Jesus, Lover of My Soul

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Jesus, lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly

Author: Charles Wesley (1740)
Songs of Response
Published in 3196 hymnals

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	Jesus, Lover of My Soul

Piano/Organ
	Beneath the Cross

Choral
	JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL

Representative Text

1 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!

2 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.

3 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.

Psalter Hymnal, 1987

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Author: Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley, M.A. was the great hymn-writer of the Wesley family, perhaps, taking quantity and quality into consideration, the great hymn-writer of all ages. Charles Wesley was the youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, and was born at Epworth Rectory, Dec. 18, 1707. In 1716 he went to Westminster School, being provided with a home and board by his elder brother Samuel, then usher at the school, until 1721, when he was elected King's Scholar, and as such received his board and education free. In 1726 Charles Wesley was elected to a Westminster studentship at Christ Church, Oxford, where he took his degree in 1729, and became a college tutor. In the early part of the same year his religious impressions were much deepene… Go to person page >

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Related Texts

First Line:	Jesus, lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly
Title:	Jesus, Lover of My Soul
Author:	Charles Wesley (1740)
Meter:	7.7.7.7 D
Language:	English
Notes:	Russian translation: "Isis-ti pa krof dusha," translator unknown; Polish translation: See: "Jezu, Zbawco mojej duszy" by Paweł Sikora; Spanish translation: See "Oh Jesús, mi Salvador" translator unknown, "Cariñosa Salvador" by Thomas M. Westrup; Swahili translation: See "Yesu unipendaye"
Copyright:	Public Domain
Liturgical Use:	Songs of Response

Year A, Christmas Season, Second Sunday after Christmas Day
This is recommended for Year A, Christmas Season, Second Sunday after Christmas Day by 2 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440 and Lift Up Your Hearts: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs #424.
Year A, Lent, First Sunday
This is recommended for Year A, Lent, First Sunday by 2 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440 and Lift Up Your Hearts: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs #424.
Year A, Lent, Second Sunday
This is recommended for Year A, Lent, Second Sunday by 2 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440.
Year A, Lent, Third Sunday
This is recommended for Year A, Lent, Third Sunday by 3 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440 and Lift Up Your Hearts: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs #424.
Year A, Lent, Third Sunday
Year A, Ordinary Time, Proper 7 (12)
This is recommended for Year A, Ordinary Time, Proper 7 (12) by 2 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440.
Year A, Ordinary Time, Proper 9 (14)
This is recommended for Year A, Ordinary Time, Proper 9 (14) by 2 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440.
Year A, Ordinary Time, Proper 14 (19)
Year A, Ordinary Time, Proper 23 (28)
Year B, Advent, Second Sunday
Year B, Epiphany season, Fourth Sunday
Year B, Epiphany season, Sixth Sunday
Year B, Ordinary Time, Proper 7 (12)
This is recommended for Year B, Ordinary Time, Proper 7 (12) by 4 hymnal lectionary indexes including Lift Up Your Hearts: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs #424.
Year B, Ordinary Time, Proper 18 (23)
Year B, Ordinary Time, Proper 22 (27)
This is recommended for Year B, Ordinary Time, Proper 22 (27) by 2 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440.
Year C, Epiphany season, Fourth Sunday
This is recommended for Year C, Epiphany season, Fourth Sunday by 2 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440.
Year C, Lent, Second Sunday
This is recommended for Year C, Lent, Second Sunday by 2 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440.
Year C, Lent, Third Sunday
This is recommended for Year C, Lent, Third Sunday by 2 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440 and Lift Up Your Hearts: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs #424.
Year C, Holy Week season, Holy Saturday
Year C, Ordinary Time, Proper 6 (11)
This is recommended for Year C, Ordinary Time, Proper 6 (11) by 3 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440 and Lift Up Your Hearts: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs #424.
Year C, Ordinary Time, Proper 26 (31)
This is recommended for Year C, Ordinary Time, Proper 26 (31) by 2 hymnal lectionary indexes including Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #440.

Chinese

生命聖詩 - Hymns of Life, 1986 #275

Engish

Singing Joy: for Girls and boys #157

English

10 shown out of 2172

French Creole

An Nou Chanté! : Let's Sing! #10

Russian

Русские Гимны (Russky gimny) = Russian Praise #2

Spanish

Welsh

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Tune

MARTYN (Marsh)

REFUGE (Holbrook)

HOLLINGSIDE

All tunes published with 'Jesus, Lover of My Soul'^ top

For Leaders

Bulletin Blurb
Worship Notes
Scores

Originally published under the title “In Temptation,” this hymn has as its theme the sufficiency of Christ to give comfort, power, and grace in any circumstance. It is a plea that Jesus will provide sanctuary to the tempted (st. 1), because there is no other refuge (st. 2). Christ is declared to be the sole desire of the Christian, who is undeserving (st. 3), while Christ's grace is declared sufficient to cleanse the Christian from all his vile sins (st. 4).

Text:

Charles Wesley was converted in 1738, and wrote this hymn shortly thereafter; it was published under the title “In Temptation” in 1740 by the Wesley brothers in Hymns and Sacred Poems. John Wesley did not publish it in his later hymnals, perhaps because its language was too pietistic and too intimate for public worship, concerns which other hymnal editors have shared; but this is only speculation. Nevertheless, it has survived and remains well-known.

This hymn originally had five stanzas, but one (“Wilt Thou not regard my call?”) is never sung. It is typically sung in four stanzas, although sometimes the third (“Thou, O Christ, art all I want”) is omitted. The title and first line of the hymn, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul,” is a phrase that is probably not original to Wesley, but may have come from an apocryphal wisdom book, the Wisdom of Solomon, or a Christian classic, Thomas à Kempis's Imitation of Christ.

Tune:

There are two tunes that are commonly associated with this text. One is the Welsh tune ABERYSTWYTH by Joseph Parry, written in 1876 and named after the coastal town he was living in at the time. He published it in Ail Llyfr Tonau ac Emynau (The Second Book of Tunes and Hymns) in 1879. It is paired with many different texts, but “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” is by far the most frequent. ABERYSTWYTH should be sung in harmony at a moderate tempo that allows the many eighth notes in the lower voices to be heard.

MARTYN is sung almost exclusively with Wesley's text. Simeon B. Marsh is the composer. In 1834, he was making his weekly round of singing schools between Amsterdam and Johnston, New York, when he wrote this tune, intending for it to be sung with John Newton's hymn “Mary to her Savior's tomb.” It was published in 1836 with Newton's text in Thomas Hastings's Musical Miscellany, vol. I. MARTYN was first paired with “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” in 1851 in Darius Jones's Temple Melodies. Sing this tune with even rhythm and firm accompaniment.

When/Why/How:

Wesley intended this hymn to be sung in times of temptation, so it would work well in a service with preaching on that topic. This hymn is also sung for services where the theme is a story with overwhelming water, such as the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, or Peter walking on the water. It would work well as a choral anthem preceding or following the sermon. A modern arrangement of MARTYN is featured in “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” for choir and piano. A choral anthem based on the tune ABERYSTWYTH and the text “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” emphasizes the choir with a simple piano accompaniment with triplet figures. This same setting is rearranged for a low solo voice in “Three Hymns of Hope.”

Tiffany Shomsky,
Hymnary.org

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