Scripture Verse

I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2

Introduction

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Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems (Bris­tol, Eng­land: Fe­lix Far­ley, 1742), pag­es 159–60.

Music: Ev­an Will­iam H. Ha­ver­gal, 1847. Ar­ranged by Lo­well Ma­son in New Car­mi­na Sac­ra (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Wil­kins, Car­ter, 1850) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

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Lowell Mason (1792–1872)

Anecdote

John B. Gough, the great tem­per­ance lec­tur­er, gives an in­ter­est­ing ac­count in his Au­to­bi­og­ra­phy of the sing­ing of this hymn when as a boy he left home in June, 1839.

While the ship on which he was to sail was be­calmed and tar­ried at Sand­gate, his fa­ther and oth­er loved ones came on board. When the vis­it­ors were about to leave for the shore, they formed their boats in a se­mi­cir­cle around the ship, and all stood up and with blend­ed voices sang their af­fec­tion­ate fare­well in the words of this hymn.

As the mu­sic float­ed ov­er the calm wa­ters in the weird twi­light of the dy­ing day, it left an im­pres­sion ne­ver to be for­got­ten by any of those who wit­nessed the beau­ti­ful leave tak­ing.

Nutter, p. 124

Lyrics

Blest be the dear unit­ing love,
That will not let us part:
Our bo­dies may far off re­move,
We still are joined in heart.

Joined in one Spi­rit to our Head,
Where He ap­points we go,
And still in Je­sus’ foot­steps tread,
And do His work be­low.

O let us ev­er walk in Him,
And no­thing know be­side;
Nothing de­sire, no­thing esteem,
But Je­sus cru­ci­fied.

Closer, and clos­er let us cleave
To His be­loved em­brace;
Expect His full­ness to re­ceive,
And grace to ans­wer grace.

While thus we walk with Christ in light
Who shall our souls dis­join,
Souls, which Him­self vouch­safes t’unite
In fel­low­ship di­vine!

We all are one who Him re­ceive,
And each with each agree,
In Him the One, the Truth, we live,
Blest point of un­ity!

Partakers of the Sav­ior’s grace,
The same in mind and heart,
Nor joy, nor grief, nor time, nor place,
Nor life, nor death can part.

But let us hast­en to the day
Which shall our flesh re­store,
When death shall all be done away,
And bo­dies part no more!