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Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven, to earth come down

Author: Charles Wesley (1747)
Tune: BEECHER
Published in 1603 hymnals

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Audio files: MIDI

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1 Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.

2 Breathe, oh, breathe thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast;
let us all in thee inherit;
let us find the promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.

3 Come, Almighty, to deliver,
let us all thy life receive;
suddenly return, and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

4 Finish, then, thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee:
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love and praise.

Source: Lift Up Your Hearts: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs #351

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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: Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven, to earth come down
Title: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Author: Charles Wesley (1747)
Meter: 8.7.8.7 D
Source: Spanish melody from Marecho
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain
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Notes

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Rev. 21:3, John 3:16, John 15:9
st. 2 = Mal. 3:1
st. 3 = 2 Cor. 3:18, 2 Cor. 5:17, 2 Pet. 3:14

Considered by many to be among Charles Wesley's (PHH 267) finest texts, "Love Divine" was published in four stanzas in his Hymns for those that seek, and those that have Redemption in the Blood of Christ (1747). Many hymnals, including the Psalter Hymnal, omit the original second stanza, which contained the questionable line "take away our power of sinning." A verse from John Dryden's poem beginning with the words "Fairest isle, all isles excelling" used by Henry Purcell in his opera King Arthur were undoubtedly Wesley's inspiration for writing this text. In fact, "Love Divine" was set to a Purcell tune in John and Charles Wesley's Sacred Melody (1761).

Addressed to Christ, this text begins as a prayer for the indwelling of his love in our lives: "fix in us thy humble dwelling" and "let us all thy life receive" (st. 1-2). A tone of praise and adoration runs throughout the text. But the final stanza is clearly a prayer for sanctification, for consistently holy lives. Though this stanza was an outcome of the Specifically Wesleyan doctrine of perfection, it is our fervent Christian prayer that our sanctification will ultimately lead to glorification. As is customary in a Charles Wesley text, biblical allusions abound.

Liturgical Use:
As a sung prayer, probably towards the end of the service or, given its tone of praise, as a closing hymn; Advent.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook
============================

Love Divine, all loves excelling. C. Wesley. [The Love of Christ.] First published in Hymns for those that Seek, and those that Have Redemption, 1747, No. 9, in 4 stanzas of 8 lines (Poetical Works, 1868-72, vol. iv. p. 219). In 1780 it was included, with the omission of stanza ii., in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, No. 374, and in this form it has passed into a large number of hymn-books in all English-speaking countries. It had previously appeared in full in M. Madan's Psalms & Hymns, 1760; A. M. Toplady's Psalms & Hymns, 1776, and other hymn-books of the Church of England. The two forms, the full and the abridged, have thus come into common use. Tested by its use it is found to rank with the best of its author's work. Mr. G. J. Stevenson has an interesting note thereon in his Methodist Hymn Book Notes, 1883, p. 266.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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Tune

BEECHER

John Zundel's BEECHER (named after Henry Ward Beecher, his pastor) was first published in his Christian Heart Songs (1870) as a setting for Charles Wesley's "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" (568). The tune is also known as ZUNDEL. Approximating the shape of a rounded bar form (AA'BA'), BEECHER is…

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HYFRYDOL

One of the most loved Welsh tunes, HYFRYDOL was composed by Rowland Hugh Prichard (b. Graienyn, near Bala, Merionetshire, Wales, 1811; d. Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, 1887) in 1830 when he was only nineteen. It was published with about forty of his other tunes in his children's hymnal Cyfaill y Cant…

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Baptist Hymnal 1991 #208
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Full Score (PDF)
The Cyber Hymnal #3606
  • Adobe Acrobat image (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer score (NWC)
  • XML score (XML)
Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #568
  • Full Score (PDF, XML)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
Small Church Music #5773
  • PDF Score (PDF)
The United Methodist Hymnal #384
  • Full Score (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (melody only) (PDF)
  • Bulletin Score (PDF)
Worship and Rejoice #358
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Instances

