'O for a thousand tongues to sing my Great Redeemers Praise’
This hymn was written about one year after Charles Wesley's conversion in 1738. Originally it was 18 verses long, but Charles’ older brother John, (wise man that he was, realised that Charles could get carried away) thought this was a little long and cut it down to 7 before putting it in their hymnbook. It was inspired by a conversation that Charles had with his friend Peter Bohler who had helped to lead him to his conversion experience. They were talking about praising Christ and Peter said ‘Had I a thousand tongues I would praise him with them all’ This gave Charles the idea to write the hymn.
‘And can it be’
Our next hymn was again written by Charles Wesley and is often know as the Methodist Anthem. It was written by Charles at about the time of his conversion and was probably sung a few days later when John (his brother) also ‘found his heart strangely warmed’. In the first line Charles expresses his wonder that God could love and die for him personally – ‘And can it be that “I” should gain an interest in my Saviour’s blood’.
John Wesley also remembered this hymn on his deathbed when he was
asked
if he still felt the same about God as he did when he was young. ‘Yes’
he replied and then repeated the lines: -
‘Bold I approach the eternal throne, and claim the crown through
God my own.’
Another little story about this hymn was about a young family man whose wife and daughter were committed Christians and attended a Baptist church in Bristol. He was not a Christian himself, but thought if you cannot beat them join them and so he went along with them to church. For a time nothing happened and then one day while on holiday, the family were attending a church and all of a sudden he had a personal experience of God’s love. Of which he said afterwards that his thoughts went to the lines of the hymn - ‘My chains fell off my heart was freed’.
Contacts: -
maria.s.carter@ntlworld.com or
gordon.j.carter@ntlworld.com