For the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion

 

For the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion. This was the title of that Charles Wesley hymn we know as, “O for a thousand tongues to sing, when he first published it in his Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1740.  Later, it was chosen by his brother John to be the first hymn in A Collection of Hymns for Use of the People Called Methodists (1780), the first true Methodist hymnal.

In American hymnals, “O for a thousand tongues” almost always appears with the familiar tune Azmon. Wesley indicated ‘Birstal Tune’ was the tune for this text (a tune I have never heard of).  One author said he “found this hymn paired with no fewer than twelve different tunes.  This might seem bewildering, but it isn’t actually that surprising—because of the straightforward meter of the poetry, this hymn can be sung to a wide variety of tunes (including the themes to The Brady Bunch and Gilligan’s Island).”

Wesley’s original has 18 stanzas beginning with ‘Glory to God, and praise and love.’  The part we know begins at stanza 7.  I have found the number of stanzas in hymnals today varies between four, five, and seven. Wesley himself had ten in the 1780 collection.  If included, stanza 1 is placed at the end today.

When Charles Wesley was converted he had been ill in bed for some time, and the fear of death had often come into his mind. On Sunday, May 21, 1738, his brother and some friends came in and sang a hymn. After they went out he prayed alone for some time.

In his journal we read: “I was composing myself to sleep in quietness and peace when I heard one come in and say, In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise, and believe, and thou shalt be healed of all thine infirmities. The words struck me to the heart. I lay musing and trembling. With a strange palpitation of heart, I said, I believe, I believe ! ”

In 1739, one year after his conversion, Wesley wrote this hymn. The phrase, O for a thousand tongues to sing, was inspired by Moravian missionary Peter Boehler’s statement: “Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Christ Jesus with all of them.”

I’m singing through The Alliance Hymnal and sang O For A Thousand Tongues this morning. I knew there were a bunch of stanzas, so I searched until I found them all. Here, for your singing enjoyment and edification, are all 18 stanzas!

Glory to God, and praise and love

Be ever, ever given,

By saints below and saints above,

The church in earth and heaven.

On this glad day the glorious Sun 

Of Righteousness arose;

on my benighted soul he shone

and filled it with repose.

Sudden expired the legal strife,

’twas then I ceased to grieve;

My second, real, living life

I then began to live.

Then with my heart I first believed,

Believed with faith divine,

Power with the Holy Ghost received

to call the Savior mine.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood

Close to my soul applied;

me, me he loved, the Son of God,

for me, for me he died!

I found and owned his promise true,

Ascertained of my part,

My pardon passed in heaven I knew

When written on my heart.

O for a thousand tongues to sing

my dear Redeemer’s praise!

The glories of my God and King,

The triumphs of his grace.

My gracious Master and my God,

Assist me to proclaim,

To spread through all the earth abroad

The honors of thy name.

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!

He breaks the power of canceled sin,

he sets the prisoner free;

his blood can make the foulest clean;

his blood availed for me.

He speaks, and listening to his voice

New life the dead receive;

The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,

The humble poor believe.

Hear him, ye deaf, his praise, ye dumb,

Your loosened tongues employ;

Ye blind, behold your Savior come,

And leap, ye lame, for joy.

Look unto him, ye nations, own

Your God, ye fallen race!

Look, and be saved through faith alone,

Be justified by grace!

See all our sins on Jesus laid;

The Lamb of God was slain,

His soul was once an offering made

For every soul of man.

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 Savior died for you;

for me the Savior died.

Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,

And Christ shall give you light,

Cast all your sins into the deep,

And wash the Ethiop white.

With me, your chief, you then shall know,

Shall feel your sins forgiven;

Anticipate your heaven below

and own that love is heaven.

 

These two websites were very helpful:

https://trinitymbmusic.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/hymn-493-for-the-anniversary-day-of-ones-conversion/

https://reasonabletheology.org/hymn-story-o-for-a-thousand-tongues-to-sing/