1
Love Divine, all love excelling,
Joy of heav’n, 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.
Joy of heav’n, 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, O 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.
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;
May Thy presence e’er be with us,
Never more Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve Thee as Thou wouldst approve,
Pray, and praise Thee without ceasing,
Glory in Thy perfect love.
Let us all Thy life receive;
May Thy presence e’er be with us,
Never more Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve Thee as Thou wouldst approve,
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 with Thee we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love and praise.
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory
Till with Thee we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love and praise.
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Fairfax, Virginia, United States
I heard my Mom and sister sing this hymn from across the hallway one late night when I was feeling very low.
Only a truly God-inspired heart can compose a hymn as beautiful, touching, and meaningful as this.
Hag, MD, United States
(i been living-out saintJohn 13. 34: Jesus’ new commandment now since 2018, now 6yr. s an wat I can tell you is that iam happy per saintJohn 13. 17. WOW I cannot tell it all llll, but, iam amazed, elated and impressed, working out my salvation with fear an trembling, too! HALLELUJAH TO JESUS!!! HALLELUJAH TO GOD!!! I love this narrow way : )
Sun City, AZ, United States Minor Outlying Islands
As I meditated on Romans 2:4, specifically the perfect cause of being repentant which is the LORD’s kindness, tolerance & patience with me, the Spirit brought this great hymn to mind. It reflects a soul truly motivated to repent in gratitude for the LORD’s goodness and to the glory of God.
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Agree with the comments about the power of the words and the right tune. The culmination of all that love flows into the last line, 'lost in wonder, love and praise', and speaks like few others of the encompassing nature of awe.
The devotional works and acts of its writer move me too.
Thanks also for your love and work, hymnal.
Halstead, United Kingdom
The person who wrote this song, really knew God. He had a revelation, of the goodness of God, and our calling heavenwards. It is fantastically inspirational, and one of my favourites, especially when sung with the gusto and correct music that this song deserves!
Surrey, BC, Canada
love this hymn, such a classic :)
United Kingdom
This hymn is about the work of God in the life of a Christian after their conversion to the Lotd Jesus Christ. First this work starts with the divine love of God in Jesus Christ, and ends with the final acts of Heaven's eternal worship of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
But how is a person converted? God in His word. the bible, is clear on this. Jesus told a religious man, in John 3, that a person has to be born again in order just to see the kingdom of God, let alone enter it and become a member of the family of God ( Romans 8).
A person is born again through repentance and faith in the gospel of God, found clearly, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, in the four gospels and the book of Romans, all in the New Testament of the bible.
Finally, read John 3 verse 16 for the only way God loves the person not yet a born again Christian - He loves everyone so that they may repent and believe the gospel. Those who do repent and believe the gospel shall not perish (eternal damnation), but have everlasting life (also John 17 verse 3).
Livonia, MI, United States
For most of his life Charles Wesley was a traveling preacher - traveling on horseback. In his pocket he carried little cards on which he scribbled hymns in shorthand as he rode.
When a horse threw him, he wrote in his journal: "My companion thought I had broken my neck; but my leg only was bruised, my hand sprained, and my head stunned, which spoiled my making hymns till the next day."
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The original 1st line of stanza 1 says "all loves excelling".
The original 3rd and 4th lines of stanza 2 say:
"Let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;"
I prefer "promised" rest to "second" rest because it is more biblical, but greatly prefer "bent to sinning" over "love of sinning". As Christians we should no longer love sinning, but we still have an inclination to sin, which we hate.
The original 3rd & 6th lines of the 3rd stanza say:
"Suddenly return and never,
...
Serve Thee as Thy hosts above,"
Memphis, TN, United States
The words, "Jesus, Thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded Love Thou art, come to mind often when He overwhelms me with His goodness and mercy!
Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines
That I am perfected by any training.