Scripture Verse

In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11

Introduction

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems 1749.

Music: Com­fort (To­ron­to), ano­ny­mous, in the Me­tho­dist Hymn and Tune Book (To­ron­to, Ca­na­da: Me­tho­dist Book and Pub­lish­ing House, 1895), num­ber 351 (🔊 pdf nwc). Com­pare to the mu­sic for A New Year’s Greet­ing.

portrait
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Anecdote

A hymn with an ex­tra­or­din­ary his­to­ry of bless­ing ev­er since it was written. How it can be used, an in­ci­dent in Jo­seph Ent­wisle’s Mem­oir may show.

He was anx­ious­ly seek­ing the par­don­ing mer­cy of God, when a pi­ous young man said to him, as they were walk­ing to­ge­ther along Mo­se­ley Street, Man­che­ster, on their way to the cha­pel at Birch­in Lane, Jo­seph, I will read you a hymn which those of us sing who know our sins for­giv­en.

He then opened his hymn-book, and read the beau­ti­ful hymn on adop­tion, beg­inn­ing My God, I am Thine. He was much struck with it, not hav­ing heard or read it be­fore; and ex­pressed an ar­dent de­sire to be en­abled to adopt its lang­uage as des­crip­tive of his own ex­pe­ri­ence.

He was much en­cour­aged by the as­sur­ance giv­en him by his pi­ous friend, who lived in the per­son­al en­joy­ment of this bless­ing, that he might soon at­tain it, and be en­abled from hap­py ex­per­ie­nce to sing the hymn with him.

Telford, pp. 237–38

Lyrics

My God, I am Thine, what a com­fort di­vine,
What a bless­ing to know that my Je­sus is mine!
In the hea­ven­ly Lamb thrice hap­py I am,
And my heart it doth dance at the sound of His name.

True plea­sures abound in the rap­tur­ous sound;
And who­ev­er hath found it hath pa­ra­dise found:
My Je­sus to know, and feel His blood flow,
’Tis life ev­er­last­ing, ’tis Hea­ven be­low.

Yet on­ward I haste to the hea­ven­ly feast:
That, that is the ful­ness; but this is the taste!
And this I shall prove, till with joy I re­move
To the hea­ven of hea­vens in Je­sus’ love.