Instances (1 - 94 of 94)Text InfoTune InfoTextScoreFlexScoreAudioPage Scan
African American Heritage Hymnal #440TextPage Scan
Ambassador Hymnal: for Lutheran worship #226
An Nou Chanté! : Let's Sing! #40
Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #721TextFlexScore
Ancient and Modern: hymns and songs for refreshing worship #721bTextFlexScore
Baptist Hymnal 1991 #208TextAudioPage Scan
Baptist Hymnal 2008 #172Text
Catholic Book of Worship III #625
Celebrating Grace Hymnal #281TextPage Scan
Chalice Hymnal #517TextPage Scan
Christian Worship: a Lutheran hymnal #365TextPage Scan
Church Family Worship #387
Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #634
Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #519Text
Common Praise (1998) #485Page Scan
Common Praise (1998) #486
Common Praise: A new edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern #516aPage Scan
Common Praise: A new edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern #516bPage Scan
Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #428a
Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New #428b
Complete Mission Praise #449
Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #407TextPage Scan
Evangelical Lutheran Worship #631TextPage Scan
Gather (3rd ed.) #641Page Scan
Gather Comprehensive #622TextPage Scan
Gather Comprehensive, Second Edition #613Page Scan
Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal #366Text InfoTextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan
Hymnal 1982: according to the use of the Episcopal Church #657TextFlexScorePage Scan
Hymns Ancient & Modern, New Standard Edition #131
Hymns and Psalms: a Methodist and ecumenical hymn book #267a
Hymns and Psalms: a Methodist and ecumenical hymn book #267b
Hymns and Psalms: a Methodist and ecumenical hymn book #267c
Hymns for a Pilgrim People: a congregational hymnal #48
Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #217aText
Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) #217bText
Hymns of Faith #56TextPage Scan
Hymns of Promise: a large print songbook #60Page Scan
Hymns of the Saints: Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints #170
Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #491a
Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #491b
Hymns Old and New: New Anglican #321
Lead Me, Guide Me (2nd ed.) #494
Lift Up Your Hearts: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs #351TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan
Living Hymns #7
Lutheran Service Book #700TextPage Scan
Lutheran Worship #286TextPage Scan
Moravian Book of Worship #474TextPage Scan
Oramos Cantando = We Pray In Song #543
Praise! Our Songs and Hymns #31Page Scan
Presbyterian Hymnal: hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs #376TextPage Scan
Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #568Text InfoTune InfoTextScoreAudioPage Scan
Rejoice Hymns #100
Rejoice in the Lord #464TextPage Scan
Renew! #196TextPage Scan
Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal #191
Sing Glory: Hymns, Psalms and Songs for a New Century #179
Sing Joyfully #71TextPage Scan
Singing the Faith #503
Small Church Music #95Audio
Small Church Music #96Audio
Small Church Music #154Audio
Small Church Music #396Audio
Small Church Music #397Audio
Small Church Music #4617Audio
Small Church Music #5773Audio
Small Church Music #6982Audio
Soul-stirring Songs & Hymns (Rev. ed.) #172
The Celebration Hymnal: songs and hymns for worship #648
The Christian Life Hymnal #40
The Christian Life Hymnal #41
The Christian Life Hymnal #42
The Covenant Hymnal: a worshipbook #439
The Cyber Hymnal #3606TextScoreAudio
The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration #92TextPage Scan
The New Century Hymnal #43
The New English Hymnal #408aTextPage Scan
The New English Hymnal #408bTextPage Scan
The New National Baptist Hymnal #44
The Sacred Harp: the best collection of sacred songs, hymns, odes, and anthems ever offered the singing public for general use (1991 rev.) #30a
The United Methodist Hymnal #384TextFlexScoreAudioPage Scan
The United Methodist Hymnal #384bTextFlexScore
The United Methodist Hymnal Music Supplement #41Text
The United Methodist Hymnal Music Supplement #42
The Worshiping Church #558TextFlexScorePage Scan
Together in Song: Australian hymn book II #217a
Together in Song: Australian hymn book II #217b
Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) #529TextFlexScorePage Scan
Voices United: The Hymn and Worship Book of The United Church of Canada #333TextPage Scan
Welsh and English Hymns and Anthems #75b
Worship (3rd ed.) #588TextPage Scan
Worship (4th ed.) #642
Worship and Rejoice #358TextScoreFlexScoreAudioPage Scan
Worship in Song: A Friends Hymnal #150TextAudio
生命聖詩 - Hymns of Life, 1986 #44Text
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