From time time to time I would ask one of kind PA men to record the music in the service on my trusty Trio Cassette Deck. Stupidly I threw a number of such cassettes away when we started making albums. Alas! This is 6.30pm at CCC in the mid 1980s. This hymn came, if I remember correctly, after the worthy congregation had been battered by a 35 minute sermon. This was an additional strain on the singers and instrumentalists who were all sat at the front and had to maintain the appearance of being awake. Quite frankly I didn’t expect them to pull anything out of the bag. But, notwithstanding what they had endured, violà! Perhaps they were singing and playing with such gusto because they had survived. The hymn is very long and there were a few minor accidents in some verses which have been edited out. You win some, you lose some.
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and king,
The triumphs of His grace!
He speaks, and, list’ning to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad,
The honours of Thy name.
Words: Charles Wesley. Music: Thomas Jarman
The hymn was placed first in John Wesley’s A Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists published in 1780. Charles wrote this hymn to commemorate his renewal of faith. The original has eighteen verses of which verses 7, 11 and 8 are reproduced above. Verses 15-17 are rarely sung nowadays:
Harlots, and publicans, and thieves, / In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes / From crimes as great as mine.
Murderers, and all ye hellish crew, / Ye sons of lust and pride,
Believe the Saviour died for you; / For me the Saviour died.
Awake from guilty nature’s sleep, / And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep, / And wash the Aethiop white.
