3 Blessed be God, even the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our
tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by
the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ
abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. (2 Cor 1:3-5)
Some have called this the greatest hymn in the English language for beauty of
expression. This I will not deny to the ears of the admirer of the hymn;
however, I believe each classical and Godly hymn has its own place and purpose,
as inspired of God, in our hymnals. This hymn is one of great comfort to the
saved of God. It extols the glorious salvation to which we are heir, and omits
mention, with tact, the great suffering and torture of our Lord on Calvary's
brow in the purchase of that great salvation. It emphasizes His Love and not
His suffering.
The author, Charles Wesley, preached what some in England considered a new
doctrine of the Gospels with which many Churchmen of his day disagreed. Both
Charles and his brother, John, were often harassed in their preaching, but
persevered at all cost. Below is a quote taken from a descendant of an Irish
family that witnessed one occasion of Charles' being threatened by a mob. The
hymn itself is a product (in 1740) of that dark danger he faced on the
occasion:
"Mrs. Mary Hoover, of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, whose grandmother was
the heroine of the story, has related to her pastor this family tradition:
Charles Wesley was preaching in the fields of the parish of Killyleagh, County
Down, Ireland, when he was attacked by men who did not approve of his
doctrines. He sought refuge in a house located on what was known as the Island
Barn Farm. The farmer’s wife, , told him to hide in the
milkhouse, down in the garden. Soon the mob came and demanded the fugitive. She
tried to quiet them by offering them refreshments. Going down to the milkhouse,
she directed Mr. Wesley to get through the rear window and hide under the
hedge, by which ran a little brook. In that hiding place, with the cries of his
pursuers all about him, he wrote this immortal hymn. Descendants of Mrs. Moore
still live in the house, which is much the same as it was in Wesley’s time."
There are at least
four different tunes to this hymn three of which are presented in the 1940
Hymnal. Aberystwyth, by Joseph Parry, is the first and my personal
favorite. Other tunes are, Hollingside, Martyn, and St. Fabian.
Jesus Lover of My Soul
Jesus, lover of my soul, let me
to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till
the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O
receive my soul at last.
Other refuge have I none, hangs
my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone,
still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
all my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head with
the shadow of Thy wing.
Plenteous grace with Thee is
found, grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound;
make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art, freely
let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart;
rise to all eternity.
Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters
roll, while the tempest still is high. Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the
storm of life is past; Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last. The heart of Jesus is the only
perfectly pure Heart that has ever existed in the flesh. It is pure and
overflows with the eternal springs of love whose waters originate in the
Heights of Heaven. Hidden in the Bosom of our Lord is that Heart that is able
to provide sanctuary from every sincere and repentant sinner that seeks and
claims its benefit of sanctuary. As we live out our mortal lives, every minute
of every day brings us ever nearer those raging waters of Jordan Banks across
which lies our reward. Though the sound of those swirling billows may seem
dismaying, yet those who are in Christ know that He is able to calm the storm
and even to tread upon those waters. I love the evening prayer found in the
Family Prayer section of the Book of Common Prayer. It so wonderfully expresses
that close of the final day of our earthly lives, and seals it with a joyful
reception into our final home: "O LORD, support us all the day long (our
earthly lives), until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes (as we
near the end), and the busy world is hushed (the world has no more
appeal), and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in thy
mercy grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at last. Amen"
Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee; Leave, ah!
leave me not alone, still support and comfort me. All my trust on Thee is
stayed, all my help from Thee I bring; Cover my defenseless head with the
shadow of Thy wing. This sphere that we call earth hangs upon
nothing. He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the
earth upon nothing. (Job 26:7) But this old world, and all of
its contents, shall one day melt with fervent heat, and pass from the annals and
registry of God's Heavens. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in
the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are
therein shall be burned up. (2
Peter 3:10) If you
are not risen in Christ at that day, what foundation will your foot find upon
which to stand; or will you be as a disembodied soul wandering the dark expanse
of an empty Universe forever? If all of our trust and dependence is stayed upon
the Lord, we have no better Captain and Fortress to preserve our souls from
ruin. Yes, apart from the shadowing wings of our Lord, we shall have no
covering or protection when life's final notes are played out in our room of
dying.
Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin; Let the
healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain
art, freely let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart; rise to all
eternity. There is a wideness in the mercy, grace, and love of God. But
it is also deeper than the Pacific Deeps. The life-giving Fountain of Life is a
gushing stream of Living Waters whose source knows no limits. We need not
wonder about those streams of healing waters for they are now available: "Whosoever drinketh of
this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall
give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:13-14) When we taste of that Water of Life which Christ is, we,
too, become a Fountain of living waters whose Springs are filled with endless
supplies of love. In fact, the more we love others, the greater is the
remaining reservoir of Love. And love makes the heart full of joy and endless
comforts. Taste it, and share it, and you will find that it truly is possible
to taste "Heaven on Earth."
