Scripture Verse

I…heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands. Revelation 5:11

Introduction

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Charles Wesley
1707–1788

Words: Charles Wes­ley, 1739.

Music: Az­mon Carl G. Glä­ser, 1828. Ar­ranged by Lo­well Ma­son, Mo­dern Psalm­ist, 1839 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

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Lowell Mason
1792–1872

Wes­ley wrote this hymn to com­mem­o­rate the first an­ni­ver­sa­ry of his con­ver­sion to Christ. He notes in his jour­nal:

Origin of the Hymn

Sunday, May 21, 1738. I waked in ex­pec­ta­tion of His com­ing. At nine my bro­ther and some friends came and sang a hymn to the Ho­ly Ghost. My com­fort and hope were here­by in­creased. In about half an hour they went.

I be­took my­self to pray­er the sub­stance as follows: O Je­sus, thou hast said, I will come un­to you; thou hast said, I will send the Com­fort­er un­to you. thou hast said, My Fa­ther and I will come un­to you, and make our abode with you.

Thou art my God, who canst not lie. I whol­ly re­ly up­on thy most true pro­mise: ac­comp­lish it in thy time and manner.…

Still I felt a vi­o­lent op­po­si­tion and re­luc­tance to be­lieve, yet still the Spi­rit of God strove with my own and the evil spir­it till by de­grees he chased away the dark­ness of my un­be­lief. I found my­self con­vinced, I knew not how or when, and imm­ed­i­ate­ly fell to in­ter­ces­sion.

This work first ap­peared in Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems in 1740. The stan­za that be­gins O for a thou­sand tongues to sing is verse se­ven of Wes­ley’s orig­in­al po­em.

Lyrics

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and king,
The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

In Christ your head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and Heaven.

On this glad day the glorious sun
Of righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.

Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.

Then with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!

I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.

Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.

Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Æthiop white.

Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.

Murderers and all ye hellish crew,
Ye sons of lust and pride,
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.

With me, your chief, ye then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.