1 or the first Sunday in November) is a day of remembrance for the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and place.  We celebrate the communion of saints as we remember the dead, both of the Church universal and of our local congregations.  For this reason, the names of persons in the congregation who have died during the past year may be solemnly read as a Response to the Word."

Since, All Saints' is not only a recognition of death, but also a celebration of life through the Resurrection, all of the paraments, banners & stoles are white, which is the joyful and festive color used at Christmas and Easter.

All Saints' was a favorite of John Wesley's.  He mentioned it four times in his journal.  On All Saints' in 1748, Wesley said, "Being All-Saints' day, we had a solemn assembly at the chapel; as I cannot but observe, we have had on this very day, for several years.  Surely, 'right dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints!'"  In 1756 Wesley says, "November 1, was a day of triumphant joy, as All-Saints' Day generally is.  How superstitious are they who scruple giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints!"  In 1767, he included in his journal the following comments: "Being All-Saints' Day, (a festival I dearly love,) I could not but observe the admirable propriety with which the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for the day are suited to each other." 

The Collect for the day from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (which would be the Pray Book Wesley used) reads as follows (and I would encourage all to pray):

O Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord; Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys, which thou hast prepared for them that unfeignedly love thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

 

The Epistle was Revelation 7:2-12.  The Gospel was Matthew 5:1-12.  -  I would encourage you to read these Scripture lessons.

 

The year prior to this entry, Wesley wrote, "'God, who hath knit together his elect in one communion and fellowship,' gave us a solemn season at West-Street (as usual) in praising him for all his Saints.  On this day in particular, I commonly find the truth of these words:

 

The Church triumphant in his love,

Their mighty joys we know;

They praise the Lamb in hymns above,

And we in hymns below."

 

 

That is the second verse of Charles Wesley's "Happy the Souls to Jesus Joined."  Unfortunately, that hymn is not found in either The United Methodist Hymnal, nor the Nazarene's Sing to the Lord hymnal.  Three verses of it did appear in the older The Methodist Hymnal.  The four verses, below, were taken from the Wesley Hymns book, compiled by Ken Bible and published by Lillenas Publishing Company (Nazarene):

 

 

1.) Happy the souls to Jesus joined

And saved by grace alone.

Walking in all Thy ways they find

Their heaven on earth begun.

 

2.) The Church triumphant in Thy love,

Their mighty joys we know;

They sing the Lamb in hymns above,

And we in hymns below.

 

3.) Thee in Thy glorious realm they praise,

And bow before Thy throne;

We in the kingdom of Thy grace;

The kingdoms are but one.

 

4.) The holy to the holiest leads;

From thence our spirits rise.

He that in all Thy statutes treads

Shall meet Thee in the skies.

 

 

Since the hymn is in common meter, it can be sung to a number of familiar tunes, not the least of which is Wesley's "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" (Azmon).  We will be singing it this Sunday to Land of Rest (which is the tune that the Nazarene hymnal uses for Wesley's "All Praise to Our Redeeming Lord").

 

It is unfortunate that more of our churches do not have an All Saints' Day service on November 1, no matter the day on which it falls.  However, with the transference that most Protestant churches do, to the following Sunday, All Saints' becomes a major focus during the primary service of worship. 

 

May God be praised for all of His saints who have finished their course and have become for us such a great cloud of witnesses!

 

_____________________________________________________________

 

The Journal entries were taken from the Jackson edition of Wesley's Works.



Devotional Thought

As I was praying Morning Prayer, this morning, I sang the following hymn by Charles Wesley as found in Wesley Hymns, compile by Ken Bible, Lillenas Publishing (Nazarene), 1982.  The final line struck me, especially.

 

O My All-sufficient God

 

O my all-sufficient God,

Thou know'st my heart's desire;

Be this only thing bestowed;

I nothing else require,

Nothing else in earth or skies,

Not through all eternity;

Heav'n itself could not suffice:

I seek not Thine, but Thee.

 

Following the hymn, on the same page, was the following quote from John Wesley's A Plain Account of Christian Perfection:

 

 

"One design you are to pursue to the end of time, the enjoyment of God in time and in eternity.  Desire other things so far as they tend to this; love the creature, as it leads to the Creator.  But in every step you take, be this the glorious point that terminates your view.  Let every affection, and thought, and word, and action, be subordinate to this.  Whatever you desire or fear, whatever you seek or shun, whatever you think, speak, or do, be it in order to your happiness in God,the sole end, as well as source, of your being."

 

Amen.



Charles Wesley & The Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition at Duke Divinity School

The following, exciting information comes from an email to a Wesleyan theological discussion group from Randy Maddox.  Typically, those emails are kept confidential, but, in this case, I think the information is intended to be shared:

The Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition at Duke Divinity School is pleased to announce the launch of a major page on our website.

