God of all power and truth and grace

God of all power and truth and grace

Author: Charles Wesley
Tune: VOM HIMMEL HOCH
Published in 51 hymnals

Piano/Organ

O Come, Emmanuel: Six Advent and Christm…

Author: Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley, the son of Samuel Wesley, was born at Epworth, Dec. 18, 1707. He was educated at Westminster School and afterwards at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated M.A. In 1735, he took Orders and immediately proceeded with his brother John to Georgia, both being employed as missionaries of the S.P.G. He returned to England in 1736. For many years he engaged with his brother in preaching the Gospel. He died March 29, 1788. To Charles Wesley has been justly assigned the appellation of the "Bard of Methodism." His prominence in hymn writing may be judged from the fact that in the "Wesleyan Hymn Book," 623 of the 770 hymns were written by him; and he published more than thirty poetical works, written either by himself alone,… Go to person page >

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Text Information

First Line: God of all power and truth and grace
Author: Charles Wesley
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Notes

God of all power, and truth, and grace. C. Wesley. [Holiness desired.] Published in Hymns & Sacred Poems, 1742, in 28 stanzas of 4 lines, based on Ezekiel xxxvi. 13, &c, and headed, "Pleading the Promise of Sanctification" (Poetical Works, 1868-72, vol. ii. p. 319). It was also appended to J. Wesley's Sermon No. 40, and to J. Fletcher's Last Check to Antinomianism. It deals with the doctrine of Sanctification from the Methodist point of view. From the 1742 text the following centos have come into common use:—
1. God of all power, and truth, and grace. In the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780, No. 330, and later editions, is composed of stanzas i., iii., vi.-ix. and xiv. This was given in Hall's Mitre Hymn Book, 1836, No. 211, in an abbreviated form, as "0 Thou, Whose mercy, truth, and love." This arrangement was by E. Osier, and is a distinct hymn from Osier's "0 God, Whose mercy, truth, and love," which appeared in his Church and King, March, 1837, although in the latter he has borrowed a line or two from the former. [HALL Manuscript]
2. Father, supply my every need. In the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780, No. 380, Pt. ii. is composed of stanzas xix.-xxii. It is also in other collections.
3. Holy, and true, and righteous Lord. In the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1780, No. 381 is composed of stanzas xxiii., xxvi.-xxviii. This is also in other collections.
All of these centos are in common use in Great Britain and America.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

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Tune

VOM HIMMEL HOCH

Initially Luther used the folk melody associated with his first stanza as the tune for this hymn. Later he composed this new tune for his text. VOM HIMMEL HOCH was first published in Valentin Schumann's Geistliche Lieder in 1539. Johann S. Bach (PHH 7) used Luther's melody in three places in his wel…

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