Scripture Verse

Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Revelation 1:5–6

Introduction

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Short Hymns (Bris­tol, Eng­land: E. Far­ley, 1762), Vol­ume 2, num­ber 824.

Music: Ormes­by George Mer­ritt, in The Pri­mi­tive Me­tho­dist Hym­nal, ed­it­ed by George Booth (Lon­don: Pri­mi­tive Me­tho­dist Pub­lish­ing House, 1889), num­ber 46 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

  • Caledonia (Gar­butt) Clark­son Gar­butt, in A Col­lect­ion of Hymns for the Peo­ple Called Me­tho­dists, tune edi­tion (Lon­don: Wes­ley­an Con­fer­ence Of­fice, 1877), num­ber 733 (🔊 pdf nwc)

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Mer­ritt (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Lyrics

Who can worthily commend
Thy love unsearchable?
Love which made Thee condescend
Our curse and death to feel!
Thou, the one eter­nal God,
Who didst Thy­self our ransom pay,
Hast with Thy own precious blood,
Washed all our sins away.

By the Spi­rit of our Head
Anointed priests and kings,
Conquerors of the world we tread
On all terrestrial things,
Sit in heavenly places down,
While yet we in the flesh remain,
Now, partakers of Thy throne,
Before Thy Fa­ther reign.

In Thy members here beneath
The Intercessor prays;
Here we in Thy Spi­rit breathe
The quintessence of praise;
Offer up our all to God,
And God beholds, with gracious eyes,
First the purchase of Thy blood,
And then our sacrifice.

Jesus, let Thy kingdom come,
Inspired by Thee, we pray;
Previous to the general doom,
The ev­er­last­ing day!
Take possession of Thine own;
And let us then our Sav­ior see
Glorious on Thy heav’nly throne,
Thro’ all eternity.