Scripture Verse

We being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. 1 Corinthians 10:17

Introduction

portrait
François H. Barthélémon
1741–1808

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns on the Lord’s Sup­per (Bris­tol, Eng­land: Fe­lix Far­ley, 1745), num­ber 96.

Music: Bal­ler­ma Fran­çois H. Bar­thé­lé­mon (1741–1808). Adapt­ed by Ro­bert Simp­son in A Se­lec­tion of Or­ig­in­al Sac­red Mu­sic, 1833 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

If you have ac­cess to a bet­ter pic­ture of Bar­thé­lé­mon,

portrait
Charles Wesley
1707–1788

Anecdote

Thomas Ross was brought up a Ro­man Ca­tho­lic; but on his com­ing of age, he read the Scrip­tures for him­self, saw the er­rors of his past life, be­gan to at­tend the min­is­try of the Me­thod­ists in 1797, and was ad­mit­ted a mem­ber of So­cie­ty by the Rev. Sam­uel Brad­burn. He was for some years a stew­ard, trus­tee, and class lead­er, and faith­ful­ly served in each of­fice. His last ill­ness was short, but his mind en­joyed much peace. The night be­fore his de­par­ture he re­peat­ed his fa­vou­rite hymn which spoke the lan­guage of his heart—

Happy the souls to Je­sus joined,
And saved by grace alone, &c

In this de­light­ful frame, his spir­it re­turned to God who gave it, 6th Feb­ru­ary 1847, aged se­ven­ty years.

Stevenson, p. 26

Lyrics

Happy the souls to Je­sus joined,
And saved by grace alone,
Walking in all His ways they find
Their Heav’n on earth be­gun.

The Church tri­um­phant in Thy love,
Their migh­ty joys we know;
They sing the Lamb in hymns above,
And we in hymns be­low.

Thee in Thy glo­ri­ous realm they praise,
And bow be­fore Thy throne,
We in the king­dom of Thy grace:
The king­doms are but one.

The ho­ly to the ho­li­est leads,
From thence our spir­its rise,
And he that in Thy sta­tutes treads
Shall meet Thee in the skies.