The link to this page, which is devoted to transcripts of all surviving verse that Charles Wesley left in manuscript at his death can be found on this main page:

http://divinity.duke.edu/initiatives-centers/cswt/wesley-texts

When conjoined with the page launched earlier, giving verse that Charles Wesley published during his lifetime, this constitutes the first unified setting in which scholars and others have access to ALL of Charles Wesley’s surviving verse. The website will remain free access, so you are encouraged to use it in classes, etc. You are welcome to download the pdf files to your own computer (if you download the full set you can put them in one folder for search purposes). We simply ask that you observe the citation guidelines.

If you have downloaded transcripts of the published verse offered earlier, you might want to download updated files, as we have made a few corrections and added footnotes to identify which hymns have surviving manuscript drafts available.

If you have made an earlier link to a site, note the slightly changed address above, resulting from a redesign of the entire Divinity School website.

Primitive Christianity

In his letter "To Dr. Coke, Mr. Asbury, and our Brethren in North-America," which accompanied his The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America, John Wesley wrote, "They [American Methodists] are now at full liberty, simply to follow the Scriptures and the primitive church."  Wesley understood Methodism to be "the religion of the primitive church" (Works 3:586).  Elsewhere, Wesley spoke of the primitive church and expressed his desire that we always be imitators of theirs.

For Wesley, as I discuss in my dissertation and in my article in the upcoming Wesleyan Theological Journal, the primitive Church refers primarily to the Church of the New Testament through the first three Christian centuries.  From this, however, the term can be expanded, at times, in some circumstances, to include the fourth and even fifth Christian centuries (e.g., the Nicene formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity) (Campbell, John Wesley and Christian Antiquity, 25).

In fact, Wesley comments:  "The esteeming the writings of the first three centuries, not equally with, but next to, the Scriptures, never carried any man yet into dangerous errors, nor probably ever will.  But it has brought many out of dangerous errors . . ." (Works 3rd ed. 10:14).

During today's Morning Prayer, I sang Charles Wesley's hymn on Primitive Christianity.  The hymn, as presented in Wesley's Works is divided into two parts.  A number of the verses struck a chord with me, and I would like to share some of them.

Part I

1. Happy the souls that first believed,

To Jesus and each other cleaved,

Joined by the unction from above

In mystic fellowship of love.

2. Meek, simple followers of the Lamb,

They lived, and spake, and thought the same,

They joyfully conspired to raise

Their ceaseless sacrifice of praise.

3. With grace abundantly endued,

A pure, believing multitude,

They all were of one heart and soul,

And only love inspired the whole.

4. O what an age of golden days!

O what a choice, peculiar race!

Washed in the Lamb's all-cleansing blood,

Anointed kings and priests to God!

The rest of the hymn goes on to look for those same true followers of Christ in Wesley's own day, and he declares their true, genuine mark to be love.  The second part of the hymn, especially, pleads that God would pour out God's own love and holiness and so fill the Church of his day so that "In them . . . all mankind [might] behold How Christians lived in days of old."

I join with the Wesleys as they sing about the primitive Church, "O might my lot be cast with these."

10. Lord, if I now thy drawings feel,

And ask according to thy will,

Confirm the prayer, the seal impart,

And speak the answer to my heart.

A New Post? It's a Miracle!

Yes, it's been forever since I have posted.  -  I was involved in a CPE (Hospital Chaplaincy program) that really took more time and energy than I expected.  Actually, I'm involved in year-end reports, right now.  However, I sang the following hymn during Morning Prayer, today, and I wanted to share:

Forth in Thy Name

Forth in Thy name, O Lord, i go,

My daily labor to pursue,

Thee, only Thee, resolved to know

In all I think, or speak, or do.

The task Thy wisdom hath assigned,

O let me cheerfully fulfill;

In all my works Thy presence find,

And prove Thy good and perfect will.

Give me to bear Thy easy yoke,

And every moment watch and pray;

And still to things eternal look,

And hasten to Thy glorious day;

For Thee delightfully employ

Whate'er Thy bounteous grace hath giv'n;

And run my course with even joy,

And closely walk with Thee to heaven.

-  Charles Wesley

One Last Good Friday Hymn

O Love Divine, What Hast Thou Done?

O love divine, what hast Thou done?

Th'immortal God hath died for me!

The Father's co-eternal Son

Bore all my sins upon the tree;

Th'immortal God for me hath died

My Lord, my Love is crucified

Behold Him, all ye that pass by,

The bleeding Prince of life and peace!

Come, sinners, see your Maker died

And say, was ever grief like His?

come, feel with me His blood applied;

My Lord, my Love is crucified.

Is crucified for me and you,

To bring us rebels back to God.

Believe, believe the record true;

Ye all are bought with Jesus' blood.

Pardon for all flows from His side;

My Lord, my Love is crucified.

The let us sit beneath His Cross

And gladly catch the healing stream.

All things for Him account but loss

And give up all our hearts to Him.

Of nothing think or speak beside:

My Lord, my Love is crucified.

(Charles Wesley)