For the Fires of Divine Love

O Thou that camest from above
The pure celestial fire to impart
Kindle a flame of sacred love
On the mean altar of my heart

There let it for Thy glory burn
With inextinguishable blaze
And trembling to its source return
In humble prayer and fervent praise

Jesus confirm my heart's desire
To work, and speak, and think for Thee
Still let me guard the holy fire
And still stir up Thy gift in me

Ready for all Thy perfect will
My acts of faith and love repeat
Till death Thine endless mercies seal
And make the sacrifice complete

-Charles Wesley

Brother Joe,

This is an awesome hymn. I love the reference to the celestial fires of sacred love on the altar of the heart. I've never heard a contemporary Christian worship song even attempt go that deep. Charles Wesley's hymns are unique in that almost every single verse opens up some aspect of the eternal majesty of God. He also wasn't afraid to plumb the depths of the mysteries either! One hymn has a verse that goes something like:

All praise to Him Who dwells in bliss,
Who made both day and night;
Whose throne is darkness, in th’abyss
Of uncreated light.

Now, that verse is just tremendous. The first time I read it, my eyes just glazed over and I didn't catch the awesomeness. I read it again and suddenly saw that Wesley is going back even before Genesis 1:1, before God spoke creation! And for the sake of a standard hymn (not even a sermon)! What titans these men were. Our modern efforts seem so pale and weak when measured up against the genius and anointing of the holy saints of old.

Brother Paul

Our modern efforts seem so pale and weak when measured up against the genius and anointing of the holy saints of old.

Amen! Yet we serve the same God! We physically have more than they did, to the detriment of our spirituality.

"Because thou sayest 'I am rich, and increase with goods, and have need of nothing' [b]and knowest not[/b] that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Revelation 3:17