Hymns and Devotions for Daily Worship ‎#200

200. The Principle of Grace Divine

1. The principle of grace divine,
Sown in this earthly heart of mine,
Is humble joy and heav'nly peace,
And true, implanted righteousness:
Though scarce discernible the grain,
It does the tree of life contain
The purity of saints above,
And all the pow'rs of perfect love.

2. Lord, when your love begins to reign,
The kingdom seems the smallest grain,
Deeper into the heart descends,
Appears, and gradually extends,
Arrives at full maturity,
A seed, a plant, a shrub, a tree;
And when ten thousand storms are past,
Subsists the same from first to last.

3. A grain of grace may we not see
This moment, and the next a tree?
Or must we patiently attend
To find the precious seed ascend?
Our Lord declares it must be so,
And striking deep our root, we grow,
And lower sink, and higher rise,
Till Christ transplants us to the skies.

Text Information

• First Line: The principle of grace divine
• Title: The Principle of Grace Divine
• Author: Charles Wesley (1766)
• Meter: 8.8.8.8 D
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 2024
• Scripture:
  Mark 4:30-32
• Topic: Ordinary Time: Week 6
• Notes: Text by Charles Wesley, sts. 1–2 from MS Mark (1766), st. 3 from Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures, Vol. 2 (1762), alt.

Tune Information

• Name: BUCKLEBURY
• Composer: John Bishop (1710)
• Arranger: Alan Gray (1920)
• Meter: 8.8.8.8 D
• Incipit: 15175 6543
• Key: C Major
• Notes: Tune BUCKLEBURY by John Bishop, from A Set of New Psalm Tunes (1710), arr. by Alan Gray, from A Book of Descants (1920).