San Francisco Central Seventh-day Adventist Church

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191 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling is an old favorite. It is God's love we praise in this wonderful hymn by none other than Charles Wesley. He published it in 1747, and it's original title was Jesus, Show Us Thy Salvation. He adapted it from a song about King Arthur in a popular play of the era.

The original tune was by Purcell, but the current one is BEECHER, composed for these words by John Zundel in 1870 in honor of the famous Congregational preacher, Henry Ward Beecher. The hymn may also be sung to the tune of HYFRYDOL, No. 167 in our church hymnal (you may listen to both tunes below).

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down;
fix in us thy humble dwelling;
all thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast!
Let us all in thee inherit;
let us find the promised rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty to deliver,
let us all thy grace receive;
suddenly return and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Finish, then, thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee;
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.