IX

The Hymns on the Lord’s Supper published by John and Charles Wesley in 1745 give devotional expression to belief in a spiritual communion with the body and blood of Christ by means of the reception of the Sacrament, and in a sacrificial commemoration of the death of Christ in union with His pleading of His sacrifice in heaven. The hymns are one hundred and sixty-six in number, and of very varied character. Their doctrinal teaching is represented in the following quotations:—

“Then let us go, and take and eat

The heavenly, everlasting meat,

For fainting souls prepared;

Fed with the living bread divine,

Discern we in the sacred sign

The body of the Lord.

The oblation sends as sweet a smell,

Even now it pleases God as well,

As when it first was made;

The blood doth now as freely flow

As when His side received the blow

That showed Him newly dead.

Then let our faith adore the Lamb,

To-day as yesterday the same,

In Thy great offering join;

Partake the sacrificial food,

And eat the flesh, and drink the blood,

And live for ever Thine.”

“O Thou eternal Victim, slain

A sacrifice for guilty man,

By the eternal Spirit made,

An offering in the sinner’s stead;

Our everlasting Priest art Thou,

And pleadest Thy death for sinners now.

Thy offering still continues new,

Thy vesture keeps its bloody hue;

Thou stand’st the ever-slaughtered Lamb,

Thy priesthood still remains the same;

Thy years, O God, can never fail,

Thy goodness is unchangeable.”

“The tokens of Thy dying love,

O let us all receive,

And feel the quickening Spirit move,

And sensibly believe.

The cup of blessing, blest by Thee,

Let it Thy blood impart;

The bread Thy mystic body be,

And cheer each languid heart.

The grace which sure salvation brings,

Let us herewith receive;

Satiate the hungry with good things,

The hidden Manna give.

The living bread sent down from heaven,

In us vouchsafe to be;

Thy flesh for all the world is given,

And all may live by Thee.

Now, Lord, on us Thy flesh bestow,

And let us drink Thy blood,

Till all our souls are filled below

With all the life of God.”

“O the depth of love divine,

The unfathomable grace!

Who shall say how bread and wine

God into man conveys!

How the bread His flesh imparts,

How the wine transmits His blood,

Fills His faithful people’s hearts

With all the life of God!”

“Draw near, ye blood-besprinkled race,

And take what God vouchsafes to give,

The outward sign of inward grace,

Ordained by Christ Himself, receive;

The sign transmits the Signified,

The grace is by the means applied.

Sure pledges of His dying love,

Receive the sacramental meat,

And feel the virtue from above,

The mystic flesh of Jesus eat;

Drink with the wine His healing blood,

And feast on the incarnate God.

Gross misconceit be far away!

Through faith we on His body feed,

Faith only doth the Spirit convey,

And fills our souls with living bread;

The effects of Jesu’s death imparts,

And pours His blood into our hearts.”

“’Tis God we believe who cannot deceive;

The witness of God

Is present and speaks in the mystical blood.

Receiving the bread, on Jesus we feed;

It doth not appear

His manner of working; but Jesus is here!

With bread from above, with comfort and love,

Our spirit He fills,

And all His unspeakable goodness reveals.”

“Take, and eat, the Saviour saith,

This My sacred body is!

Him we take and eat by faith,

Feed upon that flesh of His;

All the benefits receive,

Which His passion did procure,

Pardoned by His grace we live,

Grace which makes salvation sure.

Title to eternal bliss,

Here His precious death we find,

This the pledge, the earnest this

Of the purchased joys behind:

Here He gives our souls a taste,

Heaven into our hearts He pours,

Still believe, and hold Him fast,

God, and Christ, and all is ours!”

“Victim divine, Thy grace we claim,

While thus Thy precious death we show,

Once offered up a spotless Lamb,

In Thy great temple here below,

Thou didst for all mankind atone,

And standest now before the throne.

Thou standest in the holiest place,

As now for guilty sinners slain,

Thy blood of sprinkling speaks and prays,

All-prevalent for helpless man;

Thy blood is still our ransom found,

And speaks salvation all around.

The smoke of Thy atonement here

Darkened the sun, and rent the veil,

Made the new way to heaven appear,

And showed the great Invisible:

Well pleased in Thee our God looked down,

And called His rebels to a crown.

He still respects Thy sacrifice,

Its savour sweet doth always please,

The offering smokes through earth and skies,

Diffusing life and joy and peace:

To these Thy lower courts it comes,

And fills them with divine perfumes.

We need not now go up to heaven

To bring the long-sought Saviour down,

Thou art to all already given,

Thou dost e’en now Thy banquet crown:

To every faithful soul appear,

And show Thy real presence there.”

“Father, Thy feeble children meet,

And make Thy faithful mercies known;

Give us through faith the flesh to eat,

And drink the blood of Christ Thy Son;

Honour Thine own mysterious ways,

Thy sacramental presence show,

And all the fulness of Thy grace,

With Jesus, on our souls bestow.

Father, our sacrifice receive,

Our souls and bodies we present,

Our goods and vows and praises give,

Whate’er Thy bounteous love hath lent;

Thou canst not now our gift despise,

Cast on that all atoning Lamb,

Mixt with the bleeding sacrifice,

And offered up through Jesu’s name.”