By Charles Wesley
Written on the first anniversary of his conversion, this has been the first hymn in all Methodist Hymn book editions but one. The original hymn had 18 stanzas.
Charles was the 18th of 19 children. At Oxford, with his brother John and George Whitefield, he formed Oxford Holy Club for disciplined Bible study, worship, communion and visitation to sick and imprisoned. Thirteen of its members sailed to Georgia to do missions work in 1735, and on the return trip they met the Moravian leader Zinzendorf; Charles' conversion took place in 1738. Upon the insistence of Whitefield, the Wesleys began open air "revivals" in 1739.
The Wesleys wrote 6,500 hymns, many in opposition to extreme Calvinism, hymns written with the intention of extolling salvation for all.
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O FOR A THOUSAND TONGUES TO SING
Verse 1
O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of His grace!
Verse 2
My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of Thy name.
Verse 3
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.
Verse 4
He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.
Verse 5
Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come;
and leap, ye lame, for joy!
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